Korea Ending

Over the last two years, I have had many experiences in South Korea.  I have enjoyed seeing new places and learning more about cultures that are different from my own.  In all that time, the main purpose of this blog has been to share as positive as possible the experiences of Korea.

That purpose is about to be fulfilled as I soon will be leaving South Korea.  The school I have worked at is no longer my place of employment after tomorrow.  My contract ends August 31, 2013.  At that time, I will be canceling my phone, taking care of paperwork for the Korean pension, and arranging transportation to the airport.

My Dad is taking care of bringing me home.  It is rather urgent that I not stay for a variety of reasons that I feel are not appropriate here.  Just wanted to start bringing this blog to a close as well as let those who read it know of my immediate return to the States.

Coffee Tree

Today Janell and Insun accompanied me to a cafe called Coffee Tree for our Monday tea and Bible Study.  It was a really good idea.  I had no idea how little Insun gets off campus.  She is unfamiliar with this area so she doesn't know where places are nor how to use the bus system.  So we showed her some basics and enjoyed our time out by Jain.

Coffee Tree has a horse so we sat by the window where we could watch him while enjoying our time there.  It was very pleasant and we were able to discuss some recent happenings.  I felt that Isaiah 30:20,21 was appropriate and showed the text with them.

On the way back, we stopped at an elementary school to enjoy the swings, peaceful stars, and cool air.  It was relaxing and I am Insun got that break.  I will try to keep an eye out for more opportunities to help her.  She is so sweet.

Sabbath

With all the drama at school in the last 48 hours, I decided to spend my Sabbath elsewhere.  I went bright and early into Daegu to meet up with a few friends.  On the way there, I ended up walking from Gyeongsan Market all the way to Sawol Station.  That is quite a hike.  Eventually we all got together and went to Suseong Lake.  Located on the south side of Daegu where the more expensive property is, we had a pleasant view of the mountains hidden in clouds and rain.  The weather is a result of a typhoon that hit someplace nearby, so we had a break from the heat.  Felt like the Pacific coast in it's freshness.  We hung out, talked, slept, enjoyed the view of the lake.  It was all very relaxing.  When it got late, we ate supper at an Indian restaruant.  I had a choking experience with some spicy curry that I gladly gave away for more mild food.  My favorite was of course the naan.  Bread that is amazing in itself, I enjoyed it with dipping sauce.  Afterwards we went walking some more and finally parted ways.

I learned something while hanging out with my Korean friends.  That they are treated better when they are with us Americans.  That we are given discounts and service because we are American.  I didn't know that.  I assumed everyone was treated this way and lauded Korean society.  Now I know and so I plan to take them with me if I ever go out to hang out in town again.

Preparing for the Agape Feast

I wanted a picture of the preparations for the Agape Feast and realized my camera didn't have a card in it.  So forgive me, but I am using my blogging account to get the picture.

It might be hard to tell, but we have the bread on three plates ready to use.  Grapes and cheese and bananas... the place settings are white and pink themes and there are two large candles on the table.  The table clothes I bought are fancy, throwable table clothes that smell like disinfectant so I am burning lavender incense.  The place is starting to look great.  When the others arrive, we will add their food items to the table and gather for our Agape Feast.  Even have Christian music playing :D

Teaching Pics

Good Morning Everyone!

Been having pictures taken in my classes of ... well... me!

This first picture is my first high school class of the semester.

We are doing Geography!

So they get to use English terms in relations to maps ;)

I was told that "he" was a "she".... I was certain that they were pulling a prank on me. 

But Teacher Geoffrey turned and looked at the student, then said that she was indeed a she.

Needless to say, it amused my sophomore middle school students.

This student right here is a girl.  

I know, how do you tell when the hair is short?

Also, she chose to wear pants instead of a skirt like the other girls.

So I was really confused.

Umbrella

I was walking back to the main building after lunch when I ran into an administrator.  He is a good guy who always speaks to me.  As I was walking in, he was walking out and opening his umbrella.  I said hi and he explained, "Fire rain."  I paused and he pointed at the sun.

Summer Break (pics)

Hello Everyone!

Well the first day of school went well and now a second day has started.  I figured you might like to see some pictures from over my two weeks of summer vacation.  Granted I didn't travel or anything, but I still have a decent time.

This is a BBQ we had last week.

I am chilling while waiting for Geoff's family to arrive and the chicken to arrive.

Vegetarian Linkettes and chicken... we had food for everyone's tastes :)

Geoffrey and Amy's daughter, Hana.  She likes that water gun :)

My scrapbook project almost done.  Now it is done but at this point it wasn't.

Two pages of the scrapbook.  I had a lot of fun making them.

Some art I had done over the last several months.

A request by Sarah, a friend, for her youth group.

My own fun drawing without any references or research ahead of time.

Kind of a test to see how my skills were progressing :)

Tea in town at iBrik with Janelle and Emma on the last day of summer break.

Janelle had just gotten back from Kenya and we were so happy to see her again.

Sunday night, Geoffrey picked Janelle and I up from our tea time with Emma.

We went to school to work on lesson plans and turned it into a pizza party too :)

First World Culture class of the semester.  Well, history class.

Is that... Korean... I hear?

The students are only supposed to use English in the International Classes.

Janelle and Insun decided we needed some R&R weekly. 

So every Monday at 6pm we are meeting for tea.

Then at 6:30pm we are having a Bible study.

Very good ladies time :)

Returns

Yesterday was an exciting day for me.  Not only was it the last day of my two week summer break, but Janelle returned from her mission trip to Kenya.  Eager to hang out with her again, I started walking to town.  I didn't even get outside the school gate before a car pulled up.  Three Korean teachers offered me a ride.  They were going to Daegu and my stop was on the way.  Happy that it was so easy to arrange, I settled in for a convenient and pleasant ride.  The three guys turned out to be rather enjoyable company and soon we were joking around.  There was a language gap as neither of us knows the others' language well.  Still, it was a good time.

Upon reaching town, I was dropped off to wait for Janelle.  Emma and I wanted to try out a coffee shop and meeting Janelle before going there was the plan.  Since I was half an hour early (thanks to the teachers allowing me to skip the bus ride), I pulled out my notes on the book Dorian Gray and went over those.  It was hot out, so I moved inside Baskin Robbins to wait there.  Finally, Emma and I met up.  Janelle sent a text saying she was on the way and finally came too.

Then we all got onto the subway together and went to the subway nearest Teacher Geoffrey's house.  One block from his place is a cute and relaxing little cafe called "iBrik."  They play gentle and often classical music.  The Peach Tea that is served there is delicious and very inexpensive.  It is easy to access via Geoff's car, the bus, and the subway.  A perfect place with a good and friendly atmosphere for a small group of friends to gather.

We sat and made sure Janelle felt welcomed back.  Indeed, I was so happy to be with them that I could barely sit still.  She talked about her trip and we made plans to hang out more than we did last semester.  I especially want to have more activities with friends in order to have more memories.  Taking a rest at home is nice, but unfulfilling.  Nowadays, it is easy to meet for a meal and spend an extra two hours after the first hour just relaxing and talking to each other.  This is more enjoyable than going home by ones self.

Eye Examination

So I went in yesterday for an eye examination.  Not your normal eye doctor that gives you glasses or contacts.  An actual hospital devoted to eyes and, in this case, to international relations.  We went to Suseongu area of Daegu which is very expensive.  Everything there is considered higher class than most of the city and is highly sought after.  The main intersection that the hospital is located near is also the most expensive piece of property in the entire city.  So when I learned this, I looked at my friend shocked.  Why did she choose this place of all places?

We went inside and I learned right away that because my friend had booked an appointment instead of just walking in like most Koreans, we got a discount.  Instead of costing $50, it was only $25.  In Korea, that is a lot of money to most families.

We sat down, enjoyed cool water, and then started the examinations.  I went in and had tests at two machines.  Then I was given cool tea and eye drops.  Then I went in and was examined at two new machines.  Then I was given more eye drops (evidently I blink too much) and my eyes became more dilated.  Then I went to two new machines for more testing.  Then I talked to the doctor.  Then I got more eye drops.  Then I went to two new machines.  More eye drops. Talked to the consultant.  More testing.  More testing.  Talked to the doctor one last time about my options.

This is what they said.  They used a machine that was top of the line (forget all the quotes, names, and statistics) to create virtual replicas of my eyes at all levels.  They showed me what mine were like for different parts compared to what another person's eye that is unhealthy looks like.  I passed all the tests with above average (good) scores.  This meant I could have any surgery I wanted with the same degree of safety.

That actually made the choices harder for me.

During all this time that we were in there, my friend kept asking the consultant for discounts.  So when I narrowed my choices to two surgeries, LASEK and Laser LASIK, I was presented with both the original prices (more expensive part of town, remember) and the new discounted prices.

Before discounts, the Lasek surgery was $2,000 and the Lasik was $2,500.
Middle discounts they offer most persistant people was $1,800 and $2,200.
The final discounts they offered, because of my friend, was $1,500 and $2,000.

I chose the least painful option, Laser LASIK at $2,000.  My friend saved me $500.  That is a big deal.  So I told her that after I get paid, I am taking her out to eat at VIPs.  A buffet place I have been really wanting to go to but unfortunately is super expensive.  She paid for my supper last night, this is the least I can do to say thanks to her for all she has done.

At the end of the examination, I was given a snickers bar while talking with the consultant.  It was wrapped differently (because I am in Korea) than it would have been if I had been in the US.  My eyes weren't focusing so I fumbled with it for awhile before I figured out how to unwrap it.

After the examination, we went out to catch a bus to supper and finally home.  I was a bit miffed because my eyes weren't focusing easily.  I could only see things clearly that were across the street.  By the time we got supper, I could focus on things a table away, but reading was hard.  After supper, my eyes were thankfully back to normal so my friend went home and I made my way home.

The End.

The surgery is in like four months so not something happening anytime soon.  There is an examine to double check my eyes one last time on December 6th, a Friday, at 6pm.  I'm going to see if Geoffrey or his wife can come along to translate when to blink, open my eyes, etc.

Then the surgery is on December 11th, a Friday, at 8pm.  My friend can come then and I will stay overnight at her house to sleep off the worst of the effects.  It should only take one day to recover.

I'm told that after the surgery, for a week, not to wash my face or touch my eyes.  When I sleep, I will have to have plastic things covering my eyes.  No using computers, TVs, phones, etc either.

For 6 months afterwards, I should use sunglasses when going outside.

The End - for real this time ;)

Fountain Light Show

First week of break went by both slowly and quickly.  I ended the first week last night in town with Teacher Geoffrey's family.  We went to the lake between City Hall and Gyeongsan Boys High School to watch a fountain light show.  It was very enjoyable with both American and Korean music.  We hung out afterwards, ate fruit pieces and relaxed until 10pm.  Then they brought me home.

Summer Camp Pictures

This is a picture of the first day we are all together, more or less.  More people came the next day.  This is Sabbath School and our first lesson in being flexible :)  We got to know each other a little more and discussed the issues that we would face in this culture and with this age group.

All of us taking a tour around the building Sunday morning.  Though the foreign teachers know the place, the visiting Americans needed to the update :)  So we got our exercise in!

What is a summer camp without a few group pictures.  We are wearing our green polo shirts.  The kids all had yellow polo shirts.  Very professional right?  I love green so I didn't mind.  Because it was so hot outside, I somehow convinced Janelle to french braid my hair for me almost every morning the entire ten days.  The Americans brought with them a lot of fresh energy and were a breath of fresh air.  They also broke a lot of the tension that had built up around the school from the previous semester.

If you are going to do group pictures, make sure you include the principal and a banner ;)  They love their banners and I must admit that it gives the environment a certain new aspect that I like.  We had a lot of fun even though it was hard work.  We started at 7:30am and had our staff meeting at 9:00pm.  Sometimes the staff meeting was only 30-45 minutes long.  There were several nights though that were after 10pm as we discussed the events that would happen in the next day or two.  The people that came and worked here with us have a wonderful sense of humor and excellent team workmanship.  So as long as I was near one of them, I couldn't help but be happy.

This is Shan and I.  Out of all those who came to our school, she is the only one who wasn't American.  In fact, she is Chinese.  Her English is very good and I love listening to her speak because she is more clear than most native English speakers.  Shan made life a lot of fun and I enjoyed hanging out with her.  She wasn't a teacher but she assisted wherever she could.  One day she asked if I watched a lot of Japanese animation.  I was surprised and said that I indeed did.  She said she could tell from the way I talked and acted.  I apparently have adopted some of the anime culture into my communication habits.  I'm not complaining as that makes life more fun and interesting.  Anime is very expressive :)

Jen and I became friends as well.  She is very gentle and always positive.  She takes life slowly but is thorough in all that she does.  When others were becoming grumpy with tensions, she was still be talking in her happy and calming voice.  Her talent with music is amazing and I would love to encourage her to go onto Britain's Got Talent because I think she would definitely get through a round or two of that.  She writes her own music and sings with a voice I thought only existed on TV.  Also, she provided a supporting shoulder when I was uncertain helping me to find the clarity needed to keep going strongly.

This year we only had 97 students which is about 53 less than two years ago when the school last held a summer camp.  This is my class, The Papayas!  Are theme was the Fruit of the Spirit and my topic was on peace :)  From left to right in the picture, there is Mindy, Don, Simon, Elven, Rachel, Max, Sally, Sandy, Sam, and Amy.  Don originally didn't want an English name so I told him I would learn his Korean name.  After about 30 minutes of calling him Dong Hyun, he said he would accept an English name.  I suggested Don since it was close to his legal name.  He appreciated that.  Next to him is Simon, the one boy who didn't bully another student.  I tried to model and explain what bullies look like, but until I said that those in the class were bullying the people they were bullying, they didn't know.  It is so much a part of Korean culture to "tease" others.  Elven was the student bullied the most and when his mother's name got used, he started a fight in defense of her.  I am hoping I was able to reach him.  Rachel was a sweetheart for me.  She strove to please me even when I wasn't looking.  I'm hoping to see her again.  Max, the main bully, was one out of ignorance.  He worked hard, studied hard, practiced for the talent show hard, and made sure the other students knew the instructions of what to do and where to be.  He was truly appreciated in my class and I hope he returns.  He has a lot of potential as a leader and I want to cultivate that.  Sally was one of my quiet girls and the student I learned the least about.  Despite her uncertainty and shyness, I saw a glimmer of something wonderful and hope that she also returns so that we can learn more together.  Sandy and Amy are artists... need I say more.  I have a special interest in my students who are artists, especially in this culture where art is not cultivated.  Perhaps out of the two, Amy is the better artist, but Sandy is the better scholar.  They were a wonderful duel to teach.  Finally there is Max, the tallest student in my class and the second most bullied because his hair is poofy.  A sweet kid, he was always enjoying life but quick to take his seat when I started the next class period or activity.  This group of 9 students stole my heart and I truly hope to see them next January at winter camp and then next March in class.

It was incredibly hot outside.  Our first day at recreation, we were playing games out on the artificial soccer field.  I wasn't sure how to keep moving in such heat, but put in as much energy as I could for the kids.  We had to set the tone for the camp after all.  Then a Korean came outside and hooked up a sprinkler.  Once it was turned on, the game we were playing became a lot more interesting.  I happily made my way throughout the game to one time and time again letting myself slowly become soaked in the cooling liquid.  Didn't know there was a camera on the field :)  Turns out that those sprinklers were a heaven-sent idea.  In Daegu, just half an hour away, there were some other summer camps going on at other schools where some students collapsed out on their soccer fields... and were dead within minutes.  So the heat was a problem.

You might want to click on this picture to see it larger.  It doesn't do justice for the 97 kids we had.  They were a lot of fun and songs was a fun activity for them.  I learned a few new ones myself as well as the motions.  I hope I don't forget them.

Our last night together.  We had already had Mexican food for a late lunch and gone shopping in downtown Daegu.  Now we had all met up in the Siji area at Readers Coffee before splitting up again.  I told Geoffrey I was stealing his wife and told Amy she was coming to the Norebang with us.  She couldn't bear to be separated from Hannah, her little girl, so the whole family came.  The American guys went back to school but those that remained (Geoffrey was the only one) had a lot of fun at the Norebang singing song after song.

Summer Camp

It was Friday, July 19.  The last class was finished and five weary foreign teachers made their way to their apartments to collapse in relief.  The semester was over!

The next morning blurry eyes stared in annoyance at the ceiling.  It was 5am and I was wide awake.  Cursed sleep schedule!  Pulling myself out of bed, I made my way outside and started walking towards the track.  Might as well get a mile or two in.  Seeing that the cafe was lit up, I made a mental note to show up to breakfast.

Got to breakfast and walked inside.  The place was deserted except for three very American men.  The Americans were here!  The staff for summer camp had arrived.  Five teachers, four leaders, and two assistants (though one was Chinese, not American) had come ready to teach English to elementary kids in promotion of our school.

Spending the weekend with them was a breathe of fresh air and I felt new life flowing into my veins.  However, it was a mixed blessing as I listened to them talk about being on vacation for the last month or so.  American schools have more than twice as much time off as Korean schools in a year.  So this was slightly maddening.  It was worth it though to be with our new friends.

Our schedule was easy once we got past the first and second day.  Staff worship at 7:30am, classes, lunch, classes, recreation, supper, the morning and evening assemblies, and family time.  Our staff meeting was at 9pm and on a good day we were done around 9:45pm.  On the longer days, it was after 10:30pm.

I cut the morning walks out of my routine quickly.  Was getting plenty of exercise at the assemblies and recreation alone, not to mention all the other stunts I was doing to keep my kids interested in class.  Was also getting good food.  The cafe prepared as much American foods as they knew how.  French toast for breakfast, pizza buns for lunch, and breads at supper.  Was heaven I assure you.

We taught classes in rotation.  My first class was "election" and I figured I would start the morning off right by making sure it was done in the gym or eleswhere in a way to that used up my kids' energy.  Then I had story time and man was that fun to do.  Then it was workbooks.  We covered summer themes for games and vocabulary, wrote essays, kept a journal, learned famous American cities, and memorized US states and capitols.  After lunch, my kids had had gone to the store and picked up sugar.  So now I was striving to drain their energy and keep their attention both.  We did A&P involving lots of paper, tape, yarn, and other artsy stuff.  The 5th and final class was in the Kitchen and ranged from paper items to food items.  Then I chased them to recreation to drain more energy from them.  If I was lucky, during out family time that was 8pm to 9pm, they would be tired enough to stay in their seats while we did last minute essays or worked on their skit for Talent Show.

Tens days later it was graduation.  We performed for Talent Show.  I gave the kids diplomas and awards.  Then with gleeful giggling I sang, "I'm gonna sleep sleep sleep, I'm gonna dream dream dream.  I'm gonna sleep.  I'm gonna dream.  Praise the Lord!  When those blankets are open wide, I'm gonna dance on inside.  I'm gonna sleep.  I'm gonna dream.  Praise the Lord!"  The principal took us all to Pizza Hut the Saturday night before.  Now we went to a Mexican place downtown, went shopping, hit Readers Coffee (cafe), and ended at the Noraebang.  Sang to our hearts content.  We even dragged Geoffrey's family with us.

Then I came back and slept.

My two weeks of summer break has started... and yes, I will be spending half of break in the classroom preparing for next semester.  Praise God for down time :D