4 Months In

Note: This update is long overdue, and I apologize to everyone for not writing sooner. My middle school PE teacher always said excuses are like noses; everyone has one, and they all smell. In honor of Coach Drennan I won't bore you with excuses. 

I have officially been in Korea now for 4 months and have completed a third of my contract. If I were to sum up the past 4 months in one word that word would be adjustment. Living in Korea has required an extraordinary amount of adjusting.

The biggest adjustment has been leaving all of my family and friends behind back home and not knowing anyone in my new home. I miss everyone back home and think about my family and close friends often. I appreciate my relationships back home all the more, now that I have been away a few months. I have chosen to leave you all for a year though and I have had to adjust. My social life has been somewhat limited, as I have had to start from scratch in terms of making friends here. I have gotten to know my coworkers and students very well, as I spend the vast majority of time with them at work. I have thoroughly enjoyed getting to know my students. I find it is very easy to truly be myself in front of them, since they naturally provide an atmosphere free from judgement (most of the time).

Another big adjustment I have had to make has been the germs I've been exposed to. Korea has been rough on my immune system so far. I have heard that most people get sick a few times in their first month or two, but my case was more than once or twice, and it has been more than a month or two. It seems I have been sick more often than not, with constant colds and bouts of coughs. One cough lasted for several weeks and I'm pretty sure I tore an abdominal muscle from all the coughing. Working with kindergarteners, who tend to seek out germs and then promptly place their hands in their mouths and/or nostrils, does not help the situation.

The view from the third story window at our school of a clear day in Gunsan.

The weather has been one major adjustment as well. When I arrived in September the weather was beautiful. I had barely missed the mugginess of summer and still arrived in time to experience sunny days. Then gradually week by week it began to get colder as the days got shorter until finally it began to dip below freezing and snow fell. We had our first snowfall around December 8th. It was very exciting for me, as I have never lived through a real winter. The excitement has worn off though with each walk to work over icy sidewalks and through falling snow.

The same view out the school window, but it's clearly a little bit colder out.

The language is one aspect of life in Korea that can be a bit of a struggle. Living in a place where you can't understand people around you in public can be frustrating but I can say I am used to it now. I don't think twice about it anymore. In fact I have grown comfortable with it, and my coworkers and I have learned to look at it with a sense of humor in most cases. Just as I can't understand what a Korean is saying about me when I walk past, most of the time they cannot understand me. Needless to say this results in observations and comments about strangers who are within earshot but out of touch.


Although my first four months here have been rough on several fronts, I have had many great experiences so far.

I've been able to go up to Seoul twice. The first time I met up with a friend from back home who has a girlfriend from Seoul. She led us to the rooftop of a low key jazz bar, which overlooked the city and all its lights. We were very close to the Seoul Tower, which is beautifully lit up at night. Good drinks and conversation made the night very special. My second trip was just as enjoyable, but it was on a whole different plane. I was able to sign up for a 10K with a group of foreign teachers. After running the 10K we all went out together for a very fun night on the town.

A view of Seoul at night, including the 777 ft tall Seoul Tower.

One of my big goals in coming to Korea was to become a more complete runner. The weather and sickness have prevented me from running as much as I would have liked, but I have managed to get some very enjoyable runs in.

The 10K in Seoul was along the Han river. The highlight of the run was running right past a park of kite flyers. One man had a string of ten kites on the same line that must have gone up about 200 feet. It was amazing to see up close. I have also been able to explore some very beautiful areas near my home in Gunsan on foot, which is a major contrast from the urban environment in Seoul.

My favorite run is through a park called Wolmeyeoung Park, which is a very hilly wooded area crisscrossed with trails. From the top of several of the hills in the park you can see the ocean on one side and a beautiful lake on the other. Last weekend the sun paid us a visit, and I decided to go for a run in Wolmeyeoung. It was incredibly peaceful running through the forest, which was covered in snow. It was dead silent and I was all alone on the trail. I am chomping at the bit to get out and explore more of the natural beauty in this country, but the weather is not very conducive to camping or hiking right now.

I realize this post may have painted a drab picture of my time here so far, but I would describe it as more of an adventure in getting used to a new life that has been filled with some bumps in the road. Along the way I have been able to do a lot of introspection since arriving, and I feel like this has made me grow ever so slightly towards being a better human being. I am excited to see much more of this country than I already have, as the weather starts to warm up in a month or two. Happy new year everyone!

Birthday Party

Not long after starting work, I noticed it said "birthday party" on our calendar at school. I remember asking some coworkers what a birthday party at work was like, and they smiled and said "just wait." I have since taken part in two birthday parties. On the last Thursday of every month, all the kindergarteners who have a birthday during the month get to be the center of the universe for 40 minutes during a "birthday party."

This is how 7-year-olds party.

The birthday boys and girls sit at a table decked out with bunches of fruit, party hats, and flowers. While the 40 or so other kids sit on the floor.

Each lucky boy or girl is the focus of the whole room, as the rest of the kindergarteners asks them questions in English such as, "what is your favorite color?" or "what is your favorite animal?".

The birthday children, Jack and Angelina, get to sit at their thrones while the rest of their classmates sing songs for them. "Happy Birthday" is not on the agenda though.

Those are two of my kindergarteners peeking through all that birthday fun.

This is my Kindergarten class (Friendship), after they all went up to the birthday boy and girl and each delivered them a birthday note that says, "You are perfect. I want to be your best friend."

Jack and Angelina blowing out their birthday candles.

Jack and Angelina with their teachers.

Through Children's Eyes

Today I walked into work and was greeted by one of my students who grabbed my arm and stared up at my face. He looked very intently and then smiled. He then grabbed two of his classmates who both curiously studied my face.

I immediately thought I had toothpaste on my mouth or something, and was going to go to the bathroom to find out what it was and clean it. Before I could get to the bathroom a whole crowd of kindergarteners was staring up at me preventing me from moving forward.

My coteacher walked by and said it was my eyes they were looking at. She had just taught a lesson about people from different countries, and how people from other parts of the world look different. I have brown eyes, but they are not as dark as the pairs of Korean eyes that were staring up at me.

The smile on my Kindergartener’s face makes sense when you realize (after a quick wiki check) that this boy is growing up in a country where more than 99% of the population is of Korean descent. Korean people actually call their society “the single race society” and rightly so. The list of countries more homogenous than South Korea is pretty short. It’s not even a list actually. The only country more homogenous than South Korea is North Korea.

Needless to say I stand out when I walk down the street in Gunsan (not as much as my coworker who has blonde hair though). The biggest culture shock I have experienced is coming from the melting pot of America to a pot filled to the brim with Koreans. I am an anomaly here for sure.

I don’t know what Koreans think of me when I walk past them on the street. I have had some people occasionally say hello or wave, but it is rare. People mainly keep to themselves when they see me, with one exception, children. Children ALWAYS react in some way when they see me on the street.

While I was running the other day, a car passed by and a child rolled down his window and yelled hello with a big grin on his face. One child hid behind her mother’s legs when she noticed me.  Some children show off their English to me buy shouting hello, while others just stare.

Late at night I was walking alone when a group of motorcycles rode by. They were teenagers riding recklessly down the street. A few of them did wheelies through an intersection. A kid was sitting on the back of his friend's motorcycle and turned to me as they passed. I almost hit the deck. He waved, yelled hello, and rode off.

It is entertaining to see children’s reactions, but the steady stream of poker faces I receive from adults reminds me I am the foreigner and that Korea doesn’t have to adjust to me. I have to adjust to Korea.

Teaching

I work at a private English school called Sogang Language Program (SLP). SLP employs 4 other foreign teachers (2 from Canada and 2 from the U.S.) and 5 Korean teachers. I teach kindergarten in the morning from 11-2, and then teach 4 classes in the afternoon until 7 PM consisting of older children. (Speaking of age, Korean children will tell you their "Korean age" when asked how old they are. This is based off the lunar calendar, which inflates someone's age when compared to their western age.)


Teaching has gone as smoothly as possible considering I have absolutely no teaching background. Kindergarten is definitely the most challenging part of my day. My classroom is named "Friendship," which is ironic considering my class has the most drama out of the 5 kindergarten classes.

I would equate trying to maintain discipline in a classroom full of 10 kindergarteners to conducting an 80-piece orchestra. I have never been a good multitasker and this job has definitely exposed this fact. Once I get one student in line and focused on my flashcards I turn back to the rest of the class only to find two girls braiding each others hair and another girl crouching under the table. Needless to say I have had to use my voice A LOT. I have always been an unusually loud snapper, and this skill has never come in handy more than when I've been at the helm of a kindergarten class.

 (This is a picture I took of my kindergarten class, "Friendship", on a field trip to the local fire station.)

Teaching Kindergarten is pretty structured with a curriculum. A typical day would be: showing them flashcards of that week's vocabulary and asking questions on the topic, showing them phonics cards, supervising a phonics activity in their activity books, then reading them a story (some of the books are one's I grew up on, like The Very Quiet Cricket, which Mom definitely remembers reading to Heather, Ben and I).

I am also responsible for dishing out snack and lunch. These can be an adventure. The children have managed to spill something every single lunch but one, when I spilled a glass of milk while trying to maintain order and pour out 11 cups as fast as I could. No use crying though.

My afternoon classes range from 8-14 year olds, and are much easier to conduct than kindergarten. Afternoon classes are less structured. I have had to improvise a lot to say the least. I am enjoying getting to know the students. They refer to me as "Andy Teacher." Some of my students give me little gifts, such as a piece of gum or chocolate. One student gave me a bouncy ball, and I told him he might have more fun with it than I would, but he insisted I take it.

One day Isaballe, one of my favorite kindergarteners (as hard as I try to be democratic I can't help but have favorites) asked me what color my hair and eyes were and then she asked me my favorite color. 20 minutes later she came running in the teacher's lounge with a card that said "Isabelle form, I love you Andy Teacher." It had hearts and decorations on it. I opened it up; Inside was a picture of me with brown eyes, brown hair, and a blue shirt.

It is definitely a challenge to work with the children at times, but it is also one of the most rewarding things I have ever done.

Arrival in Korea

I arrived in South Korea at Incheon international airport, which is near Seoul, on September 12th. After saying goodbye to all of my American greenbacks at the foreign exchange bank (the exchange rate is roughly 1000 Korean Won to 1 USD) I grabbed my luggage and headed for the airport exit. I was greeted by one of my coworkers who kindly made the 3 hour bus trip up that morning to see me safely back to Gunsan. After introducing ourselves, we bought our bus tickets and waited about 40 minutes for the bus to arrive. The scenery was beautiful on the drive down, as we crossed several bridges and drove into some beautiful forested areas. I fought jet lag and just stared out the window in excitement that I had finally made it to Korea. My coworker, Suzanne, informed me that I had arrived on one of the busiest travel days of the year, Korea's version of thanksgiving, Chuseok. She said the bus trip back might take closer to 3 1/2 hours down to Gunsan due to all the holiday traffic. Turns out our bus broke down and we waited on the side of the road for the next bus along the same route.  6 hours later, we were nearing the city I would call home for the next 12 months, wondering if we were almost there. Right around that time I noticed a full moon hiding behind the hills we were driving past. Suzanne told me that it was a tradition to make a wish when you see the full moon rise over the horizon on Chuseok (the holiday coincides with the full moon). I'm not superstitious (just a little stitious), but I've always heard it's bad luck to reveal one's wish. It didn't take long for me to come up with it, but I will let your imagination decide what I was hoping for. I will tell you in a year if it came true.

Ten minutes later we got off the bus and I was in Gunsan, South Korea.

Hello!

This will be a place where I hope to tell friends and family about my experiences in Korea. I am currently living in Korea teaching English for a year, and I plan on chronicling my adventures here. I hope you enjoy!