May has a lot of random holidays here in Korea. At the beginning of the month is Children's day, followed by parent's day and then, the best one, Teacher's Day. Yesterday was Teacher's Day and I was at my favorite school, Bannam. The students at Bannam are so sweet, respectful and fun! I absolutely love teaching them and by far my favorite grade is the 2nd graders. They are so excited to see me and talk to me. They aren't shy and always are filled with energy and giggles. It makes me so happy to see them. The other teacher's can tell that they are my favorite class, but it honestly has to do with the fact that they go out of their way to talk to me, give me hugs and always ask how I am. 3 of my 2nd graders (the boys) gave me cards and they were super cute. They were as simple as cutting out hearts and writing "Megan teacher card. I love you" to one that said "today is teacher's day, congratulations!" and the last (from the smartest boy in the class) "To Megan, my name is Your. Yesterday you made us zucchini bread, it was very delicious. Thank you. You are my best teacher. Goodbye!"
The 2nd grade students gave their homeroom teacher, Ms. No, lillies. They were really beautiful. She decided to give them to me from the students cause she knows I love them. We had a half day for Teacher's Day and all the teacher's went together to walk around a lake and have tea. On the way over, Ms. No said to me. "Megan, you know the 2nd grade students love you. They really do. I'm their homeroom teacher, but you are their favorite teacher. I'm jealous." haha. The walk around the lake was really beautiful. It's always nice to hang out with the teacher's. They are super friendly (they're friendly at my other school, but we don't do activities like Bannam). After the walk we went to get some drinks. I was just going to order lemonade, but all the teachers looked at me and said "no, something more expensive!!" So I changed to a strawberry smoothie.
A pretty great day with my favorite school!
Wednesday, May 16, 2012
Wednesday, May 9, 2012
Comfort zone
Well folks, my year contract at Geumcheon Middle School will be coming to an end in a mere 4 months. I honestly can't believe how fast the year has gone. I've been in Korea for almost 2 years (actually the 2 year anniversary of me arriving in Korea was on May 5th), that's absurd and awesome. I've come along way in my 2 years in Korea. I'm getting use to the way Koreans work, the school system, my students behaviors. It's nothing new to me anymore, I go with the flow, nod my head when they talk to me and smile. The stupid little things don't phase me anymore. I go to class and no one shows up, oh well, back to that TV show. I go to school and find out they have sports day or mid terms and there's no classes, guess I'll just sit on the bench and read a book. I'm not surprised by what goes on anymore. I'm not concerned or nervous about what the day might bring. I know to just smile and teach a class, play a game or do nothing all day. You might be thinking, that's great Megan that you feel so comfortable in your new home. It is great and I'm really happy, don't get me wrong.
But, didn't I come to Korea for a new adventure? Wasn't my purpose to step out of my comfort zone and be challenged with language barriers and getting lost? I've realized how comfortable I've gotten in Korea. How much this place has become my home. It's so familar now. I'm use to the random people or kids coming to say hi or pointing and laughing at me. I'm use to hearing my name in the teacher's room and seeing all the teacher's stare at me while they talk openly about me without translating it. I have my Gwangju family, those friends that I have been through so much with. The more I think about it the more I know it's almost time to move on. There's new countries waiting to be explored by me. New adventures, challenges and hurdles for me to overcome.
I'm not ready just yet to dive back into the unfamilar. I still feel like I haven't accomplished what I want to here. There are more countries I want to check off my list. Plus the pay, benefits and opportunities to travel in Korea are so worh it.
With that being said, I'm happy to announce that I've officially decided to renew my contract which will end (for good) September 2013. Though my goal is to leave March/April of 2013 and move on to bigger and better things. As the time gets closer I'll decide what is best for me financially. I'm not sure where my next move will be to, there are so many options all over the world.
There are things about Korea that I just love. Yesterday I walked into my 2nd grade class at the country school and the girls saw that I was wearing a dress. The immediately started singing 'you are so beautiful' song to me. And then the continued complimenting me. It made me happier for the rest of the day. They are so sweet and wonderful. Today I walked into the office of the main school and one of the Korean teacher's saw me and said "oh, beautiful!" Then all of the teacher's turned to look at me and agreed. In the lunch line the high school English teacher began complimenting me as well, apparently the pig tail braids where a good idea (and only done because I was running late and it was easier!).
Life is good. I miss everyone at home though!
But, didn't I come to Korea for a new adventure? Wasn't my purpose to step out of my comfort zone and be challenged with language barriers and getting lost? I've realized how comfortable I've gotten in Korea. How much this place has become my home. It's so familar now. I'm use to the random people or kids coming to say hi or pointing and laughing at me. I'm use to hearing my name in the teacher's room and seeing all the teacher's stare at me while they talk openly about me without translating it. I have my Gwangju family, those friends that I have been through so much with. The more I think about it the more I know it's almost time to move on. There's new countries waiting to be explored by me. New adventures, challenges and hurdles for me to overcome.
I'm not ready just yet to dive back into the unfamilar. I still feel like I haven't accomplished what I want to here. There are more countries I want to check off my list. Plus the pay, benefits and opportunities to travel in Korea are so worh it.
With that being said, I'm happy to announce that I've officially decided to renew my contract which will end (for good) September 2013. Though my goal is to leave March/April of 2013 and move on to bigger and better things. As the time gets closer I'll decide what is best for me financially. I'm not sure where my next move will be to, there are so many options all over the world.
There are things about Korea that I just love. Yesterday I walked into my 2nd grade class at the country school and the girls saw that I was wearing a dress. The immediately started singing 'you are so beautiful' song to me. And then the continued complimenting me. It made me happier for the rest of the day. They are so sweet and wonderful. Today I walked into the office of the main school and one of the Korean teacher's saw me and said "oh, beautiful!" Then all of the teacher's turned to look at me and agreed. In the lunch line the high school English teacher began complimenting me as well, apparently the pig tail braids where a good idea (and only done because I was running late and it was easier!).
Life is good. I miss everyone at home though!
Tuesday, May 1, 2012
Tulip and beach pictures
I just wrote a post about my weekend at the Tulip Festival in Shinan. I hit publish, but it has disappeared into the unknown space of the internet.
Instead of re-writing about my weekend, I'm going to post pictures for your enjoyment!
Instead of re-writing about my weekend, I'm going to post pictures for your enjoyment!
a view of the secret beach
across from our minbok (hotel)
they wrote 'I <3 Shinan' in Tulips
festival area
we went on a bike ride
the group
Sunday, April 15, 2012
Spring time get-aways, fun with friends and good-byes
It's finally, FINALLY getting warm here in Korea The weather has been strange, some days it'll be super warm and the next day it'll be really cold. And then it's been raining off and on every week. But recently the temperatures have been in the upper 60's-70's (or for the rest of the world 15-20 Celsius).
Last weekend I spent in Gwangju with my friends. I haven't been hanging out in Gwangju as much and instead have been staying in Naju, in my own home, really doing nothing. Yes, it's boring. Sometimes I wish my apartment was still in Gwangju so I could go downtown whenever I want or hang out with friends and not worry about catching the last bus back to my place. But, I'm still happy here and my job is awesome, so I can't complain. Last Saturday was a beautiful day. I really had no plans so I just hung around downtown. I got my hair trimmed, bought a new pair of shoes and visited my friend, Misub. Eventually another friend met me downtown for coffee and we spent the afternoon chatting. It was nice to catch up with her, I feel like time goes by so quickly and I don't get as much time to catch up with friends. It just so happened that this particular weekend was our good friend, Bryan's birthday weekend. We all headed downtown in the evening for some drinks. It was an overall good evening that ended about midnight when Jolean and I headed home to bed.
It's amazing how much has changed since my first year in Korea. The nights out my first year would turn into mornings out, heading to bed at the wee hours of 4, 5 or 6 am. I don't know how I lasted that long. Now I go out for drinks and I'm tired as soon as I get downtown, opting to head to bed at 1 (most of the time earlier!)
Sunday several of us got around and headed to the edge of town to play paintball. This is maybe the 3rd or 4th time we've played paintball. It is so much fun. The guy that runs it is really cool and he always give us extra games. We played for about 2-3 hours of paintball, getting in 5 games. We have a lot of laughs and high fives during the game. Sometimes there are complaints from the pain and battle wounds to go with it. This is the first time I got a bruise on my leg. I also took a few shots to the side of the head. All in good fun! It was an amazingly beautiful day so it made it that much better running through the woods. After our great game we headed to Chonnam University to hang out in the park. We talked, played some name games and relaxed before heading to dinner. For dinner we went to a meat buffet, where you can pick all types of meat and get extra sides. It was A LOT of food.
our paintball group
This past week we had a random Wednesday off. It was the day to vote for government officials, which meant no school and a day of fun. I was REALLY excited for elections to be finished. If there is ever an annoying time in Korea, it's election time. They do things really different here with the promotion of candidates. Each candidate has a number and color. Supporters will be out on street corners DANCING to silly songs holding posters of their candidate or their number. But it doesn't stop there, there are trucks that are driven around with large screens and the candidates giving speeches on the screen. They blast the sound and will stop to hand out little cards. Imagine, trucks of blaring music, speeches, people dancing on street corners to the tune of "If you're happy and you know it" The speeches feel like they go on forever, when all you want is peace and quiet in your apartment, but instead you hear this obnoxiously loud Korean talking.
My Wednesday was spent on a day trip with Lonely Korea led by the awesome leader Pedro Kim. Pedro is a great guy from Korea who loves to travel. He started his own group and promotes it on facebook. Many foreigners in Gwangju opt to travel with him. He tends to go to places that aren't easy for foreigners to find or get to alone. He adds extra things in the day to make it more enjoyable and get the most out of the day. He is really friendly and I enjoy spending time with him on those trips. On Wednesday he took a small group to Hadong to the 5km Cherry Blossom road. SSangysea (I think is the name) is, as stated a 5 km road of Cherry Blossoms. It's believed that if you walk hand in hand with your lover you'll end up getting married to that person. This is why the road is also known as the 5km Wedding Road. It started off as a rainy, foggy morning. I woke up wishing I didn't book the trip because I really just wanted extra sleep, especially on a rainy day. But I got my butt moving and headed to Gwangju. I met the others on the trip and we were off. Our first stop was the Moon Bear Research Center at the base of Mt Jirisan. Jirisan is the first national park in Korea and has the highest peaks. There are now 20 Asiatic bears living on the mountain thanks to this research center. We were able to see 2 of the several bears that they are getting ready to re-introduce into the wild.
After the bear center we headed to a part of Mt. Jirisan that is Pedro's favorite spot. We had a picnic on these large rocks next to a stream. It was a bit chilly and windy, but a great location. Pedro sat next to me and told me that during the Korean war it was a dangerous location for the soldiers. When the soldiers would get thristy they would come out of the woods to get a drink and would end up getting shot. Sad story, but a beautiful location. We hopped back into the van and headed towards our final destination. Of course, it took awhile because of the one lane road in each direction. It's a favorite spot for Koreans, so the traffic is usually pretty heavy (though it would be 10 times worse on the weekends). Eventually we made it to the road and were able to get out and walk up and back down the road. The trees were stunning and thankfully the sun came out just as we got to the road. I was able to get some great shots. The best part about this road is that it's surrounded by beautiful mountains AND tea fields. There's beautiful places in Korea and this has to be one of the top spots.
me along the road
looking down the orad
my new friend, Eun Ju
tea fields and Cherry Blossoms, gorgeous aren't they?
the sun peaking through the trees
beautiful... everything about this day
love the colors
This weekend I spent in Gwangju again. I hung out with Josh Friday night and most of Saturday. Saturday night I had plans with Dan, my co-worker from last year. We haven't hung out at all this year, which if you remember last year we were really, REALLY close. So it was kind of a big bummer that we didn't hang out or really talk as much. Not going to lie, it made me sad a lot. A lot of things happened that made me want to hate him, but I guess I'm a big softie because I wanted to see him before he left. We have a lot of history together from that first year of knowing each other, I'm happy we were able to get together and end on a good note and remember the good times/talks we've had. It's nice to be reassured that we really will always be friends.
We decided to meet in Ilgok-dong, where we use to live and work. We thought it'd be a great ending to walk around and see the places we frequented together, in a stress free environment. We had dinner at the burger place across from our school, the place we went to anywhere from 2-3 times a week, depending on how angry we were that week. We walked by our school, talking about how easy we have it this year and how it gets boring, but how much we deserved this AWESOME job the 2nd time around. We went to our first school location, walked into the grocery store where we went everyday for snacks and to get away from our boss. It brought back a lot of good memories for the both of us. All the talks we had, the built up anger we had towards our boss, the laughs and tears. It was nice to finally talk to him and see him again. We headed to a park, where not making the best decision played on a spiny thing with children and immediately regretted the decision because we were so dizzy and wanted to throw up. We shared a bottle of soju while talking about the year before heading downtown for more fun. It was only 7:30 pm but I was already getting tired, again that whole staying out thing doesn't work for me anymore. We went downtown to meet 2 of Dan's old Korean gym buddies KM and Chan Woo. I really enjoy these guys, they are so friendly and really funny. We hung out a few times our first year in Korea, Christmas eve being one of them. Another time we spent a good portion of the day playing xbox together. We sat at a quiet bar, talking and hanging out. It was really great to be able to hang out with them again. I'll miss Dan, but I believe we'll see each other in the future.
Dan and me near one of the Technical high schools we use to walk past on the way to work.
KM (Kwang Min), Dan and Chan Woo
hearts
happy we had time to hang out
Last weekend I spent in Gwangju with my friends. I haven't been hanging out in Gwangju as much and instead have been staying in Naju, in my own home, really doing nothing. Yes, it's boring. Sometimes I wish my apartment was still in Gwangju so I could go downtown whenever I want or hang out with friends and not worry about catching the last bus back to my place. But, I'm still happy here and my job is awesome, so I can't complain. Last Saturday was a beautiful day. I really had no plans so I just hung around downtown. I got my hair trimmed, bought a new pair of shoes and visited my friend, Misub. Eventually another friend met me downtown for coffee and we spent the afternoon chatting. It was nice to catch up with her, I feel like time goes by so quickly and I don't get as much time to catch up with friends. It just so happened that this particular weekend was our good friend, Bryan's birthday weekend. We all headed downtown in the evening for some drinks. It was an overall good evening that ended about midnight when Jolean and I headed home to bed.
It's amazing how much has changed since my first year in Korea. The nights out my first year would turn into mornings out, heading to bed at the wee hours of 4, 5 or 6 am. I don't know how I lasted that long. Now I go out for drinks and I'm tired as soon as I get downtown, opting to head to bed at 1 (most of the time earlier!)
Sunday several of us got around and headed to the edge of town to play paintball. This is maybe the 3rd or 4th time we've played paintball. It is so much fun. The guy that runs it is really cool and he always give us extra games. We played for about 2-3 hours of paintball, getting in 5 games. We have a lot of laughs and high fives during the game. Sometimes there are complaints from the pain and battle wounds to go with it. This is the first time I got a bruise on my leg. I also took a few shots to the side of the head. All in good fun! It was an amazingly beautiful day so it made it that much better running through the woods. After our great game we headed to Chonnam University to hang out in the park. We talked, played some name games and relaxed before heading to dinner. For dinner we went to a meat buffet, where you can pick all types of meat and get extra sides. It was A LOT of food.
This past week we had a random Wednesday off. It was the day to vote for government officials, which meant no school and a day of fun. I was REALLY excited for elections to be finished. If there is ever an annoying time in Korea, it's election time. They do things really different here with the promotion of candidates. Each candidate has a number and color. Supporters will be out on street corners DANCING to silly songs holding posters of their candidate or their number. But it doesn't stop there, there are trucks that are driven around with large screens and the candidates giving speeches on the screen. They blast the sound and will stop to hand out little cards. Imagine, trucks of blaring music, speeches, people dancing on street corners to the tune of "If you're happy and you know it" The speeches feel like they go on forever, when all you want is peace and quiet in your apartment, but instead you hear this obnoxiously loud Korean talking.
My Wednesday was spent on a day trip with Lonely Korea led by the awesome leader Pedro Kim. Pedro is a great guy from Korea who loves to travel. He started his own group and promotes it on facebook. Many foreigners in Gwangju opt to travel with him. He tends to go to places that aren't easy for foreigners to find or get to alone. He adds extra things in the day to make it more enjoyable and get the most out of the day. He is really friendly and I enjoy spending time with him on those trips. On Wednesday he took a small group to Hadong to the 5km Cherry Blossom road. SSangysea (I think is the name) is, as stated a 5 km road of Cherry Blossoms. It's believed that if you walk hand in hand with your lover you'll end up getting married to that person. This is why the road is also known as the 5km Wedding Road. It started off as a rainy, foggy morning. I woke up wishing I didn't book the trip because I really just wanted extra sleep, especially on a rainy day. But I got my butt moving and headed to Gwangju. I met the others on the trip and we were off. Our first stop was the Moon Bear Research Center at the base of Mt Jirisan. Jirisan is the first national park in Korea and has the highest peaks. There are now 20 Asiatic bears living on the mountain thanks to this research center. We were able to see 2 of the several bears that they are getting ready to re-introduce into the wild.
After the bear center we headed to a part of Mt. Jirisan that is Pedro's favorite spot. We had a picnic on these large rocks next to a stream. It was a bit chilly and windy, but a great location. Pedro sat next to me and told me that during the Korean war it was a dangerous location for the soldiers. When the soldiers would get thristy they would come out of the woods to get a drink and would end up getting shot. Sad story, but a beautiful location. We hopped back into the van and headed towards our final destination. Of course, it took awhile because of the one lane road in each direction. It's a favorite spot for Koreans, so the traffic is usually pretty heavy (though it would be 10 times worse on the weekends). Eventually we made it to the road and were able to get out and walk up and back down the road. The trees were stunning and thankfully the sun came out just as we got to the road. I was able to get some great shots. The best part about this road is that it's surrounded by beautiful mountains AND tea fields. There's beautiful places in Korea and this has to be one of the top spots.
This weekend I spent in Gwangju again. I hung out with Josh Friday night and most of Saturday. Saturday night I had plans with Dan, my co-worker from last year. We haven't hung out at all this year, which if you remember last year we were really, REALLY close. So it was kind of a big bummer that we didn't hang out or really talk as much. Not going to lie, it made me sad a lot. A lot of things happened that made me want to hate him, but I guess I'm a big softie because I wanted to see him before he left. We have a lot of history together from that first year of knowing each other, I'm happy we were able to get together and end on a good note and remember the good times/talks we've had. It's nice to be reassured that we really will always be friends.
We decided to meet in Ilgok-dong, where we use to live and work. We thought it'd be a great ending to walk around and see the places we frequented together, in a stress free environment. We had dinner at the burger place across from our school, the place we went to anywhere from 2-3 times a week, depending on how angry we were that week. We walked by our school, talking about how easy we have it this year and how it gets boring, but how much we deserved this AWESOME job the 2nd time around. We went to our first school location, walked into the grocery store where we went everyday for snacks and to get away from our boss. It brought back a lot of good memories for the both of us. All the talks we had, the built up anger we had towards our boss, the laughs and tears. It was nice to finally talk to him and see him again. We headed to a park, where not making the best decision played on a spiny thing with children and immediately regretted the decision because we were so dizzy and wanted to throw up. We shared a bottle of soju while talking about the year before heading downtown for more fun. It was only 7:30 pm but I was already getting tired, again that whole staying out thing doesn't work for me anymore. We went downtown to meet 2 of Dan's old Korean gym buddies KM and Chan Woo. I really enjoy these guys, they are so friendly and really funny. We hung out a few times our first year in Korea, Christmas eve being one of them. Another time we spent a good portion of the day playing xbox together. We sat at a quiet bar, talking and hanging out. It was really great to be able to hang out with them again. I'll miss Dan, but I believe we'll see each other in the future.
Thursday, March 8, 2012
I'm eating WHAT?!
Wednesday I taught my first class of the new year at Geumcheon. It was with my 3rd graders, who I had last semester. They all know me and were excited to see me, to talk to me and tell the class that they saw me eating lunch in Naju. I have a new co-teacher, which I'm really excited about. I was shocked/impressed/excited that my first class was so well behaved. They listened, the answered questions, they volunteered. Having a new co-teacher who CARES and who has authority is going to be a tremendous change. I have a feeling that my students might actually learn and won't spend the entire class talking, in Korean. I'm also teaching from the same book as my co-teacher, which will be much easier for me to work off of what he teaches and a lot less work of trying to decide what the best lessons would be for them. I get one page out of each unit, the speaking page. I've read mixed reviews about this book, but I suppose if the grammar is terrible I can always use the idea and make my own lessons.
After teaching my first and only class of the day I made my way back to the office. My co-teacher stopped to stare at the board that lists the classes of the day and information. He then says "dinner at 5 pm". I always love the "heads up" I get. 3 hours before school ends I find out there is a dinner party, awesome. Anyway, I tried a few times to find out where this dinner party would be, but all I got was that it was to welcome the transfer teachers to the school.
At 5 pm I was pushed into my co-teachers car and driven to the restaurant, which turned out to be just across the road. It was a bit hidden which I found a bit strange, but I didn't question it. There was a picture of chickens on the door, so I thought "hey meat for dinner, win!" Usually we go out for sashimi and beef stew. I sat down with my fellow teachers. We have a new part time teacher, his international name is Jude, he's my age, too! Jude is a really friendly guy and I enjoy talking to him. Yes, he speaks English and it is a really nice change having someone in the office or at lunch that can and does talk to me. Anyway, back to the story. So, Jude starts cooking the meat on the bbq as more staff and teachers begin filing into the restaurant. He looks at me and says "do you know what this is?" I guessed pork, it looked like it. "No, it's DOG meat. I think it's healthier than pork and it makes you strong." .... wait, WHAT? You took me to a DOG restaurant. DOG. I ate DOG. After the initial, "wait, what?" reaction I got over it. I wasn't getting out of eating it, they don't take no for an answer here (unless of course you have an allergy). It honestly isn't all that bad. A bit of a different taste then pork, but when you cover it up with ssamjjang you can't really tell what you have.
This dinner was much better than previous ones for the simple fact that I know have someone to talk to! Jude and I had a lot of good conversations and he would translate things for me or tell me what everyone was talking about. There was a lot of smiles and pointing at the two of us and comments made that weren't translated to me and everyone kept saying "ah obba" and point to Jude (that means he is older so I call him brother). Some of the female teachers said they are happy that I finally have someone that can speak to me so I'm not so lonely. It is nice. You have no idea how isolated I am day in and day out. I don't see many foreigners in Naju, so I go home and am alone and all day at school I'm alone, no real conversations. Which is one main reason I'm on facebook ALL day. I need to have chats with friends, I don't care if it's not face to face, it is still a conversation.
Anyway, at the beginning of the meal there is always a toast. The people I sat next to usually drink water or soda. Thankfully I wasn't too close to the gym teacher, who drinks a lot of soju with a few of the other male teachers. As the toasts began the soju bottles were being brought out on the tables and not 3 or 4, 10 or 12 per table. As the meal continued, so did the flow of soju. The principals face was bright red, but more and more soju was still poured for him. A few minutes before we all stood up to leave, the very drunk gym teacher (barely holding himself up in a sitting position) leans over and says something in Korean, while saying my name and pointing at me. Jude said that he wants to drink with me twice a week, beer and soju. I just laughed but he was persistent. Jude told him I prefer wine or whiskey to beer and soju. He thought about this for a moment (wine is really expensive her, a bottle of whiskey is $5). And then said, "one night a week drinking!" I said okay, knowing that it'll probably never happen. But it made him happy.
After teaching my first and only class of the day I made my way back to the office. My co-teacher stopped to stare at the board that lists the classes of the day and information. He then says "dinner at 5 pm". I always love the "heads up" I get. 3 hours before school ends I find out there is a dinner party, awesome. Anyway, I tried a few times to find out where this dinner party would be, but all I got was that it was to welcome the transfer teachers to the school.
At 5 pm I was pushed into my co-teachers car and driven to the restaurant, which turned out to be just across the road. It was a bit hidden which I found a bit strange, but I didn't question it. There was a picture of chickens on the door, so I thought "hey meat for dinner, win!" Usually we go out for sashimi and beef stew. I sat down with my fellow teachers. We have a new part time teacher, his international name is Jude, he's my age, too! Jude is a really friendly guy and I enjoy talking to him. Yes, he speaks English and it is a really nice change having someone in the office or at lunch that can and does talk to me. Anyway, back to the story. So, Jude starts cooking the meat on the bbq as more staff and teachers begin filing into the restaurant. He looks at me and says "do you know what this is?" I guessed pork, it looked like it. "No, it's DOG meat. I think it's healthier than pork and it makes you strong." .... wait, WHAT? You took me to a DOG restaurant. DOG. I ate DOG. After the initial, "wait, what?" reaction I got over it. I wasn't getting out of eating it, they don't take no for an answer here (unless of course you have an allergy). It honestly isn't all that bad. A bit of a different taste then pork, but when you cover it up with ssamjjang you can't really tell what you have.
This dinner was much better than previous ones for the simple fact that I know have someone to talk to! Jude and I had a lot of good conversations and he would translate things for me or tell me what everyone was talking about. There was a lot of smiles and pointing at the two of us and comments made that weren't translated to me and everyone kept saying "ah obba" and point to Jude (that means he is older so I call him brother). Some of the female teachers said they are happy that I finally have someone that can speak to me so I'm not so lonely. It is nice. You have no idea how isolated I am day in and day out. I don't see many foreigners in Naju, so I go home and am alone and all day at school I'm alone, no real conversations. Which is one main reason I'm on facebook ALL day. I need to have chats with friends, I don't care if it's not face to face, it is still a conversation.
Anyway, at the beginning of the meal there is always a toast. The people I sat next to usually drink water or soda. Thankfully I wasn't too close to the gym teacher, who drinks a lot of soju with a few of the other male teachers. As the toasts began the soju bottles were being brought out on the tables and not 3 or 4, 10 or 12 per table. As the meal continued, so did the flow of soju. The principals face was bright red, but more and more soju was still poured for him. A few minutes before we all stood up to leave, the very drunk gym teacher (barely holding himself up in a sitting position) leans over and says something in Korean, while saying my name and pointing at me. Jude said that he wants to drink with me twice a week, beer and soju. I just laughed but he was persistent. Jude told him I prefer wine or whiskey to beer and soju. He thought about this for a moment (wine is really expensive her, a bottle of whiskey is $5). And then said, "one night a week drinking!" I said okay, knowing that it'll probably never happen. But it made him happy.
Sunday, March 4, 2012
Naju weekend
This has been an interesting weekend. Friday morning as I headed off to school, I passed an adjosshi (elderly man) near my apartment. I don't really know this man, but I see him everyday at the school. He usually ignores me when I pass him in the school driveway or when I'm in the office. However, when I passed him near my apartment he had a huge (surprised) smile on his face. I bowed to him, said hello and continued on my way.
Saturday morning I was hungry for eggs so I ran out to the 24 hour store near my place. I usually see a man there who on the street will smile and say hi to me. It was a lady this time and despite having seen her many times there today she felt like talking to me. She proceeded to ask if I was an English teacher and I replied that I was and what school (in my very basic knowledge of Korean). A few hours later as I was leaving my apartment to head to Gwangju, I passed 3 men sitting outside the convenient store near my place. I smiled at them and one of the man waved and started talking to me. I took out my headphones to hear what he had to say. He immediately grabbed my hand and shook it after I bowed to them. He just stood there holding my hand talking to me or the men he was with, after awkwardly putting my hand against his face he let me leave. I bowed to them and not sure what he should do he threw his hand in the air to say hello again. It made me laugh even though it was a bit strange. I've been here for 6 months and this is the most that random Koreans have talked to me, especially in one day!
Today was market day. I love market day. It's always fun to just walk around, checking out all the different kinds of fish or seeing the many different kinds of kimchied things. It was a dreary day, but I attempted to get some pictures at the market. As I was heading there a few children noticed that I was a foreigner. One, still in his pajamas, began pointing and jumping up and down exclaiming "waygooken, waygooken" until his friends arrived. I'm sure I'm not the first foreigner he's seen, but he was excited nonetheless.
Saturday morning I was hungry for eggs so I ran out to the 24 hour store near my place. I usually see a man there who on the street will smile and say hi to me. It was a lady this time and despite having seen her many times there today she felt like talking to me. She proceeded to ask if I was an English teacher and I replied that I was and what school (in my very basic knowledge of Korean). A few hours later as I was leaving my apartment to head to Gwangju, I passed 3 men sitting outside the convenient store near my place. I smiled at them and one of the man waved and started talking to me. I took out my headphones to hear what he had to say. He immediately grabbed my hand and shook it after I bowed to them. He just stood there holding my hand talking to me or the men he was with, after awkwardly putting my hand against his face he let me leave. I bowed to them and not sure what he should do he threw his hand in the air to say hello again. It made me laugh even though it was a bit strange. I've been here for 6 months and this is the most that random Koreans have talked to me, especially in one day!
Today was market day. I love market day. It's always fun to just walk around, checking out all the different kinds of fish or seeing the many different kinds of kimchied things. It was a dreary day, but I attempted to get some pictures at the market. As I was heading there a few children noticed that I was a foreigner. One, still in his pajamas, began pointing and jumping up and down exclaiming "waygooken, waygooken" until his friends arrived. I'm sure I'm not the first foreigner he's seen, but he was excited nonetheless.
different types of kimchi
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Last day of deskwarming..
It's officially my last day of desk warming. The oh-so-fun job of sitting at the computer, doing whatever I want for a full 8 hours. Fulfilling my duty of being at school after my month long vacation. It's been boring and honestly doesn't make sense why I'm here. The teachers/staff are always surprised when they walk in the room and see me. Everyday for the past month, the same response "OH! Megan?" Yep, it's me, just sitting here. Don't take this the wrong way, I'm not complaining. I've quite enjoyed being paid to do nothing. For the past month I have been teaching, 2 students, 3 hours every morning. It's been fun. I had 2 girl students, who are really very smart and entertaining. There was a lot of conversations, which is exactly what they need to practice, tv show watching (hey it was in English!), food making (they taught me to make kimbap, directions in English). Yesterday my one student spent 30 minute talking about boys. It was really funny, she's always sad that she doesn't have a boyfriend (join the club, sweetheart!) I posted on my facebook status that I was enjoying listening to her talk about boys and how giddy she was about it. My former Middle School English teacher commented about how she remembers me and my friends doing the same. haha
I will miss leaving school for 2 hours to go home, take a nap, eat lunch and watch some tv before heading back to school to do my duty of keeping this desk warm. I'll miss quietly walking out of the office and going home whenever I want for the day, especially on absolutely gorgeous days, like today!! It's been nice getting lunch whenever I want, packing a lunch, going out for lunch or even whatever teacher (usually Mr. Han) buying me delicious meals.
I am, however, excited for school to start again. I miss the teachers/students at my country school. I've been trying to meet up with the one teacher, Ms. No. But it hasn't worked out that I have free time when she does. She called me last week and told me to not show up for school and meet her in Gwangju. On Monday, I showed up for school and was surprised to see all the teachers coming into school. We ended up going for lunch in Naju, all the staff and teachers were there. There are 4 new teachers at my school. I will now have 2 new co-teachers. I'm excited for the new teacher at Geumcheon. I got along with Mr. Kim, but he was a terrible teacher. The new teacher, Mr. Roh, seems very kind and like he'll be a decent teacher. I'm not excited that my country school English teacher, Mrs. Im has moved to a new school. She spoke excellent English and was really friendly, plus she gave me rides to and from school. Guess I'll be riding the bus and getting up early on Mondays/Tuesdays. However, I believe the other teachers will give me a ride home, which will be nice.
Well, it's a beautiful day and I've wasted enough desk warming. Time to escape. Keep it real, folks.
I will miss leaving school for 2 hours to go home, take a nap, eat lunch and watch some tv before heading back to school to do my duty of keeping this desk warm. I'll miss quietly walking out of the office and going home whenever I want for the day, especially on absolutely gorgeous days, like today!! It's been nice getting lunch whenever I want, packing a lunch, going out for lunch or even whatever teacher (usually Mr. Han) buying me delicious meals.
I am, however, excited for school to start again. I miss the teachers/students at my country school. I've been trying to meet up with the one teacher, Ms. No. But it hasn't worked out that I have free time when she does. She called me last week and told me to not show up for school and meet her in Gwangju. On Monday, I showed up for school and was surprised to see all the teachers coming into school. We ended up going for lunch in Naju, all the staff and teachers were there. There are 4 new teachers at my school. I will now have 2 new co-teachers. I'm excited for the new teacher at Geumcheon. I got along with Mr. Kim, but he was a terrible teacher. The new teacher, Mr. Roh, seems very kind and like he'll be a decent teacher. I'm not excited that my country school English teacher, Mrs. Im has moved to a new school. She spoke excellent English and was really friendly, plus she gave me rides to and from school. Guess I'll be riding the bus and getting up early on Mondays/Tuesdays. However, I believe the other teachers will give me a ride home, which will be nice.
Well, it's a beautiful day and I've wasted enough desk warming. Time to escape. Keep it real, folks.
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