Thursday, February 15th,
Today, I met with the HR Director. She talked to me about switching locations and teaching role. In March, I will start teaching "Real Business" English. I believe that I will only teach that course. It does mean that my schedule will be quite different and not exactly ideal. I will teach from 7AM to 10AM and 7PM to 10PM. It would be nice if I could live closer to work, but for now, I will continue to live with Dr. Kim and have a 45 minute commute. It will be nice to only teach one subject, but I was told that there isn't a formal book. The previous teacher has built up a collection of material that I hope he will pass onto me since he is leaving for a regular corporate job. I will observe his class next week and receive some formal training. This class will be challenging because I will teach business people with English levels that should be closer to fluent. To begin, I will receive an hourly wage for the first three months. After that time, Pagoda will determine if I should go to a commission-based pay rate based on student enrollment. If I do a good job and I am able to retain and recruit students, then I should earn a better salary by working on commission.
On another note: Dr. Kim's wife passed her driver's license exam. She and Dr. Kim went car shopping. Dr. Kim was kind enough to inform me that they were shopping for a used car because he expects that she will have a few "bumps and scratches" when she is driving to work. Many of the roads are quite narrow in Seoul, so driving is quite a challenge. I see many cars that have bolt-on extras to protect from minor bumps and side-swiping, but there are still numerous cars that have visible damage from scratching other cars.
Thursday, February 15, 2007
Monday, February 12, 2007
Teaching/Korean New Year
Monday, February 12th,
This last few days of teaching have been quite amusing. Last week, one of my students came to class a little under the influence of alcohol. Class isn't until 5pm, and I found out during class that her graduation was earlier in the day. Afterwards, she went to dinner with her family and drank some beer and soju. During class, she said she had a headache. It was quite interesting to hear that she drank some alcohol and still made it to class.
Today, I found out a different student missed class on Friday because she was still hungover. She was a little embarrassed, but we laughed it off because she was the only student to attend today. The students are still on winter break since Korean New Year is late this year. Many students travel to other parts of Korea for vacations, so students will sometimes tell me that they will miss class.
Korean New Year is this weekend. I have been informed by Dr. Kim that I will get to see some of the Korean traditions. They will preform a "sebae", which is a little strange according to Western culture, but normal for them. It has to do with bowing and showing respect to elders. After the "sebae", children usually receive money from their elders. I think many people will come to Dr. Kim's house because his mother and father are the oldest people in their respective families. I will get to meet many new people and Dr. Kim says that they are interested in meeting me.
This evening, Dr. Kim informed me that my father had contacted him. He asked to meet me this Saturday at Lotte World. My father invited Dr. Kim to be our interpreter for the day, so I think that Dr. Kim is also excited for Saturday. Lotte World is a recreational complex with amusement park, shopping, ice rink, movie theater, hotel, and more. We will meet for lunch around noon. Afterwards, I am guessing that my father will take me shopping to buy something. During our first meeting, he said that he wanted to buy me something, but he wasn't sure what to get. I am guessing that he will use this location as a chance to socialize and shop. I am really looking forward to meeting again. I told my fellow teachers that my plans for the weekend are uncertain if hear from my father. A couple teachers are planning a social event for Saturday, but I guess that I will have to arrive late.
This last few days of teaching have been quite amusing. Last week, one of my students came to class a little under the influence of alcohol. Class isn't until 5pm, and I found out during class that her graduation was earlier in the day. Afterwards, she went to dinner with her family and drank some beer and soju. During class, she said she had a headache. It was quite interesting to hear that she drank some alcohol and still made it to class.
Today, I found out a different student missed class on Friday because she was still hungover. She was a little embarrassed, but we laughed it off because she was the only student to attend today. The students are still on winter break since Korean New Year is late this year. Many students travel to other parts of Korea for vacations, so students will sometimes tell me that they will miss class.
Korean New Year is this weekend. I have been informed by Dr. Kim that I will get to see some of the Korean traditions. They will preform a "sebae", which is a little strange according to Western culture, but normal for them. It has to do with bowing and showing respect to elders. After the "sebae", children usually receive money from their elders. I think many people will come to Dr. Kim's house because his mother and father are the oldest people in their respective families. I will get to meet many new people and Dr. Kim says that they are interested in meeting me.
This evening, Dr. Kim informed me that my father had contacted him. He asked to meet me this Saturday at Lotte World. My father invited Dr. Kim to be our interpreter for the day, so I think that Dr. Kim is also excited for Saturday. Lotte World is a recreational complex with amusement park, shopping, ice rink, movie theater, hotel, and more. We will meet for lunch around noon. Afterwards, I am guessing that my father will take me shopping to buy something. During our first meeting, he said that he wanted to buy me something, but he wasn't sure what to get. I am guessing that he will use this location as a chance to socialize and shop. I am really looking forward to meeting again. I told my fellow teachers that my plans for the weekend are uncertain if hear from my father. A couple teachers are planning a social event for Saturday, but I guess that I will have to arrive late.
Saturday, February 10, 2007
Being a Korean adoptee
In my life, I have faced many situations that are very unique to me and my twin brother that are not faced by the people around us. Especially, since meeting my Korean father and interacting with more people in Korea, I have realized more and more about myself. Some things are good and some are not so good. I am still searching to find whatever I can. There isn't anything specific, but this is something that I am doing to discover who I am. Some days, I really question myself and what I am doing. Even though I am in my late 20's, I sometimes feel that my maturity isn't always at the same level. My career is just starting and I am taking a path that most people wouldn't even dream. I have issues that I am working on and trying to understand my how my values and beliefs have developed. Until this year, I haven't had much interaction with other Koreans and/or Korean adoptees. Prior to my arrival and now that I am living in Korea, I have been doing more research about Korea and other Korean adoptees. I found an article in the "Minnesota Monthly" that is quite interesting about the life as an adoptee. I recommend that you check it out. Some things in the article may seem anti-American, but I think that a lot of it applies to my life. I hope that it gives you a better understanding of Korea, history, the culture, and adoption.
http://www.minnesotamonthly.com/media/Minnesota-Monthly/January-2007/Asian-Fusion/index.php?cp=1#artanc
http://www.minnesotamonthly.com/media/Minnesota-Monthly/January-2007/Asian-Fusion/index.php?cp=1#artanc
Thursday, February 8, 2007
For the Critics
Wednesday, February 7th,
This is for the critics who think that things could and will go wrong in Korea for me. I have had a couple bumps in the road with my health and pay this month.
So far, my health hasn't been the greatest in Korea. Hopefully, it is only stressed related with change in environment and work. My back pain has become more noticeable and I hope that I can rest it more now. Since the weekend, I have not been feeling well. I don't have serious symptoms, but my digestive system is giving me problems. I can't eat too much and have some heartburn. I am not sure what is causing it, but I am not in a hurry to find out how good Korean medicine is.
Well, I am a week into my second month of teaching. I have a little different schedule, so I teach for six hours straight without a break. It is good and bad. I don't have to wait for classes, but my voice gets tired by the end, if I have to do a lot of explaining. My classes are very small this month. I only have one, three, and three students in my three classes. This means that I don't have classes with enough students, so I won't be paid by the hour. I will be paid the student's tuition fee. I found out after my meeting with the branch manager that my pay will be less this month by a large amount. Next month, I will move to the Gangnam (main branch) location to teach. At that location, I should have more students and possibly teach another class, so my pay should be better.
I am finally getting used to teaching my classes and socializing with some of the teachers in Sinchon. At Gangnam, I will probably teach a different course level with a new book, so I will have another challenging two months with learning a new book and meeting new teachers. It should be better for my commuting time. I should have about 40 minutes instead of 55 minutes on the subway each way.
Even though my classes are small, I really enjoy my students this month. Their atttendance is good, so far. They participate better when there are fewer students, so I don't have to pull teeth to get them to talk. Sometimes, it can be challenging because I can have group activities or games, but overall, I think this month is off to a good start.
This is for the critics who think that things could and will go wrong in Korea for me. I have had a couple bumps in the road with my health and pay this month.
So far, my health hasn't been the greatest in Korea. Hopefully, it is only stressed related with change in environment and work. My back pain has become more noticeable and I hope that I can rest it more now. Since the weekend, I have not been feeling well. I don't have serious symptoms, but my digestive system is giving me problems. I can't eat too much and have some heartburn. I am not sure what is causing it, but I am not in a hurry to find out how good Korean medicine is.
Well, I am a week into my second month of teaching. I have a little different schedule, so I teach for six hours straight without a break. It is good and bad. I don't have to wait for classes, but my voice gets tired by the end, if I have to do a lot of explaining. My classes are very small this month. I only have one, three, and three students in my three classes. This means that I don't have classes with enough students, so I won't be paid by the hour. I will be paid the student's tuition fee. I found out after my meeting with the branch manager that my pay will be less this month by a large amount. Next month, I will move to the Gangnam (main branch) location to teach. At that location, I should have more students and possibly teach another class, so my pay should be better.
I am finally getting used to teaching my classes and socializing with some of the teachers in Sinchon. At Gangnam, I will probably teach a different course level with a new book, so I will have another challenging two months with learning a new book and meeting new teachers. It should be better for my commuting time. I should have about 40 minutes instead of 55 minutes on the subway each way.
Even though my classes are small, I really enjoy my students this month. Their atttendance is good, so far. They participate better when there are fewer students, so I don't have to pull teeth to get them to talk. Sometimes, it can be challenging because I can have group activities or games, but overall, I think this month is off to a good start.
Wednesday, January 31, 2007
First Month of Teaching
Wednesday, January 31st,
Well, my first month of teaching actually finished on Monday. It was a very challenging and exciting month. The start was definitely rocky with some administrative problems, but overall, I survived. I learned a lot about teaching styles and how well it works with various students. My classes were quite different. One of my classes had very low attendance for the last week, so I am not sure exactly how well each student learned. Another class had fairly good attendance after some students were determined to move up. On the test, the students struggled, so I am not sure if I prepared them properly or if the test was overly difficult for their level. My last class all preformed well and the ones that attended class showed the most improvement, which is promising.
It is definitely a big change to be on the other side of the teacher/student relationship. In normal life, most people would never guess that I would be interested in speaking in front of 1-15 people that are strangers. When I am in a classroom, the nervousness doesn't seem to be a problem. I enjoy being in front of the students. I worry a lot about my preparation and how well the lesson plan will work, but overall, I enjoy teaching. Many of the students think that I am pretty smart considering I have an MBA. They are surprised when I can speak any Korean, since every other Korean teacher can speak Korean. Even the other Korean-American teachers can all speak Korean to a certain degree of proficiency.
My second month of class started today (Wed. Jan. 31st). I arrived at Pagoda Academy early to prepare and make copies. I learned that no students signed up for my first class. I did learn that I would have another class later, which means that I will have six straight hours of class with no break. It means that I will teach from 3 PM- 9 PM every day. Last month, I had a break between one of my classes, which was a nice time to eat and prepare for the evening courses. Now, I will have to do all of it before class, but also leaves me with the dilemma of what to do in the AM without tiring myself out. I need to find the right mix of work and rest, since last month I spent about two weeks trying to get rid of cold.
Enrollment this month is definitely down since it is no longer winter break. My classes, so far, have four, two, and three students enrolled. Attendance will be another story. It will be interesting to see how diligent the students are about attending class. Having small classes are nice for speaking time, but too small can also seem to make activities more challenging. Nothing I can do, but teach as best as I can.
Well, my first month of teaching actually finished on Monday. It was a very challenging and exciting month. The start was definitely rocky with some administrative problems, but overall, I survived. I learned a lot about teaching styles and how well it works with various students. My classes were quite different. One of my classes had very low attendance for the last week, so I am not sure exactly how well each student learned. Another class had fairly good attendance after some students were determined to move up. On the test, the students struggled, so I am not sure if I prepared them properly or if the test was overly difficult for their level. My last class all preformed well and the ones that attended class showed the most improvement, which is promising.
It is definitely a big change to be on the other side of the teacher/student relationship. In normal life, most people would never guess that I would be interested in speaking in front of 1-15 people that are strangers. When I am in a classroom, the nervousness doesn't seem to be a problem. I enjoy being in front of the students. I worry a lot about my preparation and how well the lesson plan will work, but overall, I enjoy teaching. Many of the students think that I am pretty smart considering I have an MBA. They are surprised when I can speak any Korean, since every other Korean teacher can speak Korean. Even the other Korean-American teachers can all speak Korean to a certain degree of proficiency.
My second month of class started today (Wed. Jan. 31st). I arrived at Pagoda Academy early to prepare and make copies. I learned that no students signed up for my first class. I did learn that I would have another class later, which means that I will have six straight hours of class with no break. It means that I will teach from 3 PM- 9 PM every day. Last month, I had a break between one of my classes, which was a nice time to eat and prepare for the evening courses. Now, I will have to do all of it before class, but also leaves me with the dilemma of what to do in the AM without tiring myself out. I need to find the right mix of work and rest, since last month I spent about two weeks trying to get rid of cold.
Enrollment this month is definitely down since it is no longer winter break. My classes, so far, have four, two, and three students enrolled. Attendance will be another story. It will be interesting to see how diligent the students are about attending class. Having small classes are nice for speaking time, but too small can also seem to make activities more challenging. Nothing I can do, but teach as best as I can.
Friday, January 26, 2007
Soju Night
Friday, January 26th,
On Thursday, I decided to join a few teachers for a night of food and drinks. Joseph, James, Hee Young, her friend (not a teacher), and I went to a bar. Joseph and James grew up in the states, but they can speak Korean. I was the only with a Korean language problem. Hee Young's English is ok, but she struggles with conversation in English. They ordered Makkoli (unstrained rice wine) and Soju (alcohol made from sweet potatoes). For food, we had the "Korean pancake." It has onion, egg, octopus, and a flour based crust. In Korea, while drinking at bars, you almost always have to order snacks.
At the next bar, we had more Soju and more snacks. This time, they ordered Kimchi chigae (soup), another soup with silkworm larvae, and another dish. Hee Young likes silkworm larvae which seems to be popular in Korea. I didn't try it because I had drank enough by that point and didn't want to test my digestive system with a strange looking and probably unusual tasting food. At about 1:15 AM, they decided to hit up another place. I told them I should get home, so they found a taxi that would be able to find Dr. Kim's house. I had his address written down, so all the driver had to do was put it into his dashboard GPS. It took about 45 minutes and 27,000 won ($28), so it was a long and a bit expensive end to the night.
I did inform Dr. Kim at the beginning of the night that I would be out late. He still wanted to make sure that I would be able to get home ok. I told him that my friends would be able to tell a taxi driver the directions. When I did arrive home, Dr. Kim was awake watching TV and asked how my night was. It seems strange to be 28 year old and still have someone waiting up for your arrival home, but it is the Korean way.
On Thursday, I decided to join a few teachers for a night of food and drinks. Joseph, James, Hee Young, her friend (not a teacher), and I went to a bar. Joseph and James grew up in the states, but they can speak Korean. I was the only with a Korean language problem. Hee Young's English is ok, but she struggles with conversation in English. They ordered Makkoli (unstrained rice wine) and Soju (alcohol made from sweet potatoes). For food, we had the "Korean pancake." It has onion, egg, octopus, and a flour based crust. In Korea, while drinking at bars, you almost always have to order snacks.
At the next bar, we had more Soju and more snacks. This time, they ordered Kimchi chigae (soup), another soup with silkworm larvae, and another dish. Hee Young likes silkworm larvae which seems to be popular in Korea. I didn't try it because I had drank enough by that point and didn't want to test my digestive system with a strange looking and probably unusual tasting food. At about 1:15 AM, they decided to hit up another place. I told them I should get home, so they found a taxi that would be able to find Dr. Kim's house. I had his address written down, so all the driver had to do was put it into his dashboard GPS. It took about 45 minutes and 27,000 won ($28), so it was a long and a bit expensive end to the night.
I did inform Dr. Kim at the beginning of the night that I would be out late. He still wanted to make sure that I would be able to get home ok. I told him that my friends would be able to tell a taxi driver the directions. When I did arrive home, Dr. Kim was awake watching TV and asked how my night was. It seems strange to be 28 year old and still have someone waiting up for your arrival home, but it is the Korean way.
Sunday, January 21, 2007
Earthquake
Saturday, January 20th,
Around 9 pm, I experienced an unusual feeling. I felt the house shaking for a brief moment. Yes, I experienced my first earthquake. The epicenter was on the eastern side of the Korean peninsula. Seoul is close to western edge. Don't get too worried. The earthquake was 4.8 on the Richter scale, so it wasn't too strong. I have been told that they are a rare occurrence even if we are in close proximity to Japan. On the news, Mrs. Kim said that has been 30 years since Korea has felt such an earthquake of this magnitude.
Around 9 pm, I experienced an unusual feeling. I felt the house shaking for a brief moment. Yes, I experienced my first earthquake. The epicenter was on the eastern side of the Korean peninsula. Seoul is close to western edge. Don't get too worried. The earthquake was 4.8 on the Richter scale, so it wasn't too strong. I have been told that they are a rare occurrence even if we are in close proximity to Japan. On the news, Mrs. Kim said that has been 30 years since Korea has felt such an earthquake of this magnitude.
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