Clown Suits

Where have I been for the past 5 days? Its all been so much of a blur its hard to believe that I am actually able to sit down and relax.  I have to get up at 8am to go back to work at YBM for the good ole Saturday classes. They are easier than this rat stomping hay barn that I seem to have gotten myself into a pickle.
This was originally started on Friday night but now its Sunday night and soon I will be going bed to prep for my private session and my first day back at work following the horrific open classes.

The last 3 days had represented the TTI Agency/School Programs whatever rendition of PTA conferences and thus we had OPEN classes.


Here is the Korean way of doing things. Presentation is critical but not where you would naturally think. I was supposed to wear a suit and this was the verdict that was handed down from a source from above but they never directly expressed these wishes to me and to make matters worse the only person to fuss about my attire was my wife. The Korean teachers fussed and stressed all week and frankly made my life hell by not being able to care about regular class instead


I was really bothered by this. I am tired each day because I exert the amount of energy required to teach where the Korean teachers complain that I don't do enough work but they only decide to show up and work when the bosses may be watching. I don't believe giving anyone a 0% effort nor do I think giving a 125% effort is the best way either. If I really want to impress people I will give my best effort each day and hope that its as close to 100% as possible

I worked well on Saturday finishing up the session at YBM and going out for a few nice meals that evening and the next day as well. Its just something about the weekends that make me feel great! I am excited for the up and coming event and just hope I can make my way back to YBM again!


More to come I got much to catch up on yet...

Musings of a former Ummer

         I just thought of this as I was reflecting on my old collegiate days and wishing like hell I could get back there. The general theme of college is a student is damn well close to being broke and is learning not only how to excel at his or her major but live the real life. The days of my college were mainly spent studying and laughing with my best friends. I had no true pocket money but what is really known to all college people is the concept of beer money. Each week I saved 10 dollars a measly amount to treat my friends to a pitcher of beer downtown. Those were the good ole days uh?


Scrounging around the house for quarters in order to do my laundry or buy a cup of coffee at my favorite place-The Food For Thought. Eating some decent breakfast right next to campus was the ideal way for me to escape the daily monotony of the busy college student.


Looking back I wonder how people balanced a high social life, drinking a lot of beer, doing our extracurricular activities and were still able to graduate. Most of us are not fortunate to be born into rich families or have an endless supply of money handy. I never shopped for clothes during my 4 year stay at the University. I always saved money by being as practical as possible.


In many ways I am still that college boy 3 years removed. I still long for a campus setting. I want to walk around the oval that I fervently miss and sit inside the classroom again where Knowledge truly is power. I want to hone in on my skills and show people truth-The truth of what really is behind your education. The incentive that you can truly use any information to your advantage and change the world.


I sit in my home where I have 2 piggy banks. One is for 500won (50 cents) and the other is for 100won (10 cents) these 2 coins are very important in Korea. I also collect 50s and 10s as well but only to convert them to a 100won later. I can buy a cup of coffee just using my change. Its ridiculously cheap. the amount of food I can get at a restaurant is also an extremely high amount for the grande total of the bill. Its amazing how far money will take you in Korea.

I like pointing this one out I have a travel card or money card known as a Mybi card. I can put as much money on it as I want and this is how I travel to work each day. Its a very convenient way to travel as well as live with. Its my new teddy bear that I sleep with under my arm each night. (not really).


As I am interested in my old University life I want to do whatever I can to get back to my roots. I am anxiously awaiting your comments. I would also like to hear more lengthy emails from any of you.


Here is just a random quote that came to my mind

A friend in need is a friend indeed. It makes me think of all the friendships that I have lost over distance over disparagements and silly rivalries. Friendships just like life are always changing and its important to let bygones be bygones and try to move forward into a bigger and brighter future. I would like to rejuvenate each other and use the time we have to catch up.

Live Update thru web forum

        It was a nice 3 day weekend. I had work on Saturday but Saturday work is always very laid back and no trouble at all. I enjoy going to Nampo-dong and feeling the nice morning breeze wake me up. Its a calm before the steady work begins. After working I went home where I enjoyed my first day of rested in sleep in over a week.


As the Rain Season is in loom for the people of Korea I am bracing myself for the trying time ahead. This week is going to be busy. I have 3 open classes starting on Wednesday and ending on Friday. I will be happy when I can say goodbye to Korean parents.

So I want to open a web forum and this is the only place I know where I can do it.

I have some personal feelings about Open class that I will briefly share. I want to pose this as a problem I face and want to hear your thoughts.


I feel that many of my judgements about Korean people are fair. I have been here for 3 years and can in all honesty say that I don't like the go go nature of this society. I can also say that I don't like being judged unfairly or treated poorly whether its disrespected by kids or mis understood by co-workers etc.

I am an English speaker, I am an educator, and whether I want to like it or not I need to adapt to certain cultural practices and rules but the core of my culture can't be changed.

Example, I truly believe in educating kids whether its to show respect, learn English, or just how to behave in society. I grew up with the notion of fixing wrongs and making rights. In Korea the truth is plain and simple that regards of how much Korean teachers want to educate their students its all a ploy to make money. The underlining belief in my system is that the more students the merrier. The more jobs one has the better, depending on where one lives the better that person maybe.


Koreans are always interested about where I live, if I am married, how much I make, and other non-important trivial things like that. I am not saying it doesn't happen in America but I wasn't exposed to it..



here is my view-
when there is open class I feel that all eyes are on me-the foreigner. The overpaid, tall man who is speaking a language the parents may not be able to understand and the expectations that these parents have are way to high. They are making me feel like everything I am is all about their kid and its a selfish  viewpoint. I am there to show their kids how to speak the fundamental ABCs and my life outside of ESL is insignificant.


On a different note-if I eat like an American taking big bites or not sharing one fish (there are 2 fish on the plate) than my wife thinks I am being greedy and a pig. I need to share and slow down. I need to take smaller bites etc etc. I don't understand this because I come from a different background. I do know that regardless of how I feel about Korean people and their beliefs they can think whatever they want.


frankly, I don't care and I couldn't give a shit what some grandma in Korea thinks about me. The only problem is that I am trying my best to educate people so therefore I should care and at the same time they should change their world view as well.


What's your take on this? I may be looking into this too deeply but I also may be on to something that is the core of education-a true development of understanding that can go both ways.

The Korean way of learning ESL is one way. Learn and remember. They may not be able to incorporate new responses.
Hi how are you?

I am fine, and you?


We don't necessarily say things like that and that's what real education is like to me. I was teaching a grammar lesson today and realized that I want to throw the book out the window in order to show how meaningless Grammar is. That's another story...

Passive Voice

Here I am tired again from yet another long day at my day job. I had a few private lessons yesterday 2 of them were at YBM and another was at an apartment near the place I work. Both of these were for Adults. I desperately need my time with Adults because being around kids is a passive art PassIVE is far from PassION
in the dictionary and is slowly taking all of my energy and feelings out of the job. I shouldn't have ever signed up to be an educator its just not working.


Here is some new news. I actually taught Passive Tense today. Passive tense was taught by me today in the classroom. I was always taught that this is a wrong way for people to speak. This is just one reason why grammar is over rated in Korea. See-saw-seen doesn't make a person more English savvy.

Yesterday I had a moral dilemma on my hands. I didn't know whether or not to teach the target grammar (passive) or rather try to fix it and just show them how to ask past tense questions. Changing the object to the subject is bad enough but when the sentence doesn't even read well it makes it hard for me to understand how kids truly learn.


I think that the English language is falling on deaf ears actually. Korean teachers with few exceptions think that their methods are correct and therefore they are not able to fully comprehend how to communicate in English and as a result most of them not only are using poor English but hope that miracles will happen and their kids will love English.


Its all about entertaining the kids and not actually about teaching.  This is the harsh truth. Number crunching is so critical to Koreans.


This week has been a busy one. I worked at YBM 3 times in the morning (one will also be tomorrow) I did this to cover for a friend of mine and racked up some extra cash in the process. This meant that I had to get up at 450 each morning and finish my last class at YBM around 8:45. This job wasn't stressful even though I functioned on 3 hours of sleep and haad to take a subway for 40 minutes. Why do I enjoy it?
Its fresh air, a chance to think about things, and rest and relax in a good environment at YBM^^
I am so happy to be headed there its the greatest feeling I have when working that is!

Passive voice will no longer be spoken by me-------------how does this shit sound? Should we all walk around like that.


Happy Readings!
 

Kite flying and basketball

I never was able to fly a kite when I was a kid. For some reason it wasn't a big fad where I was growing up. Today I found a kite. I tracked it as it floated across the ocean bay and into my outstretched hands. I don't know who lost it I do know that some foreigners were playing with it and they apparently let it get out of their control and it cartwheeled itself into the sea and floated out until the current pushed it back in which turned out to be at the other end of the beach. I grabbed it and reeled it in like an old fishing rod. I will try to play with it at some point. Sundays rest day turned into a little entertainment when we went to PNU and played some basketball. I am getting old in the 25 years of my life I am no longer able to shoot and play basketball well. I remember the street side smarts I had when I was in my youth taught to me by a man named James but now that's all lost on me.


I looked like a dummy trying to shoot I tossed up a handful of bricks, many airballs, and had no rhythm. I actually lost interest because I was doing so badly and my source of enjoyment was a 50 cent piece stuck in one of the gutters.


Its the closure of the weekend and I am now looking forward to a very busy week ahead of me. To begin with I may be working at YBM in the wee hours of the morning substituting a couple classes for Dell who may be really sick right now. I like the fact that I may be able to go to YBM but I just hope I can make everything work out tomorrow.


My free time is so wide but I am still restricted with many appointments that have cropped up lately.


Oh I can't wait until a job change, or new environment enters my life. This scenery of Yeonsan and the kids' bullshit is wearing quite thin on me and right now I don't have a good taste in my mouth as the eve of Sunday is nearly upon me.


Onto the dark we go and were I will lay with dreams in hot pursuit.

Saturdays

            Each Saturday I wake up to a misty morning and a tranquil calm that has bequeathed Korea. I walk out of my house into the nice Spring dewy weather and make my way to the subway. I head to Nampo dong where I will later be engaging myself in the classroom with a few adults and later a handful of kids. There is no need to rush. I left my house at 8:15 and I won't begin until 10am. I have an hour to reflect on the week and try to get my bearing straight.

      I really love Saturdays its one of the few times where I can truly feel at ease with myself. This particular Saturday was no different. I enjoyed a cup of coffee and had time to even check my email and if I had one I would have been able to read the newspaper.


Things from my childhood that I really miss include reading Ann Landers, the comics, horoscope and of course the Sports Section. I never really cared about the other sections of the paper. I always wondered how my parents had time to really read so much news since my father came home around 5 and usually went to bed around 10.


Anyways thats looking back... I am now looking forward again....


Working at YBM has given me a true sense of belonging and confidence with my abilities that I haven't been able to find anywhere else. If it weren't for YBM I wouldn't be able to see good work here-that's not complaining but for me its a sad truth. I can't find satisfaction with my weekday job whatsoever. Its lost to me.



After working an easy 5 hours from 10am to 6pm I went out with Dell and my wife and had a few drinks over Samgyapsal.

The evening went by rather fast ending around 10pm and me and my wife coming home shortly after 11.

Why are Saturdays and Sundays for that matter so different and bearable compared to the go go society that awaits me in only 15 hours?

more posts to follow...

Unwritten work

        This has been a busy week and hardly any different from most weeks other than the fact that this company applies so much pressure to Korean teachers that its amazing that people choose to abide by these situations.
      As each day passes the more I feel like I want out of this. It isn't about the kids' bad manners or poor concepts nor is that I can't work with my colleagues who are so obsessed with money that teaching has a stinky smell behind it but its that after 3 years I am no longer caring. I am going through the motions of teaching and it just isn't fun, except on Saturday.


Yesterday it dawned on me when I was witnessing the grand homework check. Simply copy 5 sentences and get a stamp that's how it works here. Parents look at that tiny piece of paper and see ABCs and think that oh they are learning something today.  That's why we give homework.


i am slipping back into the Gumi days which is very miserable.


I got my wife a job working with me and now I am seeing my wife take her job too seriously in all the wrong reasons. She is having to write my lesson plans for my open class. The deal is the korean teacher must write a lesson plan and I must teach it. She's my wife and since we can't play games, go for a walk or do anything together if she has work I feel obligated to helping her. I don't know why but my efforts are not good enough. Frankly its been a real depressing day when nothing I do has been met with a smile. I thought I did well for her making a template only to discover that I wasted an hour of my time. It isn't worth this stress dealing with this job. I hate seeing this bullshit consume our life and I am praying that a miracle will allow me to leave.



enough said I am very miserable and feel I hit rock bottom this is bullshit. All you get in Korea is work and the work is never good enough. Today I was also told by my co-worker that I need to improve my teaching. Of course I do but a little co-help would be nice. She doesn't take care of the kids while I teach at all. This is garbage. I don't care what anyone else thinks I am tired and feel like I can just throw in the towel anytime.