Gyeongju

This past weekend Mr. Yoon took the Foreign and Korean teachers on a trip to Gyeongju. Gyeongju is a coastal city in the far southeastern corner of South Korea. Gyeongju was the capital of the ancient kingdom of Silla. There are a vast number of different archeological and cultural sites situated in this beautiful city.

All the Korean teachers assured me that it is one of the most historical places in Korea... They were right! I have been in Korea for so long that I tend to forget that I am living in Asia but this past weekend it was blindingly obvious. Not only because of the amazing Buddhist temples, Emperor tombs, Korean arcitecture, breath taking landscape and traditional Korean food but because of the mere fact that we were the only foreigners for miles! The Korean teachers said they always knew where we foreigners were because they could hear everyone around them speaking in Korean about the foreigners who were down the hall or on the first floor or in the next room. We weren't able to sneak around without somebody noticing.

I also had the opportunity to witness first hand the horrible phenomenan that is Korean traffic. It took us roughly 4 1/2 hours to get to Gyeongju but 7 1/2 hours to get home. Let me repeat that... 7 1/2 hours to get home. I am still pretty scarred from the experience and am not ready to talk about it. Time heals all wounds, so hopefully by the time I get home I'll be ready to discuss it.

Update

So... a few things have happened in my life since I last blogged. The season changed for one! I moved into a new apartment. Oh... excuse me... apartment doesn't do it justice. I moved into a deluxe penthouse suite. My college roommate and good friend Meredith moved to Korea to teach English in the amazing, crazy country that is Korea . I finally got my regular voice back (it has been missing for the past 9 months). I went to CHINA! I saw my family! I went dumpster diving and got a ridiculously awesome couch which matched perfectly with my ridiculously awesome penthouse suite. I was thrown up on twice. My friend and college roommate Emily might come visit in late October, early November! I was asked to extend my contract for 2 months (I haven't made a decision yet). Realized I go to my favorite, little Korean restaurant entirely too much when the owner, who doesn't speak a lot of English, said "Oh Hi Krista!"  I booked a trip to Australia in December! I got a new, super cute, super sweet co teacher, Dayna Teacher. I went to a Korean wedding (don't worry... it was my co-worker's, NOT mine). Attended Mud Fest (And yes... it is exactly what it sounds like... I paid money to roll around in mud... worth it). Started a soccer league for foreigners in Dongbaek. Every Sunday afternoon we get around 20 people all jazzed up to play a little football. My kids speak full and complete sentences to me (one of my favorites that almost made me pass out from joy... Teacher, a nurse needs a syringe to help the doctor who works in the hospital.) I mastered spelling my name in Korean. I went whitewater rafting and didn't die (I was a little concerned when I couldn't understand the directions our rafting guide was giving us... but I overcame.) Oh... and did I mentioned I moved to a new apartment... with a balcony.

Field Trip

Our school is going on a field trip next week to a small dairy farm on the outskirts of Dongbaek. When I was told this, I was so excited because a) it's a little taste of Minnesota home and b) I wouldn't have to convince my students that the field trip would be fun (we have had some tours of museums and energy companies that, needless to say, fell flat).

I explained to them about the farm, what we would do and the animals we would see. When I was finished, I looked at them and they weren't beaming with excitement like I was. I said "What's wrong?" John, who seems to be the spokesperson for the entire class, told me "Teacher, I don't want." I said "WHY?!!?! It will be great! We will see horses and pigs and cows! It is going to be so cool!!" He responded "No... it is dirty... I will get the virus." I said "the what?". He said, "The virus! The pig virus!" He was referring to the swine flu. Who knows where he heard about the swine flu. All the other kids nodded and shouted in agreement. All of a sudden had a mutiny on my hands. I tried to explain that it wasn't what they thought and they would be fine..... but no. Their minds were made up and they are stubborn. I have tried my best to convince them that all will be ok... we will see if the atmosphere of the farm overshadows their worries. So in conclusion, I have around 20 kindergartners who don't want to go to a farm because they are worried they will get swine flu. Yeah...

So.... during my time here I have learned a lot of things about myself: I don't like octopus no matter how many times I try it; I am really good at finding my way around cities using the subway; every time I get on a bus it is a guarantee that I will get sick and I really love to travel!! However, the knowledge I have gained about children since I have arrived here is priceless. For instance, children miss NOTHING!!!!!!!! They are more perceptive than I could have ever imagined.

You can learn many things from children. How much patience you have, for instance.

For those of you who don't know... children are the most amazing and emotionally draining beings on the planet. I can't count the number of times I have said "No running!" "Stop kicking." "Did you bite him?" "Listen!" "Krista Teacher has a personal bubble you can't pop." "No head butting!" However, if I had 1000won for every time I heard "I'm sorry teacher" "Its OK teacher, no angry face." "Teacher you're pretty." "I lobe (love) you teacher." "Me happy because teacher happy." I would be a Korean millionaire! Here are a few pictures of my special kids:

Peach Class

Mike, Alber, Sally - Peach Class

There are two types of schools foreign teachers can teach English at in Korea: a public school or a Hagwon. I am teaching at the latter. A Hagwon is essentially a private school that specializes in a concentration. There are English hagwons, math hagwons, piano hagwons, etc. Elementary students attend public school during the day and hagwons during the afternoon and evening. However, for kindergarten students, hagwons are their primary school.

I am a kindergarten teacher with two classes. Peach Class is made up of ten cute, bright and sassy 7 year olds. Pear class has ten sweet, adorable and freakishly smart 6 year olds. I teach these kids everyday until 2:40. In the afternoon, I teach a few elementary classes, but I don't spend the same amount of time with my elementary students as I do with my kindergartners.

I was hired on in December because they were opening these two new kindergarten classes. So my first day was also my kids' first day. Believe me, we have learned together! It is amazing the progress they have made. They literally didn't know ANY English the first day I met them. They kept talking to me in Korean and were shocked when I couldn't understand them. There were also a few students who were afraid of me because I didn't look or sound like anything they were use to. James in my Pear class cried for three days straight. I would sit him down in his chair and slowly move away. As I got further and further away, he would ever so slowly move out of his chair and when I turned my back to him he would book it out of the room as fast as he could while looking back at me with this look of pure freedom on his face. James is now the happiest and sweetest little boy in class. I am also happy to report that they speak solely English to me and full sentences are becoming more and more prevalent!

It looks like we are torturing every single one of them.

Kelly my co teacher!!

Everyday is a fun adventure! I have so many stories. However, those are for another day and another post. The one thing I have come to realize is that while I try to teach my kids all about life, they teach me what life is all about.

Pear Class- Field Trip to Energy Company

Korea Doesn't Change Everything

So... it has been close to two months since my last post and if I have any faithful followers still out there.... I would like to apologize. Even though my diet, surrounding language and time zone have all changed, my astounding skill of procrastination has stuck with me. Old faithful. That's what twelve years of private education will give you. Thanks Dad.

I have been in Korea for three months and it gets better everyday because everyday is literally an adventure. I have had escapades of all types. Some good, some bad, some funny, some (in retrospect) quite sad, but all memorable. Here is a little taste:

Even back home, I am not a great grocery shopper. There is something about 74 different brands of cereal, 40 flavors of yogurt and the endless aisle of spices that really seems to unnerve me. The problem has only escalated since my arrival here. Now, I can't even read what flavor of yogurt I am buying. I have no idea if the rice I picked up is actually rice or some sort of wheat grain. I just go with what I think rice is supposed to look like and hope for the best. Just as long as it doesn't turn out to be octopus, I can deal. The only time I thought I hit rock bottom was when I was trying to act out sliced deli meat and got something that tasted like old spam. Even if it tasted like fresh spam, I don't think I would have liked it.

I miss being able to freely communicate with waiters, waitresses, check out tellers at the grocery store, sales people and bus drivers. I was almost stuck on a bus because the bus driver didn't open the door at my stop and I didn't know how to say "please open the door" in Korean. So I just ended up making some sort of startling noise until someone noticed and told the bus driver to open the door. A few weeks ago (ok... a month...I KNOW I am behind!)I was grocery shopping with my friends at E-Mart and we were checking out our groceries when my friend Sam pulled out shaving cream she had bought from a different store from her purse in order to grab her wallet. Well... the cashier thought she was trying to shoplift said cream. Ten minutes, fifty hand gestures and one shaving cream receipt later, we limped out of E-Mart.

But this is where I really lucked out. Korean people are some of the most welcoming, kind, friendly and helpful people I have met. They put up with my foreign nonsense everyday. If they speak English they want to talk and find out where you are from and how you like Korea. They go out of their way to make things easier for you. Korean people really are what make Korea special.

Happy New Year!!!

Happy (late) New Year to everyone!! The first 17 days of 2009 have been a blur... however, it won't take me long to get you all up to speed: I celebrated the New Year in Seoul where I was surrounded by thousands and thousands of excited Koreans and millions and millions of hand held fireworks (the words "fire" and "hazard" don't seem to translate into Korean), I have successfully placed a food order without using wild hand gestures or pictionary type skills a grand total of 0 times, I welcomed twenty, korean speaking, 6/7 year olds to their first day of school (ever!!), I caught my first of many colds from those 20 walking, somewhat English talking, incubi of germs, I have made at least 10 children cry just by saying hello and a hot water pipe exploded in my apartment at 7 in the morning a few weeks ago. It is going to be a good year!!

This is the temple at the NY celebration.

I managed to take some videos at the New Years celebration in Seoul. The videos are great but like all amazing experiences, you just had to be there!! The celebration was similar to the one in Times Sqaure. They had performances by the WILDLY popular korean groups The Wondergirls and Big Bang (however, I didn't know who they were until after when my kids freaked out) and instead of a ball dropping, a huge, historic bell rang 33 times (don't know why). You really can't hear the bell in the video, but it was there!

Count Down:

Listen closely.... you will hear my friend Chelsea trying to give me a crash course in Korean numbers... and you will hear my giving up at the end and just using the standard 5-4-3-2-1!!!

Here is a video of lanterns being lit and let go. Really cool

Here is a picture of my friend Chelsea and I waiting (in the cold!! Don't worry... not MN cold) for the celebration to begin!!