Date: 1/7/11
For one of the winter camp days I needed Aluminum Foil. We were making Rain Sticks and would put a curled strip of aluminum foil in the paper towel roll in order for the rice to make the "rain" sound. So, Sarah and I met for dinner and then headed over to Lotte Mart, not really prepared for the adventure that would happen.
I'm now 10 or 11 weeks in Korea, so I've had a couple rough days, but I bounce back fairly quickly (case in point with the first day of winter camp). But it am still always being thrown off by Korea. I think I have one thing down and I go looking for something and am always smacked in the face by the Korean surprise. Mostly, we waegooks (foreigners) just shake our heads and go, "Oh Korea..."
But some things have the ability to seriously wig us out. My personal demon? The grocery store. It seems like something really stupid to be scared of the grocery store, but it's a culture shock thing. At times it can be so completely overwhelming that you cannot make yourself go the grocery store when you have an empty refrigerator. (I am lucky because I can just go to a Kimbap shop and have some ramen or bibimbap when I have an empty fridge, but Sarah's not so lucky on her side of town). I don't know if I can accurately describe the culture shock--but I'll try.
Sarah and I head into Lotte Mart, looking for some aluminum foil. Lotte Mart is a sensory overload on a normal day, but we went during after work hours and it is just a rush of people. They have this happy, annoying jingle playing the background, interrupted every 30 seconds by some cheery Korean woman telling you the specials (I think). All the signs are bright, flashing, and jumbo-sized--some even sing to (no joke). So, instead of a discreet sign telling you that this item is on sale (with some sort of red arrow, like at home), you have a bright yellow arrow, sometimes with red blinking lights, that is motion sensor-ed so that when you walk past another jingle starts up and draws your attention to the item. I literally avoid the color paper aisle because of the motion-sensor advertisement. Not only is it this creepily happy jingle, but also has a TV that flashes different colors and makes me fearful that I'll go into an epileptic fit.
Oh, and all those signs that tell you about sales, yeah, there all in Korean. Every sign is in a language you can't read. Except, if you turn the orange juice bottles around, you can see "Minute Maid: Orange Juice"--which I have gone to look at--just to look at because it is soothing to look at English.
Then there are the smells. Lotte doesn't smell bad--but it has a lot of scents. Strange, I know, but it is just another sensory that is attacked during your excursion. The fish section smells SO strongly of fish--it can be gag worthy.
Lotte Mart is also some sort of time void. You feel like you're in Vegas where you enter a casino and six hours later you get spat out and wonder how it got dark.
Anyway, so you are being overwhelmed and then you are trying to find one item. I was just looking for aluminum foil. The whole trip was just for aluminum foil
We started out in the cooking aisle. No luck.
Then the try both aisles on either side (one is cereal and the other goes into shampoos)... Nope.
Then the aisle across from the cooking aisle--nope, that's seaweed. (Yes, a whole aisle devoted to the different types of seaweed).
Then we start wandering up and down the rows, just looking. We're around the spaghetti section when I finally just give up and approach a poor Korean employee. I'm actually pretty good at talking to the Korean employees, and I actually do like having the conversations because they are just so much fun. But if you're having one of those days, it can seem like the last thing you want to do.
That is, if they haven't started hounding you. The Korean idea of Service is to follow you around the store, usually in a pack of 2 or 3, making sure to help you out--which they can't because they can't speak English so you can't ask them for help. When this happens to me, I usually put my iPod on and start to listen to music. It usually works as a really good signal to say, "Back off!"
Anyway, so I approach this poor unsuspecting Korean woman and tap her on the shoulder. She looks over at me and gets this deer-in-the-headlights/oh-shit-waegook-talking-to-me look on her face. I smile, encouragingly and say, "Help, please?"
She nods...which I'm not sure if that's a sign she understands or if it's a "I'm listening" thing.
"Aluminum foil, chuse-yo." Aluminum foil, please.
Eye brows draw tightly together. Confusion.
"Ah-loo-min-um foo-il." Big smile.
Blank face.
"Aluminum foil?"
Nothing...
At this point I'm feeling like a total lost cause. Seriously...how do you describe aluminum foil? "You eat." Motion eating with chopsticks. "Finish-ee." Stop motion. "left over food." This is where I lose her again. Left over food? Not easy to sign this one.
I grumble a well deserved "urg..." and she smiled, embarrassingly, and calls someone on her radio. This results in a new employee coming over and smiling encouragingly at me. So I try again, "Aluminum foil."
And I watch the eye brows gather.
Seriously, they called over a person who doesn't speak any more English than the first one! I try a couple more times, thinking about how I need aluminum foil in order to make the rain sticks work and am starting to curse the blasted rain sticks.
Then the first store employee whips out her cell phone and tells me with a finger to "wait please." I nod, wondering what she's doing. Rapid fire Korean. And then, she hands the phone to me with a nod and smile.
"Hello...?" I murmur.
"Ah! Hello! I ... high school student. I ... little English." Says the man/boy on the other side of the phone.
This is why I love Korea. Even though I am extremely frustrated and on total sensory overload, the kindness of the people is what is so beautiful. They seriously could have just shrugged their shoulders and say, "What a stupid waegook." But instead, they went out of their way, calling on their own cell phones, to find a person who can speak a little English. I do not understand how people can ever say that Koreans (as a whole) are not nice people, because frankly, the kindness this country has shown me is astounding. This is just one example.
"Hello!"
"What...you want?"
"Aluminum foil. Chuse-yo."
"Again, please..."
"Aluminum foil."
"Ah! A-Ru-minum Poil. Ne! Ne. Ok!"
I hand the phone back to the store clerk, hoping that they actually understood me, and after a few exchanges in Korean, the store clerk grabs my wrist and leads me. To find the aRuminum Poil, we go up the escalator, across the store, and over to an aisle that contains plates and tupperware. And there is the beautiful, much sought after aluminum foil--in a blue box with white and red strips and with the words, in English, saying "ALUMINUM FOIL." This location makes sense, in a Korean concept of logic--but only in this aisle does it make sense. The next aisle over? The car section with foot mats and such.
But as someone in Orientation said, "Logic is a Western concept. It was birthed in Roman, and it has stayed in the West. Korea is not in the West. So Koreans should not and will not have Western concepts. Do not expect something to make sense, or be logical, in Korea."
I thank the lady profusely. I bow in half. I say "Gahmsamneeda" like 17 times.
But in the back of my head, I keep thinking: Okay, so Koreans literally cannot distinguish between L and R and F and P sounds--so why did she not understand Aluminum Foil and Aruminum Poil? But then I shrug and chalk it up to an "Oh Korea Moment."
And that is why some weekends I literally do not want to leave my apartment. It takes a lot of "putting on your big-girl panties" to go out there every day and just do the normal little things. Buying groceries. Clothes shopping. Going to the post office (it took me over three months before I actually made myself go to the post office to mail my Day 1 post cards home to my family...). It is stressful. It is humiliating. It is scary.
But then you wake up the next morning, and things feel a little better than the day before. (That, or you are really hungry and literally need to leave the apartment or just not eat for the day). You laugh over yesterday while walking to school, smile at a co-teacher, and then proceed to make those blasted rain sticks, totally unaware of the stress and effort that went into getting the materials. And then, the students start a sword fight--not even using the rain sticks to make the rain sound while the rice trinkles over the aruminum poil.
Monday, January 31, 2011
Winter Camp: Clothes!
Date: 1/8/2011
Week Two of Winter Camp was good. I had settled into the idea of Camp and was able to effectively plan approximately 3 hours of material. I was starting to know my students, although I still struggled with names because I am just lousy at names.
I followed the same format for Week Two as I did Week One. A movie at the end of the week, and picking out topics that were loosely related to the movie. I choose Wall-E as the movie because I know it didn't really have any English. I figured the kids would get a break and we could talk about the movie afterwards. My student's English was super high, maybe low-medium as far as my students go. It was a good class.
For Day 6 I had planned a lesson about clothes. The first period was more about analyzing what kind of vocabulary they had. We went through the different types of clothes: tops, pants, dresses, shoes, accessories and the kids had a solid understanding of all those. Which made playing the game a lot easier in the 2nd period.
We played a "Shopping Game" for 2nd period. I put the students into groups of 4. Then we reviewed American money and I handed out some monopoly money. Each team had roughly $200. Then I pulled one student in each group up to the front and told them they were the Store Clerk. The other three would be customers. Then we ran through the prescribed dialogue.
SK: "Hello."
C: "Hello."
SK: "How can I help you?"
C: "I'd like a pink top."
SK: "Alright. That's $X."
C: "Here you go. Thanks!"
SK: "Thanks! Come Again.
If I could do it again, I would not separate the group first. I would run through the Dialogue why the students are still sitting down. Then we could take turns being shop keeper and customer so that they had practice with both before we start. But that's something that I learned. Will do that next time.
I put an outfit on the powerpoint slide. It had 3 times to buy: Top, pants, and either shoes, accessories, or a bag. (One for each costumer...see, I'm smart!) I handed the Shop Keeper a print out of the outfit parts. And I said go. We had 4 four rounds of clothes so that everyone was Shop Keeper. Each round they got a point for being the first team to get all the clothes. If I heard them speaking Korean, the team was disqualified for the round.
I had a lot fun watch the kids do this game. They got really into it.
Finally, we finished the class off with some charades.
Week Two of Winter Camp was good. I had settled into the idea of Camp and was able to effectively plan approximately 3 hours of material. I was starting to know my students, although I still struggled with names because I am just lousy at names.
I followed the same format for Week Two as I did Week One. A movie at the end of the week, and picking out topics that were loosely related to the movie. I choose Wall-E as the movie because I know it didn't really have any English. I figured the kids would get a break and we could talk about the movie afterwards. My student's English was super high, maybe low-medium as far as my students go. It was a good class.
For Day 6 I had planned a lesson about clothes. The first period was more about analyzing what kind of vocabulary they had. We went through the different types of clothes: tops, pants, dresses, shoes, accessories and the kids had a solid understanding of all those. Which made playing the game a lot easier in the 2nd period.
We played a "Shopping Game" for 2nd period. I put the students into groups of 4. Then we reviewed American money and I handed out some monopoly money. Each team had roughly $200. Then I pulled one student in each group up to the front and told them they were the Store Clerk. The other three would be customers. Then we ran through the prescribed dialogue.
SK: "Hello."
C: "Hello."
SK: "How can I help you?"
C: "I'd like a pink top."
SK: "Alright. That's $X."
C: "Here you go. Thanks!"
SK: "Thanks! Come Again.
If I could do it again, I would not separate the group first. I would run through the Dialogue why the students are still sitting down. Then we could take turns being shop keeper and customer so that they had practice with both before we start. But that's something that I learned. Will do that next time.
I put an outfit on the powerpoint slide. It had 3 times to buy: Top, pants, and either shoes, accessories, or a bag. (One for each costumer...see, I'm smart!) I handed the Shop Keeper a print out of the outfit parts. And I said go. We had 4 four rounds of clothes so that everyone was Shop Keeper. Each round they got a point for being the first team to get all the clothes. If I heard them speaking Korean, the team was disqualified for the round.
I had a lot fun watch the kids do this game. They got really into it.
For the finally period we did a couple things. First we played "Dress Mr. Potato Head." To start, I showed a couple pictures of Mr Potato Head Dressed up--as Darth Vader, a ghost, and other costums. Then I showed them a piece paper with just a brown oval on it. I had them describe Mr Potato Head to me--they're own image of what Mr Potato Head should look like. I didn't let them see what I was drawing. After each student had given me a descriptor, I showed them my Mr Potato Head. They thought that was great. Then, I put them in two groups and one team would give descriptors while the other drew.
They enjoyed this one a lot. And we got some funny Mr Potatoes.
Finally, we finished the class off with some charades.
Doong Doong
Date: Whenever!
I spent a night in Iksan with a friend and she introduced this Korean cartoon to me. It's called Doong Doong. It's a group of friends aimed young boys ages 2-9. I don't think they need much more of an introduction than that:
Doong Doong: Grow
Doong Doong: Restroom:
Doong Doong: Dance
If you ever need a funny Korea Moment--these do the trick!
I spent a night in Iksan with a friend and she introduced this Korean cartoon to me. It's called Doong Doong. It's a group of friends aimed young boys ages 2-9. I don't think they need much more of an introduction than that:
Doong Doong: Grow
Doong Doong: Restroom:
Doong Doong: Dance
If you ever need a funny Korea Moment--these do the trick!
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Winter Camp: Outer Space Day
Date: 1/9/11
We were watching Wall-E as our weekly movie so I figured doing a lesson about Space would be in order. This was probably my favorite day--and maybe the kids favorite day. Unfortunately I didn't take many pictures because it was a lot just talking interaction--no real projects. We actually ran out of time for some of the stuff planned....That was a good feeling.
First we talked about the planets. I basically made a powerpoint with a giant picture of the planet and asked them about it. "What planet is this?" "Jupiter...that's right." "What do you know about Jupiter?" "What is this big red spot?" "That's right, the Big Red Spot." "What is the Big Red Spot?" And so on and so forth with each planet. Then I gave them a worksheet with clues about each planet and they had to figure out which planet was which, put them in order, and the first team to do so won. They said it was pretty easy--which resulted in them getting a couple extra minutes for break.
Every single break the kids had, they all rushed over to the computer and started playing StarCraft. This is a computer game that is SUPER popular. It is a military, sci-fi, real time game about keeping the human race alive versus the bad guys--the Zerg. Seeing how popular it is with my student, I have tentatively put it on my "To Do" list, but I admit that it's kinda at the bottom.
For the next period we learned a little about stars and then moved completely out of science and into astrology. I had found a worksheet on personalities based on your astrological sign so I modified it to work for my lesson. We reviewed some personality traits: greedy, kind, sweet, smart, outgoing, shy, etc. Then the kids had to pick three that described themselves. Then they learned the traits for each astrological sign. They found out what sign they were, and had to see if their perception of themselves and the signs perception of themselves matched. Most half way did.
For the last period, we did Love and Enemy matches based on their astrological sign. We went through the powerpoint slides again, and instead of focusing on their personality traits, they focused on who they could be friends with and who they were enemies. They found it really funny when I couldn't be friends with them (Which was really sad because Geminis don't have many friends to begin with and then there weren't any of my friend matches in the class room.) I was a loner. They also are at the age where they are just maybe discovering the interest in the opposite sex. But for the most part, not so much. So when I would point between two love matches, wiggle my eyebrows, and go, "Ne?"(Korean for "Yes?"), Both --without fail-- would make a funny face, turn to their friends and burst into giggles. Every time. It was great.
Then we went to the Love Calculator. This is a website where you can put in two names and it will generate a probability of a successful relationship between the two. I started off with me and Brad Pitt--who I have said over and over again in my "Introduction to Maggie" class that he was my favorite actor and that I think he is very handsome. I had done this the day before and knew that Brad Pitt and I are not destined to have a relationship--only 18% success rate. Which made the kids peel in laughter. And, while they were still laughing, I would sneak up on them and put in one of the stronger kids' name and a famous Korean actor/singer. Granted, putting the name Joker into the system probably doesn't ensure "accurate" results, but it did generate a fabulous result of 98%. And once I had gotten the ball rolling with that, we went around the class and everyone got matched with a love possibility.
This was the day that students laughed the most. Mrs Lee came up to me afterwards and said that the students found this class very interesting and lots of fun. Good job! That made me smile!
We were watching Wall-E as our weekly movie so I figured doing a lesson about Space would be in order. This was probably my favorite day--and maybe the kids favorite day. Unfortunately I didn't take many pictures because it was a lot just talking interaction--no real projects. We actually ran out of time for some of the stuff planned....That was a good feeling.
First we talked about the planets. I basically made a powerpoint with a giant picture of the planet and asked them about it. "What planet is this?" "Jupiter...that's right." "What do you know about Jupiter?" "What is this big red spot?" "That's right, the Big Red Spot." "What is the Big Red Spot?" And so on and so forth with each planet. Then I gave them a worksheet with clues about each planet and they had to figure out which planet was which, put them in order, and the first team to do so won. They said it was pretty easy--which resulted in them getting a couple extra minutes for break.
Every single break the kids had, they all rushed over to the computer and started playing StarCraft. This is a computer game that is SUPER popular. It is a military, sci-fi, real time game about keeping the human race alive versus the bad guys--the Zerg. Seeing how popular it is with my student, I have tentatively put it on my "To Do" list, but I admit that it's kinda at the bottom.
For the last period, we did Love and Enemy matches based on their astrological sign. We went through the powerpoint slides again, and instead of focusing on their personality traits, they focused on who they could be friends with and who they were enemies. They found it really funny when I couldn't be friends with them (Which was really sad because Geminis don't have many friends to begin with and then there weren't any of my friend matches in the class room.) I was a loner. They also are at the age where they are just maybe discovering the interest in the opposite sex. But for the most part, not so much. So when I would point between two love matches, wiggle my eyebrows, and go, "Ne?"(Korean for "Yes?"), Both --without fail-- would make a funny face, turn to their friends and burst into giggles. Every time. It was great.
Then we went to the Love Calculator. This is a website where you can put in two names and it will generate a probability of a successful relationship between the two. I started off with me and Brad Pitt--who I have said over and over again in my "Introduction to Maggie" class that he was my favorite actor and that I think he is very handsome. I had done this the day before and knew that Brad Pitt and I are not destined to have a relationship--only 18% success rate. Which made the kids peel in laughter. And, while they were still laughing, I would sneak up on them and put in one of the stronger kids' name and a famous Korean actor/singer. Granted, putting the name Joker into the system probably doesn't ensure "accurate" results, but it did generate a fabulous result of 98%. And once I had gotten the ball rolling with that, we went around the class and everyone got matched with a love possibility.
This was the day that students laughed the most. Mrs Lee came up to me afterwards and said that the students found this class very interesting and lots of fun. Good job! That made me smile!
Winter Camp: Weather Day
Date: 1/7/11
Week Two of Winter Camp, a Wednesday Was Weather Day. Okay...that was fun just to have all those Ws in a row. I'm a nerd like that--have to enjoy the small pleasures in life!
The first period basically was another, "lets see how much you know" period. They knew a lot so I basically abandoned the worksheet I had and we did brainstorming about weather words. I put a word on the board and then they had to come up and write a word associated with the big bubble word.
We did four of these, and they couldn't repeat a word once it had been used on one brain storm bubble. Thus, we arrive to "crying people" when thinking about storm.
Next we came did a Jeopardy game dealing with weather. Doing Jeopardy games are a great way to fill a period because the kids really enjoy them and you can tailor them quiet easily to any subject.
For the last period we made rainsticks. I had this idea for part of my Survivor themed camp and thought I could roughly attach it to the Weather Day because, hey, RAINstick--of course it works! So I showed them a really quick powerpoint that was extremely stereotypical and over-simplified of Native Americans and what Rain Sticks are. I had asked the students all week to bring in paper towel rolls, and then I brought in some dried rice, beans, aluminum foil, and in the arts and crafts supplies we colored paper for decorating, tape and scissors.
I took them through the steps and we finished just in time--with one or two students actually starting to decorate. I was actually a little floored because everyone stayed an extra 20-30 minutes to keep decorating their rain stick. I did NOT expect that!
Week Two of Winter Camp, a Wednesday Was Weather Day. Okay...that was fun just to have all those Ws in a row. I'm a nerd like that--have to enjoy the small pleasures in life!
The first period basically was another, "lets see how much you know" period. They knew a lot so I basically abandoned the worksheet I had and we did brainstorming about weather words. I put a word on the board and then they had to come up and write a word associated with the big bubble word.
We did four of these, and they couldn't repeat a word once it had been used on one brain storm bubble. Thus, we arrive to "crying people" when thinking about storm.
Next we came did a Jeopardy game dealing with weather. Doing Jeopardy games are a great way to fill a period because the kids really enjoy them and you can tailor them quiet easily to any subject.
For the last period we made rainsticks. I had this idea for part of my Survivor themed camp and thought I could roughly attach it to the Weather Day because, hey, RAINstick--of course it works! So I showed them a really quick powerpoint that was extremely stereotypical and over-simplified of Native Americans and what Rain Sticks are. I had asked the students all week to bring in paper towel rolls, and then I brought in some dried rice, beans, aluminum foil, and in the arts and crafts supplies we colored paper for decorating, tape and scissors.
I took them through the steps and we finished just in time--with one or two students actually starting to decorate. I was actually a little floored because everyone stayed an extra 20-30 minutes to keep decorating their rain stick. I did NOT expect that!
 |
| Putting Beans in the rain stick... |
 |
| Shake Shake...."It doesn't sound like rain!" |
 |
| Decoration time. |
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| Danny was probably the best English speaker of the bunch and he was quiet witty. This is his rainstick.... |
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| One little rainstick. Two Little Rainstick. All lined up in a row. |
Winter Camp: Dancing Day
Date: 1/5/2011
Day Three!
Day Three was centered around Dancing and Music. I figured this would be a fun way to get the kids out of their seats and moving around. It didn't quiet go as well as I had planned, but *shrug* good days and bad days, neh?
I started off doing the "Shark Dance." For an example of the Shark Dance:
I don't think the students like it. Or they didn't get it. I tried to example it was a "camp" song. I thought it was a good transition between family day to dance day, but that aspect might have been lost on them. Especially since the song ends with you (the singer) not having any legs. The boys started laughing, rapid-fire Korean going, and Mrs Lee said that they said the song was very dangerous.
Next we passed around a worksheet with a bunch of different Musical Expressions on it. "That was wicked!" "One for the mom and dad's." "I liked the rhythm!" "It had a good beat." "That was too commercialized." They matched the phrases with the Korean phrases.
That was the first period. Break time. When the students came back, we watched 10 different types of musical genre clips and the students had to rate them 1 to 10 and apply a musical expression to the clip. We watched everything from Bach's Prelude No. 1, Kiss' Shook Me All Night Long, Taylor Swift, Louis Armstrong, Achey Breakey Heart by Billy Ray Cyrus, Techno, and Bollywood. Interestingly enough, Classical and Taylor Swift placed top and Country and Jazz placed last.
For the third period, I taught the students some sign language to go along with the song "Three Little Birds" by Bob Marley. First they listened to the song and filled in some blanks. Then we talked through the song. I think they understood it. ... Then I showed the sign language. I had studied the night before, watching some clips.
Here are the kids:
Then we had the students come up in the teams that the made the first day and perform the songs:
The next day was Friday so we brought in popcorn and enjoyed High School Musical Three. I had prepared questions the day before (which meant I watched HSM3 twice in under 24 hours....yeah...not sure I'm too proud of that fact). We passed around a ball asking questions about the movie. They seemed to really like it, although Joker and Macaw attempted to watch some Anime on one of their portable movie/cell phone thing-a-ma-bobbers. Not on my watch boys!
Day Three!
Day Three was centered around Dancing and Music. I figured this would be a fun way to get the kids out of their seats and moving around. It didn't quiet go as well as I had planned, but *shrug* good days and bad days, neh?
I started off doing the "Shark Dance." For an example of the Shark Dance:
I don't think the students like it. Or they didn't get it. I tried to example it was a "camp" song. I thought it was a good transition between family day to dance day, but that aspect might have been lost on them. Especially since the song ends with you (the singer) not having any legs. The boys started laughing, rapid-fire Korean going, and Mrs Lee said that they said the song was very dangerous.
Next we passed around a worksheet with a bunch of different Musical Expressions on it. "That was wicked!" "One for the mom and dad's." "I liked the rhythm!" "It had a good beat." "That was too commercialized." They matched the phrases with the Korean phrases.
That was the first period. Break time. When the students came back, we watched 10 different types of musical genre clips and the students had to rate them 1 to 10 and apply a musical expression to the clip. We watched everything from Bach's Prelude No. 1, Kiss' Shook Me All Night Long, Taylor Swift, Louis Armstrong, Achey Breakey Heart by Billy Ray Cyrus, Techno, and Bollywood. Interestingly enough, Classical and Taylor Swift placed top and Country and Jazz placed last.
For the third period, I taught the students some sign language to go along with the song "Three Little Birds" by Bob Marley. First they listened to the song and filled in some blanks. Then we talked through the song. I think they understood it. ... Then I showed the sign language. I had studied the night before, watching some clips.
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| What size bird? That's right, Little Bird. |
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| "Rise Up this Morn" |
The next day was Friday so we brought in popcorn and enjoyed High School Musical Three. I had prepared questions the day before (which meant I watched HSM3 twice in under 24 hours....yeah...not sure I'm too proud of that fact). We passed around a ball asking questions about the movie. They seemed to really like it, although Joker and Macaw attempted to watch some Anime on one of their portable movie/cell phone thing-a-ma-bobbers. Not on my watch boys!
Winter Camp: Family Day
Date: 1/4/2011
After a rough first day, I was ready to get back in the saddle for day two. I was still feeling a little blue, and extremely nervous because I only had one student who even tried to speak to me.
But I was determined not to have another bomb day so I put on my big girl pants and screw on my teacher's cap and get ready for class.
I go in and try to learn names in the ten minutes before class when there are like 3 kids there. Slowly more start coming in, and I've basically gotten two names down before Mrs Lee comes in and says, 'Oh, you no need Korean names" to me and then looks at the students and says, "What your English names?"
Picking out names in a foreign language is always sure to have some funnies, and I wasn't disappointed with my kids.
For girls I have: Susan, Anne, Beth, Cherry, Onew and Jake. Yes, I know Jake is a male name, but I didn't bat an eyelash. And Onew is a fan of SHINee--one of the popular K-pop boy bands and Onew is one of the singer's names. Granted, the name is also a boy name, and I learned another Korean name instead of her own Korean name, but really, I just nod and smile.
For Boys I have: Tom, John, Danny, Macaw, Beetle, and Joker.
We start the 2nd day off with Ice Breakers: 2 Truths and A Lie. Basically, you say two true things about yourself and sneak in a 3rd fact that is a lie. The other people have to guess the lie. It's a good way to learn things about students and it got them to speak English. I had the students write their facts down first so they could have them in hand and not get embarrassed, and then we went around the class. Believe it or not--this took 45 minutes.
Then we spent the second hour talking about family. Family words, family relationships, do they include pets in their family, etc. I passed out a worksheet with a giant box on one side, and then the other had family based questions on back. They paired up, drew their partner in the box, I collected the papers, rearranged them and passed them back out. They then had to find their partner (Using English questions: Is this you? Who do you think this is?). When they found their new partner, they sat down and asked the questions on the back. This worked really well. (I'll admit, I stole this draw-your-partner-pass-paper-around from EPIK Orientation.)
The 3rd Period I passed out a puzzle. They had to draw my family tree. I gave them 12 clues about my family: Karen is married to Randy. David is Karen's sister. Marla is David's mother. Maggie is Marla's granddaughter, etc. The students then had to make my family tree. This resulted in some very funny results where my mom was married to my younger brother, or I was married to my cousin. It was fun.
Talk about feeling much more confident after the Family Day. It was a good "get back in the saddle" day.
After a rough first day, I was ready to get back in the saddle for day two. I was still feeling a little blue, and extremely nervous because I only had one student who even tried to speak to me.
But I was determined not to have another bomb day so I put on my big girl pants and screw on my teacher's cap and get ready for class.
I go in and try to learn names in the ten minutes before class when there are like 3 kids there. Slowly more start coming in, and I've basically gotten two names down before Mrs Lee comes in and says, 'Oh, you no need Korean names" to me and then looks at the students and says, "What your English names?"
Picking out names in a foreign language is always sure to have some funnies, and I wasn't disappointed with my kids.
For girls I have: Susan, Anne, Beth, Cherry, Onew and Jake. Yes, I know Jake is a male name, but I didn't bat an eyelash. And Onew is a fan of SHINee--one of the popular K-pop boy bands and Onew is one of the singer's names. Granted, the name is also a boy name, and I learned another Korean name instead of her own Korean name, but really, I just nod and smile.
For Boys I have: Tom, John, Danny, Macaw, Beetle, and Joker.
We start the 2nd day off with Ice Breakers: 2 Truths and A Lie. Basically, you say two true things about yourself and sneak in a 3rd fact that is a lie. The other people have to guess the lie. It's a good way to learn things about students and it got them to speak English. I had the students write their facts down first so they could have them in hand and not get embarrassed, and then we went around the class. Believe it or not--this took 45 minutes.
Then we spent the second hour talking about family. Family words, family relationships, do they include pets in their family, etc. I passed out a worksheet with a giant box on one side, and then the other had family based questions on back. They paired up, drew their partner in the box, I collected the papers, rearranged them and passed them back out. They then had to find their partner (Using English questions: Is this you? Who do you think this is?). When they found their new partner, they sat down and asked the questions on the back. This worked really well. (I'll admit, I stole this draw-your-partner-pass-paper-around from EPIK Orientation.)
The 3rd Period I passed out a puzzle. They had to draw my family tree. I gave them 12 clues about my family: Karen is married to Randy. David is Karen's sister. Marla is David's mother. Maggie is Marla's granddaughter, etc. The students then had to make my family tree. This resulted in some very funny results where my mom was married to my younger brother, or I was married to my cousin. It was fun.
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| Drawing on the scrap paper. |
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| Apparently, My mother is my sibling. My father gave birth to my mother....? Hm.... |
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| They finished! From left to right: Joker, Macaw, and Beetle. |
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| Up close! |
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| These girls told me that it was too hard. They couldn't figure it out...I sat down with them and slowly explained one line of the puzzle. I asked them to explain the next line, and they easily understood. And then they went, "AH!" You could see the light bulb click. |
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| And then they were so excited to show me their family tree...Can you tell....? |
Winter Camp Hello
Date: 1/3/11
The first Monday of January was the start of Winter Camp. I only have to do a Winter Camp at Seohyung Middle School--my city school. I actually will not see my country school until March.
I was very nervous about winter camp. I had read a little online, but, I don't know, it just seemed a little overwhelming to me. I was to have the same 10 kids for 3 hours a day for 2 weeks. Most winter camps have two classes so you can repeat a lesson. But I was to teach the kids (in English) for 3 solid hours. I try to think back to my Japanese High School lessons and think, could I have done a 3 hour class in Japanese? My brain hurts have just 45 minutes in a Japanese classroom--how do I not burn out the kid's English?
I had searched the wonderful ESL websites (waygook.org), looking for ideas. I had this idea I do a "Survivor Themed" Camp the first week and then a magazine camp the 2nd week. But I didn't know the English level of my kids, and after asking my co-teachers they said they didn't know either. Some good student, but so very low students. (Very helpful, indeed, right?) So really I was just hoping they were nice.
On top of this, I was a little nervous about my co-teacher for the camp. Ms Lee is awesome and a very nice lady, but I always have to prepare extra for her classes (even if it's just hangman for 10 minutes). I did not know how this was going to translate into a 3 hour long session.
I arrive on the first day about 30 minutes early and head into the Teacher's class, where I say hello to my Vice Principal. She looks very surprised to see me and asks about winter camp. "Yes, it does start today!" I try to always be extremely cheerful and optimistic with my teachers. All smiles. Even though, really, I was just sincerely hoping that things didn't flop.
I should have hoped harder.
The first day was a bomb. And it was probably one of the biggest bombs I've ever had. And it was multiplied by the fact that it was 3 hours of bombing. You learn something from every bomb, and since this was my first Winter Camp, I learned that--"Hey, these kids don't know each other!"
The thing we accomplished on Day 1? We made team posters.
It is a cultural thing to hide themselves when a camera comes out. I asked Mrs Lee why they hide and she said they are "shy."
I was feeling pretty morose after the first day of winter camp. The kids didn't speak Korean--let alone English. I have never had a class that quiet. It was unnerving!
I had a lot of work to do. I basically threw out the plans I had and started over. It was good to have a rough first day because I did learn about how to set up a class. I realized that 3 hours wasn't that long--I just need to keep the kids moving. And that craft projects worked well because the kids seemed to really get involved in those.
I asked Mrs Lee if we can show a movie on Friday and she said absolutely. So basically I decided to show High School Musical 3 (which I had read was a big hit with the Korean middle schoolers) and would plan a couple lessons from themes in the movie. For example: What is HSM3 about? Music--check! So do a music lesson. Dancing---check! Do a dance lesson. Need something else? How about family...that sounds good! This way the work (vocab and grammar) sort of build up so when you have 30 minutes left after watching the video, you can talk about the topics. Example: What did you think of the music in HSM3? The Answers come from the Music Day vocab.
So, I went home, squared my shoulders and started pouring over notes and lesson plans. I took it one week at time. I figured I'd just take care of Week 1 and watch for ideas for Week 2....
Week 1 Schedule:
Day 1: Bomb--scrap it and start over.
Day 2: Ice breakers and New Years Resolutions
Day 3: Family Lesson
Day 4: Music/Dance Lesson
Day 5: Movie Day
The first Monday of January was the start of Winter Camp. I only have to do a Winter Camp at Seohyung Middle School--my city school. I actually will not see my country school until March.
I was very nervous about winter camp. I had read a little online, but, I don't know, it just seemed a little overwhelming to me. I was to have the same 10 kids for 3 hours a day for 2 weeks. Most winter camps have two classes so you can repeat a lesson. But I was to teach the kids (in English) for 3 solid hours. I try to think back to my Japanese High School lessons and think, could I have done a 3 hour class in Japanese? My brain hurts have just 45 minutes in a Japanese classroom--how do I not burn out the kid's English?
I had searched the wonderful ESL websites (waygook.org), looking for ideas. I had this idea I do a "Survivor Themed" Camp the first week and then a magazine camp the 2nd week. But I didn't know the English level of my kids, and after asking my co-teachers they said they didn't know either. Some good student, but so very low students. (Very helpful, indeed, right?) So really I was just hoping they were nice.
On top of this, I was a little nervous about my co-teacher for the camp. Ms Lee is awesome and a very nice lady, but I always have to prepare extra for her classes (even if it's just hangman for 10 minutes). I did not know how this was going to translate into a 3 hour long session.
I arrive on the first day about 30 minutes early and head into the Teacher's class, where I say hello to my Vice Principal. She looks very surprised to see me and asks about winter camp. "Yes, it does start today!" I try to always be extremely cheerful and optimistic with my teachers. All smiles. Even though, really, I was just sincerely hoping that things didn't flop.
I should have hoped harder.
The first day was a bomb. And it was probably one of the biggest bombs I've ever had. And it was multiplied by the fact that it was 3 hours of bombing. You learn something from every bomb, and since this was my first Winter Camp, I learned that--"Hey, these kids don't know each other!"
The thing we accomplished on Day 1? We made team posters.
 |
| They look so happy, ne? |
I had a lot of work to do. I basically threw out the plans I had and started over. It was good to have a rough first day because I did learn about how to set up a class. I realized that 3 hours wasn't that long--I just need to keep the kids moving. And that craft projects worked well because the kids seemed to really get involved in those.
I asked Mrs Lee if we can show a movie on Friday and she said absolutely. So basically I decided to show High School Musical 3 (which I had read was a big hit with the Korean middle schoolers) and would plan a couple lessons from themes in the movie. For example: What is HSM3 about? Music--check! So do a music lesson. Dancing---check! Do a dance lesson. Need something else? How about family...that sounds good! This way the work (vocab and grammar) sort of build up so when you have 30 minutes left after watching the video, you can talk about the topics. Example: What did you think of the music in HSM3? The Answers come from the Music Day vocab.
So, I went home, squared my shoulders and started pouring over notes and lesson plans. I took it one week at time. I figured I'd just take care of Week 1 and watch for ideas for Week 2....
Week 1 Schedule:
Day 1: Bomb--scrap it and start over.
Day 2: Ice breakers and New Years Resolutions
Day 3: Family Lesson
Day 4: Music/Dance Lesson
Day 5: Movie Day
Thursday, January 27, 2011
DMZ: Imjigak
Date: 1/3/2011
Imjigak is an interesting place. I think I can best describe it as a tourist education center. I believe it is part of the unification village, but I could be wrong about that. It has a bunch of monuments, an observation desk, and temple. Also is a bridge/train tracks that lead to North Korea. So it a little bit of everything. Oh and it also has an amusement park…Yes, that's right, an amusement park.
The DMZ is a major part of the history and life of the Koreans But it not something that many Koreans really go see. Granted, it's not the happiest place to be, but it is full of culture and history. But how do you convince kids to go see a place full of culture and history? (As it was explained to me) they have enough things that are much more awesome in their living room: the computer with StarCraft mainly. So, they built an amusement park (complete with korean food stands and a Giant Viking Swing Ship Ride). And, to complete this image of "entertaining the kids" when we pull up, the first thing we notice at Imjigak is not DMZ related--it is that th giant hill has been transformed into a sledding ramp.
I'm not kidding! See:
Here are some pictures showing that one side you have Korean temple, train tracks and observatory, while on the other ow have the amusement park, with aparking lot separating the two:
That was looking one direction. On the other side of parking lot is the temple for unification:
Sarah rings the bell --or at least she poses for it. I think it's suppose to be rung for the first time at the official reunification:
The temple is faces North Korea:
I blame dumb foreigner card when I read the sign that says "Do not take pictures." And frankly, everyone else was taking pictures.
There is a sign also, pointing out some of the outposts and roads. But they are too far away for one to really see by the naked eye--which is why there's an observation deck on top of the "museum/coffee shop/suviner shop".
This is one of the many monuments
We came on an interesting day because some people were releasing "propaganda balloons" when we pulled up. One of the tour guides managed to grab one and was reading it. He was explaining some of the things that the propaganda message was saying:
There was a picture of Kim Jung Ill (North Korean Ruler) trying to explain that he was dead. Showing a picture from 5 years ago and a picture that had just been printed/put out and attempting to show how it was the picture of Kim Jung Ill from 5 years ago, and the guards surrounding him have changed. Apparently Kim Jung Il hasn't really come out in public in a long time, and with his ailing health, fears being seen as weak.
The point of the paper was to cause a questioning of the North Korean ruler, if not even an uprising. But, from everything I've heard, Kim jung Ill is still alive--and this paper was saying that he was dead. I agree with giving the people information that would not have been available--but not wrong information. That bothered me.
The people releasing the balloons were, by the looks of it, an older American or UK soldier and a Korean (along with a group of Koreans about 10 ppl in total). There were camera crews and some reporters on the scene.
When we were leaving, There was a Korean man walking around asking people to sign a petition to increase the number of propaganda balloons released (or something to that effect). He had stopped a couple of the people in our tour. And this got a strong response our of the owner of Adventure Korean, Saekjin. Saekjin actually went over to the guy and started ushering the tour members away from the activist.
I was really surprised to Saekjin so visibly upset by propaganda balloons. I asked him about it, because it was rare insight to the life and mind of a Korean's perspective of North and South Korea. (Rare because he was quiet opinionated about it and expressed said opinions quiet easily to our queries). He is not a fan of the current President's harsher line of dealing with North Korea. The last president was very pro-unification, always sending rice and aid to the people in North Korea. When the new president took over, he started asking questions about where the aid was going. Apparently a vast majority of it was going to the soldiers (who are much MUCh better off than any of the people who actually need the aid). So the new president stopped doing the aid. And because of that, most of the other countries that give aid, also stopped. They followed his lead. Saekjin said this really was wrong because the average people in North Korea need (NEED) that aid--even if a chunk of it is going to the soldiers, well, some portion of it is going to the people. Now, no portion is going to them.
He also totally disagrees with the propaganda balloons because "it is just cruel." (direct quote.) It is almost a shoving-we-are-living-better-than-you in their faces. He said, in this case, ignorance might just be blissful. They are starving--literally starving--but maybe their demented (my word) view of their leader keeps them strong. Manipulatable, but at least they aren't ?unhappy? with their life because their esteem-able leader is watching over them.
And this is where I disagree with the propaganda balloons because, if the whole point is to have them realize their leader is a corrupt, evil man, and that spurs them on to an uprising. What happens, then when/if they win the uprising and find out that, hey, wait, Kim Jung ill is still alive? How did we help them? That would just turn them against the information provider.
Okay...that alone was worth the trip to the DMZ to see and learn about propagnada balloons and the differing views of the situation. But there was more to see in Imjigak.
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| I love these statues. They are people slowly walking up the hill to see into North Korea, in a prayer-ful stance. Probably symbolizing the idea that peoples ancestors and family are literally divided by the 38th parallel and they cannot see/communicate with each other because of this stupid war. |
We walked beyond the first monument and saw the view/tracks into North Korea:
There was an old train:
Further down the trail is a place where you can buy ribbons and write a message of peace. There were thousands:
I love the contrast of peace ribbons on a barbed wire fence. Talk about a symbol...
Next we went on to the top of the building to do some Observation Deck stuff. We were going to a bigger and better observation deck next so we didn't spend a lot of time or effort to view North Korea, but did take a couple peeks:
But, more in line with our usually goofiness, we took the opportunity to have some fun:
The American Beat up The Korean (The sign does warn people of the danger of falling....)
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