There's something to be said about making Korean friends (in Korea). On the bright side, there's a much easier cultural exchange. Actually, there are a lot of good reasons. I really just want to mention the bad side.
Even though I've been actively studying the Korean language since I got here (some months not as dilligently as others), to this day, I still can not understand most of what is said in a random conversation between two people speaking Korean.
I told you about my occasional outings with some of the teachers at my school, right? Just when I start to think it's been a super long time since I last had dinner with the teachers, I get a text message.
<unknown number> where are you?? we want to have dinner today.
<me> Who is this?
<un> im teacher of 4-1^^*
Oooh. I was wondering when I'd get her number again. When my last phone broke, I told the others that I 'd gotten a new phone and didn't have their numbers. Since they hint at things, I thought it'd be ok to do so, too. Stupid me, though. They didn't give me their numbers. I was forced to wait until they sent me messages, and therefore react this way.
Anywho, we went out for ribs (real ribs! They tasted like something from the States, and my taste buds were the happiest they've ever been in a long time!). It was a "take-a-break" dinner for the sports teacher. He'd just taken one of several difficult exams to become an official teacher. This dinner wasn't really to celebrate any results; rather, just to highlight him accomplishing one step in his goal. As usual, the conversations took place in Korean. Sometimes, one of them would say something or ask me something in English. I felt like they were making progress including me in the conversation like that. I thought about the first casual dinner I had with teachers and staff when I started working here. In contrast to last night's dinner, I wasn't talked to after the first 10 minutes. I spent almost 3 hours watching the others at the table gossip fiercely in Korean. Near the end of it all, when a server came over, one looked up and asked what after-dinner drink I wanted. Orange juice, please. Then they all dipped their heads again and began talking excitedly. It wasn't one of them had to leave that they all raised their heads and allowed me to join their reality. Welcome back, I think. In the car, on the way home, my MT apologizes several times. She doesn't say it, exactly, but she knows that they all forgot I was there and got carried away. Instead, she says that they rarely get to meet outside of school and talk casually, so this is why all that happened back there. In later months, I come across many instances where they are all gathered around talking and chatting.
My point in all this is that, at the beginning, I hardly knew more than a few words. There was absolutely no way I would ever guess what two people were talking about if I listened in. Today, my chances are much better; still, it's really difficult. At most, I can guess what the subject is (students at school, co-workers, hairstyles, etc.), but I have no idea what else is going on. I can't figure out why their talking about a co-worker, or what happened with 3 students in the 4th grade class. So, I still sit there trying to entertain myself until someone brings me into the conversation. Every once in awhile I'll try and tune in and see how many words I can understand, wonder what connection these words have with their facial expressions and gestures, and then give up and go back to entertaining myself.
Why go to these dinners if I feel this way? Again, because of the bright side. I'm becoming their friends somehow, if they constantly think of inviting me out time after time. I'm (in a way) learning Korean, and studying my friend's social habits. ...And, like I stated earlier, they're learning to include me in the conversations. We don't meet often, but each time, they talk to me a little more. Call it progress, no matter how freakin slow it's taking. It's better than sitting at home with nothing to do. Plus, the ribs were really delicious.
'Til next time,
-Shirby
Showing posts with label korean language. Show all posts
Showing posts with label korean language. Show all posts
Tuesday, November 13, 2012
Wednesday, October 17, 2012
Korean Morning
How was my morning?
My Facebook post:
--
After seeing my mom off at the bus terminal, I headed to my own bus stop, munching on a choco donut and drinking some marshmallow hot choco.
The kimbab 아줌마 (whose store is at my other bus stop) saw me as she was walking down the street. She now knows the bus stop I prefer to wait at. She almost knows everything about me. o.o
Then two 할머니s looked me up and down and asked if I was Filipino.
Just another bittersweet Korean morning.
---
The details:
--
My mom and I jointly packed all of her belongings two nights ago. Last night we spent one last outing with my phone friend and one of his OTHER 형 (brothers). Afterwards, my mom and I feasted on the smallest serving of 감자탕 (because you can feast on a small serving here. This restaurant gives you way more than you can eat; that's why we love them!). In the morning, my mom was anxious about getting a bus ticket. She woke me up several times before my alarm went off (a huge pet peeve of mine), asking about when I was going to wake up, so I eventually just got up and went to go buy her ticket. We weren't able to buy a ticket earlier in the week, so she (I was, too) was concerned about not getting a spot on the bus. The bus would be her only option to go directly from my town to the airport (nonstop) without my aid or guidance. I bought her ticket while she got ready. When I returned home, I got ready for work, and then we lugged the suitcases down to the corner of the street and caught a taxi to the terminal. I sat with her and helped her find the right bus. During the wait, some ladies tried talking to my mom, asking her where she was from (and going), and how her hair became the way it was (it was in braids). With a mix of my Korean and my mom's "sign language," we held the conversation until the ladies departed. It wasn't 'til my mom was on the bus waving to me that I started to feel that old sadness I've felt many times before whenever my mom went for long-term journeys without me. Still, I thought, I should be used to it. Besides, she came to visit me, so it's more like I'm leaving her again. Well, no matter how I should think about it, I waved and blew kisses until she was out of sight.
The donut and hot choco was a treat, not something I needed. The day before, I'd had to wake up earlier than usual to visit the bank. I'd had just enough time to grab two donuts from Dunkin Donuts and a bottle of water from the convenient store before catching my bus. This morning was more of the same thing: time to kill (though, I shouldn't have had another round of donuts for breakfast). It started to rain mist outside, so I walked with treats in hand down the long street to my stop. While waiting for the bus, the kimbab lady (I wrote about before) appeared down the street. "Hi," she called out when she recognized me, and then rambled in Korean. From her gestures and some Korean words I was able to pick up, I could tell she was a bit annoyed that I waited at this bus stop rather than at the one in front of her shop. Honestly, waiting at her stop means I'm running late. I'm not sure how to convey this to her. I also slightly avoid waiting at her stop because I can't always answer the many questions she wants to ask me. After she passed by and wished me a safe trip (she was headed somewhere today), I watched her leave, and stared down the street for signs of my bus. ... I didn't realize right away the two grandmas who had stopped in front of me. I turned and saw them, and they both looked me up and down, smiling. The first one asked me where I was from. Before I could answer, she guessed. Philippines? I told her, America. Then she and the other lady said some things quickly in Korean (to me and to each other), that I didn't quite catch. The first lady smiled again, gave me a solid pat on the shoulder, and they both departed. I wished them a safe journey and they nodded, hobbling along in the rain with their umbrellas.
---
'Til next time,
-Shirby
My Facebook post:
--
After seeing my mom off at the bus terminal, I headed to my own bus stop, munching on a choco donut and drinking some marshmallow hot choco.
The kimbab 아줌마 (whose store is at my other bus stop) saw me as she was walking down the street. She now knows the bus stop I prefer to wait at. She almost knows everything about me. o.o
Then two 할머니s looked me up and down and asked if I was Filipino.
Just another bittersweet Korean morning.
---
The details:
--
My mom and I jointly packed all of her belongings two nights ago. Last night we spent one last outing with my phone friend and one of his OTHER 형 (brothers). Afterwards, my mom and I feasted on the smallest serving of 감자탕 (because you can feast on a small serving here. This restaurant gives you way more than you can eat; that's why we love them!). In the morning, my mom was anxious about getting a bus ticket. She woke me up several times before my alarm went off (a huge pet peeve of mine), asking about when I was going to wake up, so I eventually just got up and went to go buy her ticket. We weren't able to buy a ticket earlier in the week, so she (I was, too) was concerned about not getting a spot on the bus. The bus would be her only option to go directly from my town to the airport (nonstop) without my aid or guidance. I bought her ticket while she got ready. When I returned home, I got ready for work, and then we lugged the suitcases down to the corner of the street and caught a taxi to the terminal. I sat with her and helped her find the right bus. During the wait, some ladies tried talking to my mom, asking her where she was from (and going), and how her hair became the way it was (it was in braids). With a mix of my Korean and my mom's "sign language," we held the conversation until the ladies departed. It wasn't 'til my mom was on the bus waving to me that I started to feel that old sadness I've felt many times before whenever my mom went for long-term journeys without me. Still, I thought, I should be used to it. Besides, she came to visit me, so it's more like I'm leaving her again. Well, no matter how I should think about it, I waved and blew kisses until she was out of sight.
The donut and hot choco was a treat, not something I needed. The day before, I'd had to wake up earlier than usual to visit the bank. I'd had just enough time to grab two donuts from Dunkin Donuts and a bottle of water from the convenient store before catching my bus. This morning was more of the same thing: time to kill (though, I shouldn't have had another round of donuts for breakfast). It started to rain mist outside, so I walked with treats in hand down the long street to my stop. While waiting for the bus, the kimbab lady (I wrote about before) appeared down the street. "Hi," she called out when she recognized me, and then rambled in Korean. From her gestures and some Korean words I was able to pick up, I could tell she was a bit annoyed that I waited at this bus stop rather than at the one in front of her shop. Honestly, waiting at her stop means I'm running late. I'm not sure how to convey this to her. I also slightly avoid waiting at her stop because I can't always answer the many questions she wants to ask me. After she passed by and wished me a safe trip (she was headed somewhere today), I watched her leave, and stared down the street for signs of my bus. ... I didn't realize right away the two grandmas who had stopped in front of me. I turned and saw them, and they both looked me up and down, smiling. The first one asked me where I was from. Before I could answer, she guessed. Philippines? I told her, America. Then she and the other lady said some things quickly in Korean (to me and to each other), that I didn't quite catch. The first lady smiled again, gave me a solid pat on the shoulder, and they both departed. I wished them a safe journey and they nodded, hobbling along in the rain with their umbrellas.
---
'Til next time,
-Shirby
Thursday, September 13, 2012
Kimbap Lady
There is a bus stop that I always run to if I know I will not make it to the first stop. At this bus stop, on the other side of the 5 foot-wide sidewalk, is a kimbap restaurant. Well, they sell other things, too, but the sign says kimbap. In this shop is the lady I will refer to as the Kimbap lady. She works there with (I assume) her mother, or mother-in-law.
If I come to this bus stop, she always runs out and greets me. Lately, she's started saying hi in English and waving her hand slightly. I still continue to bow and say annyeong haseyo, but I don't know if this is rude now that she's greeting me in English (the rest of the conversation is always in Korean). Maybe she's just trying to reciprocate since I'm making an effort to greet and talk to her in Korean. I'm sure if she knew more English, she'd use it.
This morning was one of those days I knew I might be late for the bus if I went to the usual stop. When I crossed the street, she was outside sweeping the front of the shop. I could see she'd already seen me and was prepared to wave (she always is), but there was a young (but tall) middle schooler walking between me and her, in my direction. I didn't want to create one of those awkward scenes where you wave to someone in the distance, and the person closest to you thinks you're waving at them instead... so I kept my head down until he passed.
She always speaks really fast to me, but doesn't mind repeating stuff. Unfortunately, I still can't understand most of her questions whether she repeats them or not. She seems to be asking me really simple things, but I just don't know those words yet (or can't pick them up in her sentences). Still, I think she asks me the same things every day, hoping that I'll give her a better answer soon.
Today, she walked over to a grandma ... halmeoni ...who was coming down the sidewalk with a few bandaged fingers. They started chatting about stuff, and I just watched the road for my bus. Soon, it looked like the grandma was going to continue on her way. They came towards me, but then (I don't know who started the conversation) they started talking about me. I heard the word "yeoja" (girl/woman), and then Kimbap lady started gesturing to me and talking about where I worked. The grandma would nod like, wow. really? is that so! hmm. Then she started trying to confirm what was being said by turning to me and asking. "Ah, so you work at so-n-so school as an English teacher?" she said in Korean. I nodded yes. This 3 way conversation went on for a few more sentences, and then the order switched a bit. The grandma started having questions of her own to ask me. She'd turn to me and ask me some things, and I couldn't quite understand her sentences. That was ok though, because Kimbap lady had my back. She'd started sweeping again, somewhere far off, but her ears were good. She could hear the grandma's questions, and she'd shout the answers from the other side of the shop front. This continued for a few sentences. I'd stopped trying to answer. I had a spokesperson anyway. Finally, kimbap lady said some things like, "...doesn't know. doesn't know." I assume she was telling grandma that she hadn't gotten that answer from me yet.
Well, the grandma was satisfied, and she continued on her way, wishing me a good day and whatnot. I said kamsahabnida (thank you), and she said something and laughed, repeating kamsahabnida in a question. So, now I think I misheard the last things she said and answered incorrectly. It was alright now. She kept walking, I turned back to the road, looking for my bus. There it was, at the light. When it pulled up to the stop, I turned around and saw the two of them standing in the shop entry way chatting about other things. I said goodbye to kimbap lady and she said "Go well!" in Korean. I jumped on the bus and headed to school.
'Til next time
-Shirby
Thursday, September 6, 2012
Studying and Korean Ceremony
Here's what happened last night.
After much highly-unnecessary internal conflict, I decided to pay my phone friend a visit.
---Oh, crap. I just found out I have to be the TaLK Day teacher. I'll write about it later. ---
Back to the story. I went to the phone shop with a list of all the Korean lessons I had learned in TTMIK's level two. I was ready to move on to level three, but wanted some sort of test from a Korean friend. I figured this would be the best way to get a quick review and test at the same time. When I walked in, there was a new person working with the usual group of guys. A female. At first I thought she was just one of their friends visiting the shop, but she bowed to me when I came in. My phone friend (one of the guys working at the shop) finished helping a customer and then came to sit with me at the table. I handed him the list and he immediately began quizzing me. At first I was really nervous. I have more practice reading and writing than speaking, and when I speak I tend to think slowly or forget whole phrases (thinking I don't know them when actually, I do). However, the way he asked questions was really helpful, and I was able to answer calmly. I think it helps that he had patience.
Soon another customer came in and the other brothers (he calls them his brothers, whether related or not. In Korea, it'd be natural to call them his brothers, or "hyeong") had disappeared. Only the lady was there, and he called her over and told her to introduce herself and speak to me in Korean. More tests, haha. It started off awkwardly because she wasn't sure what to say to me beyond "Hi, what's your name," etc. Still, after a few minutes we began coming up with things to say to each other, and that's when I found out she was a new worker at the store.
That night, I learned a lot more Korean, too. Nothing I can remember off the top of my head right now, but through the course of chatting with each other in Korean and English (both broken at times), we started talking about all kinds of things. One of her friends came to the shop for a short while and we started talking about IU (a Korean singer), and what to call the boss and subordinates at work. Things like that. After awhile, the phone shop boss came in we started talking about him (among other things). It was really funny because my phone friend and the boss just watched us talking and switching between Korean and English (in between sentences). Neither of us knew enough Korean or English to stick to one language, so I tried asking questions in English, and she'd reply in Korean. Of course, we often mixed our sentences with words from both languages. They thought it was funny and laughed at us a lot. It was all good fun. Finally, the boss came over and joined the conversation. I showed him what I was studying. I had written the lesson topics in Korean and English, so I think he started studying them rather than just reading the list.
Then, he was asking me if I could teach him English. A deal was made. I'd come to the shop and review/learn Korean, and he would learn English. We'd be sharing/exchanging information and learning from each other. Well, I agreed. I've never taught an adult before (er, someone so much older than me), but thanks to my current job, I know what it's like to teach someone who knows very few words in the target language to begin with. My first graders were the "guinea pigs," the first big test for me. ..And I have to teach so many of them, so at this point nothing should be a big shock. :) Now, I just need to remember to show up. It'll be a week before we start, and for me it's the equivalent of the first day of school. Remember to go to the right class. Remember to show up on time. Things like that. Actually, I'm really excited. I didn't expect to make so many new friends at a place I've visited so often. Rather, I didn't expect my relationship with the others to become more than just "Hi." and "Bye." conversations. I'm really glad.
After our little study party, we went to a traditional Korean ceremony.
At some point the bilingual conversation had died down, and the boss and my friend were talking to each other in Korean. I didn't know what they were saying, but sometimes I don't listen anyway. I'm still at the point where I have to force my ears to listen to Korean speech and prepare my brain to pick up any known words. So, I was sitting there not listening when the boss turned to me and said something in Korean. I tried to recall what he'd just said, but all I had picked up was 같이. Together. "같이?" I asked him, for clarification? What was happening "together"? Then my phone friend explained. One of their other "brothers" was having a ceremony that night. He was opening a new shop, and there was a traditional ceremony (my phone friend called it a superstition) involving a pig's head, money, and bowing, and food offerings. Did I want to go with them to see it? Honestly, it was a rare opportunity. I'd probably never get to come across it on my own. I let them know I'd only seen it once in a KDrama, and I can't even remember which drama that was. I asked them if it was ok for me to go. They said yes. The closed the shop for the night and we all headed out.
The location was a 15 minute drive out of the city. It was dark outside so I couldn't see much besides shadows of trees and the lights of other cars driving by. It reminded me of driving around the Texas countryside, or North Carolina. We pulled up to to the venue where people were eating and laughing together. The host waved us in as we parked. After a lot of greetings, we walked over to the building's porch . There it was. A pig's head. Money had been stuffed into its ears, and money envelopes were packed between the pig's lips, as if the pig was eating the envelopes. Sorry, I didn't take a picture, but I'll look for one and post it here. Surrounding the pigs head was a watermelon and an Asian pear, their ends sliced off so that the fruits' insides could be seen. There were also many cups sitting on the front end of the table. The boss did the ceremony and the rest of us watched. He received a cup of 막걸리 (rice wine) from the host, which he knelt down with. He circled the cup in the air between himself and the pig's head before putting it on the table (I didn't see if he drank from it). Then he stood up and knelt back down several times (three times, I think), bowing at each interval. He also put a money envelope into the pig's mouth. That was pretty much the entire ceremony. Afterwards, we walked over to the food tables for a nice warm meal.
I should mention that it was super cold outside. Once the sun went down, the cool breeze stayed behind and chilled everything. There was moisture in the air that left a thin layer of water over everything outside. Luckily, we had a nice stew to eat (honestly, it tasted kind of like something my mom would make), with rice, samgyeopsal, and many side dishes. There was celebratory dduk as well. I figured out that dduk shows up at almost every ceremony. The last time I saw it, a teacher's newborn baby had just reached 100 days of life. They celebrate that here in Korea. She gave all the other teachers dduk as a celebratory gift.
After eating and chatting, and playing with these cute puppies that lived on the lot, we all got into the cars and headed back home.
'Til next time
-Shirby
After much highly-unnecessary internal conflict, I decided to pay my phone friend a visit.
---Oh, crap. I just found out I have to be the TaLK Day teacher. I'll write about it later. ---
Back to the story. I went to the phone shop with a list of all the Korean lessons I had learned in TTMIK's level two. I was ready to move on to level three, but wanted some sort of test from a Korean friend. I figured this would be the best way to get a quick review and test at the same time. When I walked in, there was a new person working with the usual group of guys. A female. At first I thought she was just one of their friends visiting the shop, but she bowed to me when I came in. My phone friend (one of the guys working at the shop) finished helping a customer and then came to sit with me at the table. I handed him the list and he immediately began quizzing me. At first I was really nervous. I have more practice reading and writing than speaking, and when I speak I tend to think slowly or forget whole phrases (thinking I don't know them when actually, I do). However, the way he asked questions was really helpful, and I was able to answer calmly. I think it helps that he had patience.
Soon another customer came in and the other brothers (he calls them his brothers, whether related or not. In Korea, it'd be natural to call them his brothers, or "hyeong") had disappeared. Only the lady was there, and he called her over and told her to introduce herself and speak to me in Korean. More tests, haha. It started off awkwardly because she wasn't sure what to say to me beyond "Hi, what's your name," etc. Still, after a few minutes we began coming up with things to say to each other, and that's when I found out she was a new worker at the store.
That night, I learned a lot more Korean, too. Nothing I can remember off the top of my head right now, but through the course of chatting with each other in Korean and English (both broken at times), we started talking about all kinds of things. One of her friends came to the shop for a short while and we started talking about IU (a Korean singer), and what to call the boss and subordinates at work. Things like that. After awhile, the phone shop boss came in we started talking about him (among other things). It was really funny because my phone friend and the boss just watched us talking and switching between Korean and English (in between sentences). Neither of us knew enough Korean or English to stick to one language, so I tried asking questions in English, and she'd reply in Korean. Of course, we often mixed our sentences with words from both languages. They thought it was funny and laughed at us a lot. It was all good fun. Finally, the boss came over and joined the conversation. I showed him what I was studying. I had written the lesson topics in Korean and English, so I think he started studying them rather than just reading the list.
Then, he was asking me if I could teach him English. A deal was made. I'd come to the shop and review/learn Korean, and he would learn English. We'd be sharing/exchanging information and learning from each other. Well, I agreed. I've never taught an adult before (er, someone so much older than me), but thanks to my current job, I know what it's like to teach someone who knows very few words in the target language to begin with. My first graders were the "guinea pigs," the first big test for me. ..And I have to teach so many of them, so at this point nothing should be a big shock. :) Now, I just need to remember to show up. It'll be a week before we start, and for me it's the equivalent of the first day of school. Remember to go to the right class. Remember to show up on time. Things like that. Actually, I'm really excited. I didn't expect to make so many new friends at a place I've visited so often. Rather, I didn't expect my relationship with the others to become more than just "Hi." and "Bye." conversations. I'm really glad.
After our little study party, we went to a traditional Korean ceremony.
At some point the bilingual conversation had died down, and the boss and my friend were talking to each other in Korean. I didn't know what they were saying, but sometimes I don't listen anyway. I'm still at the point where I have to force my ears to listen to Korean speech and prepare my brain to pick up any known words. So, I was sitting there not listening when the boss turned to me and said something in Korean. I tried to recall what he'd just said, but all I had picked up was 같이. Together. "같이?" I asked him, for clarification? What was happening "together"? Then my phone friend explained. One of their other "brothers" was having a ceremony that night. He was opening a new shop, and there was a traditional ceremony (my phone friend called it a superstition) involving a pig's head, money, and bowing, and food offerings. Did I want to go with them to see it? Honestly, it was a rare opportunity. I'd probably never get to come across it on my own. I let them know I'd only seen it once in a KDrama, and I can't even remember which drama that was. I asked them if it was ok for me to go. They said yes. The closed the shop for the night and we all headed out.
The location was a 15 minute drive out of the city. It was dark outside so I couldn't see much besides shadows of trees and the lights of other cars driving by. It reminded me of driving around the Texas countryside, or North Carolina. We pulled up to to the venue where people were eating and laughing together. The host waved us in as we parked. After a lot of greetings, we walked over to the building's porch . There it was. A pig's head. Money had been stuffed into its ears, and money envelopes were packed between the pig's lips, as if the pig was eating the envelopes. Sorry, I didn't take a picture, but I'll look for one and post it here. Surrounding the pigs head was a watermelon and an Asian pear, their ends sliced off so that the fruits' insides could be seen. There were also many cups sitting on the front end of the table. The boss did the ceremony and the rest of us watched. He received a cup of 막걸리 (rice wine) from the host, which he knelt down with. He circled the cup in the air between himself and the pig's head before putting it on the table (I didn't see if he drank from it). Then he stood up and knelt back down several times (three times, I think), bowing at each interval. He also put a money envelope into the pig's mouth. That was pretty much the entire ceremony. Afterwards, we walked over to the food tables for a nice warm meal.
I should mention that it was super cold outside. Once the sun went down, the cool breeze stayed behind and chilled everything. There was moisture in the air that left a thin layer of water over everything outside. Luckily, we had a nice stew to eat (honestly, it tasted kind of like something my mom would make), with rice, samgyeopsal, and many side dishes. There was celebratory dduk as well. I figured out that dduk shows up at almost every ceremony. The last time I saw it, a teacher's newborn baby had just reached 100 days of life. They celebrate that here in Korea. She gave all the other teachers dduk as a celebratory gift.
After eating and chatting, and playing with these cute puppies that lived on the lot, we all got into the cars and headed back home.
'Til next time
-Shirby
Wednesday, August 1, 2012
Last Week's Vacation
It started with the weekend before.
On Saturday, I went on a teacher's "field trip" with the other staff at my school. We met at 7 or 8 in the morning and took a rented bus to various locations throughout in the neighboring cities. Of course, I think we wouldn't have been able to take this trip without it being a little educational, so the first stop was an elementary school. At this elementary school, there was a lot of greetings and our teachers "inspecting"... (oggling) the hallways and classrooms of this other school. Let me say now that nothing during this part of the trip was explained to me, so my point of view may lack a lot of real information.
I assume we met the principal and vice principal of this other school. He took our group into a room not far from the main entrance and we all sat down facing a projector screen. We were served drinks, and then a short lecture began. Now, I have overheard a phrase, "economic education" .. or some such thing. I'm guessing that's what the lecture was about. A chance for both schools to share ideas. Some books were passed around. I spent the entire lecture looking at a tourist map of the city. After the lecture, words were exchanged, and my group was dismissed from the room. We took a picture in front of the school before getting back on the bus.
After that, there was a short hiking trip (I'd forgotten how much I miss hiking :D) which left so many of us sweating. At least the view was worth it. On the bus ride from place to place, the teachers played games (like a game show on a bus, it was hilarious), and ate snacks. ... Oh, they'd brought beer and fried chicken too (because those things are a must in Korea). The penalty for the games was that one person from the losing team had to sing a song. Let me inform you that all travelling (charter?) buses in Korea come equipped with karaoke systems. The speakers are incredibly powerful, and there's even a song book like the ones in noraebangs. It's a noraebang on a bus! Anyways, all the games were done in Korean so I didn't get to participate, but it was fun to watch.
Wait. I did sorta kinda participate in one game. Although I didn't know what was happening. I can only say I'm so glad it was one number system and not the other. You see, as the "game show host" fifth grade teacher was making everyone on the bus count from 1-30 (again, I don't know why. I didn't understand the rules of the game), he decided to hold the mic in front of me and let me say a few numbers. "...18, 19..." I said in Korean after thinking way too long. He nodded, and went to the next teacher. I passed! ...Or I thought I did. One teacher wiggled her finger at me in mock shame as the 5th grade teacher moved on. I looked confusingly at her. My mentor teacher, sitting next to me, explained. "You said 'ship-pal' (18).... In Korean that has two meanings. It sounds like 18 and it sounds like 'f*** you'." My jaw dropped. She and the other teachers had a nice quick laugh together. I thought to myself, I don't want to play anymore.
***Note: "I'm so glad it was one number system and not the other." Korea uses two names for numbers. One is Chinese-based. The other is Korean-based. I still can't remember which is which, and I keep mixing 5-8 of one system. The other system, I know perfectly well, so I was really happy to discover them counting with it.***
After hiking, we rode down the hill a bit, had an excitingly small adventure in a corn field where the bus tried to drive out of a deep dip in the road, and finally made it to the river that we'd seen up at the hiking point. We got on a "traditional boat"... uh, more like a really huge raft... and were taken a short ways down the river and back. After that, there was lunch at a restaurant a bit further away. After lunch (and this is still a bit shocking), we went to an African art museum. I just have to say that it's really hard representing the U.S. when people think I might be from Africa. It's bad enough being stared at because I'm a foreigner. Yeah, the experience there was mixed. I love art, have nothing against Africa, but have so much against stereotypes and dangerous assumptions. Most of all, I wonder why the teachers wanted to go there. I wonder and I haven't asked. Don't know if I will. On a lighter note: What the heck's an African art museum doing in the countrysides of Korea!? LOL, I expected to only find this sort of thing in/near Seoul or other large cities in Korea.
Luckily, my mentor teacher sensed something of my mood and walked me quickly through the exhibit so that I didn't have to listen to the tour guide explain things in Korean while the other teachers and staff snuck glances at me. I should also mention that the tour guide seemed a bit saddened to hear that I was from the U.S. when he asked me (in English) where I was from. Oh well.
After the museum, we went to an aquarium (one that I'd recently visited with my foreigner friends during the paragliding trip), and visited another famous riverside. At this riverside was a famous view, which one of the kindergarten teachers tried her best to explain to me. I don't think I could do a retelling of the story any justice right now, so I wont. We walked around a bit and saw a swing set that was designed like the ones from ages ago. There's just one seat, the bars are wooden and about 3 times the height of regular swing sets, and you have to stand on the seat and swing rather than sit. I tried it. It was fun, but super difficult.
Ah, then, we headed back to Jecheon for dinner. There was more crazy singing on the bus, but many people were so wiped out from the sun and travelling that they just slept or talked quietly amongst themselves. At dinner, I had the rare occasion of sitting at the same table as the vice principal, so I did my best to talk to him in Korea. I had to drink more soju... (this may be the one thing I hold against Korea, regardless of my final impression of this country after the year's over). Then there were farewells, and everyone split off to go home. All in all, and despite any uncomfortable feelings, I really enjoyed the day. I was glad to spend time with the other teachers. Doing so is such a rare thing. I'd rather have gone with them than missed out. These bonding moments are hard to come by, so I have to cherish them.
This has gotten long, so I'll have to write parts 2, 3, and however many more come along.
'Til next time,
-Shirby
On Saturday, I went on a teacher's "field trip" with the other staff at my school. We met at 7 or 8 in the morning and took a rented bus to various locations throughout in the neighboring cities. Of course, I think we wouldn't have been able to take this trip without it being a little educational, so the first stop was an elementary school. At this elementary school, there was a lot of greetings and our teachers "inspecting"... (oggling) the hallways and classrooms of this other school. Let me say now that nothing during this part of the trip was explained to me, so my point of view may lack a lot of real information.
I assume we met the principal and vice principal of this other school. He took our group into a room not far from the main entrance and we all sat down facing a projector screen. We were served drinks, and then a short lecture began. Now, I have overheard a phrase, "economic education" .. or some such thing. I'm guessing that's what the lecture was about. A chance for both schools to share ideas. Some books were passed around. I spent the entire lecture looking at a tourist map of the city. After the lecture, words were exchanged, and my group was dismissed from the room. We took a picture in front of the school before getting back on the bus.
After that, there was a short hiking trip (I'd forgotten how much I miss hiking :D) which left so many of us sweating. At least the view was worth it. On the bus ride from place to place, the teachers played games (like a game show on a bus, it was hilarious), and ate snacks. ... Oh, they'd brought beer and fried chicken too (because those things are a must in Korea). The penalty for the games was that one person from the losing team had to sing a song. Let me inform you that all travelling (charter?) buses in Korea come equipped with karaoke systems. The speakers are incredibly powerful, and there's even a song book like the ones in noraebangs. It's a noraebang on a bus! Anyways, all the games were done in Korean so I didn't get to participate, but it was fun to watch.
Wait. I did sorta kinda participate in one game. Although I didn't know what was happening. I can only say I'm so glad it was one number system and not the other. You see, as the "game show host" fifth grade teacher was making everyone on the bus count from 1-30 (again, I don't know why. I didn't understand the rules of the game), he decided to hold the mic in front of me and let me say a few numbers. "...18, 19..." I said in Korean after thinking way too long. He nodded, and went to the next teacher. I passed! ...Or I thought I did. One teacher wiggled her finger at me in mock shame as the 5th grade teacher moved on. I looked confusingly at her. My mentor teacher, sitting next to me, explained. "You said 'ship-pal' (18).... In Korean that has two meanings. It sounds like 18 and it sounds like 'f*** you'." My jaw dropped. She and the other teachers had a nice quick laugh together. I thought to myself, I don't want to play anymore.
***Note: "I'm so glad it was one number system and not the other." Korea uses two names for numbers. One is Chinese-based. The other is Korean-based. I still can't remember which is which, and I keep mixing 5-8 of one system. The other system, I know perfectly well, so I was really happy to discover them counting with it.***
After hiking, we rode down the hill a bit, had an excitingly small adventure in a corn field where the bus tried to drive out of a deep dip in the road, and finally made it to the river that we'd seen up at the hiking point. We got on a "traditional boat"... uh, more like a really huge raft... and were taken a short ways down the river and back. After that, there was lunch at a restaurant a bit further away. After lunch (and this is still a bit shocking), we went to an African art museum. I just have to say that it's really hard representing the U.S. when people think I might be from Africa. It's bad enough being stared at because I'm a foreigner. Yeah, the experience there was mixed. I love art, have nothing against Africa, but have so much against stereotypes and dangerous assumptions. Most of all, I wonder why the teachers wanted to go there. I wonder and I haven't asked. Don't know if I will. On a lighter note: What the heck's an African art museum doing in the countrysides of Korea!? LOL, I expected to only find this sort of thing in/near Seoul or other large cities in Korea.
Luckily, my mentor teacher sensed something of my mood and walked me quickly through the exhibit so that I didn't have to listen to the tour guide explain things in Korean while the other teachers and staff snuck glances at me. I should also mention that the tour guide seemed a bit saddened to hear that I was from the U.S. when he asked me (in English) where I was from. Oh well.
After the museum, we went to an aquarium (one that I'd recently visited with my foreigner friends during the paragliding trip), and visited another famous riverside. At this riverside was a famous view, which one of the kindergarten teachers tried her best to explain to me. I don't think I could do a retelling of the story any justice right now, so I wont. We walked around a bit and saw a swing set that was designed like the ones from ages ago. There's just one seat, the bars are wooden and about 3 times the height of regular swing sets, and you have to stand on the seat and swing rather than sit. I tried it. It was fun, but super difficult.
Ah, then, we headed back to Jecheon for dinner. There was more crazy singing on the bus, but many people were so wiped out from the sun and travelling that they just slept or talked quietly amongst themselves. At dinner, I had the rare occasion of sitting at the same table as the vice principal, so I did my best to talk to him in Korea. I had to drink more soju... (this may be the one thing I hold against Korea, regardless of my final impression of this country after the year's over). Then there were farewells, and everyone split off to go home. All in all, and despite any uncomfortable feelings, I really enjoyed the day. I was glad to spend time with the other teachers. Doing so is such a rare thing. I'd rather have gone with them than missed out. These bonding moments are hard to come by, so I have to cherish them.
This has gotten long, so I'll have to write parts 2, 3, and however many more come along.
'Til next time,
-Shirby
Thursday, July 12, 2012
Random Happenings of the Week
Yesterday, I
guess one of the staff members brought sandwiches to school. When I went to say
hello to the principal, she shared some of her sandwich with me. Even though, I
suspect she didn't like the sandwich, it still made my day. We hardly get to
talk to each other, let alone share things. On an average day, I pop my head in
and say hello (안녕하세요) to her first, then the
vice principal, before making my way to my mentor teacher's classroom. At most,
if she's in her office, she will smile and reply with a yes (네)... or sometimes 네, 안녕하세요 and
quickly turn back to her work. This is as far as our daily interactions get,
unless there's a special occasion and she's not completely surrounded by the
higher-ranked staff. So yes, this moment felt special. She beckoned me in and
offered me some of her sandwich (and even some juice... which I stupidly turned
down. I don't even know why. ... Maybe I felt like I shouldn't take too much
from her at one time, even if she was offering). She sat down with me at the
couches beside her desk, and I told her they were delicious (in Korean). She
seemed happy about that, and said some things in Korean which I can only guess
were details about where she'd gotten the sandwiches from. I nodded as if I
understood every word, telling myself I'd ask one of the other teachers about
it later. She's a really pretty, nice, respectable lady, my principal. I truly
wish I could get to know her more. It seems like one thing that will be a bit
impossible while I'm here.
One of my 6th graders asked me about racism the other day. Really, I was
supposed to be teaching, but students were coming and going in such an
annoying fashion that all I could do was casually converse with the two
students who were sitting
down in front of me. One of them came up and asked me if I knew about... I
couldn't understand his pronunciation. I asked him if he knew how to spell it.
He nodded and wrote it down- rasism. I tried my best to explain it to
him. I don't know how much he understood, or why he even asked me in the first
place. What happened in life that such a word was in his head? I'm not sure if
he was asking me about racism in general or specific situations. It's sometimes
hard to ask students, "Why?" because they might not have enough
vocabulary to answer. I told him to ask his teacher about it too if he was
confused.
I think I told you about the coffee shop that was built near my home. I'm
curious about how their business is going. Actually, I've only visited there
once since it's opened. I still favor the coffee shop a bit further away
(because it's cheaper, and they have hot chocolate). Still, this week I'd been
walking past the store quite often. (Usually, I have to walk the other way down
the street). I figured I should visit them once again. After grocery shopping,
I dropped my things off at home, grabbed a book and walked over to the shop. It
was empty at this time--
...I'm sorry, I've momentarily lost train of thought. A first grader just
procured an imaginary laser sword, and sliced me up. Give me a moment to put
myself back together....
-- Yes, there wasn't anyone in the shop at that time. I walked up to the
counter and the lady quickly ran to get her son(?) who could speak English.
Now, I tried to speak in Korean with her and her son before, but I guess they
insist on him using his English skills. I didn't even get a chance to order before
she rushed off to get him. I ordered some chamomile tea and a cookie, and told
them I'd drink in the store. As the lady made my tea, the son asked if I liked
chocolate. I said yes, then paused. Oh no, what if they put chocolate in my
tea? I stopped him and asked him what he meant. He asked again, and I said yes
hesitantly. Then he went to the freezer and pulled out a handful of bite-size
chocolates, put them into a dish, and placed the dish on my tray. Free
chocolates. I paid, thanked them, and went to sit down with my tray. About five
mintues later, the lady came over with a plate of sliced toast (strips, like
french toast strips, but this was just regular toast) and a small side of
whipped cream decorated with chocolate syrup. Wow. Before me lay a dish of
chocolates, a plate of toast with a sweet dip, a cookie, and a cup of tea. I
thanked her and dug in.
'Til next time,
-Shirby
Special P.S. Thanks, Katie, for keeping up with these. I hope they don't all sound bad, or all good. I'll do my best to write about all my adventures, good or bad or in between! :)
Tuesday, July 10, 2012
New Name & Weekend Fun
Did I tell you I got a Korean name? Some of the teachers at my school decided for me. I told them what my English name means, and they created a name based on the same meaning. My Korean name is 어 소 현, Eo So Hyeon.
I just realized this, but if I moved to many places and learned many languages, I could collect all kinds of new names. The thought is kinda inspiring.
Ah, so this last weekend was as tiring as it was fun. Let's start with Friday evening. I visited a Korean friend at his shop and showed him the video of me paragliding. He was really jealous, so we agreed that if he could plan a paragliding trip, I'd go with him and whoever else wanted to join. I told him I was going to Seoul the next day and needed to go to bed as early as I could.
Why? I signed up for a trip to theYeosu World Expo which was hosted by Talk To Me In Korean and ROKING Korea (not sure about the spelling, sorry). It was my choice to meet the group in Yeosu (almost the southern-most point in Korea), or join the team in Seoul and travel with them. I decided on the latter, and that meant catching a 3:50 AM train to Seoul from my town. Two hours later, I arrived in Seoul and took the subway to the meeting spot (about 30-40 mins away). At some point, I was confused about a subway transfer and decided to take a taxi in order to avoid being late. The taxi driver was a funny old man who spoke a bit of English and had been to Atlanta... or at least I think he'd been there. When I told him I was American, he kept saying "Atlanta!" This guy was very kind and patient with my attempts at speaking to him in Korean. When we arrived at Ewha Woman's University, I wasn't quite sure where to get dropped off, but asked him to stop anyways. "Here?" he asked in Korean. Just then, we both saw a foreigner walk by the taxi. "Oh, yes, here. There's a foreigner," he said and chuckled.
I eventually called out to the foreigner and together we searched for the meeting spot. With the help of a couple phone calls and recalling directions from the email, we found it. It was really great seeing everyone meet like that. Seeing the TTMIK staff and cameramen... oh yeah. KBS came with us on the trip to film the adventure.
It takes 4 hours by bus to reach Yeosu from Seoul. We stopped twice on the way there: once for bathroom breaks, and a second time for lunch (which was some pretty tasty bibimbap!). The entire trip was a sunny one, but once we reached the expo clouds covered the sky and it occasionally sprinkled with rain.
This wasn't just a site-seeing trip. We (100 of us) were put into teams of 5 and given various missions to complete. One was a creative picture-taking mission, and the other involved collecting 10 stamps from any random location at the Expo. Each team member had at least one person using KakaoTalk to send and receive info about each team's progress. Once we arrived at the Expo, we took some group photos, received final instructions, and were set loose to explore the various pavillions.
Oh... yes, so the cameramen. They followed various teams around, filming their progress and asking questions. They even interviewed some of us during the bus ride. ...Including me. I'm not sure when the program will air, but I hope I can see it.... lol.
After running around the Expo for 5 or 6 hours, everyone met up again by the buses for award announcements and final pictures. We even did a few chants, cheers, and poses for KBS. No, my team didn't win anything, but, really, just participating in the missions gave us a chance to really see a little bit of everything at the Expo. It was a really great opportunity, and a wonderful experience. Plus, free t-shirts are awesome! : D
We were allowed to stay at the Expo (and find our own transportation back home), but I decided to travel back with the buses. We didn't arrive in Seoul until 10 or 11 PM. By then, I just focused on finding a place to stay before the subways shut down for the night, and resting up for the next early train back home.
On Sunday, I made a rare trip to E-Mart, feasted on a cheese bulgogi hot-dog and 2 scoops of ice cream, did some grocery shopping, and got stared at by the other shoppers. Maybe I should visit there more often. They probably thought I was a brand new foreigner to Jecheon. Well, I was in the pots and pans section for awhile....
I'm going to try making a shepard's pie... or a pot pie. I'll tell you about it if it goes well. ...Or doesn't go well.
'Til next time,
-Shirby
::EDIT:: http://www.talktomeinkorean.com/shows/2012yeosuphotos/
I just realized this, but if I moved to many places and learned many languages, I could collect all kinds of new names. The thought is kinda inspiring.
Ah, so this last weekend was as tiring as it was fun. Let's start with Friday evening. I visited a Korean friend at his shop and showed him the video of me paragliding. He was really jealous, so we agreed that if he could plan a paragliding trip, I'd go with him and whoever else wanted to join. I told him I was going to Seoul the next day and needed to go to bed as early as I could.
Why? I signed up for a trip to theYeosu World Expo which was hosted by Talk To Me In Korean and ROKING Korea (not sure about the spelling, sorry). It was my choice to meet the group in Yeosu (almost the southern-most point in Korea), or join the team in Seoul and travel with them. I decided on the latter, and that meant catching a 3:50 AM train to Seoul from my town. Two hours later, I arrived in Seoul and took the subway to the meeting spot (about 30-40 mins away). At some point, I was confused about a subway transfer and decided to take a taxi in order to avoid being late. The taxi driver was a funny old man who spoke a bit of English and had been to Atlanta... or at least I think he'd been there. When I told him I was American, he kept saying "Atlanta!" This guy was very kind and patient with my attempts at speaking to him in Korean. When we arrived at Ewha Woman's University, I wasn't quite sure where to get dropped off, but asked him to stop anyways. "Here?" he asked in Korean. Just then, we both saw a foreigner walk by the taxi. "Oh, yes, here. There's a foreigner," he said and chuckled.
I eventually called out to the foreigner and together we searched for the meeting spot. With the help of a couple phone calls and recalling directions from the email, we found it. It was really great seeing everyone meet like that. Seeing the TTMIK staff and cameramen... oh yeah. KBS came with us on the trip to film the adventure.
It takes 4 hours by bus to reach Yeosu from Seoul. We stopped twice on the way there: once for bathroom breaks, and a second time for lunch (which was some pretty tasty bibimbap!). The entire trip was a sunny one, but once we reached the expo clouds covered the sky and it occasionally sprinkled with rain.
This wasn't just a site-seeing trip. We (100 of us) were put into teams of 5 and given various missions to complete. One was a creative picture-taking mission, and the other involved collecting 10 stamps from any random location at the Expo. Each team member had at least one person using KakaoTalk to send and receive info about each team's progress. Once we arrived at the Expo, we took some group photos, received final instructions, and were set loose to explore the various pavillions.
Oh... yes, so the cameramen. They followed various teams around, filming their progress and asking questions. They even interviewed some of us during the bus ride. ...Including me. I'm not sure when the program will air, but I hope I can see it.... lol.
After running around the Expo for 5 or 6 hours, everyone met up again by the buses for award announcements and final pictures. We even did a few chants, cheers, and poses for KBS. No, my team didn't win anything, but, really, just participating in the missions gave us a chance to really see a little bit of everything at the Expo. It was a really great opportunity, and a wonderful experience. Plus, free t-shirts are awesome! : D
We were allowed to stay at the Expo (and find our own transportation back home), but I decided to travel back with the buses. We didn't arrive in Seoul until 10 or 11 PM. By then, I just focused on finding a place to stay before the subways shut down for the night, and resting up for the next early train back home.
On Sunday, I made a rare trip to E-Mart, feasted on a cheese bulgogi hot-dog and 2 scoops of ice cream, did some grocery shopping, and got stared at by the other shoppers. Maybe I should visit there more often. They probably thought I was a brand new foreigner to Jecheon. Well, I was in the pots and pans section for awhile....
I'm going to try making a shepard's pie... or a pot pie. I'll tell you about it if it goes well. ...Or doesn't go well.
'Til next time,
-Shirby
::EDIT:: http://www.talktomeinkorean.com/shows/2012yeosuphotos/
Monday, June 18, 2012
Chariot!
The kids at school are usually called to attention in a military fashion. If you've taken Taekwondo, you might've heard the phrase, "Chariot!" I'm not sure, but it seems to be the equivalent of, "Attention." Kids should stand (or sit, depending on the circumstances) with hands at their sides and face forward. Usually, every chanting request made by the teacher is followed by a chanting response from the students. With my first graders, I say, "Look at me! Look at me!" The students must respond, "Look at you! Look at you!" There are and movements for this chant.
Some other chants and gestures the kids must do include putting their hands on their head, closing their eyes, or clapping a certain number of times. During assemblies, the military-style chants are used to get everyone's attention. Some days, I feel like teaching my students the English equivalents. I suspect they already know, "Attention!"
'Til next time,
-Shirby
Some other chants and gestures the kids must do include putting their hands on their head, closing their eyes, or clapping a certain number of times. During assemblies, the military-style chants are used to get everyone's attention. Some days, I feel like teaching my students the English equivalents. I suspect they already know, "Attention!"
'Til next time,
-Shirby
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