So I know it has been almost a week since my last post for my friends back in the States but it was a pretty busy workweek filled with all kinds of fun and exciting things going on. Even though we are located up the hill from the nearest town taxi’s here are extremely cheap here so a ride into the town will only cost you $2-3, so we have been going in quite often for meals and also just to get away from the school campus atmosphere. I have also had some more chances to meet some really cool people but will get to them later.
Last time I was able to post up here I had mentioned that I would be working with Carol on proctoring an English exam, well turns out I was incorrect, and instead Carol and I will be the voices that the kids will hear when they take their exams here. I guess they felt we had the most American sounding voices but it was quite fun and took about an hour to do. I have not had a chance to listen to the finished product but from what I have heard it wasn’t half bad and we don’t have to do it again. So as Carl Spackler would say, I got that going for me.... which is nice.
Carol and I in the recording studio
After teaching on Monday of last week, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday were spent just observing to get me ready for teaching full time starting tomorrow. Classes here are divided classes which are strictly English instruction and then each student takes 2 ‘theme classes’ which are fun classes where activities are done, or things are created with the object being that they students are able to both learn new vocabulary and to understand directions but at the same time still have fun at the same time. Classes include fitness, learning American dances, science activities, and cooking, which I will be teaching daily for the next 4 weeks or so. Most days we will be making crepes, cookies, or pretzels and from my observations it will be pretty fun.
Video of a class game I observed
Since being here I have not yet had an ‘American style meal’ but I have found a couple really delicious things including gimbap, which is similar to sushi and quite good. Another is a desert called papingsu, which is shaved ice topped with black beans, ice cream and a few other things, I guess it would be the equivalent to an ice cream sundae in the USA, the one pictured below is a family size that a group of us split. I got both of the dishes mentioned above twice during the week and it will most likely not be the last. For the past week I have been hanging out and going into town with this girl Megan from Indiana who just finished her year up here and is moving on in a few days to another job on the other side of Seoul. I was glad I got to meet her before she left the village because many of the residents here are pretty quiet and are not nearly as outgoing as the two of us. I am sure she will get another mention later on. Papingsu
Gimbap
When Friday came around I was done with my observations and stuck back into the classroom with a Korean teacher from Seoul named Michelle, (who’s English is so good I thought she was from the United States when I first met her) for a Science based theme class. We taught the class three times to elementary students who had very little English knowledge but they were really a fun bunch and had a great time. The idea of the class was to write a secret message on paper using vitamin C water and then later on have a friend take Iodine over the message to reveal. We then the students write their messages on the board to close out the activity. As you can tell our students liked us a lot, haha.
Since we are still in monsoon season it has been raining every day and often times with great force and at first we thought it would ruin our Friday night in Seoul but with the rain still pouring down on us myself, Megan, and our Korean friend Robin took the train into the capital city to see where the night would take us. Before grabbing the train I had some food from a street vendor but I don’t remember what it was called!
Street Vendor in Yongmun
Getting into Seoul at around 10:30 Friday night we headed into the university area known as Hongik Daehakgyo, aka Hongdae, an area that is very popular for Americans and has a good selection of bars, restaurants, and other fun activities.
Bar in Hongdae
As the night continued we went to several bars that were free for foreigners but Robin had to pay which was kind of weird. Staying out till about 3:30 am we had to decide on what to do till the morning train back to our home in Yongmun. Our first option was to take a taxi to a hotel, which would have ran us about $40 but then Robin had an even better idea that we should to watch a movie at a private theater. So instead of a hotel we ended up spending about $15 between the three of us and getting a private movie room with about a 120-inch screen and these huge comfortable couches. We chose Lord of the Rings, only because it was so long but I don’t think any of us lasted more then 10 minutes into the movie. After we woke up at around 6:30 we had soup for breakfast before catching the morning train back. It really was quite the night.
The rest of my Sunday was pretty lazy as we just kind of hung out till I ordered some Pizza and we watched the 1987 Best Picture “The Last Emperor” on iTunes which was a biopic on the Chinese Emperor Puyi. It was my first time seeing it in quite some time and I highly recommend it.
Today as I write this I have about 30 minutes to get ready as I need to be at the front gate as I have been designated to be the official greeter for all parents and students as they arrive for their 1 week, 2 week, or 4 week classes. I will be teaching a 1 week power speaking class with students who are considered Intermediate-High level, which is the highest level we do here. Expect an update on how it goes by Tuesday or so…
Till then Ahnyong-hi kasayo !
3 comments:
fun!!
Thanks Kiley, it is!
Adventurer! Have a good weekend!
Post a Comment