Thumbs down Korea

Unfortunately, after a good weekend, we've had a couple pretty annoying days, directly related to the school we're at.  First, on Monday Ben and Ashley left, so there was a new schedule for me and Brady, taking over their classes.  Classes start at 2:00, so we got to school at 12:00 to prepare, but the schedule wasn't ready.  I kept asking, every half hour or so.  We had an idea of what we were supposed to be teaching, so we prepared what we could.  We finally got our schedules at 1:35, and I saw that I had a class of five-year-olds at 2:00.  So then I had to hunt down the class calendar from the Korean teacher (because that tells what you're supposed to do every day.)  I was supposed to do an Art Activity.  I managed to throw something together in 20 minutes, but it was frustrating.  The whole day we were scrambling, and I don't know why they put off making the schedule till the last minute.  Or why I have to ask to get it.  Don't they know that we need schedules??

Then that night we were going out for dinner with the prize money we won in the dance competition.  Brady and I didn't get a say in when or how we'd spend the money; the Korean teachers decided on their own.  So, we went out for dinner, and it was pretty good.  Throughout dinner they speak Korean to each other, even though we don't speak Korean, and everyone at the table speaks at least some English.  Then dinner was over but they kept talking, in Korean, for almost two hours.  Brady, Pam and I were sitting there getting very very bored.  The manager of the school, Michelle was there, and I think in Korea it's considered rude to leave before the boss leaves, so we had to stay.  Although I would say that speaking in a language a third of the table doesn't speak for two hours qualifies as rude.  Although it's good that we were there, because when they did speak English it was to tell us that we have to work on Friday morning, which we had thought we had off, and Saturday.  The new kindergarten classes are starting, and they have an opening ceremony, and we have to go to be the white faces of the school.  One of the school's ceremony is Friday morning, and the other is all day Saturday.  Grrr.

We were supposed to have our mornings off all this week because there is no kindergarten until next week, but  they told us that we had to come in at 10:30 yesterday morning to learn the new kindergarten songs.  We finally got around to singing them at 11:15.  Then I worked from 2:00-6:00, as was on my schedule.  But then at 6:00 this kid Hayden, who I had tutored before, was at the school.  He wasn't on my schedule, but I asked Michelle, and she said I tutor him every Tuesday and Thursday, from 6:00-7:00.  So the schedule that took forever to get was wrong.  Awesome.

Then this morning, which we thought we had totally free, Michelle calls us at 9:30 to say that Brady has to go to an opening ceremony at 11:30.  There are three total ceremonies, for the three different kindergartens.  The one this morning is at Wooridle, which I don't teach at, so I don't have to go, but Brady does.  It's just been a frustrating week.  And we can express that we're frustrated when individual things happen, but things don't change overall.  I don't know if they just don't realize that we need more information than they're giving us, or if they really don't know what's going on either.  We're hoping that things calm down now that Ben and Ashley are gone and we've got our new schedules, and after next week when the new kindergarten classes start.

Workshop weekend

I realized it might be helpful to have a little background on the set-up of schools here: The school we work at is called a hogwan.  The kids go to regular school during the day, then will come to our hogwan after school a couple days a week, for an hour, to study English.  There are also hogwans specializing in other subjects, like math or science.  The kids that come to our hogwan range in age from five to twelve or so.  Hogwan classes go from 2:00-7:00pm.  So Brady and I teach from 2:00-7:00 every day, and we also go to the kindergarten in the morning, from 10:00-12:00.  Those kids are in a regular kindergarten class, and we'll come in for 20-30 minutes (depending on their age level) and speak English, sing a few songs, read a story, etc.  It's just a brief introduction to English.  A lot of the kindergarten students end up attending the hogwan when they graduate kindergarten.

This weekend we went away with all the teachers, about 45 people, for a retreat.  On Friday I asked one of the teachers, Tiffany, what the plan was for the weekend.  Here is our conversation (Tiffany's English is pretty weak.):
Me: Tiffany!  What's the plan for this weekend?  What should I pack?
Tiffany: Snack party.
Me: Snack party?  I should bring snacks?
Tiffany: No, no, I bring snacks.
Me: Okay, so...what are we going to do this weekend?
Tiffany: Well, we get to hotel, and then the director gives us gimbap.  Cucumber.  Then there's punch ball.
Me: Punch ball?
Tiffany: No.  Throwing.
Me: Oh, dodgeball.
Tiffany: Yes.  Then there's purple mints.
Me: Purple mints?
Tiffany: Yes!  Dancing?
Me:  OH.  Performance.

That's basically how every conversation with a Korean goes.

They call it a workshop weekend, but nothing educational or instructive happens.  Although there were a lot of speeches being given, so those might have an educational component, but they were all in Korean so we didn't know what was happening.  On the bus on the way there the director spoke in Korean for about 35 minutes, then she paused, turned her attention toward us, and said "Welcome...to bus."  After that the microphone was passed around, and people were making speeches.  They made us give speeches, but we had no idea what was going on, so we said things like "We're happy to be here, and looking forward to a good weekend!"

Then it was norae bang time.  Norae bang is Korean karaoke, and they have a machine on the bus.  So people did karaoke for a little while.

The place we went was only about three hours away, but after two hours it started snowing really hard, and we hit major traffic.  The whole trip ended up taking about seven hours.  Traffic was at a standstill at one point, and people were getting out of their cars, so we got out and had a snowball fight on the side of the road.  It was really fun, and a good way to bond with people when you don't speak a common language.

We arrived at the resort, and had some time to practice our dance performance.  I...I don't even know why this was a part of the weekend.  That's just what they do.  We danced to that Cha Cha song that tells you what to do ("slide to the left") so it was easy enough.  We came in second place.  Then we had dinner, the first course of which was a giant plate of raw fish for each person.  There was plenty of beer and soju, and we started drinking.  Korean women aren't very good at holding their liquor.  Things went from zero to drunk very quickly. But it loosened them up, and they were coming over to talk to us, and being very sweet.  It was good to get to know them.  Then it was norae bang time again, at the hotel.  There are just karaoke machines everywhere.

At the hotel, we stayed in suites, shared by 8-10 people.  Each one had three bedrooms and a kitchen/living area.  The bedrooms were completely empty, no beds, but there were mattress pads that you put on the floor.  And no blankets either, but the mattress pads are like thick comforters, so I pulled half of mine over myself.  And the floors are heated, so it's not too cold.  

Then this morning I was sitting at the table in our suite, drinking coffee.  The other girls were getting up, getting ready, and putting out plates and bowls.  I didn't know what was happening, I really never do, but then they started bringing in plates and plates of food.  Which I guess was being prepared in one of the other suites?  Bowls of rice, kimchi, green onion things, soup, lots of meat.  I just wanted a bagel.  There are so many times that things happen here, and we're totally in the dark because we don't understand Korean.

Also, we were supposed to play dodgeball, but because the trip there took so long it got cut.  This morning the director was talking about trying to do it, and she said that they would have to split up the foreigners because of our "excellent skills."  I don't know if she was there the last time I played dodgeball, in Mr. Schulte's PE class in fifth grade, but I would guess my skills aren't excellent.  But Korean girls aren't the most athletic, so maybe I would have been better.  We'll never know.

When we got back Sunday night I went with Ashley, and her other friend Shannon, to the jimjillbang (that's the sauna.)  This time I got the scrub-down, which is when you pay about $17 for an old Korean lady in mesh bra and underwear to scrub your entire body with these scrubbing mitts.  You're lying down and they douse you in warm water, then scrub, and you can feel skin being exfoliated off.  They do the same for your face (but more gently) then shampoo your hair, rinse you off again, then rub this oil all over your body.  I felt like a seal when it was over, and almost slipped off the table.  It was really nice, and my skin felt so soft after.  

Kindergarten graduation

I started working full time last week, but last week and this week the other foreign couple is still here, so we've been shadowing them/teaching a few classes of our own.  It's been a little hectic because the schedule keeps changing, and also the kindergarten kids are graduating, so sometimes instead of class they have been rehearsing, then yesterday we had to go to the actual graduation.  It was pretty adorable, and I'm attaching pictures.  They have these uniforms that look like they're going to play golf.  And the schedule has been a bit crazy, but it is made unnecessarily so because we're in Korea.  It doesn't seem like anyone knows what's going on.  We ask, and they never have the schedule for the following day until about 7:00 at night.  Part of it is the language barrier, but partly I think it's just in their culture to not be clear about things.  Yesterday I thought I was teaching a class in Ben's room, but this little 6 year old girl, Dana, came up and took my hand and said "Soojee, this room!" and led me to Ashley's room.  I was checking my own schedule to confirm, so Dana took me over to the schedule pasted on the wall, which is in Korean, and pointed out where it said which classroom I'm supposed to be in.  Thank goodness for Dana.

This weekend the school has a retreat.  It's all the teachers from our hogwan, plus all the kindergarten teachers. I don't know how many people that is, all together.  Maybe 70?  It's sort of a reward/chance to bond with people.  Of course, we haven't actually been told anything about it, we've just heard through the grapevine that we leave Saturday morning.  They do it every year, and there is a competition among the schools for a prize.  There's a dodgeball game, and some sort of dance presentation.  It should be interesting.

Next Monday Ben and Ashley leave, which we're sad about because we really like them.  I would like for them to be our friends the entire time we're in Korea.  However, it does mean that the teachers' room will be less crowded, Brady and I will get our own desks, and we'll move into their apartment.  I'm looking forward to that, to being able to settle in to the place we'll be for the next year.  We've been packed into one bedroom at Pamela's apartment, and it's impossible to really unpack or get set up.

This is Amber.  She is my favorite.

Nina.

The one who looks like she's eating lemons is Dana.

There were some tears. 

Bikes & Palace

We bought a bike last week, and inherited another bike from the other foreign couple (Ben & Ashley.)  This past Saturday was kind of nice, just above freezing, so we went for a bike ride around Suwon.  There is a little stream that runs through the city, with a path alongside it, so we could ride on that without having to deal with traffic.

At one point the stream was frozen and there were people out playing the traditional Korean game of ice boarding.  I don't know what the real name is, but that's what I would call it.  You sit on a board that has two thick wires along the bottom, like skates, and you propel yourself with wooden poles with nails on the bottom.  

We ended up at a market.  

Photos around the apartment

Some people asked what our living situation is like.  The head teacher at the school, Pamela, is Canadian and she's back in Canada now for a month, so we're staying at her place.  At the end of February we'll move into the other foreign teachers' apartment (the people we're replacing.)  So this is our temporary apartment, and I'll show you pictures of our new place once we move in. 

Living Room

Bathroom.  There's no stall for the shower, it's just in the open.

Kitchen

Bedroom

Snow from the kitchen window

Preparations for my first Korean meal: Ddoek Boggi.  The red bowl that looks like it has Wheat Thins is actual fish cake, which is kind of spongy, fish-flavored...something.  The white things in the measuring cup are rice noodles. 

Ddoek boggi, the finished product! 

Fruit bowl.  I just thought this looked nice.