First Full Week

Well after a not-that-exciting weekend, I was back at the school. It turns out that nearly all the books that the kids use have teachers' guides. They completely ay out the lesson and I think that really they're meant to be hour long lesson so I can skip stuff in them. The only drawback is that I can never find them on the shelves. I think I know where they all are now. I feel a bit like a teacher in the Simpsons though. Well, in the episode where Lisa takes all the teachers manuals and then the teachers know nothing. I'm currently very incompetent. Maybe in a few weeks, I'll have a handle of what I'm doing or at least be able to pretend I do. Apparently, I've come at a very strange time. I guess they really only test the kids every few months, well with a battery of tests. They're doing it this week though. I've had to administer a few tests which is fine but the problem is that the tests are short and there's nothing else planned for the lesson so the kids make all kinds of noise and talk to each other in Korean. I have no control at all. They talk to each other during the tests too. I don't think they take me seriously. I also don't know how much I'm supposed to help them so sometimes I practically spell out the answers. Some of them have really bad English. They have a hard time using the past tense. They love the present tense. I feel like I could imitate them though. Yesterday I go to grandmother house. That's actually pretty good but it's the general pattern. They all go to grandmother house.

I like a few of my kids. The ones I thought would be trouble are quite troublesome. Kate is so bossy and stubborn. Today I made her cry. I'm still not sure why. I don't think she wanted to play the game. She always telling me what I should be doing. She's kind of like Tarzan. She says a few key words and bounces her fist off her chest to emphasize herself. Sometimes I have no clue what she means. Today, Erica said she had to go to the bathroom. I'm not supposed to let them go because it's probably a lie but it encourages them to do their work. Anyway, Erica went to the front desk and told them I wanted tape. Sometimes the kids just run out of the classroom. I'm going to have to find my inner iron fist. Anyway, Jupiter tries to confirm with me that I wanted tape and I tell him 'No, I don't need tape.' The tape was practically in her hands. They always want some strange item for who knows what and get depressed and mad when I tell them no. After words, everyone was calling Erica Pinocchio. They know Pinocchio but not liar. They also like to hide under the desk Karen who was so good at the beginning of the week has turned bad. She would've never hid on me on Monday. It's all Kate's influence I'm sure. Justin likes to erase my writing on the board. They are fascinated by dry erase boards.

I'm sure all this talk about kids is kind of dull but I really didn't do that much this week. First of all, I have to be at work around 9am 3 days a week. Monday I came at 9 anyways. Friday I don't have to be in until 11. That's not so bad except I have to be there until 8pm 4 days a week. I get to leave early on Thursday. At 7. Wow! No one else works that late all the time. Well Amy I think but she's the boss. Well teaching boss. Jupiter is the business boss. My mornings are easy compared to the others I guess but by 8pm I don't feel like doing anything so I just go home and find one of the 3 stations with something English and watch it. I've decided to quit watching the Tonight Show. That would be annoying to only hear about American pop culture. I'd rather be completely out of the loop and get to feel all superior because I was overseas. The up side is that I never hear the name Paris Hilton and no one cares that Britney Spears is pregnant. I read it opening my hotmail account. Actually Interns is on the American Forces Network or maybe it's one of the Simple Life's.

I have a lunchbreak that's about 2 hours and another one where we actually eat lunch for 40 minutes. I've been doing my lesson plans though because I'm not as efficient yet and have no clue what I'm doing. It's hardly worth doing them though because sometimes the kids are so bad that we get nothing done or like today I prepared for the new edition (the kids have the old edition). That was with Einstein. They actually say it the German way here. Einshtein. They kind of listened today. We played a game today where they had to sit to be able to answer questions and get points. They have way to much energy. Too bad there's no ritalin here. A lot of these kids would probably be diagnosed but then again it is overdiagnosed and they're completely different with their Korean teachers. I need to instill more fear in them. Paul from my kinder class was practically in tears when I decided I'd had enough and was going to take him to Amy teacher. He was supergood for about 3 minutes and slowly progressed back into badness. Young kids really don't carry grudges. They must be used to not getting their way. That class also likes to tell me they're angry. Their answers are so funny. One kid said that he was perfect, happy, and a little bit angry. Katherine today was fine, great, happy, and sad. Sometimes I think they are just messing with me. Paul was miscounting and giving me wrong answers. Chin was mouth, nose was eyes, until he was almost sent to Amy teacher. He's such an oddball. For an H word he drew helicopter and actually had the patience to write it all out. I was proud of myself. He also drew a helicopter for G though. There was some kind of superhero in that one though and lots of swords.

Korean kids all seem to love anime, comic books, and yo-yo's. Everyone has a yoyo. It's not just boys either. These girls had some comic book of cinderella. I still don't understand why none of the characters look Asian. They're also all very good at drawing Sailor Moon type characters. They also all have this weird fascination with my hairy arms. They rub them, sometimes vigourously, and pull it. Some of them call me monkey teacher. I was warned beforehand about this and it actually doesn't bother me. I thought it would. They don't mean anything by it and I'm sure (I hope at least) that the fascination with fade.

Oh, the only thing that was going on this week was phone-teaching. I have to call up each kids and have a 3-5 minute conversation with them or make them read a book. Something with speaking basically to impress the parents. I actually don't mind it at all except for all the time it takes for each student. I didn't finish them all actually so I'll have to sneak into next week. They sound so cute on the phone and can't misbehave or anything. Especially when they read these lines like 'Don't be silly' with their little voices and Korean accents. I've definitely spent way more time with the under 10 crowd that with adults. A little strange. I need to meet other foreigners not that it would make much of a difference with me working until 8, even on Fridays. It's my first real weekend I guess so there's some hope. I've heard where of some of the places where the other teachers hang out but I'd feel so strange going into a bar alone. Maybe I'll force myself to do it some weekend. This weekend though Eunice and I are going to go downtown. She's another teacher. I've only talked to her for maybe 10 minutes total. She just invited me tonight, maybe 2 hours ago. I just found out my phone number today. I was waiting for someone to give it to me but realized today that that might just never happen. I would've asked yesterday but I felt more that a little incompetent. They have windows to all the classrooms and sometimes they just stop and watch you. It's obvious they are there. I just didn't want to presume that they would want me around for the rest of the contract. I still kind of expect to be sent home. Maybe it's just that it seems hard to believe I'll be here for a year. I'm such an outsider.I don't know how to look at people, ask for things, do I smile at people on the street or not, how do you even communicate when neither of you has a sense of the other language. I've been in this situation before I guess but it wasn't ever long-term and it was a least a semi-tourist area so at least someone spoke English if only scam artists. Here, they'll speak and I have no idea what they are trying to tell me until 2 seconds after it's too late. I really understand why non-english speakers just smile and nod when you know they have no idea what they are trying to say. Anyways, I have a phone number now. It's +82 (53) 643-0511 or something like that. C'mon it's not like you were actually going to call me.

I'll tell you a bit about my neighbours now. I haven't actually seen them but they are called the party couple. Well, named so by the guy who lived there a few months before me. They come home late and wake me up. The first time was Monday night. The girl was yelling in Korean and the guy had his voice raised. It was kind of disturbing actually. It got a little violent and all I know is that someone was hit several times. Probably the woman, well probably both really. I just really didn't know what to do. I'd barely know what to do at home let alone here. I decided it was probably best to do nothing. I haven't even seen them before and I'd hate to be some western moral authority. The next night they came home late again. Thankfully no violence or yelling. I think the apartments are decently insulated for sound but not from the hallway. You can hear everything that goes on in the hallway but not the other apartments.

I ordered a pizza the other day for the second time. They're a nice pizza couple. My best friends in my area are the pizza couple and the woman who works in the shop below my apartment. Once she wasn't that friendly but there were others there. I feel like my bad Korean endears me to people. I say what I think the word is with a big question mark at the end. Just hello, thank you, goodbye. Annyong haseyo, komapsumnida, and annyonghi kyeseyo. Goodbyes are strange though only because the one staying says something different than the one leaving. Something like Go in Peace and Stay in Peace. Sometimes both say go in peace. I don't know what haseyo means. Anyways, the point of that was that they just end up having to repeat what I say so they can reassure me. What else can I say in Korean. Ppang sareo shinae-e kayo (I'm going to the town centre to buy bread), Cho-nun Tyler-ieyo. Pizza chom chuseyo (please give me a pizza). Canada-saram-ieyo (lit. I'm a Canada person, well 'is Canada person,' cho-nun just means 'as for me'). Americans are Miguk. Australia is Hoju so Australians are Hoju-saram. The nice thing about Canada is that it' practically the same in every language. I don't know how Koreans got Hoju out of Australia. I don't know any other country except England. English is Yongmal or Yongukmal. Ok so I forget.

My one odd incident, well outstandingly odd, happened yesterday. Some guy saw me and just came me over to him and says 'Hey' like I knew him. Says some stuff in Korean and eventually he spits out High School so I tell him Hogwon or is it Hagwon/Hakwon/Hokwon. Something like that private english language school. Then he gives me a high five. I'm so uncool and am not good at high fives. He was older too. At least 35 or 40. That was weird.

I'm sure I lost your attention awhile back and it's getting a little late. I really need to get internet at home so I don't have to come to this PC house. Luckily it's not expensive. Time to go home. Maybe I'll actually be able to sleep in tomorrow.