Like I mentioned, I'm very much settled into my job, so much so that it is already getting boring at times. I hate admitting that, but it's true. My kindergarten class keeps me on my toes, and we have fun, so I can't say that's boring. But my afternoon classes feel more like tutoring sessions than teaching, and it's all done out of the textbooks and workbooks. Some of the classes have a nice group of students who are lively, so we can keep the energy level up. But other classes have very shy students, and no matter how lively I try to be with my limited resources, they don't reciprocate that energy. It's especially hard teaching my last two periods of the day from 6:00 - 7:25pm. By that point, I think we're all ready to be done and go home. On the flip side, it beats working at Starbucks and I'm grateful to have a job that allows me to teach and work with kids. I'm also very grateful to have this experience teaching and working with english language learners, which should be greatly beneficial while teaching in the States, where more and more schools have large groups of english language learners.
I feel like I've already done a lot in my short time here. Last night I went to my second professional soccer game here in Pohang. They're called the Steelers, but the Koreans pronounce it "suh-tee-luh-suh". They have a hard time connecting consonant sounds without a vowel in between, hence the "uh" between the "s" and the "t" in Steelers. There is always a big group of fans sitting behind one of the goals singing, chanting and banging on drums throughout the whole game. I think I'd like to sit there during my next game and learn the songs/chants. I've already got a jersey, so I'll fit right in. After the game, my friends and I went to the beach downtown where we lit off fireworks and kicked a soccerball around. We then proceeded to the foreigner bar where all the English teachers congregate, dance, and eat American food. It was a 70s theme last night, so of course I danced like nobody's business. A friend asked if I go out dancing a lot. I said no, I just go to a lot of weddings. I have also gotten a lot of rides on people's scooters lately. It's much more fun than taking a bus/taxi around town, and of course, it's free! Below is a photo of me on a friend's scooter. Don't worry, I now have my own helmet, so I will not be riding without one anymore.
Today, I joined three of my friends in a 6.5 hour journey to Costco! We had to take a 1 hour bus ride to Daegu, and spent over 2 hours wandering the many aisles of Costco. It's identical to the stores in the States, including the delicious muffins and the wonderfully cheap snack bar. It felt like home, and it was great to stock my kitchen with comfortable American foods like sliced turkey! Most of the meat in Korea is beef, pork and fish. And the occasional duck, and dog. After 3 and a half weeks being out here, I already miss my turkey sandwiches! Cheese is another hard-to-find commodity, so I stocked up on some provolone. We each brought our gigantic backpacks and loaded them up with our groceries for our journey back home. It may seem silly to you thinking that we would be willing to waste 6.5 hours of our weekend to go grocery shopping, but trust me, it's worth it! I like Korean food, but there are certain things I reallllly miss. I'd kill for some good mexican food. And a donut.
One thing that's been hard for me to accept is the bits of sexism and racism that exist in Korea. I continually hear stories from English teachers about their school directors saying that they do not want to hire any African-American teachers, and they usually give ridiculous reasons like "We don't want to confuse our students." Of course anyone from America would say that having a black teacher will only expose students to something new, and they can quickly learn that the color of your skin doesn't determine the type of person you can be. Don't get me wrong, there are African-American teachers working here, and of course I don't mean to imply that all Koreans have a prejudice against black people, but it's clear that it is an issue in many schools. Being dark skinned is very undesirable out here. Many Koreans try to shield themselves from the sun as much as possible so they can keep their skin as light as possible. It's weird coming from American culture that appreciates the "tall, dark and handsome" and has a tanning salon on every other corner. I also repeatedly hear about school directors only hiring attractive female Korean co-teachers. I am certainly treated better as a male in the work place, and even just out and about. I feel guilty accepting better privileges as a guy, but I don't know if I can do much about it.
In two weeks, Korea has a four-day weekend to honor deceased ancestors. I have decided to spend that time in Fukuoka, Japan. I will be heading out there alone, and plan on staying in a hostel for two nights, and couch surfing for my last night (couch surfing is an online organization where people offer their couches for travelers, free of charge). My next blog post will probably be written immediately following that trip.
To my friends and family back home, I miss and love you all terribly.
Be well.
Hurrah for CHEESE!! Absolutely worth the effort!
ReplyDeleteThink you'll ever be able to bring your guitar to school to help with lessons? I can just hear you rockin' out with Old MacDonald or This Old Man...!