Proud of My Work

Before I ever left for Korea I was working at an Insurance Company in San Francisco. My boss was this kooky old Japanese man who lived by a lot of morals and codes. Have you ever watched Mad Men? The office was kind of like that, and even had old type writers.

While he was training me to be an Insurance Agent he would now and then pass on knowledge. This one time he told me that when you do a job you should do it right. You should do such hard work that when it comes time for you to leave (for whatever reason) the company should be sorry to see you go. At that time I was fresh out of college and with a small work history behind me. I tried my best at that job, but know I could have left it better.

His wise words have carried with me in Korea. As you know I struggled at the first few jobs I had here, then I started to get momentum and understood what hard work means. It doesn't just mean showing up on time, doing paperwork and being there. It means going beyond the call of duty and probably working more than you should.

At the job I'm leaving now I know I am leaving behind hard work. My colleagues and supervisors might not be exactly telling me, "We wish you could stay" but I know I've left my mark. Although the Vice Principal did say she was sad to see me go.

However, I'm proud of my work at this job because of what I experienced today. I was organizing my desk and getting things ready for the new teacher. Throughout the year I kept binders of my work so to keep a record and just in case things came to this. I looked through my two full binders of "worksheets" and realized what great work it was. I made 90% of the worksheets by scratch. The binder of "lesson plans" weren't just short pages with an outline of what to do, but detailed and lengthy. In the storage spaces along the walls were spread out five large plastic bins full of materials, I also made from scratch. In addition, I bought blocks, cards and other hands-on stuff for the students. I'm leaving this all behind for the new teacher, and hope they use it.

When I walked into this school to teach 1st Grade math I was left with scant supplies and lesson plans. I started from scratch and built up a curriculum that I think is effective. However, I know that there is room for tweaking, but that's for the new teacher to deal with.

Leaving a job feeling satisfied and proud is a really good feeling. In the end, I don't really need a supervisor to tell me "good job" because I saw the results in my students and work. If you are an English teacher here in Korea I would encourage you to put in more than you have been. You might think it's not worth it because of the salary and quality of your institution, but it will develop yourself so much.

Anyway, that's my thoughts on this last Monday at work! (Official last day is next Thursday...next Monday is a holiday).

Goodbye desk~

Goodbye chalkboard ~

Getting On Base: My Visit to Camp Casey

Located north on the blue line is the US Army Garrison known as Camp Casey. Throughout my whole time living in Korea I have never gone on any of the US Army bases here in Korea. Of course the main reason being that you can't just walk in, but need to have an Army personell escort you. Through some random act of the universe I was invited to go on base with my blogger friend Jennipal. She has a friend who works on the base and so invited me along.

It was a lot of fun meeting Jennifer, as we have only met one time long ago, randomly and briefly while we were at the same hospital. However, I had thought I had met her before but apparently had myself confused.

When you enter the base you go through a building that checks you in. Here you hand over your ID and passport, although US citizens don't need to. They keep your ID and give you a temporary one to carry around on the base.

After stepping out of the check-in room it was like walking out of Korea and entering into a small town in America. Grassy lawns and buildings with few signs on them makes you feel at home.

There were few cars moving about and mostly you saw Army guys and gals wondering around. It was a strange sight knowing Korea is just outside the walls.

Our first stop was the food court where Taco Bell, Burger King and a few sandwich shops were up for grabs. We chose Taco Bell, even though you can get it around Seoul these days.

photo = Jennipal

After our meal and admiring the fact that I paid in Korean won and got US dollars back, we headed to the pool to cool off. I was told I could use my US credit or debit cards and not be charged any overseas penalties  Oh the wonders of an Army Base!

The pool was amazing and I thoroughly enjoyed it with my friends. 

This summer I really wanted to go swimming and felt my prospects of that were slim, unless I wanted to join the pools at the Han river and swim with lots of children. So I was incredibly pleased and grateful to swim in a pool that didn't require a cap or goggles. Plus the whole vibe felt relaxed.

After our swim and fun times we showered up and enjoyed a tour of the Camp grounds. It was fun to see bunkers, army vehicles and barracks laid out amongst beautiful lawns and mountain scenery.

Everything was in English of course, including advertisement banners.

If you can find a way to get on base I would highly recommend it as it certainly is a way to "get away" from the hub-bub of Seoul. Although my friend's friend didn't have access to the shopping areas I still enjoyed my visit. Plus I feel like I got to experience something unique within this country.

For more pictures and blah-blah head to Jennipal's post of her take on the trip. Also for some old time pics of the base and to see some history check out this link.

Moving On Up to the 2nd Grade

It came as a complete surprise. A text from the boss on my computer, after I returned from lunch. Requesting I come and talk to him about next semester. I replied and the next thing I knew I was up in his room learning of my near future.

Turns out all of the 2nd grade teachers are moving on next year. For each grade there is a team leader and these folks, as you can imagine, manage the show. So 2nd grade's team leader would be missing. In short, he wanted me to move up to 2nd grade Math and be the team leader.

At first, I was skeptical because I liked staying in 1st with all my materials and plans for next year.  But I was curious and so learned more of his proposal. Turns out he really needs someone to fill the 2nd grade team leader position, and felt I was best because I have experience with the kids and the school. Plus it fits that I will go into 2nd Grade Math, as the book is the same company and similar material.

I had 5 minutes before my afternoon classes started and so there wasn't much time to fully comprehend it all. I told him I would talk to the current person in that position and get back to him.

Walking back to my class I knew I didn't really have a choice. I could fight to stay in 1st with all my stuff, but in this situation it seemed the best thing to take the promotion. My classes finished and I had a talk with the 2nd grade Math teacher. It went well and I got a hold of the book, lesson plans and monthly planner.

I headed up to my boss and told him I would do it. He seemed really pleased and likely relieved. I was glad to hear I get monthly extra compensation for being a team leader.

Since then I have already figured out how many lessons fit into next year's schedule, and soon I should be cranking out my own lessons. I won't deny it, I am a bit overwhelmed because of all this, but holding onto the feeling that I'm important at this school.

Of course, I have a feeling the thing of "team leader" is going to hit me soon. I'm a pretty good organizer and do have leadership skills. But this requires keeping up very good relations with the Korean homeroom teachers. However, I think by now I've got that under control.

Anyways, I know what my Christmas vacation is going to look like now!

Sign, Sign, Sign

Got the word I will sign my new contract next Tuesday. They are giving the resigning teachers 20 minutes each to get it done and ask any questions. I hope they give me the raise I asked for, but we will see. I'm excited as this will be my first time resigning. :)

It's a Yes!

Today I messaged my boss asking if I could know when we will talk about my contract. He said not till next week. So I asked if I could at least know a "yes" or "no" and we can talk about contract details later.

I got a "yes for you" response! Finally, the mystery is over and I can move on. What that means is now I hope to plan better for next year, however I'm not entirely sure they will keep in first grade...so gotta wait for that.

Anyways, I'm glad the wait is over. Thanks for all of your support. :)

Thirty on the Thirtieth

It's once a year and you should do something special for it. This time I was turning thirty and then I realized that it was synced with my birth date, the thirtieth. So because of this things felt extra special.

To celebrate I met up with two great pals, from this blog and this blog. My goal was to have a good meal and celebrate with some candles on top of some yummy cupcakes. All of which was accomplished at the Buddha's Belly in Itaewon. Although my tummy is a little achy now, having the Thai food was worth it.

It was a good time of girl talk and catching up on life in Korea. I have to say when I saw the "3" and the "0" on the cupcakes I was a little taken aback. From now on there will no longer be a "2" on there. But I felt satisfied with this reality and wondered what is to come in one's thirties.

I made my birthday wish and hoped for a bright and bountiful thirties wherever I may be. :)

Cheerios Found at Lotte Mart

This morning I headed to my local Lotte Supermarket to beat the Chuseok rush and also get supplies before the store was closed for the holiday. To my surprise I found Cheerios on the cereal shelf and for just 6,500 Won. Take that Foreign Food Mart in Itaewon! (Sells them for 25,000 won)

There were two choices, Honey Nut and Multi-Grain. I went for the Honey-Nut and figured I would try the other one next time.

If you are wondering what the big deal is, well let me tell you. Cheerios for the most part are mostly sold at Costco in Korea. There you could buy some but they come in bulk, meaning you would be eating Cheerios for nearly a whole season if you liked. In all honesty it's not my favorite cereal, but the cereal shelf in Korea is mostly packed with varieties of Corn Flakes. So when you see something different you gotta go for it!

Needless to say, I am looking forward to my breakfast cereal moment tomorrow. haha

I'm Past My 1,000th Post! Tom Video

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 THAT'S NOT WORKING SO FOLLOW THIS LINK.

Wow! Already I have made over 1,000 posts on this blog. I suppose it is inevitable, and so I am celebrating with the above video I made of Tom the cat. Really, though I made it because I wanted to figure out an editing technique in Final Cut Pro X. The software is a lot easier to use than previous versions, but my lack of video-editing knowledge makes things a bit tough.

Anyways, I hope you enjoy watching it.

My iPhone Alternative

I really thought I didn't need such a thing as an iPhone, mostly because I have an iPod and a phone and really people don't call me that much. But then my friend was snazzily working away at her iPhone looking at a map and Googling something there on the street. I thought to myself, "Maybe I could use such a thing when I go to Jeju. In case I get lost."

Thus ensued a trip yesterday to the KT headquarters in Gwanghwamun with my friend and her Korean boyfriend (who was kind enough to help me.)

The question: "Can a foreigner on an E2 Visa get an iPhone in Korea?" Has a definite answer: "Yes." The issue of whether you really want the thing comes down to this:

• Are you switching carries, say from SK to KT?
• How much time left is on your current phone's plan?

You might want to consider these because it deeply affected my ability to choose the iPhone. We got to the store, which was like an Apple store accept full of KT people and a cafe. An employee took us behind a black painted door into a tiny room where my options were presented to me. At first he wanted to give me the plan that cost 55,000 a month, but I knew there was a cheaper one.  So after some wrangling we managed to get a hold of the 45,000 plan.

But then came the extra fees. Since I still have a year left on my old phone contract I would have to pay it up on the new phone. That tacked on an extra 100,000 right there. Then came a small fee for the phone and taxes. So the first bill was going to be about 120,000 won and my regular bill around 65,000. Apparently, there were 20,000 won extra in taxes and phone fee. The look on my face was one of disgust and anguish. For my friend had an iPhone and from what I knew wasn't paying that much. Plus I read on a few forums online that people managed to get a decent plan. It felt like the guy was going to milk me for every English teaching won I had.

In those moments I realized that I didn't really need an iPhone. I figured that all I really need is a smart phone that can do the Google maps thing and help me out in a pinch. I decided to get a regular Android phone, which my boyfriend helped me get later that day.

My monthly bill is going to go up but not as much as it would if I were to get the iPhone. Plus they didn't charge me all that extra stuff for switching carriers. The phone I got is called the SKY Vega, and it does the requested job of mapping and other such stuff.

For those who really must have an iPhone I would do my darnedest to try and get a cheap plan and without all those extra fees. But really it wasn't too hard to show up at that store, ask for an iPhone, go through the plans and get one. Also they do have English staff available, just in case.

Good luck!

First Semester is OVER!

My gosh did it go so fast! I am really pleased that this semester has come to an end. Of course, kind of not looking forward to three weeks of camp with the same group of kids. But, in essence the toils and trials of everyday work will not come to me again till September.

Things I've Learned:

First graders do require a lot of energy, but you don't have to put on a show all the time. They like games and things for them to do that can keep their minds and hands busy. Teaching at a private elementary school has a lot of benefits when compared to my previous job. I have enjoyed the lack of coteaching and love being in control of my own classroom. However, I have not escaped the Korean workplace and still encounter many snafus related to this. I've learned that patience is the key and one can be strict with the students but not take it emotionally. 

Also, I have seen that I can put a lot of hard work into something and feel like I am getting results. Even though I don't know for sure, because you never really can know, I still feel like I have done pretty good at my job and being in the Korean workplace. There were a few times when I screwed up on the whole Korean-ness of things but it seemed my hard work is shining over that and making it okay.

Where to go from here...

I am already working on my plans for the 2nd semester. I just want to get ahead so I can finesse my teaching style more and not really be concerned with material creation. I am really hoping this school will decide to keep me for the next year, but I have realized that sometimes things are still not in your control. In that case I am keeping in mind to keep my cool with my Korean counterparts. 

Also, I wasn't too satisfied with my home life after work this semester. I tried my best to produce works of art. But I really wanted to practice Korean and go to the gym this year. So that is why JH has agreed to help me learn Korean by sending me weekly lessons of his creation, that he will teach and test me on. Also, I will be signing up at a local gym (given I like the looks of it) this weekend. I really want to be healthy and fit, along with starting to use Korean more. 

Whatever, though! Because the first semester is over and despite that it was tiring at times, I feel I really learned a lot about myself as a teacher. I hope to share some of those lessons with you and what I did with my classes. 

For those other folks out there with their semester's ending...congratulations!

Mom Sent a Package

A while ago my mom sent a package with all sorts of stuff in it for JH and I. She mostly wanted to send him good wishes for his birthday, which was back in April.

Even Tom got in the act...

Last summer I visited my mom and JH got her a Starbucks mug with a Seoul logo on it. So it was fitting that she sent him a Florida Starbucks mug.

It's always fun to get a loving package from back home.

The Details

Actually, I don't want to give you all the details that are on the contract. For one I think next year I would like to try and be more discrete about my workplace. Of course, I still want to share classroom happenings and lesson ideas.

The Location
I will give you a good look at what the job is like from looking at the contract and the school. For starters let's begin on the location. Like I said before it is in the Nowon area of Northeast Seoul.

Then once you are in that area you get off at the Jungye station. I am not going to tell you which school but it is in this area, along with the housing. (You have to walk up a particular non-straight road.)

When getting a glimpse of the area it is mostly apartments near the school. But tucked in other places are "downtowns" with shopping. Nearby is a Lotte Mart and further down a Homeplus.

The School:
The school is fairly large and is a private elementary school, so the kids wear uniforms. Looks like there are many extracurricular activities at the school.

The classrooms, for English, were ample with all the supplies one needs. They are situated across from the kid's homeroom classes.

The Job:
Work is from 8:30 - 4:30 with classes starting either at 8:50 or for the second period after 9. You get your own classroom. Every teacher gets just one grade to teach and a particular subject, either Math, Science, Reading and Literature or Extracurricular.

There will be 3 weeks of camp in the summer and winter.

Vacation is deemed at 8 weeks (I think), including a vacation around Christmas. Overtime and all that is in there.

They do require the teachers to make yearly lesson plans, tests and quizzes along with other essential teaching materials.

The Challenge:

I am excited because this is going to be a different game than the usual public school. I will get a chance to advance and grow and really define myself as a teacher. I know I don't have the "background" but would like to pick up some books and start getting my mind prepared.

My Concerns:
Mostly I am concerned about whether my FBI document will come in on time. I was told to have everything ready to submit for a visa issuance number by mid-January. If my FBI Doc takes the longest amount of time (12 weeks) it would be completed by January 18th. Then it still has to get the apostille, and then everything has to go to Korea. Where 2 weeks later I get the visa issuance number and then can get the Visa and hop on a plane.

My gut feeling is that it is going to be real close and down to the wire. Tomorrow will be exactly 1 month from when the FBI received it, so I will inquire with them as to the status.

Other concerns right now aren't that big. Just working on moving out and getting ready for going back home.

In the meantime, I have been a scratching post for Tom and I am not enjoying that. Since the little guy has no one to play with while I am gone he certainly has a lot of energy by the time I get home. Just need to get his claws clipped and then the playfulness will be tolerable.

I'm tired and going to rest now. Looking forward to the new Year! oh yea~

I Went to Everland

Last Saturday, without planning it, I ended up at Everland. I went with my friend and her two sons. This was my first time to Everland. There are several theme parks here in Korea and they really do pack a punch. I have been to Seoul land, but Everland is a heck of a lot bigger.

I was magically able to get in at half-price due to my friend's discount card. (Thankyou!) Samsung owns Everland and they seem to have put a lot into it. However, it is a world of its own when compared to Disney Land or Universal Studios back home. Still it has your basic theme park set up. There are trinkets and toys to buy at every corner. The park is laid out in themes with a special gift shop for each area. The place even has a zoo, which we went to first.

First we came upon these monkeys, which were being fed by other people. There was of course a sign that said don't feed them, but signs don't really stop people.

We went down this zigzag course making our way towards a parrot area.

I enjoyed seeing the parrots and it felt like I hadn't seen such creatures in a long time. It reminded me of one time when I was a little girl that I went to a parrot zoo down in Florida. You really forget how big they are and loud.

Up there is a species of Cockatoo.

Unfortunately, a lot of the birds were missing feathers in their mid-section, which I assume is due to stress.

Most of the other types of birds were having a late-afternoon nap. 

Certainly shows how much they have gotten use to zoo life if they can sleep through a train of people walking through their home.

We moved on and found ourselves at the marine-life animal area. Polar bears, sea lions...those sorts of beasts.

This area was marked with the potent scent of caramelized popcorn wafting through the air. That poor polar bear up there was pacing back and forth.

Something amusing~

Going downhill we made our way around some tigers and then down some more hills to an area with rides. 

We chose to go on the river-raft ride since the line seemed very short (just 40 minute wait).

In line in front of us were a group of boy scouts from Daejon. About 25 minutes into the wait one of them was finally dared to say hello to us. Immediately after the exchange they became embarrassed and pretended we weren't there. Cute little fellows (I guessed they were 5th grade).

We went on the ride, which was a lot of fun, except that a big wave went over my head and I got soaked. 

After the ride they did have fans and even heaters to help the soaked ones dry up. However one young lady was hogging the dryer, while her Oppa (older man nickname) stood by. I didn't stand a chance getting dry with that thing. Moving along we walked up a hill where a "Candy & Gummi" store was and I said let's go in. After wards I waited with one of the kids in the petting zoo. The chicks were really cute.

 We then came upon the back part of the park or maybe the middle part...hmm. Here there was a large space with gardens and some-sort of Euro-looking village. There were some restaurants along the way, too. But my friend had a certain place she knew in mind to eat at.

As we walked through the fairway section of the park the sun was getting lower in the sky.

We had our dinner then made our way out of the park, which was starting to light up for the night.

Everland has a lot to do and explore. We were lucky and got there on a day when there wasn't a huge crowd. Sure there were a lot of people there but not by Korean standards (usually hoards). As the night time magic was lit up it sure made the pain throbbing in my feat feel lighter. I think I would go back to Everland but to experience the nighttime aspect of it a bit more.

It was fun and was especially great to walk around the park talking with my friend about Korean life.

Now here is a perfect way to end this post, with a picture of the bathroom near the parking lot. enjoy~