Good Mowning Teachah! (followed by a bow)

Today was my second day of teaching grade 6 at Haenam-Dong elementary school. I rotate through ten classes of 15 students, teaching 3 classes a day. The kids get one block of ESL, one block of Gym, and one block of Art per day. At this point, I only teach ESL. The classes are evenly split between boys and girls. I have been teaching a review unit consisting of days of the week, months of the year, introducing yourself, introducing others and just now I’m starting the Olympics unit. I teach using music, colouring, games, chanting (in a non-cultish wayJ) and drama. I have a Korean co-teacher – Nan ji. Nan ji is very helpful. I am the lead teacher and she aids my by translating when needed or by reprimanding the kids. She is also a great person to debrief my lessons with. We are about the same age and get along really well. I’m realizing that this is not always the case when you get a co-teacher. She is with me in the mornings and then I’m alone in the afternoons. As you can imagine, classroom management is very different without Nan ji. Even though the kids bow when they see me, or stand when I ask them to speak out loud, they are still kids and would love to take over the class if I’m not careful – especially when they can band together in Korean and I have no idea what’s going on!

I have found that I am so animated when I teach. I really feel like I find a zone when I’m in front of the class. I love to make the kids laugh! Today we were discussing what sound a bumblebee makes. I (sort of successfully) drew a bee on the board. They say that a bee makes the sound “wwaaaayyyy” and I say a bee makes the sound “zzzzzz.” So who’s right? Cultural relativity within onomatopoeia at it’s finest.

I also love to say their names – which makes them laugh even harder! Seriously – the name “Kim Chang Ok” looks pretty simple, right!? Wrong! “Kim” is the boy’s last name. “Chang Ok” is his first name. The “a” in “Chang” is pronounced like the “a” in “want” and then “Ok” is pronounced “Oh.” Though they laugh incessantly, I insist on using their names. I want them to know that I know who they are (even though I never remember outside of class). The students try very hard and I find they are stronger than I thought they would be. They know how to introduce themselves, others, produce full sentences, talk about their hobbies, and use some simple colloquialisms. A group of girls approached me at my desk today at lunch. “Teachah, you eyes… lenses? Bewy Beautibul!” “No,” I replied “I am wearing contact lenses, but they aren’t coloured.” “Wow teachah… bewy blue and beautibul!”

Common, I know you love them already, and you’re not even here!

This banner is posted next to the entrance of the school. I wonder if the kids were
disappointed when they found out that we, the Canadians, were not the camp itself! 

 

Deaf, Mute and Blind

It’s amazing to think that during my thirteen-hour flight, I flew over the Northwest Territories, the Yukon, Alaska, the Pacific Ocean (Including sharks, whales and secret government submarine vessels), Japan and North Korea before arriving in South Korea. Korea air was amazing! There were at least 40-50 movies or shows to choose from and the screen was much larger than the TV screens in Air Canada. After we took off, the flight attendants brought around little packages with headphones, travel toothbrushes, little tubes of toothpaste and slippers for the flight. Though my legs got pretty crampy, having had a middle seat, the flight was fine. It was however, a very long day. From the time I arrived at the airport, to the time we arrived at the hotel, it was about 21 hours – with barely any sleep.

It’s amazing how ignorant you become when you enter a new culture, especially one that has a language that isn’t remotely close to your own, how to use the toilet, for example. I was at the Hanaem office of education today, and I needed to use the bathroom. Do I use the stall with the hole in the ground? Or do I use the ‘handicap’ washroom that has a real toilet? I went for the handicap one. How do I flush it? What do all the buttons mean? Why isn’t there soap to wash my hands? Another example is in my hotel room. How do I turn the lights on? How do I change the computer to a different language? Where are the sheets for the bed? Why is there no shower curtain? Finally, and most importantly, shopping. Where can I go for a break/coffee/tea? How do I know which places are sketchy and which are reputable? Where do I do my laundry? How does the laundry machine work? How do I communicate please, thank you, hello and goodbye? I barely know how to recognize a grocery store! I know I’m smart, but here, in regards to basic survival and communication, I am deaf, mute and blind.

Immigrants and refugees in Canada must face a terrible dilemma upon arrival, especially if they don’t have a family to take them in and show them the ropes. At least I have a group to follow around and leaders to tell me what to eat and where. I can’t imagine just showing up, changing my money and be expected to find a home, a job and make friends. I’m excited for my job at LINC in the fall. I’m excited to be part of the process where families become literate in Canadian culture as well as the English language. I’m excited to help those who are already very smart communicate their knowledge. I’m excited to help Canadians-to-be learn to own a piece of Canada for themselves. Empathy is everything. The ability to have compassion for someone else’s circumstances emphasizes the saying “they don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.” This trip is not just about a ‘working vacation,’ it’s also about the opportunity to ethnographically consider what it might be like to enter a pair of shoes other than my own. 

Octopus for sale at the fish market. I don't know how much it is, where it came from, how to eat it, or what this lady's name was. But I do know that this lady smiles a lot, was more than happy to let Nicole take the picture, and was probably pretty entertained by our incessant amazement at such a normal sea creature. 

Tumultuous Transitions

The time has come to transition into the world of paid work. After five years of university, I've secured two jobs. This summer, I will be teaching English in Korea. Once I come back at the end of August, I will be teaching English to immigrants and refugees. Based on the recommendations of friends, as well as some inspiration from my last roommate Susanne, I feel that this would not only be a great way to keep everyone informed, but also a great way for me to journal and reflect on my teaching practices. 

In two days I will embark on the thirteen hour flight to Seoul, Korea. From what I understand, this is a direct flight over the arctic... If there is anywhere on earth I DON'T want to practice my emergency plane landing techniques, it's in the arctic. Canadian Connection, the company who hires and sends, is sending thirty Canadian teachers to Korea together to teach at a kid's summer camp. Most of the teachers are from the Toronto Catholic District School Board and they are the ones who created the curriculum. I have not met anyone else going on the trip, and look forward to getting to know at least one person during the thirteen hours where we will be potentially, possibly awkwardly, brushing deltoids. Hmm... should I bring the "Book of Questions?" I wonder if for dinner Korean Air will give us something semi-recognizable. 

I've been spending lots of time packing and planning over the last few days. I'm going through my closet looking for teaching clothes that can fit the "hotter than Hades" description of Korea's temperature right now. I think I've found what I need. I've packed it all around the excessive amount of sunscreen I'm bringing. Short of the weather, I'm not totally sure what to expect in regards to culture. I have an awkward sensation that I may have just signed up for the six week Korean Seaweed Diet. I believe that starting Thursday, there is an adventure at hand. Life in itself is an adventure, but there does come a time when an adventure presents itself that is out of the cultural norm - this will be one of those.