First up, what
has been the most surreal experience so far?
The most surreal experience I’ve had in
Korea has been going on for 20 months now.
I don’t see or feel it on a day-to-day basis, but when I step back from
my routine and actually examine what I’ve done in South Korea I begin to
realize. Going from nothing to calling a
foreign country “home” has been a long, but fantastic experience.
I realized this after declaring this
question too difficult because I don’t deem any single event to be all that
surreal. I’ve normalized everything in
Korea, even the apartment lifestyle. But
when I look at the larger picture, I recognize this whole experience has been a
bit mind blowing. The day I graduated
from UW I was not ready to move to Asia.
I wasn’t ready to move to Asia the day I moved to Asia. Maybe it’s actually a good thing, but I had
not prepared myself mentally to live in a different country for a year,
especially in Korea where I didn’t speak a word of the language. But that is why this experience has been what
it is: I started from nothing and
clueless, and have managed to make it my home.
A few things that I've been surprised by, or have led me to calling SK "home":
1.
My ability to teach-- I had some serious doubts about whether or
not I could teach in an Elementary school.
They proved to be reasonable doubts, too! The first few months I really struggled with
the age of the students and recognizing what they need. I was fresh out of college where we attend
lectures and discussions, now I was teaching little kids who scream, kick, pull
hair, and CRY. I feel bad for the first
students who had to suffer through my inability to connect and understand
them. I still don’t necessarily
understand them, but I’m tolerant. Now I
have forged a few relationships with some of the students that I’m proud
of. Students don’t fear the thought of
talking to the English teacher, and some even seek me out.
2. New Friends-- The new friends I’ve made in
Korea will last a lifetime. Sounds cliché,
and it is. I’ve made friends from every English
speaking country in the world. I suppose
I’ve met more Americans than any other country, but I still have friends from
the UK, from South Africa, New Zealand, Australia, and of course South
Korea. I’m very fortunate to have met
all these great people. If there is one
thing all the ESL teachers have in common, it’s that we all have a unique story
to tell or experience to share.
3.
Living in Korea-- More specifically, living in Korea and not
absolutely hating it. Korea is unlike
any other country I’ve spent time in, so to move there permanently (for 20
months now) was a struggle. I’m proud of
my ability to adapt. I don’t notice it
really, but comparing myself from 20 months ago, to today, is crazy. It forces you to be outgoing, and I now
appreciate that as much as anything I’ve learned since coming to Korea.
It’s been surreal to realize how I’ve grown
and changed without even knowing it. It’s
been a fun ride!
This has been a
long post already, so I’ll quickly answer the last question.
What 5
things would you tell yourself before boarding the plane to come to South
Korea?
5 Things I’d tell pre-Korea Keith:
1.
Dude, stop complaining that you’re
leaving all of your friends behind.
Turns out you won’t be the only foreigner in Korea! In fact, you’ll make more friends than you
did in college, and become surprisingly close to them due to the crazy
experiences you’ll have while coping in a new country!
2.
Bring an extra stick of
deodorant.
3.
Learn more Korean than “Anyong”
4.
Don’t wait til Japan to start
cashing in on the free booze offered on international flights.
A.
Fly Korean Air more often.
5.
Be prepared to deal with things
you cannot prepare for. Patience is a
virtue.
Finally, I'll give a short recap of my typical Monday.
Today was fairly common, my first two classes were moved to different periods. English is always the first to get bumped or canceled. I'm okay with this, but sometimes it can be very obnoxious to prepare lessons to find out that you won't need them. They always get used eventually, so it's no biggie. What's more annoying is when I'm the last to find all of this out... Oh well, could be worse!
I killed two hours with my sixth graders before lunch. These kids have a ton of energy and make a point to do their best to break my spirit. They've only succeeded once or twice. I've broken theirs every other day. Mess with the bull, you get the horns! Not really, but I like to think I have some sort of effect on them, and it certainly isn't English.
Lunch consists of white rice, standard kimchi, whole fish soup, and a yogurt/fruit salad. It wasn't too shabby. Lunch is always an uplifting time. My little rugrats always scream my name (keiss) and beg for high fives.
Back up stairs to knock out those two classes that got re-scheduled. Same lesson as the previous 6th grade classes, so no prep needed. Students' behavior is similar, shitty.
Today is the first day of my after-school advanced English class. This is the one class I'm really excited about. I've chosen some of the best students in the school and we'll be reading books and watching the movie version of the book. We started 'Fantastic Mr. Fox' today, and I think the kids are really going to enjoy the class.
Finished the class up, blogged more than I have in the past 2 months, and now I'm walking out the door to the gym.
Come back tomorrow for some more answers to Korea's most important questions.
Finally, I'll give a short recap of my typical Monday.
Today was fairly common, my first two classes were moved to different periods. English is always the first to get bumped or canceled. I'm okay with this, but sometimes it can be very obnoxious to prepare lessons to find out that you won't need them. They always get used eventually, so it's no biggie. What's more annoying is when I'm the last to find all of this out... Oh well, could be worse!
I killed two hours with my sixth graders before lunch. These kids have a ton of energy and make a point to do their best to break my spirit. They've only succeeded once or twice. I've broken theirs every other day. Mess with the bull, you get the horns! Not really, but I like to think I have some sort of effect on them, and it certainly isn't English.
Lunch consists of white rice, standard kimchi, whole fish soup, and a yogurt/fruit salad. It wasn't too shabby. Lunch is always an uplifting time. My little rugrats always scream my name (keiss) and beg for high fives.
Back up stairs to knock out those two classes that got re-scheduled. Same lesson as the previous 6th grade classes, so no prep needed. Students' behavior is similar, shitty.
Today is the first day of my after-school advanced English class. This is the one class I'm really excited about. I've chosen some of the best students in the school and we'll be reading books and watching the movie version of the book. We started 'Fantastic Mr. Fox' today, and I think the kids are really going to enjoy the class.
Finished the class up, blogged more than I have in the past 2 months, and now I'm walking out the door to the gym.
Come back tomorrow for some more answers to Korea's most important questions.
Again, I'd like to point out that there are even better blogs to check out! Here are the links
Julia Bass
Emily Gaynor
David Klug
Zach McLeod & Liz Wansley
Matt Marx
Soren Nieminen
Julia Bass
Emily Gaynor
David Klug
Zach McLeod & Liz Wansley
Matt Marx
Soren Nieminen
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