Almost 7 Months: Time to Regroup

When I thought about coming to Korea for a year it sounded long, but nothing I couldn't handle. I knew Skype would make it possible for me to call my family and friends more often than necessary (sorry, Mom!). I could still be on Facebook regularly, and with its new(ish) chat feature, it would really be like living in Nashville again. In fact, I was so confident in the year-long move being a breeze, that I silently snickered at people who told me, "I just could never do it."

Now that I'm here, and well over the hill in my time here, I've learned that I was right. Aside from the annual bout of slight depression that winter weather brings on, I have adjusted really well to being so far from home. I would probably consider extending my contract if 1, my boss wasn't such a jerk and 2, I didn't have two very, very, very, important (to me) weddings to attend in October.

That being said, they're are many things that I miss immensely. I really miss boneless, skinless, white-meat chicken. I really miss baking and having it be more cost-effective to cook. As convenient and cheap as it is to by already-made Korean take-out and restaurant food I hate not knowing EXACTLY what it is I'm eating. To be fair, Korean food is mostly healthy and I haven't gained any weight since arriving (even throughout the winter blahs! amazing!), but the control freak in me has a much better time of things when I can know what I'm shoving in my mouth 80% of the time.

Also, me freedom is pretty thwarted by lack of an automobile. Public transportation is a great system, but it has its boundaries. I don't like boundaries.

I was told that mother dubbed me "fiercely independent" in a conversation she had with my then-boyfriend over the summer last year (given that that same independent streak is the majority of the reason for the "then" status in front of boyfriend, I'm sure he wishes he had heeded the warning). Being "fiercely independent" offers millions of opportunities and experiences that I'm grateful for, and millions of responsibilities and experiences that make me want to crawl back in the womb. This experience in Korea is no exception.

I began this blog and trip with three goals in mind: to be brave, curious, and inspired.

I'm glad to revisit these goals because, honestly, I couldn't recall them and needed to go back and read the first post to remember what they were! At this point in my trip, there is still a lot of time for growth and I think today is a perfect day for a pep talk. Spring is in the air and nothing screams re-commitment like Spring!

Be Brave:

Though courageous may appear to be something that would be on my list of current attributes, it still needs a lot of work. I can think of a few opportunities (namely, snow skiing), that I have passed up since arrival. I can usual rationalize missing them because of financial reasons, or need for alone time, or complete hatred of winter weather but in reality, I'm just a chicken. Anything that requires any amount of physical coordination petrifies me. Remember that mountain we hiked? If I had known what exactly it was that I'd be doing, there is NO WAY I would have attended. I did attend, though, and I did make it up the mountain. Maybe I'm not as bad as I think.

On a positive note, I have tried many foods that a mere thought of would have made me gag just a few years ago.

Progress report on "Be Brave" (out of 10): 4.2

Be Curious:

This one really isn't a problem for me. I want to learn things all the time. I ask Koreans questions about food, traditions, family, love lives, politics, and religion. I show no signs of weakness when it comes to wanting to know something. I've spent more time Google-ing (is that an official verb yet?) and inquiring in the last 7 months than I can count.

Progess report on "Be Curious" (out of 10): 9.0 (A perfect score would insinuate that there's no room for improvement, and that's NEVER the case with learning)

Be Inspired:

This one's tough to evaluate. I don't really know what I was looking to be inspired by when coming here. I do know that initially my experience in Korea was going to be just that - a year-long, shake your sillies out adventure.. I was hoping to "figure it out" while I was here, move home, go back to school if required, and pursue whatever dream it was that I came up with while I was here. All I've found though, is hundreds of other seekers here who are just looking for the next adventure. I guess in some ways, they have inspired me. I no longer believe that I'll be home for good in September. In fact, a possible jaunt in Australia and South America are on the hypothetical calendar. Maybe this blog will be life-long!

In terms of a career, I haven't narrowed down one that makes sense to me just yet. I love kids, but the pressure of educating them leaves little room for me to enjoy them. I like to snuggle them and run around outside and bake cookies, not so much try to get them all to turn to page 3 simultaneously.

I like taking pictures, but know that a career in photography would rob me of the enjoyment so we'll leave that as a hobby.

I am fascinated by pregnancy and could talk about it all day (weird, I know). I am obsessed with food and nutrition and could talk about it all day. I am obsessed with traveling and could dream about it all day. These have become very apparent to me over the last few months. Now, if I could just combine them...

It's amazing how new, fresh people in your life can offer you so much insight to your habits and thoughts. The three things above are things I already knew about myself, for the most part, but when you're around all brand-new people, they can only judge you for who you are at that moment. They do not take into account things you did as a child, or things you did in college (phew). They can just judge you by what you do and say in your new, foreign environment. How telling these assessments can be. Hopefully, I will continue to use these new friends as sounding boards and come up with something concrete before this year's up.

Maybe not. But the process of trying is fun enough.

Progress Report on "Be Inspired" (out of 10): 7.6

Overall, I think I'm doing okay. A refresher in these goals was a good idea (insert self pat on the back here), and hopefully I will remember them in my day-to-day life from here on out.

April 1 marks the completion of my seventh month in Korea! It really is a time warp. I feel like I just got here, but have been here forever all at the same time. How about you? How have the last 7 months gone for you?

St. Patrick's Day

First of all, Dain and Steffany were apparently in my 6 year old group (4 turning 5 in America), and their parents weren't too keen on them being combined with the 5 year olds (3 turning 4), so they moved to another school. I was sad to see them go, but it is much easier to teach/control three students when I can sit right in front of them and point to things.

So we're down to three: Sunny, Joshua and Alice

For this post, I thought it would be fun to walk you through a day at school for me right now.

We start off the day with Molly Teacher saying, "Hello! Good morning!" about 8 times until they realize they are supposed to say it back to me. Then, we get up and go to the calendar and I tell them the day of the week and the date. They sometimes repeat it, but it falls on deaf ears. They probably don't even know the days of the week in Korean yet.

Then we go to our weather cards. They have pictures on them so they answer yes or no as I go through each condition: sunny, rainy, windy, snowy. We do temperatures, too (hot, warm, cold, cool), but they haven't really figured those out yet. It's been cool since they started... so I think they just think it's cool everyday. We'll see if they notice when it switches to warm.

Then we share how we're feeling. Sunny and Alice usually grab the "happy" card and say, "happy!" Joshua, the happiest little boy in the world (literally), always grabs the "angry" card and says, "angry" through an angry clenched jaw. Then he laughs uproarously. It's hilarious. But, at least he gets it.

Then they sit down and I give them the key sentence. I come up with the daily key sentence, so they can be anything, but I decided to start them out with one letter each day. A is for apple, b is for bear, c is for cow, etc. They are supposed to memorize the sentence and be able to go home and tell their parents for homework.

St. Patrick's Day was our "L" day. I write the key sentence on the board and try to teach them what the word is that they are saying by drawing a picture. HA!

Then each student gets a worksheet to trace the letter of the day. It has a picture at the top of the subject for the day that they can color. Joshua and Sunny take forever to trace their letters because they'd rather play, laugh, and organize their crayons.


See.


Alice, on the other hand is incredibly studious and competitive (just like her sister, Jasmine). She usually finishes her letters, writes her name at the top, and turns in her paper before the other two have even realized what is going on.

I usually end up giving her a review worksheet to keep her busy. She's doing really well with her letters, but we need to work on that pencil grip.

See? Who holds a pencil like this?

After they trace their letters, we'll usually go through the letter flashcards until the bell rings. After a ten minute break, we have time to work in our SuperTots or Smart Phonics books for seocnd period. Super Tots is all vocabulary based, so they are learning colors, and numbers, and Smart Phonics is... phonics.

Forty minutes later, the bell rings again. After another ten minute break, we have a special class for third period (Music, Gym, Computers, Science, or Cooking). Each day of the week is a different class.

After third period, it's lunch time. The students eat in the classroom with our helper teacher, Sara. I usually get them seated with their utensils before she comes in. She loves me.

How cute are the little "training" chopsticks?

After lunch, we will work in another book or have story time for 4th period. Then, fifth is arts and crafts or another fun activity. On St. Patrick's Day, we made leprachaun costumes. All the kids wore green, too, which was so cute!

Sunny was the only one who would put on the full costume. She stood like this, completely stoic, for like 10 minutes while everyone pointed and laughed and took pictures. It was quite the spectacle.

Then, they leave at 2 pm, and elementary classes start at 2:35. We have 4-40 minute periods in the afternoon (2 for each class), then at 5:30, we go home!

I'll take some pictures of my elementary classes this week so you can meet them. My classes are all much bigger this time because we didn't re-hire for Liz's position, but they are a lot of fun!

I bought some rainboots and a cute umbrella... I'm ready for SPRING!!!

The New Apartment!

Welcome to the new pad!

After you walk in the door, and turn around, this is what you see. My door, the shoe pit and the door to the left is my bathroom door. No shoe closet this time :-(.



This is the inside of my bathroom. Much prettier and newer and a little bit bigger.


Here's the view of my room when you're standing at the entrance. My washing machine is in that sunroom, along with all of my clothes and anything else I want to shove in there. It's really nice because it's not as cluttered.


This is the wall immediately to the left when you walk in. It's pretty bare right now, but I'm going to buy a futon/couch for when I have guests in town! Did I tell you my parents booked their flights to come visit?

Here's a view from the sunroom looking in. The entrance door is on the right, and my kitchenette is on the left. So much better, right?

I really love this place. I could have dealt with the other place, but this is just loads more fun. I can dance around on the floor!

Moving was not so fun, however. I have no idea how I came to Korea with two suitcases and managed to have to take 7 trips to move apartments 6 months later. It doesn't bode well for my return trip! Yikes!

Meet Sunny! Gina's Birthday! Good-bye Gina!

My new student that started on Monday is the tiniest little person I've ever seen in my life. Her English name is Sunny, and she's our new baby. Some of the other students bend down to talk to her like a baby, too. It's hilarious because she's probably the most accomplished of all of them (if you can be accomplished at 3). She plays the piano, already knows her ABC's, numbers to 10, and the Happy Birthday song. Pretty much, she's a child genius.



Did I mention she's tiny?



Friday was Gina's birthday. This means in the western world that she turned 5. The rest of my students, besides Joshua, will turn 4 this summer or early fall. She's a head taller than most of them and is much more equipped in learning English. She's the only one of my students who regularly understands what I'm saying and does it. My response of "Thank you, Gina" usually sparks the rest of them to do what they're told, as well.



Here we all are celebrating Gina's birthday!



From left: Sunny, Molly Teacher, Joshua, Gina, Alice, Dain, Steffany



Her mom came in to bring the food, took one look at the rest of my class, and asked if Gina could be switched to the 7 year old beginner class with Zach teacher. I can't say I blame her...



...but, I'm very sad to see her go. Looks like I'll have to start from scratch without an interpreter. :-)



Pictures of the new apartment coming soon!

Drum Roll Please...

They're here! They're here!

I'll start off with the introductions of my two "6" year olds. Remember, a 6 year old in Korea is anyone born in the year 2005 (they're born 1 and become a year older at the new year). Depending on their birthdays, they could be anywhere from 4-5 years old.

This is Gina. Her Korean name sounds like Eugene, so we called her Gina because a lot of times the moms add an "a" sound to the end of names for a nickname sound. She responds to it every time, so it's a good fit. She's even able to write her name perfectly. Here she is showing it off:


Meet Joshua. He can barely say his name, let alone write it. My only boy, he will test my patience. He's cute as can be, but he's pretty rambunctious. He's usually last to finish his coloring because he has much better things to do, like stare into space or speak Korean to himself.


And now for my 5 year olds (born in 2006: anywhere from 3-4).


Ah, little Steffany. My helper teacher, Sara, named her because she really likes the name Steffany. Steffany liked it, too, so it stuck before I even had a chance to whine that it was too long and hard to teach. She spelled it with two ffs because it makes phonetic sense, but obviously isn't how the name is traditionally spelled. She rarely responds to it, and I often have to say her Korean name. Even then, she sometimes ignores me... so I don't think it's the name, I think it's her punky attitude. I love it.


Here's bitty, squeezable Dain (pronounced Dine). Her Korean name is Dah een, which said really fast sounds like Dine, too. She's my mama bear. She keeps Steffany in line - grabs her pencil and does her work for her, etc. Today, a student was asking me something in Korean that I couldn't understand. Dain said, "Teacher, bathroom." Glad she was there to help out, that could have been a disaster.


Last, but certainly not least, baby Alice. She's Jasmine's little sister and I love her because of it. However, if she wasn't, she would drive me crazy because, unfortunately, she's nothing like the apple of my eye, Miss Jasmine. She's fiesty, a wee bit cranky in the afternoon, and has no desire to out shine everyone else. Dain and Steffany are bffs, Joshua and Gina have a 6-year-old bond, and little Alice sits by herself most of the time, content in it. She's probably closer to the 3 year old side of the Korean age 5, but we'll see how it goes.


Don't you just want to eat them!?!?

I heard a rumor today that there is another 6 year old joining us soon. I'll keep you posted.

Pics of the new apartment coming soon (probably Saturday)!

New Babies!

Just got home to the new apartment from a super long day filled with the cutest little Asians in the whole world who don't speak a word of English.

Well, that's a lie. They can say yes and no now, thanks to Molly Teacher.

They're 4 year olds with the chubbiest little cheeks and hands and the sweetest little voices.

They make my ovaries ache.

I'll take my camera to school tomorrow in order to exploit them later this week.

Bet you can't wait!