Wednesday, August 29, 2012

Summer Camps

As I've mentioned in a previous post regarding the Korean education system, most students here attend summer and winter academic camps during their vacation time. I had two weeks of camp at my school, as well as one week of sleep away camp run by the Andong Office of Education out in the country.

So, here is a little of what I have been up to over the past three weeks. My first camp at school consisted of 3rd-5th graders. The students were there for three hours in the morning, but I split my time between two classes. I taught 3rd and 4th graders with my co-teacher for the first hour and half, and then moved rooms to teach the 5th graders for the next 90 minutes. I taught with the other Korean English Teacher, who is the younger teacher who helped me a lot in the beginning with setting up a bank account, cell phone, etc. She was lovely to work with. We instantly connected, whether it was from our proximity in age or similar personalities and teaching styles. Either way, it was a great environment to teach in. I taught a different topic each day, including olympics, healthy vs. unhealthy foods, appearance, and baking, where we made no-bake chocolate peanut butter cookies. Of course each class' level varied greatly so I had to modify my lessons accordingly. Overall, it was a very relaxed atmosphere, and I tried to make it as fun as possible for them, since it's the summer and all and these kids are sitting in a hot classroom/gym. Oh yeah- my school was under construction during the entire vacation, so half of the classes had to be in the gym, where we had no computer, t.v., etc. So I wound up bringing in my laptop everyday so that my co-teacher wouldn't resort to worksheets. I put a lot of time into preparing those lessons and didn't want the lack of technology to cause them all just going down the drain.
Making cookies!

The second week was QUITE the experience to say the least. After waking up twenty minutes before our bus left, I ran to meet seven other native teachers to drive to the camp site. It was about forty minutes out in to the countryside of Andong. Some fun facts on the site: No mattresses (just a pillow and comforter for us), no hot water, no a/c. Despite that, we were exhausted each night, so sleeping on the hard floor never seemed to be a problem, at least for me.. haha. Quick showers were taken, and many fans were being used. Assimilation- it's an amazing thing.
As far as actual camp went, we each had our own homeroom class where we taught with a Korean co-teacher, though we were barely with that class, because we were all in charge of a specialty class as well (Two Native Teachers to a class.) That's where we spent most of our time teaching. Mine, which I volunteered for, was P.E. So my friend Angel and I taught them famous western sports, did soccer and basketball drills, then finished with playing insane games of dodgeball. These kids are BEASTS when it comes to this game.
Losing team of dodgeball had to give piggy back rides around the b-ball court


A few girls from my homeroom class
There were about 7 of my 6th graders from my school that attended the camp, so it was fun to see them in a different and more relaxed environment. Students were in classes for 8 hours a day, including meals and break times, so they were constantly go go go! They slept in their classrooms, moving if needed, so boys and girls were separate. My co-teacher there was a man, whos English name is Jack Sparrow, after.. yes.. Pirates of the Caribbean. I've vented enough about him over that week, but here's the quick lowdown. He had earphones in his ears listening to something on his phone the ENTIRE time. I knew no one would really believe me, so I snapped a few pictures of my kids, making sure to get him in the background doing what he does best... sitting on the floor, listening to his phone, completely checked out. (There is one picture below.) So yes. I was the lead teacher, and basically had no co-teacher, especially when he decided not to show up for the entire class. Other than that, I had a fun time with the students. There were a few times a week where all of the classes gathered in the auditorium and did interactive events, including mini olympics, a garage sale, and song contest (which I was MC for). I taught my class "Payphone" by Maroon 5. They were awesome! (Video below.)
These situations have taught me to learn to enjoy things for yourself and with your students, despite the fact that you have absent, oblivious, rude, completely unprofessional co-workers. I'm sorry. I don't care what country you're in, you do NOT just sit there and say absolutely nothing for 40 minutes, with your earphones in, and let your co-worker do all of the work. Bt no, he did, and got the same paycheck as me. Breathe. I'm lucky my students were responsive and somewhat high-level. They were great sports!
There's Jack Sparrow
Spotted again..
garage sale
"It's cheaper than everything. Please buying it!" 
Some of the boys in my homeroom class. The one in the middle, Brian- hysterical! The one on the left-so smart!
These are three of the sixth graders from my school
mini olympics
being silly
Angel and Leandi being really supportive
mini olympics- jump roping
mini olympics- onion ring contest
My wonderful homeroom class!
and again
My student from my school. She's the best! Beyond intelligent. Happiest kid I know. Always smiling


Here are three videos from the Song Contest (Payphone (mine), Do Re Mi, The Lion Sleeps Tonight):

Week 3. This past week I had the same hours as the first week at my school. However this time, the first ninety minutes were spent teaching a group of five extremely low-level sixth graders. They were all of my students, so I knew them, however I was worried because these girls had not said one word to me for the past six months in class. They are very below-level, so my co-teacher (once again the young co-teacher that I love) and I decided we should go back to basics and focus on simple phonics. So thanks to a powerpoint I made up and starfall.com, we reviewed sounds and by the end of the week, they were able to put together small 1 syllable, 3 letter words. By day three, they were opening up to me and we were having some laughs. That is what teaching is all about, and I live for it. These girls were so scared of English and so noticebaly nervous in front of me in the beginning. Then just like that.. they broke out of their shell once they, themselves, realized that they were capable of learning English. Those are the moments that I remember why I went into this field in the first place. I love seeing students' success, but most of all..when they see it in themselves and they realize that they truly can do something. Watching them start to believe in themseleves and gain confidence is beyond rewarding. You can't get that with any other career.
The next two hours were spent with the complete polar opposite. About eight super advanced students ranging from third-fifth grade, worked with me and Ms. Oh on their speech contest speeches. Most schools take their advance English students and host speech contests, where the students have to prepare a speech, choosing from 3-4 topics, and are judged by Native teachers like myself. Some of their speeches were dead on. Made total sense. But I also took notice very quickly, the speeches that were translated directly from something like google translate. Some of the sentences made absolutley no sense, to the point where I had to just cross the whole thing out because they couldn't even tell me what it meant in Korean. I also read a lot of speeches that had these huge mature words in them; far too advanced for even high school. I was reading a girl's paper one day and came across a word that I didn't even know, let alone pronounce. So I turned to Ms. Oh, and said, "I don't even know what this means. How is a 3rd grader supposed to know what it means?" We had a big laugh about it. So my job all week was to edit these speeches, so that they actually knew what they were saying, record myself reading them so they could practice with my voice and intonation, and listen to them practice giving their speeches.

By the end of week three, I was exhausted! I had three days of freedom before the second semester started. Here I am on day two, easing back into it. I don't know how these kids do it. They barely get a vacation. Most of the States get 10 weeks total. They get 1. If they're lucky. They're kids. They need to be kids. They need to go swim, play with their friends, stay up late, forget about homework for a while. A break from all the academics, stress, and pressure. But then again, this is Korea. It is one of the most fast-paced, competitive, education-driven countries in the world. These kids are used to this schedule, and somehow they deal with it. I really do admire them for it, but I am also once again.. thankful I was brought up in a country where I had 10 weeks of relaxation.

Saturday, August 18, 2012

Beautiful Japan

A few weeks ago I took a 1 hour 10 minute flight to Korea's next door neighbor... Japan. One of the greatest perks to teaching here in Korea is the abundant amount of countries that are available to travel to during your vacation time. On the down side, my school decided to switch around my camps last minute, resulting in me only getting five days in Japan. Despite the sucky-ness of that situation... it was my own personal challenge to make the best of the time I had. I traveled with a friend from home, and together we traveled within the city of Osaka, Nara and Kyoto.

First up was exploring the city of Osaka. We stayed at Ten Hostel, a great urban-inspired hostel with traditional ondol rooms. (Basically a futon mattress, blankets and pillows.) The hostel staff couldn't have been more helpful. Definitely recommend it to anyone traveling within Osaka. (http://ten.hostelosaka.com/rooms_en.html)
It was a relaxed day, taking in the city. We had Udon noodles for dinner then walked over to Umeda for some drinks.


Nara. The next day we braved the subway system to Nara (which by the way, sucks compared to the Korean subway. So confusing. But thanks to the recommendation from a few friends in Korea, we purchased the Kansai Train Pass, which helped a ton in getting around.) We fed wild deer, saw many temples and pagodas including the famous Five-Storied Pagoda and Todai-ji Temple, (the largest wooden building in the world) which holds The Great Buddha Vairocana (the largest bronze Buddha in the world.) I don't have the words to express how enormous this statue was, and of course pictures never do justice. Like many temples, it took a while to get to the actual temple, first going through the outskirts of it. The second I walked into the building, my feet stood still, mesmerized by the size of it. You don't have to be Buddhist to feel the emotion that comes along with being in the presence of this religious figure standing so beautiful and so much larger than life. For lunch, we had okonomiyaki, a Japanese favorite. It's like a big grilled pancake made up of cuttlefish, onions, cabbage, cheese, egg, seaweed, ginger, and other vegetables. Delicious.

The Five-Storied Pagoda
Cleansing at the entrance to a temple
The Five-Storied Pagoda
okonomiyaki 

Todai-ji Temple
Buddha Vairocana
Looking up at the Buddha

Kyoto. The next day we made our way to the former imperial capital of Japan, Kyoto. This place is filled with culture, including a total of 1600 Buddhist temples and 400 Shinto shrines. One of our first stops was Kiyomizu-dera, a temple built on a mountainside, overlooking Eastern Kyoto. It was quite a hike walking up to it, but boy was it worth it. We also made it to the district of Arashiyama, including Sagano Bamboo Forest. The forest was a nice peaceful getaway from everything, and was the perfect opportunity to take a bunch of artsy photos. We ended up in the Gion District (the Geisha District) for dinner and some shopping. There, we saw many Japanese women dressed up in traditional kimonos, hired to appear as real geishas. It reminded me of Disney characters in Disney. The real geishas are a part of a kind of underground world, not for show to the public. In Kyoto, we had more okonomiyaki as well as horai, a famous hot meat bun (I opted for a tofu one). Again, delicious.
okonomiyaki


Kiyomizu-dera

horai



prayer sticks



We had one last full day in Japan, and we decided to relax and take in the modern culture of Osaka. We made our way down to Namba, exploring Shinsaibashi (the shopping district) and Dotonbori (also known for its many restaurants and shopping) We visited American Town, where I went into my first Uniqlo, which I'm now obsessed with, by the way. 
America town




Side note- this needs it's own paragraph. 
One word: Takoyaki.
This is an Osaka favorite. A few friends in Korea basically told me I couldn't leave Osaka without trying it, and so finally in Dotonbori, we stopped in what looked like one of the most popular takoyaki restaurants, (all we had to do was look at the long line of people). You're probably wondering what it is huh? Well, takoyaki is simply an octopus filled pastry ball. It includes ginger, tempura, green onion and is mixed with a type of Bisquick looking batter, and made in a special takoyaki pan. They top it with a drizzle of takoyaki sauce and Japanese mayonnaise, and a sprinkle of extra ginger. It's a famous Osaka street food, and you can find them almost everywhere you turn. However, we were able to sit down at this restaurant and enjoy it. WOW. I can't say enough about it. Definitely a must for anyone going to Osaka.
The restaurant where we ate
making takoyaki
finished product
That night, we stayed at Capsule Hotel Asahiplaza Shinsaibashi. (http://www.asahiplaza.co.jp/capcel/english.html) It was closer to the airport, for we both had early flights, and it was something we both were interested in experiencing. Men and women are separated by floors, and you need a key to enter everything. It includes public baths called onsen, saunas, and massage rooms. Your capsule room is small enough to fit just your bed and nothing else. It's very hard to explain, for we have nothing to compare it to in the States as far as I know, so the photos can do that for me. But I did experience my first public bath. Talk about having to be comfortable with your body. I have recently gone to my first jimjilbang, which I will have to devote an entire post to soon.



Now, for only having 5 total days in Japan, including travel time, we saw and did A LOT. I'm kind of surprised at how much we accomplished, despite the insane heat. It was unbearable at times, but I'm glad we fought through the sweat and were able to experience and see what we wanted to. What I've realized about my traveling is that people differ greatly when they travel. Half of us travel to these culture rich areas in hopes to see the temples, and the traditional side of the country, taking in the history and culture. And the other half go with the mindset of laying on a beach somewhere drinking pina coladas and shopping. For me, I've learned that I like a nice mix. I love seeing these beautiful pagodas, temples, and sculptures. I picture what it must have been like during the time they were first built, how different life was. Though those times live forever in our textbooks and in movies, our world is changing every day. And so as much as I like to bow to Buddha, and wash my hands with its holy water, I also enjoy sitting at a Starbucks and taking in modern-day Japan and its people.

What I found most interesting was finding myself comparing the Japanese to Koreans and not to Americans. Korea really has become my home. I realized that a few days in, when I was picking up Korean language around me, only from a few exchanged words. Before I came to Korea, Asian language was all the same to me. I never had enough exposure to differentiate between, Mandarin, Japanese, Korean, Thai, etc. But sitting in Japan on a subway, I was able to point out the Koreans sitting amongst everyone by mere spoken words. I found that so cool. Never would I think I'd be able to do that.

I also noticed how Japanese fashion differs from Korean. Koreans are very conservative, as I've spoken about in multiple posts. But in Japan, I felt like the sky was the limit. Anything goes. I understand I was in Osaka, which is a big party city, but even in culture-rich areas like Kyoto, I noticed it as well. Girls were not covering up top like Koreans do. Japanese men had more liberal haircuts, some wearing spiky gelled-up hair, paired with black clothing. Most Korean men are pretty men, always looking put together with their clean cut demeanor. In Osaka, you also got the very VERY openly advertised strip joints, where girls would stand outside their respective clubs with their "pimps" advertising them. You don't see anything like that in Korea. The business men type noraebangs and coffee shops in Korea where girls are hired to entertain the men are very much underground. It's one of those things that everyone knows about but is rarely talked about, and very frowned upon. Where in Japan, it's no surprise.

I found it interesting and humbling that on my flight back from Japan, I couldn't wait to get back home. I wanted my apartment, I missed my students, I missed being able to communicate. Bahaha that was the most comical, because I am in no way fluent in Korean, but when in Japan, I couldn't get out expressions like, "one moment please", "how much is this?", "beautiful!" "this tastes delicious," etc. But I knew how to say all of that in Korean and that was comforting once I made it back. When I landed in Busan, I felt I was home and secure. I was more at ease. Six months learning, living, and teaching in Korea did that. I have six months left. Half of my time here is over. Who knows where I will be in February.. but I do know that I am looking forward to each and every moment.