My Day-to-Day Life

I’m a little behind with my blogging, but you haven’t missed much because I haven’t done anything really big or exciting.  I’m just enjoying getting to know my cozy little area and some of the night spots of downtown Ulsan.  So, this post is just to let you in on my day-to-day life and some of what’s going on with me.

I take the bus to and from school each day.  It’s about a 10-minute walk to the bus stop and a 10-minute bus ride.  The bus drops me off right in front of my school.  I don’t really have much to compare to because I’ve never had to rely on bus systems, but the bus system here seems pretty darn efficient (in fact, South Korea is kinda known for its public transportation system…and wireless networking).  Okay…back to my day.  I leave my apartment around 7:40 in the morning and get home around 5ish.  (I already told you about my school day in a previous blog, so I won’t get into that again.)

Creative Taekwondo Studio
(picture from their website)

Badminton Competition
(picture courtesy of theguardian.com)

During my evenings, I’ve been grabbing the occasional meal with Korean co-workers or local foreign teachers I met at orientation.  I’ve also spent a lot of time checking out the local shops, including some traditional open markets (fresh produce, street food, and some miscellaneous items).  I’ve started taekwondo and do that on Mondays and Wednesdays.  The studio is called Creative Taekwondo (http://creativetaekwondo.com) and, luckily, the lessons are in English!  Tomorrow is my first day of badminton.  That is a popular sport over here, and my school has a badminton club for teachers.  I’ve heard that Koreans can get pretty intense about their badminton, so we’ll see how that goes.  I did play a fair amount at my family cabin growing up, so I’m hoping I don’t make too much of a fool of myself (quick shoutout to the Baldauf Clan and Camp Emoclew). 

My top-rate walking/running path

The view along the Taewa River

During the weekends, I generally spend my time in three ways: walking along the Taewa River, meeting friends in Samsandong (“New Downtown”), and basking in the downtime and slower pace of life.  There is an amazing walking trail that is only about a 6-minute walk from my apartment.  There are two lanes on the path: one for runners and walkers and another for bikers.  The side for the runners and walkers is cushioned, so it’s really nice.  The Taewa river is more like a large, shallow stream, but I imagine it fills up during rainy season.  All around me are high hills/small mountains.  It really is a peaceful way to spend my days, and I’ve been fortunate to have warm, sunny weather the past few weekends (in the upper 50’s and 60’s).  This past weekend, I noticed some trailheads that I have plans on exploring this weekend with some friends.

A trail head that is calling my name...

Bijoli and me enjoying a tasty beverage

 I’ve met two women that I really click with.  Bijoli is a British teacher I met at orientation.  She lives on the other side of town, so we only get to hang out on the weekends.  We’ve been enjoying our time over dinner and drinks, though!  Gyu Na is a Korean I met a couple weeks ago.  We celebrated St. Paddy’s day together (and sort of paid for it the following day).  Gyu Na’s been living in Canada for the past 10 years and is here staying with her folks while she takes care of some health issues.  I’m looking forward to getting to know both of these fun ladies better!!

Gyu Na and me at Cima, a foreigners bar

Well, that about gets you caught up with my day-to-day life!  My first big adventure outside of Ulsan will be the Cherry Blossom Festival on April 5.  I look forward to sharing that with you!  I heard it’s pretty amazing…

My First Week of School!

Week one of school was GREAT…well…after the first day anyway.  Let me explain…

My main co-teacher (far left) and third grade teacher

The first day started off great!  I introduced myself in Korean to the principal and other head teachers.  Then I had to do it a second time for the other teachers and one final time in front of the students.  Apparently, my Korean pronunciation is pretty good and many teachers were impressed (great first impression).  I only had one class on the first day.  The teacher brought the students in and then sat in the back of the room working on her laptop (co-teaching isn’t really “co” at the middle school level).  As I began delivering my lesson, I quickly realized that I WAY overestimated my students’  English ability.  They had trouble following me, and I got a lot of blank expressions.  I was a bit deflated after the lesson and went home feeling very overwhelmed.  But after a moment to collect myself (and prevent a complete panic attack), I searched online for some ideas and found a lesson that I tweaked and made my own.  Day 2 and the days that followed were a success!  In fact, I got a few compliments on my “excellent teaching abilities” and classroom management style – that was a huge boost of encouragement that I needed after the first day.  My main co-teacher, Nayeon, also informed me that the other teachers think I’m kind and smile a lot, which puts them at ease.  I’d say I’m off to a good start!

Now, onto some differences between the Korean school system and American system:

• In Korea, students get FREE TIME!  They have an hour for lunch.  They get to eat and then do whatever they want and are basically unsupervised.  They also get 10 minutes between classes and can do what they want as long as they’re not late.  I'm impressed that the students don’t seem to abuse the privilege!
• It is a daily routine for students and teachers to brush their teeth after lunch.  There is a little pow-wow in the faculty restroom, and the students use trough-like sinks in the hallway.  Koreans must have great teeth!
• There is a 20-minute period each day designated for cleaning the classroom.  Professional cleaners handle the restrooms and office, but students clean their own classrooms.  Three third grade students volunteered to clean my room every day.  We have been enjoying brief chats during our time together!
• Let me explain “third grade students.”  Korean middle school is equivalent to grades 7^th, 8^th, and 9^th in the US, but they call the students 1^st graders, 2^nd graders, and 3^rd graders.
• The students stay in the same room all day and teachers go to them.  Therefore, the teachers have a central workroom where each teacher has a desk (sort of like office cubicles…but without the cubicles).  The exception to this routine is me…I have my own classroom called “The English Zone,” so my students come to me.
• The “bell” to signal the change of classes is classical music that plays for about 10 seconds…really nice touch!

My classroom!

The entrance to my classroom, aka "English Zone."

Reading and work area in the back of my classroom.

A sort of lounge area in my classroom once you enter.

On Friday, the entire school went out to eat.  Now, in the states there would NEVER be alcohol at a school event, but in Korea the beer and soju (a popular Korean spirit) flow freely (Korea is a heavy drinking society).  During the dinner the principal made the rounds to talk with some tables, and his visit including pouring shots of soju for people at the table.  I can honestly say, having my principal serve me a shot is a first for me!  At the dinner, I delivered a short “speech” in Korean.  I basically said I had a great first week and felt welcomed by the staff and students and that I was looking forward to the year.  I think I butchered the pronunciation a bit, but they got the hint and appreciated me trying!  

My principal and vice principal belting out a tune.

After dinner, some of us headed to a noreabang.  Noreabangs are karaoke rooms at a bar.  Your group gets a private room where you have control of all the songs you sing.  The room includes a stage, tambourines, and of course plenty of alcohol and more food.  Koreans really do LOVE to sing karaoke…and drink.  There were many drunk Koreans singing Korean songs.  One of them wanted me to sing and showed me the English song selections.  Apparently I was taking too long to choose because "Hotel California" was chosen for me.  Clearly most people were under the influence because they were quite impressed with my singing.  Of course, you know me, I did try to ham it up a bit!  Noreabangs with coworkers are actually a pretty important part of Korean culture, so I was happy to do m

y due diligence and participate.

All in all…it really was a GREAT first week!  I’m gonna say it again…this year is going to be amazing!

Toto, I’ve a feeling we’re not in Kansas anymore!

Well, I arrived in my new home on Friday.  I’m in a region of Ulsan called Guyeong.  It’s about 40 minutes outside the city center but resembles a mini-city.  I have a five-minute walk to cafes, grocery stores, shopping, restaurants, etc.  It’s pretty much what I was hoping for!  And…I really like my apartment…two rooms (kitchen and bedroom) and a bathroom.  It’s simple and perfect.

Dishes in sink = lived in!

  

 So here are the highlights of what I’ve accomplished this weekend:

• Unpacked and settled into my apartment.
• Ordered at a Korean restaurant all by myself (first sense of accomplishment).
• Bought some things for my new apartment (the previous teacher left a lot of good basic things for me, so I didn’t need to buy as much as I thought I would…nice surprise).
• Went grocery shopping.
• Figured out the bus routes I need to take (and took them for a dry run).  I’m really proud of myself for this one.  It’s going to be my lifeline while in Korea, so I wanted to figure this out quickly.
• Found a church (well…sort of…it’s really tiny – I was the only one in attendance today but apparently I arrived during a transition time).  The pastor is American, so the services are in English… it’s called Ulsan English Fellowship.  We spent about an hour just talking and then went to lunch together.  He seems like a good guy with similar Christian values.

I have to admit, I am a little proud of myself!  I haven’t felt the culture shock like some other EPIK teachers from last week.  And, I haven’t felt all that intimidated about finding my way around.  I think all my travel for work and to other countries for mission trips and pleasure have prepared me for this.  It feels pretty good to be settling in so quickly!

My first meal in my apartment = fish stick taco
(courtesy of former resident and the food she left for me)

 I have three really good resources to rely on:  an American named Cenae who I met in the grocery store (she’s been here for 13 years), Pastor Kevin who has been here since 1995, and the teacher who I am replacing (she left me four typed pages of information and her email address – we’ve already corresponded about some additional questions I had).  So, if I don’t know what I’m doing, I have plenty of people to help me out.  Always good to have back-up and support!  Speaking of support…

I met my main co-teacher on Friday (apparently I’ll have more than one).  She is super nice and speaks really good English, so we had no problem communicating.  She showed me to my apartment on Friday, and helped me open a bank account and apply for my Alien Registration Card (ARC).  She also took me to the school where I met the vice-principal.  The visit to school was really quick.  Tomorrow’s the first day of school, and I really don’t have a clue what to expect.  I’m not even sure if I’ll be teaching any classes (you can probably recall how the first day goes…lots of logistical stuff for teachers to go over).  I have been “warned” that at a GET in Korea, you pretty much have to be ready for anything…lots of last-minute changes.  That’ll be good for me…it will s-t-r-e-t-c-h the planner in me.

A little insight into what I’ll be teaching…I now understand why we are called GETs (Guest English Teachers).  We really are “guests” who go into other teachers’ English class to help students practice speaking and using the language.  My job is to make them more comfortable and confident about their English abilities.  The Korean teachers teach a lot of grammar and vocabulary in their English classes.  My role is application, which I’m really excited about.

It’s going to be a great year…I can’t wait!  Now it’s off to bed…gotta make a good first impression. J