10:45 AM
Happy first of December! It's snowing somewhere nearby, but in my little town we just just tiny plop-sprinkles of the coldest possible pre-snow rain. But now I'm in a toasty office, sipping coffee and nibbling on ddeok, and life is good!
On Friday night, the native teachers all had Thanksgiving dinner and it was good. Last year I did not go to Thanksgiving because it was doomed (in my head) to remind me of home and to make me miserable with its inadequacy.
Actually, this Friday when I got off work I was struggling with the idea of just NOT going to the dinner. It was cold and gloomy and raining and I was in full Charlie-Brown mode. Straight-up Grump. But just as I was leaving school, my little 1st-grade Sunwoo trotted up to me. I held my umbrella over both of us.
Sunwoo told me his parents were out of town because his grandma died and they were attending her funeral. This worried him because he's just 13 and he's been left in charge of his 10-year-old brother and 6-year-old sister, and when he got home he'd still have to buy groceries for all of them. I walked with him and kept him out of the rain, and I bought him a Dominoes pizza for him and his siblings. I walked him all the way to his apartment building, then said goodbye after making him promise to call me if there were any problems, especially with his little sister.
It was a blessing from God at that moment. I needed to help someone else, to quit my pity party and be loving to a child who was going through a very stressful day, one which was much gloomier than mine.
And Thanksgiving was fine! I spent most of my time entertaining my table with word games. B-Teacher invited our office leader to the dinner, along with Office Leader's wife and young son. It was nice to see them, and this morning Office Leader was bragging to JY-Teacher that I was easily the prettiest girl at the party. For some reason, hearing this really made me happy, like it was some big badge of honor, or a pageant win: Miss Thanksgiving.
Helped out with the preschoolers at my church yesterday morning. They were a delight as always, just indescribably sweet. There's always a spill to clean or a nose to wipe or a book to read to them or a hug to be given. It's like God's own little place, the preschool room. It's so packed with good things.
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1:30 PM: IT'S SNOWING. SNOWINNNNNGGG, FIRST DAY OF DECEMBER AND THE FLAKES ARE FALLING LIKE A STORM OF MAGIC, SO MUCH SNOW WOW YES WOW
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Sunday, November 30, 2014
Wednesday, November 26, 2014
11-27-14 Happy Thanksgiving!
10:40 AM Merry Thanksgiving, y'all. It's been a lovely morning for me and it promises to be a good rest of the day.
The heat was off in 2-1, 2-2, so despite it being not a terribly cold day, my hands were icy-freezing by the time things were over. I had a good time chatting with the kids, especially Beomjoon. Beomjoon has decided that he's really quite fond of me after all. He had lots of things to tell me and things to tease me about.
Daejeong commented that my hair was "real, true yellow" as if it was a new revelation. No matter how long the kids have known me, it always surprises them that my hair is real.
Soonhyuk wants to know when I'm getting married. He has a girlfriend, so I jokingly asked him when he was marrying her, and he replied "tomorrow". I marveled at the bravery of a middle-school wedding and Soonhyuk told me that he's actually an adult. Also, he lives in Australia and owns a private jet, so he says. I was duly impressed.
SY and I sat and ate tangerines together this morning, at we pored over my Intermediate Korean textbook. She remembers most of the English words from her college studies, but it's been 10 years since she had to use them. It's nice for me to see how much effort she puts into learning words to say to me. The verbal side of our friendship isn't effortless, but it's good.
Isn't it lovely to know somebody cares? That they want to connect with you even if it's hard? I hope the kids feel that way when I talk to them.
The Americans in town are having Thanksgiving dinner tomorrow night. I'm looking forward to it. Last year I didn't go, but this year will be a good time to have a big meal with friends and really think about the holiday and about being thankful.
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2:40 PM Whoa, I've got tears in my eyes because C-Jeongmin is sad. He came to my desk with a brochure in his hand--it's for a Technical high School.
Only the lowest students go there. It's a sentence to a future of blue-collar labor, and the sentence gets handed down at age 16. My boy sat down by me and I kept my arm wrapped around his shoulder for 15 minutes as he tried not to cry and bit his lip until it bled.
It was awful. C-Jeongmin is not just a quiet kid--he's next door to silent. But he always taps my shoulder when he walks by, always remembers to give me candy or ask if I've eaten lunch. He's incredibly sweet and thoughtful. While C-Jeongmin hung his head and just sat steeped in hopelessness, I left my arm around him while I talked with his buddy Seongjik in Korean. Seongjik is going to the Tech school also, but he's more hopeful.
I used to call this one Bitty-Baby Seongjik because he was a tiny mite of a 2nd-grader last year. This year, he's still kinda short and his voice hasn't changed but he's not actually what you'd call small anymore. I pointed him out to C-Jeongmin and said that he'd have Seongjik and lots of other boys from our middle school to see. He won't be alone.
I also told him that he must come and visit me often. He has to come by, somehow, It's terribly important that I get to see him again. I want to know that he's living well and growing up safely.
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The heat was off in 2-1, 2-2, so despite it being not a terribly cold day, my hands were icy-freezing by the time things were over. I had a good time chatting with the kids, especially Beomjoon. Beomjoon has decided that he's really quite fond of me after all. He had lots of things to tell me and things to tease me about.
Daejeong commented that my hair was "real, true yellow" as if it was a new revelation. No matter how long the kids have known me, it always surprises them that my hair is real.
Soonhyuk wants to know when I'm getting married. He has a girlfriend, so I jokingly asked him when he was marrying her, and he replied "tomorrow". I marveled at the bravery of a middle-school wedding and Soonhyuk told me that he's actually an adult. Also, he lives in Australia and owns a private jet, so he says. I was duly impressed.
SY and I sat and ate tangerines together this morning, at we pored over my Intermediate Korean textbook. She remembers most of the English words from her college studies, but it's been 10 years since she had to use them. It's nice for me to see how much effort she puts into learning words to say to me. The verbal side of our friendship isn't effortless, but it's good.
Isn't it lovely to know somebody cares? That they want to connect with you even if it's hard? I hope the kids feel that way when I talk to them.
The Americans in town are having Thanksgiving dinner tomorrow night. I'm looking forward to it. Last year I didn't go, but this year will be a good time to have a big meal with friends and really think about the holiday and about being thankful.
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2:40 PM Whoa, I've got tears in my eyes because C-Jeongmin is sad. He came to my desk with a brochure in his hand--it's for a Technical high School.
Only the lowest students go there. It's a sentence to a future of blue-collar labor, and the sentence gets handed down at age 16. My boy sat down by me and I kept my arm wrapped around his shoulder for 15 minutes as he tried not to cry and bit his lip until it bled.
It was awful. C-Jeongmin is not just a quiet kid--he's next door to silent. But he always taps my shoulder when he walks by, always remembers to give me candy or ask if I've eaten lunch. He's incredibly sweet and thoughtful. While C-Jeongmin hung his head and just sat steeped in hopelessness, I left my arm around him while I talked with his buddy Seongjik in Korean. Seongjik is going to the Tech school also, but he's more hopeful.
I used to call this one Bitty-Baby Seongjik because he was a tiny mite of a 2nd-grader last year. This year, he's still kinda short and his voice hasn't changed but he's not actually what you'd call small anymore. I pointed him out to C-Jeongmin and said that he'd have Seongjik and lots of other boys from our middle school to see. He won't be alone.
I also told him that he must come and visit me often. He has to come by, somehow, It's terribly important that I get to see him again. I want to know that he's living well and growing up safely.
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Monday, November 24, 2014
11-25-14 Braiding and Thoughts on Exam
10:35 AM First classes were fine. Speaking tests for the 1st-graders and some super basic speaking practice for 2-7, 2-8.
The Yunho antics were in a whole different level today. He wasn't being bad, but he was in High Frolic. He and Gicheol had brought a board game to play and I took away their pieces, largely because even if the kids read comics and sleep that's fine, but I really can't bear to let any class other than the giant one actually play games during class time.
So Yunho and Gicheol would periodically walk up to me to plead their case. Eventually they stopped pleading and just hung around me and whoever I was working with. Yunho and Gicheol tend to play with my hair a lot, and they requested to be taught how to braid.
So I taught them, and for the next ten minutes, I had little-boy-hands industriously working on braiding my hair. Hyunshik joined in, and Dohyung, and while they were speculating on how many centimeters long my hair was, it was determined that it was two times the length of Taehoon's (very tall) head. My hair is 2 Taehoon-Heads long.
When asked by Haneul why such a fuss was being kicked up over my hair, Hyunshik replied in Korean without looking up from the strands he was sifting through, "Because it's amazing, obviously."
I'm also terribly pleased with how soft-hearted Gicheol seems lately.
I started exercise at a dance academy with SY, one of my best friends at school. We had so much fun doing it, and I'm glad I've been working out hard on my own because I can only just barely keep up with our tiny dance instructor. Nobody wants to be the only person in the room who can't do the endless crunches and lunges. SY and I are thrilled to have a hobby to share, and we're considering trying ballet or traditional Korean dance (complete with hanbok!) in the future. We just only have time for one thing at a time.
I took my Korean language exam on Sunday morning in Seoul, and it was an excellent experience. During my practice tests, it was easier for me to do Reading and almost impossible to do Listening, but at the actual lest I found the opposite to be true--Listening was fine, but reading was hard because I'd never timed myself on the reading before. I ran out of time for the last four questions and marked random ones, but I still feel like my score was okay. Maybe I didn't get the level-2 that I wanted, but I'm sure that I got a level-1.
I'm going to study for the level-3 next year in November. I figure one year might be time enough for me to gear up for that. I'll have to put my nose to the studying grindstone, but I think I can get it done.
SG2's problem student skipped four classes yesterday and was wandering around the hallway with inexplicably wet hair, looking dramatically forlorn. Not sure what's going on there.
Thanksgiving is this week, as is my baby brother's birthday. It's an eventful last-little-smidgen of November, isn't it? I promised to bake stuff for the native English teacher's get-together on Friday, because I still don't have a handle on cooking meals, but I'm fine at breads and cakes and cookies.
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The Yunho antics were in a whole different level today. He wasn't being bad, but he was in High Frolic. He and Gicheol had brought a board game to play and I took away their pieces, largely because even if the kids read comics and sleep that's fine, but I really can't bear to let any class other than the giant one actually play games during class time.
So Yunho and Gicheol would periodically walk up to me to plead their case. Eventually they stopped pleading and just hung around me and whoever I was working with. Yunho and Gicheol tend to play with my hair a lot, and they requested to be taught how to braid.
So I taught them, and for the next ten minutes, I had little-boy-hands industriously working on braiding my hair. Hyunshik joined in, and Dohyung, and while they were speculating on how many centimeters long my hair was, it was determined that it was two times the length of Taehoon's (very tall) head. My hair is 2 Taehoon-Heads long.
When asked by Haneul why such a fuss was being kicked up over my hair, Hyunshik replied in Korean without looking up from the strands he was sifting through, "Because it's amazing, obviously."
I'm also terribly pleased with how soft-hearted Gicheol seems lately.
I started exercise at a dance academy with SY, one of my best friends at school. We had so much fun doing it, and I'm glad I've been working out hard on my own because I can only just barely keep up with our tiny dance instructor. Nobody wants to be the only person in the room who can't do the endless crunches and lunges. SY and I are thrilled to have a hobby to share, and we're considering trying ballet or traditional Korean dance (complete with hanbok!) in the future. We just only have time for one thing at a time.
I took my Korean language exam on Sunday morning in Seoul, and it was an excellent experience. During my practice tests, it was easier for me to do Reading and almost impossible to do Listening, but at the actual lest I found the opposite to be true--Listening was fine, but reading was hard because I'd never timed myself on the reading before. I ran out of time for the last four questions and marked random ones, but I still feel like my score was okay. Maybe I didn't get the level-2 that I wanted, but I'm sure that I got a level-1.
I'm going to study for the level-3 next year in November. I figure one year might be time enough for me to gear up for that. I'll have to put my nose to the studying grindstone, but I think I can get it done.
SG2's problem student skipped four classes yesterday and was wandering around the hallway with inexplicably wet hair, looking dramatically forlorn. Not sure what's going on there.
Thanksgiving is this week, as is my baby brother's birthday. It's an eventful last-little-smidgen of November, isn't it? I promised to bake stuff for the native English teacher's get-together on Friday, because I still don't have a handle on cooking meals, but I'm fine at breads and cakes and cookies.
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Thursday, November 20, 2014
11-21-14 Test Preparations
11:50 AM
I should write since I'll be busy through Sunday. My teacher orientation roommate (with whom I vacationed in Busan in May and Jeju in September) will be with me in Seoul this weekend. We're going to wander around, get pedicures, watch Mockingjay, etc etc. And Sunday morning I have my Korean language test.
I kinda don't want to go to my language test. No matter how much Korean I learn, I still feel like I'm behind and by now I'm quite gloomy about the prospect of getting a '2' on the test. A '1' is Basic Beginner, a 2 is High Beginner, and I keep banging my head against the listening section, though I ace the writing section.
But. I'm going to go anyway. I paid for the test, printed out my special admission ticket and everything. I should be set to go. I'm going to take it in two days and not bother myself with worry about this thing that I decided to do just for myself. There's no pressure because I don't need these scores for anything like job applications or college admissions--I just want to know.
Also this sort of experience is likely to help me sympathize with my boys more. I never had to sit for a foreign language exam and they have, so after this go-round with the Korean test, I'll fathom their world a bit better.
Read one of my poem's to BY, explaining to him what each line meant. Unsurprisingly, he really seemed to "get" it. He's a smartie pie.
I should write since I'll be busy through Sunday. My teacher orientation roommate (with whom I vacationed in Busan in May and Jeju in September) will be with me in Seoul this weekend. We're going to wander around, get pedicures, watch Mockingjay, etc etc. And Sunday morning I have my Korean language test.
I kinda don't want to go to my language test. No matter how much Korean I learn, I still feel like I'm behind and by now I'm quite gloomy about the prospect of getting a '2' on the test. A '1' is Basic Beginner, a 2 is High Beginner, and I keep banging my head against the listening section, though I ace the writing section.
But. I'm going to go anyway. I paid for the test, printed out my special admission ticket and everything. I should be set to go. I'm going to take it in two days and not bother myself with worry about this thing that I decided to do just for myself. There's no pressure because I don't need these scores for anything like job applications or college admissions--I just want to know.
Also this sort of experience is likely to help me sympathize with my boys more. I never had to sit for a foreign language exam and they have, so after this go-round with the Korean test, I'll fathom their world a bit better.
Read one of my poem's to BY, explaining to him what each line meant. Unsurprisingly, he really seemed to "get" it. He's a smartie pie.
Tuesday, November 18, 2014
11-19-14 Translating Comics, and Russian History
8:40 AM First morning where I have had to wear earmuffs on the walk to school because it's -2 Celsius outside. But despite the freezing cold, I can at least rest assured that my earmuffs are adorable, so says the guy who works at the convenience store, and also Dohyun's mom, who I ran into as she was leaving school.
I'm currently translating a Korean comic book that I read in college, and the process is hilarious. I understand the story because I read the translated English version 8 years ago, but I forget the specifics and the vocabulary is really complex, so translating the Korean text to English is quite involved. Now that I consider it, this comic book--Chocolat--was the first Korean thing I ever consumed, even if I was reading it in English.
I'm currently translating a Korean comic book that I read in college, and the process is hilarious. I understand the story because I read the translated English version 8 years ago, but I forget the specifics and the vocabulary is really complex, so translating the Korean text to English is quite involved. Now that I consider it, this comic book--Chocolat--was the first Korean thing I ever consumed, even if I was reading it in English.
Illustration From Chocolat. Their Eyes Are the Size of The Moon.
My 3rd-graders occasionally help me with the translation, but some concepts are just too complicated for the aveage kid to explain to me, so BY helpfully explained a few of the tougher ones.
Yesterday, my Wooseok came by the desk to watch Beauty and the Beast with me and Hyo. If you had EVER told me that rough-n-tumble Wooseok would willingly pull up a chair to watch an animated feature about the power of love, I would have called you crazy.
Aferschool yesterday was stunning. We finished watching Anastasia, and Cheolho enttertained me with historical details, such as the fact that the Qing Dynasty in China was not Chinese but Manchurian. When asked to draw his favorite character from Anastasia he drew "this extra!" It was a random side character in a Cossack hat who had appeared during the song sequence in St. Petersburg. To the drawing of the extra, he added "picture of Joseph Stalin!" so now his paper has a mid-sized Cossack extra on it, with Stalin's giant head floating menacingly above him.
The things the kids do that you can't make up, I swear.
My Changho in afterschool continues to be beautiful and amazing, and Hoyeong is getting smarter all the time. He asks the best questions ever. He asks them in Korean, but he has the brightest mind.
Went to the movies with SY last night and had the best time. She's a great friend and I'm so fortunate to have her.
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Sunday, November 16, 2014
11-17-14 Thinking 'Bout SG2, and Sleeping All the Time
10:30 AM Just got an ice-coffee-can present from Shion, which is one of the universal "I like you" gestures in Korea. Unless you're giving an iced coffee can to everyone in a group, it's a very pointed, chivalrous sort of thing. That's the first time Shion has done something like that. The coffee is very tasty, too.
My poor dear SG2 is having horrible issues with a student's parents. Her problem student has become so much of a problem, his parents are intending to transfer him to another school next week. They blame her for the boy's behavior problems because he's no trouble at home and only goes nuts at school. But all the other teachers in SG2's office have said that the boy is causing issues because he likes her--he talks to her for hours and invents problems for her to solve, and when that's not enough attention, he punches walls or runs away.
As illustrated in the aforementioned canned-coffee example, student crushes toward teachers are quite standard at our school. YSR got so many presents on Peppero Day, you couldn't even see her desk--it was a mound of notes and homemade goodies and lavish 6-box peppero contraptions. We all (the female teachers) get some of this attention and it's mostly harmless. Most of the kids are not serious about their feelings, so it's not as if little hearts are being broken by the revelation that they're not actually going to grow up and marry teacher someday.
But with SG2, she seems to have gotten the rare kid who is 100% serious and who is also cold-hearted enough to not care whether he makes her life difficult by taking up all her time and throwing tantrums. And the parents say it's her issue, not his. They're going to meet with her soon to discuss the issue, but mainly just to criticize her, I think.
I'm trying to figure out how to be a good friend to her. How do you bless a friend going through such an icky situation? Plus if she's like me, terribly concerned with her job and with how well she's performing, it's got to feel like a professional failure too.
I see her again for the next class period, and I've offered to be moral support, to hang out in the room when she has the parent conference--it would be weird to have me around, but I wouldn't be able to understand the conversation and I thought maybe it would comfort her to have a friendly, supportive face around, so I offered anyway. I think I'll leave a note and some chocolate on her desk after lunch, too.
Also, Swan Teacher is back! The 3rd-grade Class 2 Teacher who's been on rest for four months (because of back surgery?) has returned, and looking as lovely as ever. I hope she has healed well. She was always very sweet to me.
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1 PM I'm feeling pretty amazing and I think I can chalk it up to extra sleep. Lately, I've been going to sleep early even if it means that I don't get to hang out with friends as much as I'd like. By making sleep a priority, I feel way more energized and just generally happy.
I think I got into the sleep habit during my 2-week cold, wherein the only way to assure I'd be in good enough shape to teach was to sleep endlessly and drink all the water in town. Since my serious colds usually spiral into bronchitis and this one didn't, it clued me in to the possibility that sleep is a great healer. Novel concept, I know.
Also, I've mostly had to stop staying awake to talk to my mom, unfortunately. In the past, I could call her at my 10 PM, her 8 AM, and we could chat for about an hour, letting me go to bed just after 11. But with a recent time change, I have to wait 'til my 11 PM to call her, and she's having internet connection problems, so it takes even longer to connect. Le sigh.
Sometimes I wake up around 3 AM and make a call, but last night I didn't. I went to bed at 9 and stayed asleep, so I'm ridiculously healthy and perky today, but I reeeeeally miss my mom.
Because Daddy works and the kids don't wake up early, sometimes video chatting with my mommy is the only contact I have with my family, so it's important. but I've been through communication issues before. It always evens out eventually. There's no need to panic about dropped calls or missed connections because everything finally goes well. I've been in this country for 15 months (FIFTEEN MONTHS) and this is just part of life.
Lunch was good. SY Teacher was worried about where I went last Friday and it occurred to me that of everyone I've told about my culture trip to the DMZ, she wasn't one of them. So one of my best buddies was just eating lunch without me on Friday, wondering where on earth I had gotten off to and if there had been an accident.
I was fine of course. The trip lasted Firday and Saturday with 40 of us English-speaking teachers, and we painted ceramic plates and visited art museums and learned about North Korean historical tensions toward the south. It was really informative and unbelievably enjoyable--good sights and good company all the way.
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My poor dear SG2 is having horrible issues with a student's parents. Her problem student has become so much of a problem, his parents are intending to transfer him to another school next week. They blame her for the boy's behavior problems because he's no trouble at home and only goes nuts at school. But all the other teachers in SG2's office have said that the boy is causing issues because he likes her--he talks to her for hours and invents problems for her to solve, and when that's not enough attention, he punches walls or runs away.
As illustrated in the aforementioned canned-coffee example, student crushes toward teachers are quite standard at our school. YSR got so many presents on Peppero Day, you couldn't even see her desk--it was a mound of notes and homemade goodies and lavish 6-box peppero contraptions. We all (the female teachers) get some of this attention and it's mostly harmless. Most of the kids are not serious about their feelings, so it's not as if little hearts are being broken by the revelation that they're not actually going to grow up and marry teacher someday.
But with SG2, she seems to have gotten the rare kid who is 100% serious and who is also cold-hearted enough to not care whether he makes her life difficult by taking up all her time and throwing tantrums. And the parents say it's her issue, not his. They're going to meet with her soon to discuss the issue, but mainly just to criticize her, I think.
I'm trying to figure out how to be a good friend to her. How do you bless a friend going through such an icky situation? Plus if she's like me, terribly concerned with her job and with how well she's performing, it's got to feel like a professional failure too.
I see her again for the next class period, and I've offered to be moral support, to hang out in the room when she has the parent conference--it would be weird to have me around, but I wouldn't be able to understand the conversation and I thought maybe it would comfort her to have a friendly, supportive face around, so I offered anyway. I think I'll leave a note and some chocolate on her desk after lunch, too.
Also, Swan Teacher is back! The 3rd-grade Class 2 Teacher who's been on rest for four months (because of back surgery?) has returned, and looking as lovely as ever. I hope she has healed well. She was always very sweet to me.
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1 PM I'm feeling pretty amazing and I think I can chalk it up to extra sleep. Lately, I've been going to sleep early even if it means that I don't get to hang out with friends as much as I'd like. By making sleep a priority, I feel way more energized and just generally happy.
I think I got into the sleep habit during my 2-week cold, wherein the only way to assure I'd be in good enough shape to teach was to sleep endlessly and drink all the water in town. Since my serious colds usually spiral into bronchitis and this one didn't, it clued me in to the possibility that sleep is a great healer. Novel concept, I know.
Also, I've mostly had to stop staying awake to talk to my mom, unfortunately. In the past, I could call her at my 10 PM, her 8 AM, and we could chat for about an hour, letting me go to bed just after 11. But with a recent time change, I have to wait 'til my 11 PM to call her, and she's having internet connection problems, so it takes even longer to connect. Le sigh.
Sometimes I wake up around 3 AM and make a call, but last night I didn't. I went to bed at 9 and stayed asleep, so I'm ridiculously healthy and perky today, but I reeeeeally miss my mom.
Because Daddy works and the kids don't wake up early, sometimes video chatting with my mommy is the only contact I have with my family, so it's important. but I've been through communication issues before. It always evens out eventually. There's no need to panic about dropped calls or missed connections because everything finally goes well. I've been in this country for 15 months (FIFTEEN MONTHS) and this is just part of life.
Lunch was good. SY Teacher was worried about where I went last Friday and it occurred to me that of everyone I've told about my culture trip to the DMZ, she wasn't one of them. So one of my best buddies was just eating lunch without me on Friday, wondering where on earth I had gotten off to and if there had been an accident.
I was fine of course. The trip lasted Firday and Saturday with 40 of us English-speaking teachers, and we painted ceramic plates and visited art museums and learned about North Korean historical tensions toward the south. It was really informative and unbelievably enjoyable--good sights and good company all the way.
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Tuesday, November 11, 2014
11-12-14 Kimbap and Study
9 AM:
Good morning. My cold is virtually gone. The office has kimbab and sushi this morning because class 7's parents sent along huge vats of it. They are delicious.
I'm trying to study for my big test, since I really want to make that Level 2. I've already pinpointed that I try to finish questions too quickly, and that trips me up when it comes to answering questions in paragraph form. I think I've found a good answer and I rush ahead and don't really parse the meaning of what I've read.
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Good morning. My cold is virtually gone. The office has kimbab and sushi this morning because class 7's parents sent along huge vats of it. They are delicious.
I'm trying to study for my big test, since I really want to make that Level 2. I've already pinpointed that I try to finish questions too quickly, and that trips me up when it comes to answering questions in paragraph form. I think I've found a good answer and I rush ahead and don't really parse the meaning of what I've read.
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Monday, November 10, 2014
11-11-14 Pepero Day, and Walking With SY
11 AM It's Pepero Day and my desk looks like a fountain of chocolate boxes. I think I got 3 boxes last year, and now it's about 15.
Got things from Jeongmin, C-Jeongmin, Minjoonie, Youngmin, Cheongyu, Ponyfish Minwoo, Guhyun, Jinseo and others. BY honestly didn't know that he was supposed to have gotten anything, despite other kids ribbing him for forgetting the special day, and Sujin told me he'd left his present at home. I actually think Sujin doesn't want to give anything on the same day that other kids are giving stuff, because that un-special-ifies it.
HH eyed the pile of Pepero on my desk like it was an infectious fungus and I knew better than to tease him about not getting me anything, Some of the kids(like my Yunho in 2nd grade) think it's cute when I joke with them about their lack of presents, but HH is a Level 99 Serious Boy and doesn't take jokes very well.
SG2 is still having troubles with her one wall-punching homeroom student, but she was all smiles this morning, due to the sweetness of her other kids on Pepero Day. She's been getting piles of goodies and it just makes you so happy to know that cute little people think you're special.
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1:40 PM Been the best day so far. SY and me went for a super-long lunchtime walk and talked about so many things. She really brightens my day. She noticed that I didn't look happy at lunch yesterday and she ran me through a list of her thoughts on the subject. I told her I was just looking down because I had a cold for almost two weeks, but I was grateful that she had devoted any time to think of me.
She and I are going to the movies next week again. There was a French movie she wanted to see, but for me that would mean listening to French while reading Korean subtitles (which is actually doable--I know a teensy bit of French and my Korean reading skills are really picking up speed). We then switched to an English sci-fi movie, which is better if you see it in a certain special type of theater, so we may be heading out of town for that.
SY told me that she's always envious of a Korean-Canadian friend of hers who's fluent in English, because if she was like that friend she could talk to me more. I told her not to worry about it because I've learned so much from her, language gap and all. I've learned Korean words, but also learned about history, social issues, school funding...we talk about big subjects, and I learn new facts as well as new vocabulary. Talking with SY is good for me in all ways, and she's a believer too, so we can talk about the Lord.
Got things from Jeongmin, C-Jeongmin, Minjoonie, Youngmin, Cheongyu, Ponyfish Minwoo, Guhyun, Jinseo and others. BY honestly didn't know that he was supposed to have gotten anything, despite other kids ribbing him for forgetting the special day, and Sujin told me he'd left his present at home. I actually think Sujin doesn't want to give anything on the same day that other kids are giving stuff, because that un-special-ifies it.
HH eyed the pile of Pepero on my desk like it was an infectious fungus and I knew better than to tease him about not getting me anything, Some of the kids(like my Yunho in 2nd grade) think it's cute when I joke with them about their lack of presents, but HH is a Level 99 Serious Boy and doesn't take jokes very well.
SG2 is still having troubles with her one wall-punching homeroom student, but she was all smiles this morning, due to the sweetness of her other kids on Pepero Day. She's been getting piles of goodies and it just makes you so happy to know that cute little people think you're special.
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1:40 PM Been the best day so far. SY and me went for a super-long lunchtime walk and talked about so many things. She really brightens my day. She noticed that I didn't look happy at lunch yesterday and she ran me through a list of her thoughts on the subject. I told her I was just looking down because I had a cold for almost two weeks, but I was grateful that she had devoted any time to think of me.
She and I are going to the movies next week again. There was a French movie she wanted to see, but for me that would mean listening to French while reading Korean subtitles (which is actually doable--I know a teensy bit of French and my Korean reading skills are really picking up speed). We then switched to an English sci-fi movie, which is better if you see it in a certain special type of theater, so we may be heading out of town for that.
SY told me that she's always envious of a Korean-Canadian friend of hers who's fluent in English, because if she was like that friend she could talk to me more. I told her not to worry about it because I've learned so much from her, language gap and all. I've learned Korean words, but also learned about history, social issues, school funding...we talk about big subjects, and I learn new facts as well as new vocabulary. Talking with SY is good for me in all ways, and she's a believer too, so we can talk about the Lord.
Sunday, November 9, 2014
11-10-14 Vigorous Subway Debate and Blanket Washing
10:30 AM
Just listened to the most hilarious argument between two of my favorite kids, BY and HH. They both came to sit with me and chat, and they got into an amazing debate over the relative confusingness of the Seoul subway system, with BY regaling us with stories of how often he got lost on Friday when he went to Seoul to listen to a speech given by a famous author.
HH retorted that the Seoul subway system was easy-peasy to follow, and began to write BY a map to illustrate his point. I could follow most of their banter and I was nearly laughing to the point of tears at my fluent-English guys getting into verbal brawls in fast-paced Korean which I could mostly understand. Also, BY and HH are patting shoulders and holding hands like best friends, so I get some happy feelings from seeing that, too.
I'm just doing movies for the kids this week, because I'm only at school for 3 days, the 2nd-graders are having speaking tests, the 3rd-graders have been in the same chapter for 5 weeks and need a break, and I still have a headcold that's been going strong for a week.
My mama had to remind me not to do anything special this weekend--not even ministry at my church, because it's only tons of medicine and constant rest that's keeping my cold at normal levels. I've been indoors a whole lot, downing endless fluids and taking naps between bouts of studying Korean. My language test is coming up in two weeks, and I want to be ready for that.
It's been a nice morning with good, quality talks with H-Sol and SG2, the latter of whom is having serious problems with one of her homeroom students who has anger issues. I told her I'd pray for her, because I know this is a huge issue for her. At various times, I've been in exactly the same place, worried to pieces over a student's emotional health,
Saw Jeongminnie over the weekend, walking downtown with his family. I got to introduce myself to his dad! That was a pretty nice moment.
-------------------------------------------
1:45 PM Hahaha. Saw Jeongminnie and I was really excited to talk to him about running into him yesterday, so I was just rattling on about how good it was to meet him, and he interrupted darkly, "Was that guy your boyfriend?" I had completely forgotten that when I saw Jeongmin I was waking with a guy friend (honestly just a friend--he feels like a younger brother). While that detail didn't seem important to me, it was the only one Jeongmin cared about.
I quickly reassured him that my friend was just that; a buddy, but it got me laughing. I forget how the kids see things through a different lens than I do, and they have different priorities than I do.
In my 1st grade class, I sat int he back with SG2 and Jaehoon and Minjin came to the back to talk to me for 20 minutes. They quizzed me on Korean and taught me a few new idioms.
After lunch, I started putting together a puzzle with Yeongchang. I had learned that my boys love puzzles, so I bought a 300-piece one, hoping it would bring delight to someone, and it has certainly done that.
Last night I had to turn on my floor ondol heating for the first time because I was getting cold. My apartment never gets properly cold, but I was sick and I had made the mistake of washing both my blankets that morning. And since apartments here don't have dryers, when you get something wet, it's out of commission for two full days usually. There is no "oh, I'll just wash these jeans and wear them to the book club meeting tonight". Nope. you'll wash those jeans and wear them to the grocery store in three days.
The blanket-washing was part of my resolution to live like an adult in my apartment, not like a college kid. I'm buying bookcases, coat racks, and umbrella stands. I'm dusting. I'm making sure nothing ever "lives" on the floor--not bags, not socks, not anything. I'm trying to keep my laundry constantly going and my bedding changed out regularly.
But sometimes being a grownup means having the foresight to wash your blankets one at a time so you have one to keep you warm while the other is being cleaned.
Aside from blowing my nose a zillion times, i'm holding together pretty well at school. Playing videos certainly helps. Teaching full-length classes would drain all that pleasant energy right out, at this point. I'm gonna go home after afterschool and eat and sleep. And that's about all I'm going to do for the next four days. On Friday, there's a big special culture trip to go on, and I need to be 100% for that, which means nothing taxing in the meantime, maybe even no hanging out at cofeeshops.
--------------------------------------------------------
Just listened to the most hilarious argument between two of my favorite kids, BY and HH. They both came to sit with me and chat, and they got into an amazing debate over the relative confusingness of the Seoul subway system, with BY regaling us with stories of how often he got lost on Friday when he went to Seoul to listen to a speech given by a famous author.
HH retorted that the Seoul subway system was easy-peasy to follow, and began to write BY a map to illustrate his point. I could follow most of their banter and I was nearly laughing to the point of tears at my fluent-English guys getting into verbal brawls in fast-paced Korean which I could mostly understand. Also, BY and HH are patting shoulders and holding hands like best friends, so I get some happy feelings from seeing that, too.
I'm just doing movies for the kids this week, because I'm only at school for 3 days, the 2nd-graders are having speaking tests, the 3rd-graders have been in the same chapter for 5 weeks and need a break, and I still have a headcold that's been going strong for a week.
My mama had to remind me not to do anything special this weekend--not even ministry at my church, because it's only tons of medicine and constant rest that's keeping my cold at normal levels. I've been indoors a whole lot, downing endless fluids and taking naps between bouts of studying Korean. My language test is coming up in two weeks, and I want to be ready for that.
It's been a nice morning with good, quality talks with H-Sol and SG2, the latter of whom is having serious problems with one of her homeroom students who has anger issues. I told her I'd pray for her, because I know this is a huge issue for her. At various times, I've been in exactly the same place, worried to pieces over a student's emotional health,
Saw Jeongminnie over the weekend, walking downtown with his family. I got to introduce myself to his dad! That was a pretty nice moment.
-------------------------------------------
1:45 PM Hahaha. Saw Jeongminnie and I was really excited to talk to him about running into him yesterday, so I was just rattling on about how good it was to meet him, and he interrupted darkly, "Was that guy your boyfriend?" I had completely forgotten that when I saw Jeongmin I was waking with a guy friend (honestly just a friend--he feels like a younger brother). While that detail didn't seem important to me, it was the only one Jeongmin cared about.
I quickly reassured him that my friend was just that; a buddy, but it got me laughing. I forget how the kids see things through a different lens than I do, and they have different priorities than I do.
In my 1st grade class, I sat int he back with SG2 and Jaehoon and Minjin came to the back to talk to me for 20 minutes. They quizzed me on Korean and taught me a few new idioms.
After lunch, I started putting together a puzzle with Yeongchang. I had learned that my boys love puzzles, so I bought a 300-piece one, hoping it would bring delight to someone, and it has certainly done that.
Last night I had to turn on my floor ondol heating for the first time because I was getting cold. My apartment never gets properly cold, but I was sick and I had made the mistake of washing both my blankets that morning. And since apartments here don't have dryers, when you get something wet, it's out of commission for two full days usually. There is no "oh, I'll just wash these jeans and wear them to the book club meeting tonight". Nope. you'll wash those jeans and wear them to the grocery store in three days.
The blanket-washing was part of my resolution to live like an adult in my apartment, not like a college kid. I'm buying bookcases, coat racks, and umbrella stands. I'm dusting. I'm making sure nothing ever "lives" on the floor--not bags, not socks, not anything. I'm trying to keep my laundry constantly going and my bedding changed out regularly.
But sometimes being a grownup means having the foresight to wash your blankets one at a time so you have one to keep you warm while the other is being cleaned.
Aside from blowing my nose a zillion times, i'm holding together pretty well at school. Playing videos certainly helps. Teaching full-length classes would drain all that pleasant energy right out, at this point. I'm gonna go home after afterschool and eat and sleep. And that's about all I'm going to do for the next four days. On Friday, there's a big special culture trip to go on, and I need to be 100% for that, which means nothing taxing in the meantime, maybe even no hanging out at cofeeshops.
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Wednesday, November 5, 2014
11-6-14 Ball on the Roof, and Seunghoon's Fever
11 AM
Still got a cold, but I'm getting business done just fine. Just unlocked a room for Sanghwi the guitar player, who explained to me in clear English that he and his buddy needed a ball and that the only way to get it was to go into this spare room.
I though they'd locked the ball in the room, but in fact they had kicked the ball onto this large outcropping of 2nd-floor roof which was only accessible by climbing out of the spare room window. It's fully enclosed and covered with grass and weeds, so it looks like a ghetto garden of some sort, and sure enough, there lay the soccer ball in question.
It was safe enough, and Sanghwi thanked me profusely. And it occurred to me that since I've never taught him, he can't quite remember my name which is why he greeted me in the hallway as, "Oh, Elsa Sem. Do you have a room key for English room?" I didn't know that anybody but 1st-graders called me Elsa Sem, but it may be the go-to name for others.
2-1, 2-2 was good. Love my Soonhyuk, and Beomjoon did his part nicely, which was extra sweet considering that he did something really inappropriate toward me on Monday--something bad enough to not repeat in writing, but not bad enough to report him to the school discipline committee for. My Beomjoonie is just one of the "bad" boys at school and I have to adore him while not letting him get away with any weirdness. It's a fine line.
About 4 of my kids have added me on Facebook. I remember being furious with BY for looking up my Facebook a few months ago, and that was when he couldn't even see my timeline, but now I'm just letting the 3rd-graders add me as a friend like it's no thing. My Facebook is super kid-friendly--all I ever post is vacation photos, food photos, and stuff about the kids themselves, anyways. And how could anybody say no to Minhwe when he asks to be added? You couldn't.
-------------------------------------------
4:20 PM My poor Seunghoon (3rd grade) has a fever so bad, I can feel it in his face. He looked pitiful, so I put my hands on either side of his face and prayed for God to heal him. Poor baby has to go to hagwon after this, then school and hagwon tomorrow before he "has time" to go to the hospital on Saturday.
I don't mention Seunghoon too terribly much, but he's a constant presence in my world. He's quiet, smart, and unassuming. He's got a giving heart and one of the sweetest natures among the kids.
Still got a cold, but I'm getting business done just fine. Just unlocked a room for Sanghwi the guitar player, who explained to me in clear English that he and his buddy needed a ball and that the only way to get it was to go into this spare room.
I though they'd locked the ball in the room, but in fact they had kicked the ball onto this large outcropping of 2nd-floor roof which was only accessible by climbing out of the spare room window. It's fully enclosed and covered with grass and weeds, so it looks like a ghetto garden of some sort, and sure enough, there lay the soccer ball in question.
It was safe enough, and Sanghwi thanked me profusely. And it occurred to me that since I've never taught him, he can't quite remember my name which is why he greeted me in the hallway as, "Oh, Elsa Sem. Do you have a room key for English room?" I didn't know that anybody but 1st-graders called me Elsa Sem, but it may be the go-to name for others.
2-1, 2-2 was good. Love my Soonhyuk, and Beomjoon did his part nicely, which was extra sweet considering that he did something really inappropriate toward me on Monday--something bad enough to not repeat in writing, but not bad enough to report him to the school discipline committee for. My Beomjoonie is just one of the "bad" boys at school and I have to adore him while not letting him get away with any weirdness. It's a fine line.
About 4 of my kids have added me on Facebook. I remember being furious with BY for looking up my Facebook a few months ago, and that was when he couldn't even see my timeline, but now I'm just letting the 3rd-graders add me as a friend like it's no thing. My Facebook is super kid-friendly--all I ever post is vacation photos, food photos, and stuff about the kids themselves, anyways. And how could anybody say no to Minhwe when he asks to be added? You couldn't.
-------------------------------------------
4:20 PM My poor Seunghoon (3rd grade) has a fever so bad, I can feel it in his face. He looked pitiful, so I put my hands on either side of his face and prayed for God to heal him. Poor baby has to go to hagwon after this, then school and hagwon tomorrow before he "has time" to go to the hospital on Saturday.
I don't mention Seunghoon too terribly much, but he's a constant presence in my world. He's quiet, smart, and unassuming. He's got a giving heart and one of the sweetest natures among the kids.
Tuesday, November 4, 2014
11-5-14 Persistent Colds and Speaking Tests
3:20 PM Good day. Had a nassssty cold this morning, but it cleared right up by noon. I think my colds disappear when exposed to strong sunlight because the last 3 days I've woken up feeling lame and snuffly, only to rally after 3 or 4 hours.
I had a great class with 1-7, 1-8, who have been a little nuts of late, so that was pleasant. I sat down with Jihoo and Jihoon and chatted, which led to us bonding. Jihoon is the huge-eyed baby from my spring afterschool, the one overrun by Wiliam-Jiyoon's antics. He and I made slow progress together back then, but we bumped it up a few notches today. We're laughing and teasing like true buddies.
NG and I worked out the details of the kids' speaking tests. the big scheduling issue is that we have Korean SATs for highschoolers next week on Thursday, which means that even middle schools are closed so that people can be quiet and calm for that day. Often, middle school teachers have to go and proctor that test, too.
Also, I won't be there Friday because of a culture trip the native teachers are all going on. All told, it means I'll be administering 3 speaking tests this Friday, so the kids can have their answers recorded.
In cute news, I pulled up the Korean lyrics to Roy Kim's "Bom Bom Bom" with 1-7, 1-8 and we all sang the first verse. Then I repeated the procedure with 3-1, 3-2, and they were even better--sweet voices, all together on the song. It was the best.
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I had a great class with 1-7, 1-8, who have been a little nuts of late, so that was pleasant. I sat down with Jihoo and Jihoon and chatted, which led to us bonding. Jihoon is the huge-eyed baby from my spring afterschool, the one overrun by Wiliam-Jiyoon's antics. He and I made slow progress together back then, but we bumped it up a few notches today. We're laughing and teasing like true buddies.
NG and I worked out the details of the kids' speaking tests. the big scheduling issue is that we have Korean SATs for highschoolers next week on Thursday, which means that even middle schools are closed so that people can be quiet and calm for that day. Often, middle school teachers have to go and proctor that test, too.
Also, I won't be there Friday because of a culture trip the native teachers are all going on. All told, it means I'll be administering 3 speaking tests this Friday, so the kids can have their answers recorded.
In cute news, I pulled up the Korean lyrics to Roy Kim's "Bom Bom Bom" with 1-7, 1-8 and we all sang the first verse. Then I repeated the procedure with 3-1, 3-2, and they were even better--sweet voices, all together on the song. It was the best.
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Monday, November 3, 2014
11-4-14 Yunho's Sudden Interest in Hair
2 PM Dragging a bit because I have a cold coming on. I'm not having too much of a runny nose, but just full-body tiredness.
I actually slept in the nurse's office for the 3rd and 4th class periods, and that helped more than anything. I think the way to get rid of this sickness is to sleep infinite amounts of time. I've got 2 more classes, then afterschool, but I should be okay if I move slow.
Yunho was in fine form today. He and Gicheol have been treating me with more interest lately--tapping my shoulder in the hallways, etc--and Yunho continued in that vein today. While his classmates played a computer game at the end of class, he played with my hair and asked me questions about when I would cut it, how much I would cut, etc. I told him January, and probably 4 inches.
Jungbok came by to draw a unicorn for me, and Minjoon came by to discuss dogs with me. He likes beagles.
Yeongmook came by for the first time. I haven't talked to him since the sports day, but he's pretty cool and full of interesting opinions, so I was glad he worked up the courage to visit.
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I actually slept in the nurse's office for the 3rd and 4th class periods, and that helped more than anything. I think the way to get rid of this sickness is to sleep infinite amounts of time. I've got 2 more classes, then afterschool, but I should be okay if I move slow.
Yunho was in fine form today. He and Gicheol have been treating me with more interest lately--tapping my shoulder in the hallways, etc--and Yunho continued in that vein today. While his classmates played a computer game at the end of class, he played with my hair and asked me questions about when I would cut it, how much I would cut, etc. I told him January, and probably 4 inches.
Jungbok came by to draw a unicorn for me, and Minjoon came by to discuss dogs with me. He likes beagles.
Yeongmook came by for the first time. I haven't talked to him since the sports day, but he's pretty cool and full of interesting opinions, so I was glad he worked up the courage to visit.
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