|
SubscriptionsSites I Read
|
|
|
|
| Yesterday evening I volunteered to teach English to North Korean refugees. (That was an interesting experience. The men seemed eager to learn. They seemed almost politer than most Korean men. I think it was great that they could laugh at themselves when they made a mistake. I need to learn that. ) I left work around 6 o'clock and caught a bus to the meeting place. I barely get on the bus and place my card on the sensor when the driver started driving. Now most bus drivers in Korea are pretty crazy drivers. Rushing to get ahead and of course having to stop suddenly. Everyone wants a place to sit because it's very hard to stand on the buses here without being thrown around. So seconds after getting on this bus I was thrown to the back. This really was the worst driver in the world. He seemed to be slamming his foot on the break every chance he could get. He also was having a real hard time getting the bus into gear properly...it almost felt like he was just letting the clutch pop out every time he finished changing gears. I was very happy to get off the bus. As I got off the bus and it started driving to the light ahead I noticed the number over the door. It made me laugh. The bus was at a stop light so I was able to snap this picture. Sorry for it being blurry, but you can clearly see the numbers above the door.
 | | |
| Wow it's been a long time hasn't it? Life really flies when you are really enjoying it.
So much has happened since I last wrote. I don't want to overwhelm you with an insanely long email. So I'll try to make this as short as possible.
July:
Pictures from July on Facebook
http://www.new.facebook.com/album.php?aid=132948&l=5b67a&id=738410404
Attending SDA Language Institues's summer Bible camp. It was an ok weekend. The schedule was too intense and I think it was one day too long. I got to spend time with some of my new friends here. I got to see some old friends too, people who I met when I worked at SDA Language Institutes.
July 26 marked my 30th birthday. Now I'm not like most women my age. It really doesn't bother me to get older. I enjoy being older. I always have. I remember when I was 11. My brother turned 13 and I just didn't seem to understand that just because my age had 2 digits didn't mean I was a teenager yet. I prefer being older. It brings so much more freedom to life. For my birthday I met a friend in the morning for coffee and then I went to church. In the afternoon I went with a teacher from SDA to a get together that a mutual friend was having. Two people bought me a birthday cake and everyone sang happy birthday to me. It was a good birthday. The fun continued to the next day too. Some friends brought me out to eat and then we went to an arcade. After we were at the arcade we went to a singing room and enjoyed the fun of singing.
August:
Pictures from August on Facebook
http://www.new.facebook.com/album.php?aid=144607&l=8a8e5&id=738410404
I met a new friend in July. Sadly she left at the end of August. Her name is Valerie. But through Valerie I met Tristan. I've enjoyed getting to know him more. Near the beginning of August a group of foreign teachers and a few Koreans went out to eat and we also went to a singing room.
A few days later I took a trek to an Adventist retreat center. A trip that should have taken us an hour and a half took us 3 hours. It was one of the last weekends of summer vacation here in Korea and it seems like everyone was heading in the same direction as us. The purpose of our trip was for my rebaptism. Here is part of an email I sent to the pastor who baptized me. It explains why I chose to be baptized again.
A friend recommended a workshop to me called Foundations. He really encouraged me to attend while I was looking for a job. When I decided to go back to Korea I thought it would be a good thing to attend this workshop. It isn't a religious workshop, but I believe it was there that the idea that God loves me went beyond my head and into my heart. Lots happened that weekend. But the moment I won't forget is when I was standing in my small group and people were telling me how they perceived me. One of my friends was a facilitator that weekend and he saw me standing up. He came over and said something like "Colleen, I experience you as a person who believes God makes junk." It was then that I burst into tears. Another facilitator said, "I experience you as a person who believes you're that junk." It finally dawned on me that weekend that my relationship with God had been about me doing things to be acceptable in his eyes. I hated myself. I didn't think there was any good in me at all. What I had forgotten, and actually I really never learned, was that God loves me. He sent his son to die for me. I had accepted his son's gift, but part of me wonders how deep I let that gift affect me. I believe now that I have a deeper understanding of what salvation really is. What it means to be a daughter of the King. I know now that I want to show the world the love that God has for me. I had said that in the past, but how could I have told people about his love then when I had never really let it deep down into my heart? I have that peace deep in my heart that I never thought I'd experience in my life. I truly enjoy being in Korea now, but even having said that it hasn't been an easy experience for me. But no matter what happens I must always remember that no matter what I do, or how I do things, my God loves me. I could make a million mistakes in everything I do, but my God still loves me.
This is why I want to be baptized again. It isn't a theological thing really. It's a love story. I don't know how else to describe it. I think I know what love is now. I know Who love is.
I bought a bike in August. I rode it often that month, but it's been sitting my apartment the last few weeks with a flat tire. I need more strength in my arms to pump it up. One Sunday in August I met 3 friends and we went biking.
I got to visit Ulsan again in August. I stayed with my friend Rose. We went swimming one day with another teacher at SDA and a student. I also got to go to a famous city in Korea that has a lot of cultural sites. Sadly it rained that day. I was wearing shorts and I was cold. I did get some pretty good pictures though.
My friend Carrie had a birthday in August. I organized a picnic for her. After we were at the park for awhile we went to a few different places. It was a fun day. Carrie said she had a great birthday so that's what matters most.
September:
So far this month I haven't done much. I saw the movie Mamma Mia!. I loved it. I have a new theme song. haha.
I began to realize recently that my life really does impact the lives of those around me. People have already told me that I have helped them come closer to God. I don't even know how to say how that makes me feel. My life has a purpose. My God loves me. I want everyone I know that they are loved by Him.
I also want to show you a little bit more of my school. I really enjoy working here. The students are great (even when they're being annoying teenagers). They are SO talented. You can see some examples of their work and performances on my Facebook page. I'm glad I am working here.
http://www.new.facebook.com/album.php?aid=152094&l=15383&id=738410404
I guess that's all. If you have any questions about my life here from the pictures on my Facebook please ask me. I'd really love to hear from people. I haven't heard from people in awhile. I guess when you move away it's hard to keep in touch. Facebook is a great way to keep in touch if you don't already have one I really suggest getting one. If you have Facebook be sure to add me.
Blessings to you and yours. Don't forget to tell others they are loved. | | |
| I work at a great high school. The work environment is great. The staff are great to work with. It's just in the classroom that I have issues.
This semester I've only seen the students once every other week. (this will probably change next semester, but if I teach both 10th and 11th graders next semester then I'll be teaching 40 students at once and I don't know if I want to do that.
)
The students only care about their major. They don't care about those classes that don't have to do with their major. Because of this they don't pay attention in my class (probably doesn't help that I haven't been able to build any rapport with them either).
What I would like to do different next semester is make the lessons immersed in their specific majors. I think this would keep their attention a whole lot better than going through a book that is totally detached from what they are studying.
Here are the majors in the school:
Art - Korean painting, Western painting, sculpture, and design
Music - Korean music, musical composition, orchestral music, vocal music, piano, and organ
Dance - Korean dance, modern dance, ballet
Drama & Film (they deal with movie cameras and also film cameras n the Film major)
What I would like from you is any input you might have for activities to do with these majors. Possibly you know someone who teaches one of these areas. I have started to build a list of activities to do with each major, but I don't think my list will make up 12 classes for next semester. I need terminology for each of these areas. I will be doing online research, but I thought I would contact people I know who to see if they know people or if they have stuff they already know about. Why reinvent the wheel if I can ask people I know if they have activities and material already. I look forward to hearing from some of you at least.
I teach English as a second language, but the activities and ideas do not need to be just for an ESL classroom, I just need as many ideas as I can get. Thanks. | | |
| A few things have happened since my last update. I'm still enjoying my job tremendously. I feel so much more confident and at ease with the job...and with myself. I'm really starting to feel like I am a teacher...a good teacher at that.
I continued the same activity in each class (the getting to know you sheet) and students seem fairly comfortable with that. Thursday I began the first real lessons with the students. My first class barely spoke to each other. They are art students and art students are known to not talk much even in Korean so it was a struggle to get them to do the activities in pairs. I've come to the conclusion that I need to do things and say things that will make them relax and even laugh in class. One question I'm starting with before each class begins the first lesson is "What is the worst thing that could happen if you made a mistake speaking English?" I have already asked at least one class that question. I got responses like being embarrassed, feeling stupid, offending someone. Then I asked them, "will you die if you make a mistake?" They laughed and some said no. Then I said to them "if you die in my class I will go to your funeral and apologize to your parents". That got a big laugh. They have culture "against" them when it comes to learning the language because Korea is a saving face society. It also doesn't help that they are teenagers too so it really doesn't matter what culture they are from they'd still be embarrassed speaking another language in front of classmates. But I'll keep pushing them...and make sure they're relaxed in class. The first lesson went well. I think most of the students got something from it...but there were those who zoned out. One even fell asleep and when class ended we are quietly left the room and called his name from the door. He saw me later that day and joked with me about it so I think he was cool with it happening.
As a little side note...instead of placing curtains in my apartment the worker from the school installed shades that have black on the outside of them. I have one friend who still wouldn't be able to sleep in the room, but for me it's so much better. I'm able to have a dark room in the night. No need to place something over my eyes to go to sleep.
Monday through Wednesday of this past week (May 19-21) I went with the 1st year students to the yearly retreat they always go to. It was about 2 or 3 hours away from Seoul and was located outside of a small city. The students had a great time and were very satisfied with the program. The teachers on the other hand weren't so satisfied. While the students had fun and learned new things, the teachers sat around and did nothing really. I was invited to go because I was told we'd do something. Well the most interesting thing we did was go to the East Sea and eat raw fish. yummy. haha. I tried some. It really has no taste at all. I don't see what the big deal is. They tell me there is a taste that I need to work toward tasting...food like that is not worth my time.  The teachers stayed about a half an hour away by van from where the students stayed. That's mainly because our school had to change the date that it went there. The 2nd year students had made plans to go to Japan, but with fuel prices the way they are it was very expensive. So instead they decided to go to a famous mountain in North Korea. That changed the date for their trip so they had to change the date for the 1st year students too. With the home room teachers of the 2nd year students away they couldn't have the 1st year students in classes because many of their teachers would be away. So we were the second group that was there and the other group got first choice of where to stay. We were shipped off to a vacation cottage (they call it a pension house) and the teachers from the other school stayed at the retreat center. Instead of going in for breakfast in the mornings we stayed at the vacation cottage and ate fruit. Fruit is wonderful, but I can't eat a whole lot of it at once and feel full. I'm not one to eat sweet things in the morning. And if I do have much in the morning it's not a lot. So the teachers felt sorry for me because I didn't eat much that weekend. I even had to pass up their barbecue Saturday night because it was pork. It's a good thing I had eaten the supper served by the camp or else I would have been very tired. The other teachers were still stuffed that day from eating all the raw fish and were waiting until that evening for the barbecue. They kept insisting on me eating the pork, but the only way I'll eat it is if someone offers it to me at their home. I know many people who would disagree with my beliefs on that, but as a missionary in a culture where eating is a time for bonding I believe i can only refuse when I am out in a public setting, but if I am in someone's home I do not feel comfortable rejecting what they offer me. At this point they're realizing what I don't like to eat, but there may come a time when someone will not know my preferences and it would offend them greatly if I refuse. I do not want to put up barriers to friendship. I don't believe God would ever want us to do that.
Friday at school was a riot. I taught one class and then the rest of the day I basically did nothing. It was the student festival day. The classes had different activities in their classes and there was a large program in the auditorium for students to show their talent. A few of the classrooms had some nice things. One had a dance club, which I was a little disturbed with...I really think I'm getting old because I really don't get the youth culture today. Another classroom had a coffee house style to it. I liked that room the best. The room that I heard people liked the most had massages and they did people's nails. Everything you did you had to pay for too. At the program in the auditorium the students did performances that had to do with their major. There were a few dance numbers, many singing numbers, and one of the drama classes did a comedy act. The boys dressed up as girls and the girls dressed up as boys and they had a contest among them to see who will be chosen as Miss Kaywon and Mr Kaywon. The girls weren't as funny as the boys (to me anyways because I didn't understand the dialogue), but many of the boys were disturbing. Men should never wear certain things. There were also a few famous graduates from the school who visited and also performed. Two of the famous actress/singers decided to leave the auditorium by walking through the audience. Big mistake. They were mobbed as they were leaving. The principal quickly raced out of the auditorium and I am assuming he apologized to them for how the students (especially the boys) reacted. There was a similar response when the friend of a famous graduate performed. Many girls raced to the stage and were reaching out to touch him. It was pretty crazy to say the least. I took several videos just to document the experience. Teen culture is so different than when I was a kid...but then again I wasn't really into the normal teen culture at the time. I have so much to learn. I'm going to have to do research at the movie theaters and with the popular music. I'm even going to have to do some research about dancing and art and...the horrors...classical music. I know I'll never truly understand the culture, but I need to see what they see in their world so that I can at least get a partial understanding of what it's like to be a teenager in this day and age.
Last Sabbath I went to the main SDA Language School in Seoul for a prayer meeting. They were praying for the summer camp that will be happening in July. After the prayer meeting I went with a friend and the other teachers at her institute to their town and went out to eat with my friend. We were going to all eat together, but we were all so hungry and didn't want to wait and didn't want some things that other people were having and what not so I just ate alone with my friend and the other people went their separate ways. This Sabbath I went to church and enjoyed the sermon and the meal afterwards. I was then invited out for ice cream with some students and went with them. It was nice to talk with them and get to know them. After ice cream some of them went to get some food. It's called Dok poh key. Dok is rice cake in Korean and the other parts of the name I'm not sure what they are, but it has fish cake and noodles and a little bit of cabbage in there and it all some red spicy sauce mixed into it. I always have a hard time eating slippery food with metal chop sticks. I splattered the sauce all over my face. I'm pretty good with chop sticks, but I need more practice using the metal chop sticks with slippery food. Tomorrow I'm going to church with the pastor from my school. His church is very large and the service is all in English, no translation. There is also a larger foreign community at that church. I'm interested in meeting more foreign Christians. The teachers at SDA Language School's don't have much time to meet with me so I think it's best that I find Christian community with other foreign believers in other places. I may eventually have community among people at SDA, but I don't think it will be among the foreign teachers, so it will be nice to have a foreign Christian community to turn to when I need them.
Well i guess that's all for now. I keep meaning to post pictures, but I'm so busy these days and my internet at home is not very good. When I'm at work I always seem to forget to upload my pictures in my free time. Soon I promise.
update...pictures | | |
| Things haven't changed drastically here. Last week I met with the students for classes. They weren't typical classes. They were more getting to know you classes. I had them fill out a form for me to get to know them. After inputting the information into the computer I'm realizing I can go without doing that after this term. Might as well be consistent though. I've learned my lesson that's for sure. The more paper work I have them do, the more work I have to look over. Like I mentioned in my previous email the school I work at has 4 departments (music, dance, fine arts, drama/film). Each department it seems that the students are very similar. In the music classes they are both loud and quiet. It really depends on the major within that department.. The dance students are very respectful, but I've found them to be very talkative, but they seem to stop talking quickly so I don't mind that as much. The fine arts students are fairly quiet, but of course there are always exceptions. Now the drama/film students, they are the most talkative. I like the Juniors better than the Sophomores though. They seem to know English better. It makes for a little more interesting and somewhat easier class because I don't have to pull teeth to get students to talk...then again it's just as hard because it's hard to get them to stop talking so much. But if it's in English I'm not sure if I'll complain much.
In all of my classes I've been talking about different procedures I have in my classroom. It's kind of hard to have a regular routine because with the Sophomores I go to their classroom, they don't come to mine. I should be getting my own English classroom in January. The school is adding a middle school to the property and I heard they are going to have a classroom in there just for me. I'm happy with that...just as long as they don't add middle school students to my classes. I have been trying to get a routine started with my students. I want to have an assignment prepared for them to do at the beginning of each class. They will work on that assignment for 10 to 15 minutes and then we will then go into the main part of the lesson, tying in what they went over in the assignment at the beginning of class. We'll see how well this works because explaining things takes longer at times. I've also talked to my students about the word RESPECT. In the English classroom it is very important for them to all pay attention. It's rude in general to speak while other people are talking, but in the English classroom they need to pay close attention to what is happening in the classroom because the instructions and explanations won't be given in Korean. They're teenagers though...though that seems to be something many people do no matter what age they are when they are in a group setting like school. I know it's not necessarily the fact that they are bored though, because I've found myself talking at times when I wasn't supposed to and I was far from bored...but I do need to make sure I'm gauging their boredom level.
I'm still enjoying my apartment for the most part. One thing has bothered me though. When I turn the lights out at night there is a glow from the lights outside that gives the feeling of the sun rising at dawn. If I'm exhausted lights don't bother me at all. I can fall asleep with all the lights in the room on if I'm tired enough, but when I'm not that tired I always have a hard time getting to sleep. My sleep is also interrupted those nights as well. Last week I had 8 hours of sleep and I still woke up tired one morning. I hadn't had a tough day the day before so the only explanation I could think of was the light outside. I read that often when we are in REM sleep and the room we are sleeping in is lit up, even a little, it messes up our sleep. The school will be installing curtains soon. Right now all I've got are shades.
The teachers at the school are great. I've felt very welcomed. I think the fact that this school has never had a foreign teacher is an advantage for me. The teachers don't feel intimidated and they also don't feel like I'm just some foreigner here to make a few bucks with no experience. Granted I've never worked at a high school before, but I think they respect the fact that I have a 120 hour certificate to teach English and that I have a Masters. I had read a lot of stories online of teachers at schools not liking the foreign English teacher and treating them badly. I'm thankful that is not the case here at this school.
Next week I'm going with the Sophomore class to their camp out. Though it's not much of a camp out. It's at some resort somewhere and the teachers don't have to spend much time with the kids because the kids will be in meetings most of the day. I'm going mainly to get to know some of the other teachers. Of course I will get to know the kids too. I'll be sure to let you know how that goes. I'll be leaving Monday and coming back Wednesday.
This past weekend I had Monday off again. It was Buddha's birthday on Monday. The week before it was Children's Day. I'm glad for children and Buddha. Anyways, this past Monday I met a friend in Seoul for lunch. I haven't seen her since a week or two before I left Korea in December. It was nice to see her and to catch up a bit. After I get paid I plan to go and visit her at her institute one weekend.
That reminds me, I need to get in touch with some of my students from Ulsan, South Korea. I found out that three of them are in Seoul going to university. Many of my students were excited to hear that I was returning. I look forward to seeing them again.
Life is such an interesting experience. You think you have it all understood, you think you know exactly where you're going and then sometimes something happens that just creeps up and takes you down. I'm thankful to God that He never gives up on me. I'm in awe that He wants to partner with me to reach others for Him. I don't know how to describe the feeling that I have when I think about how He thinks of me. I was talking to a friend the other day about the fears that I have about teaching. She mentioned that teaching is not an easy thing to do because teaching involves working with people and people are always unpredictable. She asked me if my students in the past learned and if they liked me and I said they did. She then asked me that if my students learned and they liked me, then wasn't I already a successful teacher? I had to say yes to that. I guess it's normal to wonder if you're actually doing a good job. And if your accomplishing the goals you set out to do then you are a success, no matter how many times you mess up along the way. I told my friend that I get stage fright and I don't seem to know what to do next when I'm in class. She then said 'But if you are doing your best (being prepared for class, etc.) then nobody else could do what you do better. Nobody else can bring exactly what you bring to the classroom. Do you think God wants you where you are?' I answered, 'definitely'. She replied, "then all you can do is do your best, a nd NOT beat yourself up about when you are disappointed. Because you love yourself! And God loves you.' I hope I never stop remembering to love myself...and if I do I hope it's not for very long. I have no reason to hate myself, or dislike myself. I am a unique human being who has a place in this world...for such a time as this. I'm finally happy to be alive...and I'm living it with all I've got.
| | |
|
