Let's get muddy...

A few weekends ago I finally checked off one of the first things that I had put on my "Korea Bucket List".... the Boryeong Mud Festival!

 I had been going back and forth between wanting to go and not wanting to go for 2 years. I'd heard great things and not so great things about it. Finally Adrienne decided to drag me along by force. I have to say, I'm extremely happy she did. Some of my friends had said it wasn't that fun. "There's a little mud puddle with a long line to roll in, and that's it," they said. "It's a big, drunken mess," they said. "It's all foreigners," they said.

Yes, there were lines. Yes, there was a mud "pool" place to get muddy. And "yes" it was full of drunk foreigners. But it was still a ton of fun. Luckily, the weekend we went was the last weekend and most of the groups had attended the weekend before, so that really helped with the lines and crowds. 

But the festival was more than just a mud pool. They had slides, games, staff throwing mud at you and hosing you down with cool water. But there were other festivities as well like live music and mud painting. I knew as soon as I walked up, it was definitely not the "tiny little mud puddle on the beach" I had painted it in my head to be. No, this was going to be fun. 

We ran in blow up obstacle courses. We climbed slides and enjoyed a mud "hot tub". We wrestled. We played mud soccer (well, it might have been more like we fell on our butts on the soccer field as the ball when wizzing by). We had a wonderful time. 

Oh, and the other great part.... the food.

Life changes so quickly

It's been a while, I know. I wish I could say I've been too busy to update, but I can't. To be honest, I just haven't gotten around to it. It's been over a year since I last updated, and let me tell you, times have changed.

I think the biggest change in my life is that, as of a few months ago, my program pulled all high school teachers from schools (which is where I was) and moved us all to elementary. I was nervous, sad, angry, and just plain disappointed. I loved my high school. I loved my students. I loved my teachers. I loved it all. But I have to say, I'm not disappointed any longer. Yes, I still miss my old students. Yes, I still miss my old teachers, but I go visit from time to time. But I love my new school. And the little bouncy ball students that I teach are absolutely adorable. They are so energetic and full of life. I honestly can say I'm just as happy here.

Another change huge change in my life was the tiny addition to my family. My baby girl (who isn't such a baby anymore), Kiki. It all started one day when a co teacher and I decided to join the local animal shelter dog walk. The day before we were going, I mentioned that the visit to the cat shelter was before, so we could just meet everyone at the dog shelter after the cat visit was finished. But when she expressed interest in going to the cat shelter as well, I (reluctantly) agreed to go. But once I was there, I was in love. These cats were so fluffy and adorable. I instantly realized that getting a cat was the solution to my pet-withdraw problems. Usually, I'm a dog person. I've only ever had dogs (mostly because my dad and I are both allergic to cats), but I realized my life is to crazy for the responsibility that having a dog brings. So after doing some research on how to manage living with cats while having allergies, I decided I'd adopt.

The first step was asking my landlord if I was even allowed to have a pet. So my co teacher went off to ask, and came back with an answer I was not expecting. "He says 'yes' you can have a cat. And he has a kitty for you." Huh? What? He HAS a kitty for me? Wait, kitty? Kitty as in cat? Or kitty as in kitten? "Baby cat!" Uhhh. I don't know if I'm ready for that. I've never raised a cat before, much less a kitten. "Just come see and then you can decide." Wait, what? It's here? At school? So we set off down the hallway, abandoning my newspaper students in the classroom to do their own "self study". I should've known. Who can look at an abandoned kitten and not take it home? Well, not me. They take me outside to our soccer field and unlock the equipment room door. And there she was, down in the bottom of a trashcan meant to keep soccer balls and hockey sticks, was my scared and shaking baby girl, no food, no water, no blanket. Just this tiny kitten. So I instantly scooped her up, wrapped her in my scarf, and whisked her away.

Once I got back to my classroom, it hit me. Uh, what have I done? What am I supposed to do with this? I found a box, put her in with my scarf, then took a picture, quickly sending it to my friends. "Um, this just happened." Luckily, Adrienne's boyfriend (who is Korean) was in Daegu, so after school, we met and he took us to the vet then to the store for all the supplies.

7 months and one bout of ringworm later, I've got the best cuddle bug in the world. Yes, she's still a kitten at heart, but when she isn't trying to chew off my hand or toes, shes the best companion I could've asked for.

Other than acquiring a family member and moving to a different apartment and school, not much else has changed. Friends departed, which was extremely hard, but we still keep in touch. And other friends moved to the opposite end of the city, but we still hang out regularly.

I've traveled a ton, including Vietnam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Taiwan, the Philippines, Myanmar (aka Burma), Japan (twice) and around Korea (partially with my mom, who visited in October!). But I'll get around to posting about those places, I promise!

The school threw me a birthday party...

Well, not really, it was a School Festival. But it was still fun, and a great way to spend my birthday!

Every year the school has a 2 day long festival. The school clubs perform, there is a talent show, they set up things for sale and artwork done by students in art class throughout the year. Students began preparing weeks in advance, dancing in the halls, singing in huddles before class. It was fun to see everyone so excited (especially since, generally speaking, I only get to see my students study). They canceled classes and pulled students out of others for rehearsals and preparations, they even hired a professional MC! So when the big day was upon us, I was really excited. Yes, it was after school, and yes it was on my birthday, but I didn't care. This was a perfect way to celebrate my birthday, with my amazing students (and friends that came along for the ride).

The first day of the festival, there were several classrooms that were set up selling food, taking pictures and doing other various things, all for a small price. But the main event was the talent show. Students could put together their own groups and work together for the auditions, singing, dancing, some playing instruments, but not really anything other than that (not like back home where someone might twirl a baton or do a poetry reading). Adrienne joined me after school was finished to walk around and enjoy the different attractions. We took the traditional Korean Polaroid photos (and I got a few done with co-teachers) and took a look at the different food items for sale. Fortunately, or possibly unfortunately, a group of girls had run up to me almost immediately after school, shoved a cup full of smiley-face french fries into my hands before screaming "Happy Birthday Teacha!", so I was pretty full for the rest of the night and therefore didn't buy any of the other goodies. We were stopped by a few students to practice their magic tricks on us (Adrienne and I have great theatrical skills, 'OMG so amazing! How did you do that?!'), then we headed to the main event, the talent show.

These people weren't joking around with this talent show either. There was fog, there were lights, they had outfit changes, there was even a professional announcer. And these students were good! They sang and danced so well. I was so surprised and really enjoyed seeing my students have fun. Half way through, Kaleena joined us and Adrienne had to leave and a little later, a student of mine joined us and stood with us for a while. It was so cute. A few times I noticed the principal looking my way, even pointing once, later I was told that he was really surprised that I was there, and even happier that I had brought friends. Brownie points for Allie Teacha.

The next day Adrienne came back to my school to enjoy yet another round of performances, this time done by the students that were in dancing and singing clubs (they weren't eligible to enter the talent contest). It was so cute, multiple students had told me they were performing and that I just HAD to watch them. So every time another group came onto the stage, I was like 'oh, I have to watch this one too'. Some of my favorite boys performed a mash-up of some of my favorite KPOP group dances that they had been going on an on about, and it ended up pretty awesome!

After watching many of the performances, Adrienne and I headed to the "Scare House". They had transformed the 4th floor (including the area right outside of my classroom) into a haunted house walk through. Fortunately for us, we got teacher treatment and were taken straight to the front of the line (otherwise we would've been waiting for an hour or so, and at that point we would've just left) then got grouped in with some other teachers from my school. So we were walked around the 4th floor, students jumping out of lockers, hiding on top of them, and standing creepily in the corner. Then the first room came and Adrienne and I were shoved in by ourselves. Problem was, we had to complete a task, and the task directions were written in Korean. So we stood in the middle of the room, not having a clue what to do, finally realized that we had to walk to the back in order to be scared out of our whits, then were allowed to leave the room. The rest of the haunted rooms we walked in with other teachers, explaining that we needed people with us because there were Korean instructions. I have to admit, some of these rooms were actually scary. My favorite was when we were outside waiting to go into the next room and the female gym teacher decided to grab my ankle and scare me to death. And one room, while we were walking around in the dark, someone scared us and I went tumbling backwards, flinging my shoe across the room. All in all, it was actually pretty entertaining.

A popular girl group dance

The winners of the contest

The entire festival was incredibly fun. I will know for next time that I need to ask a few more questions, go to a few more rooms, and save room for the goodies.

PS Here are some videos I found on YouTube of my students' performances...

Some of these boys totally surprised me

The 3rd grade girls that apparently are going to go into dancing

At the 2:00 mark they start dancing to the most popular song/group in Korea right now... well done

The KPOP compilation from some of the boys (the ones that kept telling me I HAD to see their dance, they know I like these groups)

Exam(in)Nation

When I first arrived in Korea I noticed one HUGE difference between Korea and America. No it wasn't the language. No it wasn't the food. No it wasn't the difference in looks. Those were too obvious. Those were things I knew about. The biggest difference that hit me immediately was their education system, or rather the stigma that surrounded education.

It amazed me that, when I walked into school at 8:20 every morning, the school was already full, students were already studying. Heck, some students were already in the hallway being punished. What amazed me even more was the day when I exclaimed to one of my 1st grade (freshmen) classes "Well at least its 7th period! You get to go home soon!"... if only looks could kill. "Teacha, we have class." I quickly moved on from the subject but approached my Korean co-teacher after class.

High school students, at least my high school students, have 8th and 9th class from 4:30 to 6:30. At this time, some students leave for "academy" (aka private tutoring schools where classes are small groups), but they can only leave if their homeroom teacher has confirmed with the parents and the academy that they do, in fact, have academy classes. If not, the students stay. We serve dinner at my school from 6:30 to 7:30, then they have "night study", where the students do supervised self study from 7:30-9:30. At 9:30, most students go home. I realized this one night when I was walking home from the store at 9:45, 2 huge bags in hand, and was met by a swarm of uniform-clad students. WTF are they doing out so late?! Oh right, they are just getting out of school. Notice I said "most" students go home at 9:30. If you are one of the lucky, smart students, you get to stay until 11:30. Yeah, you heard me. Its like you are punished for being smart, being held captive at school until nearly midnight. And even after that, many students go home, to only continue to study. Oh, and did I mention that they go to school on Saturdays and study on Sundays as well? Families spend THOUSANDS of dollars a year on private academies (not even one on one tutoring, but small group study).

So I quickly realized that school here is treated a LOT different than back home. Students are allowed to sleep during class, because teachers know they don't get much sleep anyway. It seems like students can fall asleep at the drop of a hat, in between classes during their 10 minute breaks, on the bus, I've even had a student fall asleep standing up in my class (though students sleeping in my class is rare).

But it isn't just students that study. When I walk into the teachers' office or when we are having a "self study" class in my room, often I find my coteachers watching online lectures. Crazy. Its like this country never stops studying.

But this week I saw what all of the fuss was about. All the teachers in Korea know that the biggest day of any Korean student's life is the day of the Korean SAT. The big test that determines their entire future. And I don't say that lightly. Yeah, the SAT (or ACT) was important in America, but remember, we can take it more than once. We can choose when we take it. And it SURELY isn't as crazy stressful as it is here. Students literally spend years of their lives studying for this one test that is finished in (a mere) 9 hours. Students take the test so seriously that many study until 1-2 am, the stress is so bad that it drives many to have health problems, and some even to suicide. Its a very unfortunate situation (and that's the nicest way I can put it otherwise I'd be here for a while expressing how I really feel).

On a day that the world seems to stop, Korean 3rd grade students (seniors) AND teachers are a wreck. Businesses open late, subways and buses increase frequency and police patrol the streets to avoid any traffic issues. I've even heard you aren't allowed to drive your car during certain hours unless you have a student with you (or are returning home) and it is illegal to honk your horn during testing hours. The country even shuts down ALL AIR TRAFFIC during the listening portion of the test. Yes, military drills and international flights are all postponed until after the listening test is finished. Police stand outside each school, and sometimes even escort students running late. Younger students and parents stand outside the school cheering the students on as they arrive, giving them tissues and beverages (on this stressful of a day, I'd hope that beverage is some sort of strong alcohol, however I'm sure it was something more along the lines of hot tea or orange juice). Adrienne and I decided to wake up and go gawk at the chaos, but where we were there wasn't much to see, only parents escorting their children to school (laced fingers and all) and a few students with encouraging posters.

Entrance to my school on the day of Suneung

The Korean SAT, or Suneung (soo-nung), is comprised of 5 subjects: Korean, math, English, Social Science/Science/Vocational Studies and Foreign Language (usually Chinese or Japanese, but can be others) or Hanja (traditional Korean writing/language, which is different than what they commonly use today). It lasts from 8am to after 5pm. Teachers are afraid that they will do something to distract the students. Complaints include teachers clicking the mouse on a computer, opening a window, a too-strong scented perfume, standing too close to a particular student's desk and even sniffling. My co teachers were all so tired today (the day after the test) because they literally had to stand still, afraid to move, for the entire test.

One co teacher told me how, at her old school, a teacher confiscated a watch because they thought it had calculating capabilities. The student, therefore, wasn't aware of the time and didn't finish the test (there are no clocks in the rooms). The parents sued the teacher for close to $50,000 to cover living and study expenses for the next year-until the student could take the test again, and the school made the teacher go to their house every day to apologize because they were afraid the family would come after the school. If students don't do well on the exam, they literally spend one year studying and tutoring for the retake.

It is really crazy how much these students study. But they are quite smart. I mean, I teach 700 students and I'd say quite a few of them are on their way to being tri-lingual. Yes, English study is required, but they also study other languages. Not only that, they don't use calculators. And I'm pretty sure they still do the same calculus and trig problems I did in high school. Its crazy. I really can't wait to see if the rate they are going makes them take over the world, or if something completely backfires. Lets hope its a happy medium.

If you have 20 minutes to spare, I'd REALLY suggest watching this short documentary about a day in the life of a 3rd grade Korean student. I've been here 8 months and there were things in this documentary that I still didn't know about and that still amazed me.

Click HERE to watch the Documentary

Also, an article that was written a few years ago about Suneung. Click HERE to read the article.

But, a crazy testing day for 3rd graders means a free day off for me! So me and some other high school teachers went out and enjoyed Korea's autumn beauty.

Adrienne, myself, Lauren and Joanne

At the botanical gardens of Daegu

I absolutely love my school- and my students!

I really have to say, in reflection of the past few months and from hearing others' stories, I think I have it good.

I really have begun to LOVE my students. I have a few in each class that just make my day when I see them. And it is even better when THEY light up when they see me. There are a few students that just have the biggest smiles on their faces when they walk in my door.... or when I pass them in the hallway they stop to say hello and make a mini-conversation... Then there is the boy who, when asked if they wanted self study time the week before finals, he said he wanted to have class because he enjoys it that much... And the other boy that comes in early EVERY Tuesday morning to talk to me... and last week, when he didn't have my class because of mid-terms, he came in Thursday during lunch (with 2 friends as backup who left mid-conversation) just to chat... I feel bad because I sometimes am really busy Tuesday mornings, so I need to remember to get there early, get set up, and be free to talk to him...

My girls working

My boys

Love these guys

Girls working again

Making mind maps

Got caught taking a few pictures :)

Students doing self study during the week before mid-terms (and Miss Jane watching over the boys)

My girls enjoying Princess Diaries during their reward day after mid-terms

And then there are my lovely Newspaper students... some of my favorites are in there as well... and I recently learned that they are the smartest (not just the highest level of English) in the school. That would make sense. I'm really looking forward to taking a field trip with them in a few days... Hopefully have some casual time with them to hang out...

On a field trip

Some of these girls are my newspaper students (on a field trip)

I've decided that I would really like to see the students in a non-classroom setting more often... So I am going to try my best to leave my room as often as possible in between classes, during their lunch and such... I think it will be good for them to see me around... It will make me look more approachable... and hopefully make them feel more comfortable with me and speaking in English...

Then there is my school itself... and the teachers I teach with...

After talking to other teachers, I really feel like my school is very well organized (compared to the others in Korea, maybe not the ones in America)... AND I feel like I am at a school that has a higher level of English than most.... I also get the feeling that my students are a little more well-behaved than other schools... which I am immensely grateful for...

My co-teachers (the ones that I ACTUALLY teach with) are absolutely wonderful.... one really helps with brainstorming about how to make lessons more effective, things I can change, what works, what doesn't, time management, etc... she is great.... There is another that controls the students so well that he turned my most difficult class into my favorite (that includes one of my angel students that loves talking to me and is always smiling)... The others are great too, always helping me when needed, making sure that I know what is going on and sometimes bring me little treats....

One of my treats from a co

THEN there is Miss Jane... I absolutely love this woman... I think I can truly say that she is a FRIEND... she not only always helps me at school, but had devoted a lot of time to help me learn about Korea- its language, its food, its culture and its people. Wednesdays we study Korean for 1 hour... if we miss, then she always tries to reschedule... Then some weeks we go out for dinner and coffee after school... She has introduced me to several great places to eat, one of which is between my school and my house and is my favorite restaurant I've been to... which I've introduced to my friends and we have returned, and will continue to do so.

Some of the food Miss Jane has introduced me to:

Shabu Shabu... you cook the vegetables and meat in a broth... 

Then you dip the wrappers (the paper looking things in the orange holder) in hot water...

The hot water makes them soft, and then you wrap your food in it like a little egg roll type thing

After the meat and veggies are finished, they use the broth to cook noodles....

Then after the noodles they do a rice dish... all this for $11 per person

Then there is Bulgolgi... cooked beef with noodles... this is my favorite restaurant... it is SO GOOD

Another thing I'm extremely grateful for is Olivia (my handler) and her group of friends. I don't co-teach with any of them, but I have lunch with them 4 days out of the week (the other day I eat with Miss Jane) and sometimes after lunch we go on a short walk around our school. These ladies (whose names I'm still trying to learn... I know 4 of the 6) are so nice... they really try to talk to me in English as much as possible (only 1 or 2 have enough English to have a full on conversation with me, but the others try really hard).... They really have accepted me into their circle, and that makes me feel so welcome...

And then there are all the other teachers in my school that speak English... it is quite a high percentage too! I was so surprised! I met Miss Carie the other day in the "Lady Teacher's Lounge" and she offered to take me to lunch at one of the surrounding mountains one day during mid-terms. We had a great weekend and I look forward to spending more time with her!

Miss Carie

Lunch with Miss Carie

Buddhist temple on the mountain

Overall, I just can't believe how blessed I am... like the title of this post suggests, I really do love my school and my students and can't imagine being in a better situation!