March 09

Believe it or not, the best way to sum up my past 2 months (other than the 2 week hiatus while I had a great visit with Patrick) that I've been ridiculously busy with nothing in particular.

Work has been all consuming at times. First it was intensives in January and the beginning of February, then we were catching up, then preparing for the Korean school year to begin in March…now it is nearing the end of March! Whoa! Things have been changing a lot! As I said, the Korean school year begins in March instead of Sept like the states so we started several new classes at my hagwon and had about 50 new students enrolled. O.o There are so many students in my classes now! I’m enjoying them now but it has taken about 3 weeks to adjust and get everything in order. I don’t like having my life revolve around being sick and my job but I guess that’s life!

I’ve been here almost 5 months and don’t imagine things are going to change too much more now though. Well, except for staff perhaps? We had 3 men leave, received 2 guys (friends from Orange County, Cali) to replace them and had an old teacher come back, then another teacher resigned at the end of February so he’s leaving at the end of next week. The replacement is a guy from Boise, Idaho and that's all we know!

In recent developments I may be taking over his apartment here very soon. I looked at it this morning before work and it’s much nicer than my apartment but I’m still trying to figure out whether I want to move or not.

Pros: fantastic location between Sunae and Sohyeon overlooking the park, walking path right out my doorstep, farther from work (so I don’t feel so sectioned off), right in town, close to my friends, more updated, more spacious, and more storage, building security, doorbell and camera for my front door (right now I have no way to know who is at my door or to look out of it), increased social life, close to transportation for the busses and subway, the doctor, etc.

Cons: I would have to pay 200,000won/month extra for rent, around 50,000won for extra utilities (building security, etc) adding up to around 2.1mil extra ($1.6G) over the next 7 months out of my paycheck. It seems pretty steep but it is much nicer and great location. Farther from work (I would get my exercise…yet monsoon season is coming up), and I’d have to figure out how to move (though I figure I can do it for around 30 bucks using a cab twice since I don’t have to move any furniture), closer to shopping boutiques = more temptation of extra shopping ventures, possibly nixing China (??)

That 2.1mil could be used to pay for my China/Japan trip. I feel a bit frivolous even considering taking the apartment (see economic crisis) but I really am tired of my tiny, old, odd-layout of an apartment stuck on a remote hill that no one ever visits me on. So far my friends and boyfriend think it would be a good idea for me to take it, for comfort and mental health sustenance. We shall see, I have to make a decision THIS WEEK. >.<

I have a 4-day weekend coming up at the beginning of May that I’m quite determined to get out of the country to do some exploring for! It will be 6 months at that point and starting the downward slope of my contract! That will kick off my traveling! I have been good about saving so far and want to either go to Japan or the Philippines for the long weekend. I don’t know if I’d go to the Philippines at a different time if I don’t go now but I remember stories of mom telling me it wasn’t so nice when she was there 7 or so years ago.

I’m going to Bali, Indonesia (I’m pretty sure) in July for one week of my vacation with Patrick when he flies out here again, then will take my second week of vacation to go to Cambodia or a joint Cambodia/Thailand trip in the fall after their monsoon season ends. After I get done with my contract is my possible China/Japan adventure I want to take a week or so to do. That will put me back in the states in early to mid November! The national holidays in Korea aren’t working in my favor this year, it just so happens most are falling on the weekends and you don’t get a Monday thrown in for the sake of a holiday here. So my only 4-day weekend I’m getting is the one in May so I really want to use it! Don’t worry; I’ll still have money saved Momma!

In other news, I’m almost 23! Whoa! I’ve been saying I’m Korean age 24 since January so I think I’ll transition well enough. I have had fun teasing Squish about being so much older than I am for a month and a half though (an archaic 26 compared to my current 22)! ;)

I will upload some pictures of what's been going on in my next post!

In conclusion, I think I've hit the homesick-ish stage but have decided that no matter whether I move or not, I'm going to make at least SOME changes in my life, the weather is supposidly warming up (though the clouds spat some snow at me while I was walking to work today), and it's almost time for spring and summer and beautiful weather!

Hagwon 411

So what am I doing here in Korea? I'm working at an independent hagwon (private school) in Bundang we lovingly call HR. Is it the best school? No. Is it a good school? I think so! The kids are really awesome and most of them are really smart. I'm teaching elementary and middle school age children which I am SO happy about. I wouldn't do well with preschoolers, no matter how cute they can look in pictures...or from afar. I can handle them in small doses, not year-long-sentences.

I have 12 classes during the week: 6 on MWF, 5 on TR. I have a LOT of prep work and a LOT of marking but I really do enjoy it. Sure in 6 months I won't think grading journals will be the greatest thing ever but it makes me laugh and gives me something to do in the evenings.

I have settled into school and am no longer the newest teacher! Another teacher was hired 2 weeks after I was and I am feeling pretty solid. The Korean teachers like me, my boss likes me (so they say), and the ESL teachers I work with are awesome. I'm the youngest ESL teacher not only at my school, but of anyone I have met here and have affectionately been nicknamed Aegi (Egi, Eggy, is how it is said), which is "baby" in Korean. The Korean teachers named me and many more have adopted it. I really, really lucked out with such a good staff.

I'm a little spoiled right now because my middle school classes are canceled for this and next week due to finals (I only have 4 classes +subbing 1= 5 MWF, 3 TR). It's really intense for them! I also have two long weekends coming up because of Christmas and New Years at the end of the month! January is when intensives start---a wholeeeee lot of work and not much extra pay to say for it. I'll stay happy and positive like always, though!

I'll explain the Intensives season to those of you that don't quite understand my meaning. Students have 2 full months off from school during the year--one in summer and one in winter; appropriately labeled their summer and winter vacations. Now, in America when kids are out of school they go on vacation with parents, lounge around watching way too much TV/ playing video games, or my personal favorite, head out to summer camp! In Korea that's not the case. Parents view this vacation from school as a prime time to milk their children of every ounce of strength, sending them to all sorts of hagwons (private schools like the one I work at, subjects vary) from morning 'til night. They work until their fingers fall off or their brains explode: whichever comes first.

This in turn is when ESL teachers (like me) at English hagwons (like my school) have their schedules changed drastically, working morning until night as well. Seeing as my school is considered a very hard school we will *hopefully* get slammed with a ton of students. On an average day I have quite a bit of prep work and marking to do for my classes. During intensives it quadruples in size which seems quite overwhelming. It is easy to get burnt out during this process, the weather is cold and gross, you work 10+ hours a day AND have several hours of marking to do each night after you're done teaching....and it goes on for a month.

In a training session I had about winter intensives, I was told to "make their papers bleed red" meaning mark them up--cover them in red ink! It's what the parents want so it's what we will provide! Veteran teachers have told me the winter intensives are worse than the ones in August. I hope to be a positive, smiley force to be reckoned with!

I will take pictures of some of the kids in my classes soon--I keep forgetting to bring my camera with me. I have one class with only 4 boys (only 2 showed up today...wow!) and other classes that range to up to 15 students (which can be a bit of a handful)! I am lucky to have had prior experience working with kids. It has come into play and I feel confident doing my job which is important.

I teach a variety of subjects, too! This is exciting for me because it changes things up, I'm not doing the same lesson over and over. I'm teaching science in one class, world history in another, have 3 novel studies classes, a few iBT classes (middle schoolers preparing for the iBT test), speaking, and reading classes. To my (and my mom's) excitement I started teaching Mr. Popper's Penguins to one of my favorite classes this week. It was one of my favorite books when I was young. This should be a fun month. :)

And now for some fun photo ops I had while grading!

An answer on a test. I shouldn't laugh but it was before I knew the students. The students have improved (I think so, at least) since I took over the class.

A drawing a student did of me in her workbook! LOVE!

I wish my best friend looked like a "cutey rabbit"! :)