Folks, it's official...one month!

Tomorrow marks one official month living here in Gumi and it has been quite the adventure! The first month flew by which makes sense because I have been constantly learning new things and adjusting to a new environment. I've met so many new people and been introduced to being a teacher for the first time. It's truly been a month of learning and stepping up to the plate. I really like living in South Korea and any culture shock has pretty much subsided at this point. There will be random moments in the future where I have no idea what's going on and so the cultural differences take me by surprise but as far as the every day stuff, I have adjusted really well. 

Here's a glimpse into what the first month has looked like:

I started teaching and am on the tail end of my fourth week of being a teacher. I enjoy being a teacher and have had tons of fun with the kiddos, but I have also had my fair share of opportunities to discipline. There are about 3 classes that I just don't know what to do with but I have not reached the end of my patience yet which is a good thing. I've developed a system to where the kids know what they are in trouble and I've also introduced a number of games to my classroom where the kids know when they're being rewarded. 

I have presented a lesson in front of the kindergarten kids' parents, which was yesterday. Let's just say that I can breath again. It's very nerve racking.

I have gone to a massive jungle gym with the kids to celebrate birthdays where we played for a couple of hours. It's amazing how even though we speak different languages, kids like to play and have fun no matter what country you live in. 

I have been asked if my eye lashes were fake because in Korea, they typically do not have long eyelashes. 

For the parents teaching lesson, I had to dress up. So, upon wearing a dress my fourth graders asked me if I was going out dancing at the clubs that night.

This kid put on the superman costume and didn't take it off the whole time! ha!

Every day I'm asked if I have a boyfriend or if I'm married. 

One day, I was telling the kids about how I had chips and salsa for the first time since I landed in South Korea. They erupted in giggles and I was confused so I just kept going. I wrote the word on the board and the kids kept laughing. I finally asked what was going on and they told me that salsa was the Korean word for poop. So, every single class they make fun of me for that. haha good times. Those are things they should tell you before you start teaching.

Our Lunch!

All the foreign teachers at our school!

I have given three kids their english names that will follow them to whatever English setting they encounter in the future.

I have freaked out because my students yelled at me saying there was an insect on me and to describe what it was they said "SUCK BLOOD"! I may have ran to the other side of the classroom. It was a mosquito. They liked my reaction so much they yelled the same thing ten minutes later.








Outside of the classroom:

I traveled with Asha, Mark and Kristin who are all foreign teachers at my school to Daegu and went to Costco. We stalked up on food. To get there we took a bus, train, and a taxi. It was really fun and it's amazing how you don't miss things until you see them. I didn't miss American food at all until I went to Costco and suddenly I have this huge craving for all things American. To get back home, Asha and I each had one backpack. I had a suitcase and Asha had an extra side back all full of food....we are such good little americans. As if people don't stare at us enough...we gave them a show that day! ha! One thing we noticed is that in the cafeteria part of costco, Koreans would pile up heaps of onions, cover them in ketchup and eat it as a part of their meal. The onions are free so they would literally fill their plates...definitely a cultural thing.

We go to the market every Sunday for food for the week...here are some of our findings:

I have been mildly hit by a car. there are many pedestrians here and so cars are used to weaving in and out of traffic. Well, one day a car did not have their blinker on so i anticipated it to go straight and it actually hit me as it turned...

 This is the front of our apartment building!

My friend Lindsay came to visit us this past weekend which was super fun! We went to downtown Gumi and walked around to some of the shops. We found a lot of really cool and unique places. I enjoy seeing how things are spelled wrong in English! ha...

The Train Station
also, we found this shop that has purses for really cheap! We made friends with the lady who owns it and I'm sure we will be going back! 

Lastly, we have a good group of people around here that live close and all go to the same church. We have been able to join their little group and we see them pretty frequently. It makes all the difference to have friends over here. Last weekend we tried a new Italian Pizza place, which wasn't italian but was the closest American pizza we've found so far. We had fun...laughed and laughed...the staff probably thought we were crazy but because we were foreigners they sat us in the middle of the restaurant and at one point I think we had about 5 people waiting on us. It's ridiculous some of the attention we get at times.

We're starting to plan out times to travel. I know that I'll be coming back to America for my sister's wedding. Between now and then we have several other trips plans as well as some big ones for the end of the year...stay posted!

I've had my students begin teaching me some Korean words and who knows maybe one day i'll be fluent! :)

Great work is done by people who are not afraid to be great. -Fernando Flores

So, I'm living in this culture and learned a lot about the school system before I moved here but it dawned on me the other day that most people probably do not know much about it because they have no reason to study it. So, here's a little background to essentially the educational culture of South Korea that we have been thrown into. 

There are two types of schools in South Korea: 1. Public School and 2. Hogwands (reminds me of Harry Potter). Hogwands are private schools that are also called academies. Parents pay a ridiculous amount of money to send their kids to these hogwands. I figure that they probably spend at least 40% of their income to send their kids to school. That's not fact, but just adding up some of the costs I figure it's at least that much. Honestly, it's comparable to some Universities in America. 

Public schools start around 7am and get our around 3pm. They cover all subjects similar to American schools, but probably more focused, intense, and higher expectations of the students (more homework, etc). Many teachers that come to Korea through the Epik program usually teach at the public schools. Usually the foreign teachers are paired with the Korean teacher and they co-teach the classes so that the students have exposure to English. 

Hogwands begin after public school, continue late into the night and are even offered on the weekends. Students go to public school and then to hogwands for the rest of the day. It's typical for elementary aged kids to be in school from 7am-8pm at night, have soccer (extra-curricular) practice, and then come home to hours of homework only to wake up and do it all over again. My 15-yr-old students told me today that they don't get out of school until 10pm, have homework, etc..you get the idea. The kicker for me is that the kids usually go to academy on saturdays and sometimes sundays as well. So, they are literally always in school. If you ask the kids what they do for fun, it takes awhile to come up with an answer. 

So, this is the structure and because I work at a Hogwand, the competition is great. Parents are very picky about the education their kids receive because it is very competitive and they compare their kids to their friends' kids. If the parents aren't seeing results or do not like the style we're teaching, they can pull their kids out of our hogwand and transfer them somewhere else. So, as a teacher there is pressure to teach well and see the kids learn. In a couple of weeks we're doing a lesson demonstration for the parents to come and watch so they can see how we teach their kids. This is a good example of how involved they are. It's almost the opposite extreme of most American parents. It's interesting and intimidating all at the same time.

One of my kids last week (6th grade) was in a lot of stomach pain and he drew a pic on the board to explain to me why he hurt. he drew his stomach with red dots all over it. ha i'm pretty sure he had the chicken pox but even if he did, he would still have to come to school because missing academy is almost unheard of....even though the other kids and adult teachers are exposed to the sickness. 

I feel bad when my students are exhausted and come to class. I realize that as kids, we had it good. We were able to be kids. I want to just have fun with them, but at the same time, I have to teach and they have to learn. The results are amazing. Korea is in the top percentile of almost every subject. The kids are geniuses and being able to speak English will take them and their country far, but it's hard to see their childhood robbed from them. 

As a teacher, I realize that this is a real job. Our boss keeps telling us that this is a professional job as he tries to stress the importance of us doing a well and taking teaching seriously. I take it seriously anyway, but I feel very challenged to always be getting better. There's no joking when it comes to teaching and so I'm always looking for new teaching methods. At the same time it's very hard to implement them because I teach 35 classes a week and most of them have different students in them, so I'm preparing for about 25 classes and not just 1 or 2. 

The mentality is that this school is a business and somewhere there is a balance between teaching like I'm an employee and teaching like I want the kids to know I care about them.  I spend about five minutes at the beginning of class talking about life and how they are doing. It is starting to catch on but hopefully as time goes on, they will get used to responding to my questions. It will be a process to find that balance and I'm sure I'll be looking for it for the duration of my teaching time here in Korea. 

I do enjoy teaching. My throat still hurts all the time from talking so much but I'm getting used to my classes and getting to know my students better. I think there are great things ahead and I'm excited to see how the Lord uses this to further their future and my own. 

I feel my English deteriorating as I speak. I spend my time simplifying everything that when I try to use vocabulary, it's hard to find it. I speak without using articles, adverbs or adjectives. It's funny. 

The kids get English names when they come to the English school. These names will follow them for the rest of their lives whenever they are in an english setting. So, when I get to help kids pick their names, I always suggest my friends' names haha...an inside joke with myself. 

There's a class with a Tom and Jerry...i laugh every time. Also, that same class has a girl whose name is Perry. She's always late. So, I always ask "Hey, where's perry?!" bahaha no one gets it but me. 

 I always draw pictures on the board to explain new words...sometimes the kids end up more confused and they always make fun of my drawing. It's hilarious. 

Some English teachers who help name these kids are straight crazy. They suggest names that aren't normal English names. There's a Dragon, Suah, Gun, CoCo, and even a Gain. Seriously...these poor kids. 

Well, this is super long, but it's a glimpse into the job-aspect of moving to Korea. Let me know if you have questions! 

"If it doesn't make the world better, don't do it" -Kid President

I have survived ten full days here in Gup Yung (sp?), Gumi, South Korea. It feels like it's been about two months. I have learned a a lot and tried a number of new things that it's crazy to think only a week has passed. It literally feels unreal. As far as culture shock and jet lag go, I'm doing really great. I don't usually feel too much jet lag after the first couple of days going somewhere, but when I get back to the States it will probably be bad. Culture shock is very minimal. Sometimes I can't believe I made this life decision and so I stare off into space for a bit, but after convincing myself that yes, this is real life, I snap out of it and continue my day. It's been a good experience so far! 

A lot has happened in the past week! The teachers we are replacing have left Korea which is bittersweet. Asha and I feel like we know them the best since they have been the ones communicating with us over the past months so we wish they could stick around so we could actually get to know them better. They are amazing people and I really wish I  could hear their stories and have a chance to work along side of them. At the same time, it's good for us to get into a routine of teaching and begin to feel the new normal. Saturday they dropped off all of their stuff at our apartment and it was insane! There was so much stuff and Asha and I pulled an all nighter to get our apartment arranged and organized. It was totally worth it because now WE HAVE A HOME!! We love it! 

(Below) This was in the middle of move in day...not even close to being done.

woooo go team!

We're getting closer but there was honestly still more stuff to move in. This is our living room. I'm taking the picture from the entrance to the apartment. 

Everything we had to sort through which is why we pulled the all-nighter.

In Korea, there's usually a balcony-sort of- that has the washer and a place to dry clothes. We have huge one. It's not completely open. The top has windows with screens so it's still enclosed if we want it to be. It makes for great storage.

The entry way and to the right in my room.

The kitchen...

This was somewhere around 4 or 5am.

TADA!!!! FINITO (Italian, not Korean)...Now, we have a tv on top of the desk with an american DVD player...can you say FRIENDS marathon?

haha you can see it in this pic...tv+friends.

Asha's room...

Kitchen all organized..you like our wall paper?! :)

This is my room...The sun beams in bright and early through my window. I'll be getting curtains soon.

Bathroom....No bathtub. There's a drain in the middle of the floor. Happy showering.

So this is the entry way to the apartment. I'm taking the pic from the inside, so this is the front door. Koreans never wear shoes in the house for cleanliness. Even furniture movers will slip their shoes on and off as they go back and forth. 

....and I lost Asha...zzzz

OUR HOME!!! :)

Random Cultural Fact 1: The heat comes through the floors here. So, the floors are heated which is AWESOME, but super expensive! Seriously, this is something Korea beats America on.

Random Cultural Fact 2: The washers here are suuuper strong. I did my first load on laundry this weekend and it totally stretched out the arms on my sweater!!! I pulled it out and the arms of all my shirts and sweaters were wrapped around so tight, they were in knots. So, one sweater is ruined :(

Random Glimpse into our lives: Jake and Asha and both half serious about each getting a puppy! I LOVE puppies, but i don't have it to hinder us from traveling...they're both trying to talk me into being on board with it. It's actually really common for foreign teachers to get pets while their here. One of the foreign teachers that I really want to get to know better said that if you don't live your life like you live here (even if you know you're moving in one year), then you'll never settle or live. I thought that was a good way to look at it.

It's interesting because I plan on staying here for 2, 3, or maybe 4 years. I don't know that I'll be in this exact spot for that long, but South Korea is going to be my home for awhile so as we're getting settled, we're in the mindset of "this is our home". It changes the way we do things. I'm investing in things that I wouldn't if I knew this trip was only going to be one year. We're really being intentional about putting down roots. That means we are spending more on bedding, decorating, and taking more time to learn the language and culture. I really have a desire to learn to communicate and speak at least a small amount of Korean while I live here. We have a friend who is willing to teach us the basics so we can start picking it up. 

Investing also means that I plan on investing in relationships with the intention of staying here for awhile. It's a whole new mindset. I want to get to know the Korean teachers that I work with, which will take intentionality on my part, but knowing that I will be here for some time makes the ministry aspect of the situation more effective. Most of the teachers do not know the Lord, but what's super cool is that Asha, Jake and I are the third generation of legit, Christian teachers to come to these two schools (same owners). So, there has been so much ground work laid. The teacher that I'm "replacing" told us that he felt good about leaving the school, the kids, the teachers with us because he believes that we will cultivate what him and the other teachers have already begun. The idea of legacy and taking up a fight is important to me so that meant a lot. Right now, all the foreign teachers are strong believers with the desire to do missions. We have the same attitude and mindset. We are here to make money and pay off school debt, but we're all here for ministry and knowing that we will have time to build relationships is a comforting feeling. I believe that the Lord will use us a lot in our schools with the teachers and the kids as we continue to teach. If you're praying for me/us, this is something to keep in mind. 

Teaching is going great so far! I don't miss the States but I miss people and Chipotle. This is home for awhile so we're just over here livin' life. 

If you have questions about things just email me and let me know! Please email me and let me know how YOU'RE doing! it's hard to stay in contact with everyone just via email! 

Slowly but Surely...

So today I taught five classes which is my normal teaching schedule for Thursdays and it was a good day. The only class that made me rethink my entire life and all major decisions was the last one, so other than that we're doin' great! ;) From this point on I'll be learning the personality of all my classes which is the best in my opinion. Today I had one class of all girls that was super quiet, smart, and on task. Next I had a class of eight Jr High girls and three boys that was more fun and easy going. I need to learn the pace of the class so I can determine how the speed I need to teach to get through the material. There are Korean homeroom teachers that prepare the material for the foreigners to teach so I will see my lesson for maybe fifteen minutes before I teach it. I'm definitely going to need to learn how to keep a good pace, explain basic words like confidence...? and take care of my voice because at the end of the day my throat hurts pretty bad..

Kids story: so far one of the boys insists on calling me Meeeegan. Seriously everywhere I go there's at least one person who calls me that. ha
I get onto the kids when they speak Korean in my class and this one boy was being really bad about it so his friend started making up what he was saying. ha! he said that the boy was talking about how much he loved North Korea and Kim Jong was his father and blah blah...it was hilarious. 

Cultural fact: If you say "crazy", it's bad. Calling a kid crazy is like calling them a bad word essentially. If you say "you're so crazy", they will probably go home and tell their parents that we were being mean to them. Also, writing in a red marker is something we don't do either. If i wrote a kids' name on the board in red, they would probably start crying. haha Also, the number four is like the number 13 in America. On elevators, instead of "4", they use and "F". 

Today, before school Asha and I went and tried out a local coffee shop. They have familiar coffee drinks. I got a white mocha and she ordered a caramel macchiato. So, it's very familiar still. The lady working was so nice. They usually know enough English for us to order but we try to learn korean words like hello, thank you, please, etc because personally, I think it's kind of jerky to not learn the language of the country you live in. She changed the music in the shop from Korean music to Maroon 5. Yup..that store is a keeper. 

We are called "Waygooks" (phonetically spelled) which means foreigners. Often times we're stared at and sometimes kids will point and yell or smile. We just smile and say hi. Owners of stores like people to see that the waygooks shop in their store so we have received a lot of discounts since we arrived and ya know...I'm not complaining. 

There is a group of foreigners that live here from America and South Africa who all go to the same church. It's a good community. It is usually extremely challenging moving to korea by yourself...or even with people because the culture is so different. We really have a great set up. The Lord is blessing our time here. We have people all around us to help and answer questions. We're months ahead of most foreigners when they arrive and I'm thankful for that...for reals.

Cultural Fact: There is a trash system here that is very precise and if you don't follow it, you're fined. It's pretty obvious who doesn't follow it=waygooks. So, we haven't quite mastered it yet. I know that there is a small yellow bag for waste, like food leftovers. There's a large green bag for regular trash and then a certain spot to recycle. You take the trash to the nearest light pole and tada! umm...but we know we've messed it up a few times so we take our trash out in the middle of the night and walk down a few light poles just in case :)

Tomorrow is my first full day with eight classes total! It will be a challenge but I think I'm up for it! 

New Life

So, I've been living in Gumi, South Korea for four days now but it feels like it has been far longer than that...in a good way. My whole life is different. The food I eat, how i cook dinner, the style of how Asha and I set up and organize our apartment, the roads/outside/directions, walking, communication/language barrier, and of course the fact that I am not an English teacher! This will be an experience of a lifetime. 

Asha and I spent the weekend reuniting with friends who live here and trying to get our place set up so we can feel settled. The school has provided for us a two bedroom apartment with a kitchen, bathroom, living room, and balcony/outside/laundry area. It is a very nice apartment and we're really enjoying it. We're waiting to receive the furniture of the previous teachers so we can actually get settled. We have one room with blankets on the floor which is where we have been sleeping and the other room is a massive explosion of five suitcases. The bathroom has a shower curtain all set up which is typically not Korean culture so it cracks me up every time I see it. Our fridge is full of fruits and veggies from the market plus about 15 yogurts....totally normal right? So, needless to say it will be another week or so before we're totally set up. Pictures will follow soon.

A fun cultural fact: when Koreans are done with furniture in their house, they put it on the street with their trash and it's up for grabs by anyone who wants it. If no one claims it, then the trash people will take it away. So, in an attempt to get furniture, we have been scouring the streets for shelves and we found a small dining room table that we will put inside as soon as we have the rest of our place set up! 

I've wondered around the city a lot to know my way home from all the main places but of course I still feel the need to explore. There is a coffee shop about 5 minutes away from us that's called "Angel in us" and it's a legit coffee shop that is really an American style even though it's owned by Koreans. Everything that I have tried here in Korea, I've enjoyed...however, I have been choosy about what I tried :) no seafood please! 

Teaching has been good so far! At the end of the day, i'm very tired which has given me a greater appreciation for teachers. It's a tiring job. In the morning MWF I teach kindergarten at one school and then travel to the school in Gumi to teach Academy which is elementary aged kids.Those days i teach about 8 classes and T/TH I'll teach just my afternoon kids. I've just been shadowing the last two days and that has been a blessing in itself. Typically, when teachers move overseas they are just thrown in, but Asha and I have had the opportunity to get to know the teachers we're replacing and shadow their classes. Meeting the kids really helps me understand the purpose in teaching. I'm SOO excited to start taking over classes and see how it goes. I enjoy teaching so i'm anticipating it will be a good experience. I'm a teacher. whoa.

Cultural fact: no one wears shoes inside the schools. Everyone wears socks or slippers. I actually like this a lot. It's very comfortable. They call me "Meagan Teacher". So, the name and title are actually backwards from what Americans would say. It's been fun getting used to that. 

blahhh...i'm very tired

I wish that I could fast forward to when things are normal and routine is established. The hardest part of moving is getting used to everything new at once. The currency is about 1000 won to 1 USD. I'm still getting used to the conversion. South Korea is first world and so there aren't a lot of "luxuries" that we'll have to give up which  I think is maybe the perception people had when I told them I was moving here! It's a beautiful country and it's really a matter of learning the different cultural customs and routines. I'm up for it. It challenges me and that's where I do the best. 

I'll post pics in a few days

Thanks for the prayers and encouragement! If you have any questions about specific things just leave a comment! :)