Well, my first week of teaching is complete. I didn't have a chance to take pictures of the classroom, so those will have to be posted next time. In the meantime, here are some pictures of my new apartment.
Before I moved in:
The person who lived in my apartment before me did a lot of scuba diving, so he took some pictures of his adventures. Luckily he decided to leave them in the room because they are great. Also, he painted the room, so I am the only one with walls that are not white. They are a mocha-brown color. Yeah, it looks gray in the picture, but trust me, it is mocha-brown. I like the room a lot. It is basically like living in a dorm room again, which I never really minded. There is not a washer in the room like I expected, but there is one right next to my room which is very convenient. The bathroom is the shower room, same as the co-op that I stayed in, so cleaning the bathroom happens everyday even if I don't really do it. Handy, huh? Here are some pictures of the apartment after I moved in. I inherited a lot of things from some of the teachers that were finished with their time here. I even got a guitar! I am pretty excited about that because I knew that I would really miss playing while I was here. I also got a larger bed because the person before me had purchased it. Some people have just a tiny, single bed, so I feel lucky.
The bathroom looks the same as the other picture, but now there is stuff in it. Like I said, I like the place. I like the neighborhood too. Lots of places to eat, a couple of great street markets, a grocery store, the subway, the bus stop (I ride the bus to work), a mountain to hike up (it isn't very big), a neat park with lots of fountains and live music on Saturdays, and much much more to discover. All the teachers that I teach with live in the apartment building. Also there is another campus not to far from here that more teachers go to from this building, so it is very much like a dorm building filled with people that are doing the same things you are.
Teaching classes started on Tuesday, which was an adventure. I have three classes. The first one is 2
nd graders learning at about a 1st grade English level. Things are still basic, but they can understand me pretty darn well. These kids are pretty amazing. This class contains nine children, so one of the challenges is making sure we go at a pace that will not be too fast for anyone but also be engaging for the ones that are a bit quicker. Also, they are kids so they tend to get antsy. I will have to work on this with them so they stop pestering each other. I am still trying to figure out a seating chart, but that is hard to do until I know which personalities are which. By the end of this week I will have it figured out.
The second class I have is a class of four 7 year old children. These kids are learning at a pretty low level, so we are still going over practicing the sounds that letters make. Practicing "l" and "r" and "v" and "b". They are super adorable. The challenge in this class is that one kid has really no idea what I am saying most of the time. Also, one of the rules of the school is no speaking Korean, but he breaks this rule. I have had to have someone tell him this rule in Korean in the head teacher's office. Next week this will have to happen again. Luckily, the little boy that sits next to this child lets him know that there is no speaking Korean. He is a good helper and has a good time in class. Like I said, all of these kids are adorable.
The third class I have are 5
th graders learning at a 4
th grade level. They are smart and enthusiastic. I like making everything we do fun, so it is much easier with these kids because they understand a lot more of what I am saying. We talked about creative writing last week and by the end of the week we were making comics based on what we had learned. Using character, setting, plot, and dialogue. They had a good time doing this and it seemed that would try it at home too. Really just good kids.
The weather is muggy here, but that hasn't stopped me from going hiking up the little mountain behind our building. I am waiting to get the pictures from Blake so that I can post them, but look for them soon.
Yesterday a few of us all went to
Itaewon, a section of Seoul that is very Westernized. Well, I guess I mean that they have tried to make it a little more Westernized. There are a lot of foreigners there and a lot of the Koreans there speak a little English. It was pretty interesting. We had pretty alright Italian food and some good conversations about how the first weeks were going for everyone. Seems like my school placement has been a blessing, so I am glad. My other friends that came with from MN have a much more difficult schedule.
Well, I am going to end for now. Not the most exciting blog post ever, but I am sure there will be a few that will just give you a general knowledge that I am alive and teaching. Stories and pictures from kids will come soon enough.
Take care all.
Here is my dryer working overtime in my apartment. Oh...that reminds me...I have to go put in some towels to be washed.
Here is a picture of one of my favorite things I have eaten here in South Korea. Some of you asked if I have eaten a lot of fish. The answer is, sadly, no. I have only eaten fish one time. It was good, but I really am looking forward to the next paycheck, so that I can eat some fresh, exotic fish. However, this chicken is pretty great. It is boneless (woman's style apparently? I don't know.) and covered in deliciousness. One of the kinds comes with large noodles and the other (yes, it comes with TWO kinds of boneless chicken!) is crispy and amazing. I didn't a picture of the actual food, but I am going to order it again and take a picture. I was too hungry and excited to take pictures of the actual food, but I did want you to see the strange person and the "woman's style" on the box. It makes no sense to me, but it tastes great. Also, this place introduced me to an amazingly tasty beverage. Green plum juice. I am going to miss this drink when I leave because it is soooo great. I have been drinking it a LOT.
Well, there you go. Sorry none of this is terribly interesting, but I am just thankful to be over my cold. Ok, well I have to go put away my laundry now. It is dry. Thanks for reading and keep up with the questions. I will try to answer them all.
