Chopsticks

When I was in college, I took the time to practice using wooden chopsticks at the local Asian restaurants.  House of Hunan in Lincoln, Nebraska was a favorite place that I went to as often as I could.  The owner became a friend and the atmosphere of the place made the most stressful of days tolerable.

There was also red packaged chopsticks with instructions on how to hold them.  I was able to eat complete meals with them for the longest time.  Still, I attempted it each time.  Just as the packaging instructed.

Then I came here and had to learn to use metal chopsticks.  They are heavier and don't hold food as easily.  Noodles are a particular challenge.  Still, I worked hard to appear normal and not show the hard time I had using them until it became natural.

Yesterday a group of us went to a museum showing the cultural history of Gyeongsan.  It was a true pleasure to see all the artifacts, read the history, and to try on the various cultural outfits in the children's section :)

Afterwards we went to lunch at one of my favorite Korean places.  While there, I picked up and used the chopsticks.  Natural without a second thought.  The new English boys dean is Korean.  He started with surprise when he saw me and said that I was very good.  Then he added something I really didn't know.

Really quickly, there are several ways to use chopsticks just like there are several ways you can hold a pencil.

He told me that I was using them in the most polite and correct way possible.  Many Koreans can't even hold them like I do.  Feeling super proud of myself, I went to breakfast this morning.  Where I was again complimented on my use of handling the chopsticks.  It made me happy to see the surprise on the Korean's face and then to receive his compliments.

idioms

Some of the idioms I taught in class were common.  Having the students guess their meanings before going over them was amusing.  Here are a few of my favorites.

1. "at the eleventh hour" = almost too late

Student's Answer: study time


2. "be a piece of cake" = very easy

Student's Answer: too little food


3. "be all ears" = eager to listen

Student's Answer: a lot of people are listening


4. "be broke" = out of money

Student's Answer: a couple that has broken up


5. "call it a day" = stopping an activity or leaving for the day

Student's Answer: D-Day


6. "drop someone a line" = write to someone

Student's Answer: draw a line for someone

Friday Morning

Went to breakfast in the cafe and stared forlonely at my options. So at the end of the line when I took two bread rolls instead of one, it is considered a delicacy so I hoped no one would mind. Sat down and the Korean high school teacher looked at my tray, then went and got me another roll saying, "From now on, they will get you food." A little while later another cook brought two more rolls over. Man alive did I eat good :)

Made up a seating chart for a certain class that I will be teaching today. Also talked with Keith and practiced something that I am going to have to do in the class. Going to have to go tough on them....

(After the before mentioned class.)

Lilly and I were caught off guard last time we taught the Sophomore Conversation class. This time we came prepared. I had a seating chart and we made them sit where I wanted them. This helped control the class environment a lot better. Then I put them into group activities right away and kept pushing them to complete them. Then we started going through the answers together with me providing sentence examples of how the idioms worked. The bell rang during the last example. I made them sit back down while I finished. Then Lilly made them sit back down, had Leonardo call the other students to attention, and then the class bowed while saying "Thank You." After several bad starts and kicking incoming students out, they sort of got it. Yay for keeping a semi learnable environment with the most unruly Sophomore class! (I had them last year.)

Tidbits.

I answered the phone, talked, and then as I was saying good bye, I bowed. What?

The kids were torn between complete bewilderment and daunting apprehension when I gave them a list of idioms and told them to write down what they thought the idioms meant.  They could either guess the right answer or create their own. It was most amusing.

Dust and Spring

It is yellow dust season once again.  I wonder if that has a large part to do with my cold.  After all, the sinuses are pretty clogged themselves.  The scenic views around these parts are nonexistent.  Literally.  I can barely see the hint of the outline of mountains behind the school.  Seeing halfway across the valley is impossible.

Spring is coming and that is something to look forward to.  Have a lot of wind (thank you for bringing us China's pollution) that heralds warmer weather.  Which means I can lose the coat :)  I like the coat, but been wearing it awhile and ready to show off my new clothes my daddy bought me when I was home.

Thank you Mom for the plaque :)

Busy

Been very hectic here.  Because I have been here the longest consecutively, I have been given the lovely unofficial job of Head Coordinator.  I don't think they meant to do this to me, but it is what happened.  There are people knocking on my door every half hour in the evening.  In the office, everyone has something that they want me to do.  To arrange.  To set up.  To create.  To fix.  It was halfway through the morning when I realized that I was so busy helping everyone else that I had not had time to plan for the two classes I teach after lunch.  Didn't realize I would be busy like this but in a way I am grateful.  Keeps my mind active which is something I need.  The only downside was that it wasn't until halfway through the morning I also remembered that I had brought along the meds to take after breakfast.  I just didn't have time.  Quickly got those out.  This cold has got to go.  There was supposed to be room for a devotional in here somewhere too.  At least I am busy enough to finally stop missing home.  Get back to my old teacher self.  That was something that needed to happen in order for me to be happy here.

First Day

I know I titled my blog "First Day" but in reality it is the second day.  However I will tell you about the first day!  Yay!

Yesterday we arrived at school and learned, thankfully, that we didn't have to teach classes.  So we have time to actually plan what to teach when ahead of time.  That is helpful.  So we all went to the auditorium for the opening ceremonies around 10am with a more chipper attitude.  Well, everyone but me.

You see I was not feeling well.  Had not been since Friday night.  In Korea, there are different types of colds depending on which symptoms you have.  I had them all.  Therefore, to them, I had the worst case scenario possible.  So at that assembly, I walked over to Teacher Oh and said simply, "I'm still not better.  Rather dizzy actually."  So afterwards he took me to the clinic and I sat my limp form into a chair.  They checked me over, got me a shot, and then hooked me up to an IV for awhile.  Several hours later I'm back at school feeling pretty good.  Taking meds for three days but other than that happy.

Today is a lot better.  Laughing and enjoying learning the rope all over again with our two newbie teachers.