Magical Mr. Mistoffelees

안녕하세요 (Annyeounghaseyo) everyone!

Well my first visit to Seoul was such a blast! The weather couldn't have been more perfect, and I was able to meet a ton of new friends throughout the day. We decided to take the bus to Yeouido (vs the subway or combination of the two) which was a bit bumpier however we could look outside as we went along and I could take some super touristy pictures.

When we reached our stop we ran into this brand new mall for a pit-stop. This mall was absolutely ridiculous! Apparently it had opened just last month. Everything was shiny and new and touch screen (yes I had to play with the touch screens...) Here is an article about the new super-duper-"mall"-world-- http://www.cnngo.com/seoul/shop/ifc-mall-opens-seoul-319768. 

Anyways, once Katrina's boyfriend kindly reminded us that we were not here to shop (always the party-pooper haha) we went on our way to find the rockdo festival. As we ambled along they pointed out major landmarks of Seoul, such as the 63 Building (or the "golden nugget"--Amanda) and Seoul Tower. Both of which I hope to get a better look at sometime soon!

The venue of the rock festival was a big park area right at the edge of the Han River. The dome where the performances were taking place was actually on top of the water, which was pretty shnazzy. We picked up a few necessities from the mini-mart and staked out a spot on the grass to jam out for the day. The first band was accompanied by a guy wearing a huge bear head...Just so you get the feel of how the day was going to go...

Around the park there was a wading pool full of kids and people cooling off in the water. It was such a gorgeous setting against the tall city buildings surrounding the area. There was also a place to rent bikes to ride around the park.

As the festival continued, several of Amanda and Katrina's friends came by to hang out with us. I met some people (all teachers) from all over the country, one girl was actually from Philly and another guy worked at Widener Law School in Delaware! Small world huh? This whole festival seemed like a gathering place for westerners. One could almost forget they were in Korea at this point- but then the lady with the boiled-silkworm-pupae cart walks by and you are suddenly reminded via odor where you are. No I did not choose today to try boiled silkworm pupae though I promise I will one day this year! Several times throughout the day someone would walk by and hand us a take out menu from a booth or restaurant nearby that you could call and have them deliver food to you! "Uh yes could you send some kimchi to the small silver blanket behind the sign, 감사합니다 thank you".

We stayed there til the sun began to go down which is when things really began to get beautiful. The 63 building looked even more golden and everything had a pinkish-golden hue. 

After leaving the park we made our way into Itaewon, which is a more western area in Seoul. It is apparently where a lot of the army guys go to hang out because it is very close to base? We were there before it got too rowdy however. Walking around one would see more western shops such as Nike, Hollister, etc. There were also tons of different types of food including Mexican food and British pubs. Night clubs also seemed to be popular destinations as well! Amanda had a hankering for Thai food so we went on a mission to find some. While waiting to be seated at the Thai restaurant we stopped into a small place next door for a glass of wine- The flying pan (maybe a play on frying pan?)

We had our wine and talked about coming back to the area for a jazz club night in a few weekends which should be fun! By the time our name was called for the restaurant we were starvinngggg. I got some shrimp Pad Thai (thought of you mum!). It was delicious :) The noodles were actually inside the omelet, which was intriguing.

One member of our party may or may not have completely passed out before dinner and slept through the whole thing...For the privacy and reputation of said person I will not post the pictures I acquired throughout the evening...you're welcome ;)

As we were in the taxi ride back we went under this sign--

Felt it was rather fitting! After a little over a week, "Welcome to Korea" :) Well thank you! I am really enjoying it so far and this weekend was such a fun way to experience my first taste of Seoul! On the way back we listened to a wide variety of music including Indian Trot, provided to us by the taxi driver, and some creepy 80's stuff thanks to Amanda, and then for some reason- I can't remember why- Magical Mr. Mistoffelees joined the party? It was a fantastic way to end the evening if I do say so myself!

Today (Sunday) after a nice run this morning, I am off to get a few things around town (food, a fan, etc.) and explore a bit more before beginning week two of teaching! 

Korean word of the post:  

번데기 (Beondegi): Steamed or boiled silkworm pupae...

maybe you should learn this phrase as well:

아마 나중에요 (Amah NaJoongEyo): maybe later...

Her Name Was Lola

Happy Friday! *crawling towards the light* I've made it through my first week of teaching all by my self with very few injuries (see Korean fight club entry). The students were all ready to help me work out the schedules of each class and I think I have made connections with a lot of them! One big thing I have learned is that all students will work for prizes; pencils, erasers, candy, and the prospect of ice-cream with whole class 100% on a spelling test...Sorry to every Hood professor who discouraged bribery and tangible rewards...I will answer to my sins later! I'm working through the survival phase of the first year teacher here!

Not looking forward to the next phase actually...Maybe there will be a translation error over here that skips Disillusionment and goes from "Survival" straight to "Rejuvenation"?

I've begun teaching my kindergarten class "If I were a were a rich man" which is one of my favorite parts of the day. The students love the nonsense word sections where they can just be goofy, which they do very well might I add. I am going to leave you in suspense about what they sound like however. Video to come later in September when they perform the completed song! I will have to start coming up with dance moves to accompany the words soon...any suggestions should be left in the comments section! Obviously anyone who has seen Fiddler on the Roof knows that vigorous shimmying will be involved.


Time for me to share an epiphany I experienced yesterday! While I was jogging through the park, receiving my usual strange looks from passing Koreans, I go to thinking about what a nervous wreck I was prior to this trip. Those of you who thought I was cool, calm, and collected- those acting skills of mine must have come in handy because on the inside I had butterflies the size of Seoul attacking my innards (sorry for the graphic mental picture there...). Anyways- I'm still running at this point and I realize that I have now been here for a little over a week...and I feel fine!
1. I finally know where I live and how to get to key locations nearby. Now take me outside the 5-10 block radius and that's a different story, but hey baby steps right? I'm still Bambi remember?
2. I have made some great friends already with the other western teachers and Korean teachers at the school.
3. I have successfully taught some students English for a week.
4. I went grocery shopping...kinda...
5. I bought a travel card tonight so that I can go to Seoul and Muuido in the next few weekends too!


And would you look at that- an excellent segue into the next section- This weekend I am tagging along with some of the other western teachers to see Rockdo- a Korean Rock concert in Seoul! Not only will it be fun to listen to some Korean Rock but it will also be my first time in one of the largest cities in the world (oh dear). I might need one of those backpack leashes so that the other teachers don't lose me on the subways or in the crowds! The concert is an all day event and should be a great way to spend a Saturday :)
The next weekend after that we will all be traveling to Muuido which is an island right outside of Incheon near the airport. This link has some great photos of the beach (http://exploresouthkorea.blogspot.kr/2010/09/incheon-islands-part-one-muuido.html). We can rent out the huts to stay in or we can sleep on the beach- depends how adventurous we are feeling I suppose! There will be photos of both of these trips don't worry.

And now time for the title explanation? Not a very deep or complicated one I'm afraid, but I figured you should all be aware that I will not be answering to Laura anymore. You may call me Lorla, Lola, or Rora. I think they all are much more sophisticated than Laura anyways!

Picture Time:

Thanks for reading! xoxo

Korean word of the post. I think you guys have reached level two. Time for some more complicated yet still useful phrases: 내 호버크라프트는 장어로 가득 (Nae ho-baw-keuh-rah-peuh-teuh-neun chang-aw-ro ka-deuk: 'My hovercraft is full of eels."

Blank Stares

Completed Day 2 of the week! Now I have had the opportunity to teach all the students I will have for the next year. I wasn't really planning on writing on this every day but I figured I would share this second day's activities with you while I wait on my laundry to finish then I can hang it all up on my fancy-dancy drying rack! So, a rather rainy day today, I started the morning off by breaking the laminating machine...oops. Tina Teacher was very surprised to hear that we have laminating machines in the US that automatically come with laminating plastic inside. I decided to try and work the machine without help (I'm a big girl gosh darn it!) and after making some terrifying noises I turned to Tina Teacher and asked for help with puppy dog eyes. After taking the entire machine apart with the help of Jasmine Teacher and a screw driver, my pictures for the "Sir Small and the Dragonfly" book (see yesterday's post) were salvaged and I was hence forth banned from using the machine! Na just kidding, but seriously...those noises will haunt my dreams forever.

Anyways- the day went uphill from there! Sang a song about mailing a letter with my first class, then had journal with my Texas class! I really do enjoy reading the student's journal entries. This past topic was "My teacher usually...". Some of my favorites were "My teacher usually looks at snakes" and "My teacher usually dances the hula hula". Well, my students know me through and through already! I'm all about snakes and hula hula dancing.

They were all very excited that I brought my camera with me today! I think my favorite stance is definitely Jane (tippy-toes and leaning against the board). She is also known for reading her journal upside-down while bending over backwards. Hey, whatever works right?

I got through the day without any major slip-ups! I suppose now is when I tell you about the title of the post. I finish my Tuesdays and Thursdays with a super super beginner class of 6 students. I have them twice on these days. I walk into the room and say
"Hello everyone! How are you?"
...*blank stares*...
"Are you good? Or bad?
...*nothing*...
"Thumbs up?"
...*uh...*
"Alright then did you bring your homework?"
And suddenly they knew exactly what I was talking about! Homework is the magic word apparently? There were several other times where I would say something and every student would stare at me like I had a third eye on my forehead. I felt a little like Squirt from Finding Nemo when he is explaining the jump from the East Australian Current, "It's like she's trying to speak to me, I know it!"

So after that first session, Alex (their Korean teacher), comes up to me and says "Laura Teacher, the students say you need to slow down, you talk to fast!". oooOOOoooh now I get it. The second session I slowed down a lot and I think they caught in a bit better? Who knows, they could have just been smiling and nodding which is one of my favorite tactics.

Last but not least, the repair man came today to check out my freezer. Katrina, the previous resident, had some difficulty with it freezing over so Solomon was nice enough to call someone about it. When the man came in to look at it I opened the door to show him my freezer...

Another blank stare to add to my list today haha he just laughed and called Solomon to say that this was a bigger job than expected (all in Korean of course, he could have been saying something else...). He will be back another time to tackle the tundra that is my freezer.

AAaaaannnddd there's the bell for my laundry! Thanks for distracting me for a bit-

Korean word of the post:도와주세요 (to-wa-ju-se-yo)!: Help!

Bye! xoxox

Day 1

So I was right. It is an underground Korean fight club, and I have the bruises to prove it!...

Just kidding (obviously)! Finished my first, and longest day of the week! I arrived really early, because I wanted to be sure I had all my materials ready and that I knew what I was doing (the latter still didn't really happen, but what can you do). My kindergarten class was so sweet! I began by teaching them the rules for my classroom. I taught them the "high five" or when I hold my hand in the air they have to have 2 eyes looking, 2 ears listening, and 1 mouth closed. Then I taught them the common song "1,2,3 eyes on me; 1,2 eyes on you". And lastly I taught them the marshmallow clap (if you don't know what it is then you aren't leading a full and fruitful life) as well as the firecracker cheer (ditto.). The students seemed to enjoy these new classroom management techniques, so hopefully they will continue behaving as they did today! We started a new book- and now I have homework to do for it...

We also had science today where we talked about perspective and optical illusions. I printed out some pictures of people holding the Eiffel Tower and the Leaning Tower of Pisa (not Pizza to my kids disappointment). After lunch...

I had my elementary students. They were so good at helping me learn their routines and knowing what to do for homework/classwork. They all listened well (for the most part) and I got through the lessons with no problem! I was worried before school today that I would have trouble going through the different books/lessons for each class but it was easy, especially with the students' help! We had a lot of fun and laughed throughout the class. They just need a release I think when they get to us in the afternoon after being in school all day. I try to let them joke around and have a few minutes at the end of class to play a game or talk amongst themselves- they are kids after all! They cannot be expected to sit in a chair and listen all day (heck, I can't be expected to do that either).

Anyways, tomorrow is a new day with some old and some new classes so we will see how they go! It is strange getting there at 9 and coming back at 7:30...I feel like I miss out on sunshine- maybe I'll go for a walk during one of my breaks tomorrow? Who knows...Bucheon is my oyster...haha

Oh! Before I go- I came up with my song list for the next few months! Each month I will be teaching them a song to perform in front of the rest of the school so here it goes:

September: If I Were a Rich Man (can't you picture them shimmying around?)
October: Grim, Grinning Ghosts (A random Disney song)
November: From Me to You- Beatles
December: Run Run Rudolph (I think it was in Jingle All the Way?)
January: This Will Be Our Year- OK Go
February: Crazy Little Thing Called Love- Queen

Don't worry- videos will be taken so you can see how well they do! I think I am going to play it for them tomorrow if I have time :)

Miss you all!
Korean word of the post: 화요일 (hwa-yo-il)- Tuesday

"Bambi Stage"

Whelp, I have survived my first weekend, in an apartment, in a completely foreign city, without getting lost once! I say I should get some sort of award...no? This weekend was spent unpacking, getting some laundry done, and finally grocery shopping!

I went a little over-the-top I know, I should really calm down with the groceries, I just couldn't help my self. No but really, this was just a small shop to grab things to last me until I stop by a little corner shop to get fresh fruit and veggies! On the way to the grocery store (I wish I had my camera or phone with me to take pictures) there was a guy selling fresh clams out of giant buckets on the side walk and then 10 feet away a lady was selling the cutest puppies ever (besides Henry and Lucy of course...sorry guys...)! Once we got to the grocery store, Home Plus, it was so crowded (a norm for the weekends). It is basically a Walmart-Costco-Department store combination with anything and everything you could ever need or want in your entire life all in one place. Needless to say I was a tad overwhelmed. Thank goodness Katrina was with me to guide me through!

So grocery shopping was actually adventure number two today. The first adventure was me trekking around the city a bit on my own after Amanda showed me the park nearby. She gave me directions to the bank to get some money out (preparation for previously explained grocery adventure) and I went on my way. Now...I didn't ever find the bank- However! The journey was not wasted because I now have a much better feel of where I live in this crazy neon-sign-covered-building-filled place.

My third and final adventure was running to the park nearby! Around the corner from my apartment complex (pictures will be added as soon as I take some!) there is a park with running/bike paths, exercise equipment, fountains, and a lake. It is so convenient and a very enjoyable place to jog around! I am looking forward to heading over there to run until the weather turns absolutely freezing! While I was running I kept getting strange looks from people, I suppose jogging is not really a normal thing? I kept checking to see if I had something on my face or if I had toilet paper stuck to my shoe, but no I looked relatively normal so I'm not really sure what that was about. Crazy American running away from nothing, we are so weird.

Anywhoooooo This is when I explain the title of the post "Bambi Stage". We went out to a bar called Cheap Shots the other night and met a couple other friends of the teachers I work with. Being the newbie in the group I was naturally asked what I thought so far and whether I like it. To answer those- Yes! I really am enjoying it so far! I am just a bit over-stimulated still with the city in general. All the neon signs everywhere are hard to get used to.

So that's when the other teachers said I am still in the Bambi phase, learning to walk with wobbly legs and falling over a couple times- which I thought was a pretty clever comparison! Hopefully no one dies, and I don't make friends with any skunks, but who knows what can happen...

For now- I am preparing for my first week starting tomorrow morning! I'm getting that nervous and exciting feeling (or that could be the yogurt...). When I was introduced to the students over the first few days the Korean teachers told them to be "gentle" with the new teacher- I'm hoping that is just a common saying and that this isn't some secret Korean children's fight club that I have just walked into.

I'll let you know how everything goes!

Korean word of the post: 주세요 (joo seh yo)= please

Bye!

Better Late Than Never

Hello! 안녕하세요!

Good news- I have finally moved into my apartment here in Bucheon! I have been living in a hotel since I arrived Tuesday evening. This is when I do a musical montage to catch you up on the past few days...just kidding.

Tuesday, Solomon- my program director- dropped me off at the hotel and helped me figure out my key card to get into the room, the air conditioner (the location of it not how to work it...that will come later), and the computer. He told me to email my mom and dad right away so they know I arrived safely (you can thank him later! haha). That night I had a lot of trouble getting to sleep because by midnight it was about 11:00 in the morning back home. I slept a few hours then woke up to meet Solomon and his daughter Liz to show me the school! I arrived to find my own shoe cubby with slippers to wear throughout the school and a desk that I will be using all year long. Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday were observation days for me to just sit in on some of my future classes as well as classes of other teachers so that I could get a feel of the students and subjects. To be honest it was a bit overwhelming at first! So many different books and students and assignments, I wasn't sure how I could handle it all, but I plan on spending this weekend getting organized.

I will have 2 kindergarten classes in the morning from 10:00-2:00ish and then 5 Elementary classes (alternating days between MWF classes and TTh classes). The students are similar American students in that they talk and scream and have difficulty paying attention for long periods of time- they are not perfect little angel robots as I was lead to believe by some. The difference is the true desire to please the teacher! My new name is "Laura Teacher", which I will answer to from now on :)

I was so lucky to see the "Birthday Party" celebration at school on Friday! All the students learn a song to sing in English in front of the rest of the school. My class learned "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" from the teacher I am stepping in for, and another class learned "On top of Spaghetti"! I am so looking forward to teaching my class some songs- if you have any ideas let me know!

The other western and Korean teachers are all so kind and welcoming! They showed me around and helped when I looked like a deer in headlights. We have gone out to lunch and dinners around the town and I have had some absolutely delicious food! They do like their drinks here...Soju and Mezza (liquor and beer) are a staple ingredient to all dinner parties. I am looking forward to making my own food in this apartment as well as trying a lot of new dishes. It turns out to be cheaper to go out and get food sometimes because groceries can be expensive. I still need to go to a grocery shop- although I did grab some shampoo, conditioner (I think...) and laundry detergent at a small corner store nearby! I cannot wait until I feel comfortable enough to walk around and know where I am going...at the moment this is not the case haha.

For now I am going to unpack my things and organize my lessons for next week because I officially start my teaching position Monday morning! Wish me luck :)

ticket to Seoul

Airplane Anchovies...The girl next to me (also a western teacher) asked me if they had eyeballs...yep, they did.

They were kind enough to give us directions on how to eat Bi-bim-bap on the plane, thanks!

View from my hotel room- the large grey building is actually my apartment building now!

What every block looks like- which is why I am having some difficulty remembering where I am at the moment...

A dish from the staff dinner- yes those are ice-cream sprinkles!

Family style dining where we share a central dish and TONS of side dishes!

Singing in the Norebang (karaoke room)

Photo booths where you can add stickers, etc!

My apartment!! :) Bed is up on the loft.

My apartment, view from the door, under the loft in the previous picture!

Bye! 안녕히계세요!

Less than a week

Fastest two weeks in history since my previous post! Still getting prepared to go. During a little going away gathering this past weekend at the house I received some excellent words of advice from various friends and family;

1. It is impossible to pack for a year- pack necessities and find what you need when you get there.

2. Don't stress over things you cannot control. Take a deep breath and move on to work on things you can control. (I suppose I wasn't hiding my anxiety very well...)

3. Try to blend in. (HAH)

I am so thankful for all of my friends and family for helping me get ready both mentally and physically for my journey! I will be leaving Monday morning on a flight to Chicago and then a non-stop to Inchon.

Time to get back to packing! Ps. don't tell my mom that there is a small dog shaped space in my suitcase....(Henry's blog coming soon)

나중에 봬요 (Na-joong-e bwae-yo!)
See you later!