Teaching at last

I had such a great day at school today

I just HAD to tell you about it...

  The first 3 classes went the way they always do, with me standing around looking awkward while Co does all the talking and dictates to the kids in Korean. Monday's and Tuesday's are the same - first 3 classes are Grade 4 and the last 2 are Grade 5. Today, after the Grade 4 classes were done he asked me if I minded taking the next 2 classes of Grade 5's. DO I MIND??? FUCK NO LET ME TEACH THEM!

I replied with something more demure, like "of course Co I would be really happy to take the class".

Unfortunately the classes were for revision only, and he wanted it to be from the text book as they have an exam next Wednesday and the content was from the book. But at least he was leaving me alone. 

  So I stayed in the classroom and the kidlets came in and were rowdy and took forever to shut up... But they did. And we revised. And at the end we danced the hokey pokey and it was fun. I think they had fun. 

  Then it was lunch... I have stopped eating the school lunch, I can't remember if I have already told you or not... But I pretty much eat peanut butter and jam sandwiches every day and I am feeling way better. A bit fatter, for sure, but not sick in the afternoons anymore.

- Just in case I hadn't told you, it was getting to about 2.30-3.00 every day and I was getting the worst stomach cramps  In my upper tummy area. And because I am so super scared and fragile when it comes to digestive issues I thought it best to just change my diet to something my body was more familiar with. Good thinking on my part, I freaking love peanut butter...

  After lunch it was 5-1 class. I love 5-1, they always yell to me when I get to school, and when I walk into the classroom there is always a chorus of "HELLO TEACHER BONNIE" and they all smile and are cute. But neither of the Grade 5 classes contribute much to class. They tend to be shy with their English even though I know that a fair few of them actually speak it quite well. I am convinced they are scared of Co. 

  We did the same review as the other class but didn't get as far. They were not paying as much attention, and I knew that I had to change something or do a different activity. They were bored, but not in any way afraid of me or repercussions  so rather than just switching off and staying silent like they usually do for Co, they got more and more rowdy and just did their own thing. So I turned off the computer (don't tell Co) and we had an epic game of Hangman. The kids love it! I stopped them 3 minute before class ended, reminded them of the test next week and off they went. It was a really good class in the end! 

  The interesting thing for me was watching the way the kids acted in class with me as opposed to how they are with Co present. Hands down he has more authority and control over the class. He asks them to do something and they do it straight away. But they are hesitant to try, I feel that he makes them feel stupid in class. They are quiet for him, but for me they were loud and crazy. But so many more kids had a go at speaking with just me there. So from this I have decided that they must feel more comfortable and confident in their ability around me than around Co. Which isn't that surprising. 

My views on ESL

  Now I am no expert, but to me the main goal of teaching language is to get people to speak. Obviously understanding what you are saying and hearing is preferable  but during my TESOL course we were told that the students should be speaking more than the teacher and that games, songs and activities were the best way to learn. 

  Here, this doesn't happen. Co talks more the majority of the lesson and the only speaking the kids do is 'repeat after me' type activities. We only play games if they are written word for word in the textbook, and the same goes for activities. The only songs we sing are days of the week or moths of the year. Recently he introduced "Rain, rain, go away" and its a hit. They love to sing. 

  During the times when they DO have the opportunity to speak, they are put down and made fun of when they make a mistake. All the class will laugh at the person who is speaking, which is fine if the kids are more gung-ho and extroverted but it completely loses the quieter students. 

  As far as I am concerned, as long as they are making an effort is great. I don't care if they get it wrong just give it a shot. Mistakes are a part of learning, especially when it comes to language. And I think this is why they are more comfortable around me. They hear me attempting Korean and failing all the time. I am always getting my Korean wrong. I always wait for them to finish trying to get a word out, I don't put the word in their mouth. And I don't care if the pronunciation is a bit off, because the more they use the word the easier it will be for them to say. I want more games, more songs and more art activities. Because only textbooks makes for a boring class and students who don't care....

Anyway, rant over.

It was a good day and I got something out of it myself - an insight into teaching, a better knowlege of the abilities and personalities of the students, and the best part - more confidence in my own teaching ability.

Thanks Grade 5! 

Till next time,

xoxo

Lazy Saturdays

I love the weekend.

  For me nothing beats the weekend, except holidays. There is nothing more relaxing that being able to wake up naturally without an alarm. I mean, I love a hot bath or a massage as much as the next person, but I find I am most truly relaxed when I have no where to be at a set time. I am a big fan of dinner or lunch plans, but mornings? Get faaarked... 

  And its not even that I sleep in for a stupid amount of time - today I woke up at 7:30 and still felt the same level of relaxation. It's the stress associated with having to be somewhere in the morning that ruins it for me. Although Milky annoyed me a bit, he wanted to get up before I did, I ended up taking him downstairs to pee then went back to bed for a while. And I was cool with that.

  It has been a beautiful day here today, a top temperate of about 8 degrees Celsius but sunny and happy. I have discovered that my mood is directly correlated with the weather, in the sense that a rainy, cold day makes me grumpy whereas a sunny day makes me happy. This has been proved time and time again in different studies, read more about that here.

Beautiful autumn day in Songtan

  I had a great night last night in Itaewon with Cheng, Mathilda, Carolina and Michael. Cheng found a great place for us to eat called Braai Republic, which was a South African resteraunt. Itaewon is known for its foreign resteraunts and for foreigners in general. The food was amaze-face, between myself, Cheng and Mathilda we got a meat platter which had a selection of meat plus some sides like garlic potato which was TO DIE FOR. I really just ate my lamb-chop, I don't really like sausage that much (insert dirty joke here) but it was probably the best lamp chop I have ever eaten. Although that might be more because I have not had all that many decent feeds since I arrived. either way, the dinner was great and the company was even better. 

  I caught the train back home, I wanted to assess what damage Milky had infliceted on my house, but the girls and Michael stayed out later. I believe Cheng and Mathilda pulled an all nighter, I am waiting to hear how the night went :) I hope they have some sordid stories for me!!!

  At some point I want to go out on the town properly and have a big night in Itaewon, I hear it is a really good night. Lots of foreigners and the bars/clubs are supposed to be really good. But I just can't at the moment - I am too cold!!! Such a lame excuse I know, but thats just how it is. i am a fairly lame person at times... I also haven't been out partying in Hongdae yet (party town in Seoul) for a similar reason. Also, I don't feel like I have anything cool to wear, and the biggest deal breaker is the distance. If the trains ran all night then I wouldn't mind so much, it means I can get home. But there is no way in hell I would get a taxi all the way back from the city, and if I decide to call it a night it means I need to wait for the first train back to Pyeongtaek anyway. It is just a really long night. So i will need to work myself up for it and make sure its a sleep in day the next day!!! In the meantime I will continue to be a hermit. I really need to save some money anyway...

  I am not making anywhere near as much money as the TESOL people led me to believe. I mean, it didn't help that i bought a dog, but in general I thought I would be able to send more money home, and be buying all my friends at home gifts all the time. At this stage people will be lucky if they get xmas presents!!! I just really need to get some security money behind me before I start splurging. Not that I have no cash, but I thought I would have more. Lucky my bills are not too extravagant. 

School

  I am not too happy with how things are going at school. I am not super impressed with how my co teacher teaches, but there is nothing I can do about that. I am not here to change the way he runs his show. But he doesn't give me any opportunity to teach, and there is an open class coming up and I will be expected to take the class to show that it is worth having a foreign teacher here. Now I am super apprehensive about this - having had no practice teaching I don;t know how the kids will react. He doesn't like or use any of the lesson plans I have offered him. Weeks ago he mentioned the open class and asked me to prepare a lesson plan. I did it that same day but he never asked for it, or took it when I offered it to him. So then the other day when he finally asked to see it he asks me why I wanted to cover a topic that had been covered weeks ago. To cut a long story short I am not impressed. I wonder if he is hoping I will do badly to make himself look better... 

  I hear from a good source that he was not popular at his previous school, and I know he isn't super popular at this one either. But I really hope the relationship will improve because we will be working together for a long time yet, and I hate tension. I tend to just hang back and let him do his thing, but for next year I will try and make some changes. I don't know how I am going to do it yet but I will. 

  I have often heard the expression the God would not send us certain challenges if He didn't think that we could overcome and learn from them. Now, I am not an overly religious person, so I don't know how I feel about that statement. But if there is a lesson to come from dealing with my Co I hope I learn it soon! 

  This whole year is challenging me in different ways all the time. And this is why I know it will be so rewarding... 

In other news...

  Milky ate my shoes last night while I was out. My Sketches. So I need to get a new pair of runners tonight. Gah.

  I had a teary this afternoon while watching "How to Train Your Dragon" which makes me cry every time I watch it. I don't know my, something about how much they love each other I suppose, and then at the end when both the boy and the dragon are kinda disables. And the dragon reminds me of Pawpaw too. And now while I am wasting time until dinner I am watching Lord of the Rings - The Two Tower. I love OCN channel, it always has English movies on! Some mornings I put it on while I am getting dressed and watch stupid movies. For some reason they often repeat movies, I have seen King Kong at least 3 times now. And the other morning I was watching Twilight. 

  At home, Billie is going to her first big show tomorrow. I wish I was going too to help Georgia prepare and to see her do her workout. But I will just have to wait till next year. It's only 41 days now until she (Sissy I mean) arrives here in Korea and I am so excited! Some of my friends here also have friends or family visiting at that time, so New Year should be amazing!!! Plus I am looking forward to relaxing for a week - not having to get up and go to school will be bliss!

  I still need to get a warmer jacket. I cannot believe I have left it this long, but the thing is that it will still get colder! The average temperature for the last few days has been around 7-8 degrees C but the mornings are often below 0. So within the next few weeks winter will really set in. Seoul has apparently had its first snow flurries and the resorts all have snow on them and the ski season has opened. I think the opening of many of the resorts was this weekend actually. I fully intend to go to to the snow at some point, but the good resorts are a fair while away and its not cheap, so I might wait until December or even January, Some of the girls have said they would be interested in doing a weekend to the snow so that would be fun if we culled get a group together! Snow makes winter worthwhile :) They are predicting a cold winter too, so fingers crossed for a white Christmas!!!

  Christmas this year I will spend with Mia and Tyler - they have already invited me over there for Christmas lunch so thats good. i was worried about what I would do with myself. And Milky can come too which is nice. 

Anyway, thats about all for now. I am having dinner tonight with Shanda and then maybe tomorrow going to the zoo... Jess said to me that this isn't a great time of year to go because the animals tend to hide out in their shelters cos of the cold. but I will ask around and if people are still keen to go then I am too. I need to get out and do something this weekend!!!

Till next time

xoxoxoxo

Milky - butter wouldn't melt in his mouth ~

Animal Rescue Korea

New Doggie!!!

Today I picked up the newest addition to my family (family being me haha) from the Asan dog shelter. his name is Milky and he is the most adorable guy ever... I'd love to tell you his story, but I have no idea what it is. Because Milky is a rescue dog, one of thousands of unwanted pets in South Korea.

Pet Trade

The pet industry here is pretty big, and getting bigger. Most of the puppies come from puppy mills, the kind of places that turns my stomach and makes me want to cry. As many of these puppies are given as gifts, or bought on a whim, or bought by uneducated people (uneducated in looking after a pet I mean) many many pets end up being dropped at shelter, vets, pounds or just ditched somewhere. Most of the pounds are "kill pounds", which means they will hold a dog for a few weeks but if they are not claimed they are put down. 

Dogs that end up at the shelters still have miserable lives. Many of them have already been dumped and mistreated, only to end up in a cold, dank shelter with not much food. But at least the shelter dogs have a chance at being adopted. 

Asan shelter is run by 1 Korean guy, who I believe is doing his best... There are over 60 dogs at the shelter at the moment, as well as 20 something cats. He goes to the kill pounds and saves the ones he can by bringing them back to the shelter in hopes that they will be rehabilitated and rehomed. Because these dogs have been mistreated and abused, many of them have behavioural issues and health problems. But they still deserve a chance. Enter the volunteers!!!

The shed at Asan shelter

Milky in his pen when I first met him. They are in these pens 24/7, until the volunteers come to walk them and hang out with them on a weekend.

Every weekend a group of people from different parts of Korea come to the shelter to spend time with the dogs. They take them for walks, clean their pens, brush them, and just generally hang out with the dogs and cats. They need to be socialised, and the volunteers learn the different quirks and personalities of the dogs. They then 'sponsor' some dogs, make ads for them, and place them on the website Animal Rescue Korea.

Click here to go to the ARK site

This website is a portal to many of the dogs available for adoption all over Korea. There are a heap of different shelters, and you can narrow your search to size, age, and even colour!

So its like going to a pet shop and choosing a doggie, except you are saving one from a life of misery.

This was how I found Milky.

I went onto the website, as I have been super lonely here in my little cave by myself. I checked the site pretty regularly, so I noticed Milky within hours of his ad being posted. I contacted Jenn (one of the shelter volunteers) and she got back to me right away. I had also emailed another few people about some other dogs, but Jenn was the first to reply. It was a sign!!! We organised for me to come out to the shelter to meet him, and to see what I thought.

I fell in love with him at first sight. He looked like he was smiling, and he came up to the door of his cage right away... The dogs in the shed live in wire cages, like little cells. They stand on wire too, so that when they pee and poop it all just falls through the wire. The rain can't get in, but it is super cold and windy through the shed, so my heart was breaking for all these dogs which I knew would be stuck there over winter. I went home, filled out the adoption papers and got the ball rolling. There was a bit of drama in between sending the papers and bringing him home - I had to convince my landlady to let me have a pet. But today I went down to the shelter in the pouring rain with a dog carry bag and picked up my doggie. We caught a taxi, train and subway and he was good as gold. He has had a wash, some food and is currently snoozing in his new bed. 

He is in the bag - we were on the train :)

Milky tonight in his new bed

Making himself at home 

I am so glad I made the decision to adopt a rescue dog rather than get a puppy. It makes me feel good for starters, but I am also really looking forward to seeing how Milky changes from shelter dog to house pet. He loves other dogs and loves people. And he even seems to be kinda toilet trained which is a super bonus!!!

So stay tuned citizens, for there is a new man in my life, and I will be talking about him plenty I can guarantee it!

If you are in Korea and thinking of getting a pet, please consider a rescue dog. You will be saving their life, and enriching your own.

Till next time,

xoxo

Update on life

Ok, I know I haven't posted in a while, but here is what's happening this week...

School

  School is going ok for a change, although there are stormy seas on the horizon. I have finally been allowed to teach some classes by myself - but by this I mean Co leaves me in the classroom alone with 25+ Korean kids that speak basically no English. It's a disaster waiting to happen. In saying that, it has been the grade 4 and 5's and they are generally good kids. They seem to speak way more when it is just me in the class as opposed to when Co is there too... Says a lot for his classroom presence if you ask me. I honestly think they are scared to talk, and especially scared to get it wrong. it's not uncommon for him to tease kids who don't participate, or who get things wrong. Doesn't really promote a healthy learning environment when kids are scared to make a mistake.

  As for the stormy seas, it has to do with money... I had an idea last week or the week before to introduce some after school classes for the kids who are doing really poorly in English class. I said to him that I would like to give the kids the option to do an extra hour of class a week or something, mainly to practice speaking with me. The classes would be smaller and hopefully allow me to be a bit more creative with my teaching. I planned on taking these classes alone, as it's not like he needs to fill anymore hours (whereas I am short 1 teaching hour). He liked the idea and said he would get back to me. Today he comes in and says that the Vice-Principal has agreed to allow for extra budget and let me teach an extra 2 classes, meaning overtime pay for me. He then goes on to say that he would be taking the classes with me, and that I should split my overtime pay with him... I didn't really know what to say and told him I would think about it. 

  I immediately got on the comp and emailed my GEPIK coordinator Gina and explained to her the situation. She said that if I am doing any extra hours then the money is mine. And that I should be able to run the classes myself and she has never been asked about this situation ever. So tomorrow I will have to have the awkward conversation with him... I am still trying to decide how to word it, I have to work with this guy for another 10 months so I want to keep it friendly... And I want to go home early tomorrow because it is it Seoul lantern festival!

Outside school - In the real world

  Things are going great! I mean, there are people I would love to see more of (yes I am talking about you Mia!) but I have been getting out a whole heap and generally having a good time. I haven't travelled around much yet, but to be honest I am happy just doing my thing around here. There people are really great and we all have a good laugh.

The best news, however, is this: I AM ALLOWED TO HAVE A DOG!!!

  I have been missing my pets like crazy since I arrived here. I know some people think I am crazy, and that it will limit the experience of living abroad, but to me pets can only enhance your life. I hate not having one around, I hate being lonely in the evenings and all that. And I kinda need an excuse to spend a little more time at home... I have been spending so much money lately that it is kinda defeating one of the purposes for coming over here in the fist place - I am not saving any money. So while I am out here spending my cash, my bills at home are still coming out of a credit card i am not paying off. Its a tough life. 

  So the dog... I went out to Asan dog shelter with a friend on Saturday to see this little doggie I had seen advertised on the ARK Page (animal adoption in Korea or something) for adoption. There are so many dogs here that are dumped and abandoned, I decided rather than help fund puppy farms I would save a dog and give it a new life. So we went out to meet him and he was adorable. Kinda full of beans but I would imagine he would calm down once he settled into a routine. I will post pics eventually...

  In the meantime another guy who I emailed contacted me about another dog which is located in Seoul... This dog really seems more suitable, as she is house trained and quiet. But here's the thing - I feel committed to the shelter dog. I can't help it, he is out there all cold and sad and it is breaking my heart. But the catch is this - the landlady said I can have a dog but it MUST BE QUIET. If she hears it baring I will need to get rid of it... The little doggie in Seoul was debarked (really really cruel procedure) by her previous owner so she is quiet. She is also a little older and house trained, used to living in an apartment and is good with cats. Yes, I am already thinking about Pawpaw... So this is the dilemma. I am concered that if I get the Asan dog that the lady will make me get rid of him (as I have no idea how yappy he is, but the breed is apparently kinda noisy at times). But I don't want to leave him in the shelter... The other dog in Seoul is in a foster home right now but they are moving home and can't take her with them.

What will I do!!!

Other news is that I am being wooed by a Korean guy who is a trainer at my friend's gym. Watch this space I will keep you posted...

November was supposed to be fitness month! But I have done basically no excersise... The only change I have made so far is that i always take the stairs now rather than using the lift. I have also introduced eggs into my diet, before now I have been eating out all the time but I am making an effort to eat at home more. So, eggs it is.

I am convinced the food at school was making me sick. I kept getting these awful cramps in my belly, and it seemed to happen every day at around 3pm. So This week I decided to try bringing my own lunch rather that eating the school food. I still go down to the cafeteria and get a little bit of food from the lunch lady but I just pick at the rice. Then I bail on lunch and go back to the classroom and eat my peanut butter sandwich (lol diet stahp! and have some yoghurt. And so far so good - no tummy pain yet this week. Bonnie - 1, Kimchi - 0

Reading between the lines

  I have been going to Korean class now for a few weeks, and I love it. The language is difficult, but the writing is easy to learn to read and write. But I have found that you actually don't need words to communicate. Give me another few weeks, and I will be able to say I can speak basic Korean. I can introduce myself, say what I am doing here, where I am from, ask for more food etc etc. But language isn't always about speaking, i think it is reading customs, body language and between the words. For example, I can tell if someone is asking me something rather than telling me something, not from the words that come out of their mouth but more from their tone and stance. You can tell who is creepy to sit next to on the subway and who is fine and will leave you alone. You can tell who you should ask for directions from. All of this comes from some greater meta-language... And I think all people speak it.

Being in another country and not speaking the language has given me a greater insight into many things, and the whole concept of body language is one of them. Here is Korea, there is no such thing as personal space. There might be a whole subway car to sit on, but a person will still sit next to you or opposite you. There is always safety in numbers (but this goes for anything), and above all, there is compassion. 

When I went to speak to the landlady about the dog I knew it would be difficult. I had a friend write me a letter in Korean stating what I wanted and why (a whole heap of stuff like 'dog is family and I am far from home'), but to be honest I think she would have said no outright if she hadn't seen the look of pleading on my face. And when she saw how happy she had made me by saying yes, her face lit up as much as mine. 

People are all the same on the inside, I am convinced. I know, there are jerks and assholes out there but I don't want to count them. There are also rapists and murderers, but I am talking about your average everyday human going about living their life. I like that you can go anywhere in the world and not know a lick of their language and still be able to get by. Because technically we all have a common language, and a common background.

Back at home?

  It was Cup Day today in Melbourne, which is pretty much my favourite holiday. Only in Australia do people get days off for sporting events! A horse race no less! I haven't even checked to see who won, but I know sportsbet.com won't be paying out to me... (I have taken to online gambling to pass the time at school - please somebody help me). Mum had her annual Cup Day bbq at home, with the usually crowd. I hear they had a great day. 

 Sissy has been having some trouble with the pony... She is a bit of a witch so it seems, I am really sad that i can't be there to give her a hand, but she is a fantastic rider and really great with the horses so I am sure she will get her sorted out in no time.

 Beau has gone to live with a friend of ours who has land in Mt. Evelyn, so he is living the good life off eating grass. It is exactly what i wanted for him while I was away, to be out in a paddock eating grass. He is a good old boy and now he can just play and act like a horse for a while. 

Anyway, thats about it. I am super sleepy tonight, I really would love to have a sleep in but its only Tuesday lol. Te weather here is fucking cold - usually under 5 degrees when I get up. It hasn't been above 10 degrees all week and its only November... I hear January/February are the coldest months. Next payday I will buy myself a big, warm, fluffy jacket. It will be worth the money I am sure.

I will also start looking at things to send home to people for Christmas... Shipping is pretty expensive so I might have to stagger everyones gifts over the rest of the year. Only a few people very month get a present. But imagine the surprise when it arrives!!!

Good night everyone xoxoxoxo