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Teaching and Travelling
(Buddha’s) Birthday Weekend
I am now feeling slightly despondent. The three day weekend I have waited for has now come and gone and I have that slightly flat feeling you have after something exciting has happened, like Christmas or a holiday.
I’ve actually had one of the more exciting weeks I have had in a while so, let’s start! May has, mostly, been a fairly pointless month at school. I really don’t remember it being like this last year (whereas I always remember that the October Schedule is skewed) but I can’t say I’ve objected too much. It’s a nice break from the monotony. I wasn’t expecting last week to be quite so lazy however.
Adventures in Essay Marking
Student:: 'My interests is greetings. A lot of people said 'you have a good manner to me'
Student:: 'I like the actor, Bruce Willis, although he's about 60 years old'
Student:: (On Computers) 'Computers produce electromagnetism while showing lights on the screen... It is completely, extremely harmful to people's health'
Student:: 'When the weekend is coming, I throb'
Student:: 'Violate games can cause violation'
Student:: I think I'm natural born sportsman. Just a joke. lol.
Student:: My hobbies are watching car blog or pocket knife and watching wallet
Student:: My hobby is playing and making legos. When I do that I can feel many feelings'
Student:: 'Many people said to them "Do Exercise". But if they are not good at sports... I think they have to decide the time to play the computer'
Summer is around the corner folks! I can feel it in the fact that jackets are no longer necessary and it’s far too warm to wear a jumper. I seem to be doing much better with the acclimatising this year than I did last year. It’s currently in the mid 20s for most of the day (dipping significantly at night) and I haven’t busted out the shorts and t-shirts yet! When really, this is the kind of weather I would definitely be wearing those kinds of clothes for back home!
I’m back teaching now which is sort of a relief. Whilst it’s nice to get paid to do nothing, it can also verge on the tedious and makes me feel kind of lazy. I came in on Monday ready to teach and all my classes were cancelled so that they could mark the test! And then two on Tuesday. I’m happy to be getting back into the swing of things.
I worked last Saturday which was fine. Elementary School Children are for demanding on your time than Middle School kids and their personal space bubble is a lot smaller. I spent a lot of time being poked and stroked. The little girls were fascinated by my long nails! But it was less tiring than last time which is nice. It’s a ‘Reading Program’ so we mainly read a book and do some worksheets in the first class and then play games for the second class and then in the third work on our section of a ‘talent show’ in the final class. Yes, a talent show. I’m try to restrain my lack of enthusiasm. But I’m teaching the student Hello, Goodbye by the Beatles and Call Me Maybe by Carly Rae Jepsen.
I’m doing conversation classes in the morning with my students. There’s a class for each grade. First and Second Grade are the most interesting, I think because the groups are slightly larger. The conversations flows better though we ended up getting variously excited. Third grade are rather reticent which is strange since I’ve taught them the longest and know them the best. But still, I think it’s helping them. Always nice to feel I’m actually doing my job!
However, in exciting news, I was supposed to work the reading program on 18th May. This was only a problem in so much that Buddha’s Birthday is the 17th May and a National Holiday. So it was a 3 day weekend I was going miss out on. This was also a minor inconvenience because the 19th May is my Birthday and much as Buddha likes a 3 day birthday weekend, so do I! (Though I clearly need more statues). Yesterday, I got a text message saying that they had moved the class to July so now I have a three day weekend to full contemplate all that is involved in being 24.
Actually, I find it really strange. I was 21 when I submitted my application and 22 when I moved here. I just feel like time is going so fast. When I came here I thought it was one year and now it’s likely that Korea is going to be the bulk of my early twenties. It wasn’t my game-plan when I graduated. It’s weird how life has a funny way of working out.
Doing Nothing. Getting Paid.
TGIF everyone. I hope everyone is looking forward to an exciting and wonderful weekend!
I am currently in the middle of my Saturday Work streak which won’t be over until 22nd June. It’s not going too badly so far and I have a whole weekend off next weekend! Last Saturday was my first time doing ‘Real-Life Conversation’ classes. It involved twelve foreign teachers stood in various spots around Old-Downtown in Ulsan having conversations that might be practical in the real world with groups of two families. Of course, with a number of cool locations up for offer (A coffee shop, the cinema), yours truly ended up stood by a fascinating row of ATMs (or Cash Machines for those of you back home). It wasn’t a particularly thrilling way to spend 5 hours of my life and also, it was a bit of an organisational mess. After being in Korea for almost 2 years, this is hardly surprising but it frustrates me since it doesn’t look particularly professional. But hey, I’m only doing it two more times.
So this past week was mid-terms, which is code for ‘A Week In Which You Do Nothing and Still Get Paid’. I must say, it’s probably one of the best parts about public school teaching so even when it gets boring, I try not to whine too much. Because really, who gets paid to do nothing? I’ve been able to watch films and TV shows and carry on reading my Lonely Planet Guide to South East Asia. I am unlikely to have a job this cushy ever again!
I did get Wednesday off which was awesome. This is because 1st May is Labour Day in Korea which applies to most Blue Collar workers and to contract teachers which means me! The students and the permanent teachers all still had to go to school so it meant whilst everywhere was busy it was busy with Adults. It was fairly awesome actually- I’d be definitely behind an Adult-Only Holiday back home! I used the day to go and see Iron Man 3 with my friend Suzanne and to do a bit of shopping. I also got Bokumbap for lunch. It was lovely and relaxing. if only it happened every week!
Yesterday however, after the exams, my school decided that all the teachers should go hiking together. Hiking is a very big deal in Korea. It’s definitely a national past time, which makes sense since the bulk of the country is mountainous. Koreans also take their ‘hiking gear’ seriously which means for a hiking most of them are kitted out in a waterproof jacket, hiking trousers, hiking shoes, a hat and gloves and if they are really keen- hiking sticks. I should mention that many of them wear this regardless of the difficulty of the walk. Also, spending time together with your work colleagues here is a bigger deal than back home so I can find it a bit strange.
The walk was definitely steeper than I was anticipating so my legs really hurt today. And everyone else was so enthusiastic. Every time we hit another incline my enthusiasm dwindled. However, we rounded it off with food in the rain under a picnic hut. There was Raw Fish (Eww) but also Chicken and Pork and Leaves and Soybean Paste (hooray). One of my co-teachers has also decided that she is my Korean Mum and is determined to feed me at every opportunity. This usually involves bringing snacks to my desk but yesterday involved constantly giving me food. In Korea, they eat cherry tomatoes like fruit (They put it in fruit salad. Really) but when I mentioned I liked to cook with them… I now have about 100 cherry tomatoes in my fridge. It’s a bit ridiculous.
Anyway, that’s all my exciting news this week. Tomorrow I’ll be teaching at my Saturday reading program and then on Sunday I plan on relaxing at home. The weather is slowly but surely improving so maybe I’ll be able to get to beach in a few weeks and work on being a bit less pale!
British Citizens Abroad- New Travel Advice
The other day I got an email from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. This is a bit unusual- it’s not every day that a department of the British Government gets in touch. But the reason they did so it because I was signed up to the LOCATE service.
The LOCATE service is the service provided by the British Government by which British Nationals abroad, whether they be travelling or living, simply let the British Government know where they are. Aside from travel details you were also able to provide your address, work address, phone number, email and details of an emergency contact. This in itself is not unusual- lots of Governments provide this service including all the Governments for those eligible to get a teaching visa in Korea (USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and Ireland.)
This is what the email said…
“The FCO is moving from a system where British nationals are encouraged to register when they travel in case there is a crisis, to one where we are using a number of channels to give the latest information and advice on what you should do if you need our help in a crisis and how to contact the FCO’s crisis response team. From 14 May we will no longer use the LOCATE system, instead using our resources to improve our travel advice service and focus on those who most need our help.
I read this email several times and then I found myself getting actually quite angry. Because as I was reading it, I remembered how over the past few weeks with all the North Korean stuff has been going on I have been able to constantly reassure my family that ‘The Government knows where I am’.
Now the FCO’s reasoning is that only 1% of British Travellers use this service. I can see why they would want to be more efficent but my argument is that I am not travelling, I am living here. Even if I moved to a country that wasn’t still technically at war, I’d still probably want to register with a local embassy because hell, if something terrible happens I’d really rather prefer that the embassy didn’t go ‘Oh, she was one of ours? Oh, I had no idea!’
I must confess that it was in rather a fit of pique that I tweeted the FCO and facebooked both them and the British Embassy in Seoul and have basically been able to collect this advise from them. It doesn’t make me happy, but hey, it is what it is.
Advice for British Nationals Living Abroad
1) Subscribe to the FCO’s travel alert scheme here
Enter your email address and then you’ll be able to select the frequency of emails and and then on the following page the countries for which you would like travel advice. For those in Korea, it’s listed under ‘K’ as ‘South Korea’
2) You can follow the FCO Travel Alert Page on Twitter here and on Facebook here. Also search for your the British Embassy in your country. Most have a twitter and a facebook page.
3) If there is a specific emergency, then the FCO will set up a hotline for Nationals in-Country to contact them and another hotline for friends and relatives back home to contact them and let them know your whereabouts.
Essentially, make sure someone you trust has your details if you are travelling somewhere risky. This should hopefully include your home address, work address, your personal and work number and your email address. Your family and friends can then, in extreme circumstances, provide the FCO with your information.
4) The FCO will only make it possible for British Nationals to log their details in the event of an emergency. There is no possible way to register prior to this.
I personally think this all seems a bit daft (a case of shutting the door when the horse has bolted, but hey, it’s the advice now). All I know is that saying ‘I’m subscribed to the FCO’s travel alerts’ isn’t quite as comforting as ‘I’m registered with the FCO’.
Anyway, I figured this information might help someone. And if someone in the Foreign Office happens to read this please, please think of someone useful for Nationals living abroad. In fact, try to think of anything useful at all.
In a rather hilarious aside, I have started using statcounter to see how many hits I get and what keywords people are using- I get regular hits from people seeking information on North Korean Army Hats! I don’t profess to know why they are ridiculous large, but here, have a picture. Looking at them cheers me up…
Ten Things I really, really do quite like about Korea (really)
Here’s hoping you enjoyed my last entry! I’m hoping this one will be even better. It’s a list of all the things I like about Korea and really dig about living here. I did think about having Paris Baguette’s Cinammon Cream Cheese Rolls on the list, but decided against. Though if you’re in Korea and you find one, you should know that they’re pretty bloody good and you should probably buy all of them and eat them.
Anyway, we’ve established that I like living here. It wasn’t always like that. My first month was amazing and then things went a bit down hill- it wasn’t Korea’s fault but I blamed it a lot on Korea when really I was just having a bit of a rubbish time with some of my relationships. I think things really looked up for me after my parents came to visit in February 2012. I felt a lot more confident and comfortable and I felt able to just enjoy being here.
Anyway, here’s to what I particularly like. (It’s a little image heavy)
Ten Things I Hate About You (Or maybe not)
I never realised just how different living somewhere could be to travelling to a place. I mean, I knew it would be different but not the extent of the difference. You immerse yourself in a different way and end up with totally different feelings about the place. When you travel, your impressions are more immediate. A negative experience means a negative opinion and the same in reverse.
When you live somewhere different your opinion becomes much more nuanced, particularly if you stay there long enough to acclimatise to the culture. I am sure your opinion changes even further when you become truly immersed via things like marriage and long-term living. I’ve been in Korea for 20 months now and my perspective has certainly changed from when I arrived. That and I’m unlikely to share the perspective of someone who has been here for 10+ years and is married to a Korean.
But I’ve been thinking about it and it has prompted me to write a couple of blog posts- 10 Things I Like About Korea and 10 Things I Dislike. Because I prefer ending on a positive, this entry will be about my dislikes. As a disclaimer, my overall opinion of Korea is positive. I wouldn’t have signed my third contract yesterday if I didn’t like it. But do I like everything? No. Sometimes living abroad can be frustrating and bewildering. All the following points are based on my own opinions and experiences. (Code for: Please don’t send me hate mail kplzthx)
Anyway, here goes.
Q: Hello! I see that you're currently teaching in SK as an ESL teacher and I wanted to know how safe you feel. Seeing that you were recruited in the same program I'm looking at I thought your perspective and feelings would help settle the minds of my worried parents. So on a daily basis as a single woman working in SK how safe do you feel? Do you normally take extra precaution?
A:
Hey there.
I have an interesting story for you. I realised the other day that I haven’t locked the door of my apartment at night for months. It simply hasn’t occurred to me to do so. Why? Partially it’s because I have to press a button to let anyone in. Secondly, it’s because of how safe I feel.
Crime happens in Korea. Of course it does. But I feel so much safer here than at home. I can walk down my street at 2am and not feel threatened. I can leave my bag anywhere and no one will touch it. As a woman alone, I am lucky to not have experienced anything negative during my experience here.
Of course, I’m sensible. I don’t answer the door to people I don’t know, particularly men (Most apartments come with a camera or at least a peep hole so you can see). I only get in marked taxis and if it’s a male taxi driver and I’m alone, I sit in the back. This is nothing unusual. I do exactly the same at home and as far I’m concerned, it’s common sense.
Korea is not any more dangerous than wherever you are from. In fact, it’s probably considerably less so. You will not have to make any significant changes to your life to be able to live here safely.
In regards to North Korea, (in case you were also wondering about that), I have never really felt unsafe because of their threats. The South Koreans I am with are not remotely afraid. And until they are, you shouldn’t be either.
Another thing- my friend and I were just discussing the Bombings in Boston. She’s American and she has lived here for about 8 months. Do you know what she said to me? ‘Things like this make me glad I live somewhere safe’.
You’ll be fine here. Your parents shouldn’t worry. And it will be a fantastic experience. Hope this helps.
Settled In
Today marks the beginning of the seventh week of the semester! Yes, already! Only another 13 weeks until Summer Vacation! Which really isn’t all that long if you think about it!
But anyway, after 7 weeks I think it’s safe to say I’m settled into the new semester. I’m relatively used to my new co-teachers and there’s a certain rhythm to the week now. I’m feeling happy and comfortable in my role as a teacher, which I never could have imagined a couple of years ago. Even up until last semester I would get anxious on Monday mornings but it seems to have subsided this time. I do sometimes wonder if teaching might be the path for me but I think going home and exploring my options is the better idea first.
Anyway, Second Grade remain evil and First Grade remain lovely. They’re just a really nice bunch of kids. If their worst trait is chattiness, I’ll take it. It’s better than being being arrogant and disrespectful. I’ve had some really sweet moments with some of them this past week. A first grader called Min Sung comes and talks to me every day. This is relatively unusual since he isn’t a high level student but he has the most infectious smile and wonderful personality. He told me last week that I was his best friend, the best teacher at our school and King of the English teachers. I did get a bit emotional because my students do mean a lot to me. I do care about their well-being and want them to succeed and to have them say meaningful things- particularly when they are sincere- means a lot. Impressing my co-workers is one thing, but I’m really making a difference with the students. Or at least I try to, though I’m not quite as idealistic as I was back in the beginning.
A student also wrote a description of me for a writing project, which I really liked. Flattery will get him everywhere. I suspect he’s angling for a sticker!
Things have improved with my cold teacher. She’s being much kinder and walking to class with her. I decided to make an effort to get to know her and it’s going well. I don’t think we’re going to be friends but I do hope we can have a comfortable professional relationship. She’s not quite on the ball with the translation thing yet, but I hope she’ll get better at reading when the students and I need translation.
I’m also getting more responsibility at school too. I’m responsible for correcting and grading a writing project for over 30 students, I’m doing four conversation classes a week and this semester I am doing the speaking tests for First Grade. I even decided the grading system! I like this though- it keeps me busier and I feel I am contributing to the English department. I’m not just a walking, talking tape recorder.
Last weekend, I went to Daegu to hang out with my friends Keflyn and James. I was just there for the afternoon really but I did manage to eat some delicious food and saw Oblivion which is definitely the most ridiculous film I’ve seen in a while. I wouldn’t recommend. I also got to do some train travel. For some reason, listening to music and reading on a train is something I really look forward to doing even though it’s something I do all the time, haha.
As for North Korea, no change. Everything is calm here though I’ve heard of a few foreigners leaving (which makes me laugh a little). Don’t take the media back home too seriously- they really are trying to make it sound worse than it is. I am perfectly safe.
I’m thinking of some themed blogging soon- perhaps 10 things I dislike and like about Korea. Keep your eyes out!
Butt-goat
Hello there dear readers! It’s just another Wednesday here in Korea. Except yesterday North Korea told all the foreigners we should LEAVE. Slightly creepy, but nonetheless, just another example of their trying to create a climate of fear. Everything remains pretty good here. In fact, if anyone is unduly concerned, please watch this video. It explains things nicely and the guy has an amazing accent!
Anyway, onto interesting matters. Spring is definitely, definitely here. It’s hard to imagine that 6 short weeks ago I was rushing from one place to another attempting to stay warm! I know that another 6 weeks from now it’s going to be hot. I have shorts and t-shirts on their way for this very reason.
Anyway, with the arrival of Spring comes the beautiful Cherry Blossom. In Korean it is called 벚꽃 which sounds kind of like ‘Butt-goat’ in English! Japan is most famous for it’s cherry blossom but Korea has plenty of it too. It even had an indigenous kind so in some ways it is slightly different to the Japanese Cherry Blossom but I’m not sure how. Anyway, it’s just as big a deal here. The main Cherry Blossom sights are in Jinhae, on the South Coast and in Gyeongju which is only 30 minutes away.
Anyway, last week was the Students school trip for 3 days! So off they went and my co-teacher Michelle and I used it as an opportunity to sneak out of school early with a faux Dentist appointment and head off with her parents to Gyeongju!
Michelle’s parents don’t speak English but they are always very kind to me, spending a lot of time trying to talk to me in Korean. Her Dad drove and it was my first trip across Korea in a car! I did however get to experience the intricacies of Korean Car Parks which make no sense to me! Double car parking spaces and barely enough room to swing a cat!
Anyway, our first stop was at Bulguksa Temple. The Cherry Blossom there was simply gorgeous!
And here’s a picture of yours truly!
The atmosphere was wonderful. Children were playing and all sorts of people were having picnics and relaxing, as well as taking photographs. It felt very calm.
Sadly, I didn’t get to explore the temple as Michelle’s parents had visited before so I’ll have to make another day of it at some point. Bulguksa is supposed to be the most beautiful temple in Korea though and it’s surroundings certainly were stunning.
After this we went to a famous ‘resort’ which according to my guidebook after I looked, may be called Namsan Lake. The whole lake was surrounded by Cherry Blossoms. Michelle’s sister, who lives up the coast in Pohang also came to meet us and we wandered all around the blooms! But, disaster almost struck when we bumped into a bunch of First Grade Home Room Teachers who were in Gyeongju on the School trip with their students. They haven’t mentioned anything though so they probably don’t know about the faux dentist trip. Or at least, we hope not!
It was really beautiful and all sorts of people were visiting. Art Students, High School students and naturally, as a foreigner I had to respond to choruses of ‘Hello!’. But it was lovely and I’m very glad I went. The Cherry Blossom was stunning!
After this we made our way into Gyeongju and I had dinner with Michelle, her parents, her sister, her two neices, her Aunt and her Aunt’s friend. They literally tried to get me to eat as much Galbi and Samgyupsal as humanly possible. Now, I will happily eat Korean barbeque but after a while I did get full and they wouldn’t take no for an answer. Michelle’s Aunt’s friend in particularly was very excited to meet me. I suspect I was the first foreigner she had ever met. Afterwards I was so full and ready to head home but we headed to Michelle’s Aunt’s house for more food to which Michelle said ‘I’m very sorry, I think my family had kidnapped you!!’
We eventually headed home and I went straight to bed. Cherry Blossom viewing is hard work! But I’m really pleased I got to experience this. It’s a unique experience in East Asia and very beautiful.
The next night I had another cool experience- I had dinner at a co-worker’s house. Her name is Mi Hyun and she is a Teacher’s Assistant here. She’s always been kind to me but recently we have been talking a lot and she invited me to her house for dinner and to meet her children. I was nervous because her English isn’t great and neither is my Korean but I had a wonderful evening. Her children were smart and kind and her little boy took to me- he even showed me around his bedroom! (Pretty sure it’s a big deal for a 7 year old!). We played Board Games and on the Wii! It was really nice and I enjoyed feeling so welcomed and relaxed. I am going to her house against next week to teach her how to make Spaghetti. Her homemade Korean food is wonderful but I know she’d love to learn more. But Mi Hyun is very kind. I am happy to have another friend.
It’s small things like that which I came to Korea for. Unique experiences like the Cherry Blossom Festival, meeting new people, trying new foods. I am comfortable here now but I’m glad that I still have opportunities to discover and try new things. It motivates me and reminds me that I definitely have the ability to have an amazing final. 10 month.
Tensions sure are high…
During a class this morning there was a loud boom outside (probably from one of the many construction projects near our school).
Some of the girls jumped, asking what the sound was.
The boys in the back, biting back a smile, immediately yelled, “Missile! Missile noise! North Korea is coming!”
And the entirety of the class burst into laughter at the absurdity of that statement.
(via partyintherok)
We’ll get the obvious statement over with: North Korea still haven’t done anything other than say stuff. All remains good and groovy here in the Land of the Morning Calm.
This morning is particularly calm because I’m not teaching today or for the next three days. My students have headed off for 3 days on a school trip taking with them most of the teachers. Only four students have remained behind and they look deeply unimpressed. Poor them.
So, what’s been up with me? Well, not a huge amount. I definitely feel that there are a lot less exciting things to blog about now. Do people need to know about an unsuccessful date I went on or that I’ve been reading and watching huge amounts of TV? The thing is that when you live abroad it very much reaches a point where everything is normal. The fact that you live in a different country becomes unremarkable. It just becomes your life and it’s normal and routine.
That being said, some nice stuff has happened. The weekend before last my friend Janna came to visit me which was lovely. Janna arrived in Ulsan at the same time as me but she moved to Seoul last July to take up a position at an International Kindergarten so this was her first visit back. We had a lovely time- we went to Bella, the best Italian restaurant in the city and on Sunday we walked around Dong-gu. I am always grateful to live in such a beautiful part of the city.
We went to Ilsan Beach and saw the people fishing early in the morning and we visited a Temple not far from my house called Wolbongsa. It wasn’t the prettiest temple ever- it was a Victim of Korea’s love for banners everywhere- but we had a really lovely moment there. We were getting ready to leave when this man in a baseball kit shouted out to us ‘Hello! Where are you from?’
We responded with ‘England’ and ‘America’ and then he said ‘Do you like noodles?’. He then revealed himself as the Head Monk of the Temple and it turns out that the Temple Baseball team were all having lunch… and so were we! It was really wonderful actually, we were made to feel so welcome. At school dinners, I always feel so awkward and out of place. But here it was so relaxed and everyone was very accepting of our presence! It was lovely.
That night we had dinner at Namaskar, the new Indian restaurant in Dong-gu! On Monday, I had work, obviously, but on Monday Night a whole group of Dong-gu people got together for Samgyupsal. I am unendingly grateful for my ‘Crew in the Gu’. There are lots of great people here and I really enjoy spending time with them.
On Tuesday, Janna left and that night I had a school dinner. Yes, it was awkward and definitely made more so by the fact that the School Security Guard (In fact a retired 70 year old man who man’s the school crossing and seems responsible for opening windows!) got blind drunk and asked me why I wasn’t married yet. Apparently being only 23 isn’t a good enough reason! The guy has been trying to set me up with the school wrestling coach (Yes, every school in Korea has one) for the past year. I suspect it would be more successful if the guy didn’t look terrified every time I’m near him and also if he spoke English and I found him attractive…
School is going well. Four week of the semester have already gone by, how did it happen? My Second Graders have definitely improved by the reshuffling of their home-rooms and the number of irritating classes has reduced and groups of annoying students disbanded. In fact, some students seem to be improving and participating more which is lovely. I think as a teacher you want to see students responding more and visibly learning. The sad fact is, is that you can’t force a student to learn unless they are motivated to do so, and I’m glad some students have found their motivation.
I definitely feel much more confident and comfortable as a teacher too. You can see the big difference in the discipline with my first and second grades. I’m more confident and because I have started out confident with the First Grade they are much more responsive to me. I can see how my progress as a teacher is impacting my students, which is really good for me. Though I suspect part of it might be that First Grade are generally a bunch of genuinely nice students. They seem… younger than the Second Grades did when they started last year and are very sweet and enthusiastic.
The only blot on the horizon is the issues I am having with a new co-teacher. The co-teachers I teach with the best are the ones who have been here the longest, because we understand each other and the students. And one of my new co-teachers is not impressive. She’s slightly older with not particularly brilliant English and has never taught Middle School before. She also seems very strict and will start shouting at the boys for reasons that do not seem obvious to me. For the first two weeks she also did no translating. Please imagine the sheer frustration of that when teaching a low level class. It’s improved slightly but sometimes when I ask her to translate something she will tell me that they understand when they evidently don’t and she seems baffled when I ask her to write the Korean translation on the board for low level students.
She’s also gone out of her way to avoid me, leaving early for class and staying behind to avoid walking and talking to me. I engaged her in our first conversation last week. I am trying to be pleasant but it’s hard because I just feel hostility. Anyway, it seems to be slowly improving!
Anyway, this got a lot longer than expected. In other news, I now have a twitter account. I post a little about my day to day teaching life there so if anybody is interested, feel free to follow me there. Hope you are all having a lovely Wednesday
