just the beginning.......

here are just 2 examples of why i love kids and my job...........

1. i had decided to play charades with my first class and half way through decided to let the students choose which thing they wanted to act out. up to "ian's" (our students take on english names during the english class) turn each child had acted out an animal---you know.......the exciting lion, tiger, gorilla etc. well when ian stood up he whispered in my ear, "apple". i asked him to repeat it and again he said "apple". i said ok and waited to see this. so he just bent down into a ball-ish shape and waited. the other students were a bit quiet---probably waiting for this energetic child, who can't sit still, to get started. i told the class this is it and to start guessing. they seemed confused, so i told ian to tell them what color he is supposed to be. he said red and i told them you eat it. eventually they got it but it was so funny.......especially the fact that ian was the one to pick something inanimate. he's the one student in that class who can't sit still for more than 30 seconds.

2. i was eating my lunch today when my supervisor came over. she told me that she had been talking to irene's mother. she had asked irene if she wanted to go to everland this past weekend. (everland is a very popular theme park.....kind of like the korean version of disneyland.) irene said (very seriously) "i can't. i have english homework and it's very important.". is that not the making of a wonderful student?! what a star!! as if she turned down a trip to everland for writing some a-f letter practise!!! too cute!

i'm so happy to be back in the classroom. i love kids and love helping them understand this crazy language we speak........and it's just the beginning of a whole new year of stories like this!

da-ye-lin kids-school

so i have been at my new school since feb. 26th and it's been quite the few weeks! this school is the kind of situation i was trying to avoid. they like to advertise that it's been under the present boss for 15 years and the english program has an excellent reputation. well the truth is that the kindergarten has been around for 15 years.......but the english program is only beginning it's second year! (how can it have an excellent reputation already??!!) another thing is that they are very proud of their swimming pool........but upon arriving you get the story that "yes.....we have a pool.......but we can't use it because it is too expensive to keep it purified."-----then why advertise it??!!! i got picked up by my supervisor (the woman i had been communicating with about the job all along) on the night of feb. 25th from tobi's house, where i'd spent my first weekend back in korea. i wasn't in the car for 5 minutes before she told me that she told a lie to the another new teacher who happened to see my apartment and wanted it, that i already saw it and it was promised to me. back in the talks about contract, and me deciding if i wanted to work at this school, i kept asking about the apartment and if i could see a picture of it. she kept "forgetting" and gave me some story about the whole thing.......and in the end i never got to see the apartment---and it's no wonder! she brought me to my very teeny tiny apartment and said "see you tomorrow morning at the school. alex will show you the way. good night!" and left. it turns out that alex is another new teacher who just happens to live across the hall from me. since he'd been beckoned to help me with my bags, we made plans to meet tomorrow morning and we'd walk together to the school. well......we had orientation week (with three days of it including my visa trip to japan) and then we were right in the thick of it with classes in full swing march 5th.

from day one up to today i have been shaking my head constantly. the supervisor is absolutely rediculous. she lies all the time. we never know if what she's telling us is the truth or not. she helps herself to anything and everything we have at the school and it's really annoying. here are two examples:

1........a few days ago the principal of the school gave me and the only other girl i work with (brandelle) a fancy box of mixed tea. i was stoked! tea is one of my favorite things. i so didn't expect this and it was so very nice of her. aparently the students' mothers have been calling the school telling of who much theie child loves coming to their english class and that it's fun and they love their teacher. this is huge for an english teacher in this business........happy child means happy parent.........happy parent means money well spent............money well spent means more years at the school........more years at the school means money for the boss----and all are happy! so anyway.......once the principal left the office and the supervisor saw it she came over and took what she liked and told me that she was going to "hide" it over by her desk in the cupboard. what?! the tea was a gift to brandelle and i and had nothing to do with her. what does she mean hide it over by her desk??!! it has since found it's way to my desk!

2.........i have a bit of a trouble maker girl in one of my classes. she's not really that difficult a child, but some of the other students must have talked about her inattentiveness and disruptions in the classroom to her mother because she showed up at the school today with a dozen doughnuts as a peace offering for me. very kind and a little funny.....but that's how things work in korea. it's still a very bribe ridden country. well, as one of the korean teachers was explaining the situation to me my supervisor walked by and swiped one of the boxes of 6 doughnuts off my desk and kept walking. i looked very puzzled and she explained that she needed to share them with a class where a boy was threatening to quit the school. (since when did that become my job to share my presents as bribery?) then she came back for one of her own and ate it down without a word asked or said. ok........so she wanted a doughnut. no big deal. i don't even like doughnuts, but i was thinking they'd be fun to share with all the other teachers when they returned from their last class of the day. so my 12 doughnuts had just been reduced to 5. i ate one and gave brandelle one and then there were only 3 for 6 other teachers. well when i came back after the last class.....there was only one left and when i handed it to the guys, i told them the story, that i had meant for us all to get one and they'd have to bring it up with the supervisor. someone pointed out that there was still a box behind her desk so i walked over to check it out. sure enough.......the 6 doughnuts remained! she wasn't sharing them with that kid who wanted to leave the school! the day was done. the boy was gone home. so the other teachers ate them. it was all very weird and quite funny.

other annoying stuff is the run around we get everytime we ask for something or question anything. brandelle and i have been living out of our suitcases since we arrived in our apartments because there is no wardrobe or dresser. when we asked about it the supervisor actually told us to go dumpster diving for them!!! what part of furnished doesn't she understand??!! my clothes remain in the suitcase and it's just one big pile of mess. i hope to find a used furniture store around here this weekend so i can get something. as if the school doesn't provide a place for us to put our clothes! (korean apartments don't usually have closets. they do the wardrobe thing.) we also asked if they could provide us with a rice cooker because this is something that can get passed on to other teachers and we can't bring it home when we leave. she said that brandelle and i were the first ones to ask for this and that we could go to e-mart and get one ourselves. i think when i told her that i have no money, she didn't quite understand what that meant. i mean, i took a whole year off from teaching. this means that by now my bank account is pretty empty. anyway........i have been blessed with good friends and tobi lent me some money......so i have been ok, but really? what's $50 for a rice cooker to a school with an income like this one has?? weird.

so needless to say.......this new school is taking some getting used to. makes me miss working for an honest, well established school. i don't miss the boss there.....but i do miss the honesty, the way we got taken care of at that place and the way the school is run. it's hard to get used to something less than that. it's becomming amusing though. we just never know what's behind the next day at da-ye-lin kids-school!

last week

last week was a bit of a whirlwind. i met my supervisor and moved to my new place last sunday, had my first 2 days of work, went to japan wednesday to get my visa and returned friday night. i got to see justin and rachel (we all worked for the same boss in sokcho) last night for dinner. it was nice to see them again. nothing like hooking up with some old friends. that's a fun thing about coming back to korea. hooking up with friends from past years and catching up is fun. i still have to get a phone so i can be more easily accessible......then i'll be able to call my korean sister and make plans to see her. i meet my students tomorrow and begin teaching. it'll be good to be in the classroom again. it's also good to be staying put for a while and getting back into a routine. including going to mexico, flying home from mississippi, coming to korea and the trip to japan.......i have been on 10 flights since january 13th! i have also been living out of my suitcase since this time last year! once i get my wardrobe and can unpack, i'll feel more settled. here's to yet another year of teaching.......new friends.......new places to discover and new fun!!!