I just did something interesting that I feel bad about. I judged someone on Facebook. Now, I know that some things that people write belong on Failbook and other such sites, but I don't like to make a habit of judging what people write. I mean, I judge them secretly of course, but I would never actually comment or write something negative. What happened was this -
I saw a pic on a friends page that I immediately found offensive. So I wrote some passive-aggressive status update about whether or not I should delete people who offend me. Then people were asking what happened, what was the pic/link... And I feel now that it was the wrong thing to do. I mean that I shouldn't have posted the status in the first place. It's not my place to comment on other people's opinions.
Social Media
This is the thing with social media... My opinion is that it is a way for people to be able to express themselves openly and without being openly ridiculed. Obviously people will form their own opinions about what you have written/posted etc, but I don't agree that they should be trashed online... I mean, providing a counter argument is totally fine, or giving back something constructive is also ok (to me). But not bashing someones opinion.
The obvious example is this:
Some people are homophobic. They don't support gay marriage and gay rights etc. They think it is unnatural and gross and they do not believe that homosexual couples should be allowed to have kids.
I absolutely disagree with this 100%. But that does not give me the right to go bagging the shit out of someone's opinion. Just because it doesn't match with mine doesn't make it right or wrong, because it is an OPINION people, not facts or lies.
There was a post I "liked" and "shared" on Tumblr this morning, it was about spreading love around the Tumblr community. There has been a heap of negativity floating around, and I actually think this is true of many social media sites. Actually, sites in general. I know internet memes are becoming super popular and more mainstream (which is cool, I find them hilarious) but it seems that many of them are now being used at the expense of people. This isn't cool. I am not a big fan of people trolling others, I see it as kinda a form of bullying which I am usually very vocal about. This is another reason I feel so bad being all mean and stuff on FB. I like to think of myself as a fairly friendly, open person, and now I have come across and whiney and judgmental Not that this blog should really be about me, I am actually trying to make a point about the bigger issue.
Online bullying
I have never been a victim of this, and I would hate to think that I have caused someone else to be bullied. I feel like this issue is more of a middle school/high school issue, but you do see it on an adult's status/page sometimes. I hate it. The internet is a strange, strange place full of plenty or awful things. I like to think that social media sites are used for good not evil.
Anyway I am going to try and make it my new personal project to try and spread happiness and goodwill across all my media forms - and in real life.
My fame grows!
Also, just to blow my own bugle so to speak, I am now a featured blogger for Say Kimchi Recruiting and will be writing for them and their online blog about why Korea is cool and you should work here. My stuff will be featured on Thursdays, so if you would like a PG version of my stories, or just general opinionated advice on Korea then check it out. I believe they are also a pretty successful recruiting company so if you are looking for work have a look. I personally went through Korvia (as you all know) and prob will again, but there are plenty of legit recruiters out there and I believe Say Kimchi are one of them.
The link to the blog section is here, so have a look if you have a minute and are interested in the life of a teacher in Korea.
This book took me ages to finish because I was slack, not because it wasn't a good book. Let me break it down a bit...
Plot
The story is I suppose centered around Dr. Alfred Jones, a Fisheries Scientist from England. Through a series of events he ends up working on a ridiculous project to introduce salmon for fishing to a river in Yemen. The story is told from a few different perspectives and people, in the form of diary entries, letter correspondence email correspondence and interviews.
Although the story centers around the salmon, the true story is how the project affects the lives of the characters, and how they change and evolve.
The story is set in the UK, Scotland and Yemen. Although Dr. Jones in the key story-teller, I feel that the main character and catalyst for the story was the Sheikh who initiates and plans the project. The story isn't some religious tale, but there are questions asked about belief and and love.
Character Development
I would have loved to have actually heard things from the Sheikh's perspective. He was like this... mystical character that was never properly explored but you got a feel of him through the opinions of other characters. Which I guess is exactly how the author wanted it. One Character I didn't like was Peter Maxwell, who was an adviser to the English Prime Minister. He was a weak and annoying character in my opinion.
I would also loved to have seen what happened like, 5 years after the book finished. Just to see where everyone ended up. I didn't get enough closer, and I think it was because the characters were actually still evolving at the completion of the story. Certain people you never hear from again.
Harriet's character slid downhill dramatically. I didn't like that... I am a fickle person, because I hate predictable endings but at the same time I always enjoy a happy ever after. I think that's another reason why I felt the story unfinished and needed a "last chapter" to give all characters the happy ending (a non-sexual ending I mean).
As a text...
Look, I wouldn't use it for ESL. The fact that it jumps from character to character, and from one method of delivery to another, I don't feel it would be appropriate. Obvs this depends on what type of student you have - it could potentially be perfect for an upper high school kid you are tutoring or whatever. But I think it could be potentially a bit challenging The language in it was decidedly British, and had many references to England. In saying that I had no trouble following even though There were lots of "transcripts" from the House of Commons and things like that which I have no idea about.
There was no swearing that I can remember, or anything inappropriate. There was one intimate scene that was tactfully mentioned, but on the whole nothing sexy or rude. It was relevant to the story without taking away from it.
I didn't really like the different medias. I think it should have been all journal, or a;; interviews, or all newspaper articles or whatever. I had a little trouble following timelines, but this seems to be the standard for me when I am reading books with multiple character (where the hell where Aragon and Legolas while Sam and Frodo were in Mordor? Where they in Rohan or Gondor? I have no idea). Still, it was well done. I guess I will need to hear someone else's opinion to see if it was me or the book.
On the whole
On the whole I really enjoyed the book. All of the books I have read this last few months have been different from each other and different from what I usually read. It made me think a little, but not too much. I think personally this type of story I prefer to have a bit more resonance with it... Like, I feel that the ultimate underlying message and theme was to have more faith. But I didn't come away from it thinking "wow, I need more faith myself, look what they achieved in the story". Maybe the book isn't supposed to do that.
It has been made into a movie, I think with George Clooney, so over the weekend I will download it and watch it and see how they compare. If George is Alfred Jones (which I assume he will be) I will be a bit disappointed, because I imagined Alfred to be not very good looking and we all know George Clooney is a silver fox.
So yes, I liked the book, and I would tell other people to read it. There wasn't really anything I disliked about it, although I would have changed the ending. I'll not tell you what happened in case you a) haven't read the book or b) haven't seen the film. If you haven't done either of these things then I think you should.
Now Jess, I will return the book to you at some point. Over toast perhaps?
In other news...
The school Principal was a jerk to me earlier today. I said hello and did a super low bow and he glanced at me then pretended I wasn't there. So I have decided that he is a racist. Another cross in the Songshin box.
Yes, I am probably going to do a second year here. Sorry to people at home who have to find out this way but there you go. I love life here too much and I just don't want to come home yet. But, I will be coming home for Christmas and New Year so please get ready Melbourne. I want an EPIC New Year, doing something fun and getting hammered.
I haven't decided if I want to stay around here or move closer to the city, but I guess all that depends on what is happening school/budget/job wise over the next few months. I will get back in contact with my recruiter at some point and see what the options are.
Guys, again, I am not worried about North Korea. I mean, I am worried about issues that are fermenting in that whole region, but I am not worried about an invasion. I trust that both the ROK and US will look after the whole situation and keep everyone in South Korea safe. I know some of you are worried (Mum, I am talking mainly to you here) about what I would do in an emergency... The Australian Embassy knows I am here and I am sure they will contact me. I have given Smart Traveller my updated details so they can also locate me. If I was evacuated Jess will look after Milky, and we will make Sangwon promise not to eat him. And then when everything settles down either go back and keep teaching, or have Milky flown home. Honestly though, I really don't want to leave and I don't think it will come to that. The general mood here is that everyone feels safe and are really not too concerned about the threats. The Military are concerned, but that's their job. My job is teaching (ha) not worrying about invasion. If I had to leave I would be worried sick about all my kids and my friends here.
For the second time in as many weeks my ego has been inflated by attention form the online community - keep it coming I say.
YouTube
As some of you are aware, I have a YouTube channel (if you didn't know, feel free to check it out here) which is slowly getting more hits. I don't post videos as often as I should, but I intend on changing this in the next few weeks. I have some ideas coming up that I think people may like.
Anyway the other week I received an email from some committee about how there is a big cosmetics convention happening in South Korea, and that they came across the vlog I did regarding Cosmetics in Korea and how much I love freebies (I was actually at Innisfree last night buying make-up wipes and got a heap of free samples from them too... So much love). They emailed me and asked if it was ok if they showed my video at their conference. I was like YES OF COURSE YOU CAN. I mean, it was nice that they asked, but the video is public so they could have taken it without me even knowing. Who knows if they are legit or not but whatever. The info for the upcoming event is here, and its called the Cosmetics & Beauty Expo Osong Korea 2013. So have a look and tell me if you think its legit or not. Either way, it's another step closer to fame.
Now, at this point I only have 7 subscribers (I wish there were more but this is my fault), but my videos have been viewed 830 times and have no dislikes. Always a good sign... And some of my videos have been added to people's favorites lists (also a good sign). Interestingly enough my most watched videos are my self introduction, which I prepared for job interviews in Korea, and my room tour. So from that I am deducing that Korvia is sharing my video (which I totally don't mind, they actually asked last year if that was ok) and that there are a fair few people out there who are curious as to what their accommodation will be like once they get to Korea. I did the same thing before I came out here - I went YouTube trolling to try and find out what the area was like and how i'd be living. So it makes me happy that perhaps I have helped people out. I am becoming an unofficial expert on all things ESL Korea. And on that note...
Cover Girl
That's right folks, yours truly is on the cover of the 2013 GEPIK Orientation book. If you recall, back in September I blogged about my time at the GEPIK conference (see it here if you have forgotten) which I attended as an introduction to teaching in South Korea. At the time, there were organizers who wandered around taking photos and videos for future promo events of whatever. I was snapped in a few of them, and I remember being distinctly disappointed that I was not in many of the pics they showed on the final day. Being as photogenic and amazing as I am, I thought I would have featured more... Little did I know that my true rise to stardom had not yet materialized. Citizens, may I present to you the 2013 GEPIK Orientation booklet:
That's me, on the cover, with my equally beautiful friend Shanda. New (and some old) teachers from all over Korea who are part of the GEPIK program are looking at me thinking "wow, not only is she beautiful but she must know heaps about Korea because she is on the cover". And they would be right. Kinda...
Because lets be honest, do any of us really know what is going on in Korea? Even my Korean friends don't know what is going on... The country has this air of not knowing about it, which I love. But that's for another day. Today we are focusing on me. Wuahahahahahaha
Now all I need is to get my Drama going and I will totally be famous. And hopefully have a bit more motivation to stop chowing down on carbs.
In other news...
Yes, Jess got married. It was beautiful and cheesy at the same time. I could go on and on about it but I won't, it really needs an entire thread about it. There were highs and lows, the main low being that she is now on her honeymoon in Bali having an amazing time and I am freezing at school with no boyfriend, let alone a husband. Meh.
There were also minor dramas in the sense that all us foreign guests wanted to go drinking for a bit after the wedding, so we bundled ourselves into a few taxi's and headed to the bar area. Now, here is a classic reason why we all need to speak a bit more Korea. People got lost. It was no ones fault, but what we have to all keep in mind is that out Korean friends are our FRIENDS, not our translator service. And while I am sure they love to help us out and are happy to do so, lets all be appreciative and thankful when they do, not crapped off if WE, the foreigners, get something wrong. And lets all go to Korean class and try and learn a bit more so we don't need to burden our friends. And anyway, I would love to be able to have an awesome conversation in Korean with my friends, rather than relying on their awesome English abilities. The communication thing should work both ways. And, we are all capable of looking up bus timetables and train schedules so lets do it. Minor rant over.
Regarding rants, I had some feedback from my last blog, where I got up on my high horse about pictures of animal cruelty. Please, keep protesting against the abuse of animals. I encourage all people to be aware of these issues, as I am an activist myself. I can and do get preachy at times about certain issues and the treatment of animals at the slaughter point is one that really needs to be promoted. I am simply frustrated and at times offended at the way that people go about the education of these facts. If you want to include the pics then do so - in the form of a link. Then people can choose to click or not click. And yes, this does negate the shock factor a bit, but at least we can choose. How many times have we left our browsers open? Millions? What about if you had a kid who was looking on your fb and they saw pics of puppies being thrown into boiling water? Not nice. But I agree that people need to be made aware, I am in no way discouraging people from protesting or campaigning. But please do it tactfully.
School is going well this week, I actually feel like I am making more of a contribution to the class. In fact today I took the gr 5 classes myself - Co was not feeling well and left the class to me. I don't think they learnt much but luckily yesterday I met the photocopier and now I think I can make photocopies of worksheets and such for some time wasting. Yay for me.
Thats about all I have for now, but stay tuned for other fun things I am planning in the future. The weather is getting better and I am going to put a bit more time and attention into my YouTube. And as always, feel free to email me or comment anything you are thinking or feeling, I love the feedback.
I can be Tweeted, Tumblred, Facebooked, gmailed, YouTubed or blogged. I am all over this social media shit so hit me up I love to chat.
Ok, so I have had a huge and fantastic weekend of weddings, drinking, moving, and eating (yep, #dietfail) yet I am finishing it by ranting. Something keeps happening that continually ruins my day/week/life. Animal abuse activists.
Stop spamming my wall
I am also completely against animal cruelty, so please do not anyone take this the wrong way. But I do not want to see graphic pictures of animals being tortured all over my FB. The latest ones are dogs being cooked and boiled alive. It is true, this does happen through out Asia (Korea is very guilty of this one) and it disgusts me. I know about it, and I am against it. And showing me graphic pictures is not going to make me any more or less passionate about it, it will just offend me. And I also understand that many people do not know the facts about animal cruelty and the pictures really drive the point home etc etc. I don't want to look. And by putting it on my wall you are not giving me a choice. It disgusts me that people carry out these inhumane acts, and it appalls me that I have to see it. I do my bit against animal cruelty - I regularly donate and I volunteer at animal shelters etc. I also blog about issues that upset and interest me to raise awareness (I blogged mid last year about the issue of whaling for example) and I am well read in many environmental and animal cruelty issues. I am a subscriber to Animals Australia etc etc. I am a person who cares. I still do not agree with these graphic pics on my wall.
I am against child pornography too. And I know pretty much everyone is against child porn, or violence against women and children. But you don't see me or anyone else posting graphic pics of children being abused online. It is illegial. And it disgusts people. If someone posted child porn on their FB or on someones wall the police would be at their place. Yes, it raises awareness but it also offends and upsets people.
I don't meant to say that these are the same things... But I am just pointing out that there are other ways to raise awareness than by posting offensive and gross pictures of animals being tortured.
Enough with the double standards
This one also frustrates me. So, you hate that Koreans eat dogs? Are you discussing it over your dinner of galbi? Or your bulgogi? Or your dakgalbi? Or your fucking McDonalds?
What is it that offends you? Is it the fact that dogs are being eaten, the fact that its a dog or the way they are treated at the time of death? Have a really good think about this, because it is important. I do not want to eat dog. I do not want to try it, and I do not want to go to a resteraunt where it is served. But I will certainly not judge other people who do. Because I love a bowl of spag bol, or a yummy Korean BBQ - I eat meat. And I cannot sit there preaching against dog meat while I eat my friend chicken. It is hypocritical and judgy mc judge judge. I am fully against the cruelty that many animals suffer at abattoirs and butchers etc, and in Australia we have very serious standards for preperation of meat and slaughtering etc. In Asian countries they are waaayyy less strict about this, so chances are you are eating an animal that suffered when it died. The only way you can avoid this is by avoiding meat all together. I hate that there are lower standards here than at home but it is a battle that I cannot possibly win. If anyone wants me to sign a petition against it then I will.
I do not like the idea of eating a dog, because is is cute and friendly. I also hate the idea of eating chickens, I have pet chickens at home and they are really adorable. And sheep? They are cute too, and all the animals that are used for meat. In my mind they are all being farmed to be eaten and do not deserve to be tortured before they are served up. I also think this about fish, or deer, or rabbit, or whatever meat you are eating.
What about dolphins? Would you eat one? No? But I bet you love smoked salmon, or flake. Or tuna, which people globally consume by the bucket load. Do you like crab? Yeah? Lobster? Not quite as cute as dolphins huh... But we still boil them alive and cook them in front of the diners. And prawns - I have been present of the steaming and boiling of live prawns...
Hate that products contain horse-meat? Those poor horses, so nobel... Much more noble than a cow. I mean, cows didn't carry soldiers into battle did they? But they all look the same minced, true?
DOUBLE STANDARDS PEOPLE.
Don't preach to me about eating dogs, or any creature unless you are a non-animal eater yourself. And even then, please still don't preach to me. I am well versed.
Again, I am against animal cruelty, not against eating meat. Eat whatever the hell you want, but try and find out if it is cruelty free and humane. I know in Australia you can research different brands and products to find out how ethical your meal is. I always try to source ethical food products, which is much harder here in Korea. But just be careful about why you are pointing the finger. Don't hate people for eating dogs, hate them for the way they treat them, not the way they eat them.
Stop judging other cultures
Please try to stop discriminating. Different cultures live different ways. I always focus on what is important to me - the treatment of the animals. I don't hate Thai people, I hate the way certain Thai people treat their elephants. I don't hate Korean's, but I hate the way some people prepare their dog dishes. I don't hate Japanese people, I hate the way some of them are involved in whaling. I don't hate the Chinese, I hate the way some of them slice fins of live sharks and then throw them back into the sea. I don't hate African people, I hate the way some of them kill rhinos just to saw off their horns. I don't hate English people, I hate the way some of them set dogs onto foxes for sport.
And none of this means I have anything against the country of the people. There are plenty of things I don;t like about Australia too but its not relevant to this particular post.
Anyway, sorry for the rant I am just really tired of seeing certain things flood my facebook. Sorry if I have offended anyone. Please feel free to comment or contact me if you wanna discuss anything. I am an open book and in the end this is just my opinion.
I just had to get it off my chest, cos it put a bad taste in my mouth after such a good weekend.
Disclaimer!!! - When I started writing this post it was still Monday... So the majority of it is about yesterday.
Who else hates Monday's?
Actually, I never used to mind Monday at home, because I actually didn't mind going back to work. But here, I go to work and have no one to chat with. And, the days are set to return to the monotony of standing around looking foreign. Co is back, and I have been pushed back to the computer. Me and another teacher had a good laugh at the grade 5's reaction to the news Co was gonna teach again - one girl cried. They are scared of him!!!
I wouldn't say this is a hellish thing, but it does make my time go really slowly. And this is where it would be nice to be in a hagwon. Just go to school, do your classes and leave. The free time is nice, and the holidays are nice but I got a taste of my own classes and now its all I think about.
Today Co found a video of a good morning song to use for gr 3. Now, last week I actually found a much better one. It has subtitles and everything and a really cute animation that I am sure the kids would appreciate. I offered to show it to him but he seems to think that there is nothing online with subs so we are better to use his. And that was that. I also asked was there anything he wanted me to prepare for the rest of the week. No, not as yet. But he would like me to read over the lesson for tomorrow. Ok. Done. Now what? I can't openly play on fb as he is back in the office. I can't even have the heater on anymore because he is feeling hot. It is currently 10 degrees. Its not hot at all.
I can't watch dramas while he is here. So inconvenient. I am having trouble playing scrabble with him here too... Why couldn't the nice friendly cute grade 5 teacher be my co :( she is super nice. Wishful thinking.
Mysterious Stranger update
I know how keen everyone is to hear how this is going so here we go...
I saw him on Friday morning when I was near the bottom of the stairs. He was running late (in fact I am fairly certain he would have missed that train) but I still tried to make eye contact. Instead of being able to glance and just smile like a normal person, the Stranger didn't look up and meet my eye until I was looking away. I noticed this exchange and immediatly tried to restablish the eye contact, but if course then he looked away. So I also looked away (not to come across as one of those people who stares) and I saw that he had looked back again. But I just left it - the situation had already gotten weird and I didn't want to make things worse. Plus he was about to miss the train and I didn't want to somehow feel responsable for that. So rather than my planned eye contact, smile and keep walking, I had that weird omg, should I look, no, yes, don't stare kinda moment. Like when you are passing someone on the footpath and you both move the same way, and then you go to move and so do they and it ends up looking like you are doing this weird stupid arm waving dance on the street. It was like that, but with eyes.
I ended up not having time to walk down with the dog, becasue I was hungover in the morning and then spent the afternoon with some girls sitting in a park enjoying the nice weather. It got to a whopping 20 degrees C so it was actually really nice. It's back in the teens and lower this week but I am confident that Spring is finally here so we are all good.
The diet
As predicted, the diet is failing. I am not sticking to it properly, but I blame this on my condition last week of being both unwell and hormonal. I am much better this week so I will try again. I will also be attempting to be more active after school so we will see how that goes too. I want to go back to the jimjilbang at the end of the month and I really hope I have lost something (weight, obviously, not my phone or wallet). Even just a few kilos would be fine... I am giving myself until Sissy arrives to lose 8 kilos. Doesn't seem to hard huh? Time for good food :) And I have been advised that rice is better than bread, so I will maybe switch the bread up for carbs. Not that I have been eating much bread lately but whatever.
Payday
Its payday on Friday this week. For all you people out there considering working in a Korean public school, we get paid monthly on the 17th of every month. But this month it falls on a Sunday so they hit us up on the Friday. Its a fairly sweet deal... I usually do my bills first, send money home, then slowly eat and drink the rest. There are some birthdays at home, so I have to account for that and on that note - I need to find the post office. I have no clue where it is.
This month will be a little tight cos of the wedding, and I am planning on staying down there overnight. JESS I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU ARE GETTING MARRIED ON SATURDAY! I didn't end up getting a new dress, I have one that is really nice and I can't justify the money. I hope there is good food there I am hanging out for it.
Oh, and I took Milky to the hairdresser (doggy hairdresser) who gave him a very handsome cut and colour. And a rubber chicken toy for being such a good boy. Here he is in all his glory:
What an adorable guy
Tuesday
Ok, I am now fully prepared to talk briefly about today. Tuesday.
Just got home from a teacher's diner. This one was its usual awkward self, but at least the maintenance guy didn't slur on me this time. But I did have a few drunken conversations (they were drunk, not me I was stone cold sober), one with Co and another with one of the new teachers. He also has the last name Park, but that isn't strange because most people in Korea are either a Park, Lee or Kim. So Co comes and sits down kinda next to me to check how I am (I had sat myself on the table he WASN'T sitting at) and I assured him I was getting along fine with the ladies I was sitting with. He asks if I can read the sign... I lied and told him someone else had told me what it said (it basically said congratulations new teachers at Songshin Elementary School) and then listed all the new teachers names. He asked if I could read the names...
"Well, it looks like most of them are Kim" I said. Drunk co laughed so hard soju came out his nose. He repeated what I said to everyone at the table. Ha ha... I think. They all thought it was funny too. I still don;t get it. Everyone is Kim. But whatever. Maybe I missed an inside joke? Anyway he then brough up a conversation we had earlier. I had told him after classes yesterday that I was hoping to be more involved in class this year, and was there anything he would like me to prepare for the rest of the week. He said no but thanks. Ok, I tried. Anyway tonight he tells me he was very pleased that I had asked him that. It made him happy that I had offered to photocopy sheets of paper etc. So the conversation must have struck a cord if we were having a drunk discussion about it tonight. I told him I was serious, and that I am here to teach so please make use of me. He pretty much said that he wanted to lead for grade 3 and 4, and wanted me to lead for grade 5 and 6... Not quite what I want but its a start. So dialogue is happening.
The other drunk conversation was with one of the new teachers (the Park) who introduced himself, and asked me to call him by his first name. Which I have forgotten. And then said he thought I was very beautiful... Within hearing of some other teachers which made me embarrassed, especially when one asked what he said and the other translated. Ugh. Well, better than being told I am ugly thats for sure.
The good news that came out of tonight was meeting some of the younger new teachers who seem really nice, and apparently a few live quite close to the station and therefore close to me. So fingers crossed I make some friends. I know it would def help if I ate with everyone but I can't bring myself to eat that crap.
Anyway, I am kinda sleepy and I need to dry my hair. I don't want to be late tomorrow as Co will be hungover from tonight (a heap of teachers went out to a norebang) and I might have to teach by myself in the morn.
Have a good night guys xoxox
Cute rice cakes given to all staff by the new teachers at dinner. So cute and tasty! Called ë–¡
Involving some highs and lows. In all, I would say that is was sucessful. Here are a few reasons why:
I have a better understanding of why I am here
I came to Korea for reasons known and unknown, but 1 reason was to teach. And I didn't really get a chance to do this last year. This was for the most part due to a control freak of a Co teacher. But I also recognise that if I had put my foot down from the start then this might not have happened. He obviously didn't see any initiative from me and took this as lack of confidence (which is also true) and therefore did not give me the opportunity to learn or try.
This year however it seems that all my whinging and whining last year has come back to bite me on the ass - I am now teaching all classes alone. By alone, I actually have a Korean teacher in the class with me (the homeroom teacher of whatever class it is) but I am the lead teacher and the lesson plans are mine. It is both thrilling and terrifying! I have been able to ease into it this week, as Monday and Tuesday had no classes, and the rest of the week was kinda 50/50 as to which would show. I am yet to take grade 6, but I feel ok about it as I know all the students from last year, and I feel like I got along pretty well with the grade 5 class.
With the right co-teacher, I love teaching. I love talking with the kids, and I love the look on their faces when comprehension strikes. I loved that I asked them questions about Wednesday, and they remembered it today. I LOVE my 5-2 class - their homeroom teacher is a new teacher and she is young and nice and speaks pretty good English. And the class is full of my fave kids from last year's gr 4 class. The best part of my entire day was at the end of the class when a heap of the girls came up for a hug at the end of the class. And one of the boys too.
Side note -
I was told when applying for jobs that you cannot build a proper relationship with students when you teach at a public school (due to the size of the class, co teacher presence etc) this is FALSE.
As a bit of a passive aggressive attack on my co teacher I have allowed the kids to use their Korean names in class, provided they can write it in English. I mean, come on, I would be pretty shitty if some foreigner came in and told me to change my name. And their names are nice, and I should learn them more. So I gave them the choice... Some have chosen English names, and others have decided to use their own names. I am so cool with that, and it was actually a really good exercise teaching them to write their names in English. I was blown away by how many kids couldn't do that... One of the first things I learnt to write in Korean was my name.
Regardless of what happens for the rest of the year, I really want to remember this week, because it made me happy to be at work. I have decided I love teaching kids.
I am coming to terms with being an outcast at school
I have been totally ditched by my asshat co teacher. He didn't bother to tell me about the school dinner and therefore I didn't show up. I am sure it was discussed at length, and I don't doubt for a second that he told everyone that yes I was told. Whatever.
I don't eat with the teachers or students. As I have been having my retarded Herbalife sake, I really don't want everyone staring at me while I don't eat the school lunch/ Maybe down the track I will start eating with them again but right now I don't want to. I do however make more of an effort to go down to the staffroom and say hello to everyone. What can I do? I now know (thanks to them being in class with me) that many of the teachers speak more English than they let on, so they have chosen to not speak to me all last year. I also understand that I have not tried to speak Korean with them - I am about as shy with my Korean as they are with their English. So I see that I am also to blame. I will continue with my game plan of being friendly and bringing snacks into school. As long as they simply think I am weird and quirky but still nice that is ok. If they think I am a rude bitch, then thats not ok. So I will keep smiling and bowing. And hopefully my presence in the classroom will start to have a positive impact as well. I see this time away from my Co as a blessing in disguise.
I still don't know which battles to pick
I can't decide if I want to have it out with my Co or not. I think next time we are in the same room I might just ask him if I have offended him in some way. I mean, I don't know how I could have, unless he has been secretly following my blog, but then he should be sorry for making me feel so outcasted. But if he IS following then I don't mean any of this to offend you, but I just find you really unapproachable and kinda scary. And you are not helpful. And I welcome any feedback you have of me too.
I took myself to the doctor and it was amazing
I started feeling sick Mondayish... I think I already blogged about it but pretty much by Wednesday I was a a big gooey mess, watery eyes, my head was pounding and I was FREEZING. I had already decided to go to the doctor, so I got some good advice from my wonderful friend Dominique (please don't leave me!) and her co-teacher and prepared to head off. My last experience was not great, Co spoke for me and took me there and everything, and I ended up getting a needle in my arse. Not fun. This time I walked in, they took my insurance number down and I went in to the doctor. He spoke very good English, checked me out, write me a script and sent me on my way. It was 3,500won. I went across the street to the pharmacy and got the script filled - 4000won. Easy. I was in bed asleep around 7:30pm, woke up once or twice but pretty much had the best nights sleep all week. In the morning I felt a million times better. So, not only was the doctor and drugs a million times cheaper here than in Australia, but the DRUGS WORKED OVERNIGHT. Amazing. I was so excited. So next time I won't wait until I am dying I will just go to the doctor. Lesson learnt.
So now it is the weekend and I am really excited. Mainly to sleep in, but also because Milky is getting a haircut tomorrow and he will be so cute I might die. Also, I am getting out and about - it seems that as the weather is finally starting to be awesome a few of us will go to Cheonan and climb a mountain and have a picnic. Also excited for that. And then Sunday I will be meeting a new friend, and getting some new plates and stuff for the house (not new-new, but from a friend who is leaving. All I need is a desk lamp and I am set for life). So all up an exciting weekend.
The biggest downside to this week?
We missed out on tickets to G Dragon. I am shattered I want to curl up in a ball and cry for days. But, life goes on, and it turns out more tix are being released next weekend.
Just in case you are unsure of who this amazing guy is here is a pic (or 2):
And yes, he is a boy... Androgyny is live and well on the South Korean pop scene.
Also for your viewing pleasure, here is an adorable video of Milky being, well, adorable.
Remember guys, adopting a dog/puppy from a shelter is not only doing them a favour, but also yourself. Besides my blender, Milky is the bestest thing I have acquired since coming to Korea and the experience would def not be the same without him. Apologies if its grainy, I havent checked the quality.
Anyway, i'm gonna jump in the shower and prepare for my evening... Its another friends goodbye night (sadface) and I refuse to miss it. Laterz peeps
By this I mean just when you think you know what is gonna happen, BAM something changes. Last year all I did was whine about how my Co won't let me teach and this year the karma came to get me. For the next 3 or so weeks I am on my own. But, I am treating this as an amazing opportunity to show my teaching prowess to the rest of the school. I think I am in for a surprising year.
Grade 3
Next week I am required to start teaching grade 3, which I have never taught before. I am guessing it will just be a heap of vocab and sounds - good basic stuff.
"Why don't you check the book, Bonnie? You can see what you are actually teaching?"
Well, the thing is, I have a feeling that they are using a different text this year. It just happened to me with gr 5. But I will get to that.
For grade 3 I am planning on lots of activities, songs, and getting out of their seats. Learning should be tactile! And fun! Especially for the really annoying basic stuff like vocab and numbers and all that. I know I hate learning that type of stuff in Korean. Its easier to learn things in context I think so I will try and do that for the kids.
Grade 4
Grade 4 was my fave last year, and I think it will be again this year. I have 2 classes of grade 4, one run by a middle aged bloke who seemed pretty happy to follow my lead but also contributed nicely to the class. In fact, after what I have had, he was the perfect co teacher. He also had reasonable English. And he is a new teacher, I have never seen him before (except for this morning when he greeted me in English. It was nice.) The class went well and I got my groove on. I was all geared up ready for another successful gr 4 class when they came in - with Co. Who, of course, took over the lesson. As predicted. I made a bit of a stand and spoke to the class more. If he wants me to take these classes without a designated co teacher then shouldn't we do it my way??? Nope. Oh well. So I basically just stood there while all the new little faces stared at me. Its ok though. There were still some cute kids, and in his class are Harry and Du Won from English camp so I think they were pretty happy to see me. Especially Harry, which I was surprised about... He pretty much screamed hello at me. Strange boy.
Grade 6
Was supposed to be the next class but they never turned up. Oh well.
Grade 5
My lovely little grade 4's from last year are growing up. But when I walked into the room there was a massive chorus of "Hello Teacher Bonnie!" which made me remember why I love my job (sometimes*... always put a disclaimer in haha)
Another new teacher. Young, female, seemed really nice and friendly. And another perfect co! She let me lead, and then asked me before translating... Which I was totally cool with becasue I have no idea what to say lol. She was super easy to get along with, and at the end of the class she even apologised for not being better prepared. Then I stopped. I was the one who was not prepared. The CD from last year is not the same as the books the students have - THEY CHANGED THE BOOKS AND NO ONE TOLD ME! Now, this was obviously something that Co was supposed to deal with, so all my prepping from Monday and Tuesday is out the window. In a way its lucky I only found out the news of my class control at the last minute cos I would be seriously pissed off if I had planned a whole semester of lessons only to find out it was a different book. So I asked her to speak to Co - he is technically the English teacher, and if I see him I will also ask him. But all in all I was happy with the day and how it went. The kids seemed to enjoy the classes.
Co workers
My mission for making friends is going well still. I went down to get a hot drink and was greeted by a few people, one of them being the 6th grade teacher from last year who is super nice (and prob feels sorry for me) she queried as to why I didn't eat with the teachers. I told her I was still on a diet and she felt sorry for me (having to diet, being a big foreign fatty haha) and finished with e "FIGHTING BONNIE!", which brought the VP over to see what we were talking about. I greeted him in Korea which he nearly fell over from. Obviously my pronunciation is getting better... I told him I had been studying so he the (naturally) threw a heap of Korean at me that I didn't know. I apologies ed and said I only know a small amount He was still suitable impressed and went on to say how beautiful I was looking this year. Creepy, but better than the alternative.
I then proceeded into the tea room, where I was greeted by one of the admin girls (she said hi first, I think she likes me!!!) and also said hello to a friendly new teacher (female). So all in all, things are looking up this year.
So yes, so far so good. Now if I could just get over my terrible head cold...
Mysterious Stranger update
So, I left my place a little earlier as per my plan, to get a better idea as to where he was walking from. Pretty much there is a road that runs next to the station, then a parallel one that runs along, then ANOTHER parallel one that my school is on. He was walking down the middle on. So, I cant really follow him down that road because it is clearly the wrong way to the school. Well, kinda, but if I went down it then it would totally be weird (more weird*). So, next stage of the plan is this - take Milky out on the weekends and just do laps of the area until I see where he comes from. He must live in the near the apartment block near the school, cos otherwise there is only residential houses. Unless he is actually living in a house, which would imply he is living with a Korean family... Either way me and Milky will get to the bottom of it. No one can withstand his doggy friendliness, so I am sure we can win him over. And find out his story.
I have been meaning to write something about this for a while now, but never really knew where to 'put' it. So I will give the Mysterious Stranger his own post.
Who are you?
I can't remember exactly when it started, but I think it was after Christmas. Or, maybe even after Sissy came over. Or maybe well before all this and I just never noticed... But there is a foreigner guy who must live reasonable close to my school who I pass most mornings as I am walking towards the station. Seeing where is in relation to how far I am from school has turned into a way of me deciding if I am running late or not. He is def not military (wrong hair cut) so I am assuming he is a teacher of some sort.
But he must be a hagwon teacher, because I usually see him just before 8:30 am and he is hurrying towards the subway. I am pretty sure he is going in the Cheongnyangni/Guro direction not the Pyeongtaek direction but of this I am not yet certain. I really want to stalk him to see which train line he heads towards but I just don't have the spare time in my mornings for stalking. Not at nearly 8:30 anyway.
So most mornings I am heading towards the stairs and he is coming up the stairs to go into the station. Sometimes he is rushing, and that's when I know I am also late (this is another reason I think he catches the Cheongnyangni subway, because it leaves about this time). Sometimes I am a little earlier and I see him at the bottom of the stairs. This morning the plot thickened as I saw him across the street from the station in the direction of my school. So he is coming from the side street I cut down to get to school. Where do you live, foreign stranger? Why don't we ever see you at the Ptaek gatherings on a Tuesday night? Are you not on FB? When did you get to Korea? I don't understand so many questions...
I know it sounds unrealistic, but I like to think I know most of the teachers that live in my immediate area. I am shocked that there is a teacher living so close to me that I don't know. Which is another reason I came to the conclusion he doesn't teach around here.
1. He catches the subway in the mornings (I assume to work)
2. He must work at a hagwon. Any public school would start at 8:30 and he is on the subway then.
3. I have never seen him at any of the bars around Songtan or Ptaek.
4. He is always well dressed so he must have some sort of respectable job.
So is it all that unrealistic that I don't know another teacher in my area???
I totally get I seem like a creeper even writing this post, but WHO IS THIS GUY? And the question all you girls are dying to know? Yeah I spose he is kinda good looking. Blondish hair, not too tall seems of average build. Looks American but so does everyone who isn't Korean. I saw him one time on a weekend with some Asian girl who looked pretty. Gf maybe??? I am so curious its killing me.
Yes, I suppose I could stop him one morning and ask him who he is and why is he here. It might be a little confrontational, but I am curious. Except that he is always rushing to the subway. Plus I really need to get to school, cos if I see him at the top of the stairs I am running late. The other thing I guess I could do is to go to school early and kinda loiter around the cut-through street and see where he walks from. But if he lives in Songtan why doesn't he ever go out on the weekend???
To wrap it up, if anyone knows who this mystery guy is, tell him I promise I am not as weird as I come across in this blog post, I am simply curious as to who the other foreigner is in Songtan. And I want to say hi. And that he should leave his place 5 mins earlier and then not have to rush :)
Before the weekend is completely over, and the events turn into a hazy, drunken mess, I thought I should jot some things down. Considering I did some new and amazing things, and very Korean things too!
Nightclub/booking club
A few weeks ago while on the subway, Heejin and I had agreed to go to a nightclub. I know I kinda described to you in a previous post what it was so I won't go too overboard, but lets just say I went on Friday night to one in Songtan and I want to tell you what it was like.
We had dinner and pre-drinks at Heejin's place and waited for her friend Kyeon (dunno the English spelling, only Hangul and I don't have a keyboard for that on the mac) to join us and get ready. Heejin's apartment is super awesome, she lives with her little sis who is adorable, and they have a super cute tiny dog too. The 3 of us girls all got dressed up and then headed out to a bar in Songtan near city hall where we drank delish strawberry soju in a very Korean bar. These bars are a little different from bars at home - you sit in a booth or at a table and you stay with your group. People don't mingle around, and you have to order food. We ordered some fruit and sat and drank and gossipped. Very fun.
Strawberry Soju at the bar
We then jumped in a taxi and headed to the nightclub. Turns out the place is literally around the corner from my house, making it a blessing and a curse. We walked in and were taken to a table. The DJ made an announcement at out arrival and we hardly had time to sit before a waiter came over and escorted us upstairs to a private room where 4 blokes were sitting around. We sat with them for a bit then got back up and went back downstairs. Where we were then grabbed and taken to another table. And so the night progressed. No sooner had we sat down that we were taken to a different table. It was a very strange but super fun experience. I think guys liked the novelty of a foreigner sitting at their table but not many people were comfortable with their English so it was a little hard for me. And my Korean os terrible so Lucky I always had one of the girls with me for translating haha. Heejin was (as usual) Miss Popularity and everyone wanted her at their table. She got a few numbers but neither me nor Kyeon got any haha.
At around 4 or 5 am we went to McDonalds (of course) and unfortunately were stuck with the breakfast menu. As you can already tell this was a bad weekend for my diet. Ughhh...
Some of the guys from the club came and met us there and we went upstairs to Jammers for more drinks. Amazingly we saw some friends for Ptaek still out so they stayed and drank with us too.
The girls wanted to head home at I have no idea what time, but I was naturally having too much fun chatting with everyone from the bar, and some of the girls form Click had finished work and had come across to have some fun. I was on home turf now and just running around chatting to everyone. Heejin and Kyeon left (those girls are the best I love them) and the guys from the club went too so I stayed and hung out with Ginny and Lexi for a while. Then it was def time to go home, I said goodbye to the girls and went to walk home but Ginny was having none of it. She said it wasn't safe and that her friend would give us a lift...
So us 2 girls jumped on the back of her friends motorbike and he drove me home. It was amazing. And yes, the sun was well and truly up. I went straight to sleep... Lucky I had thought to set my alarm the night before!!!
Jimjilbang
During the week Heather had messaged me and asked if I wanted to go with her for her first jimjilbang experience. I was yet to try it out too so we agreed to Saturday. Now, let me explain his one...
A jimjilbang is a big public bath and spa, which is seperated into male and female areas. There is the spa/bath area, and then there is another area for sleeping and eating and whatever - a big social area. Now, in the spa area everyone is NAKED. But in the other area you wear these pyjama thingies and there are guys and girls together. In this particular one we were at there were separate sleeping rooms for guys and girls. I am guessing they are all like that...
Now, I jumped on the subway and met Heather at a little after 1 (hungover but not drunk this time haha poor Heather she must be so sick of making plans with me only to have me show up drunk or hungover) and we went to the spa. It was right next to the station and very close to her house. We went up and frightened to poor guy behind the counter with out foreigness but it was ok because an older lady who worked there could see that we had no idea what we were doing and shoed us the ropes. We dropped our shoes in one locker then took our bags and clothes to another. When we walked through we both stopped dead - all around us were naked girls of all ages - babies, kids, teens, adults, mothers, grandmothers etc. All naked. And yes, we stared for a minute before we got ourselves together. We found our lockers and then faced each other. It was time to get nude and we were having minor freakouts.
We counted to 3 and stripped off to nothing, and scuttled into the spar room holding ourselves with out tiny towels.
The idea is that you shower before jumping into the pools so we did that first and then found a spa that was 44 degrees and jumped in. And then we went to a different pool. And then another. And something strange happened. I mean, you never forget you are nude, but it stopped mattering. We got some initial stares, but no more than you get when you walk into a shop or bar - people were a bit curious but it was because we were white not because we were naked. And, it was crazy the amount of different body types that were there. You assume that all asian women must look the same naked - they all seem to have the same shape while clithed. Not true. Its as different as us whities. So yeah, we did a fair bit of staring ourselves... But it was totally fine. By the end of it I was totally comfortable being butt naked with my friend in front of a shit load of other naked women. Best experience ever. I can honestly say it is one of the best things I have done in my life.
The thing that I did notice was this - Korean women are not really "well groomed", and no one had any tattoos. Oh, one girl walking in had one on her back but we only noticed her as we were leaving. Now, I have a few dotted around my body, and both Heather and myself have stategice tatts placed below the hip and above the thigh so they got noticed too, but in general no one cared that we were there anymore than they cared that others were there.
It was a great experince and the actual spa was fun. The water was super hot or cold, depending on the pool and I loved this weird steamy raining room. Next time I will be better prepared with a bath kit. Yes, there will totally be a next time.
If you are in Korea I 100% recommend you give it a try!
Last night I was so tired and wiped out I just went to bed. And this morning Milky woke me up early and wanted to go out, so here I am before 10am on a Sunday blogging instead of sleeping. But I feel well rested and ready to start the week.
In other news...
The kids are back at school starting Monday. I have no idea what the new timetable is, what the expectations of me are for this year, or what is going on in general. But what's new? I never know what is going on.
I have nothing really planned for this week other than get back on my diet. Jess's wedding is creeping up really fast and I want to go at some point into the city to find a new dress.
I have actually not spent as much money this month so thats another interesting thing. Maybe I am finally getting into a groove in terms of spending my money. So maybe now I can start saving hahahahahahahahaha as if.
At home, Louise got married. Shattered I missed the wedding but I have already seen some pics and she looks beautiful and Ty looks very dashing. I wish them an amazing long happy life together. If anyone deserves it then its Lou. We have been friends since the start of high school and I love her to bits.
I uploaded another vlog to my channel, so have a look. You can check out the whole channel here.
Anyway thats about it for now. I have no idea what I am going to do with my day, but it won't be busy I can tell you that!
