Spring Vacation?

Alright, in college, we had our spring vacation at the very end of February. But I just started my Korean spring vacation on the 15th! A little strange, honestly. We came back for one week of school that consisted of half-days and no real teaching, and now we're on a two week break again. The kids all had their graduation ceremonies, and one of my favorite students told me that has to transfer schools for next semester! It was actually pretty sad, considering she was one of the girls in my extra class that I've come to really respect. It's going to be strange having English classes without her for the rest of the year. :( She and her friend (who is also in the extra class) made me a huge box of chocolates for Valentine's day! They made a huge chocolate heart and used white chocolate to write " love J & D" for me and Dean. There was also an assortment of homemade white chocolates. It was a really, really cute gift.

One of my co-teachers is leaving! She and I used to talk about things like Sex and the City and Friends in class when our students were watching a movie or doing worksheets. Apparently, the new teacher has been teaching for about 30 years, so that dashed my hopes of having another young co-teacher. Also, 7 other Munsung teachers are transferring to new schools. In Korea, you work in a public school for 5 years and then the education department moves you to a different school. They're also moving our English department desks to a corner near the door, which is a huge relief to me. My desk has been the most central desk in the whole staff room, so every time a parent or a package delivery person comes through, they always stop and ask me where things are. Awkward.

Oh! So things are really changing with the English policies in the public schools. According to one of my co-teachers, they all got memos during their winter holidays that they will now be required to teach all of their English lessons fully in English. While this may not seem too huge to many people, it should be known that most kids coming into middle school really can't speak English. They just don't have enough support and good programs in their elementary schools. So the idea of teaching things like English grammar *in* English sounds insane. But the government is pretty serious about this change and they're going to be sending in people to watch every English class taught by a Korean. If they can't teach the whole class in English, the teacher will be forced to teach another subject. It doesn't affect me, but it's definitely stressing many, many English teachers out.

On Friday, some TLBU people met up with us CUA people, and we ended up running into some fellow SMOE guys! A typical night in Hongdae.


Today, Dean and I spent hours out in the city, just walking around and window shopping.






We also ended up down by the Han River




This picture is a bit blurry, unfortunately.






This was from the Teenie Weenie store in Myeongdong. They had these guys in top hats standing at the door to open it for you. Earlier, when it was sunny, one of them was just posing by this really tall, 1900s style bicycle. He just stood there and smiled like a gentleman. It was weird.

Namdaemun destroyed

On a really tragic note, one of Korea's most famous structures was destroyed yesterday. Due to arson, of all horrible things. Namdaemun, or the Great South Gate, was about 700 years old. It stood in the middle of traffic, making it a popular picture of tradition standing amidst modernity. The Korean people are, naturally, pretty devastated.









And this is what it looked like before




These pictures are not mine--borrowed from flickr.com

Going Home

I can't believe it! By this time tomorrow, I will be on a plane coming home! I'm actually in a pretty bad mood--packing and last minute errands really frustrate me. Plus, just trying to get the airport is going to be an adventure. My room is totally wrecked and we need to drop Blue off at Erica's this evening. *sigh*

I'm too lazy for a real update. Sorry!

So this is the new year...

Sorry that this entry is a tad overdue! I can't even use the excuse that I've been busy, because I honestly haven't. On Thursday, I started my 5 day winter camp, believing it would be 11 students (all 7th graders) for 4 hours each day. But when I showed up for class, only 6 students were there and I was told by all of them (including my most honest, trustworthy student) that their Korean teachers had told them that class was only 3 hours. Since only about five or six (out of about forty-five) teachers have to come in for a winter camp, there isn't exactly anyone to ask. So...*shrug* It has cut my planning down a lot and allowed for more flexibility in the schedule. I usually wait for about 10-15 minutes for the students to trickle in (at 9:30, there's usually only 1 or 2 students there), then we do speaking activities/games for about 40 minutes. They get a 5-7 minute break, then we start with writing. This includes grammar worksheets, vocab, and creative writing. Finally, after another short break, we play Scrabble for about 30 minutes and then round off the day by watching Pan's Labyrinth. I really wanted to show them a fun movie that would help them with listening skills, but I couldn't find ANY that were subtitled and my DVD player on my classroom computer is broken. So I checked out Pan's Labyrinth and the subtitles aren't too difficult, plus it helps them with speed reading. They've really enjoyed it so far, as dark as it is. I would *never* consider showing this to an American middle school class, but my Korean students are watching things like Saw 4 and 28 Days Later in their homeroom classes...so...Koreans don't really take the age ratings as seriously as Americans.

But really, I love my kids. I have two new boys in the class, but they're pretty sweet, even if their level is below that of the girls. And my girls...what can I say. I have such high hopes for them, especially Narae, the Korean version of Hermione from Harry Potter. When I first met her, she seemed so goody-goody and studious, but after having her every Wednesday and Friday in my afternoon class, I realize how sarcastic and silly she can be. She and her two friends, Jisu and Gyeonghye, are a bit like a three-headed hurricane in the class. Even though they listen well when they know they should be listening, as soon as we're playing a game or doing partner work, they turn spastic. With Narae as the sarcastic, witty one, Gyeonghye as the shameless and the mischevious one, and Jisu as relaxed, classic-rock lover, they make an interesting trio. I hope they stay friends even after they move into high school.

The CUA crew went out to dinner in Itaewon on Friday that finished around 11 pm. Dean and I parted ways with the rest of the gals and made it all the way back to Sadang (our second transfer station) before we realized that we didn't want to just go watch tv in the apartment. So on an impulse, we hopped back on the blue line and headed towards Dongdaemun, Seoul's most famous shopping district. It's comprised of about a dozen or so giant buildings, filled with boutiques and stores of jewelry, sunglasses, shoes, bags, women's clothes, men's clothes, fake purses, scarves, etc. The stores there stay open until 5 AM and re-open at 10:30 AM. There were tons of shoppers out and we didn't leave until 3 AM. It was a good, good time.

The Cheonggye Stream runs right beside Dongdaemun, so Dean and I strolled around the stream for a little bit. Here's Dean posing in his great new jacket on some of the stones.


I'm standing in front of the actual Dongdaemun--the East Gate.


Dean outside of Doota, one of the most popular buildings in Dongdaemun.


Another picture in front of Doota. Fashion is...exciting, passion, freedom, creativity, expression, ART.

Should auld acquaintance be forgot...

Happy 2008, everyone! I had a great New Year's celebration with a somewhat random assortment of friends, acquaintances, and strangers. This week has been a blast thus far, since my classes officially finished on the 28th. Somehow, Dean and I ended up in Hongdae Friday, Saturday, and last night/this morning! We'd been paid, were happy to have friends close by, and just wanted to enjoy ourselves. Kirsten came back from her week at home two nights ago, so she was keen on getting together for dinner and then some festivities. So Dean, Kirsten, and I went to our favorite Korean grilling restaurant nearby our apartment, got 3 sets of beef, a bottle of soju, and had a great dinner.

Afterwards, Dean and went to Sinchon (close to Hongdae) to meet up with our friend Jongman and his Korean friends. Kirsten and I went to Hongdae together and ended up at Gab Bar. It was the first time Kirsten and I had been out together with no one else in a really, really long time--since like...college. So we enjoyed our cheap cocktails (a spectacular 3,500 won per drink!), the old school hip hop, and just talked. An hour or so later, we were joined by my friend Richard (from England, also working with SMOE) and his ladyfriend, then a while later, Dean showed up with a whole gaggle of Korean guys. We counted down the New Year in our small bar, then decided to hop to another place for some food. There, we also met up with Aerim! It was around 1:30 AM by that point, so we went to another grilling house and ordered a lot of pork. We were there for another two hours before we realized that the people probably wanted to close. As soon as we stepped outside, the owners turned all the lights off. Oops. Still wanting to stay out, we ended up at ANOTHER bar close by, which was comfy and warm.

By then, it was 4 AM, and many of us were faced with the same question: do we leave soon and try to find a taxi home? Taxis have been really difficult to get in Hongdae recently--even though hundreds of them flood the streets, many illegally ask for 3 times the normal rate (since they know it's cold and we have no other options), and many just shoo willing customers away as soon as they try to approach. OR...do we wait until 5 when the subway opens and take the train home? We all decided to stick it out, although one of our party fell dead asleep on the table. So at 5 AM, we walked to the subway, waited another 30 minutes before the first train actually left, and were back in our apartments around 6:15 AM.

It was a surreal experience, but it was a memorable night/morning in Korea. This city has such an electric energy and nothing really stops. If you go out in Seoul, you're pretty much guaranteed a good time--something spontaneous or random will happen and it will spark something even weirder or more amusing. Our circle of friends is a melting pot of native English speakers from England, Ireland, New Zealand, and Australia, while we have also been making some great Korean friends. It was a great way to end the old year and begin the new.

On Saturday, Dean's co-teacher, Mrs. Eom, invited us over for lunch at her apartment! It was our first time in a family's home and it was a great time--her whole family was sweet as can be. This is her with her youngest, but she has two older daughters, both of whom speak spectacular English.


"I remember back in the day." This is spray painted on a wall in the Hongdae underground.


Saturday night was spent in Hongdae with a lot of our TLBU mates who are back in Korea for the winter camp!! Here is me, Kevin (our boss), Tara (from Ireland--she was my teaching partner!), and Junior.


Jongman and Aerim at the pork place.


There was almost a really bad fight between two men in our group and it was pretty heated for about 30 minutes. Kirsten, Amber, and I were quite worried but Aerim shrugged it off saying, "This is just what Korean men do when they drink too much--don't worry about it."

My Christmas Eve

It was the strangest Christmas Eve ever--for me, anyway. Dean and I had planned on going to the English midnight mass at the Myeongdong Cathedral. We finished work around 5, came back to our rooms, had some dinner (really yummy chicken), and watched The Two Towers on tv. We left around 9 PM, thinking that 3 hours is plenty of time to at least standing room at the cathedral. We were wrong.

Upon arriving in Myeongdong, we were shocked. Myeongdong is a famous shopping area in Seoul--streets with no cars and only shoppers, stands set up in the roads selling everything from scarves to fried eel, boutiques everywhere, big name brands with four story shops, multiple Starbucks and Coffee Beans, etc. I had heard that Korea doesn't really shut down for Christmas the way America does, but I was absolutely blown away last night. I had never seen Myeongdong so crowded--thousands of people clogged the narrow streets until we were literally at standstills. One car attempted to drive through the masses, much to the anger and annoyance of us pedestrians. I have never been in such a claustrophobic experience.

We finally made it up the hill to the cathedral, where we were met with another surprise. A huge line (about 7 people wide) was wrapped around the large cathedral--countless numbers of people were already waiting, and it was only 9:40. There was plenty of security, plus metal barriers and church staff. I was so surprised that so many people were there for the ENGLISH service at midnight! But we got at the back of a very depressing line and tried to wait it out.

Meanwhile, we were still receiving text messages from our friends, Aerim and Jongman. They're not Christians and Aerim is a self-proclaimed hater of Christmas. The entire subway ride to Myeongdong, we had been getting texts from both of them with messages like, "Come on, let's play!", "You DO realize that you're trying to get to the most famous church in Korea, right?", "It's like singles X-mas eve here with us--so depressing," and, "WE NEED YOU." They had told us that they were going to Hongdae, the infamous club/party area in Seoul. They us to come, but we said, "No, really, we need to go to church tonight." Well, we had been waiting in line for maybe 15 minutes when who should appear but Aerim and Jongman!! They had come all the way to the Myeongdong cathedral to find us. By that time, Dean and I realized that there was no way we'd be getting into that church--not even with standing room (people were jumping the line like nobody's business). So we relented and left with our two mischievous Koreans.

We ended up at a swanky bar not too far from the cathedral. After paying for our drinks (about $10 USD each, yeesh), we had a relaxing time just talking. We exchanged some incredibly amusing stories until abut 2 AM. Dean and I took a taxi back to Sillim--worst taxi ride ever. The driver was terrible. Dean and I opened our presents around noon today, then ate our cake that I had bought from Paris Baguette.

Here are our favorite evil elves, Jongman and Aerim


Dean's face is blurred out! Muahahaha


A scene from one of the streets in Myeongdong--sadly, this is even a side street, not even one of the main ones. Those were SO BAD.


Korean food always comes with "banchan", or side orders. These always include kimchi and usually some other kind of vegetable or fish. They come free and will get filled for free, too, but a lot of people waste it and at the end of the night, it all gets trashed.


Our lovely Christmas tree


Dean lit the candles on our cake


Blue loved the ribbon


Blue hopes for some Christmas kindness from Dean, but to no avail.


I took this today.


And here is a 2 minute video with scenes from the insanity in Myeongdong, plus the lines at the cathedral.

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Thank you everyone for your cards and gifts! Even though last night was a bit strange, it did feel like Christmas this morning. I love you all and hope your Christmas day is beautiful.

so this is christmas

well, my punctuation is going to look a bit funny for the next post or so because the cat spilled water on my keyboard, thus ruining my shift, caps lock, and number nine keys. i can't do any exclamation points, question marks, or capitalize anything, which is killing the grammar nut inside of me.

my 7th graders went into testing last week, so i only taught a grand total of three classes for the whole week. the 9th graders have been going on numerous field trips, so i haven't had much to do with them lately. this week, i already have four of my classes canceled, plus wednesday is the presidential election--all public schools get the day off. aaaaand next thursday, all the grades are going to the movie theater, so i get to go with them. i'm actually fairly excited.

it really doesn't feel as if christmas is only a week away. even though there are christmas lights everywhere, this city actually doesn't have christmas spririt at all. it's not a major holiday, despite all the stunning light displays and so called 'christmas sales'--they really don't qualify as sales. most of my students said that they'll just hang out with their friends or go to the movies. when i asked if they had any special traditions for the holiday, they stared blankly back. also, i tried to explain hanukkah to them, but they were pretty lost on it. none of my co-teachers had ever heard of hanukkah, either, and were really intrigued. i taught them a dozen christmas holiday words, and added in 'menorah' and 'dreidel', even though i'm still not really sure they understand judaism.

aerim, junior, dean and i went to hongdae on friday night. it was snowing--so exciting.



last night, the cua crew met up at city hall to view the christmas lights and to exchange our secret santa gifts. the lights were gorgeous.




my students playing scrabble in my extra class.


the lights at city hall video--tons of cute kids.


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