Different Teaching Shindigs

The past week has been a walk in the park. The organization that manages all of the Native English Teachers in our province puts on a new teacher orientation every semester. So a month after I started teaching, they decided they would like to train me on how to be a teacher.

The orientation is set at retreat on the side of a mountain in the middle of nowhere. We new teachers stayed there from Wednesday to Friday morning. The facilities are quite nice, complete with driving range, basketball courts, and even a piano I managed to find on the first day. The toilets are hands down the best I have ever experienced in my short life. I imagined it must be a lot like how The Jetson's live, but I won't go into further detail (it basically felt like I was controlling a spaceship). We had some (what I thought was) relevant and helpful training, and some classes that were more a waste of time. However, I did get to meet quite a few new teachers, and maybe made some friends for the future.

By the time we left the retreat on Friday morning, I was more than a little tired. In a way, I was glad to leave the surreal surroundings of westerners and western food. It was so much unlike reality here that it took me a day or two to get back into the mindset I had before. So, teacher shindig #1 complete.

The weekend weather was gorgeous. It made me feel ambitious enough to go shopping in the foreigner district of Seoul called Itaewon. Many people referred me to this location because there are supposedly many stores there that cater to the larger male specimen in Korea, such as I find myself categorized in. These clothes are in Itaewon because of the large U.S. Military presence there, so many stores are there to provide for them. I had this rare urge to buy some new clothes. Mind you, I'm not a big fan of shopping, and there's nothing I hate more than wandering aimlessly for clothes. However, I felt like making some adaptation to the Korean way, even if that meant buying a somewhat metro outfit. I knew I could still retain my American identity (maybe take some jeans and cut them at the knees when it gets warmer), but I needed that truly Korean outfit for when I went out with teachers or Korean friends. Long story short, the selection was few, and the items expensive. I tried on a pair of size '34' pants in one of the changing rooms (a curtain on a track in the middle of the room, so literally just a small circle to change in while people are walking by you shopping), and I unfortunately busted right out of those pants when I buttoned them (button projectile). So the shopping experience was a failure. Sorry Koreans, you'll just have to accept me for who I am.

This week is the mid-term exam, so the teachers all go out and have dinner together. We went to a very nice traditional Korean Restaurant where everyone sits on the ground. The main course was duck (I'm not sure if I've ever had this before, but tastes a lot like turkey). After explaining to some of the other teachers how we discipline students in the U.S., I made my way to where the principal was seated to offer him a drink (following custom of course, not out of our close personal relationship). There are many delicate rules to follow in this short procedure, and I didn't want to mess up. Just a few rules to mention; younger person uses both hands to pour drink, receive drink, doesn't look superior in the eye, turns away from superior when drinking, etc. I may have poured the principal too much maekoli (Korean rice wine), but he had already been drinking for a while, so I don't think he noticed. After the dinner, I went with the younger teachers (there seems to be a clique of them) to a noraebong (singing room) and bar. They were a lot of fun, and hopefully I'll continue to hang out with them in the future. If only I found that perfect metro Korean outfit, and I'd be the coolest guy at the school.

I learned a fun Korean phrase last week from one of my co-teachers..."Goat sem chewee," which roughly translates to 'the winter winds are jealous of the spring flowers.' Sounds more like poetry then an everyday conversation starter, but it is a saying here for acknowledging the winter weather dragging on into the spring. I've had fun saying that to pretty much any Korean I meet, and they usually are surprised a foreigner knows this saying. They're then usually more surprised that I can't understand Korean (he can't say 'hello' but he knows goat sem chewee?).

This segways perfectly into my past weekends activities. The Cherry Blossom Tree is a staple symbol of spring in South Korea. For two weeks of the year, the tree blossoms these really cool white flowers. Not really sure what happens after that, but this two week period is generally considered the beginning of spring. It came later this year, but Seoul has a large festival every year to mark the occasion. There's a large park right on the Han River, and the cherry blossom trees are everywhere. My three buddies and I hung around the park for most of the day. There was plenty of good people watching, as the sappy romantic Korean couples were out in considerable numbers. There were also plenty of performers (circus acts, live bands, ballet, you name it) out giving a free show. Afterwards, we headed to Hongdae district, which is a really cool area for nightlife in Seoul. There's a huge university located there, and the feel is very much like a dinkytown or uptown. Lots of friendly Koreans and English Teachers, and no army people (Hongdae is a designated neighborhood they aren't allowed to go to).

I finally got a cell phone last week, and it has definitely made things easier, at least in coordinating meeting up with friends. It was interesting not having one for a while, and sometimes I didn't mind it. I've got internet in the apartment now, so I should be available at more times to Skype (not just during school ours).

It'll be a short week of teaching for me this week. I have my school district (GEPIK) new teacher orientation from Wednesday to Friday. I have heard from the veteran teachers that it is a good opportunity to make some friends, and some of the things they teach us I'm sure will be helpful. Enjoy the pictures and see you next time.

Pictures:
A little girl climbed this tree so she could see over the crowd that encircled one of the street performers. So resourceful.

Me and the blossoms. Just complete bliss.

This is actually a 'Female' only parking spot. You see, the Koreans don't give much thought to if they are politically correct or not, and they have special parking spots for women drivers. The parking spot is a full meter longer than a normal spot, and much easier to parallel park...I guess women drivers here aren't so good...which is so weird because back home it's not like that at all.

Soccer Game and a new Co-teacher

Monday morning in South Korea, and another week at school is on the plate. This past weekend I spent mostly in Suwon, which was nice and more relaxing. On Friday night, I joined a huge contingent of foreigners at a Korean (K-League) Soccer game. When Korea hosted the World Cup, one of the stadiums they built is in Suwon. It is now home to the Samsung Bluewings. Samsung basically constructed and owns Suwon (their HQ is here), hense the team name. The game itself was not anywhere near full capacity, but nevertheless, it was my first pro soccer game. The section behind the home teams goal was completely full of pretty loud and rowdy fans, so that was entertaining enough.

Sunday I made my way up to Seoul for our frisbee league. The weather was really nice that day, and after our teams victory (3-0 baby), we went to the customary burger restaurant down the street from the park (the park is right on the Han River, so it is very scenic). I figured out a way to take a bus right from outside my apartment to downtown Seoul. Very convenient, and much faster than taking the subway from Seoul out to Suwon.

In other news, one of my four co-teachers is on maternity leave for the next four months. I just taught my first class today with her replacement. My old co-teacher and the replacement are in all of my 7th grade classes (probably the most difficult to keep order). I thought my old co-teacher lacked skills in crowd control, but this new teacher is letting murder get away right in front of her. It will be interesting to see if she adjusts soon, as a lenient co-teacher can make class a nightmare for us native english teachers. I guess my only other option would be to go find one of those Indiana Jones whiplashes on eBay, and lay down the law myself. If only that were a possibility...

Hope everyone is doing well. My mom and brother should be coming to visit me in about one month. This week I should be getting a cell phone and internet at my apartment. I'm almost completely acclimated!

Spring has not sprung

Annyeonghaseyo from Korea (if you plan on visiting me, you might want to remember this one word, meaning 'hello'). Today I have officially been an alien in Korea for four weeks. What a feeling and accomplishment. At this point, I'm pretty much in my weekly routine at school, although it is very much an on-the-job-training position.

As you noticed in this installments title, spring has only shown glimpses of existence here. This past weekend I joined a rowdy bunch of Badgers (Univ of Madison has a lot of teachers in my school district) on an excursion to Songnisan National Park, which is about 2-3 hours south of Seoul. It was a nice opportunity to see the contrasting rural life in Korea (something that one would doubt exists from where I live in the concrete jungle). There were beautiful mountains all around, a large Buddha statue, and our campground was free of charge (we came before the camping season started apparently). We learned why this was maybe not the most ideal time to go camping. I've never been so cold that I couldn't sleep, but I guess there's a first for everything. However, we did survive, and, smelling heavily of bonfire smoke, we made our way back home the next day. It never felt so good to crawl into my own bed.

In other news, I have met a few new people this week. By chance, I walk by a small neighborhood hair salon/coffee shop everyday when I come home from work. I hardly noticed it at first, until I noticed the Korean babe who was consistently standing behind the counter. Everytime I walk by, there is definitely some sustained eye contact. So naturally I was intrigued. I slowly mustered up the courage to smile at her, and once this was successful, I upgraded to the wave. One thing must lead to another, and I couldn't think of another gesture that follows the wave, so I decided that I had to go buy a cup of coffee from her. After chickening out a few times, I had to psyche myself up, like a pro athlete before the big game, and I finally made it to checkpoint Charlie. I quickly came to realize that she spoke very little English, and that the older woman in the shop was her mother. However, they were both very nice and we attempted to communicate for a short while. I learned that she teaches at a university nearby during the day, and very little else. But how exhilirating! Enough about my cliched romance...
Anyways, I also met another white person in my neighborhood. She also teaches at a middle school, and is on her second year. She is also quite a bit older than me, but at least I have a few tsentsai's in the neighborhood to give me advice and grab some dinner from time to time.

Above pic: The oldest remaining wooden temple in Korea. It's about 600 years old. I guess most of the major ones burned down either by natural causes or some occupying country destroying them.

Below pic: A large golden Buddha statue in the temple complex in the foreground of the surrounding mountains.