Yesterday was my first day at Suncheon Yeon Hyang Elementary School. 
Kim In Seong, my co-teacher picked me up bright at early at 8:20 on Friday, after my long 5 hr sleep ;) Nothing like being thrown right into the thick of things.
The school was a short 10 minute drive from my apartment, not too bad- but Kim says a cab will be my best bet getting there, the bus is too confusing and I'd have to transfer... maybe a challenge for another month! I asked her about biking, and she flinched when I said I meant a bicycle, not a motorbike. "You can, but very dangerous"- not the reassuring words I was looking for, gee thanks Kim. Now that I look around I see almost no bikes- must be for good reason I suppose!
When I got there I was introduced to the principal in his very swanky office, and then to some of the other teachers- none of whom speak much, if any English. Mostly Kim does all the talking, and I stand there and smile and nod, then bow, ka ham sam nida (hello), and goodbye. I sat in the staff room with some of the teachers and Kim for half an hr, listening to them all chatting away while I read my orientation book. I would clue into the conversation once in a while when I heard my name to answer a question like where I was from or how old I was- but aside from that the conversation quickly reverts back to Korean.
When the bell rang at 9, Kim was out the door and left me there in the staff room, saying she'd be back. Apparently everyone was getting ready for a big presentation that day, so I just entertained myself on the computer, listening to kids run the halls, catching the occasional glimpse of a brightly coloured costume or the sounds of bells jingling away.
All the kids were running around like crazy getting ready for a 'festival'- presentation thing going on that day. What a nice intro to the school! Kim came to find me at 11, and led me away by the arm down the halls and through seas of little kids. Many of them all seem very sweet, and say hello with big smiles on their faces, saying "very buertiful!". Aww ;)
I sat in the gym beside some rambunctious boys that were kicking and smacking each other around through most of the presentation, while one of them kept the others in check to avoid falling on top of me. What darlings. The presentations were sooo wonderful though! They all had the most colourful costumes- and they did a whole range of things. Dances, choirs, plays, and even a song in English. One of my favourites was a little international presentation, where they came out in pairs dressed in different international dress. They had American cowboys, Japanese kimonos, and yes- German durndels and ladehosen! I was thoroughly impressed though- I thought they blew any play we did in elementary school out of the water!
Kim In Seong, my co-teacher picked me up bright at early at 8:20 on Friday, after my long 5 hr sleep ;) Nothing like being thrown right into the thick of things.The school was a short 10 minute drive from my apartment, not too bad- but Kim says a cab will be my best bet getting there, the bus is too confusing and I'd have to transfer... maybe a challenge for another month! I asked her about biking, and she flinched when I said I meant a bicycle, not a motorbike. "You can, but very dangerous"- not the reassuring words I was looking for, gee thanks Kim. Now that I look around I see almost no bikes- must be for good reason I suppose!
When I got there I was introduced to the principal in his very swanky office, and then to some of the other teachers- none of whom speak much, if any English. Mostly Kim does all the talking, and I stand there and smile and nod, then bow, ka ham sam nida (hello), and goodbye. I sat in the staff room with some of the teachers and Kim for half an hr, listening to them all chatting away while I read my orientation book. I would clue into the conversation once in a while when I heard my name to answer a question like where I was from or how old I was- but aside from that the conversation quickly reverts back to Korean.
When the bell rang at 9, Kim was out the door and left me there in the staff room, saying she'd be back. Apparently everyone was getting ready for a big presentation that day, so I just entertained myself on the computer, listening to kids run the halls, catching the occasional glimpse of a brightly coloured costume or the sounds of bells jingling away.
All the kids were running around like crazy getting ready for a 'festival'- presentation thing going on that day. What a nice intro to the school! Kim came to find me at 11, and led me away by the arm down the halls and through seas of little kids. Many of them all seem very sweet, and say hello with big smiles on their faces, saying "very buertiful!". Aww ;)
I sat in the gym beside some rambunctious boys that were kicking and smacking each other around through most of the presentation, while one of them kept the others in check to avoid falling on top of me. What darlings. The presentations were sooo wonderful though! They all had the most colourful costumes- and they did a whole range of things. Dances, choirs, plays, and even a song in English. One of my favourites was a little international presentation, where they came out in pairs dressed in different international dress. They had American cowboys, Japanese kimonos, and yes- German durndels and ladehosen! I was thoroughly impressed though- I thought they blew any play we did in elementary school out of the water! 
All the students eat in the cafeteria, where they line up with a metal tray to get whatever is being served that day. No PB and J for them! I got to eat lunch in the cafeteria with the other teachers, where we all sit and serve ourselves. They were telling me some of the names of whatever I was eating- I'm going to have to start taking notes! Looks like avoiding meat altogether is going to be a challenge.. well, avoiding seafood at least. There's fish in most everything! I had some kimchi- a spicy pickled vegetable, kimchi soup with tofu, and shrimp noodles, and some other green stuff. Pretty tasty over all- not having to pack a lunch is a bonus :)
The rest of the day Kim took me around running errands. I had to have a physical done at the hospital, which was very modern and had virtually no wait times. Kim tells me that all Korean hospitals are like that- wow must be nice! I opened up a bank account at 'Farmer Bank'. I don't know what makes it for farmers, but their slogan is "Human and Nature"- teehee. And I even ventured out on my first shopping trip! If you know how I can doddle in a store- picture me in one where I can't read the labels! I found Kim Plus, and department/grocery store which is apparently cheaper than the competition, Lotto Mart. I pretty much found all the basics, and treated myself to some luxery items like cream cheese, which is more expensive since it's clearly an import. Other treats were pomegranate juice, Jolly Pong- some mystery snack food, green tea flavoured cereal, and Choco Flaki, a rice chocolate snack. :)
As for today- I officially met some fellow foreigners! Halleluliah! The school year starts in August here, so I'm at a disadvantage coming part way through the year. Everyone's got their circle of friends, some I'm left to imposing myself on any white person I see. "Hi, my name is Amanda! I just came to Suncheon a few days ago and am wondering what fun things there are to do in this place!" Translation? "I don't know anyone and am feeling totally lost. Will you be my friend?" Well my charm worked on someone today- Norm from New Brunswick. :) He was visiting some friends in my building and took up along to meet them. So I landed myself some phone numbers and an invitation to dinner tonight! One of them is the public teacher coordinator for the area- thank goodness I found him, because I didn't even know he existed!
They were quite helpful in the short time I spent in the apartment:
Tips from the pros? Do not accept to do any extra classes or work at school outside of your 20 hrs- if you give an inch they take a mile. There aren't any good places to take Korean lessons- they're too sporadic, so I'm better off learning from my co-teacher. And being a teacher makes you feel like a celebrety. Best of all? I'm going to be even cooler since I have 'yellow' hair. :)
Monday is my first class- holy smokes! On the agenda for tomorrow? My first lesson plan: "What did you do yesterday?"
The rest of the day Kim took me around running errands. I had to have a physical done at the hospital, which was very modern and had virtually no wait times. Kim tells me that all Korean hospitals are like that- wow must be nice! I opened up a bank account at 'Farmer Bank'. I don't know what makes it for farmers, but their slogan is "Human and Nature"- teehee. And I even ventured out on my first shopping trip! If you know how I can doddle in a store- picture me in one where I can't read the labels! I found Kim Plus, and department/grocery store which is apparently cheaper than the competition, Lotto Mart. I pretty much found all the basics, and treated myself to some luxery items like cream cheese, which is more expensive since it's clearly an import. Other treats were pomegranate juice, Jolly Pong- some mystery snack food, green tea flavoured cereal, and Choco Flaki, a rice chocolate snack. :)
As for today- I officially met some fellow foreigners! Halleluliah! The school year starts in August here, so I'm at a disadvantage coming part way through the year. Everyone's got their circle of friends, some I'm left to imposing myself on any white person I see. "Hi, my name is Amanda! I just came to Suncheon a few days ago and am wondering what fun things there are to do in this place!" Translation? "I don't know anyone and am feeling totally lost. Will you be my friend?" Well my charm worked on someone today- Norm from New Brunswick. :) He was visiting some friends in my building and took up along to meet them. So I landed myself some phone numbers and an invitation to dinner tonight! One of them is the public teacher coordinator for the area- thank goodness I found him, because I didn't even know he existed!
They were quite helpful in the short time I spent in the apartment:
Tips from the pros? Do not accept to do any extra classes or work at school outside of your 20 hrs- if you give an inch they take a mile. There aren't any good places to take Korean lessons- they're too sporadic, so I'm better off learning from my co-teacher. And being a teacher makes you feel like a celebrety. Best of all? I'm going to be even cooler since I have 'yellow' hair. :)
Monday is my first class- holy smokes! On the agenda for tomorrow? My first lesson plan: "What did you do yesterday?"
No comments:
Post a Comment