Specifically here:
Thursday, July 28, 2011
DAEJEON!
I'll be spending my year at an all-girls public high school in the fifth largest city in Korea... I can't even begin to express how excited I am about my placement. More about this later, I'm off to go celebrate!!!
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
The Sorting Hat
This afternoon, we attended a workshop led by George Sholtz, a Regional English Language Officer from the U.S. State Department. Immediately after the lecture, we were given some exciting news. On Thursday, July 28th, we will find out our placements for the year! We were warned that it'd be sometime in early August, but I didn't expect that it'd be so soon!
In many ways, it reminds me of the Sorting Hat scene from Harry Potter, hoping not to be placed in a bad location (Slytherin House), yet secretly knowing that we have little control over this decision.
In many ways, it reminds me of the Sorting Hat scene from Harry Potter, hoping not to be placed in a bad location (Slytherin House), yet secretly knowing that we have little control over this decision.
I can try speculating where I'll end up but I doubt it's worth the effort. There's only one thing that I do know. Until Thursday night arrives, I will be anxious mess. In other news, I am finally up to date with blogging! Let's see how long I can keep this up.
Time for Seoul Searching
July 23 - July 24
So this weekend, we finally made our way to Seoul. Two hours and 10,200 won (less than $10) later, we arrived with nothing but our backpacks and adventurous spirits. Fortunately, Rachel, our Korean friend from Glee Club, came with us and helped us find the subway station, put money on the metro card, and get on the right line to our hostel. I highly doubt we could've done it without her. She's a gem. Our hostel was located in Hongdae, the entertainment neighborhood in the Mapo-gu district of northwest Seoul. Mapo-gu is home to quite a few universities, including Ewha Women's University (where my grandma attended), so the area was super lively and filled with young people.
Our accommodation was a little apartment owned by the sweet Mr. Moon. He greeted us with open arms and a warm smile. The place was well-furnished, in a convenient location, and able to accommodate all of 7 us in one room. We couldn't have asked for anything better. We spent a couple hours walking around, window-shopping and people watching. And that night, we got our dancing fix at a local hip-hop club and had our fill of late-night street food. Although we discovered that Koreans don't really dance (just perform choreographed hand motions to every song), we had a fantastic time fist-pumping to the music and drawing unnecessary attention to ourselves.
The next morning, we woke-up and had burgers for brunch. Now, we may be enjoying our time in Korea but sometimes, comfort food is all you need. Then, we hopped on the subway to visit Dongdaemun Design Plaza & Park. It's a large urban development project, which was intended to be completed in 2010 to coincide with Seoul's designation as the Design Capital of the World. Although it's still under construction, it was still an impressive sight and I hope I'll have the opportunity to see the finished product in the future.
After that, we walked several blocks to Cheonggyecheon, a lovely recreational space in downtown Seoul, where both locals and tourists like to unwind. It was amazing to witness this calm, flowing stream amidst Seoul's massive, urban skyscrapers. This was definitely my favorite part of the trip. While dipping my feet in the cool water and soaking in my surroundings, I completely lost track of where I was. After 3 stressful weeks at Jungwon, my trip to Seoul turned out to be an incredibly renewing experience.
In conclusion, Seoul is awesome. There's so much more I want to see, especially the Five Grand Palaces. Luckily, the entire Fulbright crew will be heading to Seoul in 3 weeks, as a final hurrah before we go our separate ways. I am already counting down the days! Last but not least, here's a photo of us in the hostel. Mr. Moon keeps a Wall of Fame to remember his favorite guests. Obviously, we made the cut.
So this weekend, we finally made our way to Seoul. Two hours and 10,200 won (less than $10) later, we arrived with nothing but our backpacks and adventurous spirits. Fortunately, Rachel, our Korean friend from Glee Club, came with us and helped us find the subway station, put money on the metro card, and get on the right line to our hostel. I highly doubt we could've done it without her. She's a gem. Our hostel was located in Hongdae, the entertainment neighborhood in the Mapo-gu district of northwest Seoul. Mapo-gu is home to quite a few universities, including Ewha Women's University (where my grandma attended), so the area was super lively and filled with young people.
Our accommodation was a little apartment owned by the sweet Mr. Moon. He greeted us with open arms and a warm smile. The place was well-furnished, in a convenient location, and able to accommodate all of 7 us in one room. We couldn't have asked for anything better. We spent a couple hours walking around, window-shopping and people watching. And that night, we got our dancing fix at a local hip-hop club and had our fill of late-night street food. Although we discovered that Koreans don't really dance (just perform choreographed hand motions to every song), we had a fantastic time fist-pumping to the music and drawing unnecessary attention to ourselves.
The next morning, we woke-up and had burgers for brunch. Now, we may be enjoying our time in Korea but sometimes, comfort food is all you need. Then, we hopped on the subway to visit Dongdaemun Design Plaza & Park. It's a large urban development project, which was intended to be completed in 2010 to coincide with Seoul's designation as the Design Capital of the World. Although it's still under construction, it was still an impressive sight and I hope I'll have the opportunity to see the finished product in the future.
After that, we walked several blocks to Cheonggyecheon, a lovely recreational space in downtown Seoul, where both locals and tourists like to unwind. It was amazing to witness this calm, flowing stream amidst Seoul's massive, urban skyscrapers. This was definitely my favorite part of the trip. While dipping my feet in the cool water and soaking in my surroundings, I completely lost track of where I was. After 3 stressful weeks at Jungwon, my trip to Seoul turned out to be an incredibly renewing experience.
In conclusion, Seoul is awesome. There's so much more I want to see, especially the Five Grand Palaces. Luckily, the entire Fulbright crew will be heading to Seoul in 3 weeks, as a final hurrah before we go our separate ways. I am already counting down the days! Last but not least, here's a photo of us in the hostel. Mr. Moon keeps a Wall of Fame to remember his favorite guests. Obviously, we made the cut.
Monday, July 25, 2011
A Lesson in Lesson Planning
July 18 - July 22
And so, I find myself back at Jungwon University, reminiscing about the weekend and bracing myself for the crazy weeks ahead. Monday, July 18th marked the first day of Camp Fulbright. In the morning, I sat in on the Low Advanced class that I signed up to teach on Tuesday and Friday. I was immediately taken aback by their impressive vocabulary and speaking skills. Frankly, it was a little intimidating to realize that in 24 hours, I'd be up in front of the room, leading the class. After the morning observation, I headed to Korean class and took my second language test. Fortunately, I felt confident about the test and was able move on with my day. If there's anything that Smith has taught me, it's how to function on minimal sleep and retain information after cramming the night before.
In the afternoon, I finally got to meet Dara, a 2009 Smith graduate, 2009-2011 Fulbright Korea Grantee, and bundle of sheer awesomeness. She was visiting to give a supplemental talk on volunteering in Korea, specifically at children's homes: something that I, too hope to pursue during my grant year. Afterwards, Kim (another Smith '11 grad) and I went out to dinner with Dara and got to probe her brain about school placements, homestays, and lesson planning. It was great to hear about her experiences and begin to imagine what mine will be like. Even the other side of the world, it's incredibly comforting to know that the Smith connection ties us all together.
On Tuesday, July 19th, I taught my first English lesson. To my surprise, it went extremely well and the students seemed genuinely interested in my lesson on President Obama and electoral campaigns. They especially enjoyed the Electoral Ballot activity, in which I provided names of fake candidates and their platforms, and asked students whether they would support this candidate and why. For example: "Britney Spears is running for President. She wants to raise the minimum wage. Will you vote for her and why." For this specific example, everyone voted Yes, except one boy. When I asked him why he wouldn't support Britney, he eloquently explained that his parents own three restaurants and have 20 employees. If the minimum wage were increased, he argued, his parents would be forced to bear the burden and pay a greater proportion of their annual income for people who did not rightfully earn this additional salary. Needless to say, I was extremely impressed by the students' critical thinking skills. I am confident that several of these Korean students can verbalize their thoughts better than some native English speakers.
This activity was great because it introduced a ton of new, useful vocabulary; while capturing the students' attention with photos of American celebrities. Several of the girls even asked to keep the picture of Justin Bieber. These kids may be smart, but they're still pre-teens at heart. Following that activity, I had the students write campaign promises, as if they were running for President of the United States. Then, I asked the students to share their campaign promises in small groups and nominate the person with the best campaign promises as their candidate. Lastly, I had all the candidates read their campaign promises out loud and the entire class got to vote who should be the President. As a reward, I gave postcards from Washington, D.C. to the winning candidates. After my lesson, I received constructive feedback from a peer and a Camp Instructor. I need to work on talking slowly and writing on the chalkboard more. But overall, it was a great first teaching experience and definitely boosted my confidence for lessons to come.
On Thursday, July 21st, the Placement Preference form was due. In terms of requesting a location for the upcoming year, there are so many factors to consider: school size, gender ratio, proximity to friends, urban/rural placement, extra-curricular activities, etc. But after much consideration, I realized that my utmost priority is to be placed in a centrally located transportation hub, which will allow me to see as much of Korea as possible. Around August 1st, I can expect to hear back about my placement. Until then, I will be sitting here anxiously, awaiting the big news.
On Friday, July 22nd, I taught my second lesson on how to evaluate the pros and cons of being an everyday hero. Having already taught this class, I struggled to come up with a lesson that would be challenging enough for these students. I eventually settled upon the idea of a classroom debate. I spent a lot of time explaining the logistics of a debate because I knew that this was a concept that was quite foreign to them. However, students still seemed confused at the beginning and needed me to push them to collaborate as a group. After some time, there was a moment of epiphany and students really got into the debate activity. By the end, they were having a full-fledged discussion back-and-forth with one another. They were able to refute the opposing team’s arguments and provide convincing arguments for their side, without having to be prompted to speak. Unfortunately, due to time constraints, I had to cut off the debate when it was finally getting good. Nonetheless, I am relieved that both lessons were so well-received.
I will now leave you with very prototypical Korean photo. Say Kimchi, everyone!
And so, I find myself back at Jungwon University, reminiscing about the weekend and bracing myself for the crazy weeks ahead. Monday, July 18th marked the first day of Camp Fulbright. In the morning, I sat in on the Low Advanced class that I signed up to teach on Tuesday and Friday. I was immediately taken aback by their impressive vocabulary and speaking skills. Frankly, it was a little intimidating to realize that in 24 hours, I'd be up in front of the room, leading the class. After the morning observation, I headed to Korean class and took my second language test. Fortunately, I felt confident about the test and was able move on with my day. If there's anything that Smith has taught me, it's how to function on minimal sleep and retain information after cramming the night before.
In the afternoon, I finally got to meet Dara, a 2009 Smith graduate, 2009-2011 Fulbright Korea Grantee, and bundle of sheer awesomeness. She was visiting to give a supplemental talk on volunteering in Korea, specifically at children's homes: something that I, too hope to pursue during my grant year. Afterwards, Kim (another Smith '11 grad) and I went out to dinner with Dara and got to probe her brain about school placements, homestays, and lesson planning. It was great to hear about her experiences and begin to imagine what mine will be like. Even the other side of the world, it's incredibly comforting to know that the Smith connection ties us all together.
On Tuesday, July 19th, I taught my first English lesson. To my surprise, it went extremely well and the students seemed genuinely interested in my lesson on President Obama and electoral campaigns. They especially enjoyed the Electoral Ballot activity, in which I provided names of fake candidates and their platforms, and asked students whether they would support this candidate and why. For example: "Britney Spears is running for President. She wants to raise the minimum wage. Will you vote for her and why." For this specific example, everyone voted Yes, except one boy. When I asked him why he wouldn't support Britney, he eloquently explained that his parents own three restaurants and have 20 employees. If the minimum wage were increased, he argued, his parents would be forced to bear the burden and pay a greater proportion of their annual income for people who did not rightfully earn this additional salary. Needless to say, I was extremely impressed by the students' critical thinking skills. I am confident that several of these Korean students can verbalize their thoughts better than some native English speakers.
This activity was great because it introduced a ton of new, useful vocabulary; while capturing the students' attention with photos of American celebrities. Several of the girls even asked to keep the picture of Justin Bieber. These kids may be smart, but they're still pre-teens at heart. Following that activity, I had the students write campaign promises, as if they were running for President of the United States. Then, I asked the students to share their campaign promises in small groups and nominate the person with the best campaign promises as their candidate. Lastly, I had all the candidates read their campaign promises out loud and the entire class got to vote who should be the President. As a reward, I gave postcards from Washington, D.C. to the winning candidates. After my lesson, I received constructive feedback from a peer and a Camp Instructor. I need to work on talking slowly and writing on the chalkboard more. But overall, it was a great first teaching experience and definitely boosted my confidence for lessons to come.
On Thursday, July 21st, the Placement Preference form was due. In terms of requesting a location for the upcoming year, there are so many factors to consider: school size, gender ratio, proximity to friends, urban/rural placement, extra-curricular activities, etc. But after much consideration, I realized that my utmost priority is to be placed in a centrally located transportation hub, which will allow me to see as much of Korea as possible. Around August 1st, I can expect to hear back about my placement. Until then, I will be sitting here anxiously, awaiting the big news.
On Friday, July 22nd, I taught my second lesson on how to evaluate the pros and cons of being an everyday hero. Having already taught this class, I struggled to come up with a lesson that would be challenging enough for these students. I eventually settled upon the idea of a classroom debate. I spent a lot of time explaining the logistics of a debate because I knew that this was a concept that was quite foreign to them. However, students still seemed confused at the beginning and needed me to push them to collaborate as a group. After some time, there was a moment of epiphany and students really got into the debate activity. By the end, they were having a full-fledged discussion back-and-forth with one another. They were able to refute the opposing team’s arguments and provide convincing arguments for their side, without having to be prompted to speak. Unfortunately, due to time constraints, I had to cut off the debate when it was finally getting good. Nonetheless, I am relieved that both lessons were so well-received.
I will now leave you with very prototypical Korean photo. Say Kimchi, everyone!
The Jersey Shore - Korean Style
July 15 - July 17
So this weekend, we shipped off to Donghae Beach for an all-expense paid mini-vacation. It was an absolute blast! The KAEC put us up in a swanky hotel, fed us way too much food, and basically laid out the red carpet for us. The hotel, owned by the same guy who owns Jungwon University, was another marble palace with Grecian columns and luxurious decor. But it proved to be a serious upgrade, when we found out it was connected to the beach by an over-head walkway. Here are pictures of the hotel, the walkway, a delicious mystery stew that we had for lunch, and my roommates for the weekend, Korena and Meredith.
After lunch, we were given time to unpack a bit and got settled into our hotel room. Much to our surprise, there was a Western-style bed waiting for us. This struck us as quite odd, since Koreans typically sleep on floor mats . But we surely didn't mind and later, we found out that we got the pimped-out room; while everyone else was left to complain of a stiff back the next morning. After that, we attended a cultural workshop on Buddhist traditions and then hopped on a bus to visit a Korean Buddhist Temple in the stunning Samhwasa valley. It was absolutely beautiful there and I took a ton of pictures of the giant boulders, lush greenery, and gentle streams.
We were given an hour to wander around the temple and relax. However, I and several other adventurous folks has other plans. On a city map, we saw that there was a waterfall rather close to the temple. And of course, we just had to see it. Despite the fact that it was 2.7 km directly uphill and my wardrobe choices, were, in NO WAY, conducive to hiking (A Ralph Lauren button down, slim black ankle-length trousers, and chic little black sandals are not intended for roughing it), we decided to set off on an adventure. At the end, it was I and three other guys who made it up the whole way. Here's me in front of the waterfall (Please excuse my grossness), and a photo of the hiking team once we reached flat ground.
Before leaving for the weekend, I checked the weather forecast and was disheartened to learn that it was supposed to rain the whole time, with a tsunami warning for Japan and the southeast Korea. However, the all-powerful Mrs. Shim worked her magic and it was sunny for our entire trip! On Saturday, July 16th, we woke up rather early and headed straight to the beach. There, we stayed for several hours, swimming in the East Sea and catching too many rays (Painful sunburn and leper-like peeling commenced later that week). Afterwards, we ate PIZZA for lunch on the boardwalk and then quickly went back to the hotel to shower. Lactose intolerance, be damned. Nothing will stop me from enjoying a delicious cheesy slice of pizza (maybe unless I run out of lactard pills - now that would be tragic).
In the afternoon, we headed to the Cheongok Cave in the heart of downtown Donghae. It was only discovered in 1991, while city officials were working on a development project. Upon arrival, we were required to strap on bulky helmets. Initially I scoffed at the idea of helmet hair, but it certainly proved useful when we were squeezing through narrow passageways and low clearances. After that, we walked through a nearby park and ran into a group of ajummas, a.k.a. old, little Korean ladies. They were super excited to see foreigners and demanded that we sing a song for them. We ended up serenading them with the National Anthem, as it was the only song that all of us knew. Then we took a picture with them, and I tried on one of their epic visors. I'm sure that's what the Fulbright office was referring to when they stressed the importance of cultural ambassadorship and mutual understanding!
Then, we began a two-hour walk back to our hotel. It was a lot of walking, but a great way to get out and explore the quaint city center along the waterfront. I took several photos, which I think capture the essence of small-town Korean culture. Here are some of my favorites.
Along the way, we worked up quite an appetite and were greeted with mounds of 삼겹살, a fatty three-layer pork belly meat for dinner. I'm still drooling from that meal. On Sunday, July 17th, we stopped by at a museum before we headed back home. The museum had an eclectic mix of odd cave-like art, ancient pottery, fossils from all over the world. No surprise, it was the private collection of the wealthy owner of Jungwon University and the Grand Tourist Hotel. One has to wonder - did Fulbright get a package deal?! Frankly, I think that some of those artifacts were fakes. But that's beyond the point. It was an amazing weekend and so wonderful to get away from the monotony of Goesan and Orientation training.
I feel like I'm learning a lot about myself every day. For example, after the hike, I was dripping in sweat and nearly ruined my sandals. But I didn't care. I felt proud for keeping up and overwhelmed with a feeling of nostalgia. While I was abroad in the Netherlands, I definitely caught the traveling bug. I visited 13 countries in Europe in five months and loved every second of it. Whenever I travel, I make it a priority to see as much as possible and try new things. To some, traveling is a relaxing pastime, which presents an opportunity to simply sit back and take in the scenery. But that's never been the case with me. I need to be in the scenery, get my hands dirty, and soak in everything around me.
So this weekend, we shipped off to Donghae Beach for an all-expense paid mini-vacation. It was an absolute blast! The KAEC put us up in a swanky hotel, fed us way too much food, and basically laid out the red carpet for us. The hotel, owned by the same guy who owns Jungwon University, was another marble palace with Grecian columns and luxurious decor. But it proved to be a serious upgrade, when we found out it was connected to the beach by an over-head walkway. Here are pictures of the hotel, the walkway, a delicious mystery stew that we had for lunch, and my roommates for the weekend, Korena and Meredith.
After lunch, we were given time to unpack a bit and got settled into our hotel room. Much to our surprise, there was a Western-style bed waiting for us. This struck us as quite odd, since Koreans typically sleep on floor mats . But we surely didn't mind and later, we found out that we got the pimped-out room; while everyone else was left to complain of a stiff back the next morning. After that, we attended a cultural workshop on Buddhist traditions and then hopped on a bus to visit a Korean Buddhist Temple in the stunning Samhwasa valley. It was absolutely beautiful there and I took a ton of pictures of the giant boulders, lush greenery, and gentle streams.
We were given an hour to wander around the temple and relax. However, I and several other adventurous folks has other plans. On a city map, we saw that there was a waterfall rather close to the temple. And of course, we just had to see it. Despite the fact that it was 2.7 km directly uphill and my wardrobe choices, were, in NO WAY, conducive to hiking (A Ralph Lauren button down, slim black ankle-length trousers, and chic little black sandals are not intended for roughing it), we decided to set off on an adventure. At the end, it was I and three other guys who made it up the whole way. Here's me in front of the waterfall (Please excuse my grossness), and a photo of the hiking team once we reached flat ground.
Before leaving for the weekend, I checked the weather forecast and was disheartened to learn that it was supposed to rain the whole time, with a tsunami warning for Japan and the southeast Korea. However, the all-powerful Mrs. Shim worked her magic and it was sunny for our entire trip! On Saturday, July 16th, we woke up rather early and headed straight to the beach. There, we stayed for several hours, swimming in the East Sea and catching too many rays (Painful sunburn and leper-like peeling commenced later that week). Afterwards, we ate PIZZA for lunch on the boardwalk and then quickly went back to the hotel to shower. Lactose intolerance, be damned. Nothing will stop me from enjoying a delicious cheesy slice of pizza (maybe unless I run out of lactard pills - now that would be tragic).
Then, we began a two-hour walk back to our hotel. It was a lot of walking, but a great way to get out and explore the quaint city center along the waterfront. I took several photos, which I think capture the essence of small-town Korean culture. Here are some of my favorites.
Along the way, we worked up quite an appetite and were greeted with mounds of 삼겹살, a fatty three-layer pork belly meat for dinner. I'm still drooling from that meal. On Sunday, July 17th, we stopped by at a museum before we headed back home. The museum had an eclectic mix of odd cave-like art, ancient pottery, fossils from all over the world. No surprise, it was the private collection of the wealthy owner of Jungwon University and the Grand Tourist Hotel. One has to wonder - did Fulbright get a package deal?! Frankly, I think that some of those artifacts were fakes. But that's beyond the point. It was an amazing weekend and so wonderful to get away from the monotony of Goesan and Orientation training.
I feel like I'm learning a lot about myself every day. For example, after the hike, I was dripping in sweat and nearly ruined my sandals. But I didn't care. I felt proud for keeping up and overwhelmed with a feeling of nostalgia. While I was abroad in the Netherlands, I definitely caught the traveling bug. I visited 13 countries in Europe in five months and loved every second of it. Whenever I travel, I make it a priority to see as much as possible and try new things. To some, traveling is a relaxing pastime, which presents an opportunity to simply sit back and take in the scenery. But that's never been the case with me. I need to be in the scenery, get my hands dirty, and soak in everything around me.
Thursday, July 21, 2011
Plan for the Worst, But Prepare for the Best
July 11 - July 14
Life at Jungwon University has been pretty wonderful. They're keeping us insanely busy but I'm certainly enjoying myself. The best part so far has been the people that I've met. A group of us got together and did morning yoga outside on the veranda. It was beautiful and a great way to start the day. Here are some pictures of my dorm room and the aforementioned yoga session. Kindly note that the bathroom doesn't have a separate shower space, and there's a little step where you must take off your shoes before you enter your room. Yup, subtle reminders that Korea is a long way from home.
Life at Jungwon University has been pretty wonderful. They're keeping us insanely busy but I'm certainly enjoying myself. The best part so far has been the people that I've met. A group of us got together and did morning yoga outside on the veranda. It was beautiful and a great way to start the day. Here are some pictures of my dorm room and the aforementioned yoga session. Kindly note that the bathroom doesn't have a separate shower space, and there's a little step where you must take off your shoes before you enter your room. Yup, subtle reminders that Korea is a long way from home.
Week 2 started off with a bang. Oh right, you're still jet-lagged and have had only three Korean classes? No big deal, here's a test you must take first thing Monday morning. And did we mention that it's entirely in Korean?! As you can imagine, after I got back from the Fortress visit, I stayed up 'til some ungodly hour and crammed in as much Korean as physically possible. In some ways, it feels very much like being in college again. Late nights studying, chugging coffee to make it through the day, and going out after-hours. Except, we have very little down time. From 9am-9pm they have us committed to 4 hours of daily language classes, mandatory cultural/teaching workshops in the afternoon, extracurriculars in the early evening, and then tedious assignments with strict deadlines in the evening. I can't wait until I have a permanent school placement for the year. From the looks of it, relaxation will have to wait until then.
On Tuesday, July 12th, our first lesson plan was due. From July 18-July 30, Camp Fulbright will take over Jungwon University and our already hectic lives. CF is an intensive English immersion program that the best and brightest Korean students attend over their summer break. As part of Orientation, each of us Fulbrights are required to teach 3 CF classes. For the first two classes, I will be teaching the Low Advanced class (the second highest level); but for the third class, I will be team-teaching a Low Beginner class (the absolute lowest level). Talk about one extreme to another. The overall theme of the camp is "Heroes" and each day has a subtopic, which must be reflected in the lesson plan. For my first lesson, the daily theme is "American Heroes" and I wanted to use this opportunity to share my passion for American politics and the electoral process.
As many of you know, I'm an absolute political junkie, who devours online blogs and newspapers by the dozen. So naturally, I designed my lesson around Barack Obama and his 2008 Presidential Campaign. For my lesson, I wanted student to brainstorm why Obama can be considered an American hero, evaluate political platforms, and lastly, write campaign promises, as if they were running for President of the United States. I am meeting with a Camp Instructor (a former Fulbright) in a few days to get feedback about my lesson plan. I am hoping that this lesson will be success. If all else fails, I will be overly enthusiastic and convince my students that Barack and I are best friends.
On Wednesday, July 13th, we were visited by some important people from the U.S. Embassy in Seoul. They had a ton of fascinating stuff to say and told us what to do if we had an emergency abroad, e.g. medical problem, incarceration, lost travel documents, etc. I surely am not anticipating that any of these things will happen. But as Mama Kim would say, it's always better to be safe than sorry.
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
Catching Up
Okay, so I will be the first to admit that I've been an utter failure at blogging the last 2 weeks. I blame the fact that organizing and editing photos is such a time-consuming chore. I've been putting it off as much as possible, but now it's time to catch you up. So much has happened that I can barely make sense of it all. Yet in retrospect, it's kind of nice to sit here and reflect upon my first couple weeks in Korea.
They've been full of momentous occasions, first-time encounters, and the early stages to some great friendships. From now on, I will try to be more diligent with blogging. My family and friends back home deserve to know what's going on in my life, and I want to look back at this experience and remember all the precious details. Thanks for sticking by me, procrastination and all. The next couple blog posts will provide a recap of everything that's happened the past two weeks.
July 6 - July 10
On Friday, July 8th, we had a day off from Korean language class and got to observe an English class taught by a current Fulbright. So I woke up at the crack of dawn, chugged a cup (likely more) of cawfee, and boarded a bus to Daejeon, the fifth largest city in Korea. There, we were greeted by the lovely Rachael who works at a co-ed high school, with gender-segregated classes. As soon as we arrived, we were swarmed by tons of energetic Korean students, who waved at us, screamed "hi," and then ran away. The kids weren't too interested with me, as I look just like them. But they were fascinated with the blondes, told the token black kid that he looks like Will Smith, and bombarded the boys in our group with choruses of "Awh my gadt, he so hahndsum!"
We observed both a high level boys class and a low level girls class. I was most struck by how difficult it was, at times, to get the students to participate. While the boys were at an advanced level, their shyness and hesitancy hindered their ability to demonstrate their knowledge. Consequently, it seemed that levels of the two classes were reversed. Built only five years ago, the school is likely one of the nicest that I'll ever see in Korea. There's even a beautiful roof top garden where students like to hang out between classes. But this peaceful haven cannot mask the overwhelming stress that Korean students face. Students arrive at school at 7:30am, have class until 4pm, participate in extra classes for another couple hours, have a quick dinner break, and then have mandatory study time until 11 or 12, where they cram for exams. And when the students finally get to go home for 5 hours of sleep, the last thing they see is a clock that counts down how many days are left until the National College Entrance Exam - a ticking time bomb of sorts. Whew, I'll never complain about my workload again!
On Sunday, July 10, I got to go on an excursion to Sangdang Santseong Fortress Wall in Cheongju with twelve others. We took the public bus directly from Goesan to Cheongju. It was an hour ride and only cost ₩5600, or about 5 dollars. Public transportation is ridiculously cheap here. I can't wait to take advantage of it and see as much of Korea as I possibly can! It was cloudy and drizzling all day but we had a fantastic time. The hike up the hill was more intense than I thought it would be. Yet it was totally worth it when we got to the top and had a picturesque view of the city and nearby mountains.
After the long hike, we were all 1) exhausted, and 2) HUNGRY! So we ended up a a little restaurant by the fortress entrance that serves mountain food, which uses very fresh vegetables. The food was absolutely delicious. We sat there for over an hour gorging ourselves on scallion pancakes, tofu, kimchi, and lots of different vegetables. But the star of the show was definitely the 순두부 (soft tofu stew). It was so spicy that my eyes were tearing up but I was in food heaven!
All in all, it was a wonderful first week in Korea. I am so happy I'm here and I'm already anticipating my next culinary journey! ∧∧
They've been full of momentous occasions, first-time encounters, and the early stages to some great friendships. From now on, I will try to be more diligent with blogging. My family and friends back home deserve to know what's going on in my life, and I want to look back at this experience and remember all the precious details. Thanks for sticking by me, procrastination and all. The next couple blog posts will provide a recap of everything that's happened the past two weeks.
July 6 - July 10
On Wednesday, July 6th, we received a visit from the all-important folks at the Korean-American Educational Commission (KAEC), a.k.a. the people who run the Fulbright Korea program and personally chose me as one of the grantees. As you can imagine, this was a huge event and everyone looked super classy.
We observed both a high level boys class and a low level girls class. I was most struck by how difficult it was, at times, to get the students to participate. While the boys were at an advanced level, their shyness and hesitancy hindered their ability to demonstrate their knowledge. Consequently, it seemed that levels of the two classes were reversed. Built only five years ago, the school is likely one of the nicest that I'll ever see in Korea. There's even a beautiful roof top garden where students like to hang out between classes. But this peaceful haven cannot mask the overwhelming stress that Korean students face. Students arrive at school at 7:30am, have class until 4pm, participate in extra classes for another couple hours, have a quick dinner break, and then have mandatory study time until 11 or 12, where they cram for exams. And when the students finally get to go home for 5 hours of sleep, the last thing they see is a clock that counts down how many days are left until the National College Entrance Exam - a ticking time bomb of sorts. Whew, I'll never complain about my workload again!
After the long hike, we were all 1) exhausted, and 2) HUNGRY! So we ended up a a little restaurant by the fortress entrance that serves mountain food, which uses very fresh vegetables. The food was absolutely delicious. We sat there for over an hour gorging ourselves on scallion pancakes, tofu, kimchi, and lots of different vegetables. But the star of the show was definitely the 순두부 (soft tofu stew). It was so spicy that my eyes were tearing up but I was in food heaven!
All in all, it was a wonderful first week in Korea. I am so happy I'm here and I'm already anticipating my next culinary journey! ∧∧
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)