Showing posts with label work. Show all posts
Showing posts with label work. Show all posts
Sunday, March 28, 2010
It's the little things at work.
On Friday something astounding happened. One of my classes got switched for a really bad class--a class that nobody knew what to do with--so they switched teachers and gave the class to me. The coteacher and my boss were talking about the class, and she said how she was maintaining order--if they lost a certain amount of points, then they would be in trouble. But my boss said "no, you should add points when they do good things" (though this was all happening in Korean, so the only thing I picked out was 'minus' and 'plus', but I knew what they were talking about.) So then I said "Yeah that's how I maintain order, just because they don't understand why I get mad at them." But my boss chose MY SIDE on a debate about how to teach. MY SIDE! Dear people who think "The Korean is Always Right". My boss supported MY teaching style instead of my older, more experienced Korean co-teacher. (Or at least, that's how I took it. Because I needed a victory that day.)
Sunday, January 24, 2010
I seriously need to do laundry.
Spent an interesting weekend--and when I say spent, I mean SPENT, because I went shopping and bought SO MUCH that I might have set back my saving plans by weeks. Lord.
But I now have a pair of THE coolest boots on the face of the earth. For less than 40 bucks. And who can beat that, anyhow? I went shopping with Kristen, the girl who works at Avalon down the street from me. She's a lot of fun, and it's great to have a girl around again--especially one that likes to shop, bwaha. But I definitely spent too much too quickly.
I went dancing on Friday night at the 'hiphop' style club in Dunsan-dong called Cocoon. It's an intriguing place... good music, to an extent, but dancing there is slightly awkward. People watch you but don't approach you, and when they do, they're usually 20 years old, and their idea of dancing is basically to just latch onto you like a leech and try to suck the blood out of you. A friend told me that everybody at Cocoon was really young, and I didn't quite believe him (because he's old, haha). But once again, I'm realizing that I might be the 'young' one (at the remarkable age of 22, which apparently is really strange here), but the people on my level are much older--27-28-29. In fact the people that I most enjoy being with are around the 30s range. And while I love having an older group of friends, it's also a testament to how difficult the younger ones can be--like when you go to Cocoon and have awkward boys all over you.
Anyway after spending all Saturday shopping, I went to a birthday party of a friend of a friend over at the KAIST dorms. (And the dorm/apartments are much nicer than mine. Putain.) Failed at playing Korean drinking games, (which was a consumption disaster, I will tell you that), then ended up at--of course--Sponge, where I ran into friends who like to play pool and darts for drinks. All in all, we can say that I got the week's stress out of my system, and then spent all day Sunday at the jjimjilbang recovering.
This jjimjilbang that I went to was great though, they had all kinds of stuff in there. The outside waiting area, where the entrances to the saunas were, had a fake waterfall with little bridges and cars and people. And it was awesome. In the bathing area they had a really hot room with a really cold pool, and I loved that. I met a woman who had lived in DC for five years, and at first I had no idea that she was even Korean. Her English was so good that I thought she was foreign. (Is that a bad assumption?) Anyway I had a great time chilling out, and then I went home and napped.
Things at work have been stressful. Rumor has it that the husband is watching the cameras from the wife's center, and while I've heard nothing about how I am 'misbehaving' or 'not teaching properly', my boss has called up my coworker to tell him super anal things. I'm worried that the hands of corporate Korean hagwon madness are going to start closing on my already dwindling soul. I'm struggling to be a better teacher, but the weight of things is just pressing too hard. Once and a while I just need a little faith. Someone to say--"you're doing okay." or, "You handled this correctly." Instead of this constant silence, thin smiles, and continual avoidance. Or, my least favorite thing, "Maggie, why did you do this?" And it's been five months, so now it's really hard for me to say "I just didn't know." But there are things that I just don't know, because nobody tells me anything. And contrary to popular belief, I don't read minds, and I didn't really have much training, and someone who as worked with a program for 5 months, simply doesn't know the same amount about it as someone who has worked there for five years.
Sigh. At least it's getting warmer.
But I now have a pair of THE coolest boots on the face of the earth. For less than 40 bucks. And who can beat that, anyhow? I went shopping with Kristen, the girl who works at Avalon down the street from me. She's a lot of fun, and it's great to have a girl around again--especially one that likes to shop, bwaha. But I definitely spent too much too quickly.
I went dancing on Friday night at the 'hiphop' style club in Dunsan-dong called Cocoon. It's an intriguing place... good music, to an extent, but dancing there is slightly awkward. People watch you but don't approach you, and when they do, they're usually 20 years old, and their idea of dancing is basically to just latch onto you like a leech and try to suck the blood out of you. A friend told me that everybody at Cocoon was really young, and I didn't quite believe him (because he's old, haha). But once again, I'm realizing that I might be the 'young' one (at the remarkable age of 22, which apparently is really strange here), but the people on my level are much older--27-28-29. In fact the people that I most enjoy being with are around the 30s range. And while I love having an older group of friends, it's also a testament to how difficult the younger ones can be--like when you go to Cocoon and have awkward boys all over you.
Anyway after spending all Saturday shopping, I went to a birthday party of a friend of a friend over at the KAIST dorms. (And the dorm/apartments are much nicer than mine. Putain.) Failed at playing Korean drinking games, (which was a consumption disaster, I will tell you that), then ended up at--of course--Sponge, where I ran into friends who like to play pool and darts for drinks. All in all, we can say that I got the week's stress out of my system, and then spent all day Sunday at the jjimjilbang recovering.
This jjimjilbang that I went to was great though, they had all kinds of stuff in there. The outside waiting area, where the entrances to the saunas were, had a fake waterfall with little bridges and cars and people. And it was awesome. In the bathing area they had a really hot room with a really cold pool, and I loved that. I met a woman who had lived in DC for five years, and at first I had no idea that she was even Korean. Her English was so good that I thought she was foreign. (Is that a bad assumption?) Anyway I had a great time chilling out, and then I went home and napped.
Things at work have been stressful. Rumor has it that the husband is watching the cameras from the wife's center, and while I've heard nothing about how I am 'misbehaving' or 'not teaching properly', my boss has called up my coworker to tell him super anal things. I'm worried that the hands of corporate Korean hagwon madness are going to start closing on my already dwindling soul. I'm struggling to be a better teacher, but the weight of things is just pressing too hard. Once and a while I just need a little faith. Someone to say--"you're doing okay." or, "You handled this correctly." Instead of this constant silence, thin smiles, and continual avoidance. Or, my least favorite thing, "Maggie, why did you do this?" And it's been five months, so now it's really hard for me to say "I just didn't know." But there are things that I just don't know, because nobody tells me anything. And contrary to popular belief, I don't read minds, and I didn't really have much training, and someone who as worked with a program for 5 months, simply doesn't know the same amount about it as someone who has worked there for five years.
Sigh. At least it's getting warmer.
Saturday, October 31, 2009
As I wait for Greys Anatomy to Load....
Horray for the weekend!
H1N1 panic is back in style. This time, though, it seems like people have a real reason for it. At least one of my students flat out told me "Oh, I was gone last week because I had swine flu." Yesterday we were forced to wear masks during passing time in class. It was kind of like an impromptu Halloween costume. I'm so nervous that my kids are going to get me sick. Kids always get you sick. On Thursday, my 3:30 class had one kid in it--out of nine or ten.
Honestly if they are going to close the schools, they should do it now. It won't be good because we won't get paid for the time that we aren't working, but I would welcome the vacation--and then I wouldn't feel so guilty if I ended up getting sick too.
Right now I'm feeling nervous about a lot of logistical things that I need to figure out. My alien card and passport are still being handled by the immigration office. That also means that I don't have health insurance yet, but it is officially out of my (and my bosses') hands. I have seen, here, though, that even if you don't have insurance, health care is not as exorbitantly expensive as it is in the states. If I did get sick, it wouldn't put me out too far to get treated, and I'm sure I could work something out post-treatment for pay back.
I had a pretty bad day on Friday. I just don't know what happened. I wasn't feeling the vibe, and I was just.. out of it. Achey, tired, and be-masked. No energy to get the kids going. (Actually, they didn't make us wear the mask while we were teaching. Just when we were walking around in the hallways.)
The kids from the other hagwons were also mysteriously absent in the hallway on Friday. The only other kids I saw were the ones from the Taekwondo hagwon. Actually, funny story about the Taekwondo Hagwon... one of the teachers is about my age, and bows to me EVERY time he sees me. It always makes me feel good, when I'm not having a good day. Like, "my kids might think I'm an idiot and hate my guts, and have no respect for me, but at least this random taekwondo master respects me and what I do." I mean, he must respect what I do, because he doesn't know anything about me other than what I do, and he really appears to bow out of genuine respect. It's weird, but quite comforting.
Maybe this is why, in the states, we have MEA weekend. The teachers have to plan and everything, but it's a good excuse to kick the kids out of the school during the sickest months of the year--get them to play, recover, and not get the teachers sick. Then again, when teachers get sick in the USA, they have substitutes.
H1N1 panic is back in style. This time, though, it seems like people have a real reason for it. At least one of my students flat out told me "Oh, I was gone last week because I had swine flu." Yesterday we were forced to wear masks during passing time in class. It was kind of like an impromptu Halloween costume. I'm so nervous that my kids are going to get me sick. Kids always get you sick. On Thursday, my 3:30 class had one kid in it--out of nine or ten.
Honestly if they are going to close the schools, they should do it now. It won't be good because we won't get paid for the time that we aren't working, but I would welcome the vacation--and then I wouldn't feel so guilty if I ended up getting sick too.
Right now I'm feeling nervous about a lot of logistical things that I need to figure out. My alien card and passport are still being handled by the immigration office. That also means that I don't have health insurance yet, but it is officially out of my (and my bosses') hands. I have seen, here, though, that even if you don't have insurance, health care is not as exorbitantly expensive as it is in the states. If I did get sick, it wouldn't put me out too far to get treated, and I'm sure I could work something out post-treatment for pay back.
I had a pretty bad day on Friday. I just don't know what happened. I wasn't feeling the vibe, and I was just.. out of it. Achey, tired, and be-masked. No energy to get the kids going. (Actually, they didn't make us wear the mask while we were teaching. Just when we were walking around in the hallways.)
The kids from the other hagwons were also mysteriously absent in the hallway on Friday. The only other kids I saw were the ones from the Taekwondo hagwon. Actually, funny story about the Taekwondo Hagwon... one of the teachers is about my age, and bows to me EVERY time he sees me. It always makes me feel good, when I'm not having a good day. Like, "my kids might think I'm an idiot and hate my guts, and have no respect for me, but at least this random taekwondo master respects me and what I do." I mean, he must respect what I do, because he doesn't know anything about me other than what I do, and he really appears to bow out of genuine respect. It's weird, but quite comforting.
Maybe this is why, in the states, we have MEA weekend. The teachers have to plan and everything, but it's a good excuse to kick the kids out of the school during the sickest months of the year--get them to play, recover, and not get the teachers sick. Then again, when teachers get sick in the USA, they have substitutes.
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
This world keeps spinning round and round--and I keep missing it.
"King Kevin Keeps a Kettle in his Kitchen."
"King Kevin Keeps a Koala in his Kitchen."
My explanation skills are weakening because I keep trying to simplify how I explain things. Use the simplest words to achieve the least levels of complexity. For someone that thrives off of the complex, this is difficult. It's a challenge, though. Fun and interesting. I tried to teach one glass a few grammatical things, but they just don't get it. And then they get angry with me. One particular girl just rolls her eyes and treats me like an idiot. And I want to say, "No dear, it's you that doesn't understand. But not for any good reason. Mostly because your curriculum thinks it's okay to teach you CONTRACTIONS asap." What?? Contractions? These kids are never going to learn where to put a verb. ^^; Sigh. And I can't change it.
I have a pair of difficult kids in my Wednesday classes. One for each class. One student I threw out of class last time--and not because he had mental disorder related anger problems. Sometimes I feel like I don't have any control in my own classroom. I feel helpless--mostly with the really bad ones. Because I'm used to reasoning with a bad kid. Explaining. But how do you explain to a kid that doesn't speak your language? And doesn't want to? And the last teacher who was here probably had NO good way to deal with it? Sigh. Impossible. You just kick him out and send him to the director. The director can watch the video. Lord.
I hope I still like kids when I come out of this year. ^^; I mean kids have always kind of frustrated me, but they were always so cute, too... and I guess I'm more of a baby person, but these kids... putain, man.
I am feeling pretty homesick. And the nice thing is, though, that I recognize it for what it is. I recognize that this is the time when that happens for me... I feel like I'm riding out a wave that I already knew was coming. And that is comforting. I'm drawing a lot. More importantly, though, I know that I am homesick for something that isn't really there anymore. So.. it makes it easier, because even if I said "I need to go home", I know I wouldn't be satisfied there either. So I just wait--make a new life here.
Anyway I really want to find some way to scan in my drawings. I don't know how to do it yet, but when I can I will certainly post them. I've also decided that I am going to do NANOWRIMO!! Yay!! For the first time in a couple years! I am so excited!! I already know the story that I am going to write.... :D
"King Kevin Keeps a Koala in his Kitchen."
My explanation skills are weakening because I keep trying to simplify how I explain things. Use the simplest words to achieve the least levels of complexity. For someone that thrives off of the complex, this is difficult. It's a challenge, though. Fun and interesting. I tried to teach one glass a few grammatical things, but they just don't get it. And then they get angry with me. One particular girl just rolls her eyes and treats me like an idiot. And I want to say, "No dear, it's you that doesn't understand. But not for any good reason. Mostly because your curriculum thinks it's okay to teach you CONTRACTIONS asap." What?? Contractions? These kids are never going to learn where to put a verb. ^^; Sigh. And I can't change it.
I have a pair of difficult kids in my Wednesday classes. One for each class. One student I threw out of class last time--and not because he had mental disorder related anger problems. Sometimes I feel like I don't have any control in my own classroom. I feel helpless--mostly with the really bad ones. Because I'm used to reasoning with a bad kid. Explaining. But how do you explain to a kid that doesn't speak your language? And doesn't want to? And the last teacher who was here probably had NO good way to deal with it? Sigh. Impossible. You just kick him out and send him to the director. The director can watch the video. Lord.
I hope I still like kids when I come out of this year. ^^; I mean kids have always kind of frustrated me, but they were always so cute, too... and I guess I'm more of a baby person, but these kids... putain, man.
I am feeling pretty homesick. And the nice thing is, though, that I recognize it for what it is. I recognize that this is the time when that happens for me... I feel like I'm riding out a wave that I already knew was coming. And that is comforting. I'm drawing a lot. More importantly, though, I know that I am homesick for something that isn't really there anymore. So.. it makes it easier, because even if I said "I need to go home", I know I wouldn't be satisfied there either. So I just wait--make a new life here.
Anyway I really want to find some way to scan in my drawings. I don't know how to do it yet, but when I can I will certainly post them. I've also decided that I am going to do NANOWRIMO!! Yay!! For the first time in a couple years! I am so excited!! I already know the story that I am going to write.... :D
Thursday, September 3, 2009
Annyeong haseyo!
WOW! .. Yeah I'm not really sure where to start.
You will notice that I am awake at 7:30am. At home it's 5.30 pm. This is strange because usually when you are jetlagged, you can't sleep when you wouldn't sleep normally. However, I am the queen of napping through the evening, so I can't figure out why I was wide awake this early. Who knows! It is a mystery of the universe.
Anyhow, yesterday I was up even earlier, 6:00am, which means that I had a pretty jam packed day. I started training yesterday, which basically consisted of my boss showing me where the teacher's guides are, and then letting me sit in on five classes. It wasn't until the two last classes, that had American teachers, that I really started to understand what my job would be like. It sounds stressful and confusing, and it kind of is, but this is the way I learn--I refer to it as the "if you throw her in the pool, she will learn to swim" method. Now I would never teach a child how to swim like that, mostly because that endangers their lives, but this is how I best learn new jobs. It just takes a big toll on you the first week or so.
I am surprised at how calm I am about things. I remember the first time I went abroad on my own--to London--I was nervous about this, and that, and all these different things. This time I am just at ease. I think it's because I'm older and better traveled, but also my bosses have put me at ease. They are great people, very kind.
I am staying at a hotel right now, because the teacher I am replacing is still in my apartment. He is leaving tonight, but my bosses said that they wanted to clean the apartment before I moved in. (Good plan!) I am really excited to have my own place--decorate everything, make myself at home. Of course, I do like the (free) broadband internet that the hotel offers... and the self-making bed and self-folding towels, haha. Anyway, though, I started to say that because wen I arrived, I pretty quickly realized that the power outlets in Korea are recessed, meaning that my converter plug wouldn't fit! It is big and square, and the outlets have round holes. (Pondering the situation, I decided that recessed outlets are silly and don't make any sense, but maybe it helps with tripping on a chord and breaking it.) I went to have lunch with my bosses, and I mentioned this problem to them, and Mr. Kim ran off and bought me an extender! I was so happy!
Okay so a note about food. FOOD IS AMAZING. Mr. Kim and Mrs. Park took me to a Japanese fusion restaurant for lunch yesterday. I had some kind of fried meat (pork or chicken) with sweet potatoes stuffed inside. Mr. Kim had the same thing only the stuffing was cheese! CHEESE! NO WAY MAN. I don't know if that is an anomaly in Korea--to have so much cheese in one meal--but I know where I will be eating if I am having a craving for a cheesy deliciousness. For dinner, we went to a restaurant where you cook your own vegetables and meat. I went with Mr. Kim and Mrs. Park and Rebecca, the other American teacher at my school. She is interesting and does well with the kids. I sat in on a class with her that was VERY rambunctious, but at least they were rambunctious and speaking English, haha.
The curriculum is simple, and I think it will be easy to learn. It's even all online, so I can check it out on my laptop! That is what I intend to be doing for the AHH million hours that I have before I need to go to work. Mr. Kim is coming to pick me up, because.. well, I don't actually know how to get from my hotel to my school. Hehe. Like I said, I'm being pretty laid back about things.
Anyway... overall I am doing well!! I am tired, but I am so excited about living here! The eye has plenty of things to feast on, from the distant mountains (!!!) to grandmothers sitting on the street selling their produce. Just from briefly walking on the street yesterday, I feel like this is going to be a fascinating fusion of old and new... where you can have a farmer sitting on the ground with beans for sale on top of a subway tunnel and next to the kind of clothing shop that would be at home on 5th Avenue.
This is going to be great, I can tell.
You will notice that I am awake at 7:30am. At home it's 5.30 pm. This is strange because usually when you are jetlagged, you can't sleep when you wouldn't sleep normally. However, I am the queen of napping through the evening, so I can't figure out why I was wide awake this early. Who knows! It is a mystery of the universe.
Anyhow, yesterday I was up even earlier, 6:00am, which means that I had a pretty jam packed day. I started training yesterday, which basically consisted of my boss showing me where the teacher's guides are, and then letting me sit in on five classes. It wasn't until the two last classes, that had American teachers, that I really started to understand what my job would be like. It sounds stressful and confusing, and it kind of is, but this is the way I learn--I refer to it as the "if you throw her in the pool, she will learn to swim" method. Now I would never teach a child how to swim like that, mostly because that endangers their lives, but this is how I best learn new jobs. It just takes a big toll on you the first week or so.
I am surprised at how calm I am about things. I remember the first time I went abroad on my own--to London--I was nervous about this, and that, and all these different things. This time I am just at ease. I think it's because I'm older and better traveled, but also my bosses have put me at ease. They are great people, very kind.
I am staying at a hotel right now, because the teacher I am replacing is still in my apartment. He is leaving tonight, but my bosses said that they wanted to clean the apartment before I moved in. (Good plan!) I am really excited to have my own place--decorate everything, make myself at home. Of course, I do like the (free) broadband internet that the hotel offers... and the self-making bed and self-folding towels, haha. Anyway, though, I started to say that because wen I arrived, I pretty quickly realized that the power outlets in Korea are recessed, meaning that my converter plug wouldn't fit! It is big and square, and the outlets have round holes. (Pondering the situation, I decided that recessed outlets are silly and don't make any sense, but maybe it helps with tripping on a chord and breaking it.) I went to have lunch with my bosses, and I mentioned this problem to them, and Mr. Kim ran off and bought me an extender! I was so happy!
Okay so a note about food. FOOD IS AMAZING. Mr. Kim and Mrs. Park took me to a Japanese fusion restaurant for lunch yesterday. I had some kind of fried meat (pork or chicken) with sweet potatoes stuffed inside. Mr. Kim had the same thing only the stuffing was cheese! CHEESE! NO WAY MAN. I don't know if that is an anomaly in Korea--to have so much cheese in one meal--but I know where I will be eating if I am having a craving for a cheesy deliciousness. For dinner, we went to a restaurant where you cook your own vegetables and meat. I went with Mr. Kim and Mrs. Park and Rebecca, the other American teacher at my school. She is interesting and does well with the kids. I sat in on a class with her that was VERY rambunctious, but at least they were rambunctious and speaking English, haha.
The curriculum is simple, and I think it will be easy to learn. It's even all online, so I can check it out on my laptop! That is what I intend to be doing for the AHH million hours that I have before I need to go to work. Mr. Kim is coming to pick me up, because.. well, I don't actually know how to get from my hotel to my school. Hehe. Like I said, I'm being pretty laid back about things.
Anyway... overall I am doing well!! I am tired, but I am so excited about living here! The eye has plenty of things to feast on, from the distant mountains (!!!) to grandmothers sitting on the street selling their produce. Just from briefly walking on the street yesterday, I feel like this is going to be a fascinating fusion of old and new... where you can have a farmer sitting on the ground with beans for sale on top of a subway tunnel and next to the kind of clothing shop that would be at home on 5th Avenue.
This is going to be great, I can tell.
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