We celebrated my birthday at school today. They surprised me. Well, my co-teachers did. One of the moms bought a cake and a pie and we had a little birthday party. So nice.
Kayla, my token girl, gave me a beautiful huge bouquet. So lovely.
If you're wondering, yes, the teacher standing behind me is wearing a mask (mine is pulled under my chin). Apparently, Korea is on high alert with the infamous swine flu. And one of the school's precautions is for everyone to wear a mask at school. It's kind of funny to walk into class with a mask on your face and the kids aren't phased by it. I was kind of looking forward to it, actually. It sort of makes me feel like Storm Shadow but without the hood and swords, plus my mask is blue and not white.
Okay, so I look nothing like him.
But it's sexy, n'est-ce pas?
to turn on the heated floors. Every morning this week, I've walked to school in beautiful grey, foggy, crisp morning weather and it reminds me of autumn in Vancouver. It's my favourite season. Because it means sweaters and scarves which I love because I love bundling up. The foggy mornings feel like a giant hoody that wraps me up in coziness and something comfortably familiar.
As I was walking down the road, I happened to look up and see a spider web. I wouldn't have seen it against the muted sky if it weren't for the fact it was covered with dew. It looked like an aging aristocrat's pearly beaded necklace, every strand covered with tiny crystal drops. It made me stop and stare for a few moments, just because it was that astonishing. I liked that it stopped me, even for a little bit. Sometimes it's good to just stop and be reminded how beautiful the world could be.
I thought I'd use this blog as a way to update people on my experiences in Korea. I haven't done a great job at that. This teaching gig has kept me uber busy, more than I expected or wanted. But here are the "highlights" (for lack of a better term)...
I started teaching a second kindy class. If you thought teaching English to five year olds was tough...try four year olds. That would be two years old in western age. Yeah, that's right. Four of them. Three of them actually know some English because their parents are fluent. Actually, they are better than when my five year olds started six months ago. The newest one, who just started on Monday, knows no English and makes for somewhat trying days. I'm pretty sure he doesn't like me as I'm the teacher who speaks gibberish to him, can't understand him, and makes not so happy faces at him. (huge sigh). It's hard to take that class seriously; I feel like I'm a glorified babysitter sometimes. I teach them some words and phrases, but I'm more than aware of how toddlers are just not my teaching forte, so I find myself just counting down the minutes til the class is over.
And if you've read some previous posts, you'd know that I've been visiting a Korean doctor. I'm feeling a little better but I'm not at 100% and don't think I will be until I'm done teaching here. September was a hell month as we started our third quarter. Transitioning into a new quarter is never fun and this one was no exception. On top of adding a new class, I got more elementary students, started new textbooks, had parent/teacher meetings, and all the admin that comes with the end of the month/beginning of the month times of the year. If you get the sense that teaching at this school hasn't been a walk in the park for me, you're right. I don't want to discourage people out there who are thinking of teaching ESL abroad, and it would be trite to say "just do your research" cause I did but, honestly, you will never know what you end up with until you get there. And for some, it'll end up being an awesome experience, and for others, you may rather want to poke your eyes out or eat your hand than teach the kids you ended up with or endure the school you ended up teaching for.
On a lighter note...I went to the Daejeon Zoo.
Daejeon is bigger city than Cheonju and is about 30 minute bus ride away. I've wanted to go for some time and finally went a few weeks ago. I met one of my co-workers who lives there and the two of us went to the zoo. It was a beautiful day and the zoo didn't seem that busy so it was a nice excursion. It's definitely bigger than the Cheonju Zoo. There were some interesting animals, an entertaining stage show with Korean and Eastern European performers (who danced to Russian music), and a safari ride that took us in the midst of black bears, tigers, and lions.
On the bus ride there, I came to the realization that I've let Korea kick my butt. I fancy myself as a pretty good traveler and I'm all for experiencing a new country and culture. But I've let this country get to me in a bad way and I know a lot of that has to do with my work situation. Taking that day trip was incredibly refreshing and I realize I need to get out more often. It's hard when you're left with very little prep time in the school day and have to do it at night or even on the weekends, plus you're trying to pay off debt so you really shouldn't be spending money. But I know I've just got to make the second half of my year here count for more.
Or I might as well poke my eyes out now.
