Okay, maybe I'm not supposed to have "favorites" - but come on, is that really possible. Some of my favorite students are the ones that hardly speak any English. Why you ask. It's because in attempt to "speak" English they end up using Korean, an English word here and there, and lots of hand motions, sound effects, and grunts. When they do this, I can't help but to laugh. Perhaps laughing at my students is a bad thing, but if you were there you would understand that it's just so cute and hilarious that you have to laugh. And the fact that all of the other students are laughing too. I have one student who, whenever I ask a question, raises his hand really high and says, "Teacher, I know!" And then proceeds to speak in Korean with the aforementioned grunts. It is frustrating sometimes, but I much prefer these students to the ones who sit in silence and say absolutely nothing.
Don't get me wrong, I also adore the students that can speak English and voluntarily answer questions, pay attention and read when they're asked. One boy, Fred (his English name), is probably my absolute favorite. He's super cute with cheeks I just want to pinch, he always wears a Boston Red Sox hat, and he is really smart. He always answers my questions. I'm surprised that all the girls in his class don't have a huge crush on him - but then again maybe they do.
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Sunday, March 28, 2010
How we entertain ourselves
There's lots of things to do to entertain yourself here in Seoul. It is, after all, a city of 11 million people, so there's lots of options out there. This weekend, in honor of Jessica's birthday, several of us decided to go to Lotte World - an amusement park right in Seoul.
Our group at Lotte World - remind you of anywhere? The first ride we went on was the Gyro Drop, a big tower that drops you really fast so your stomach feels like it's in your throat. Why do human beings do that to themselves? I guess it's a rush. We had lots of fun despite the really long lines and cold weather.
This is how we entertained ourselves while waiting in the really long lines. The Koreans laughed during our escapades. Apparently they're not as comfortable making fools of themselves as we are.
After Lotte World we headed to dinner for some Kalbi - aka grilled pork that's super yummy. I took the group to the same place I had gone with Joanne, the one with the cute waiter. Hannah and Jessica had taught me some more phrases in Korean so I managed to tell him my name and that I liked him. When he asked why, all I could do was shrug my shoulders. Then Hannah told him I was his fan. We laughed a lot.
This was the non yummy part of dinner - anchovies. Still I had to try it. Conclusion: not a fan.
This is our group at dinner with one of our waiters. He is not the cute one - the cute one is taking the picture. But this one likes flexing his muscles, and I like feeling muscles...
Me, Kwang-Min (aka the cute waiter) and Jessica. He initially didn't want to take a picture, but when we told him it was Jessica's birthday he finally relented. It was a fun filled day, complete with lots of laughter.
Our group at Lotte World - remind you of anywhere? The first ride we went on was the Gyro Drop, a big tower that drops you really fast so your stomach feels like it's in your throat. Why do human beings do that to themselves? I guess it's a rush. We had lots of fun despite the really long lines and cold weather.
This is how we entertained ourselves while waiting in the really long lines. The Koreans laughed during our escapades. Apparently they're not as comfortable making fools of themselves as we are.
After Lotte World we headed to dinner for some Kalbi - aka grilled pork that's super yummy. I took the group to the same place I had gone with Joanne, the one with the cute waiter. Hannah and Jessica had taught me some more phrases in Korean so I managed to tell him my name and that I liked him. When he asked why, all I could do was shrug my shoulders. Then Hannah told him I was his fan. We laughed a lot.
This was the non yummy part of dinner - anchovies. Still I had to try it. Conclusion: not a fan.
This is our group at dinner with one of our waiters. He is not the cute one - the cute one is taking the picture. But this one likes flexing his muscles, and I like feeling muscles...
Me, Kwang-Min (aka the cute waiter) and Jessica. He initially didn't want to take a picture, but when we told him it was Jessica's birthday he finally relented. It was a fun filled day, complete with lots of laughter.
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
The last couple of days...
- I went shopping. This tends to happen too often here.
- I talked to a Chinese guy in English in Korea... life is funny like that.
- I ate lunch with all of the male teachers at the school. This NEVER happens as there are about twice as many women at the school (actually this seems to be a world phenomenon; where are all the men?) Anyway, it was slightly awkward.
- I over heard teachers talking about me at school, but I only understood my name. It sounded something like, "Blah, blah, blah, Corinna, nay, blah, blah, blah. Corinna, nay, nay." I'm amused.
- I started making flash cards for the Korean alphabet. I've got most of the consonants down, but those darn vowels are pesky.
- I wore an owl necklace to school, and one class told what it was in Korean. I attempted to write it in Korean on the board, but like I said the vowels are hard. The students ended up having to describe the letters to me. "Teacher, the one that looks like a soccer ball. Teacher, the straight line one." I eventually got it, after much laughter.
- I went to the jimjilbang again, and sweated out all my toxins.
- I finally figured out how to call the good old US of A through the internet and talked to my mom, sister and best friend. Bless you, Skype, bless you.
- I talked to a Chinese guy in English in Korea... life is funny like that.
- I ate lunch with all of the male teachers at the school. This NEVER happens as there are about twice as many women at the school (actually this seems to be a world phenomenon; where are all the men?) Anyway, it was slightly awkward.
- I over heard teachers talking about me at school, but I only understood my name. It sounded something like, "Blah, blah, blah, Corinna, nay, blah, blah, blah. Corinna, nay, nay." I'm amused.
- I started making flash cards for the Korean alphabet. I've got most of the consonants down, but those darn vowels are pesky.
- I wore an owl necklace to school, and one class told what it was in Korean. I attempted to write it in Korean on the board, but like I said the vowels are hard. The students ended up having to describe the letters to me. "Teacher, the one that looks like a soccer ball. Teacher, the straight line one." I eventually got it, after much laughter.
- I went to the jimjilbang again, and sweated out all my toxins.
- I finally figured out how to call the good old US of A through the internet and talked to my mom, sister and best friend. Bless you, Skype, bless you.
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Huh?
For the most part I love Korea and all the things that I've been experiencing here. But every once in a while there are things that make me lift my eyebrows in shock and think "really?", and there are some things I can't seem to get used to. Here are some examples.
1. Koreans apparently don't believe in paper towels. In bathrooms there are hand dryers, which is fine. But sometimes there are no hand dryers, just a big roll of toilet paper to use to dry your hands. This is highly annoying because the toilet paper falls apart.
2. People don't say they're sorry when they bump into you or cut you off. I don't think it means they're rude, it's just culture. Someone told me it's because there are so many people here and if you said sorry to everyone you bumped into, you'd be doing nothing but saying sorry all the time. I get that, but it's still hard to get used to.
3. There are trucks that drive around selling stuff (fruit, socks, etc.), and these trucks have a very loud speaker announcing what they're selling. I find the noise pollution aggravating. Maybe it would be better if I actually understood what they were saying. But when I was sick I got woken up by one, and I'm afraid I will hold a grudge forever.
4. The driving is crazy. Really crazy. The few times I've ridden in a taxi or taken a bus, I feared for my life.
5. They eat pickles with their pizza, and they're sweet pickles. I hate sweet pickles. They also put potatoes and corn on their pizza. This is actually not too bad, but slightly different.
6. When shopping the sales people tend to follow you around. This is their version of customer service, and perhaps they're trying to be helpful. But it feels like they're watching me because they're afraid I'll steal something. I really want to scream, "Leave me alone!" But I refrain.
7. Tons of people smoke. I heard 40% of the population smokes, and they can smoke in public places. I was spoiled by California.
1. Koreans apparently don't believe in paper towels. In bathrooms there are hand dryers, which is fine. But sometimes there are no hand dryers, just a big roll of toilet paper to use to dry your hands. This is highly annoying because the toilet paper falls apart.
2. People don't say they're sorry when they bump into you or cut you off. I don't think it means they're rude, it's just culture. Someone told me it's because there are so many people here and if you said sorry to everyone you bumped into, you'd be doing nothing but saying sorry all the time. I get that, but it's still hard to get used to.
3. There are trucks that drive around selling stuff (fruit, socks, etc.), and these trucks have a very loud speaker announcing what they're selling. I find the noise pollution aggravating. Maybe it would be better if I actually understood what they were saying. But when I was sick I got woken up by one, and I'm afraid I will hold a grudge forever.
4. The driving is crazy. Really crazy. The few times I've ridden in a taxi or taken a bus, I feared for my life.
5. They eat pickles with their pizza, and they're sweet pickles. I hate sweet pickles. They also put potatoes and corn on their pizza. This is actually not too bad, but slightly different.
6. When shopping the sales people tend to follow you around. This is their version of customer service, and perhaps they're trying to be helpful. But it feels like they're watching me because they're afraid I'll steal something. I really want to scream, "Leave me alone!" But I refrain.
7. Tons of people smoke. I heard 40% of the population smokes, and they can smoke in public places. I was spoiled by California.
Monday, March 15, 2010
Sports, Costco, singing, dancing, and Korean men
What do all of these things have in common? I love them all, that's what. Saturday was a very full day. It started off with sports day at church. We played some basketball and some volleyball. It was muy fun until Maureen got hurt and had to go the hospital. She pulled a tendon in her foot - total bummer. Some of us that were not hurt ventured to Costco. Can I just say that Costco + Seoul, Korea + Saturday = insanely crazy. There were so many people, and Costco was two floors, so you have to ride an incline escalator with your cart. It was a new experience. But I got to eat a hot dog at the food court and I bought cheese! I made a grilled cheese sandwich for dinner. Hot dog + grilled cheese = me being one happy girl.
Later that evening I ventured out with friends to the Noraebang (aka karaoke), where we sang our guts out for an hour and a half. Then it was off to the club for dancing. It was fun, especially when a cute Korean guy asked me to dance and I said yes. He also asked if he could take me home, but I quickly declined that offer. But he did tell me I was pretty.
Today I went to lunch with Joanne - she's leaving me on Thursday to go back to the States. Boo! But lunch was good. The waiter was cute. When I asked him for more water in Korean, he was shocked because he didn't think I knew any Korean. A little later I asked him what his name was in Korean and he was shocked again. His name is Kwang-Min Lee. Then Joanne told him I thought he was cute and he laughed and blushed. He blushed! He said I was very generous - apparently he's not thought of as cute for Korean standards. Korean standards are harsh. He told Joanne she needed to come back with me again because he's shy and doesn't speak English, but alas she is leaving. I think I will visit this restaurant again for sure!
Later that evening I ventured out with friends to the Noraebang (aka karaoke), where we sang our guts out for an hour and a half. Then it was off to the club for dancing. It was fun, especially when a cute Korean guy asked me to dance and I said yes. He also asked if he could take me home, but I quickly declined that offer. But he did tell me I was pretty.
Today I went to lunch with Joanne - she's leaving me on Thursday to go back to the States. Boo! But lunch was good. The waiter was cute. When I asked him for more water in Korean, he was shocked because he didn't think I knew any Korean. A little later I asked him what his name was in Korean and he was shocked again. His name is Kwang-Min Lee. Then Joanne told him I thought he was cute and he laughed and blushed. He blushed! He said I was very generous - apparently he's not thought of as cute for Korean standards. Korean standards are harsh. He told Joanne she needed to come back with me again because he's shy and doesn't speak English, but alas she is leaving. I think I will visit this restaurant again for sure!
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
War
I'm a little late posting about this, but I still wanted to share it. On Saturday Jess, Sarah, and I went to the Korean War Museum. The museum is huge and is filled with history and artifacts. Korea, it seems, is a country that has been constantly at war. From ancient history to modern times they have been invaded - countries like Mongolia, Japan, and even their own brother country North Korea have swarmed onto South Korean land to take what was not theirs. It might sound like a depressing place to go, but I actually found it very interesting. It is sad to think of the animalistic tendencies and selfishness of men, but at the worst times is when some people do extraordinary things to help others.
"Our nation honors its sons and daughters who answered the call to defend a country they never knew and a people they never met." - Korean War Memorial
This statue is entitled "Brothers." One brother is fighting for North Korea, the other South Korea - but on the battlefield they embrace is forgiveness.
A soldier on the lookout.
Touching the hand of a soldier.
This is called "Teardrop." It is made up of dogtags of people who served in the Korean War.
"Our nation honors its sons and daughters who answered the call to defend a country they never knew and a people they never met." - Korean War Memorial
This statue is entitled "Brothers." One brother is fighting for North Korea, the other South Korea - but on the battlefield they embrace is forgiveness.
A soldier on the lookout.
Touching the hand of a soldier.
This is called "Teardrop." It is made up of dogtags of people who served in the Korean War.
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Change and happiness
Lots of things have changed for me over the last two months, so I decided to change my blog background. I hope you all enjoy it. I feel that spring is right around the corner, and in my hopefulness of it I chose blue and green. I want blue skies and green foliage. I hope it comes soon.
At school we also started a new semester and a new book. I'm now teaching social studies, which I have to say I enjoy a lot more. Yesterday was a long day; I had a two-hour conversation class with one ten-year-old girl at the elementary school, then I had an hour to walk to the middle school and grab something to eat, and then I taught five classes of social studies. Most of the classes went well, but the poor lower level students had no idea what I was talking about when I was trying to explain Greek history. Toward the end of class I opted to play hangman. At the end of the day I was exhausted and my feet hurt from standing for almost 8 hours straight, but as I walked home I couldn't help but smile. Yes it was late and I was tired, but I'm learning that simple things can bring you happiness. Things like a full day of teaching, seeing a father holding his daughter's hand, catching a young man dancing at the bus stop when only he can hear his music, and smiling at the guy that sells me fruit (I love my fruit guy).
I'm realizing that my last couple of posts have been kind of sappy. Sorry! I'm not normally a sappy person, but I am happy. And I wanted to share it all with you. I hope you can smile at the simple things in life too. Have a super duper awesome day!
At school we also started a new semester and a new book. I'm now teaching social studies, which I have to say I enjoy a lot more. Yesterday was a long day; I had a two-hour conversation class with one ten-year-old girl at the elementary school, then I had an hour to walk to the middle school and grab something to eat, and then I taught five classes of social studies. Most of the classes went well, but the poor lower level students had no idea what I was talking about when I was trying to explain Greek history. Toward the end of class I opted to play hangman. At the end of the day I was exhausted and my feet hurt from standing for almost 8 hours straight, but as I walked home I couldn't help but smile. Yes it was late and I was tired, but I'm learning that simple things can bring you happiness. Things like a full day of teaching, seeing a father holding his daughter's hand, catching a young man dancing at the bus stop when only he can hear his music, and smiling at the guy that sells me fruit (I love my fruit guy).
I'm realizing that my last couple of posts have been kind of sappy. Sorry! I'm not normally a sappy person, but I am happy. And I wanted to share it all with you. I hope you can smile at the simple things in life too. Have a super duper awesome day!
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