Ok. I can't speak the language. I can't understand the language, and I can't read the language. This defninitely limits my abitlity to do much. I tried Korean food on my first day. Actually I was kind of gung ho to sample all of the local cuisine, but an upset stomach for the first 48 hours(I blame it more on the flight and lack of sleep) directed me towards breads and fruits to start. There are restaurants and food vendors literally everywhere, but very few have English or pictures of the food, so I'll wait until I have a small vocabulary or a good guide. Call me a sucker but yes, I ate at McDonalds, more out of curiousity than anythings else. I had a combo meal with a Big Bugola burger(?). I wanted to share with them that I too had worked in the mines of McDonalds as a teen and that better things would surely come for them, but then I remembered that I can't even say "hello" correctly yet. Most everyone that I've met, aka bought things from, had been very polite. They are patient with my inability to listen or speak. They haven't ripped me off(that I know of) and no one has been rude to my face.
There are actually tens of thousands of American/Canadian/Australian/English/South African/Kiwi teachers here in Seoul, but very few in the area that I live. Nowon is not really a suburb, but is on the edge of town, so isn't as multicultural as a lot of Seoul. If you're familiar with Minneapolis, think Coon Rapids....with about 3 millions people. I took the subway yesterday(intimidating at first, but amazingly quick and easy) to Itaewon, the ex-pat touristy Section of Seoul. There is an American military base there(why wouldn't they like us?) and a large population of immigrants from the US, Nigeria and India as well. I was in the heart and the street was lined and I mean lined with roadside tents selling everything from electronic swimming frogs to Gucci footwear(I'm sure they're authentic). There were restaurants from all over the world; and Austrian diner, an Italian deli(with a stereotypical Italian meat guy behind the counter), Chinese restaurants, Korean places as well as the greatest of America's contribution to the worlds cuisine. Quiznos, Burger King, Popeyes, McDonalds, KFC, Pizza Hut, Dunkin Donuts (minneapolis doesn't even have one!!!!), TGIFridays, and Bennigans. About 25 percent of the people walking the streets were white or black. I didn't feel quite so out of place, but even I could tell that this wasn't exactly the pride and joy of Seoul. It had a definite State Fair/armpit-like quality. I didn't see any "families walking to the park" going on. It was all about making or spending a buck...err...won.
Speaking of won, the money ahs been pretty easy for me. The Korean won has just about a 1000 to 1 exchange rate withe the dollar, so calculations are pretty simple. And I'm looking forward to my first payday when I can look at my bank account and see 7 figures!!
I've gotta run again. Bubye!!
~tony
Sunday, August 31, 2008
Saturday, August 30, 2008
Day 2/3/4 : The Blur
My first day at school!!!
Going on about 6 hours of sleep in the previous 50+ hours, I arrived at school the next morning. Bender, the old teacher, brought me in early to show me around and give me more "tips". I was introduced to countless people whose names it will take me some serious studying to remember. I had heard that many schools have a training day or two to acclimate the teacher into the school and the systems. I heard wrong. They handed me a textbook and sent me off to my room to teach a lesson to 200+ students that day.
As an aside, I'll describe the school. It's a strange mixture of modern and "old world". The gym is just a gravel field outside in the courtyard with basketball hoops and one of those "Panamanian Dictator" pedastals that you can stand on while leading a formation of pre-teens doing jumping jacks. Yet, you will find in every room a gigantic plasma screen television. The "old" computer projection system is the same one that was just being installed in the Minneapolis public schools this last year. The classrooms are average, but overcrowded; classes average about 38 students. The hallways are filthy. I could just see Tim, my old anal-retentive principal walking these halls. He would burst a vessel of two. There are no custodians. The students are responsible for cleaning the whole building at the end of each day. That sounds like a great plan considering the sheer number of little cleaners running around, but the practical application fails miserably. They sweep and mop with as much discipline as........any middle schooler would I guess. My room is huge and relatively clean, so I can't complain.
Officially, I teach Conversational English. The kids have a regular English teacher. I am just there to....well.....I'll let you know when I find out what I'm there to do. I have 5 - 45 minute classes each day so I see all 1000 students each week. I had hoped to fill up all of the first class period with an introduction and "question time". I knew they were all extremely curious about the new and only white guy at the school. I didn't account for the fact that most every kid was as timid as a mouse. Getting them to speak individually was like pulling teeth. I ended up just giving them the "my classroom rules speech" and BSed my way through whatever page they told me they were on. The kids are actually pretty well behaved. They're fidgety and awkward like any middle schoolers, but their ability to follow directions makes up for the large class size a little.
4:30 came around and it was time for my zombie-self to walk home. It's about a 12 minute walk. I took a detour to a Homever store that was recommended a few blocks away. Stores here are a trip. I could buy a zuchini and a tie-clip about anywhere I go.
I have to run......goodbye for now!!
~tony
Going on about 6 hours of sleep in the previous 50+ hours, I arrived at school the next morning. Bender, the old teacher, brought me in early to show me around and give me more "tips". I was introduced to countless people whose names it will take me some serious studying to remember. I had heard that many schools have a training day or two to acclimate the teacher into the school and the systems. I heard wrong. They handed me a textbook and sent me off to my room to teach a lesson to 200+ students that day.
As an aside, I'll describe the school. It's a strange mixture of modern and "old world". The gym is just a gravel field outside in the courtyard with basketball hoops and one of those "Panamanian Dictator" pedastals that you can stand on while leading a formation of pre-teens doing jumping jacks. Yet, you will find in every room a gigantic plasma screen television. The "old" computer projection system is the same one that was just being installed in the Minneapolis public schools this last year. The classrooms are average, but overcrowded; classes average about 38 students. The hallways are filthy. I could just see Tim, my old anal-retentive principal walking these halls. He would burst a vessel of two. There are no custodians. The students are responsible for cleaning the whole building at the end of each day. That sounds like a great plan considering the sheer number of little cleaners running around, but the practical application fails miserably. They sweep and mop with as much discipline as........any middle schooler would I guess. My room is huge and relatively clean, so I can't complain.
Officially, I teach Conversational English. The kids have a regular English teacher. I am just there to....well.....I'll let you know when I find out what I'm there to do. I have 5 - 45 minute classes each day so I see all 1000 students each week. I had hoped to fill up all of the first class period with an introduction and "question time". I knew they were all extremely curious about the new and only white guy at the school. I didn't account for the fact that most every kid was as timid as a mouse. Getting them to speak individually was like pulling teeth. I ended up just giving them the "my classroom rules speech" and BSed my way through whatever page they told me they were on. The kids are actually pretty well behaved. They're fidgety and awkward like any middle schoolers, but their ability to follow directions makes up for the large class size a little.
4:30 came around and it was time for my zombie-self to walk home. It's about a 12 minute walk. I took a detour to a Homever store that was recommended a few blocks away. Stores here are a trip. I could buy a zuchini and a tie-clip about anywhere I go.
I have to run......goodbye for now!!
~tony
Friday, August 29, 2008
13 hours from now in a megalopolis far, far away...
...the adventure begins.
(Actually, I've been here for 4 days now, but this is the first meaningful internet access I've had, so we'll just pretend. And for those of you who don't know, I'll recap the story so far. I've signed a one year contract to teach English in Seoul, South Korea. My trusty cat Mango has asked to come along and I said yes. I moved out of my overpriced apartment in Edina and spent the last few days with friends and family in DL and Fargo. By the way, thank you so much to all who made it to the going away "party" that we had at my mom's house. It was very kind of you all to make the trip! Back to the story. My flight left Fargo's Hector Inter(hah!)national airport at 5:40 am, Sunday August 24th...)
Flight #1 - Fargo to Chicago - United -
Short but excruciating. Mango was doing great for the first half of the flight so I gave her a few pieces of food as a reward. Big mistake! As we descended, she proceded to freak out, bite a hole in her carrier, and puke(although silently!). The lady in the seat beside me "volunteered" to move to the back of the plane to balance the weight. How nice of her.
5 hour Layover, aka. the calm before the storm - I ate pizza. Deep dish of course.
Flight #2 - Chicago to Seoul - Korean Air -
Have you ever been deprogrammed from being in a cult? I'm guessing that this is what it feels like. I sat in an uncofortable little seat, forced to stay awake(by my own brain), and had nothing to watch but REALLY bad movies. (Warning - do NOT rent Be Kind, Rewind). On the plus side, they had complimentary beer and wine. Not too shabby! The food was okay and they kept the snacks coming. Mango had given up her will to live at this point, staring achingly up from the kitty-fetal position at the bottom of her carrier. This was, in fact, a good thing. Though it may have emotionally scarred her for life, it meant that she didn't let out even one little meow until we landed.
We got off and out quickly and my bags weren't far behind. We breezed through the passport check, customs, and kitty quarantine(with a free luggage cart! what a country!). I exchanged my dollars for what I think are Chuck E. Cheese gift certificates, and headed to the English teacher staging area. About 15 or so other teachers were there waiting. The people with clipboards herded us "cattle" **foreshadowing** into a bus and off we went. It was an hour ride into town. While many people were chatting and getting to know each other, I was mesmerized by what was out the windows; the funky-looking aparment buildings and the biggest bridge that I've ever seen. We arrived at meeting point #2, where representatives from the various schools were there to shuttle us to point #3. My people weren't there yet, but that was fine. I was just glad to NOT be watching Jack Black try too hard to be funny.
The 2 teachers from my school eventually came and brought Mango and myself on another 1 hour trip to Nowon, the northeast district of Seoul in which I would be teaching. My school is called Joongwan Middle School. Yes, I said "middle school". It's a good thing I have all of that "middle school" experience, huh? At this point it was my turn to give up the will to live. Things become a little blurry here. I remember the man living up to the "in your face questions" stereotype by asking every personal and professional question under the sun. He meant no ill will. I had read that many people here like to get straight to the point and know where you stand. They said that the teacher that I was replacing would be staying in the apartment for one last night before his flight in the morning, which was fine.
Around 10:00 we arrived at the apartment, called an Officetel. The teachers left, I freed Mango, and I proceeded to shower 6600 miles worth of stink off. The old teacher, a 60-year-old named Bender, wanted to show me around the neighborhood a bit before bed. I had to get to bed early, you see, because I WAS EXPECTED TO BE AT WORK AT 8:10 THE NEXT MORNING! Do you get the cattle reference now?
We wandered down the street for a bit, but to be honest, I remember none of his little tips except that there is a good acupuncture place next door that I can go to for $7 on my health plan.
I laid down in my bed (No choice really. I can't stand up in my bedroom.) and slept.....for 3 hours.
~~~That's all for now! What will happen to our hero next??? Will Tony get a part-time job bartending at Fridays or did he forget his flair at home? Will Bender turn out to be a decent guy or will he have left the apartment in a layer of sludge? Will Mango ever forgive Tony for the flight or will all be forgotten the first time her food dish is filled?
Tune in next time to find out!!!
~tony
(Actually, I've been here for 4 days now, but this is the first meaningful internet access I've had, so we'll just pretend. And for those of you who don't know, I'll recap the story so far. I've signed a one year contract to teach English in Seoul, South Korea. My trusty cat Mango has asked to come along and I said yes. I moved out of my overpriced apartment in Edina and spent the last few days with friends and family in DL and Fargo. By the way, thank you so much to all who made it to the going away "party" that we had at my mom's house. It was very kind of you all to make the trip! Back to the story. My flight left Fargo's Hector Inter(hah!)national airport at 5:40 am, Sunday August 24th...)
Flight #1 - Fargo to Chicago - United -
Short but excruciating. Mango was doing great for the first half of the flight so I gave her a few pieces of food as a reward. Big mistake! As we descended, she proceded to freak out, bite a hole in her carrier, and puke(although silently!). The lady in the seat beside me "volunteered" to move to the back of the plane to balance the weight. How nice of her.
5 hour Layover, aka. the calm before the storm - I ate pizza. Deep dish of course.
Flight #2 - Chicago to Seoul - Korean Air -
Have you ever been deprogrammed from being in a cult? I'm guessing that this is what it feels like. I sat in an uncofortable little seat, forced to stay awake(by my own brain), and had nothing to watch but REALLY bad movies. (Warning - do NOT rent Be Kind, Rewind). On the plus side, they had complimentary beer and wine. Not too shabby! The food was okay and they kept the snacks coming. Mango had given up her will to live at this point, staring achingly up from the kitty-fetal position at the bottom of her carrier. This was, in fact, a good thing. Though it may have emotionally scarred her for life, it meant that she didn't let out even one little meow until we landed.
We got off and out quickly and my bags weren't far behind. We breezed through the passport check, customs, and kitty quarantine(with a free luggage cart! what a country!). I exchanged my dollars for what I think are Chuck E. Cheese gift certificates, and headed to the English teacher staging area. About 15 or so other teachers were there waiting. The people with clipboards herded us "cattle" **foreshadowing** into a bus and off we went. It was an hour ride into town. While many people were chatting and getting to know each other, I was mesmerized by what was out the windows; the funky-looking aparment buildings and the biggest bridge that I've ever seen. We arrived at meeting point #2, where representatives from the various schools were there to shuttle us to point #3. My people weren't there yet, but that was fine. I was just glad to NOT be watching Jack Black try too hard to be funny.
The 2 teachers from my school eventually came and brought Mango and myself on another 1 hour trip to Nowon, the northeast district of Seoul in which I would be teaching. My school is called Joongwan Middle School. Yes, I said "middle school". It's a good thing I have all of that "middle school" experience, huh? At this point it was my turn to give up the will to live. Things become a little blurry here. I remember the man living up to the "in your face questions" stereotype by asking every personal and professional question under the sun. He meant no ill will. I had read that many people here like to get straight to the point and know where you stand. They said that the teacher that I was replacing would be staying in the apartment for one last night before his flight in the morning, which was fine.
Around 10:00 we arrived at the apartment, called an Officetel. The teachers left, I freed Mango, and I proceeded to shower 6600 miles worth of stink off. The old teacher, a 60-year-old named Bender, wanted to show me around the neighborhood a bit before bed. I had to get to bed early, you see, because I WAS EXPECTED TO BE AT WORK AT 8:10 THE NEXT MORNING! Do you get the cattle reference now?
We wandered down the street for a bit, but to be honest, I remember none of his little tips except that there is a good acupuncture place next door that I can go to for $7 on my health plan.
I laid down in my bed (No choice really. I can't stand up in my bedroom.) and slept.....for 3 hours.
~~~That's all for now! What will happen to our hero next??? Will Tony get a part-time job bartending at Fridays or did he forget his flair at home? Will Bender turn out to be a decent guy or will he have left the apartment in a layer of sludge? Will Mango ever forgive Tony for the flight or will all be forgotten the first time her food dish is filled?
Tune in next time to find out!!!
~tony
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