Finishing up the Seoul Chapter

What in the world is it about flying that makes me want to write so much?! I suppose, and maybe I’ve said this before, that actually having time where I can’t surf the internet, I can’t really GO anywhere, means that I have time to actually spend with my thoughts. And it’s just my personality that I want to write when I think… Anyway, I’m on my way home from Korea now. What a wonderful trip.

Honestly, I knew I’d enjoy being back in Korea but you know how sometimes you hype something up and then it just doesn’t live up to expectations? You tell everyone its great because you can’t admit you spent that much time/money on an experience and it’s actually kind of a let down. And its worse because you yourself had such high expectations for it. I was a bit nervous that this would be one of those… 

But, it wasn’t! The whole trip was exactly perfect. For one thing, I love Jessica. She was the perfect hostess and travel companion. I never got sick of her (which is amazing for me, spending two weeks with ANYONE can get old… I need Chelsea time!), and we have a really great balance of personality. She is laid back, go with the flow (but not too much!), and I’m the crazy type-A that needs to plan every day. I was able to allow myself time to recharge and relax because she didn’t mind doing the same. 

It was also nice that I’d been there before and knew exactly what I wanted to do. I never felt like I wasted time, because I had the things on my list that I wanted to do/see, and I was able to do those while also actually relaxing. Relaxation can be hard for me sometimes! This is true in all aspects of my life: if I’m not accomplishing something, somehow, I am wasting time. But that’s not true. This trip was a great time for me to get away from work, get away from real life, and not only enjoy one of my favorite places, but also to simply RELAX.

Being back in Seoul itself was great. I generally try to not go back to places I’ve been before. After all, if I’m going to spend thousands of dollars to go somewhere, I feel like I should go somewhere new! Add to my ever-growing list of countries I’ve been to. And I felt a little like that for this trip. The side-trip to Japan actually was perfect for that reason. I was able to go somewhere new, while also enjoying a city that I love. 

I have a lot of memories in Seoul, obviously. Since I’ve been back in the states, I’ve missed being in Seoul. There are so many things that are amazing about living there! Being back was a strange kind of closure, a year and a half after leaving it. I was able to come back and enjoy what I missed, but also realize that I’m actually exactly where I need to be in life, both physically as well as professionally. Being back in Korea (to live), while fun, wouldn’t be the right move for me. I love Austin, and I love my job. I know I’m in the right place.

Spending a little more time in Seoul was great also, because it gave me a chance to reflect on my time living there, the myriad of experiences and memories I’d made, and realize that no matter where I am in life, I’ll always have those, and Seoul will always have a part of my heart. I hadn’t realized it, but I don’t think I ever got “closure” when I left. In a way, I did. In a way that I was able to cope with leaving, but this trip kind of cemented it. So many complex emotions going on!

Anyway, this is a short entry, I just wanted to jot down how great I’m feeling, despite leaving. I feel like I got everything I wanted to out of the trip, and I’m very much looking forward to going home, being in my own space, and having a bit of Chelsea time!

Don’t worry, though. I’ll be back soon. I’ve got a business trip to the UK and Ireland coming up in two short weeks! I’ll be working for most of it, but as always when I travel, I’ll be blogging :) Plus, I’m going to get to spend my birthday in London with one of my favorite people!! 

Cheers,

Chelsea

Japan: Final Thoughts & Coming "Home"

Well, Thursday has come and gone, and we are back in Korea. Our flight from Kansai Airport was at 7:50am, so we actually had to get up at 4:30am; breakfast was delivered to our room at 5am; we left the hotel at 5:15am; caught the first train to the airport at 5:30am; arrived at the airport at 6:30am; and left at 7:50am.

Since nothing super interesting happened during that time (besides almost forgetting to mail the rental SIM card back before leaving!), I'm going to sum up my experiences in Japan in this blog.

While the trip was rather short, I think it was really interesting. When I lived in Korea, I never really  had a desire to go to Japan. Koreans don't like the Japanese much; there has been a lot of history between the two, and it's generally comprised of the Japanese oppressing Koreans. The two countries have had political and cultural relationships since ancient times. More recently, and probably what directly contributes to the current negative feelings, are from when Japan took control of Korea in 1910 and hundreds of thousands of Koreans were forced to serve in the military both as soldiers and "comfort women" (sexual slaves). After 35 years, Korea finally got its independence after WWII, but this resulted in the division of Korean into North and South. Since then, there have been deteriorating political ties between South Korea and Japan due to various issues like islands between the two countries and who has rights to them, the Japanese Prime Minister visiting shrines that pay homage to Japanese soldiers killed in WWII - Yasukuni Shrine - and more. Koreans just kind of don't care for the Japanese.

So, when I lived here, I just didn't want to go. I felt a loyalty to Korea; coupled with the not-so-favorable exchange rate, I just didn't think it worthwhile to go to Japan. However, a year and a half removed from Korea, I thought Japan would be a good place to visit! Most importantly, I wanted to eat the food!! My experience there was very positive. Jessica and I made a lot of observations about the differences between the two countries. I think a trip to Japan without having lived in Korea would have still been interesting, but I think having the context of living in Korea made it even more valuable and fascinating.

The people: I found the Japanese to be very nice! I don't see them as quite as interested in foreigners as Koreans. Perhaps this is because they have more tourism than Korea, and are used to foreigners. Maybe they just aren't interested. Either way, they were nice but there were only a handful of them that were willing to speak English with us. Some had a few phrases/words and tried to use them; most just spoke Japanese to us and we guessed at what they were saying.

I also think that the Japanese look different than Koreans. I can't explain why though! Throughout the time we were there, Jessica and I kept trying to pinpoint what it was. Some Japanese have more "western" features, but again I can't really say what exactly those are. I guess a higher percentage of them look like they could be partially white? Jessica thinks the Japanese are shorter, but I'm not sure if I saw a definitive difference. I do think Japanese men have more facial hair. The hairstyles are different. The women seem to embrace their natural looks a bit more. I like that a lot, but I also think Koreans are very beautiful as well! I probably prefer Korean people (having had 300x more exposure to them), but I definitely like an emphasis on natural beauty without a need to alter your looks by plastic surgery (cough, Korea, cough!).

The food: While both countries have a lot of the same dishes, each has their own variations on them. I could go into a lot of detail here, but I'll refrain. I'll just say that I enjoyed all of my meals in Japan, and I also love Korean food. It's a draw.

The landscape: Japan definitely feels more touristy! I mean, we were in Kyoto - which is very touristy - and Seoul is more of a big city than a tourist destination. I actually liked the touristy feel. I guess because it's very lacking in Korea... Osaka was a different story. It was like a small-scale Seoul and I didn't care for it as much. I liked the almost town-feeling of Kyoto (vs. city-feel).

The language: Oh my word, I missed Hangul so much while in Japan!! For reading, Japanese characters are so much more difficult. I hated not being able to even sound-out the characters while there. Listening to Japanese was also more frustrating; again, probably because I couldn't even pick out sounds or words, like I can in Korean. I highly prefer Korean in this regard, but maybe I'd feel different if I spent a long time in Japan.

Compared to other Asian countries: So I've now been to Korea, Japan, and China. Comparing all of them is difficult because each has such distinct characteristics. I think that they all have a lot to offer. For a tourist, I think Kyoto was maybe my favorite, followed by Beijing. I rate Beijing just below Kyoto because it was more chaotic since it was a massive city, whereas Kyoto is a little more relaxed feeling. For staying long-term, of course Korea is my top pick because I actually did it! For historical value, I think I got the most out of China. I mean, the Great Wall, the Forbidden City... how can you top those?! But Kyoto definitely has the upper hand in sheer number of sites.

Anyway, we're back in Korea now and I'll be blogging soon about our activities here. It's Friday morning for me, so I've got 4 full days, plus Tuesday morning - I plan to make the MOST of it!!!

Cheers,
Chelsea

Meetup: Mt. Seoraksan

Still playing catchup from this weekend, so consider this Part II.

As I mentioned before, Tab invited me to do a "meetup" with her. MeetUp is a website that basically facilitates group activities and adventures. You want to go hiking but don't know where to go or how to get there? There is probably a meetup. I think they have them in other locations, but I am registered in Seoul, and I belong to a few different groups. I hadn't done a meetup before, but when Tab invited me I agreed.

Hand Candy

I keep putting off blogging using the excuse that "I haven't done anything worth blogging about!" Which may in fact be true. But, I feel the need to write something, even if it's not of epic proportions...

Rock, Paper, Scissors

A few things hit me today. One, I'm living in Seoul. Like, not just Asia, or South Korea, but SEOUL. It's pretty amazing! I've never lived in a huge city; well, Houston I guess. It is big! But, it felt small. I compare Seoul to New York. I teach kids who are growing up in a city like this. It is absolutely massive. But, the culture, tradition, and homogeneous society all contribute to the distinctly different atmosphere of Seoul compared to a city like New York. I think each day my mind opens a little bit more, and a little bit more to the idea of what I am actually doing here.

Another thing that I realized, even just in a small way, is that I am the TEACHER. Obviously, I stand in front of the class and talk. But, I gave a test in my Leap High class today, and when I was grading their essays, the feeling that I get to decide how tough or lenient I am going to be! I get to make decisions in class. If we are running out of time, I get to choose which item to drop, or if I should assign extra homework. In my mind, it's not necessarily power, but authority. I'm not just controlling the classroom and making the kids do whatever I say. It is legitimately my position to make decisions, which ultimately affect my kids. I think this concept also has a lot of room for growth and development in my time as a teacher.

Today was a really good day. I am learning to love my job. I think I am relatively good at it; I mean, considering I had no formal education in this area and almost zero experience with kids. But, the days go by fast, I feel a great sense of accomplishment after each class (which I LOVE) and I am getting used to the courses and their requirements.

Before classes today, I had a lot of extra time to work. I had prepared for my day's classes, and still had almost 2 hours before my first one. So, Erin Teacher suggested that I work on my lesson plan for 2SAP. This class is my only everyday class, it's the most intense workload, and it's the curriculum that I have to work at the most. Each Unit, the lesson plan in the book must be adapted to our school's specific needs.

I share the class with Sean Teacher (he teaches another group of kids, but we are on the same material at the same time), so we take turns making the lesson plans and homework checklists each Unit. This month was my turn, so I used all my extra time during Office Hours to work on that. It's not needed for another week, but with the time I had I decided to just knock it out.

Erin Teacher walked me through a lot of it, but I also figured it out quickly. I really enjoyed it (despite it being a lot of work) because it required a high level of organization. The lesson plan for that class was something I was quite nervous about doing beforehand, but after I completed it and turned it in for approval from Jackie Teacher, I felt wonderful. Like a real teacher :)

It's too difficult to go into the details of what all I had to do to get this thing just right, but I'll tell you that I had to reference: the Teacher's Guide, the Writing Workbook, the Activity Book, the Student Book, the SLP Writing Workbook (different from the one above), book club workbook, book club storybook, SLP Practice book, and SLP Grammar Practice book. For ONE class... of 7 year olds. My mind cannot grasp the idea that these kids are so organized they actually know the difference in all these books. Most 7 year olds I know can't keep up with 1 book, let alone 9.

Anyway, I also had my 3SAP kids today (similar program as 2SAP, but only T/Th and slightly farther along than 2SAP). They are my best large class. I have 9 or 10 students, and they work as hard as my smaller classes, or sometimes even better. Today was awesome! They read when I asked them to, they all wanted to answer the questions, and almost all of them had memorized the Daily Oral Expression they had for homework.

One part of the lesson involved looking at a poem in their student books. They tried to get me to do some game similar to Rock, Paper, Scissors (which they endearingly called "Po-ta-to!" in the same intonation as R,P,S...) in order to determine the order of which they read aloud. I had no idea how that was supposed to work so I made them all sit down and just went in order down the rows (like any sane teacher would do). They read it through once, each student reading only 1 line. Then, again, with each student reading a paragraph. The poem was very rhyme-y and easy to memorize. It repeated a lot of phrases (the lesson was to understand alliterations...) so the kids got the hang of it quickly. I told them how song lyrics are poems too, so we put the poem to a tune and I got them all singing and participating. I loved it! They were all smiling and happy and learning, too!! Great sense of accomplishment. I also think this is the class that likes me the best. I really try to get animated and involved with them in the lesson. I hope it's working :)

Also, I forgot to mention that yesterday I had a little meeting with Jackie Teacher at the end of the day and she told me her observations from watching my classes. She said she was impressed with my organization and the presence I had in the class. The only real suggestion/criticism was to learn the kids' names. Well, I'm trying! I have 10 classes, many of which are larger with 10 or more students. I feel like I'm doing well, and have almost got all of them memorized. It just so happened that the classes she watched were the classes that I have a hard time memorizing the names of the kids. I think that my lack of having developed prior habits in the classroom (not having gotten an Edu degree or done any student teaching) has actually helped me. The school seems to be pretty set on how things should be done, and without any previous habits, I have none to break! :)

After classes, I graded LH exams. I didn't have much time for anything else, and went home at 9pm. I also got my official work badge! It has my name on it, too! :) I use it to clock in and out. After work, one of the morning teachers made everyone dinner and had a little get together at her apartment. I decided to attempt to be social, and went. It's kind of hard, because while everyone is nice, I don't feel like a connection with anyone. It also doesn't help that there is only one other female teacher in afternoons, so I don't get to know any of the morning teachers at work. I also have a semi-shy personality in that I don't operate well in groups of people I don't know well. I kind of stay quiet, don't want to draw any attention to myself. One-on-one, it's a whole other story! But, I don't know any of these girls in a way where I would feel comfortable. But, I went and stayed for like 30 minutes so it's a start. :)

One final observation: the days go by very quickly, especially once I am in the classroom. I love this! Maybe it's just that I enjoy what I do (for the most part), or it's having to do so much in such a short amount of time, but by 8pm I feel like the day flew by! Tomorrow is mid-week again, and I've got lots to do when I get there in the morning :) And with that, goodnight!

**update: doing some research on the rock, paper, scissors thing. I'm wondering if the kids weren't saying something in Korean, any my American ears just heard "po-ta-to"? I read online some say "kai-bai-bo" which I suppose could sound like "po-ta-to" to the untrained ear. with my students, who knows...**

Baybrook

This blog is not about Korea.

I got to go to my old store today, and see some coworkers that I had missed. One of them reads my blog, and I want at least her to know how much it meant to me to see everyone today.

I went for an appointment to get my phone replaced for a friend to borrow while I am out of the country, but getting to see my friends was an amazing blessing.

I've only been gone from the store for a little over a month, and not much has changed. I know things are happening internally, and I probably shouldn't know these things, but the faces are the same and I miss those faces. Even the first step in the door, I got a smile to my face. I really loved my time at Baybrook.

When I left my job at the store, I was on the brink of seeing my boyfriend, Michael, again after a few weeks without him. I was so excited that leaving the store didn't have as big of an effect on me. I think today it really hit me how much I miss it.

They don't even know, but the friends and relationships I made at work over the past year meant so much to me. I grew in my time there... emotionally and mentally, professionally. I learned about life and  work... And those were the people to help me through it all.

This blog isn't really to inform anyone about anything... it's simply a reflection. Sitting in my store, I was shaking. It wasn't exactly nerves or excitement, but an emotion I can't put a name to... sadness and a certain loneliness and feeling like I was back among friends, but had to leave them again. I don't know... but I wanted any of my coworkers who read this to know that you all meant so much to me. Your friendship was treasured and our time together was incredible.

I'm on the cusp of leaving everything I know for an opportunity to push myself even further in life... I pray that my future coworkers have half the intelligence, charisma, companionship, humor, and love for each other that I felt at Baybrook. If I can have even that, I know my time in Korea will be worth it.

I miss you all, Baybrook. xxxx