Seollal Weekend Events, part 1

It's been an interesting weekend and Lunar New Year, so far.

My Canadian friend, Anne, and I decided to head over to do some siteseeing this weekend, since we had originally planned to go to Osaka, Japan. Well, that turned out to be rather expensive; and hearsay on taking the hydrofoil to Hakata, Japan from Busan made us cringe. So needless to say, we picked out a few places to visit in Daegu, and had a blast in the midst of our mini expeditions.

I just have but a few minutes to post before I head out to meet the parents of the kid that I tutor at Ariana Hotel. We'll be celebrating the New Year with a dinner; they invited me to partake on eating out with them since, well, networking and building relationships is kind of a necessity (as I'm finding out) while living here in Korea.

Here are some fabulous photos I took of our Sunday trip to check out a temple (near Yeongjin Junior College) and later, the Gyesan Cathedral, just East of Banwoldang Intersection downtown. It was a crisp night, as we perused the streets. More updates tonight! ~ Chelsea

Good laughs: My new favorite site when I need a laugh!

This was just a riot when I read this 'product tag' from www.engrish.com

There's more where that came from, too!

Colds--what is with Korean colds??

Well, as luck would have it, I've gotten another Korean cold. Or, with my symptoms, I'd say by now I have the flu, or part-Bronchitis.

Last week, I think it was Monday or Tuesday, I slept until nearly 12:30 pm. As I think about it, I must have slept about 12 hours that day. I had the keys to open the school; and though our school classes don't start until 2pm, I had expected one of our Korean teachers, Cindy, to show up by 12:40. Lucky for me, it was up to me to get going and open the doors for her.

That morning, I woke up feeling terrible; my whole body ached, I couldn't keep down water or anything solid, and all I wanted to do was get back into bed and hope whatever was going on in my body would pass. I was able to get up and do my usual 8:30 am phone tutoring with a student or two, but afterward, it was back to bed for me. I'm usually not one to miss work or better, go to the doctor unless I'm on my near-death bed---and I was hoping that if I slept enough, whatever I had would pass and sleeping would refresh me: otherwise, remain passive and hope my body would take care of itself.

Now, that's the approach you SHOULDN'T take! As it turns out, my Korean co-workers talked me into seeing an eye/ear/nose/throat doctor just down the street from the school, and get some medicine by all means, to get rid of the infection in my lungs. I looked into the mirror passing the bathroom before heading out to the doc's, and I swore I never looked so terrible in my life!

Sure enough, I found the doctor's office. 40 minutes of waiting, and only 10 minutes in and out, I think by now I'm on the road to recovery again. But the visit to the doctor was interesting; I understood just about 10% of what the doctor was telling me. The rest I guessed. Afterall, I had given the ladies at the reception desk a list of what I was feeling (like headache, chills, stuffy nose, sneezing, sore throat, coughing, whole body-aches, etc.) and after a quick inspection of my nose, ears and throat, he gestered my 'symptoms' and that's really all I can tell you. He said "Yak," which means Pharmacy in Korean, and said thank you--thereafter the Nurse led me into a small room and told me to breath into a respirator (I believe after finding out later, it's a nebulizer geared to opened up the lungs and break apart the mucous, which made (and still makes) it difficult to breath.

Well, my Korean pills are all used up, including the sore-throat medicine, so lately I've been drinking loads of Korean tea (including Citron Quinscene Tea, which is supposed to be loaded with tons of Vitamin C). I also picked up some Ginger tea, which I hear helps the body to build antibodies and defend itself against sickness. Ahhh.. and I've read tons more; like eating Kimchi,
drinking tea combinations (ginger, quince, jujube), including ... boiling deer antler jelly? Hmmm.

I still have a terrible smoker's cough, though it's getting better (ah, believe me, I'm far from a smoker!), and I have a tension headache constantly. I don't have the usual infection, yellow-color stuff, so I think I have some allergies that I'm also dealing with simultaneously. Tomorrow I promised myself that I would head over to Homeplus in Chilgok and see if they have any over-the-counter medicine for headaches---and ready-made Kimchi! Being sick really bites; and I'm bound to find the cure to remedy getting sick again---or, at least, all too often!

So far, this is the semi-natural remedy I've come up with: And this has been my own Korean cold/flu/sickness remedy from trial and tribulation! I'm getting better, day by day, and it's not just from the Korean medicine I took from a doctor's prescription: It takes several factors to keep from getting sick, and a commitment to stick with it! (of course, they're not in order...)

1. Eat Kimchi regularly~ supposedly the hot/spicy properties in the cabbage and frequency of eating Kimchi helps the body to ward off sickness (follow the link and read more).

2. Drink at least 3 or more cups of hot tea: Forget Coffee---pick up Ginger, Soon-Citron/Quince Tea, JuJube and/or Black Tea, drinking with or without meals (check out the link).

3. Get some vitamin C pill tablets as soon as you think you're getting sick.

4. Eat lots of fruits and vegetables daily (not just Kimchi, or those side-dishes they give you when you eat out; I'm talking about a good home-made salad with nuts, olive oil and cider vinegar/basalmic vinegar!

5. Get lots of sleep, drink plenty of water and exercise regularly (easier than done, believe me!)

6. Last but not least, going to the doctor's and getting bonafied medicine can often cut the sick-time in half. I usually wait before I 'get the shot'---and I'd sure like to know what's in it---because I'm usually back to normall within 1 or 2 days!

Best of luck--to my own sickness and yours during this flu/cold season!

~ Chelsea

Using Phonetics in teaching ESL

pho·net·ics (f-ntks)n.
The branch of linguistics that deals with the sounds
of speech and their production, combination, description, and representation by
written symbols.

Today, I did quite a bit of research, since I'm currently on this kick to focus more on phonetics, speech and pronounciation in my classes. I picked up a book on teaching Speech and Phonetics at the local bookstore (KYOPO) downtown, trying to find new ways to get correct pronounciation from my students.

I took this picture with my camera phone today to show you an example of how I'm using phonetics in the classroom.

Now, if only the visual contrast between Fat and Thin weren't such a bad representation of using phonetics! The mouths look great~the letters F (ex. Face), V (ex. Vase), and TH (ex. the word 'this' verses 'think'), go well with the common Korean-native difficulty in pronouncing these letter combinations, respectively. Notice how I used the music notes to represent where the sound is coming from: either in the mouth region, with no voice (the "F" or the soft "Th" as in think), or combined with the mouth and the voicebox (as in the "V" or the more harsh "Th" sound as in this).

This is just one example set of letters that I've assembled, based upon my experiences with the kids and their often incorrect pronounciation or misunderstanding of pronounciation.

You could also use the following letter sets:
(Sound of letter originates from the pallet, first; the more harsh, voice induced sound of letter comes next.)

1. "s" (sea) vs. "z" (zoo)
2. "t" (tea) vs. "d" (do)
3. "l" (lace) vs. "r" (race) (note: both letter sounds originate from voicebox; the tongue placement and mouth (articulation/localization--just fancy words for how the sound is made)


Lesson Idea
Example for use in the classroom: You write up between 3 and 5 easy words (depending on class level) whose first letter begins with the specific letter sets to be distinguished and explained. Like I used in the above picture: face for F and vase for V --very similar words, easy to understand, but depending on how the first letters are pronounced, these may become problem words. So you then ask the kids which word you just pronounced. Explain where the sound came from in the F letter, and likewise, with the V letter. Make sure to emphasize with your hand over your voicebox when you pronounce the V: this gives a visual for the students to follow when you explain the differences between these letters. The kids will totally dig the sound coming out of their voicebox with the V especially if you jiggle your adam's apple/voicebox with your fingers.

Another idea is to write up a known set of words on the whiteboard, emphasizing the correct spelling of the words, and making sure the kids are very familiar with the words. Once that's done, erase the words, and re-write the set of words, each using for example the S and V letters, making sure to spell the word using BOTH letters: as in, "Face" and "Vace." Ask again which letter beginning is correct with what you just pronounced.

This is not only interesting but informative as well. I've noticed a change in my student's pronounciations because I've introduced this manner of introducing phonetics, and I'm sure your students will be more aware of their pronounciation as well!

If you have anything to add, please feel free. I welcome call omments! ~ Chelsea

Brandon: This one's for you!

Amazing!

I have to say that I'm awful proud of my brother: now he's got his OWN BLOG at myspace. Way to go, bro. Your sister couldn't be more proud of ya!

You can also read about him, and see another grand picture taken of him in his BMX racing uniform. It looks like he's now a board member of Oak Mountain BMX in Pelham, AL. Kudos to ya BP, kick some butt :)

Ps. Sorry, ladies, he's definitely taken by his wife and southern belle, Amy. But you're welcome to keep on drooling!

~ Chelsea

Living Life Asleep: it's not what it seems

Today was just another great Sunday. There's much to be said about a lazy Sunday, where you have the liberty to sleep in, and do what you want to do not what you have to do. It's bliss.

The picture? Yes, it's me, looking asleep. Interestingly, I happened to be playing with my cell phone photo options the other day, and wanted to see how I might look if I were asleep. Presto: first came the picture, then came a spark for a new blog entry.

I was walking home Friday night from a long, scrupulous day---a week's end to a rough week, thinking of what my evening was going to look like. I had spent the latter 45 minutes after my last class, talking to my boss about our overall school environment. At that point, all the teacher's had left--and the intial plan for the entire JungChul staff to discuss the goings-on of the school, was canceled at the last minute because one of our Korean teachers--Ellen--had a sick grandmother to attend to.

After work, my boss and I brushed over the agenda we were to discuss at the teacher's meeting. We talked about the school's general 'morale,' which felt at an all-time low--caused first by a hectic, winter break schedule that left me nearly breathless and tired after a long work day; and secondly, the onset of gossip, complaints and teacher-division that seemed to leave me feeling a bit of an outsider. Nevertheless, we made headway, and talked intimately about work-happenings, the possibility of a new teacher (one Aussie candidate that just might fit the bill), and my feeling of a lack of teacher training and constant need to educate myself on good-teaching practices. Ahhh...the conversation turned out a little emotional, but I think once we get another foreign teacher, I'll have a bit more time to relax at work. Plus I won't be so pooped to spend the extra time needed to update this grandiose blog, and make it somewhat interesting--I hope!

Now back to this spark. I got to thinking about the picture I took: I look asleep, but I'm really awake. Thinking about this rather sporatically after work on Friday, combined with the discussion I had with my boss, made me think of whether it was possible living life asleep. It almost seems strange if you just read that phrase too quickly; but after a few seconds, it starts making sense. Your comments are welcome.

My point isn't so much about living life asleep; the phrase just popped into my head, caught my interest and I proposed speculation as to whether it was possible. What I finally came up with, however, is that looks are decieving: I appear to be asleep in the photo, but I'm actually not. Would you have thought otherwise?

Precisely. I think now how looks really can be decieving. When I first arrived in Korea, my school appeared squared away, tech-savvy and well established: the truth is, it's still going through the initial transition stage of establishing a good curriculum, meanwhile building publicity to entice students and foreign teachers alike. I dated a Korean teacher who appeared to be honest, caring and intelligent, sharing my passion for travel and learning, while introducing me to the Korean culture and language: then as the truth unraveled, he showed his true colors to be neurotic, venegeful and physically violent. So you see, looks and appearance are simply assumptions about how something really is. You have to pry a little, digging deep below the surface, to understand whether you're being decieved or not. Simply a thought, really.

Today I went over to Anne's house, a fellow Canadian friend of mine. We had great fun catching up, cooking dinner, talking about music and our guitars--which, I brought mine over specifically to play. And low and behold, we found a common ground! She's been learning to play the guitar for a few months now; I've been playing for years, but I'm more than rusty after not playing for nearly 7+ months (I left my guitar back in the States when I left for Korea). It was just a great time. She turned me on to a song by The Dixie Chicks (called Landslide, a cover possibly by Stevie Nicks?). And we played Michelle Branch's "All You Wanted" plenty times over. It was just a great feeling to jam without hesitation or reservation. This week, we plan on heading down to Communes downtown to check out the Wednesday open mic. I hear it's relaxing, so I'm hoping to persuade her to jam there with me soon. I'll let you know how it goes!

Alas, the evening comes to a close, and I must get along and prepare my a.m. phone tutoring classes, which start at 8:30. Goodnight!

Welcome to JungChul!

What an interesting turn this has taken.

My previous post, just a few days ago, could actually be consider a bonefied Rant by all definitions of the term, if you consider the following reasons: the first being the overall stress factor of a new schedule being pushed upon us teahers, right after the new year; the second being the lack of breaks at work, genuine sleep and adequate nourshment, which provoked an unsettling of the nerves and short temper on my part.

I've decided to edit the previous post because, and I have since realized today, that it was necessary for privacy-sake, and for a very good reason. I have essentially been self-appointed, with my director's approval, as the official recruiter for our school, simply because I believe the best recruiter is a current teacher who know's the ins and outs of the private English school system, who's familiar with what the school is looking for and needs, and can act as a liasion between potential candidate and the school. Now is that interesting enough?

I had been talking over the idea of recruiting my own co-worker with my fellow American teacher, Daniel. He's been through the 'stepping-stone' Hagwon system, and is now looking forward to a University teaching job next month. What a trade! But as I think about it, I would not trade my job for any other University or college opening; I honestly couldn't ask for a better director than Susan. Aside from the normal gossip within the Korean teacher circle (something I know every Hagwon could do without!) the director and the kids make my job worthwhile--which is most definitely what it's all about--teaching the kids, associating with them, and connecting with them in ways only a teacher can do.

So aside from the usual teaching day, who's adventures I'll need to write another email about---I must admit it feels pretty darn good to be in control of who I will be working along side. In jest, I could laugh about the opportunity; but the truth is, would I not only get paid for placing a qualified ESL teacher at my school, but I would in-turn, hand-pick candidates that would share my work load, and develop the native-English teacher curriculum with. It's quite an endeavor, and it seems almost overwhelming. But I think I'm ready to tackle the job.

Check out the next actual 'advertisement' that I set up on various websites. And for those faithful readers that sometimes find my posts interesting and entertaining, read on. It certainly doesn't stop here!

Welcome to my world, JungChul...

Ps. Any interested current or prospective ESL teachers wishing to seek more information on the native-English teacher position offered at my school, email inquiries to me at Chelsea_JCEI@hotmail.com

Thanks again for reading,

Yours truly, ~ Chelsea

First of the year teaching blues...

It's already the first of the year, and nearly the end of the first week, and let me tell you---THANK GOD! I'm just about to go insane from my work schedule. Can you say, "No Breaks?" Is it me or does it seem like by the end of my contract, I will be worked like a dog, covered in gray and wrinkled like a prune from all the stress?

And let me just say, it certainly has nothing to do with the kids I work for/with. They're MARVELOUS!!

So I won't go into too much detail at the moment. But I was really thinking how lucky I was to have such a great job, a great bunch of co-workers, and a splendid boss who's caring, warm, and accomodating.

She certainly was to let me take the month break I needed. Let's just say, as a first-year ESL teacher, you will NEVER find a boss that'll be fine with that. I have had extenuating circumstances of course, but nonetheless, I came back to a job. What else can you ask for?

Well, I've asked myself that question over the course of the last week. And I've been thinking to myself actually, and maybe someone could set me straight on this:

Is it true that because I am a native English speaker, living in a country where my services are needed and abundant, whereas I make at least roughly twice the amount of my co-Korean teachers make---I should be punished for it, meaning, become accumstomed to working 6 or more hours straight without so much as a break to eat lunch/dinner--all the while be expected to maintain SOME LEVEL OF SANITY????

Or, maybe it's just me? Is this normal, or do I really have it good?

After this doozy of a week, I'm beginning to think I can no longer be classified a newbie ESL teacher simply by gradually being given a shitty work schedule. Ah, but wait! If I start teaching at 2pm, and keep going to 8 pm, hmmm.. that's about 6 straight hours of teaching! Now, don't get me wrong; I absolutely LOVE my kids. And I really admired my director and co-workers when I first came here. But a few things have changed since my arrival.

I often wonder what it would be like to work with other foreign teachers. I'd be able to seriously split up my schedule with them. What an idea! And come to think of it, we could get rid of the 2 other part-time Korean teachers, put their salaries together, and STILL be able to afford another foreign teacher.

You see where I'm getting at? I'm going insane, people. And that's because my director has wanted to find another foreign teacher for over a month and a half. But no dice. I've told them, I know about media-based advertising, why not have me do the publicity, the interviews, and write something on a few ESL websites to attract other foreigners to our school? Do you know what my answer was?

"I'll think about it" or "I'll consider it."

And do you know that Koreans have a very hard time saying no? So, basically, anything aside from a "YES" is suttle, simple, yet ordinary, in-your-face.... "HELL NO!" I wish somebody would have told me that in the beginning. Damn, if I've had to learn everything on my own!

(Initial post edited for privacy-sake)

So essentially, you may just as well call this, the first of the year teaching blues..