So this is an old story, but I think it's worth posting. To ring in the New Year I went down to Busan and celebrated with a few friends. I still hadn't started work so I was still in vacation mode and enjoyed myself very much. It was Sunday and I was ready to head back to Daejeon to prepare myself for my first day of work the following day. Well, I got to the train station assuming I could just take the KTX back. There are automated machines that are in English so I went to buy my ticket. Every time slot for the KTX was sold out. A million thoughts were going through my head. I thought I was going to be stuck in Busan and would have to call my boss with the phone I didn't have and explain that I couldn't make it to my first day of work. That's anyones worst nightmare. Next, I went to the actual ticket counter thinking maybe there were more times or seats available (reminds me of the movie scenario), well there weren't. The lady did give me another ticket though to take the slow train home. The first leg of the trip I didn't have an assigned seat so I had to stand, but halfway through I was assigned a seat. This kind of confused me because I didn't know if I was supposed to switch trains halfway through to get a seat or stay on the same one.
During the first part of my journey home I literally felt like I was on the Titanic. There were so many people standing and pushing and pulling and I was fortunate enough to be standing by the door so every time the door opened I got knocked over by it. Luckily there were two Korean women crotched behind some seats sitting on their suitcases. They were so nice and saved their "seat" for me when they got off the train. So the remainder of my time without a seat wasn't too bad because I had a cozy spot away from all of the pushy people.
When it was time for me to get an actual seat, I was still confused whether to stay on the train or get off and onto another one, so I took a chance and stayed on the same one. I left my prime spot and went to find my seat only to find someone else was already sitting there. Being the nice person that I am (and lack of Korean) I let the person stay in MY seat and went to find another place to stand. Passing through all of the cars, I found the entertainment car. It had computers, karaoke, games, picture machines, and of course a snack bar. I hadn't eaten so I ordered something to eat. Of course the thing I ordered came with a bunch of side dishes so I thought it was going to be near impossible to find a place to sit and eat. I started walking away and the cashier came out from behind the counter and started yelling at people (I'm assuming) telling them to move so I could sit and eat. It was so nice! Someone got up and others smushed together and made room for me and my million side dishes. So the remainder of the train ride home I finally got a seat!
Note to self: If on a train without an assigned seat, buy something to eat and you'll get a seat.
So after about 3.5 hours on the train I made it back to Daejeon and to work the next day.
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Sunday, February 7, 2010
Pencils and Pouches and Pens, Oh My!
My favorite part about school was always back to school shopping. Not necessarily for clothes because that stopped after like 5th grade (thanks Mom), but school supply shopping. There was always something special about a brand new box of crayons and deciding what pattern to have on your folders and notebooks for the year. Well the office supply selection here is like a rush of back to school shopping every time I step into a stationary store. These stores aren’t your average Staples or Office Depots; these stores are five stories tall, there are rows and rows of different paper, pencils, pens, you name it, they have 1,000 different kinds of it.
Remember the SpaceMaker pencil box that we used to decorate with whiteout and those neon colored, netted pencil pouches we used to write notes on? Well those are things of the past because my students have the most amazing pencil pouches that I’m always checking out. Both girls and boys have them. There are different patterned ones, mini caboodle type ones, I’m telling you they’re amazing. I’ve also noticed that their pencils rarely have erasers on the tops of them, so students have separate erasers. They are so much better than the average big, pink eraser and I have a nice collection of the ones left behind.
You know how you always play a sport better with better equipment? Well, I swear I write better with the pens here! Not only is my handwriting clearer, but I find myself making up excuses to jot down a note just so I can write something ie: the whole Olympic schedule in my planner. Since teaching though, I have had to change my "signature" handwriting, that I've been perfecting since the sixth grade, just a bit. In training I asked a silly question if students would get confused by the way I write my "g's". Everyone thought I was crazy for asking such a ridiculous question, but sure enough, on my first day of teaching, one student asked me why I made my "g's" the way I did! I am beginning to make regular "g's", but I hope that one day I can patent my signature "g" and write them again.
So not only am I going to come home with a million headbands and accessories, but also a large variety of office supplies.
Remember the SpaceMaker pencil box that we used to decorate with whiteout and those neon colored, netted pencil pouches we used to write notes on? Well those are things of the past because my students have the most amazing pencil pouches that I’m always checking out. Both girls and boys have them. There are different patterned ones, mini caboodle type ones, I’m telling you they’re amazing. I’ve also noticed that their pencils rarely have erasers on the tops of them, so students have separate erasers. They are so much better than the average big, pink eraser and I have a nice collection of the ones left behind.
You know how you always play a sport better with better equipment? Well, I swear I write better with the pens here! Not only is my handwriting clearer, but I find myself making up excuses to jot down a note just so I can write something ie: the whole Olympic schedule in my planner. Since teaching though, I have had to change my "signature" handwriting, that I've been perfecting since the sixth grade, just a bit. In training I asked a silly question if students would get confused by the way I write my "g's". Everyone thought I was crazy for asking such a ridiculous question, but sure enough, on my first day of teaching, one student asked me why I made my "g's" the way I did! I am beginning to make regular "g's", but I hope that one day I can patent my signature "g" and write them again.
So not only am I going to come home with a million headbands and accessories, but also a large variety of office supplies.
Saturday, February 6, 2010
Best.Lessons.Ever.
Thursday's lessons were on:
Champagne and Brie- Who doesn't love a little bubbly and cheese?!
Foods with German Names- It wasn't necessarily about schnitzel and sauerkraut, but everyone knows that German food is my favorite! *note it's my second time mentioning sauerkraut
Albert Einstein's Science Papers- I was clearly thinking of my bestie, JLE, the entire time!
It's as if these lessons were made for me.
Champagne and Brie- Who doesn't love a little bubbly and cheese?!
Foods with German Names- It wasn't necessarily about schnitzel and sauerkraut, but everyone knows that German food is my favorite! *note it's my second time mentioning sauerkraut
Albert Einstein's Science Papers- I was clearly thinking of my bestie, JLE, the entire time!
It's as if these lessons were made for me.
Countdown to the Olympics
The opening ceremony is less than a week away.
Here's an article from The Korea Herald about the representation of South Korea at the Olympics!
I finally watched the US skating nationals on YouTube and there will definitely be some great competition. Don't judge, but I already wrote every figure skating event in my planner and even calculated it to Korean time. I can't wait!
Here's an article from The Korea Herald about the representation of South Korea at the Olympics!
Korea to send 45 players to Vancouver Olympics
Korea will field 45 players in four events at the Vancouver Winter Olympics scheduled to take place in the Canadian city on Feb. 12-28, the Korean Olympic Committee (KOC) said Tuesday, according to Yonhap News.
The KOC said the Korean players -- 26 men and 19 women -- will compete in skating, skiing, the biathlon and bobsleigh-skeleton.
There will be 28 players in the skating events, including reigning world champion Kim Yu-na, who is expected to bring home the nation's first figure skating gold.
Including 18 coaches and 19 support officials, the Korean squad will number 82 people, it noted.
I finally watched the US skating nationals on YouTube and there will definitely be some great competition. Don't judge, but I already wrote every figure skating event in my planner and even calculated it to Korean time. I can't wait!
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
I've got Seoul, but I'm not a Soldier
You know how when people meet and then they all go their separate ways, the group always says, "ohhh, we'll keep in touch, we'll definitely get together", but lets be honest it never really happens. Well that's not the case with the people from my training group and I. We've been really good about keeping in touch via email, making plans, and sticking to them. So a few weeks ago we planned a trip to Seoul.
I got to the train station and bought a KTX ticket. It costs a little bit more than a regular train or bus ticket because it takes less than an hour to get to Seoul. I found the platform and even asked an employee if I was at the right place. He reassured me that I was so I got on the train. About 20 minutes into the ride, we stopped. I thought it was weird we were already stopping because the KTX was supposed to be really fast. Well, I finally realized that I had somehow gotten on the slow train. So I paid for a KTX ticket, but was on the slow train, without a seat.
After standing on the train for an extra hour, I finally met everyone in Itaweon. There's an army base in Itaweon so it's a huge tourist trap. There's great shopping, good food, and lots of "western" things. I didn't even feel like I was in Korea walking around because there were so many foreigners. We stopped at an international grocery store and an English bookstore. I bought The Devil Wears Prada (classic haha) and Citizen Girl, a book by the authors of The Nanny Diaries. I want to go back and pick up the Twilight series! For lunch, we opted against Korean food and I stuffed my face with the best chicken shwarma sandwich I've ever had.
Around 5 p.m. we headed to Seoul Tower. It's known for it's gorgeous, panoramic views of the city. We had to walk up a huge hill and then took a cable car up to the tower. We went right around sunset, so the timing was perfect. (I've been trying to post pictures, but it hasn't been working) On one of the observation decks there were "locks of love". Couples bring a lock and lock it onto the railing, throw the key away and attach a love note to it. There was also a random teddy bear museum and a few restaurants at the top of tower. Seoul Tower is something everyone who visits Korea should see.
Next, we had a Korean BBQ and noribang (karaoke).
Top 5 songs of the night:
-Barbie Girl
-Poker Face
-Summer Nights
-P.I.M.P.
-I Kissed a Girl
In the morning S showed me around Mok-dong and we went back to Myeong-dong for some shopping. The Hyundai Department Store is in Mok-dong and it had the most amazing office supply store and CHEESE store. Cheese is very rare in Korea so it was a relief to see names like feta, smoked gouda, and brie readily available at my fingertips. And there were samples which made it even better.
Good times with good people, and I took the KTX back to Daejeon for the first time!
I got to the train station and bought a KTX ticket. It costs a little bit more than a regular train or bus ticket because it takes less than an hour to get to Seoul. I found the platform and even asked an employee if I was at the right place. He reassured me that I was so I got on the train. About 20 minutes into the ride, we stopped. I thought it was weird we were already stopping because the KTX was supposed to be really fast. Well, I finally realized that I had somehow gotten on the slow train. So I paid for a KTX ticket, but was on the slow train, without a seat.
After standing on the train for an extra hour, I finally met everyone in Itaweon. There's an army base in Itaweon so it's a huge tourist trap. There's great shopping, good food, and lots of "western" things. I didn't even feel like I was in Korea walking around because there were so many foreigners. We stopped at an international grocery store and an English bookstore. I bought The Devil Wears Prada (classic haha) and Citizen Girl, a book by the authors of The Nanny Diaries. I want to go back and pick up the Twilight series! For lunch, we opted against Korean food and I stuffed my face with the best chicken shwarma sandwich I've ever had.
Around 5 p.m. we headed to Seoul Tower. It's known for it's gorgeous, panoramic views of the city. We had to walk up a huge hill and then took a cable car up to the tower. We went right around sunset, so the timing was perfect. (I've been trying to post pictures, but it hasn't been working) On one of the observation decks there were "locks of love". Couples bring a lock and lock it onto the railing, throw the key away and attach a love note to it. There was also a random teddy bear museum and a few restaurants at the top of tower. Seoul Tower is something everyone who visits Korea should see.
Next, we had a Korean BBQ and noribang (karaoke).
Top 5 songs of the night:
-Barbie Girl
-Poker Face
-Summer Nights
-P.I.M.P.
-I Kissed a Girl
In the morning S showed me around Mok-dong and we went back to Myeong-dong for some shopping. The Hyundai Department Store is in Mok-dong and it had the most amazing office supply store and CHEESE store. Cheese is very rare in Korea so it was a relief to see names like feta, smoked gouda, and brie readily available at my fingertips. And there were samples which made it even better.
Good times with good people, and I took the KTX back to Daejeon for the first time!
Level Up Tests
Every term my students have to take level up exams. Depending on how they do on these exams, weekly tests, participation, and homework they either move up or stay at the level they're at. After two times being at one level they have to move up. Anyways, test taking days are supposed to be the easiest days of the year because you just sit there and make sure students don't cheat. There are test booklets and scantron sheets that have to be filled out with marker. The scantron sheets are double sided so the answer side should be in marker and the other side should be in pencil with only their Korean name, English name, and home telephone number. If they make a mistake bubbling in answers, I told them to raise their hand and I would come around and white it out to fix it. Well here's how my directions got translated to some students:
-I had one student who didn't know the last few questions X out every single a,b,c,d answer instead of guessing and circling an answer in.
-A handfull of students wrote marker on both sides of their papers so it leaked through and ruined their tests.
-Keep in mind they only needed to fill out three things on the backside (in pencil), but they filled out the whole thing in marker.
-Instead of bubbling in the answers, one student literally circled each letter.
-Many students (mainly boys, sorry) aren't the neatest, and there were sqiggly lines in marker all over their tests.
-Students felt the urge to say "I'm done" and announce it to the class loudly.
The first four scenarios were the worst and I learned from class to class the process did get easier. I was never a good test taker and I hated scantrons. My first time proctoring level up tests made me hate them even more.
-I had one student who didn't know the last few questions X out every single a,b,c,d answer instead of guessing and circling an answer in.
-A handfull of students wrote marker on both sides of their papers so it leaked through and ruined their tests.
-Keep in mind they only needed to fill out three things on the backside (in pencil), but they filled out the whole thing in marker.
-Instead of bubbling in the answers, one student literally circled each letter.
-Many students (mainly boys, sorry) aren't the neatest, and there were sqiggly lines in marker all over their tests.
-Students felt the urge to say "I'm done" and announce it to the class loudly.
The first four scenarios were the worst and I learned from class to class the process did get easier. I was never a good test taker and I hated scantrons. My first time proctoring level up tests made me hate them even more.
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