The past couple days have been busy, as usual. I am trying to prepare myself for teaching 20 classes next week and it’s tough! I really don’t know what will happen for any of them. I suppose I will learn as I go and they will definitely become better and with much less effort as the year progresses. Luckily, I have the time to devote to lesson planning now!
On Friday, my co-teacher took me across town to Songgan Elementary School, where Erin works. Erin is another elementary ETA who started in January, so she has some experience. She is also the closest Fulbright person to me—about half an hour away by car. I heard from her earlier, during Orientation, but it was nice to hear specifics about being the primary English teacher in a Korean elementary school. Her situation is actually easier, I think. There are only 57 students at the school as a whole, so there’s only seven or eight per class, and her co-teacher is actually an English teacher who Erin is essentially replacing. In contrast, I have up to 33 students in one class. My co-teacher is involved in either remedial or disabled children’s education (It’s really not clear—he says he works with “the kids who don’t like to study” but then pointed to a picture of a wheelchair. Go figure. I still don’t know how he got stuck with me, or if it was something he chose.) Instead, I have NINE co-teachers for the English classes. It’s a little complicated. I have been feeling overwhelmed all week, but talking to Erin and getting some of her lesson plans was very helpful. The situation feels a lot more manageable now.
We went out to lunch at the same restaurant in Buyeo where my co-teacher and principal first took me last week. I really like it. I’ll have to remember where it is, so I can go back! We had the same meal as before and it was divine. I have definitely fallen in love with the food here, now that I am not eating at that cafeteria anymore. I’m probably becoming more used to the spices, too.
After lunch, we attended an English lesson prepared by the third-grade teacher. It was very informative for me because I could finally see where I would fit in as a native English speaker. There was almost no English spoken in the class, and when it was, it was often mispronounced or had some sort of error (ex: clap one, clap two instead of clap once, clap twice). I know these teachers do the best they can, but they just can’t pronounce English right and don’t have a clear understanding of how to use it. Korean and English are soooo different…it would take YEARS of study, and still pronunciation is a barrier. So just by being there, pronouncing the words correctly, and providing an immersion experience will be helpful to these students, I think. They can also see how learning English can be useful—in talking to someone like me! So I’m feeling better about lessons.
Later that afternoon, my presence was requested at a meeting of former graduates of Hongsan Elementary. They were all men ranging in age from 40 to 80, I’d say. I have absolutely no idea what transpired at the meeting. It was long and dull and I was glad I was permitted to stay in the back and work on my lesson plans on the computer. I had to give my speech again—oh, the horror! I forgot a lot of it. And I tried to smile, but it was hard with all these old men staring at me. Oh, well…I guess they don’t have to like me.
I decided to spend the weekend at home. Not that I’m close to my host family yet, but I don’t want to set a precedent of one who just runs in and out of the house as she pleases. I have spent a lot of time here, though…it’s not like Hongsan has a night life or anything. I am thinking about going to Buyeo tomorrow while they are in church and walking around, and next weekend I have tentative plans to go to Cheongju, where my friend Jai lives. I’m not lonely at all yet. I rather enjoy the solitude and the time I can devote to writing, reading, knitting, and studying my Korean. I’ve embarked on an extensive program intended to promote my mental health and it fills up my days rather well.
So today, I wrote lesson plans. I didn’t think it would take me all day, but they’re still not done! I have those twenty lessons next week, plus I am supposed to turn in curriculum plans for all classes by Friday. It’s actually not a big deal—I like to have a plan for the semester so I develop a clear vision for the class and I have less work later on. At the moment, though, it’s consuming a lot of my time. I haven’t even started thinking about the teachers’ workshop or the enrichment class! I just wish I’d been here for the beginning of the school year. The Korean school year begins in March, so I am starting midway through. It’s weird to teach second semester first. It feels disjointed. Some of the teachers haven’t gotten as far as they should have, and since kindergarten, first, and second grades don’t usually learn English, I am starting from scratch with them in the middle of a school year. Oh, well…nothing I can do about it.
I wandered around some back roads today on my walk. It’s really interesting…a lot of the families around here must be poor, because I see almost all homemade shacks. I wonder if this is just a forgotten area of development, and if so, why my host family seems to be doing okay. I wish I could ask them! I came across three old men sitting in the shade of a tree today on the side of the road. They were staring at me, of course, so I said annyonghasaeyo, and then one old man tried to talk to me! I couldn’t understand much, but I did hear “Where are you going?” and gave a reply he understood! I also told them I was a teacher in Hongsan. I was really proud of myself. Random conversations with strangers in another language are not my forte.
Tonight I watched my host mother cook and even helped her a bit. We made some sort of kimchi, the name of which I forget. It was made with a leafy green vegetable. I have no idea what its name is, either, in English or Korean. It was pretty delicious. She also let me spoon out the rice! Otherwise, she didn’t make anything specifically for dinner tonight. Maybe tomorrow.
I decided that not only am I in love with Korean food, but the eating times are IDEAL. I always have a huge breakfast at 8ish. (I thought it would be weird at first to eat regular food for breakfast, but it hasn’t been at all and I thoroughly enjoy our breakfast meals. They say it’s better to have big breakfasts to start your day, anyway.) Lunch is usually anywhere from 12 to 1 or later. In my house at least, we have a snack of sorts around 5 or 6 and dinner sometime around 7 or even as late as 8:30. That’s exactly what my eating schedule had been at school and it’s perfect for me. The only thing is, I think I am eating WAYYYYY too much. It’s all so good! And when most of the food is in these side dishes that everyone shares, you can’t see how much you are actually eating. Also, my host mom is always making little snacks. For example, today I had a hearty breakfast at 9, then she brought me a plateful of grapes around noon, and then a big lunch at 1, kimchi mandu (stuffed dumplings) at 6, and then dinner at 7:30. I am stuffed, but very contented. Good thing I’ve been taking those walks!