I wish I could channel my energies into something more productive or lucrative or good for humanity or something, but I like spending a lot of time on useless things.
Lately it's learning and translating songs from Korean and Portuguese to English so I can sing a long with them (and know what the words mean). I guess it's not completely useless, and it's actually been a really good way to study the two languages, but there are a lot of other things I could be doing with my life (i.e. Taking care of things before I go home again for my sister's wedding next weekend, finshing my TEFL paper...yes, I'm still procrastinating on that, and preparing for my upcoming S.M.O.E. presentation). But being able to sing along to the chorus of 2NE1's "I don't care" is a lot more fun.
Here's the Korean song I'm working on:
Chorus in Korean:
I don’t care 그만할래 니가 어디에서 뭘 하던
이제 정말 상관 안할게 비켜줄래
이제와 울고불고 매달리지마
cause don’t care e e e e e e
cause don’t care e e e e e e
Boy, I don't care
Chorus in English:
I don’t care, I’ll stop caring about what you’re doing wherever you are
From now on I really don’t care, I’ll get out of the way
From now on don’t come to me and cry, and cling on
cause I don’t care e e e e e e
cause I don’t care e e e e e e
Boy, I don't care
As for Portuguese, I've been listening to Ana Carolina a lot lately, and I'm trying to learn two of her songs; "Mais que isso" ("More than that") and "É isso aí" (Not sure how to translate that one) I thought it was a man singing at first, but she just has a very deep, husky voice. Even if I don't end up moving to Brazil, speaking/singing in Portuguese is super fun; lots of crazy vowel sounds.
"Mais que Isso"
Lyrics:
Eu não vou gostar de você porque sua cara é bonita
O amor é mais que isso
O amor talvez seja uma música que eu gostei e botei numa fita
Eu não vou gostar de você porque você acredita
O amor é mais que isso
O amor talvez seja uma coisa que até nem sei se precisa ser dita
Deixa de tolice, veja que eu estou aqui agora
inteiro, intenso, eterno, pronto pro momento e você cobra
Deixa de bobagem, é claro, certo e belo como eu quero
O corpo, a alma, a calma, o sonho, o gozo, a dor e agora pára
Será que é tão difícil aceitar o amor como é
E deixar que ele vá e nos leve pra todo lugar
Como aqui
Será melhor deixar essa nuvem passar
E você vai saber de onde vim, aonde vou
E que eu estou aqui
I've only just started studying Portuguese, but basically the singer is reassuring her 'amor' that her love is true.
É isso aí is a really pretty song too. She sings this one with Seu Jorge, another big name in Brazilian music.
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
G-Dragon goes solo, Jae Bum's exodus, & Asia Song Fest '09
My K-pop obsession seems to have reached new heights. When I came back from 3 weeks off of teaching, (2 weeks home visit + 1 week for 'Quarantine' purposes) I promptly asked my students what I had missed in the world of K-pop. Because, a lot can happen in 3 weeks; the entertainment companies are cranking out new groups and new singles everyday.
The girls immediately directed me to 'Heartbreaker,' the new single from the now blonde and increasingly feminine-looking G-Dragon (of Big Bang fame, of course). I wasn't too impressed at first, but the song is really growing on me. It has a great baseline...probably because it's an exact copy of Flo Rida's 'Right Round.' I've always thought that a lot of K-pop songs sound like re-packaged versions of American pop songs, but this is the most obvious to date and he's actually in the midst of a lawsuit because it. Plagiarism and piracy is a huge problem in this country (and most of Asia) so it wouldn't be a bad thing, in my opinion, if they started to enforce copyright laws here.
Lawsuit aside, it's a great track for the T-mill at the gym. Check it out:
The other big news in K-pop right now is Jae Bum's departure from 2PM. 2 PM is one of several 9-13 member, same-gender pop groups that are big right now. You would think having that many members is excessive, but watch the dancing in Super Junior's 'Sorry' video, and become a believer, as I have.
Anyway, last week one of my students rushed into my classroom in a panic and begged to use my computer. Since it was clearly an emergency, I let her, and the tragic, shocking news was confirmed: Park Jae Bum, the leading member of 2PM, was leaving the group and moving back to the U.S. I don't know the full story on this one, but apparently he wrote some not-so-nice things about Korea on his Myspace page two years back, and the record company thought it would be best if he left. Middle and high school girls across the country were devastated. I mean, what are they are going to do with only 8 members! You think I'm exaggerating, as I have a tendency to do, but there were clips on the news of hundreds of girls dressed in black with signs that said "Let Jae Bum come back!" If I can find any pictures, I'll post them. It's madness.
Last but not least, I attended my first ever K-pop concert this past Saturday. A friend of mine, knowing of my obsession, told me about a FREE concert where 2NE1, Girls Generation, Super Junior AND Big Bang would be playing. It sounded to good to be true. So Vicky (another K-pop aficionado) and I downloaded our free tickets and headed over to World Cup Stadium for the 6th Annual Asia Song Festival. The crowd was mostly families and middle school girls, and Vicky and I screamed just as loud as they did, if not more. [I'm feeling more and more losery as I write this...]
Along with the best of K-pop, they had artists from Vietnam, Japan, China, Indonesia, Taiwan and a chic from Ukraine who made Britney Spears look classy. I don't know how representative of Asian pop this concert was, but K-pop is definitely at the top of the scene. J-pop is stuck in the 80's and Chinese pop is just...bad. The girl from Indonesia was quite talented but she kept shouting commands at the audience ("stomp! no...like this!") who didn't understand her because she was speaking in English. Doesn't she now they just read and write English in Korea, not speak it? Vicky pointed out that it reminded her of her classes: a sea of blank faces staring back at you when you give directions.
Although Big Bang was my main motivation to go, it was Super Junior who stole the show. Big Bang played a really short set because they were missing a member (I found out Monday from my students that Dae Sun was in a car accident and injured his nose) and G-Dragon had another gig to play, so they dashed off after two songs. I still want to see a full-on Big Bang concert before I leave the country because I definitely didn't get my fix.
But like I said, Super Junior 'brought it,' with three hit songs, including the showstopper 'Sorry, Sorry.' I screamed so loud that my throat was sore the next day. Sadly I really am a middle school girl at heart. The weird thing was, Vicky and I jumped up and started dancing along, only to realize everyone around us was still seated. Apparently in Korea you don't stand up and dance along at concerts, you just wave your glow stick around.
A few pics:
We were NOT close to the stage at all
We <3 K-pop!
Girls Generation
Alright, I feel like I need to go and do something intellectual or at least semi-productive now.
The girls immediately directed me to 'Heartbreaker,' the new single from the now blonde and increasingly feminine-looking G-Dragon (of Big Bang fame, of course). I wasn't too impressed at first, but the song is really growing on me. It has a great baseline...probably because it's an exact copy of Flo Rida's 'Right Round.' I've always thought that a lot of K-pop songs sound like re-packaged versions of American pop songs, but this is the most obvious to date and he's actually in the midst of a lawsuit because it. Plagiarism and piracy is a huge problem in this country (and most of Asia) so it wouldn't be a bad thing, in my opinion, if they started to enforce copyright laws here.
Lawsuit aside, it's a great track for the T-mill at the gym. Check it out:
The other big news in K-pop right now is Jae Bum's departure from 2PM. 2 PM is one of several 9-13 member, same-gender pop groups that are big right now. You would think having that many members is excessive, but watch the dancing in Super Junior's 'Sorry' video, and become a believer, as I have.
Anyway, last week one of my students rushed into my classroom in a panic and begged to use my computer. Since it was clearly an emergency, I let her, and the tragic, shocking news was confirmed: Park Jae Bum, the leading member of 2PM, was leaving the group and moving back to the U.S. I don't know the full story on this one, but apparently he wrote some not-so-nice things about Korea on his Myspace page two years back, and the record company thought it would be best if he left. Middle and high school girls across the country were devastated. I mean, what are they are going to do with only 8 members! You think I'm exaggerating, as I have a tendency to do, but there were clips on the news of hundreds of girls dressed in black with signs that said "Let Jae Bum come back!" If I can find any pictures, I'll post them. It's madness.
Last but not least, I attended my first ever K-pop concert this past Saturday. A friend of mine, knowing of my obsession, told me about a FREE concert where 2NE1, Girls Generation, Super Junior AND Big Bang would be playing. It sounded to good to be true. So Vicky (another K-pop aficionado) and I downloaded our free tickets and headed over to World Cup Stadium for the 6th Annual Asia Song Festival. The crowd was mostly families and middle school girls, and Vicky and I screamed just as loud as they did, if not more. [I'm feeling more and more losery as I write this...]
Along with the best of K-pop, they had artists from Vietnam, Japan, China, Indonesia, Taiwan and a chic from Ukraine who made Britney Spears look classy. I don't know how representative of Asian pop this concert was, but K-pop is definitely at the top of the scene. J-pop is stuck in the 80's and Chinese pop is just...bad. The girl from Indonesia was quite talented but she kept shouting commands at the audience ("stomp! no...like this!") who didn't understand her because she was speaking in English. Doesn't she now they just read and write English in Korea, not speak it? Vicky pointed out that it reminded her of her classes: a sea of blank faces staring back at you when you give directions.
Although Big Bang was my main motivation to go, it was Super Junior who stole the show. Big Bang played a really short set because they were missing a member (I found out Monday from my students that Dae Sun was in a car accident and injured his nose) and G-Dragon had another gig to play, so they dashed off after two songs. I still want to see a full-on Big Bang concert before I leave the country because I definitely didn't get my fix.
But like I said, Super Junior 'brought it,' with three hit songs, including the showstopper 'Sorry, Sorry.' I screamed so loud that my throat was sore the next day. Sadly I really am a middle school girl at heart. The weird thing was, Vicky and I jumped up and started dancing along, only to realize everyone around us was still seated. Apparently in Korea you don't stand up and dance along at concerts, you just wave your glow stick around.
A few pics:
We were NOT close to the stage at all
We <3 K-pop!
Girls Generation
Alright, I feel like I need to go and do something intellectual or at least semi-productive now.
Friday, September 11, 2009
Revelations
My first few days back home were disorienting. I was wondering if I would experience a kind of reverse culture shock, like I did when I came back from studying abroad in France 6 years ago, and I definitely did.
I’m actually amazed by how acclimated to Korea I’ve become in just one year. Things that were normal to me for 25 years seemed strange and foreign, at least for the first few days.
I felt giddy when I got off the plane at Chicago O’Hare, being on U.S. soil for the first time in a year, and when I got to the counter at immigration, my first inclination was to give a slight bow and say “Annyang Haseyo,” the polite, friendly greeting that is custom here in Korea. When it dawned on me that I didn’t have to do that, I smiled and uttered a cheerful “Hi!” instead. The guy checking my passport didn’t even respond; he gave me my stamp and shooed me on my way. At that moment I was like, oh yeah… people here aren’t all polite and formal all the time. No one is going to bow to me!
Bowing is something I’ve come to appreciate about Korean culture. When I get to school in the morning, many of my coworkers and students give a slight bow when saying hello, and to the adults, I give a slight bow back. It’s a nice form of acknowledgement, and it’s definitely something I will miss when I leave this country.
Another thing I noticed right away was a case of beverages for sale at the airport. Not only was the selection dizzying compared to Korea, but the bottles of Pepsi, Mountain Dew, etc. were at least twice as big as they are in Korea. Everything seemed big; the people, the airport, the open SPACE between buildings. My friend Matt and I were on the same flight from Seoul, and while waiting for our flight to Minneapolis, we were laughing and joking about how Korean we’ve become. Like when I got up to buy a Diet Coke, and I automatically placed my right hand on my left arm when handing over the money, another customary sign of respect in Korea. Actually, I couldn’t shake that habit the whole time I was home. We were so absorbed in such observations that we missed the boarding call for our connecting flight, but luckily we were able to jump on a flight that left an hour later.
But perhaps the most disorientating moment was visiting the shampoo aisle in Target a few days later. Two giant aisles chocked full of every sort of hair product you could imagine. I just stood there like an idiot for few minutes trying to compose myself; I didn’t know where to begin. In Korea, the shampoo aisle is a fraction of the size, with only a few brands of products to choose from. It makes the decision process a lot simpler. The same thing happened in Express; I hadn’t been surrounded by that many pairs of jeans that would fit me, in that many styles and colors, in a year, and I was overwhelmed. The array of choice we have in the United States is mind-boggling after a year in the Far East.
Another revelation occurred when my mom asked me what kind of food I wanted while I was home, since she was going grocery shopping. I thought about it for a moment, and the two things I really wanted were nangmyeon and Indian food, two things I eat regularly in Seoul. Two things I had never really eaten before I moved here. I realized that America, or Minnesota anyway, hadn’t changed at all. Everything was exactly the same as when I left, but that I had changed. My tastes have changed, my lifestyle, my way of thinking, etc. I guess I should have expected that, but it really hit me those first few days at home; how much I've experienced and grown and changed in the past year.
Lately I’ve been fantasizing about volunteering in India or Africa or Rio de Janeiro after my current contract. I subscribe to a few teach/study abroad e-mail newsletters, and I spend a little too much time at work entertaining the possibilities of my next step. It’s strange, because I used to panic about not knowing what lie ahead, but now it’s kind of exciting not knowing where on the planet I will be next spring.
I think going home gave me a renewed sense that Minnesota will always be there. I can always go back home and figure life out from there. But I won’t always be able to be nomadic like this, and I feel like I need to milk it while I can.
Loyal readers of my blog (Love you, Nat!) may notice that this is a running theme in my posts, and maybe I'm being a little bit redundant. But when all my friends back home are getting engaged, buying houses and dogs and doing other grown up things, it's hard to not feel like maybe I'm being crazy, and maybe it's time to follow suit. Deep down I know I'm not ready for that, but it helps to be reminded occasionally that there is no rush to "settle down."
I’m actually amazed by how acclimated to Korea I’ve become in just one year. Things that were normal to me for 25 years seemed strange and foreign, at least for the first few days.
I felt giddy when I got off the plane at Chicago O’Hare, being on U.S. soil for the first time in a year, and when I got to the counter at immigration, my first inclination was to give a slight bow and say “Annyang Haseyo,” the polite, friendly greeting that is custom here in Korea. When it dawned on me that I didn’t have to do that, I smiled and uttered a cheerful “Hi!” instead. The guy checking my passport didn’t even respond; he gave me my stamp and shooed me on my way. At that moment I was like, oh yeah… people here aren’t all polite and formal all the time. No one is going to bow to me!
Bowing is something I’ve come to appreciate about Korean culture. When I get to school in the morning, many of my coworkers and students give a slight bow when saying hello, and to the adults, I give a slight bow back. It’s a nice form of acknowledgement, and it’s definitely something I will miss when I leave this country.
Another thing I noticed right away was a case of beverages for sale at the airport. Not only was the selection dizzying compared to Korea, but the bottles of Pepsi, Mountain Dew, etc. were at least twice as big as they are in Korea. Everything seemed big; the people, the airport, the open SPACE between buildings. My friend Matt and I were on the same flight from Seoul, and while waiting for our flight to Minneapolis, we were laughing and joking about how Korean we’ve become. Like when I got up to buy a Diet Coke, and I automatically placed my right hand on my left arm when handing over the money, another customary sign of respect in Korea. Actually, I couldn’t shake that habit the whole time I was home. We were so absorbed in such observations that we missed the boarding call for our connecting flight, but luckily we were able to jump on a flight that left an hour later.
But perhaps the most disorientating moment was visiting the shampoo aisle in Target a few days later. Two giant aisles chocked full of every sort of hair product you could imagine. I just stood there like an idiot for few minutes trying to compose myself; I didn’t know where to begin. In Korea, the shampoo aisle is a fraction of the size, with only a few brands of products to choose from. It makes the decision process a lot simpler. The same thing happened in Express; I hadn’t been surrounded by that many pairs of jeans that would fit me, in that many styles and colors, in a year, and I was overwhelmed. The array of choice we have in the United States is mind-boggling after a year in the Far East.
Another revelation occurred when my mom asked me what kind of food I wanted while I was home, since she was going grocery shopping. I thought about it for a moment, and the two things I really wanted were nangmyeon and Indian food, two things I eat regularly in Seoul. Two things I had never really eaten before I moved here. I realized that America, or Minnesota anyway, hadn’t changed at all. Everything was exactly the same as when I left, but that I had changed. My tastes have changed, my lifestyle, my way of thinking, etc. I guess I should have expected that, but it really hit me those first few days at home; how much I've experienced and grown and changed in the past year.
Lately I’ve been fantasizing about volunteering in India or Africa or Rio de Janeiro after my current contract. I subscribe to a few teach/study abroad e-mail newsletters, and I spend a little too much time at work entertaining the possibilities of my next step. It’s strange, because I used to panic about not knowing what lie ahead, but now it’s kind of exciting not knowing where on the planet I will be next spring.
I think going home gave me a renewed sense that Minnesota will always be there. I can always go back home and figure life out from there. But I won’t always be able to be nomadic like this, and I feel like I need to milk it while I can.
Loyal readers of my blog (Love you, Nat!) may notice that this is a running theme in my posts, and maybe I'm being a little bit redundant. But when all my friends back home are getting engaged, buying houses and dogs and doing other grown up things, it's hard to not feel like maybe I'm being crazy, and maybe it's time to follow suit. Deep down I know I'm not ready for that, but it helps to be reminded occasionally that there is no rush to "settle down."
Thursday, August 27, 2009
Home Visit
With my family at the airport
Some of the Korean snacks I brought home didn't go over well...like dried squid and squid-flavored chips
Alyssa's Bridal Shower
Baby Kevin!
My Dad tries Bulgogi
Catching up with my college roomies in Uptown
My parents' new cabin
I saw Jason Mraz at Excel with my sisters. Great Concert!
Some of the Korean snacks I brought home didn't go over well...like dried squid and squid-flavored chips
Alyssa's Bridal Shower
Baby Kevin!
My Dad tries Bulgogi
Catching up with my college roomies in Uptown
My parents' new cabin
I saw Jason Mraz at Excel with my sisters. Great Concert!
Overheard at LeAnne's Daycare, 8-10-09
Charlotte, one of my mom's daycare kids, has always been a favorite of mine. She's 6 years old, completely blunt and brutally honest, which makes conversations with her highly entertaining.
Last summer she and Sofia, another outspoken daycare kid, were giving me a lot of grief because my YOUNGER sister had gotten engaged. Why wasn't I getting married? I told them that boys were overrated and I wanted to travel the world.
This week I was showing them where I live now and the places I visited this year in a World Atlas. I also showed them some pictures and videos from my year abroad, expecting them to be impressed. Not so much. Our conversation afterwards went something like this:
Charlotte: But, are you married yet?
Me: Ha ha, no.
Sofia: How old are you?
Me: 26.
Sofia: What?! Why aren't you married?
Me: I don't want to get married right now. Maybe when I'm like 30 I'll start looking for a husband.
Sofia: (Aghast) You should have been looking for a husband when you turned 21!!!
Me: If I was married, I couldn't travel.
Charlotte: You could travel with your husband.
Me: That's true.
Charlotte: Or you could just tell him you're going to school or work and go on a trip.
Guess they have it all figured out for me :)
Last summer she and Sofia, another outspoken daycare kid, were giving me a lot of grief because my YOUNGER sister had gotten engaged. Why wasn't I getting married? I told them that boys were overrated and I wanted to travel the world.
This week I was showing them where I live now and the places I visited this year in a World Atlas. I also showed them some pictures and videos from my year abroad, expecting them to be impressed. Not so much. Our conversation afterwards went something like this:
Charlotte: But, are you married yet?
Me: Ha ha, no.
Sofia: How old are you?
Me: 26.
Sofia: What?! Why aren't you married?
Me: I don't want to get married right now. Maybe when I'm like 30 I'll start looking for a husband.
Sofia: (Aghast) You should have been looking for a husband when you turned 21!!!
Me: If I was married, I couldn't travel.
Charlotte: You could travel with your husband.
Me: That's true.
Charlotte: Or you could just tell him you're going to school or work and go on a trip.
Guess they have it all figured out for me :)
Friday, August 7, 2009
미국에 와요! I'm coming home!!
In T-minus 19 hours, I will be back in the Land of 10,000 Lakes! Like I said in an earlier post, I have mixed emotions about this. I finally get to see the people I've been missing like crazy all year, but last night I had to say goodbye to the people who won't be coming back for another year. I hate saying goodbye to people and knowing that I may never see them again, mais 'C'est la Vie'
I want to wish everyone the best of luck and safe travels. It's been a great year.
I want to wish everyone the best of luck and safe travels. It's been a great year.
Reason #678,945 I pushed for a 6 month contract
(Written August 6th)
Right now I'm sitting in a nearly empty school building, wondering if any of my 6 summer camp students will show up for class today. The last day of summer classes for the rest of the teachers was yesterday, but I still have to come and teach for 2 more days because "it's in my contract" that I have to teach a 3 week summer camp.
Nevermind that some of the other SMOE teachers got to condense or shorten camps to spend an extra week at home with their families during vacation. No, it is more important that I sit and Facebook in an empty building instead of being with my family and friends that I haven't seen in a year.
Nevermind that when it works in my school's favor, it's perfectly okay to break the rules. Example: SMOE recently issued a new rule that any teacher returning from a foreign country should stay home for a week so that they don't spread any potential swine flu or "new flu" germs. (it's called "new flu" here, because if they called it pig flu, Koreans would be too terrified to eat pig meat and the industry would crumble)
My VP wants me to come to school that week because there's a group of Japenese exchange students visiting and they want to show me off. My coteacher and I have already had to do several demo lessons this year showing off our "groundbreaking" ESL teaching methods. In Korea, whenever someone comes to observe your class, you are supposed to blow them away with a meticulously prepared, previously rehearsed lesson to make yourself look like a super teacher, and therefore make the school look good. It doesn't matter what you do on a regular basis, for this one demo lesson where people are watching, you are supposed to be a model of teaching perfection. Hence, most Korean teachers dread these "demo lessons" and avoid them like the plague.
I think this is ridiculous, and one of many, many complaints I have about the education system here, and the reason I was almost dreading the thought of another whole year. Back home, teacher observations were used as an opportunity to give constructive criticism and help you improve as a teacher, not hurl insults at you if your lesson is short of perfect.
Don't get me wrong, I like Korea. I like my life here, my friends, the country itself. But I think the school system is completely backwards. They think that by sticking a bunch of Native Speakers in the classrooms that they are being progressive and improving English education. But it's not working because there is very little we can do within the system itself. I feel like more of a figurehead and walking grammar book most of the time.
I'm staying with SMOE for 6 more months, because the pay and hours and vacation are very good compared to other jobs. Also because I like my students and my coworkers. I live and teach in an enviable area. However I cannot handle the chaos and illogic that is the school system here much longer. Fellow (foreign) teachers tell me to relax and stop taking it so seriously, but I can't. Teaching for me is a vocation and I have to believe in what I'm doing. I keep hoping that the situation will get better, but I keep having to put up with the same BS over and over. I'm ready to try something different.
Note: My students did show up for class today, 15 minutes late. They apologized and worked diligently on their projects for the rest of the period. They don't really get any credit for my class, they signed up voluntarily to improve their English. Kids like that are the reason I'm in this 'biz.
My busy little worker bees in Summer Camp:
Right now I'm sitting in a nearly empty school building, wondering if any of my 6 summer camp students will show up for class today. The last day of summer classes for the rest of the teachers was yesterday, but I still have to come and teach for 2 more days because "it's in my contract" that I have to teach a 3 week summer camp.
Nevermind that some of the other SMOE teachers got to condense or shorten camps to spend an extra week at home with their families during vacation. No, it is more important that I sit and Facebook in an empty building instead of being with my family and friends that I haven't seen in a year.
Nevermind that when it works in my school's favor, it's perfectly okay to break the rules. Example: SMOE recently issued a new rule that any teacher returning from a foreign country should stay home for a week so that they don't spread any potential swine flu or "new flu" germs. (it's called "new flu" here, because if they called it pig flu, Koreans would be too terrified to eat pig meat and the industry would crumble)
My VP wants me to come to school that week because there's a group of Japenese exchange students visiting and they want to show me off. My coteacher and I have already had to do several demo lessons this year showing off our "groundbreaking" ESL teaching methods. In Korea, whenever someone comes to observe your class, you are supposed to blow them away with a meticulously prepared, previously rehearsed lesson to make yourself look like a super teacher, and therefore make the school look good. It doesn't matter what you do on a regular basis, for this one demo lesson where people are watching, you are supposed to be a model of teaching perfection. Hence, most Korean teachers dread these "demo lessons" and avoid them like the plague.
I think this is ridiculous, and one of many, many complaints I have about the education system here, and the reason I was almost dreading the thought of another whole year. Back home, teacher observations were used as an opportunity to give constructive criticism and help you improve as a teacher, not hurl insults at you if your lesson is short of perfect.
Don't get me wrong, I like Korea. I like my life here, my friends, the country itself. But I think the school system is completely backwards. They think that by sticking a bunch of Native Speakers in the classrooms that they are being progressive and improving English education. But it's not working because there is very little we can do within the system itself. I feel like more of a figurehead and walking grammar book most of the time.
I'm staying with SMOE for 6 more months, because the pay and hours and vacation are very good compared to other jobs. Also because I like my students and my coworkers. I live and teach in an enviable area. However I cannot handle the chaos and illogic that is the school system here much longer. Fellow (foreign) teachers tell me to relax and stop taking it so seriously, but I can't. Teaching for me is a vocation and I have to believe in what I'm doing. I keep hoping that the situation will get better, but I keep having to put up with the same BS over and over. I'm ready to try something different.
Note: My students did show up for class today, 15 minutes late. They apologized and worked diligently on their projects for the rest of the period. They don't really get any credit for my class, they signed up voluntarily to improve their English. Kids like that are the reason I'm in this 'biz.
My busy little worker bees in Summer Camp:
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