My lil sis on the go.
Friday, September 26, 2008
The Three Amigos: English Bear, Mr Wiggles, and Mr. Squirt
In my class I have three props, one is called the English Bear. Before I start each class I take him and throw him at certain students, ask them a random question, and have them answer. The students enjoy it though sometimes they need help answering the questions. My next friend is the Mr. Wiggles. He is a footlong wooden stick with a horse head. You see, corporal punishment is legal here in the big K so the teachers carry these sticks. Unfortunately, because of my US citizenship I cannot hit students so I bought this funny looking stick that does not add to my authority (probably lessens it), but its funny. Whatever. My next friend is Mr. Squirt. He is a small elephant-shaped watergun (we got into some trouble today). He tends to wake up students and say hello to kids that can't keep their mouths shut. So far, the kids have enjoyed all three of my buddies, and I enjoy using them.
As for the school pics. As you can see, it is hard to get pictures of girls because as soon as you pull out the camera they either turn the other way or put their heads down. I actually had to sneak some pics. I also keep forgetting to take my camera to class so I only have pictures of maybe 3 classes.
So, me and Mr. Squirt went on a rampage today, doing our best Dick Chaney impression by shooting up people by accident. Well I ran into some students (the 2 individual photos above) that had their own sawed-off squirties and we went at it, Ok Corral style. These are two students I always play Ping Pong with. They don't speak much English but me and the one kid always go back and forth debating who the "ping pong" king is. Mad fun. So we faught for about a good 20 mins. Water was everywhere, and I kept thinking that my behavior was not teacher-like, but we did not get caught so, shhhhh.
In addition to the English Bear, Mr. Wiggles, and Mr. Squirt, I now have some Korean friends which, apparently, is not easy. A few are from Church and some others are girls I met from the nurse's daughter (if you remember that story). Its been real nice hanging out with them even though they might be a lil bit older (24, 25). Things are good right now. More school pics are to come. Holla at your gwolla. I know, this post was kinda weak.
Thursday, September 18, 2008
Indeed. Oh yea, the Pictures (tons) Are Up and More are to Come
Okay, the pictures I promised last lunar eclipse are finally up. Stop stalking me Tracey!! To enlarge the picture just click it. I have many more but it takes a long time using blogger.com to post. However, soon I will put up (what does he mean by soon????????) pictures of my school, the teachers, my students, and some traditional Korean town the fam hit up. As for an update, things have been going really well lately. I truly enjoy teaching and the students have responded well to my lessons thus far. Also, I have become a Badminton king because my ping pong skills are lacking. The students are great are there is only one class that truly gives me problems (mainly-because there are several students whose English skills are non-existent. As a result, (IMO) many students resort to acting out in class instead of making mistakes in English or even trying to participate. They would rather not "look stupid" so they disrupt constantly. Therefore, since I cannot connect with them in my class I have begun playing Badminton and ping pong with them during lunch. Let's see if it works. The kids are great. What can I say?
What else? Well I was introduced to the school nurse's daughter and, at first, it was extremely awkward. Especially when everyone in the room in staring at you screaming "hangukmal hangukmal" (Korean Korean) because you are speaking in English!!!. She is an extremely cool person and very smart. Indeed.
In addition, even though I told everyone that I would go to Seoul to get my haircut, my host mother set up an appointment for me to go to her hairdresser. Of course I went and it was quite the adventure. First, she showed me a flip book of Korean dudes and asked me to pick what style I wanted. They either all looked like women, had weird geled up dews, or had these ridiculous hairstyles (like extra thick cornrows or some obscure looking dreds). Soooo, I asked my mother to just say shorter and then I drew a picture (which didn't work). I decided to just get in the chair and go from there. As I sat in the chair, EVERYONE in the shop stared at me for about a good 5 minutes. It was wild, like I was seal in an orange jumpsuit jiggling a pancake on my nose. So her first trim took no hair off. The 2nd took off about the same. Needless to say, we went through a few trims and then came, yes, the shape-up. Never in her life had she seen a head like mine and the Korean men don't usually get sharp shape-ups like moi. After about a 5 minute convo about the length and form of my sideburns she went in (with the forehead all I said was straight! straight! straight!). I can't front, she did her thing even though the burns were a bit uneven and my forehizzle wasn't straight. I still looked fresh, and it was much cheaper than going to Seoul to see my African connect (where the shop smells like straight 3 day-old musk).
Lastly, the family situation gets better and better. I have talked to my parents about the education system, the Korean image of women, what type of women I like, and a whole gang of other things. We even talked about their daughter and dating and what I thought about it. They call me their son to other people and I even now have a Korean name, hong chawn sa. The other night we played a game where I choose a Bible passage, say Luke chapter 6, and read a verse in English and they have to find it in Korean. They mainly keyed in on certain words and named all the verses with that word but it was still fun. They are some great people and I couldn't have fallen into better hands. I truly am blessed.
Oh yea, where are my care packages (my address is in a previous post)??? I need some American chocolates and candy ASAP. Lol.
I'm so sorry I don't update my blog enough. I forget to tell you guys so much (and a lot of interesting things have happened). And some people even stopped checking for me and I don't blame them. I think I'm getting the inspiration to go in at least 2 or 3 times a week. Let's see.
What else? Well I was introduced to the school nurse's daughter and, at first, it was extremely awkward. Especially when everyone in the room in staring at you screaming "hangukmal hangukmal" (Korean Korean) because you are speaking in English!!!. She is an extremely cool person and very smart. Indeed.
In addition, even though I told everyone that I would go to Seoul to get my haircut, my host mother set up an appointment for me to go to her hairdresser. Of course I went and it was quite the adventure. First, she showed me a flip book of Korean dudes and asked me to pick what style I wanted. They either all looked like women, had weird geled up dews, or had these ridiculous hairstyles (like extra thick cornrows or some obscure looking dreds). Soooo, I asked my mother to just say shorter and then I drew a picture (which didn't work). I decided to just get in the chair and go from there. As I sat in the chair, EVERYONE in the shop stared at me for about a good 5 minutes. It was wild, like I was seal in an orange jumpsuit jiggling a pancake on my nose. So her first trim took no hair off. The 2nd took off about the same. Needless to say, we went through a few trims and then came, yes, the shape-up. Never in her life had she seen a head like mine and the Korean men don't usually get sharp shape-ups like moi. After about a 5 minute convo about the length and form of my sideburns she went in (with the forehead all I said was straight! straight! straight!). I can't front, she did her thing even though the burns were a bit uneven and my forehizzle wasn't straight. I still looked fresh, and it was much cheaper than going to Seoul to see my African connect (where the shop smells like straight 3 day-old musk).
Lastly, the family situation gets better and better. I have talked to my parents about the education system, the Korean image of women, what type of women I like, and a whole gang of other things. We even talked about their daughter and dating and what I thought about it. They call me their son to other people and I even now have a Korean name, hong chawn sa. The other night we played a game where I choose a Bible passage, say Luke chapter 6, and read a verse in English and they have to find it in Korean. They mainly keyed in on certain words and named all the verses with that word but it was still fun. They are some great people and I couldn't have fallen into better hands. I truly am blessed.
Oh yea, where are my care packages (my address is in a previous post)??? I need some American chocolates and candy ASAP. Lol.
I'm so sorry I don't update my blog enough. I forget to tell you guys so much (and a lot of interesting things have happened). And some people even stopped checking for me and I don't blame them. I think I'm getting the inspiration to go in at least 2 or 3 times a week. Let's see.
Chuseok (Korean Thanksgiving) and Pear Huntin Season Has Begun
During Chuseok, many Koreans visit their hometowns and pay tribute to their fallen ancestors. It is an extremely important holiday here and I'm glad I was able to grab a piece of it. Also, my homestay father's father has a pear farm and they are....delicious.
The Fam.
These pictures were taken the night of the parent's wedding anniversary. Their children decided to throw them a surprise party and it was real nice. An amazing experience. I could not have asked to be a part of a better homestay family.
These pictures were taken the night of the parent
These pictures were taken the night of the parent
Living Quarters-3rd Floor Style
There are 3 bedrooms where the kids sleep and the parents sleep in the attic. Balling. However, it is not a big house.
Monday, September 8, 2008
The Countdown Till the Pictures Come Up Continues...
I want a picture of the entire family together first before I put up all the pics. I keep forgetting though. My bad. I changed my settings so that now people can comment without having to sign up or create their own blogs. Also, I'll have some teaching updates and I am taking pictures of all my students as well. So, I got some bad news about some things going on back home but luckily I can watch the Eagles play football which (I hope) will help ease the mood. Everything will work itself out I always believe. I had a conversation with Mr. Marley's Three Little Birds and their pure and true melodies. Everything will be alright! Oh yea, here's the address:
Michael Athy
1362, Bunpyeong-dong, Heungdeok-gu, Cheongju-shi,
Chungbuk Province, Korea 361-823
Holla at your gwolla with some goods, money, and American souvenirs.
Holla at your gwolla with some goods, money, and American souvenirs.
Monday, September 1, 2008
4 Days Later and Still No Pics...
First I want to send a shout-out to all those in the Gulf region, especially Louisiana. Be safe and get out of that state. I'm not really feeling the living situation down there anyways. Maybe it's time for permanent relocation. Okay, pictures of the house, school, students, and family will be up soon. Why does it take me so long? Two reasons: putting up multiple pics with blogger.com is time-consuming and I am lazy when it comes to blogging. Alrighty??
So, my first week of classes are done, and it was straight. What can I say? Here is my schedule, I teach middle school which consists of 1st, 2nd, and 3rd grade. The students are a little older here in middle school than America. I teach 15 classes during the regularly scheduled school day (10 are 2nd grade and 5 are first grade). Additionally, I teach 2 after school 3rd grade classes (for advanced students) and 3 teacher training classes. In total I have 20 classes adding up to about 20 hours a week. My first day I had 3 classes and was dead tired by the end of the day (4:30) but the rest of the week not a yawn (unless a Korean was yawning near me and forgot to cover their mouth, lol).
I find girls easier to teach and they are a little more enthusiastic to learn English. Also, they are, overall, a little bit better at listening and speaking the language. However, boys the boys are fun. I'm glad I have this mix (the classes are segregated btw). I have a few "OK boys" that say OK OK OK OK OK OK after everything I say. I wanted to give him the Homer-Bart throat choke but just made them do push-ups and sing in front of the class. Ok, what else? Oh yea, I've been bike-riding lately and its been lovely. I love the stares as I ride down the street singing Billy Joel and Young Jeezy (did I mention there aren't any black people in Choengju). I'm sure I'm leaving things out but that's life. Forgive and forget. Off to bed, gots to get up for work tommorrow and get that Won. (I try to post at school but can't seem to yet). Holla at your gwolla.
And Ivan, next time you try and school me, use a legitimate/ not shady/ not bootleg website that cites its sources and doesn't have year-old stories. C'mon man, you showed me that quote 8 months ago, about 10 years after Lauryn Hill's last real release with beats and more than 2 guitar chords. Ha! (Ivan style)
So, my first week of classes are done, and it was straight. What can I say? Here is my schedule, I teach middle school which consists of 1st, 2nd, and 3rd grade. The students are a little older here in middle school than America. I teach 15 classes during the regularly scheduled school day (10 are 2nd grade and 5 are first grade). Additionally, I teach 2 after school 3rd grade classes (for advanced students) and 3 teacher training classes. In total I have 20 classes adding up to about 20 hours a week. My first day I had 3 classes and was dead tired by the end of the day (4:30) but the rest of the week not a yawn (unless a Korean was yawning near me and forgot to cover their mouth, lol).
I find girls easier to teach and they are a little more enthusiastic to learn English. Also, they are, overall, a little bit better at listening and speaking the language. However, boys the boys are fun. I'm glad I have this mix (the classes are segregated btw). I have a few "OK boys" that say OK OK OK OK OK OK after everything I say. I wanted to give him the Homer-Bart throat choke but just made them do push-ups and sing in front of the class. Ok, what else? Oh yea, I've been bike-riding lately and its been lovely. I love the stares as I ride down the street singing Billy Joel and Young Jeezy (did I mention there aren't any black people in Choengju). I'm sure I'm leaving things out but that's life. Forgive and forget. Off to bed, gots to get up for work tommorrow and get that Won. (I try to post at school but can't seem to yet). Holla at your gwolla.
And Ivan, next time you try and school me, use a legitimate/ not shady/ not bootleg website that cites its sources and doesn't have year-old stories. C'mon man, you showed me that quote 8 months ago, about 10 years after Lauryn Hill's last real release with beats and more than 2 guitar chords. Ha! (Ivan style)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
