There are a few things I should mention first. I'm not sure what I told people, or what they were told, but this isn't a diary. I'm never going to post every day and tell you every little thing I do. My aim is to gather a bit of information about a given topic and then give you a bit of an overview of the interesting parts. For example - NO: I went to a bar and had some Korean beer. YES: I've been to a half dozen Korean bars and these are the interesting differences.
In that sense I think it's kind of good that I haven't been updating. Now I have some experience to draw from and I can write updates that encompass a bit more then a single days events.
Also, I should say now that I don't like being photographed all that much. Since I'm the one handling the camera anyway, dont wouldn't expect to see me in many pictures.
So, first, the school. This is the lobby/reception area.
People are requesting ridiculous amounts of detail regarding my job. Here is the painfully accurate version.
I work from about 10 to 6 each day. The first class starts at 10:15, and the last ends at 6:20 on MWF, and 4:50 on TTh. First up each day is 6 kindergarten classes, 35 minutes each. The school has about 40 kindy students, split up into 7 different classrooms. The students have their own rooms, and the teachers move about the rooms throughout the day. In theory this makes things a lot simpler, as only 7 people need to be in the halls between classes, but most of the time the bell rings the kids rush out of the room anyway for a few minutes of freedom. Oh well.
Anyway, the day begins with 4 kindergarten classes. Then we have lunch and 2 more classes. Lunch is interesting. It is served by the teachers, something never mentioned to me before I got here. This also means we get free lunch, so I'm not complaining. I have to serve lunch three days a week, and the other two I am free to go out or to eat lunch with the rest of the staff. The conversation is generally lacking a bit, but the food is usually quite good. This picture is of hallway with all the classrooms off to the right. The gym is off to the left and the lobby is through the glass door.Here are some pictures of the kids:
After the kindy classes, I teach elementary kids. The kindy kids are aged 4-8, elementary 9-12. Elementary level classes are a little more in depth as the kids have been learning English for longer. There is a half hour break after the kindy classes end, and on MWF, another half hour break before the last classes. Tuesdays and Thursdays have two elementary classes, MWF have three.
A few weeks ago our school took the kindy kids on a field trip to a Korean Folk Village. This is supposed to represent how life was in Korea in the distant past. There were small exhibits of pottery and things like that. Most of the grounds had a very artificial feel to them. If you are looking for the authentic 4000 year old village feel, perhaps the destination of a kindergarten field trip is not the best place to get it.
This is one of the larger temples in the Folk Village, most of our kindy kids, and several of the teachers.
The highlight of the trip (apparently) was a performance by these guys.
I wish I could tell you a bit more about the meaning behind the hats and costumes and such, unfortunately all such descriptions were in Korean. Here's the abridged version: These guys have funny hats, and they know some taekwondo.
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One of the reasons I haven't been posting anything is that I have actually been really busy. I've seen a good share of touristy stuff, some concerts, and been to more bars, restaurants, and karaoke rooms then I can count. Every weekend I go to a different city (or part of Seoul.) I won't be able to keep this feat up much longer, but I've had a good run.
Here are some pictures from an old fortress wall built around Suwon to protect it. Korea is a tight spot between China and Japan and has been invaded several times over the years. This particular fortress was completed in 1796 as a response to invasion from Japan.
It's a little known fact that Korea has been fighting off hordes of giant flying spiders for thousands of years.
I tried to get this whole thing centered and in frame, but a bus was coming.
And finally, the rare picture of me. Yes, I am really here, and I'm not making this whole thing up.
And some final words - - I really will try to update this more often. I don't think I'm going keep a solid schedule because I really don't have a single time slot that's always free. For the most part it's going to happen whenever I feel like it. I'll be aiming for about once a week, but I'll probably miss one here and there.
