The playground..and lessons on teaching.

Today was like any other day at work~ only a LOT more fun and interesting. I find that if I implement some sort of game, or activity into my daily lesson with the kids I teach, everyone seems to have more fun and concentrate better. Including myself! So for example, I start off the class saying "If we work for 10 or 15 minutes, we'll play Bingo! Or Hangman! Or make Origami and play games!" That usually sets them off to listen-to-the-teacher mode.

For the past few months, I've felt a bit lost and overwhelmed~ everyday, becoming more and more arduous in keeping track of what we did during class; trying to keep track of the students progress; and constantly trying new ways to teach the material to make it interesting to the students, and less boring for myself.

SO I changed from 'teacher' to 'fellow student' and took my first class students to the playground right next to the school. It was probably the most fun I've had in a very long time! The kids saw that I took my other first-class students yesterday to the playground, and they were jealous. The next thing I knew, I enter my students' class today and they're all ready to head outside and go to the playground! The kids walked in a line, one after the another, even without my yelling for them to stay together and watch out for cars. They're a good group of kids~ I think they're trained well!

We played on this spinning thing with bars and a platform. One of my kids yelled for me to get in the middle, and before I could say 'hang on', my head went spinning as I gulped for my kids who were half-hazardly hanging on to the bars, letting their feet fly, laughing like uncontrollable jumping beans (that's a strange picture!) This made me more concerned about the possiblity of them flying off and finding one of them with a broken arm or a bleeding head. In the end, it turned out alright, and everyone had fun, laughing and chattering away as we headed back to school.

These kind of days make me reflect about the kids I teach, and that occasionally letting your guard down and having fun isn't such a bad thing, afterall!

Saturday night at DaVinci, thoughts of Seattle and a few (hopefully) wise conclusions

1 week, 2 days, 12 hours and counting: Seattle here I come!

Tonight looks like it will be another fun Saturday night. Last weekend, I met up with a Canadian friend, Brenda, whom I met at my YMCA class some months ago. She invited me over for a pre-club hors-d'ouvres party with some of her fellow Canadian friends, and we all ended up having a blast. I not only felt welcomed among these Canadian folk, but I learned quite a bit about their early mishaps and difficulties in Korea~ which much like my own, were experienced first-hand and met with uncertainty. It felt genuinely good to speak English fluently, without having to define what I've said or speak slowly (which normally is the case among my co-workers, boss, the students I teach or other Korean acquaintences). And as a matter of fact, this is exactly what I've been missing here in Korea: like-minded friends with whom to travel and share experiences with. Bingo! As if I didn't realize what the missing piece of the equation was all along.

You see, I came to Korea with the intention to not only earn a decent wage~like most teachers coming here probably do: I came here learn a bit of culture, language and perhaps a bit about myself in the meantime. Even at 27, I still have yet so much to learn; and I don't see myself settling down like many of my peers do and have done at my age. They've gotten married, settled with probably a half-dozen kids, and their careers have already come and gone. Nevertheless, I've always been a bit gung-ho about the decisions I make; and I believed that to really immerse myself in this culture, right here, right now, I had to isolate myself from other foreigners. So this isolation was not like a punishment, of course, nor was it intended per se; the first month I was here, I just felt jaded after meeting so many other foreigners like myself, who spent many-a-nights drinking, spending alot of money in clubs, feeling like they were wasting their time, and miserable in various Hagwon-teaching situations. I didn't want to hear it, and it felt repeticious. I didn't want to end up in some miserable cycle just because everyone else was doing it.

Until, of course, I finally woke up and realized how much time I had wasted. What was I doing? Where have I been? Why does everything seem out of control, out of my hands? My outlook and my purpose here had changed, and much of my life felt out of control. So I dusted off the ashes from my clothes and my eyelids, and persuaded myself to move onward and upward from the blast. I didn't realize that I had been, metaphorically, living in my own little time-bomb of sorts; until the very day it went off, and I finally saw what was really happening to me.

It's rather strange when you finally see what's going on around you--objectively, instead of narrow-mindedly, like many of us all do without thinking. We go through our days, making choices either consciously or subconsciously, and without further ado, everything chaotic becomes so clear to us. This is precisely what happened to me. I was living in a dream world, and that dream world had to end. I had to take responsibility for my actions, and make the most logical decisions I thought possible. This must be apart of growing up; this must be apart of what it finally means to be an adult~ when you make choices and you must live with those decisions. Whether good or bad, the outcome, hopefully, produces desired results; moreover, it's the actual progress that I've always believed, is the most important of all.

So I sit here at DaVinci, right at the North gate of KyungPook Nat'l University, killing time before I meet Brenda and her gang of Canadian friends again. I really feel like I've made progress here~ and after nearly 5 months of being here in Korea, you'd think I would have already. But I have to admit that I feel pretty good overall: recent happenings, I believe, have brought my boss and I closer together; my co-workers and I are getting along ALOT better, since recently letting our guards down and talking about work-related problems and general 'abrasive' feelings that made us feel uncomfortable in one-another's presence; and last, my trip to Seattle, I think, will give me just the right amount of down-time and family spending to feel good about myself, and essentially rejuvenate, recharge and re-oil the rig (ah! me!) to head full-charge and on-course... being a teacher, once again, in little Daegu :)

Welcome Back...

To start, here's a few of my favorite quotes:
1) "Here's looking at you, kid." - CASABLANCA, 1942
2) "After all, tomorrow is another day!" - Gone With the Wind, 1939
and last...
3) "It's alive! It's alive!" - Frankenstein, 1931

Could there be any better way to start off an entry after a month's absence? So here's looking at me~it's another day and I'm still alive!

Well, today marks a near month since I haven't written (except for some additions to Peppero day on the 11th). But time has definitely flown.

I have to admit my absence was not without reason, however. I've learned alot in this one, long, head-to-brick thumping month that I'd rather not repeat. But I've come to a few more conclusions about myself, my real purpose in being her in Korea, and where I want to be heading. I think I've come out stronger, and purpose driven. And I think I've realized also that nothing can slow me down: bumps in the road, or otherwise. So lets just say in summation that I've learned first hand the function (or lack thereof) concerning Domestic Violence in Korea. So we'll just say ADIEU to that one and move along with the story (unless you are just dying to know, in which case, you can email me personally and I'll tell you about it).

This morning I bought my ticket home ~ so before you gulp, this will just be a vacation break, not a for-good leaving! I really wanted a complete month to fly home to Seattle, visit with the folks and friends, wrap up my apartment and put my belongings in storage; then fly to Louisiana and visit my other folks there too. Unfortunately, I've had to compromise with my boss at JungChul and settle for a near two-week trip (which was pushing it, actually, but I begged her to give me the time off to go home for awhile~ to 'rejuvenate' myself and get motivated again, which in my book is a necessity after this past month's doings!)

It feels good to be back~ and I'm really looking forward to writing more; I'm especially excited to head home for my mini between-Thanksgiving-and-Christmas vacation. The ticket was an astounding $968-which for round-trip is almost unheard of. Luckily I happened to look at the fair prices just 2 weeks before departure. So check back often for some updates on my life here and my trip home; there's bound to be several pages worth of new content :)

Later all! ;) Chelsea

PS. Is anyone in need of a travel partner? I'm looking at traveling a bit more, and I'm all up for checking out some new places here in the land of the morning calm :) Just email me!

"빼빼로데이" Peppero Day: Valentine's Day equivalent

In celebration of Peppero day: Chelsea's slowly coming back after a month of absence!

Details to follow.

So today is peppero day, and I received so many little chocolate dipped sticks from my students and fellow teachers that I seriously think I'll be set for the upcoming year. Interesting enough, though, I learned that many of these little peppero sticks are normally just given as a 'symbol' ~ of love, appreciation or kindness ~ and not to be eaten. Supposedly, you learn the good brands to eat and which ones to stay away from because they only look nice. Nevertheless, Peppero Day is much like the States' Valentine's day: the more hearts, cards and chocolates you get for Valentine's day, the more you're loved. You give a box of chocolates to your crush or your significant other. One of my students recieved a huge box of peppero sticks from her boyfriend. Wow~ this reminds me of Christmas! I remember thinking as a kid that more is better~ all of the wonderful, colorful presents to open seemed more appealing than what you actually recieved. Well, it's likewise with these peppero sticks.

Of course, I think Peppero day is just like any other media-filled celebration or holiday~ overexcitement and hype for the upcoming day (which purposefully increases the expected cash flow for the local merchants who cell these sticks that ressemble the 11th day of the 11th month of the year) It's a strange mess of giving and recieving, and at the end of the day, you're left bloated and sweet-toothed out from chomping down of so many of these poor peppero sticks. I sure did, and I still have a huge bag left on my apartment floor; just waiting to be eaten, or chucked in the garbage, or maybe even taped to the wall. I haven't decided yet.

In any event, what a wondrous, fantastic day ~ even though it was just any like any ordinary teaching day here in Seobyundong. Good news though: I had a relaxing, fun day because of this little Korean holiday known as Peppero day ~ and any excuse I could find to just have fun with the kids, teach them American folk songs and spend the day dancing and laughing away ~ well, you bet Chelsea would jump right on that chance!!

Actually, a little peppero stick sounds good right about now...