Jitters

It's the night before going back to work, from which seems like a long vacation. I last went to school back in June 24th, so it has been a whole month now.

Since then I have had time to reflect on my life here in Korea and my position as an English teacher. I have also spent time wondering and trying to figure out who it was that attended that meeting and why they concluded not to keep me for a second year. But as much as I try to wrap my brain around it I get no where. So I have decided to just let it go. Holding a grudge or trying desperately to figure it out will not get me far. I basically have decided that it was probably the Principal's decision and everyone else went along with it.

My coteacher has already given one recruiter a good recommendation, so I know that I am not screwed.

Therefore, I have just two more months left at this school. This has been my mantra lately. When I look at the bugs crawling around my bathroom wall I just think to myself, "two months" and you don't have to worry about them anymore. When I hear the beeping and restaurant music outside I just think, "two months" and something else will replace it.

And it also comes down to the kids. Who, unless my coteacher called their houses and told them, don't know I am leaving in two months. This is going to be the most heartbreaking. I have grown to love and get to know practically all 360 or so kids at my school. The ones I spend the most time with I know will break my heart when I see their reaction.

When I think about the kids I can't help but feel sorry for them. For it is these youngsters that have had to put up with going to a school that gets little funding. Their soccer field is merely a long patch of dirt. The Principal spent a good sum of money upgrading his office, while they sat freezing in the classroom during the winter. The kids are the ones, I feel, who are benefiting the least from a school environment that doesn't really care about them. It is not that I want to go on a crusade and fix Korea. Rather I don't want to add to these kids troubles. But now I am doing that, I feel, by leaving them. Yet, they are kids and they will forget about me in time.

Through all this I try to tell myself to be positive and optimistic. The school has already made their decision and what has been done is done. I want to go back in there and just be myself and teach for the kids. Not to please the coteacher or Principal, but to give the kids a fun time.

Let it All Out

Well I haven't had too many responses to my first podcast yet. I know what I composed was a little bit esoteric.

Moving on..

I recently spent some time in COEX and was at the Bandi bookstore. Whenever you go into the English part of a bookstore here in Korea you sometimes find yourself around people who are hunting down English speakers. In some cases you can spot these individuals and stay clear of them. But if you were like me and was engulfed in the Korean culture section then you were not on alert.

So as I was passing by the bookshelves a man said hello to me. I said "Hi" back but kept on walking. I didn't know if he was out to stalk me for an English lesson or what. Then he followed me, and I turned around to face him. In which case he introduced himself and asked about me. I am sure this all sounds like a very normal and congenial situation. But this guy was kind of odd and a little creepy. He wasn't Korean, but Asian American and apparently has been living in Korea for quite some time.

He told me how he works at a University. But the interesting part got to when he started ranting on about how new English teachers know nothing of the trade. He had a Master's in TESOL and other fancy titles behind him so he was, I guess, okay to talk as if he knew something.

I went along with it and let the guy get out what he needed to say, chiming in here and there with my tidbits of knowledge. His biggest complaint was the Korean education system and that it doesn't favor "Multiple Intelligence" learning. I agreed with him but he still felt it necessary to remind me over and over.

I tried to tell him that in some small way Korean education is changing but we probably won't see the full impact till later on. He still seemed skeptical. It was like a real live Dave's Esl forum gone wrong.

Finally, a pause came in the conversation and it seemed he had finished everything he had to say. I seized this opportunity to tell him I was meeting a friend and so got out of it.

I still wonder if he is in the bookstore looking for an English speaking person to spill his thoughts on to. I kind of hope that this guy has a handful of friends that he can talk to instead of bothering complete strangers. But in this country I think you end up doing what you think works and you go along with it.

As for me I do hope Korean education evolves more and allows for different types of learning, besides just rote memorization. We will see.

Tea Time with Joy Pilot Episode

Ok I am not sure how this works but click here to go to a website where you can download my podcast.

Basically I am trying to create my own podcasts and get them up on iTunes. I am very new to all this so if you have tips let me know. I am reading a lot of "how-to" on websites, so we will see if it all works out.

If you do get to hear my podcast I hope you enjoy it.

;) Or try this...



Tips:
If you play this in iTunes be sure to turn on the "picture" viewing option. I made it so that you see a different picture as the podcast plays. This option is in the bottom left tab set and you click on the tab with the box that has a downward pointing triangle. A box should open up in the application showing my pictures.

Notes on the Subway

So I carry around an iPod touch with me and it has the application of "notes". When you are riding the subway out here you can't help but have time to think while you wait till your stop comes. Occasionally, instead of just letting my thoughts drift away, I type them into my iPod.

Today I will share with you what I typed up yesterday while taking the subway into Gangnam.

Back in Korea chatter. Was just thinking how Korean society is meant for them. My analogy is that American society is like a one-size fit all. Korean society is meant for them. But that doesn't mean we can't try it on or make it fit. But in the end it will always be something we are trying to fit into or feel like we aren't.

The Last Tidbit of my Vacation

Ah quarantine contemplation times. Trust me I haven't stuck to staying in my house, just not walking past my school. Vacation was good and I hope I did enough out there in America Land. Now of course I miss the tree that was outside my window and the deep blue California sky.

But having a few days off before going back to work is nice as well. Kind of helping get back into the groove of Korean life.

So to finish off my posts about my vacation I will just share the last few pics I took before I came back.

Crossing the Bay Bridge

San Francisco on a clear day.

Asian Art Museum. They were holding a Samurai exhibit which was amazing!

There was a live exhibit of traditional Japanese archery.

Oops...the sun got caught in our eyes.

The night before we left we stayed at a hotel.

I have completely unpacked and tucked everything away where it should go. But I am starting to do some cleaning out in preparation for moving out in two months.

Job hunting is coming along. I have three recruiters working for me and I picked what I feel are the top ones out there. So far I have one job offer for an after school program in Bundang. But I asked if I can see the house and school before making my decision and the recruiter said they just prefer a phone interview. We will see if I can finesse them into letting me see the place first. I feel I have a lot of time to find the right matching job so I am in no hurry.

I am keeping a notebook of my job hunting and wrote down questions I intend to ask before finishing the interview. In a lot of ways I feel more prepared to be on the job hunt again than I was the last two times I went through this.

All right well Foreign/er Joy has the next few days off if anyone wants to meet her. ;)

12hrs Later

I am back at my home in Sanbon. The plane ride went all right and my traveling companion happened to be a Japanese woman who studied English in San Francisco. So she had an exciting time talking to me about her travels in California.

Coming back to Korea felt a little bit like my first day in Korea way back when I first got here. Except that I know everything a little more now.

Coming home was interesting. JH had spent his time without me cleaning my house and arranging everything very neatly. I have never dated anyone who likes to clean or arrange things in a neat manner. But that is a plus in my book!

Despite this warm welcoming I had a hard time sleeping last night due to having to get back into accepting that my house is crap. I had slept on a really soft and squishy bed for the past two weeks so coming back to my hard ass one here in Korea was a little bit of a shocker. Also it seems there is a hole in my wall or ceiling some where that is letting in the other tenant's cigarette smoke. So I spent a good deal of time last night taping over the cracks in the door and a vent on the ceiling.

Ah well, just two more months till I move on to the next place where ever that will be. Because of the H1N1 scare I don't have to go work till next Monday so that gives me plenty of time to beat off jet lag and get back into my life here in Korea.

I have some photos from the last few days spent in Cali before I came back so I will put those up when the time comes.

:)