Today marks my first week in 괴산 Goesan, (pronounced gway-sahn) South Korea. It feels like I've been here for ages, even with our busy schedule. Orientation has been an adventure, and I will try to sum up some of the most exciting parts and answer some FAQ's.
Fun Times
1. Water? Nah
An important part of my time here so far has revolved around this fact: the water stopped working on our first day at the University and we had no running water (including toilets!) for 4 days. FOUR DAYS! Having to simultaneously adjust to a new culture and location while having to bath out of two water bottles (one being your roommate's who you just met yesterday) is not a fun time. Having to go from my 9th floor bathroom to the 2nd floor of the academic building just to find a bathroom was not a fun time (especially at night). But you know, at lunch today I realized what a blessing the water not working was. We were talking about our experiences to struggle taking a shower and finding bathrooms and laughing like we were old friends. The water situation proved useful in bonding all of us ETAs (English Teaching Assistants) together like no ice breaker could have. (But we have running water now and I'm very grateful).
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| Our Shower for 4 Days |
2. Site visits!
On Tuesday, we were split into groups and got to visit current ETAs in their schools. I went to 청원 Cheongwon (pronounced Chuhng-wuhn) High School and observed an ETA named Hailey. It was amazing seeing Hailey in the classroom! 청원 Chungwon is in 청주 Cheongju (not confusing at all), which is considered a rural-suburban city. Her school was very nice and had very high level students. Most likely the students I will be teaching won't be on the same level, but it was great to get a new perspective from Hailey. She played games with her classes that included pop culture references to Drake, Beyonce and others. We also got to talk with some of the students in her all girl's class. I talked to two girls about their fear for entering Senior year soon, but I know they will do great.
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| Hailey's All Boys Class |
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| Hailey's All Girls Class |
3. Going into Town
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| Bingsoo! Shaved Ice! |
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| Fried Chicken Mmmm |
4. Another Venture
I also went into town on Saturday with some new friends to work on some lesson plans in a small cafe. We got lost looking for one cafe and ended up in another, but it turned out to be really cute! The owner kept trying to get us to buy drinks and she even gave us a free latte. Her adorable daughter was there as well and was rather intrigued to see a group of four foreigners sitting in her mom's cafe! After we were done, we went to dinner at a place called 마포 갈매기 Mapo Galmegi, which was a barbeque restaurant. It was so good and we didn't set anything on fire, so that's good.
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| The cute cafe we visited |
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| Rachel, Katie, Mika and I |
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| Korean Barbeque! |
5. KPoppin' Again
This is not too exciting to other people, but as an extracurricular activity during orientation I got to learn another KPop dance! If you didn't know, I've done KPop dance performances at my school for the past 4 semesters. I honestly didn't think I would be learning any more in a group any time soon, but it was really fun! We learned "Cheer Up" by Twice if you wanted to know.
FAQ
1. What are you doing!?
Right now we are in orientation! The Fulbright Grant year consists of 6 weeks of orientation followed by two semesters of teaching as an English Teaching Assistant. Orientation is a time when all 73 of us ETAs are together to learn about Korean culture, education and teaching in Korea, and study the Korean language. A typical daily schedule consists of the following:
8:00-9:00 Breakfast
9:00-1:00 Korean Classes (There are levels 1, 3 and 6. I'm in 3)
1:00-2:00 Lunch
2:00-3:00 Korean Class
3:00-5:00 Teaching or Cultural Workshops
6:00-7:00 Dinner
7:00-9:00 Extra Classes and Office Hours (Optional)
Yes, that is 5 hours of Korean classes a day.
2. Where are you now?
I am currently at 중원대학교 Jungwon (pronounced Joong-wuhn) University in 괴산 Goesan, South Korea.
Here are some pics:
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| The view from the front of our school |
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| The one main street. I promise it gets nice when you actually go down it! |
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| View from the 11th floor directly out front of Jungwon |
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| The front of Jungwon University |
3. What age will you be teaching?
This has been a large part of my anxiety the past few days. Fulbrighters can either be Elementary or Seconday (middle and high school) ETAs. Up until they announced which we are, I thought I was an Elementary ETA. Because of bad communication, a vague website, and an already set-in-stone structure, I did not get Elementary even though I applied for it. So, I will be teaching as a Secondary ETA. I am still adjusting to this, as I am passionate about younger children and must try to figure out what God has in store for me with this big change.
4. What is the education system like in Korea?
The education system in Korea is VERY rigorous, with High School students gearing up for their big test at the end of their Senior Year. The Sooneung is basically the SAT on steroids and directly determines what college you get into. Students will stay at school until 9-10 PM or go straight from normal classes to a Hagwon (Cram School) to study more.
The schools we might be teaching at can be middle or high schools; all girls, all boys or co-ed; and small to large with varying level students. Co-ed schools tend to have gender segregated classes (all boys or girls classes), but some are mixed.
5. What about everything else?
The simple truth is I just don't know. I don't find out my specific placement until next week. This means I won't know what city I'm in, what my school is, what age I'll be teaching specifically, whether I'm teaching boys or girls, or who my home stay family is until next week. Trust me, I'm more anxious about it than you are! But I am trying my best to remain positive and open.
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| Kakao Coke on the plane |
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| A few pictures of regular meals we have |
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| You know what the worst part was? It tastes worse. |
Well, that's it for now kids. If you read all of that, I am eternally thrilled that you are willing to keep up with my life while I'm abroad and care about me that much. My community is my support group, and I will be thinking of all my friends back in the states for the entirety of the next year. But for now,
Annyeong Y'all
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