In class, one of my brightest students grabbed my hand and was admiring my painted nails. She then said "My mother says painting your nails is..." and she said the rest in Korean, which made them all laugh. When I asked her to explain, the gist that I got was that her mother doesn't think a child should waste their time with trifling activities. If they have the time to paint their nails, they should spend it studying.
This girl is only 11, and though I find it somewhat sad that she has spent her 11 little years working really hard studying, it's sure paid off for her.
In Korea, the kids have adult-level pressures on them to constantly learn and succeed. In America, I don't think children have nearly enough. Maybe both countries should find a happy medium.
Sunday, May 16, 2010
0
Tequilaz
It's been three months since my last burrito and margarita. So when I found out a Mexican Cantina opened in Gwangju in February, I rallied the troops to go find this holy grail.
It's about a 10,000 won cab ride away from us. If you live in Gwangju, tell the cab driver "Chundehumoon" and he'll know what you mean. Take a right at the Dunkin' Donuts and it's in the second alley to the right.
The food wasn't bad, nor were the margaritas.
It's about a 10,000 won cab ride away from us. If you live in Gwangju, tell the cab driver "Chundehumoon" and he'll know what you mean. Take a right at the Dunkin' Donuts and it's in the second alley to the right.
The food wasn't bad, nor were the margaritas.
However, when you want to make Mexican food in Korea, you do the best with what you got. Thus, the food had a homemade taste to it. I got a strawberry and a cherry margarita throughout the night, and neither tasted like it's flavor. But they were pretty smooth and filled the void in my Korean life.
Speaking of Korean life, this is drawn on the wall of the Speakeasy, the foreigner's bar downtown. I thought you might enjoy it :-)
Friday, May 14, 2010
1 comments
Teacher's Day
Teacher's Day in Korea is this Saturday. Yesterday, I was going through a marathon of classes covering for another foreign teacher's vacation. I had 8 classes all in a row with barely a break, so at the end of the 7th, as I'm about to crash or leap out of a window, one of my students brings me a letter:
It reads:
Dear Cayce Teacher
Hello, I'm Judy. After some days, it is 'Teacher's Day.' I am thank you for teaching me. My Listening and presentation developed by you. And, I got 'Level up!' I think one of the reason that I can level up, it's listening! I wrote little of key words, and I got a good score of listening. Thanks for teaching me. <3
And, you know, I got a compete of Speaking. You fixed my writing and make my pronounciation better. And Heojung teacher said to me, "Good pronounce.' I was very happy!
I hope GI teacher is you. Because your class is very fun and you are very good teacher. With you, the class will be fun.
Cayce, Thank you for teaching me. Have a nice day!
2010.5.13
Hoping to be your favorite student,
Judy*
I <3 AVALON! I <3 AVALON! I <3 AVALON!
I love being a teacher sometimes :)
Friday, April 30, 2010
0
Korean Birthday
My birthday was a week ago now, and it was the best birthday ever!
My friends, co-workers, and students were extremely thoughtful and caring. One little girl, whom I posted a picture of previously, gave me a gift bag with pens, sticky notes, and a pretty little card. I also got numerous "Happy Birthday" signs from my kids and friends.
The Monday before my birthday, my school threw a party for me, Cicero (a foreign teacher with the same birthday) and Ran, whose birthday was that day. It was by far the most interesting and DIY cake I have ever received. It was a stack of moonpies on the box, with unwrapped moonpies on top stuck with candles. Then, a cup of yogurt was dumped on top and we blew out the candles and devoured the moonpies.
So thank you to everyone who made my day so excellent :)
My friends, co-workers, and students were extremely thoughtful and caring. One little girl, whom I posted a picture of previously, gave me a gift bag with pens, sticky notes, and a pretty little card. I also got numerous "Happy Birthday" signs from my kids and friends.
The Monday before my birthday, my school threw a party for me, Cicero (a foreign teacher with the same birthday) and Ran, whose birthday was that day. It was by far the most interesting and DIY cake I have ever received. It was a stack of moonpies on the box, with unwrapped moonpies on top stuck with candles. Then, a cup of yogurt was dumped on top and we blew out the candles and devoured the moonpies.
So thank you to everyone who made my day so excellent :)
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
0
Adorable little devils
Some days you wake up and everything goes wrong, and yesterday was definitely one of those days.
As I'm walking to work, lost in my own head and begrudging the day, the elementary school next to Avalon was letting out. While I was crossing the pedestrian bridge, one of my youngest and earliest level students, Wendy, (and the most adorable human being in the world-- if you know of good ways to smuggle a child into your pocket, I would love to know) came running up to me with her arms outstretched. She held my hand and looked up at me with her little white glasses and when I asked her how she was, she said "I'm happy," and I knew in that moment that even though teaching children wasn't the real reason I wanted to come here, they are the reason I want to stay here.
Teaching kids of a different language can be really stressful sometimes, but it can be so rewarding. It's not often that you see proof that you are making a difference in one of their lives, but when you do get that proof, it's an incredible feeling.
I have two intermediate level classes of elementary kids. One is amazing, but with a boy named Mike who will never speak or participate and will shut down if I approach him or speak to him. In the other one, it's full of boys and it's mostly like herding cattle in class. There was one girl, Alice, who sat in the front and never spoke and looked on the verge of tears all class. The homeroom teacher of these classes decided to move Alice into Mike's class to give her a chance. So when she opened up with a smiling, happy face, I wanted to hug her. The same day, Mike also opened up and played a game with us, and I wanted to hug him, too. When I told the homeroom teacher, I got really emotional and had to turn away so I wouldn't cry.
So in conclusion, if you're having a bad day, chances are that teaching an adorable little Korean child will make your heart shine a little brighter.
As I'm walking to work, lost in my own head and begrudging the day, the elementary school next to Avalon was letting out. While I was crossing the pedestrian bridge, one of my youngest and earliest level students, Wendy, (and the most adorable human being in the world-- if you know of good ways to smuggle a child into your pocket, I would love to know) came running up to me with her arms outstretched. She held my hand and looked up at me with her little white glasses and when I asked her how she was, she said "I'm happy," and I knew in that moment that even though teaching children wasn't the real reason I wanted to come here, they are the reason I want to stay here.
Teaching kids of a different language can be really stressful sometimes, but it can be so rewarding. It's not often that you see proof that you are making a difference in one of their lives, but when you do get that proof, it's an incredible feeling.
I have two intermediate level classes of elementary kids. One is amazing, but with a boy named Mike who will never speak or participate and will shut down if I approach him or speak to him. In the other one, it's full of boys and it's mostly like herding cattle in class. There was one girl, Alice, who sat in the front and never spoke and looked on the verge of tears all class. The homeroom teacher of these classes decided to move Alice into Mike's class to give her a chance. So when she opened up with a smiling, happy face, I wanted to hug her. The same day, Mike also opened up and played a game with us, and I wanted to hug him, too. When I told the homeroom teacher, I got really emotional and had to turn away so I wouldn't cry.
So in conclusion, if you're having a bad day, chances are that teaching an adorable little Korean child will make your heart shine a little brighter.
Sunday, April 18, 2010
2
Our Apartment
Since I haven't really blogged about our apartment(s), I suppose it's time.
As many of you know, we lived in a wonderful apartment back home with our friends right across the hall and downstairs. Thus, moving into a tiny apartment with no one else in the same building was somewhat difficult. However, I'm trying my best to make it feel like home here.
We have two apartments, but because it's so obnoxious to go down the hall with the loud keypads announcing our every movement to the neighbors, we have only stayed in one of them. It's basically one room with some sliding doors marking off the kitchen and a door to the bathroom. So it's basically like living in the bedroom.
The kitchen is maybe 7x4 feet. It has a washer that sings and washes clothes like nobody's business. There is also a small refrigerator and freezer coming up to my shoulders. On the other side is the two-burner stove, a sink, and absolutely no counter space. There is one cabinet above the sink and two below.
Then there's the bathroom. It's probably 4x3 feet. The size is manageable, but the shower is not. Most of the time, there is no water pressure and it comes out in a trickle. The temperature oscillates from really hot to really cold. There are usually 3 intervals during my shower when the water goes ice for a full minute. It happens so often that I know when to expect them: when I wash my face, when I shampoo my hair, and when I try to rinse out conditioner. The other apartment has a huge bathroom and a wonderful shower, but the size of the bedroom area is a bit smaller, and we already have Internet coming into this one anyway.
The main living area is taken over by our double bed with ugly lavender bedding. In it, there is a low table with the TV on it, my mirror, and the "closet." The Closet is some poles with curtains on them. The only good thing about it is that you can change the size of it to fit your needs.
Here is the entry area with the Langcon characters taking over the shoe cabinet. There is also a mirror we found in the alley behind our apartment which makes the place feel bigger than it is.
It's not easy fitting two people into an apartment this small, but it's starting to feel more and more like home. More plants should do the trick! :-D
As many of you know, we lived in a wonderful apartment back home with our friends right across the hall and downstairs. Thus, moving into a tiny apartment with no one else in the same building was somewhat difficult. However, I'm trying my best to make it feel like home here.
We have two apartments, but because it's so obnoxious to go down the hall with the loud keypads announcing our every movement to the neighbors, we have only stayed in one of them. It's basically one room with some sliding doors marking off the kitchen and a door to the bathroom. So it's basically like living in the bedroom.
The kitchen is maybe 7x4 feet. It has a washer that sings and washes clothes like nobody's business. There is also a small refrigerator and freezer coming up to my shoulders. On the other side is the two-burner stove, a sink, and absolutely no counter space. There is one cabinet above the sink and two below.
Then there's the bathroom. It's probably 4x3 feet. The size is manageable, but the shower is not. Most of the time, there is no water pressure and it comes out in a trickle. The temperature oscillates from really hot to really cold. There are usually 3 intervals during my shower when the water goes ice for a full minute. It happens so often that I know when to expect them: when I wash my face, when I shampoo my hair, and when I try to rinse out conditioner. The other apartment has a huge bathroom and a wonderful shower, but the size of the bedroom area is a bit smaller, and we already have Internet coming into this one anyway.
The main living area is taken over by our double bed with ugly lavender bedding. In it, there is a low table with the TV on it, my mirror, and the "closet." The Closet is some poles with curtains on them. The only good thing about it is that you can change the size of it to fit your needs.
Here is the entry area with the Langcon characters taking over the shoe cabinet. There is also a mirror we found in the alley behind our apartment which makes the place feel bigger than it is.
It's not easy fitting two people into an apartment this small, but it's starting to feel more and more like home. More plants should do the trick! :-D
0
Cheap Eyes!
After an unfortunate and hilarious accident Wednesday night, I was out of my only pair of glasses. Because eyeglasses and contacts are worn by nearly everyone here, it is relatively cheap. And even if it's not cheap, it's super easy. Back home, I had to pay for an eye exam, frames, and lenses, and then pick up my glasses a week later.
At the 20,000 Shop today, I got two pairs of glasses within 20 minutes after picking them out.
I chose two frames and communicated with the doctor, who knew only a tiny bit of English, that I wanted the frames with new lenses. So I gave him my broken pair, and they got my prescription from that. The lenses were 15,000 a pair (about $14) and one of my frames was 20,000, the other only 5,000!
While Andrew and I waited, they gave us super sweet, super delicious iced tea.
20 minutes later, I had two pairs of glasses for about $50. That beats my one $150 pair from back home.
At the 20,000 Shop today, I got two pairs of glasses within 20 minutes after picking them out.
I chose two frames and communicated with the doctor, who knew only a tiny bit of English, that I wanted the frames with new lenses. So I gave him my broken pair, and they got my prescription from that. The lenses were 15,000 a pair (about $14) and one of my frames was 20,000, the other only 5,000!
While Andrew and I waited, they gave us super sweet, super delicious iced tea.
20 minutes later, I had two pairs of glasses for about $50. That beats my one $150 pair from back home.
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