A Little Guide to the Rain in Seoul

I'm sure all of us know how to use an umbrella and get around their town in the rain. You look out for puddles and wear proper gear. But it seems surviving the rainy streets of Seoul, can add on a few more challenges. I've come to realize these nuances over the course of living here four years, and thought I would share them with you. Not as a way to complain about life here, but just to divulge my observances. Here we go...

1. Puddles and Splashes:
I've noticed quite often that puddles seem to accumulate on one side of a sidewalk. When this happens you of course want to avoid them, and so end up trying to steer around them. Generally, I have come to see that puddles are random throughout the walking experience, and some can be surprisingly deeper than others.

Splashes can occur if you walk really close to the edge of the sidewalk where it meets the road. People driving their cars don't seem to really notice the big splash they make when they glide past the side walk. This causes whoever is standing there to get a soaking that can occur from knee down, depending on your height. Because I've noticed other people getting soaked and heard tales from colleagues, I've learned to stay closer to the other edge of the sidewalk. In addition to this, you might want to stay a few feet behind the edge of the sidewalk when waiting for the pedestrian light to turn green. Cars turning right certainly are closer to the edge and can't help but cause a splash.

2. Umbrella Etiquette:
In America, even when I lived in San Francisco, people tried their best to give you and your umbrella room. It's a tricky thing to walk down a crowded street with an umbrella hovering above your head that makes the width of you more round. Ever since living in Korea I have experienced the daunting challenge of trying not to get bashed in by other folk's umbrellas. I don't think they mean it intentionally, but people here certainly don't try to avoid you and your umbrella. Now, this is not all the time, as I do experience the occasional dodging of each other's umbrella.

But the typical case is that your umbrella will bump with others and you can sometimes be hit on the shoulder or head by the edge of them. Certainly, it's tricky business to have lots of people get through a crowded and narrow sidewalk, with umbrellas in hand and not have a few collisions.

My advice is to be hyper aware and cautious. Also think about your height and in this case I find being shorter than most people here to my advantage. I can just lower my umbrella a little and glide underneath everyone.

3. Footwear:
In the past year or so fancy-rain-footwear has become more prevalent in these parts. I'm talking about rain boots.

The fashion ladies of Seoul would probably have a hard time walking down the drenching streets in heels. So I think they have turned to cute or fashionable rain boots. I for one am starting to feel interested in getting my own pair.

Otherwise, it seems difficult to figure out a pair of shoes that will get you through the day without your feet getting soaked. It's not just the rain that falls down on them, the general sidewalk ends up being it's own mini-splash zone.  When it rains in the heat of the summer I usually just truck by, wearing sandals and dry off my feet once inside.

4. Bus and Taxi Embarking and Exiting:
As with the challenging umbrella dodging, getting on or off a bus can be tricky as well. As you know, busses in Korea don't wait for you to take your time folding up your umbrella or getting it ready for when you want to get off. You have to be quick, no matter what the weather is like. This means you often get a little soaked entering a bus or exiting it.

What I find also happens is that if you walk past a bus stop, and there happens to be a bus unloading people. That those people will pop open their umbrellas in your direction. So watch out!

Also I could add how it's tricky to keep your soaked umbrella from touching yourself or others while clinging on to the bus or train. Thankfully some places you visit along the way have plastic covers.

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Let's hope the rain this summer won't be as drenching as last years (seen above). When no matter what umbrella or shoes you wore made a difference. However, I'm thinking Seoul is very prepared now just in case this happens again. 

Rain, Rain...go away...or stay...or linger...

Deerfield Beach

No trip to Florida would be complete with out a venture over to the beach. On both sides (the Gulf and the Atlantic) you have choices. On this day we decided to head to Deerfield beach, which brought back memories.

First we stopped at The Cove restaurant near the inter-coastal bridge. Although, it actually was renamed something I think we all considered it to be what it was called in the past. A long time ago, when I was still in Elementary school, my parents had separated. My father went and lived in a little cottage near Deerfield Beach, which was situated near this restaurant. I recall him taking us and having a great grilled cheese sandwich, while a solo steal-drum performer worked the crowd.

Everything you see again from your childhood appears smaller and less significant when your an adult. The affect was felt here, too.

A good old-fashioned cheeseburger was very scrumptious and filling. As we exited, to my surprise, I saw a cigarette-dispenser machine nearby. I recall as a kid playing with the knobs on these things and was amazed to see it was still operational.

The beach was a little breezy and the water really choppy, so there was no swimming involved in this trip. But fun was had in shell collecting and general horsing around on the shore.

When the sun came out the water turned a beautiful topaz shade of blue, which made you appreciate life.

Floridians have it made, living amongst such beauty. On our way out, there was a little street market going on with food and craft stalls.

I have been enjoying this slice of life in America, and at times really appreciative of how friendly people can be. Striking up general conversations with people in the store or outside, makes me miss living in America.

But so far my home is back in Korea, and I often think about my return. Maybe if I study more Korean I can make daily chit-chat with the folks out there. We'll see...for now I've got Florida.

Thanks Giving

Whatever the holiday means to us Americans, it should be a day celebrated around the world for being grateful. From the last Thanksgiving and to this one, a lot has transpired in my life. I have a stable job here in Korea, but lost my relationship with someone I had been with for two years.

Yet, I am still grateful for all I have. My warm Tom to cuddle with at night, and the blessings of a family that live far away.

As the holidays approach, being far from family lets you remember that you are out here alone. Therefore, I am grateful for the friends I have here whether we keep in constant contact or just pass each other by on the land of Facebook. In addition, I am thankful for you, my readers who still come and read the blabberings that I post...thank you.

What are you grateful for this year?

Tieing Up Loose Ends from Home

This letter is to warn people thinking of coming to Korea, and it could also serve those already here. You see, I have received letters stating I owe the last place I rented, in America, a termination fee.

Now I moved out in April 2008, and before I did I made sure the lease was handed over to the current roommate. I alerted the office I was moving, too. And then I get these letters stating that someone moved out in 2010 earlier than when the lease expires and I have to pay for it.

Since I moved out and have lived in Korea I have gotten rid of all that paperwork, a big mistake. Also I never really checked back with ex-roomie if everything was 100%. Although, I think I did and I have some emails asking her if things were good.

Ex-roomie will not return my calls or emails. This is frustrating because I just want to know her story and understand what happened.

Anyways, I contacted the University and spoke to a secretary about all this. They told me to call "Accounting" and then they told me to call the other guys back. I did and they were out for the day. Since I only get a short window to call, due to time difference, I'm going to have to wait.

So here is my advice to all you folks out there, especially the young College graduate kind. Take care of all your shit before you move, and after you come here check up on it. Otherwise, you might get bitten in the butt like I am here.

My "Ten Years Later" 9/11 Post

You might be already a little sick of the news generating article after article about the ten year anniversary over the events on 9/11/2011. But for me this year's anniversary feels more potent. I can't help but think about all that has transpired in my life and the world within the last ten years.

The New York Times have done an exceptional job of organizing this year's memorial. One feature, where you can listen to a collection of tapes recorded by the aviation officials before and after the crashes, has really struck me hard. I highly recommend you listen to this but not before you go to bed, as I didn't sleep too well last night. The recordings include a stewardess on Flight 11 as she was calling for help after the hijackers took control of the plane. What struck me the most was hearing the air in the background, that kind of fuzzy buzz that your hear while on the plane. I couldn't help but feel like I was there and knowing the doom ahead how horrible it all was. But the tapes also reveal how really sloppy officials handled this, as if they weren't prepared or just couldn't do anything anyways.

In general I feel America for the most part was generally asleep before 9/11/2011 and afterwards awoke to the reality that they are apart of the world, and not everybody likes us.

Another feature on the New York Times site is one that shows objects people have kept or collected since the event. Accompanying a picture of the object is the person's story about how it came into their possession. A piece of scrap metal they picked up that day or the shoes they were wearing.

Despite it being 10 years later I still find myself marveling over the event in how people reacted at the site and how it was able to happen. Certainly, I wish peace would envelope the world and no country would suffer from attacks. So it is on this anniversary I hope we can all sit back and see how this event has affected us and how it can move us to make a better world.

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Last Few Days of Camp Finally

There are just three more days of camp and thank goodness! Although, tiring and often mind-boggling strange, the camp has been going pretty well. I have learned what the low-levels need and how better to pace myself for them. They take time to process the English and I try to give it to them in a slow yet understandable manner. But mostly they want to learn through games, crafts and activities. I guess that is true for all first-graders.

Camp, as mentioned earlier, wasn't planned very well even though the planning committee did do hard work. I want to step up for winter camp and plan some new stuff for them, but am trying to lay-low so not to seem like a pushy person.

With camp nearing it's end that means next week I will have my time off and go to Jeju. I am excited but also a bit worried, because it will be hot down there and most of the food you can find is seafood. I really hope to get to a supermarket my first day and stock up my pension with things to make for breakfast. Really though, I am trying to tell myself to just go there and relax. Don't worry about whether you get out and see everything or find the most delicious meal on the island. Mostly, I am looking forward to swimming and seeing several sunsets. Really, I don't know if I want to ride around the island everyday to go see something, when I could be at a nearby beach. Plus there are several sights to see in my area of the island.

I know that after vacation the next semester starts and I am already mentally preparing myself. I want to get through it without any hiccups. I know there will be times when I am approached by my Korean homeroom teachers and that I really need to give a nice face to it all. Last week, I approached the person who hired at me at the school (he is also the head-coordinator) about my position. After the kids went home I went up to his classroom. I basically introduced that I don't talk to him much and would like to say "Hi." I got around to asking him how I am doing at the school and got good feedback. He told me he hears that I work hard and that is good. But then he asked me, "How do you feel about the Korean teachers?" I went blank for a little bit and then smiled and said how I enjoy them and like working with them. I also talked about how for next camp I would like to contribute. He was enthusiastic to hear this. I basically just wanted to make sure he knew that I liked the school and my position. I know most of what he hears about me comes from third parties so I wanted to make sure he heard my side. Hopefully, this will help plant a seed for the future when he is considering my renewal.

I've been doing a lot of thinking lately, especially how I have grown since my first time in Korea. Sometimes I look back on my first summer here and can't believe it all. I certainly felt so scared and alienated at that time. I am glad to be where I am here in Korea and hope to grow more on this peninsula.

Hongdae: Lunch at Jenny's Bread

Up this steep hill and along a backstreet near Hongik University lies a little bread making restaurant that you might not know about. It is called Jenny's bread and I was craving their scrumptious sandwiches, which I haven't had in a few years.

It seems not much has changed over the course of time, thankfully. As you may well know unique restaurants such as these can disappear quite easily.

The best part is smelling the freshly baked breads and this was made even better with the scent of rainfall in the background.

For lunch I had the "Jenny's Sandwich" that came along with a tomato soup. 

The sandwich consisted of fresh bread, mozzarella cheese, tomatoes and fresh basil. All slightly toasted and with some garnishing of olive oil and herbs. You can see there a side of home-made potato wedges. This was a very scrumptious sandwich even though it had no meat, and I especially liked the layer of fresh basil.

The soup was also a pleasant surprise, as I am not too found of tomato soup. It had a great texture and creaminess to it that wasn't too milky.

After we finished our delicious meals we stayed and caught up on good times, for I was with the same friend from the first visit to Jenny's Bread. I think this restaurant is a nice quiet little nook in Hongdae where you can feel comfortable enough to chill out during the day.

To get here I would take this path:

• Come out of the Hongdae station taking the exit that is closest to the main strip. Go up the main road that has the Taco Bell, Dos Tacos and Apple store. 
• When you get to the top and the road splits, go left. 
• You want to be on the University side so cross the street.
• Go up the street and past several alleys till you get to the one that has a GS25 after it. Refer to my previous blog post for better pics.
• Go up the hill and round the corner...you'll see Jenny's Bread sign sticking out of the garage wall.

 If you are heading to Hongdae and want to try something new than I highly recommend this place. Plus you can take home the bread!

Reflections: First Few Months in Korea

If it weren't for my recent three month stay back home I would be celebrating my three year anniversary in Korea this month. Despite that I have to wait three more months to truly celebrate, I have already been doing the trips down memory lane in my head. 

When I look back on those first few months, I experienced here in Korea, it really feels like I was a different person. At that time I wasn't too sure of myself and mostly really nervous to be in this new place. Everyone says you experience a "honeymoon" phase your first three months here, but mine was squandered by my work experience. 

I quickly learned that calling in sick was a big no-no:

Today was a rotten day. It started with a sore throat and achy body and ended with tears. I didn't know if calling in sick works out here and found out that it doesn't. So my emotions ran high and a few words were exchanged like "I am weak when I sick..." and thus a meeting was held with my supervisor.

It seemed everything back then didn't make any sense. The work hours, the fact that the kids were "clients" and that the school was really a business. I didn't know that work life in Korea would be so tough on me mentally. I wasn't prepared for the cultural taboos of keeping face and staying "warm" in the face adversity. Really, when I look back I see a fragile person who made mistakes but also learned a lot. 

Quitting the hagwon was hard, mostly because I felt like I was failing at my new life in Korea. But in the end I can see that this choice was inevitable, as I was on a sinking ship anyways. 

From June 2008 to the end of that year, I was finding out what it meant to live and work in Korea. I craved a lot of familiar things from back home. In one post I adored my lamp, because it gave my house a warm feeling of home.

I think the secret to my survival so far in this place has been the use of a good lamp. Perhaps it could even be said that the secret to life is having a great and reliable lamp. Back in America I had a wonderful little lamp that I bought with my father at Kmart when I was in high school.

Homesickness still affects me from time-to-time, but that feeling of alienation in a strange country seems to have trickled away. Instead, daily life in Korea has become so ordinary that it seems the days come and guy quite quickly. Don't get me wrong though, one of my greatest pleasures living here is that everyday promises something different the moment I walk out the door.

Back in those first few months, anything beyond the familiar neighborhood I walked around everyday seemed like this huge black map just waiting to explore. All those questions about where and how I would get things done seem to have been answered over the years.

Yet, I do believe the first few months in South Korea are precious. Anyone who has tried this "teach-abroad" thing will have a unique time when they first get here. Even though I didn't do the usual partying and bar-hopping my first three months, I think I still had a good time exploring with my ex-boyfriend and friends I have met along the way.

I know for sure I could never replicate that time, but I am happy I am still in Korea and can reflect back on my memories with all my new found wisdom.

Remember this cat photo?

Preparing Myself to Become a Better Language Teacher

Admitting that you have no formal training in teaching English as a foreign language is perhaps really embarrassing to the general expat in Korea (who is a language teacher). Indeed, there were times during my last two years at public elementary school that I wondered what I was doing there and why they even hired me. The large question remains in the expat community over what makes us qualified to have these jobs. Over time I have formulated my own answer, which is that a "qualified" native English teacher in Korea is one who has an open mind, is patient and willing to put in the effort required. A non-qualified teacher would be one who sees their job as just a way to bring in the money and get by, while their social life and time after work is more important. Korea, to these folks, is just a short sting between undergraduate and graduate school. 

Being "qualified" to teach in Korea shouldn't require a hefty background in the subject and credentials under your belt. Since the protocol for hiring people for these jobs simply requires you to have a Bachelors degree and be a native speaker of English.

However, I will digress here and say that once you have been in the industry here and have a few years under your belt you end up desiring more skills and knowledge to better match the needs of your students. This is where my current pursuit comes in to become a better language teacher. In other words, to go beyond my already "qualified" skills and give myself better tools and knowledge to teach well and produce better results.

I have come to see the past two solid-years of teaching in Korea as my "stomping in the mud" experience. There I was able to see what works and doesn't, along the way creating my "teacher-self." Now I feel it is time to expand and really understand the EFL environment and what I can do to improve.

That is why over the course of my lengthy vacation, here in the States, I picked up several books from Amazon on teaching EFL. Today I am going to review one of these books and provide samples from it, that I feel are going to greatly benefit me at my next job.

Teaching Large Multilevel Classes by Natalie Hess:

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Review: So far, as I am not finished reading it, the book has provided me with a lot of "ah-ha" moments. In other words, it has been really helpful in allowing me to take my experiences from the past and digest them into cohesive material. The book is written in an academic way, but it doesn't hinder you from following along. Everything is put right to the point and doesn't mess around. There are several sections to this book on different aspects of what you need to teach. Within these topics are a description and then activity examples with plenty of information to let you know how to do it. However, this isn't a cheat-sheet book that you can just look up an activity and apply it to your class. The book provides the necessary details to let you come up with your own activities and scripts. I would highly recommend this book for the seasoned Native English teacher or the one who is about to jump on the plane and fly over to Korea. 

Coping with Multilevel classes through 11 Principles:

The book starts off by providing 11 Principles that you can apply to the large class. A large class is likely up for interpretation but in this case, teaching in Korea, it means a class with more than 30 students, which is the typical scenario for elementary school and even higher for the other levels. However, if you are working at a hagwon (private school) then you will find yourself with a small sized class. These principles might still be applied. 

Generally, I think most new public school teachers feel an initial anxiety knowing they are going to teach a large class, especially since all the students are EFL. Usually, their next thought is that we will have our coteacher and they will "help" us. In most cases, and most recently, this is not the situation. These days, coteachers are either really involved or just sit in the back of the class and doze off. The native English teacher is expected to teach at least 80% of the time in the classroom. Meaning you need a set of class management and principles to get you by. By showing the following examples from this book I hope they will come in handy for any Native English teacher out there.

Let's take a look:

1. Don't Panic! In more professional words the book basically laid this out as the first principle. Saying that the job is challenging but bad days should not weigh us down.
2. Variety: Match all levels and vary the way in which things are done. You will likely get into a routine, especially working from the class book. Make sure to mix it up and keep the Ss (students) on their toes.
3. Pace: Know what activities should be fast & slow, pay attention to the time. Coteachers really value this and will criticize you if you fail. My tip: Use the first class of the lesson as a tester to see how much time Ss need on certain activities. Then the rest of your day will go smoothly.
4. Interest: Each lesson should incorporate activities that get Ss interested. What this means is set up the class so that there are the usual stuff but something "fun" mixed in to it. Outlining the day's activities at the beginning of the class will help Ss to get interested.
5. Collaboration: This is a fancy word for "group work." Basically you want to get the students working together and using the language a lot. In time they will work together and even create their own works.
6. Individualization: One of the biggest struggles in a large class, especially if you have many of them throughout the week, is getting to know each and every student. I for one believe you don't have to know each and every one of them, but instead make sure that every student is given a chance to express themselves in class. This can be done either by speaking or working on an individual assignment. 
7. Personalization: Make sure each Ss has the opportunity to to present their own opinion and be recognized. 
8. Choice & Open-ended expressions: One thing you should really strive for is to get away from the Multiple-choice type of questioning or the "yes - no" answer response system. Ask questions to the class that open up their minds to make full responses. Asking "why" or "could you explain that more" helps.
9. Setting up routines: Although variety is something you want to strive for, keep lessons fairly similar to each other so a routine is set up. You know...after covering material there is later a test. So you will need to review before hand. Build up things so that they are familiar in a timely sense. This helps not only cognitively but also with class management. 
10. Opening up the Circle: Teaching in a way that allows every Ss to participate. Don't just pick the same "Min Su" who raises their hand. Wait for more Ss to put up their hand. One thing I learned from this book is to alert the quiet kid before class that you want him/her to participate and will likely call on them. 
11. Questions That Arouse Interest: Basically this goes with #8. Just try to get Ss more interested in the topic. I did this a lot with the 6th grade last year, and it helped get them involved and steamed up. haha

I look forward to keeping those principles in mind as I start at my new school next year. In general, I think we Native teachers need to start thinking of our classes more like opportunities instead of "I have just 3 more classes today...I can make it." Sure you get tired of teaching and there are weeks where you feel burnt out. But approaching the job with a positive attitude in this manner might keep things more perky.

Sample Lesson Activities:
I would like to show some examples from the book of activities you could use. However, I haven't gotten through the whole thing so I am just going to pull from their "Reviewing" and "Writing" sections.

Reviewing Activity:

1. English Goals: For the beginning of the semester. Ss write down their goals for learning English then walk around and discuss it with others. Eventually you figure out the major ones and turn those into goals for the whole class. As the semester rolls on you review them with the class and see if things have been met or not.
2. KWL Chart: "Know", "Want to Know" and "Learned". Make a chart with those topics on it. The chart will be used when starting a new lesson. Ss will brainstorm in groups answering the first two questions. After the lesson they go back and review the first two steps and the fill in the "Learned" section.

Written Work:

1. Buddy Journals: Ss keep a journal between them and a friend. Could be Ss in the same class or from another. Could be done with email.
2. Wall Newspaper: Using written work from class pick ones of interest. Edit them and have Ss re-write them Post them up on a bulletin board. Let it cycle throughout the year.

There were a lot more samples and many with great ideas, although I did feel some of them were for advanced levels. However, it is definitely your job to take an activity or task you find through research and transform it for your student's levels and capabilities. Plus after using an activity in class you usually end up modifying it anyways as things work themselves out. 

Whether or not I actually do become a better language teacher at my next school, I know that I at least have the drive to do it. My motivations aren't my salary or that I will even be working at a private elementary school. Instead, I plan on doing all this because I want to see the results in the students and the feeling it will produce in the classroom. 

Am I nervous? You bet I am. As much as I want to get in there and start putting these thoughts into action a little part of me wonders how it will work out. Then there is the whole coworker and comradeship situation that must go smoothly, and I end up pulling out my iPod and playing Veggie Samurai to forget about it all.  

I know last year was a particularly difficult one when it came to working with my Korean coteachers, but I must move on and let go of it all. Take with me the lessons I learned and apply them to my next school. Thankfully, I will not be coteaching, but that doesn't mean I am out of the woods.

All in all, I hope all my past gripes and new found enthusiasm has somehow helped other expat teachers in Korea. :)

My Favorite Thing I Learned in 1st Grade...

Turns out to be math. According to this document, that I found deep in my stored boxes, I was a genuine fan of Math in the first grade.

I also pictured myself with a big head and strange cat-eyes. Fancy that?!

Project: Documenting my art

Things are warming up here, which means it is in the low 60's. I am really happy to be here for winter instead of in freezing Korea. But of course I do miss my Korean life, and JH now that he has gone back.

To keep myself occupied I have set aside some projects. This includes photographing my artwork from college and beyond. Yesterday I took advantage of the sunlight and took my artwork outside for shooting. Then after that was done I uploaded the files and brushed them off in Photoshop. The following are a sample of the works I documented.

I'll start with my most recent work. You  might recognize these as I was working on them in Korea. 

Unfortunately, I left all my other current work in Korea and so can't document it till I get back. But let's move backwards in time to works I did while fresh out of college.

The following works were inspired by youtube. One person liked to put up videos of herself playing with her belly fat. I found the videos inspirational because of the lighting and subject matter. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to find her videos again.

I'm still inspired by those works, and would like to continue that series. Maybe find more belly videos.
The next pieces of work come from my last year of college. These might look more sentimental as I mostly focused on flowers, due to that it seemed to help me cope with an illness I came down with.

The next two are from the same period.

And then moving way backwards we come into art that I made while I was in community college. You'll see works from my first figure drawing class and also stuff from my "color & design" course. 

If you think that is too much, well I still haven't documented works from my four year college. 

Found anything you'd like as a postcard or card? You can buy prints of my work here at Redbubble. :)