After our relaxing weekend came to a close Monday rolled around and we had to start work! Surprisingly, we weren't feeling very nervous at all. Our first day was a test day. The classes run for month long terms and we had to give the end of the month Speaking Tests. Our predecessors, Luke and Kristy, told us that this would be a crazy, stressful day but it was ridiculously easy! The kids come in, you give them the test, and one by one you bring them into the hallway and ask them the same 5 questions over and over again until its time for the next class. We wish everyday was test day!
One question we asked was, "What is wrong with me?" and then we had to act like we have a headache. Dave asked one student and his answer was, "Teacher is American" hahahahaha
We did have to actually teach one class at the end of the day. Our Director owns 2 different academies: E. bo-youngs Talking Club and EASY Academy. We primarily work at the Talking Club but in the evening we have to walk 2 buildings down and teach 1 or 2 classes a night. The kids at Talking Club and very young and more fun to work with because they are full of energy and are willing to participate in class and the activities. The EASY academy kids on the other hand are 14ish and it is like talking to a brick wall! There is a newspaper class that we both teach and the whole class is the kids reading from a teen newspaper. When you ask them what the article is about or what words mean or say anything they just stare at you and it is a bit frustrating.
So our first day was pretty easy but on Tuesday we had to teach classes all day. Our day began with going to the hospital with our Director. We had to get physicals in order to get our Foreigner IDs. The government needs to make sure we are healthy and not crackheads. We had to get x-rays for the physical and the doctor wanted Lindsey to take her bra off because of the wires. His way of communicating this was to cup his hands around his imaginary big boobs and bounce them up and down hahaha
We can't really do anything (like open a bank account) until we have those IDs and they will take around a month to get! Plus it cost us each 80,000 won (around $75USD) so that was a surprise but hopefully they will come soon.
Then our Director took us out for a delicious lunch. We can't remember what it is called but you get loads of veggies and thinly sliced meat and boil it in water to make a broth. After you have eaten all of the veggies and meat you then add noodles and a dumpling to the broth to make a soup and even after that you add rice and spices to make the last dish. Director also gave us a crash course in Korean manners. For example, the youngest person should always pass out the chopsticks and pour everyones water and set the table, you cannot start eating until the eldest has taken their first bite, and when handing something to or receiving something from an elder you must use 2 hands. Conversation at times was a little hard but it was delicious and a good time despite having to sit on the floor which we fear will never, ever, ever become comfortable. Our legs fall asleep and Dave isn't flexible enough to cross his legs under the table.
Once we arrived to school 45 minutes late (aka you have 30 minutes before class starts). We had to look over over our new schedules, see what classes we had, and get ready for the 5 classes that we have in a row. When we went to find the teaching books for the classes we had we were told that the school may not have them aka they don't have them! There is very little direction given to us and it is presumed that we pretty much know everything or that Luke and Kristy trained us on everything in the 1 and a half days before they left. So for the majority of our classes we just had to use the kids books and make up the lessons as we went along. Some books have enough material but some literally have 1 page with 4 lines of dialogue on it and we are suppose to make a 40 minute lesson out of this! We end up playing a lot of games. The kids are helpful too. They know what they usually do and can help coach us through when we have a blank spot. We need to build up an arsenal of games and activities to do with the kids. We can make some up and wing it a bit but we need a solid base of activities we know work. We ask the Korean teachers lots of questions and they are generally really helpful but at the same time do not seem to notice the same level of disorganization that we do.
Some classes flew by and some dragged. Some classes had awesome kids and some were quite and boring but it isn't anything we aren't use to. Kids are kids, the only difference is these ones don't speak English very well. After the first couple weeks we will have a much better handle on things and will feel a lot better about it. Like all things it is a learning process.
Until next time....
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