#eslkorea

[teachybuddy]

Jamsil Seoul English Teaching Job, pays 2.8 million/mth. Free Flight and Free Housing. Apply now at teachbuddy.com

[twotallteachers]

Ms. Lauren taught the school how to make sugar cookies today for our tea party on Monday #twotallteachers #eslkorea

[theprinceofseoulblog]

My new coffee/tea tumbler! Using it for the first time today! #EnglishBreakfastTea #CaffieneAddiction #ThePrinceofSeoul #ESLTeacher #ESLKorea #EnglishTeacher #Teacher #Tea #KeepingWarm

[pamsinsouthkorea]

I love you.

I just had my first "I love you" from a student. I replied by saying "aww thank you" lol.I'm not really sure about what i'm supposed to say to that :/.

[mykoreanadopteestory]

Teaching adults.

I had my 1on1 class with one of my favorite students. He's like a 45 year old exec in Samsung but we get along great and always have good conversations. I asked him what he was doing this weekend and said he might see 운(은?) 교 with his wife. Apparently this movie is about a love triangle between two high school students and an older man. Which transitioned into a conversation about movie rating systems...and R rated movies...Which transitioned into my student saying he was very surprised that when he got carded to buy an adult movie in America 10+years ago. And I was thinking dear god, I hope you're talking about R rated movies... Then my student explained when he went to America on business trips, his team members would often buy adult movies because they are... "more hardcore" than Korean adult movies. And he asked if that was the right phrase. Yes... Yes it is... And then he went on to explain he bought that kind of adult movie in America too. At this point, my head is screaming NO NO NO I really don't need or want to know what kind of movies you buy. But you know, gotta keep it professional... So I awkwardly laughed and just smiled and nodded my head during the conversation. Seriously... Love my students. Love that we are super close and have the freedom to talk about whatever.. But I seriously never thought someday it would be my job to talk about porn with a 45 year old Korean man. 헐.

[leighannsun]

NEWEST video! I got a mini gift at work today! Do you want to know what it is? Then you should watch this video. LOLOLOL! :P 

[leighannsun]

oh dear! it's been a while! finally got around to making a video but sorry for the quality I used my phone's front facing camera...haha...forgot about the back. "DOH!" loll. Anyways, enjoy my humiliation! :D 

[leighannsun]

Korean country life...

Having to catch the bus at 9pm on the weekend can be so annoying when you're having a fun time with people. :'( but a 30-35k taxi ride isn't worth missing the bus. But next weekend will be worth the all nighter cuz I'll be with friends I know and haven't seen in months! :D how's everyone else's Saturday going? Good? In case you wondered, I really liked Walter Mitty and I want to buy the soundtrack when I'm back in the USA. Only 12more days! Whooooo!!! I'm so excited and nervous! I'm gonna go to the doctor while I'm home and see what's going on with my knee cuz this not being able to even do yoga or exercise thing is annoying and making me gain weight like woah! @0@ guess that's enough for this blog post. The last one was def a TL:DR haha. My bad. :3 have a great day everyone!

[leighannsun]

Another New Year in Korea

So, this is my 2nd NYE/NYD spent in Korea. Whilst my first NYE went out with a BIG BANG in 2012, NYE 2013 was spent at home watching movies on my TV and making homemade chex mix with some New Year's Eve pasta. After last years (OMG I can't BELIEVE I'm already saying that--Madonna was wrong...time does not move by so slowly! unless you're in an unrequited love affair I suppose...anyways) NYE, I decided this year needed to be chill and spent at home. Honestly, I went to bed at 11:21 and woke up around 7am...turned over and kept on sleeping till 9am. This year's NYD was spent with the same two lovely ladies from last year except in a different city. 2012-2013 was spent in Busan! and this year 2014 was welcomed in Daegu. We did a lot of shoppping, maybe too much...but hey pay-day was literally the last day of 2013 for me so why not!? :D I bought a lot of stuff for my family members for when I go back home for my winter vacation so it was probably money well spent. Anyways, the whole point to this blog was was to tell you of a little story that happened to me today so here we go!

My friend and I wandered into Innisfree because she needed some hand lotion and they were having a 1+1 sale so obvs if you're in Korea and you see that then you're pretty much guaranteed to go in there to see if it's worth buying. Anyways, so we go to the 1+1 hand lotion section of the store and start smelling the hand lotions. Of course the obligatory Korean worker was there to stare at us while we talked about which hand lotions smelled the best. (If you've never been to an Asian store before in Asia or back in the USA then you are forewarned that they follow you regardless if you need help or not :D fun times. I usually run away from the store.) Well, OF COURSE, I ended up dropping the lid to one of the hand lotions and I bent down to pick it up. Well, it didn't just drop to the floor, it decided to roll UNDERNEATH the shelving unit just out of my hand's reach. So while I was on my knees already, I was debating, "Do I REALLY want to get that stupid lid or will I just leave it underneath there to gather dust/let the workerbee get it..." Well, if you know me, then you know I bent down on ALL FOURS and REACHED my arm underneath the shelving unit to get the STUPID LID. The whole time I'm doing this, my friend is watching me and so is the workerbee. Well, my friend starts laughing at me cuz really, who would do what I am doing? Right? Most people would leave it alone. And then I start laughing and all of a sudden, we hear the workerbee start laughing too. It was indeed a hilarious moment and a surprising one. The 1.9years I've been in Korea, I've never seen a workerbee lose their cool around customers. Maybe if there is a lull and they are in the back with coworkers but NEVER in front of the customer. So, long story short, it was nice to see a workerbee relax and actually enjoy something that was indeed really funny. (It was REALLY funny later one because as we kept smelling lotions [there were like 8 of them so it was a lot to go through] we found one that was missing a lid and I said that what I had just done was a waste of time if no one cared. ahaha. Regardless, I still would have picked it up if we had seen that one before cuz I'm nice. :] )

Anyways, if you got this far in the blog post then I hope you had a nice NEW YEAR'S EVE AND NEW YEAR'S DAY!  One of my NYR's is to try and blog more. I know I said that in October but I'm just not a bloggish type of person. Nothing too interesting happens to me especially because I live in a small town. However, since this is my last year at my middle school, I am going to try to make the most of it and I want memories to last for the rest of my life so blogging it is. I won't say I will blog EVERY DAY, but my GOAL is at least once a month if not 2-3. I'd say definitely weekly blogging but we all know that won't happen. :D I'm lazy! Anyways! :D Good luck new people and enjoy the ride if you're still here! 

[leighannsun]

oh dear, it's Monday...and this is how I feel. It's 4:54pm...and I'm having a glass of wine while starting "The Sword in the Stone" gotta be cheered up by those squirrels. lol. Not a bad day....just one long one. @-@ what to do for dins?! ....maybe little river potatoes.. noms. :D Just 1 more month and 7 days and I'll be back in Texas for a glorious 2 weeks! 

[mykoreanadopteestory]

How I learned to love Korea: Part II

Part two!

Read More -->

6. Read blogs

I'm not just saying this because I have a blog.  The "k-blogosphere" has so much useful information and I'm not talking about Dave's ESL cafe or other crap sites where people post shit like "How to score with a Korean girl even though she doesn't speak English."  From reading blogs - you will learn more about Korean culture than any recruiter/EPIK/TALK packet or orientation session.  I've gotten to locations and stores and eaten at fantastic restaurants because of the K-bloggers who take so much time and energy to write up directions.  I found a friend from my home state of WI living in my small city all because of a blog.  Anything you want to find out about teaching, living, eating, traveling in Korea - it's all there on the blogs. 

7. Try to get located in a city.. Or somewhere with a major train and bus station

[from Tami- The lovely Gumi Station.]

Props to the expats here who live in a small town and do well here (Yes Phil, I mean YOU!) or enjoy that life style.  It is a great way to immerse yourself in the culture.  But in my experience, living in a smaller city sucks.  I have said so many times I wished I were living in Seoul or Daegu because I live in an industrial city with bad public transportation and not much for entertainment.  But I do have most major stores here, a movie theater, lots of coffee shops, and the trains and buses go almost anywhere up until late at night.  So really, it's okay for me to work during the week and be a little bored and travel on the weekends.  But if you get stuck in a really small town, your bus and train times are really limited, you don't have as many luxuries like foreign restaurants or stores that carry the practical things you need and it can be harder to meet people. So in my suggestion, if you have a choice, live in a bigger city or at least close to one.

8. Make Korean friends

[my awesome students who threw me the best bday party in my life]

[and who doesn't love adorable little 19 year boys who constantly say "Teacher! I love you!  Teacher, you're beautiful!!"]

I made it a goal to make Korean friends when I came over here.  I kept telling myself, I have American friends in America- so I must make friends with Koreans. I did this the really hard way.  I basically refused to seek other other foreigners when I first came here.  I was lucky and had Korean friends in the country but other times, I was really alone.  But I was so paranoid to get stuck in the foreigner bubble that I would choose to stay by myself than hang out at the one foreign bar in my city.  Slowly but surely, I got closer with my students.  I joined the Toastmasters group at Samsung even though I had no interest in public speaking.  I made friends with the Korean English teachers.  I just got noticed as the weird Korean girl who couldn't speak Korean and got approached.  And I'm very shy but I made an effort to put myself in situations - like randomly going to a language exchange by myself, where I could meet other Koreans.  The whole time I was very afraid because of the adoption stigma but I was, and am welcomed with open arms by Koreans here.  

[in the middle of nowhere-문경 on a railroad bike and ATV. not your typical expat trip]

I do have my small group of foreign friends but it's the Korean friends I have that make me love Korea.  They generously help me whenever I need a translator or a general question about Korean.  They have cars and help me visit the more obscure places in Korea that I never would have found on my own or by a blog.  And some of the best restaurants I've eaten at are the Korean mom n pop ones that only Koreans would know to go to. Seven months into my contract and I can say I love Korea.  At 3 months in, I definitely couldn't say that.  And it's truly because of the people I met here in Korea.

9. Gain a perspective

Ugh!! Can't I just wear a damn sleeveless shirt without looking like a slut here? This Korean conservative bs drives my liberal American ideals crazy!! A lot of women stay home to take care of the kids and be housewives? What kind of life is that???

I'm a sociology major and so many things here contrasted with what I'd spent 4 years learning.  And it's frustrating, really when you know some cultural things in Korean society are wrong, ridiculous or completely unfair.  But instead of spending my time and energy bitching about the cultural differences and how much they irritate me (ok, I only do it a little bit..) I've learned to look at it as just a different culture.  I can't tell someone they're wrong when this is just their way of life for years and years. If Korea were just like America, it wouldn't be interesting.  So I'm taking this all as one big sociological observation for what it is.

I honestly used to be confused about why white foreigners here in Korea or thought some people were strange for taking a teaching job when they have no interest in teaching.  Then I threw that away because no matter what other foreigner's reasons for being here didn't concern me.  And I was just also really happy that no matter what, every foreigner here has one thing in common - they gain a new perspective.  And for someone to make a conscious effort to see the world differently than just choose to stick with what they know and what they're familiar with is amazing to me. 

10. Remember why you're here and have a positive attitude about it

When my roommate was struggling here in Korea, she kept asking me how I kept a positive attitude. I told her that this was my dream, to be in Korea. For some people, being in Korea was a spur of the moment decision. For me, this is something I've been planning for since I was 17. When I wanted to throw my textbooks out the window or was practically in tears at work waiting on absolute jerks at 11 at night, I just kept saying to myself, someday you'll be in Korea with a good job. All of this hard work is for Korea. And now I'm here. Yes, I've had those moments where I was so frustrated with my job and Gumi and the crazy cultural differences.. But I just kept remembering why I was here and stayed positive. I'm employed, meeting new friends, traveling, learning everyday, I met my birth family. The benefits of being here far out weigh the negatives. So whatever your reason was for being in Korea- focus on that, stay positive and remember...you could be studying and taking exams instead.. ; )

[mykoreanadopteestory]

How I Learned to Love Korea: Part I

*This is based on my own personal experience and just how I personally have made my time in Korea great.  If you have something positive to add to my list, please do!!*

To my fellow TESOL people or those who are thinking about coming to Korea - this is how I turned my time in Korea from being scared out of my mind in a foreign country to a place I truly love.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

1. If you're a smart phone user in your home country, be a smart phone user in Korea. Or become one.

[if you're my family or friend and haven't downloaded this yet, do it NOW!]

I've been a smart phone user for the last 4 years but when I came to Korea I thought ehh, I can manage with a normal phone and use my US iPhone with wireless here in Korea and I'll be okay. NOPE. WRONG. Free wi-fi that will actually connect well with your iPod or US iPhone was hard for me to find in the city I live in.  Maybe this is a different case for somewhere like Seoul?  But ever since I got my Korean iPhone, I've been one happy girl. Having simple access to subway apps, a Korean-English dictionary, apps for buying train tickets, and being able to google things like directions to restaurants and directions from fellow expat bloggers makes life so much easier here. Lastly, KAKAO TALK!  If you've never heard of this, it's a free text/pic/video program that uses wi-fi and out does any other program like Textfree that I've tried to use.  Again, I'm not 100% sure on this, but I don't believe Korea really has unlimited texting plans like the US or they are just super expensive so Kakao Talk helps you save money.  The downside is it's only for iPhone and Android OS users but here in Korea, that's what almost everyone has. I've roped some friends and my family into downloading it and it's so great that I can text my mom and best friends all the time and receive pictures of my niece and nephew instantly..FOR FREE!  

2. Embrace the cute culture

[Girls Generation - cute. And the #1 girls group in Korea.]

[HyunA - sexy. but not as popular as cute.]

Korea likes "cute" things.  And for a girl who has the face of a 14 year old "cute" girl and a not-so-secret love for the adorable stationary here, this has been great.  But many foreigners come here and see the overload of cute stuff and just think WTF...Hello Kitty stores, 40 year old men using pens with little bunny cartoons on them, gigantic bows and gaudy headbands...and what the hell is up with this "Gee" music video by Girls Generation?  Well, it's called animation and aegyo and Korea loves it. Sure, maybe Secret's "Starlight Moonlight" music video and song (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iTVfJ1j7o-A) probably drives you nuts like it does for me...but I'm telling you you're wasting your time being annoyed at it all the time.  Because it's EVERYWHERE. So enjoy your inner little Asian kid spirit and enjoy the cute culture here. Plus, once you go into a Korean stationary store, you'll know what I'm talking about.

3. Jump on the gochujjang-kimchi train

[Bibimbap (mixed rice) has kimchi AND gochujjang (the red sauce)]

I used to hate onions and peppers and spicy food and luckily my taste buds changed over the years.  Then when my Korean church fed me bibimbap with gochujjang sauce for the first time, I fell in love.  Kimchi took a lot of work for me to acquire the taste...but I can now say that I really enjoy these two Korean staples.  And if you're going to live in Korea and eat Korean food - these two things are in everything - from meat marinades to side dishes.  I'm pretty sure they make some kimchi like thing out of any vegetable and put gochujjang based sauce on EVERYTHING...they even did it to my beloved potatoes - so anyway...liking these two things will help you like Korean food much more and eat well here.  Yes, you will get sick of it and just want food from back home but you're here...and you need to feed to yourself.  And western food is expensive as shit sooo...enjoy your kimchi and gochujjang : D

4. View your job as a job and don't get let down when you don't feel like you're the the World's #1, make-a-difference teacher.

This was a really, really hard one for me.  My situation is different than most teachers, as I'm working at a corporation but at the end of the day, I'm a teacher.  I spent all those years studying TESOL and learning about effective methods to teach and was psyched about making lessons plans and really you know, making a difference!!  And my students are awesome, truly...but they're working adults for Korea's #1 slave driver.  So sometimes I only have 2 students in class and it's never a steady group who's there so it's almost impossible for me to lesson plan. For a long time, I was just paranoid I was an awful teacher and my students didn't come for that reason.  But I know that's not the case and those rare moments when my students whip out some vocabulary I taught them, I know I accomplished something.

The same goes for public school and hagwon teachers.  My friends have told me stories and I read blogs of other EFL teachers in Korea.  It's frustrating being a teacher here.  Often, English class is just a joke to the kids, Co-teachers suck, and you just want to scream and pull your hair out from the stress or the lack of feeling important.  But can you blame the kids?  If you had a Spanish teacher in high school who couldn't speak any English, it would be scary.  And yes, Korea is obsessed with learning English and they need it for their jobs - but when you're a 10 year old kid, the first priority on your mind isn't going to be "I need to speak English well so I can get a good job in 15 years."

So what has helped me is to view my job as a job.  I'm making money.  I have insurance and paid vacations.  You can't ask for much more when you're a liberal arts major, freshly graduated and 23.  Of course it's important to work hard and do a great job as a teacher but don't stress too much. And through all of the frustrations - don't worry because you will have those students who let you know what a difference you're making in their lives.  But if you obsess over being the superstar teacher, it will just be loads of stress.

5. Find a community

[@ Pohang for New Year's with my Language Exchange friends]

There are so many expats in Korea or Koreans interested in other countries that are doing amazing things for the EFL teachers and other expats in Korea.  Do you have a hobby that you enjoy doing back home?  You can probably find a group of expats or Koreans who also enjoy that.  Maintaining things you love to do and meeting new people will make your time in Korea that much better.  I have friends who have joined theater groups, are on ultimate frisbee teams, or take art classes - all organized by expats or English speaking Koreans.  For me - it was Korean class and language exchange that I found a community where I feel welcomed and have made great friends.  But there's no need to sit at home and just watch TV like I did for the first few months I was here.  Get out and do something!!

to be continued...