During my period of unemployment, I was required to register with my state's job bank in order to receive benefit payments. The entire system is basically a giant, online database of job seekers and employers. But for month after month, no job matches ever came around for me. I constantly added more skills to my profile and broadened my job requirement criteria, but still no jobs "fit" my skills set.
Until now.
I just received an email from a gentleman named Scott Kim who found my information through the Illinois Workforce Development System. He wanted to tell me that he has a great opportunity for me to teach English in South Korea, which is one of the most up-and-coming places in the world for English teachers.
I can't decide if this is the ultimate example of how lethargic the American unemployment system is right now, or just the funniest damn thing that's happened to me in a long time. Or maybe it's a resounding victory for the unemployment system, since they found me the very job I'm already doing, thereby proving that their job seeker-employer matching system is PERFECT, if a little slow.
In any case, I emailed the guy back, thanked him for his interest in me and told him the humor in the whole scenario. I hope he finds it as funny as I did.
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Apologies
Sorry for the lack of updates. Since Saturday afternoon I have been completely incapacitated with some unknown illness. I actually had to take off 2 days of work (a fact of which I am not proud since I've only been here 3 weeks), but I am happy to announce that I am back today (Wednesday) at about half-steam. I still feel rather poor, but since I only have one class on Wednesdays, I figured I could brave it rather than use up another sick day.
The whole debacle started after mountain climbing with my students on Youngnam Mountain on Saturday. I woke up with a bit of a headache and a slight fever, but nothing was deterring me from hiking with the kids. I had been excited for days about going up that mountain with those kids. And I must admit, it was a blast. I was amazed watching 1st-6th graders climb up the side of a mountain at some inclines that made me scared, with footing as narrow as 10-14 inches sometimes and no handrails. The kids loved it. What I loved was that this kind of a trip would never fly in America. Too much liability, too many kids would complain because it's too hard, too many parents up in arms because it's just too dangerous. But every one of those students made it up and down that mountain without a bit of complaint. No one got hurt because everyone watched out for everyone else. It was really fun.
And then--on the way down--I started to think that maybe ignoring my early warning signs for illness was a bad idea. I played it cool so the students didn't worry, but I started to get dizzy about halfway down. When we got to the bottom, I felt ready to pass out. Of course, I had been hiding all of these symptoms, so Sara thought that when I asked if we could go home, it was merely a suggestion. She wanted to get something to eat, and I didn't want to stop her. So we got some fried chicken (KFC actually) and headed for home. When we got home, I hit the bed like Jim Thome hits a low fastball.
Skip forward to about 10:30--my fever is spiking at around 103, and I can't stop coughing. We got to the hospital by our apartment. No ER. A nice Korean man finds us a cab and sends us to the right place. We get there, struggle to communicate. I feel stupid because if I go to a Korean hospital I should know how to tell them what's wrong. I'm in the ER. I have a chest x-ray. Some doctors listen to my chest. There's a nice doctor there who speaks good English. I am relieved, except they don't know what the problem is. "It's not pneumonia," he says. "Whew, that's good," I think. I never even thought of pneumonia. Another 10 minutes and I'm behind a curtain being asked to drop my pants by a Korean nurse with a needle. She gives me a shot for the muscle aches and pains. They send us back to the front desk, I get 3 days worth of medication, and pay 19,800 won. (That's about $16US) I get in a cab and go back home.
They told me to come back in a few days if they symptoms don't go away. Well, it's been 4 days and they're still here. Sara is sick now too, so we'll be going back tonight. Except this time I'm not at all nervous about the conditions.
At any rate, I don't think Sara and I will be going mountain climbing again too soon.
The whole debacle started after mountain climbing with my students on Youngnam Mountain on Saturday. I woke up with a bit of a headache and a slight fever, but nothing was deterring me from hiking with the kids. I had been excited for days about going up that mountain with those kids. And I must admit, it was a blast. I was amazed watching 1st-6th graders climb up the side of a mountain at some inclines that made me scared, with footing as narrow as 10-14 inches sometimes and no handrails. The kids loved it. What I loved was that this kind of a trip would never fly in America. Too much liability, too many kids would complain because it's too hard, too many parents up in arms because it's just too dangerous. But every one of those students made it up and down that mountain without a bit of complaint. No one got hurt because everyone watched out for everyone else. It was really fun.
And then--on the way down--I started to think that maybe ignoring my early warning signs for illness was a bad idea. I played it cool so the students didn't worry, but I started to get dizzy about halfway down. When we got to the bottom, I felt ready to pass out. Of course, I had been hiding all of these symptoms, so Sara thought that when I asked if we could go home, it was merely a suggestion. She wanted to get something to eat, and I didn't want to stop her. So we got some fried chicken (KFC actually) and headed for home. When we got home, I hit the bed like Jim Thome hits a low fastball.
Skip forward to about 10:30--my fever is spiking at around 103, and I can't stop coughing. We got to the hospital by our apartment. No ER. A nice Korean man finds us a cab and sends us to the right place. We get there, struggle to communicate. I feel stupid because if I go to a Korean hospital I should know how to tell them what's wrong. I'm in the ER. I have a chest x-ray. Some doctors listen to my chest. There's a nice doctor there who speaks good English. I am relieved, except they don't know what the problem is. "It's not pneumonia," he says. "Whew, that's good," I think. I never even thought of pneumonia. Another 10 minutes and I'm behind a curtain being asked to drop my pants by a Korean nurse with a needle. She gives me a shot for the muscle aches and pains. They send us back to the front desk, I get 3 days worth of medication, and pay 19,800 won. (That's about $16US) I get in a cab and go back home.
They told me to come back in a few days if they symptoms don't go away. Well, it's been 4 days and they're still here. Sara is sick now too, so we'll be going back tonight. Except this time I'm not at all nervous about the conditions.
At any rate, I don't think Sara and I will be going mountain climbing again too soon.
Friday, April 17, 2009
Technology
Since Friday is slow, and since the time difference worked out in my favor, I just finished watching the White Sox beat the Rays 3-2 LIVE on my 85" touchscreen blackboard in sparkling HD. Technology is a wonderful thing.
By the way, if you'd ever like to skype with me, feel free to drop me an email and I'll tell you my skype name. I would post it here, but this is a public blog, and I'd rather not have some guy from Montana calling me at 3am.
By the way, if you'd ever like to skype with me, feel free to drop me an email and I'll tell you my skype name. I would post it here, but this is a public blog, and I'd rather not have some guy from Montana calling me at 3am.
Cause Sara Did It
Ok...I suppose I'll tell you all about MY teaching experiences thus far.
I was not lucky enough to be given the 2 week grace period to observe and get my feet wet. I was instead given 1 week and then had to dive in head first. It took awhile at my primary school (Dongbu Elementary) to fully understand my role since only one of my co-teachers speaks any conversational English. As nice as the other two are, it's very difficult for us to talk, much less lesson plan. And so, I end up being a talking parrot for 3rd and 4th grades. My schedule looks like this:
M: 6th grade--5th grade--3rd grade--2 hour English camp
T: 3 3rd grade classes--3 4th grade classes--2 hour teacher course
W: 4th grade (I like Wednesday)
Th: 5th grade--4th grade--2 hour English camp--2 hour teaching course
F: 6th grade--1 hour English camp (Friday's nice too)
I was told that they wanted me teaching the teacher training course on Tuesdays and Thursdays because I was the most qualified foreigner to teach a college level course. (Pat on the back) As nice as that is, though, it also makes Tuesday and Thursday an absolute nightmare.
Anyway, back to the kids. I teach 6th and 5th grade with Hyeun Bum, my main co-teacher who speaks nearly fluent English. We have a lot of fun, use a lot of activities outside of the textbook, and I really believe we get through to those kids every time.
4th grade is taught alongside Mrs. Lee, who is a joy to watch, even if she doesn't speak much English. I've never seen a group of students respect their teacher more--anywhere. Recently, Mrs. Lee worked out that on Wednesday we would teach the textbook lesson and on Thursday I could do whatever I wanted. (SWEET)
3rd grade is cute, but the kids just plain don't know much. I am there basically so they can hear a native speaker of English. It's hard to teach them much, but they're just so darn cute that I love the class anyway.
Youngnam Elementary on Tuesdays is both a blessing and absolute hell. Since I'm only there one day a week, the rockstar image will be hard to shed. I am followed everywhere by a gaggle of girls who all but sit on my lap when I'm at the computer. It's nice to be such a spectacle, but a moment's peace away from the screaming 9-year-olds would be nice. Plus, 6 straight classes is a little taxing.
The students are all at different levels, like Sara has said, but most of them can answer basic questions. At Youngnam last week, I was asking a 35+ student class how they felt that day. I asked a few students in the front row and got responses of "I'm fine," "Ok," and "vely good-uh." At the end of the row was a tiny, squirrely looking girl who I assumed didn't know what was going on. In my attempt to teach EVERY student at least something, I wanted to ask her. So I walked over to her, squatted down next to her desk and said, "How are you today?"
She looked at me for a moment before quietly squeaking out in perfect English, "I'm alright, but I have a cold."
It's times like that when I know it's all worth it.
I was not lucky enough to be given the 2 week grace period to observe and get my feet wet. I was instead given 1 week and then had to dive in head first. It took awhile at my primary school (Dongbu Elementary) to fully understand my role since only one of my co-teachers speaks any conversational English. As nice as the other two are, it's very difficult for us to talk, much less lesson plan. And so, I end up being a talking parrot for 3rd and 4th grades. My schedule looks like this:
M: 6th grade--5th grade--3rd grade--2 hour English camp
T: 3 3rd grade classes--3 4th grade classes--2 hour teacher course
W: 4th grade (I like Wednesday)
Th: 5th grade--4th grade--2 hour English camp--2 hour teaching course
F: 6th grade--1 hour English camp (Friday's nice too)
I was told that they wanted me teaching the teacher training course on Tuesdays and Thursdays because I was the most qualified foreigner to teach a college level course. (Pat on the back) As nice as that is, though, it also makes Tuesday and Thursday an absolute nightmare.
Anyway, back to the kids. I teach 6th and 5th grade with Hyeun Bum, my main co-teacher who speaks nearly fluent English. We have a lot of fun, use a lot of activities outside of the textbook, and I really believe we get through to those kids every time.
4th grade is taught alongside Mrs. Lee, who is a joy to watch, even if she doesn't speak much English. I've never seen a group of students respect their teacher more--anywhere. Recently, Mrs. Lee worked out that on Wednesday we would teach the textbook lesson and on Thursday I could do whatever I wanted. (SWEET)
3rd grade is cute, but the kids just plain don't know much. I am there basically so they can hear a native speaker of English. It's hard to teach them much, but they're just so darn cute that I love the class anyway.
Youngnam Elementary on Tuesdays is both a blessing and absolute hell. Since I'm only there one day a week, the rockstar image will be hard to shed. I am followed everywhere by a gaggle of girls who all but sit on my lap when I'm at the computer. It's nice to be such a spectacle, but a moment's peace away from the screaming 9-year-olds would be nice. Plus, 6 straight classes is a little taxing.
The students are all at different levels, like Sara has said, but most of them can answer basic questions. At Youngnam last week, I was asking a 35+ student class how they felt that day. I asked a few students in the front row and got responses of "I'm fine," "Ok," and "vely good-uh." At the end of the row was a tiny, squirrely looking girl who I assumed didn't know what was going on. In my attempt to teach EVERY student at least something, I wanted to ask her. So I walked over to her, squatted down next to her desk and said, "How are you today?"
She looked at me for a moment before quietly squeaking out in perfect English, "I'm alright, but I have a cold."
It's times like that when I know it's all worth it.
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Engrish in the Classroom
This is an actual picture from my classroom. I haven't said anything, because I figure it probably won't ever come up in classes, but I think it's funny.
I'd like my stake extra pointy please!
I'd like my stake extra pointy please!
Monday, April 13, 2009
Getting on Our Feet
Enter week 3 of our lives in the Republic of Korea.
It feels more like 3 months, yet we're just now starting to settle in. We have been given a computer and microwave, our internet is connected (and lightening fast!), we have cell phones, we know our home address, we've met several foreign and Korean friends, lesson planning is becoming routine, and we are starting to feel comfortable going into restaurants alone.
Still, there's so much left to learn here. All of my Korean friends tell me that my accent is great, which makes me happy, but it's also a burden. I say something to a Korean, who then assumes that I speak fluent Korean because my pronunciation is good and begins chattering away at me. I then have to interupt them and tell them that I speak very little Korean. Pronunciation don't mean squat when you only know 20 words.
Luckily, the Korean people are friendly and welcoming. Sara and I don't feel afraid or embarassed about trying to adventure out. On Saturday, we took a cab to the Andong Dam where we took pictures and searched (ironically) for some water to drink. We scaled a small mountain at a slope of about 65 degrees in tennis shoes. We also went over the Wolyeonggyo Bridge, which is the longest foot bridge in Korea. It's named for the view one can see from it during the night of the moonlight reflecting on the river. We were there during the day, but will be sure to go back at night for the full experience.
On Saturday we went to Akdong, the "new downtown" here in Andong. New downtown is right. This neighborhood is bigger in every way than old downtown Andong. Wider streets, bigger buildings, more restaurants and bars (or hofs), and a movie theater that we will be frequenting. The night ended with Sara and I having a late dinner and some drinks with 2 foreign friends and 2 Korean friends.
And so now begins another week of teaching. Today is light, with only 2 classes and an English camp (voluntary after-school English lessons). Tomorrow will be heavy, going to Youngnam for 6 straight classes, then to Andong Elementary for the class I am now painfully aware that I will be teaching until June. The rest of the week unfolds as always, and I'm sure there will be new challenges to face and more things to discover.
But as I sit in my room, listening to children chanting in Korean outside my window, I try to absorb it all and convince myself that this isn't a vacation or overseas internship. I'm not here on some sort of retreat, and no one is coming to get me. I don't have a return ticket, and people back in America are all going on with their daily lives without me there as a regular part. And that's just fine.
This is my job. And this is my life.
At least for now.
It feels more like 3 months, yet we're just now starting to settle in. We have been given a computer and microwave, our internet is connected (and lightening fast!), we have cell phones, we know our home address, we've met several foreign and Korean friends, lesson planning is becoming routine, and we are starting to feel comfortable going into restaurants alone.
Still, there's so much left to learn here. All of my Korean friends tell me that my accent is great, which makes me happy, but it's also a burden. I say something to a Korean, who then assumes that I speak fluent Korean because my pronunciation is good and begins chattering away at me. I then have to interupt them and tell them that I speak very little Korean. Pronunciation don't mean squat when you only know 20 words.
Luckily, the Korean people are friendly and welcoming. Sara and I don't feel afraid or embarassed about trying to adventure out. On Saturday, we took a cab to the Andong Dam where we took pictures and searched (ironically) for some water to drink. We scaled a small mountain at a slope of about 65 degrees in tennis shoes. We also went over the Wolyeonggyo Bridge, which is the longest foot bridge in Korea. It's named for the view one can see from it during the night of the moonlight reflecting on the river. We were there during the day, but will be sure to go back at night for the full experience.
On Saturday we went to Akdong, the "new downtown" here in Andong. New downtown is right. This neighborhood is bigger in every way than old downtown Andong. Wider streets, bigger buildings, more restaurants and bars (or hofs), and a movie theater that we will be frequenting. The night ended with Sara and I having a late dinner and some drinks with 2 foreign friends and 2 Korean friends.
And so now begins another week of teaching. Today is light, with only 2 classes and an English camp (voluntary after-school English lessons). Tomorrow will be heavy, going to Youngnam for 6 straight classes, then to Andong Elementary for the class I am now painfully aware that I will be teaching until June. The rest of the week unfolds as always, and I'm sure there will be new challenges to face and more things to discover.
But as I sit in my room, listening to children chanting in Korean outside my window, I try to absorb it all and convince myself that this isn't a vacation or overseas internship. I'm not here on some sort of retreat, and no one is coming to get me. I don't have a return ticket, and people back in America are all going on with their daily lives without me there as a regular part. And that's just fine.
This is my job. And this is my life.
At least for now.
Friday, April 10, 2009
The Plot Thickens
So Hyun Bum found a document about the teaching class at Andong Elementary that I had no idea I was teaching. It was sitting around the staff room and has a date stamped on it from before HE even arrived at the school. It says I am to teach a 3 month teacher training course every Tuesday and Thursday from 5:30-7:10. What's more, it says nothing about any kind of payment for the course, except that Andong Elementary will get 300,000 won for hosting it.
Aside from the fact that 3 months is a long time to teach a course when you've only been in the country for 2 weeks, this schedule prevents me from going to my Korean language course on Thursday nights, which makes me a might unhappy.
Luckily, since I have the best co-teacher that ever lived, HB is calling the POE for me to find out more details and if we can either shorten the class or get another native teacher to teach part of it.
Aside from this minor setback, things in Korea are going well. Today, Sara and I are getting cell phones and (hopefully) bedsheets. We also plan to go up to the Andong City Dam and see the sakura trees blossoming.
Woot!
Aside from the fact that 3 months is a long time to teach a course when you've only been in the country for 2 weeks, this schedule prevents me from going to my Korean language course on Thursday nights, which makes me a might unhappy.
Luckily, since I have the best co-teacher that ever lived, HB is calling the POE for me to find out more details and if we can either shorten the class or get another native teacher to teach part of it.
Aside from this minor setback, things in Korea are going well. Today, Sara and I are getting cell phones and (hopefully) bedsheets. We also plan to go up to the Andong City Dam and see the sakura trees blossoming.
Woot!
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