May 31 Sunday
The new math teacher at my hagwon wanted to take me out sightseeing today. We met at the subway station at 1pm and took a bus to our first destination. We walked everywhere else. She paid for everything during the day.
First we went to eat at Sodo Japanese Bistro. I had a japanese pork cutlet. It was very good. Its different from a Korean pork cutlet. There's a different kind of breading and instead of the sauce being on the cutlet you can dip it in sauce.
Then we headed over to Gyeongbokgung Palace and the National Folk Museum of Korea. It was interesting to see all the artifacts from past centuries.
Then we went over to Jogyesa Buddhist temple. There were a lot of people inside praying to Buddha. I didn't go inside. I stood outside and looked in.
Next, we went to Insadong. We walked around and did some eye shopping. I didn't buy anything. We were at ssamziegil. People have written all over the walks in the stairwell. My friend gave me a pen and I wrote "valerie was here May 2009". Then we walked around and looked at the vendors in the streets of Insadong.
Then she took me to see Cheong Gye Cheon stream. Its a pretty place. While we were there some students asked if they could video tape me talking about my feelings about Cheong Gye Cheon stream. It was their homework. They wanted me to talk for one minute. I told them I didn't want to. I don't know what to say to make it last for one minute. Heck I can't even pronounce the place!
Then we went to eat. We had korean beef. It was very good. It was one of the restaurants where you cook the beef at your table on a grill. She asked for a fork for me. One of the Korean men was asking me about why I couldn't use chopsticks. Haha. Chopsticks are hard for Americans because we never use chopsticks. Koreans make it look so easy, but I've tried and I can't ever do it.
Then we went inside Jongno tower. It has 33 floors. On the top floor there is a restaurant. She said the restaurant is very expensive and the food isn't good. I just took some photos from the 33rd floor. Nice view of Seoul. I was actually taking photos from the women's restroom. The restroom had a great view!
Then we headed home. I got home at 9pm. Now my feet are hurting from so much walking!
It was nice to have a local person showing me around.
Sunday, May 31, 2009
Day 164..first Korean football game (soccer)
click on the album to view....
I went to the gym today. I walked at various speeds on the treadmill for 45 minutes. I burned 45 calories. It was probably useless going to the gym anyway when I ate at Mcdonalds afterwards. At least I'm being active.
Today I went to my first Korean football game at World Cup Stadium in Seoul. I loved it! The team's name is FC (football club) Seoul. In South Korea, Soccer is called football. I got the 8,000 won ticket(@$6 usd) and was sitting at the North end. I'm glad I got the cheap ticket. All the action was happening in the North end. There were tons of empty seats in other sections of the stadium. I think the North side was the fullest. It would be awesome to see the stadium full(it holds 66,000).
Right before the game all the fans were cheering and singing a song. The song sounded a lot like "if youre happy and you know it". Same tune except it was in Korean so I don't know what they were really saying. When they are introducing the players the fans yell that persons name and cheer. At the beginning of the first quarter and the second quarter there were fireworks. very cool. It was too quick for me to take a picture. Just one small firework and then they would throw confetti. They would also throw confetti and the fireworks would go off when they scored a goal.
I loved the game because the fans are so into it. They are constantly cheering. They have signs, flags, jerseys, scarves, noisemakers(to distract the other team). They use the noise makers when the other team is close to their goal. A lot of people were cheering on the north end. A lot of them stood up for the whole game. I stood up for most of the game. There were a few guys down front who were leading the cheers. They had megaphones and they would tell the crowd when to start and stop a cheer. They weren't cheerleaders-no uniforms. They just led the cheers. It was cool to see everyone so excited and into the game.
During half time there was a guy who proposed on the screen. There was a prerecorded message from him in Korean then the camera panned over to him and his girl and he proposed. During half time they were also stopping the camera on random couples and they would kiss for the camera. I could understand what they were saying. They would say "couple" when the camera would stop on a couple. Then they would say "kiss".
FC Seoul won the game 2 to 1.
Their next game is June 20th. I'm definitely going back. I think I will get there earlier so I can get a good seat right in the middle of all the cheering. I got there at 7:45 and got a decent seat but I want to be closer to the field for better pictures and I want to be right in the middle where all the action is.
I think I saw my neighbor at the game (the football coach). I don't know if it was him but he sure did resemble him. I think my neighbor has longer hair although is possible he got a haircut in the past month. He didn't notice me although he walked past me twice. Maybe it wasn't him. I wasn't going to try to see. I can't just walk up to some random Korean that I think looks like my neighbor esp when I can't speak Korean.
 |
| FCSeoul |
I went to the gym today. I walked at various speeds on the treadmill for 45 minutes. I burned 45 calories. It was probably useless going to the gym anyway when I ate at Mcdonalds afterwards. At least I'm being active.
Today I went to my first Korean football game at World Cup Stadium in Seoul. I loved it! The team's name is FC (football club) Seoul. In South Korea, Soccer is called football. I got the 8,000 won ticket(@$6 usd) and was sitting at the North end. I'm glad I got the cheap ticket. All the action was happening in the North end. There were tons of empty seats in other sections of the stadium. I think the North side was the fullest. It would be awesome to see the stadium full(it holds 66,000).
Right before the game all the fans were cheering and singing a song. The song sounded a lot like "if youre happy and you know it". Same tune except it was in Korean so I don't know what they were really saying. When they are introducing the players the fans yell that persons name and cheer. At the beginning of the first quarter and the second quarter there were fireworks. very cool. It was too quick for me to take a picture. Just one small firework and then they would throw confetti. They would also throw confetti and the fireworks would go off when they scored a goal.
I loved the game because the fans are so into it. They are constantly cheering. They have signs, flags, jerseys, scarves, noisemakers(to distract the other team). They use the noise makers when the other team is close to their goal. A lot of people were cheering on the north end. A lot of them stood up for the whole game. I stood up for most of the game. There were a few guys down front who were leading the cheers. They had megaphones and they would tell the crowd when to start and stop a cheer. They weren't cheerleaders-no uniforms. They just led the cheers. It was cool to see everyone so excited and into the game.
During half time there was a guy who proposed on the screen. There was a prerecorded message from him in Korean then the camera panned over to him and his girl and he proposed. During half time they were also stopping the camera on random couples and they would kiss for the camera. I could understand what they were saying. They would say "couple" when the camera would stop on a couple. Then they would say "kiss".
FC Seoul won the game 2 to 1.
Their next game is June 20th. I'm definitely going back. I think I will get there earlier so I can get a good seat right in the middle of all the cheering. I got there at 7:45 and got a decent seat but I want to be closer to the field for better pictures and I want to be right in the middle where all the action is.
I think I saw my neighbor at the game (the football coach). I don't know if it was him but he sure did resemble him. I think my neighbor has longer hair although is possible he got a haircut in the past month. He didn't notice me although he walked past me twice. Maybe it wasn't him. I wasn't going to try to see. I can't just walk up to some random Korean that I think looks like my neighbor esp when I can't speak Korean.
How to go: Subway Line 6-World Cup Stadium--Exit 2
Prices: 8,000, 12,000 and 20,000
Website: http://www.fcseoul.com/eng/index_eng.jsp
Prices: 8,000, 12,000 and 20,000
Website: http://www.fcseoul.com/eng/index_eng.jsp
Friday, May 29, 2009
day 163
May 29 Friday
Today I'm gave more tests-2 in each class-monthly writing and weekly word test. We didn't have time to learn new material.
In my first class I gave them a word test and a writing test. They both got 100 on the writing test. I kinda gave them some hints, but I never came out and gave them the answer-just hints then they figured it out on their own. Both students wanted to change their names. The boy wants to be Maple. The girl wants to be Victory. They were excited when I told them they didn't have any homework.
I gave my 2nd class a word test and writing test. The students were asking me what Korean words I knew. They liked hearing me speak in Korean esp when I told them I knew "jugalay" (dont know if thats the spelling or not but it means "want to die?")One student didn't want to do the writing test. I told him he would get a bad grade. He didn't care. Some of the kids aren't motivated. Their parents make them be here. He filled in 3 answers and got them right so he got a 30. Then I let the kids play a game. One boy asked if we could play in Korean. I said no this is English class.They played an English game where they had to say a word that begins with the last letter of the previous word. Egg-giraffe-elephant,etc. They actually did a good job. They wanted to play girls against boys. The boys used a book to help them find words. The girls didn't want to use a book.
3rd class. word test. writing test. played game. 3 students were absent. 2 of those students have been absent 3 classes in a row. The other student missed 2 classes in a row.
I think my school is crazy. Some of the students are moving up a level. So the Korean teachers have to make copies of all the books for the students to use for 2 weeks until we start new books. WHY? why not leave the students in the same level and then move when we get new books? Why couldn't we start new books at the beginning of June instead of the middle? (the person in charge thinks there's so much material that it takes so long to cover..it does not take 15 weeks to cover 6-7 units!!!)At least I'm not the one who has to copy the books.haha. Its going to be crazy esp for writing classes. Some of the students just started 'writing starter 1'(we are on unit 3 and 4). If they move up to level 10 they will be at the end of 'writing starter 1'(unit 14) and will start writing starter 2 very soon. Level 7 just started a new book and we are on unit 3 so if they are moving to 8 then they have to get a brand new book. And now all my class rolls will all be switched since students are moving up a level. I have to make new spreadsheets for every class. Its going to be chaos. I don't know how to test the students for the classes where we are only reviewing. We aren't going to learn the whole unit over again-we are just going over concepts so how do I make the new students do a test? Should I just make up a grade-this is what I thought they would make.
I hope the new books are a lot better and that I can start at unit 1 and have enough material to last. I need to find extra materials also to go along with the lessons. I think it would be fun to teach them English songs. hmm maybe. No one checks up with me to see what I teach. I don't even have to turn in lesson plans. I also hope they give me a schedule this time so I'll know where I should be in the books instead of just figuring it out on my own.
I have about 7 or 8 students who were absent during monthly tests. I have to make them make up the test. Should I just make them take it during class? I can't have them doing a test while Im teaching the lesson. Some of my students have been absent a lot lately. I have one student who has missed 5 out of 8 classes. I have other students who have missed 3 classes in a row. Its hard to figure out their grades when they have missed 2 tests.
I hate my job!! But I love Korea. Its just so different from America and there are so many weird things to see and do. and I love Konglish.
Sunday I'm going out with one of the teachers to see a palace. I'm going to take lots of pictures. Then we are going eye shopping in Insadong. (Eye shopping=Konglish for 'window shopping') I'm learning some Konglish. It would be funny if I come home and start using Konglish phrases. People would look at me funny.
Random Konglish: Hand Phone=cell phone
I had a good workout tonight. I went to the gym alone. I was the only white person in the gym. I've been 6 days in a row! and I'm going again tomorrow! I'm taking it easy tomorrow-probably 45 mins on the treadmill but no weights.
One of the personal trainers asked me where Lesley was. He didn't understand me. His English isn't that good and he loves to just talk to me in Korean and he knows I never understand him. Then I talk to him in English and he doesn't understand me so we just end up laughing at each other.ha. Its quite funny.
Tonight I did 30 mins of interval training on the eliptical-burned 99 calories. Then I went on the treadmill for 25 minutes and burned 175 calories. I think I'm going to start doing intervals 3 times a week with my arm workouts then I'm going to walk on the treadmill for about an hour on the other days. I can burn about 400 calories on the treadmill for an hour at about 5.6 km/h (i think its about 3.5 mph). I'm not going to worry so much about doing leg exercises. I might weigh myself at the gym tomorrow. I hope I've lost something in 2 weeks.
Today I'm gave more tests-2 in each class-monthly writing and weekly word test. We didn't have time to learn new material.
In my first class I gave them a word test and a writing test. They both got 100 on the writing test. I kinda gave them some hints, but I never came out and gave them the answer-just hints then they figured it out on their own. Both students wanted to change their names. The boy wants to be Maple. The girl wants to be Victory. They were excited when I told them they didn't have any homework.
I gave my 2nd class a word test and writing test. The students were asking me what Korean words I knew. They liked hearing me speak in Korean esp when I told them I knew "jugalay" (dont know if thats the spelling or not but it means "want to die?")One student didn't want to do the writing test. I told him he would get a bad grade. He didn't care. Some of the kids aren't motivated. Their parents make them be here. He filled in 3 answers and got them right so he got a 30. Then I let the kids play a game. One boy asked if we could play in Korean. I said no this is English class.They played an English game where they had to say a word that begins with the last letter of the previous word. Egg-giraffe-elephant,etc. They actually did a good job. They wanted to play girls against boys. The boys used a book to help them find words. The girls didn't want to use a book.
3rd class. word test. writing test. played game. 3 students were absent. 2 of those students have been absent 3 classes in a row. The other student missed 2 classes in a row.
I think my school is crazy. Some of the students are moving up a level. So the Korean teachers have to make copies of all the books for the students to use for 2 weeks until we start new books. WHY? why not leave the students in the same level and then move when we get new books? Why couldn't we start new books at the beginning of June instead of the middle? (the person in charge thinks there's so much material that it takes so long to cover..it does not take 15 weeks to cover 6-7 units!!!)At least I'm not the one who has to copy the books.haha. Its going to be crazy esp for writing classes. Some of the students just started 'writing starter 1'(we are on unit 3 and 4). If they move up to level 10 they will be at the end of 'writing starter 1'(unit 14) and will start writing starter 2 very soon. Level 7 just started a new book and we are on unit 3 so if they are moving to 8 then they have to get a brand new book. And now all my class rolls will all be switched since students are moving up a level. I have to make new spreadsheets for every class. Its going to be chaos. I don't know how to test the students for the classes where we are only reviewing. We aren't going to learn the whole unit over again-we are just going over concepts so how do I make the new students do a test? Should I just make up a grade-this is what I thought they would make.
I hope the new books are a lot better and that I can start at unit 1 and have enough material to last. I need to find extra materials also to go along with the lessons. I think it would be fun to teach them English songs. hmm maybe. No one checks up with me to see what I teach. I don't even have to turn in lesson plans. I also hope they give me a schedule this time so I'll know where I should be in the books instead of just figuring it out on my own.
I have about 7 or 8 students who were absent during monthly tests. I have to make them make up the test. Should I just make them take it during class? I can't have them doing a test while Im teaching the lesson. Some of my students have been absent a lot lately. I have one student who has missed 5 out of 8 classes. I have other students who have missed 3 classes in a row. Its hard to figure out their grades when they have missed 2 tests.
I hate my job!! But I love Korea. Its just so different from America and there are so many weird things to see and do. and I love Konglish.
Sunday I'm going out with one of the teachers to see a palace. I'm going to take lots of pictures. Then we are going eye shopping in Insadong. (Eye shopping=Konglish for 'window shopping') I'm learning some Konglish. It would be funny if I come home and start using Konglish phrases. People would look at me funny.
Random Konglish: Hand Phone=cell phone
I had a good workout tonight. I went to the gym alone. I was the only white person in the gym. I've been 6 days in a row! and I'm going again tomorrow! I'm taking it easy tomorrow-probably 45 mins on the treadmill but no weights.
One of the personal trainers asked me where Lesley was. He didn't understand me. His English isn't that good and he loves to just talk to me in Korean and he knows I never understand him. Then I talk to him in English and he doesn't understand me so we just end up laughing at each other.ha. Its quite funny.
Tonight I did 30 mins of interval training on the eliptical-burned 99 calories. Then I went on the treadmill for 25 minutes and burned 175 calories. I think I'm going to start doing intervals 3 times a week with my arm workouts then I'm going to walk on the treadmill for about an hour on the other days. I can burn about 400 calories on the treadmill for an hour at about 5.6 km/h (i think its about 3.5 mph). I'm not going to worry so much about doing leg exercises. I might weigh myself at the gym tomorrow. I hope I've lost something in 2 weeks.
Day 162
May 28 Thursday
So I'm thinking this new makeup is great. Everyone is noticing. They say my face looks brighter and they like the darker lipgloss. They keep telling me how beautiful I am. Its good to hear that. The students like the makeup also.
Today I was giving tests all day long so we didn't get much done. We actually got a lot done in my last class because they took their writing test on Tuesday. We didn't start any new material in my first 4 classes.
My first class was pretty good today. I gave them a writing test first. One girl called out the answer to one of the words. I told her not to say it aloud but she said it several times. Everyone should have gotten that one correct but I think I actually had people who got it wrong. I have 2 students who do poorly on the word test. I don't think they study at home. One of them just doesn't care. I gave him his writing test and he stuck it in his bookbag. I told him to get it out and do it. He did half of it. I told him he would get a bad grade and he just laughed and acted like he didn't care. He actually made a 10 on his test. He only answered 5 questions (out of 10) and he got 4 of them wrong. One of the students came up to me and whispered in my ear after the test. She said "harry has a tick" I noticed that. He was blinking more than normally. The students were kinda cheating on the writing test. Some of them were sharing answers with each other. whatever. One of the students showed me how to write "i love you" in korean characters. I don't remember it now.
Before my 2nd class one of my students came out and asked me how to spell my name. When I went in class she had written my name all over the board. It said "Valerie I love you". I gave them 2 tests and then I gave them the rest of class as free time. We were just going to review anyway. We still have 4 classes where all we will do is review. Boring! I let them play games. One of my students came in when there was only 10 minutes of class left. I made him take his writing test, but I told him he could wait till tuesday to take his word test.
In my 3rd class we took 2 tests. One of the boys in my class said I was very beautiful today. Its funny. One of the teachers said that he "likes" me. So yeah a 12 year old boy has a crush on his teacher. haha. The students told me he was in love with the Korean teacher.haha. We went over homework then I let them play a game for 5 minutes-hangman.
In my 4th class they were much better than last week. They actually studied for my test during study time and they weren't studying for anything else. I had their full attention. They weren't talking all during class. I gave them 2 tests today.
In my 5th class we had a word test. Then we went over the activities in their writing book. They usually have a hard time with the writing so we go over all the activities as a class. At least it will help them learn how to write better. One of the boys asked "no homework today?". I decided I'd be nice and not give any homework today so I said "no homework." He actually said "thank you".
I went and put on my workout clothes after class was over. One of the teachers said I looked thinner. I can't tell a difference yet. I think I might get on the scale this weekend at the gym.
I have went to the gym 5 days in a row. I'm actually thinking about going on Friday and Saturday for a total of 7 days in a row! I'm going to take Sunday off. I actually look forward to going to the gym. I enjoy it. I think its very relaxing and fun. Being active is also good for you. The personal trainer was right. I am being diligent. (we were impressed that he used the word in the right context..we aren't used to hearing people who can speak good English)Tonight I had a good workout. I stayed on the eliptical for 30 minutes at a moderate pace using various resistances. There are 20 levels. I used levels 1-10 tonight. I burned 140 calories. Then I did a lot of arm exercises. I worked out my triceps on 2 machines. I also did biceps and shoulders. I also worked out on 3 different chest machines. I did 2 back machines and the ab machine. My friend Lesley was impressed that I could do 60 pounds on the chest press. I have good upper body strength. She could barely do the 60lbs on the chest press. She was telling the personal trainer about how much I could do. He made me get on the machine and show him. He showed me how to use the machine correctly. He told her I was strong. He also showed me how to correctly use the bicep machine. I can't lift much weight on it! Its hard! My biceps arent strong.
Me and Lesley are the only white girls at the gym. All the guys (who work there) who can speak English talk to us. I think they like practicing their English.I talk to the guy at the front desk and 2 of the personal trainers almost everyday. The girls who speak English say hey to us, but they don't carry on a conversation like the guys.
So I'm thinking this new makeup is great. Everyone is noticing. They say my face looks brighter and they like the darker lipgloss. They keep telling me how beautiful I am. Its good to hear that. The students like the makeup also.
Today I was giving tests all day long so we didn't get much done. We actually got a lot done in my last class because they took their writing test on Tuesday. We didn't start any new material in my first 4 classes.
My first class was pretty good today. I gave them a writing test first. One girl called out the answer to one of the words. I told her not to say it aloud but she said it several times. Everyone should have gotten that one correct but I think I actually had people who got it wrong. I have 2 students who do poorly on the word test. I don't think they study at home. One of them just doesn't care. I gave him his writing test and he stuck it in his bookbag. I told him to get it out and do it. He did half of it. I told him he would get a bad grade and he just laughed and acted like he didn't care. He actually made a 10 on his test. He only answered 5 questions (out of 10) and he got 4 of them wrong. One of the students came up to me and whispered in my ear after the test. She said "harry has a tick" I noticed that. He was blinking more than normally. The students were kinda cheating on the writing test. Some of them were sharing answers with each other. whatever. One of the students showed me how to write "i love you" in korean characters. I don't remember it now.
Before my 2nd class one of my students came out and asked me how to spell my name. When I went in class she had written my name all over the board. It said "Valerie I love you". I gave them 2 tests and then I gave them the rest of class as free time. We were just going to review anyway. We still have 4 classes where all we will do is review. Boring! I let them play games. One of my students came in when there was only 10 minutes of class left. I made him take his writing test, but I told him he could wait till tuesday to take his word test.
In my 3rd class we took 2 tests. One of the boys in my class said I was very beautiful today. Its funny. One of the teachers said that he "likes" me. So yeah a 12 year old boy has a crush on his teacher. haha. The students told me he was in love with the Korean teacher.haha. We went over homework then I let them play a game for 5 minutes-hangman.
In my 4th class they were much better than last week. They actually studied for my test during study time and they weren't studying for anything else. I had their full attention. They weren't talking all during class. I gave them 2 tests today.
In my 5th class we had a word test. Then we went over the activities in their writing book. They usually have a hard time with the writing so we go over all the activities as a class. At least it will help them learn how to write better. One of the boys asked "no homework today?". I decided I'd be nice and not give any homework today so I said "no homework." He actually said "thank you".
I went and put on my workout clothes after class was over. One of the teachers said I looked thinner. I can't tell a difference yet. I think I might get on the scale this weekend at the gym.
I have went to the gym 5 days in a row. I'm actually thinking about going on Friday and Saturday for a total of 7 days in a row! I'm going to take Sunday off. I actually look forward to going to the gym. I enjoy it. I think its very relaxing and fun. Being active is also good for you. The personal trainer was right. I am being diligent. (we were impressed that he used the word in the right context..we aren't used to hearing people who can speak good English)Tonight I had a good workout. I stayed on the eliptical for 30 minutes at a moderate pace using various resistances. There are 20 levels. I used levels 1-10 tonight. I burned 140 calories. Then I did a lot of arm exercises. I worked out my triceps on 2 machines. I also did biceps and shoulders. I also worked out on 3 different chest machines. I did 2 back machines and the ab machine. My friend Lesley was impressed that I could do 60 pounds on the chest press. I have good upper body strength. She could barely do the 60lbs on the chest press. She was telling the personal trainer about how much I could do. He made me get on the machine and show him. He showed me how to use the machine correctly. He told her I was strong. He also showed me how to correctly use the bicep machine. I can't lift much weight on it! Its hard! My biceps arent strong.
Me and Lesley are the only white girls at the gym. All the guys (who work there) who can speak English talk to us. I think they like practicing their English.I talk to the guy at the front desk and 2 of the personal trainers almost everyday. The girls who speak English say hey to us, but they don't carry on a conversation like the guys.
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Day 161...Free Pony Rides
May 27 Wednesday
Its my 23rd week in South Korea. My 13th week teaching at my school. I always count from Wednesday because I arrived in South Korea on a Wednesday.
I wore a new kind of makeup today. Its a mineral makeup from a company on ebay. I asked them to send me a sample so I could try it. I like it. I might buy a set. Their sets come with foundation, blush, eyeshadow and its reasonably priced. Its sorta like the makeup that you see advertised on tv. I think its called 'bare minerals." they aren't affiliated with that company. they make their own makeup but same concept.
People at school noticed my makeup. I told them I wear makeup everyday. The only difference is that today I wore a darker lipstick. I usually just wear chap stick. They said that my makeup today makes me 'more beautiful'. Maybe I should start wearing the darker shade instead of just chap stick.
Today I took my Acai berry supplement. I'll give it some time to see if it actually helps. If I lose a good amount of weight then I'll buy another month's worth. The trainer at the gym keeps asking me everyday "did you check your body?" (He means did I get up on the scale). I haven't gotten on the scale since the 16th. I may get on it this weekend.
Today I was observed.
In my first class one student was present and the other was absent. So I had a one on one class. I think it went well. The student was having some trouble with my comprehension questions. We started a new chapter and I drew pictures on the board of the vocabulary words. My observer would occasionally ask the girl if she knew what the word was in Korean or she would tell her the Korean word. My student liked my drawing of an octopus. It made her laugh.haha. I'm not an artist. I drew it with 8 short legs.
In my 2nd class I have 3 students and they are usually out of control. They were speaking in Korean during study time and she told them to stop. They were being a little bad and she told them to be good and follow my directions. We had 2 tests. I let them study for 5 minutes for the word test. Then we had a writing test. I went over the answers to the writing test on the board. Then we went over homework.They were actually good for the class! I was surprised at how eager they were today. The 2 boys wanted to answer every question. I usually have to beg them to answer. One of the boys wanted to answer every question.
I found out that we don't have to finish the books until June 12th. We start new books in June and we have to finish them by August. Each "semester" is 6 months. In Sept we will start a new session.
I saw a funny shirt today. I wonder if the boy understands the meaning. It was a middle school boy at my school. His shirt said "Free Pony Rides" and had an arrow pointing down.
She watched all of my classes today. Then we had a meeting where she discussed things from notes she took. She said I was doing better from last time.She says I need to take things faster so the kids won't get bored. Well I was trying to take it slower so they actually understand. She says I need to describe the pictures more. Get the students to describe the pictures to me. I can bring in extra materials that go along with the topic-like maybe a news article that relates to the lesson. That's good to know. I never know if I'm suppose to only stick to the book. I can bring visual aids. If we are talking about a fish then bring in a picture of that fish from the internet so they can see what it is instead of drawing it on the board. She says I need to make it more personal. I need to ask them personal questions. Like if we are talking about food ask them what kind of foods they like,etc. I need to give them listening assignments. They have cds and tapes with their books. Get them to listen to the cd at home. I need to explain all the new vocabulary words. I need more interaction with the kids and let them interact with each other (like doing group work). I shouldn't let them speak Korean and If I'm having a behavior problem I should tell the Korean teacher and they will call their parents.
Oh and she reminded me again "don't get the swine flu." I'm not going to get the flu, but if its spreading rapidly then there isn't really a way to prevent it esp when you live in one of the biggest cities in the world. Personal space isn't a concept here.
I had a good workout. I did interval training for 30 minutes on the elliptical. Then I did 2 different leg machines. I don't really want to work my legs that much because they are already too big! Then I did 20 minutes on the treadmill at various speeds. In all today I burned about 250 calories in 50 minutes.
So Lesley has been texting this Korean American soldier. He wants to meet her next weekend. She asked me if I wanted to join. She wanted to make sure he knows its not a date. He's actually bringing along one of his American soldier buddies. She was texting him and he thought she was bringing her boyfriend. He asked her if she could bring someone to introduce to his American soldier friend (so I guess thats me). So next weekend we sorta have a 'double date.' I'm not really expecting anything to come out of it. I'm not really into soldiers. Plus dating me would be complicated-if he's looking for some action then he won't be getting any!! And he might be disappointed that she's introducing him to a fat girl. Get his hopes up that he's meeting some hot girl then he sees me and gets bummed out. (no I'm not putting myself down. I'm just saying most guys aren't into fat girls.their loss). I'm just going for the fun of it. Maybe I'll make some new friends.
North Korea is in the news again. They just keep doing things to stay in the news. They just started up their nuclear program and tested a few short range missiles. Now they are threatening to attack the South if they search their ships.
Its my 23rd week in South Korea. My 13th week teaching at my school. I always count from Wednesday because I arrived in South Korea on a Wednesday.
I wore a new kind of makeup today. Its a mineral makeup from a company on ebay. I asked them to send me a sample so I could try it. I like it. I might buy a set. Their sets come with foundation, blush, eyeshadow and its reasonably priced. Its sorta like the makeup that you see advertised on tv. I think its called 'bare minerals." they aren't affiliated with that company. they make their own makeup but same concept.
People at school noticed my makeup. I told them I wear makeup everyday. The only difference is that today I wore a darker lipstick. I usually just wear chap stick. They said that my makeup today makes me 'more beautiful'. Maybe I should start wearing the darker shade instead of just chap stick.
Today I took my Acai berry supplement. I'll give it some time to see if it actually helps. If I lose a good amount of weight then I'll buy another month's worth. The trainer at the gym keeps asking me everyday "did you check your body?" (He means did I get up on the scale). I haven't gotten on the scale since the 16th. I may get on it this weekend.
Today I was observed.
In my first class one student was present and the other was absent. So I had a one on one class. I think it went well. The student was having some trouble with my comprehension questions. We started a new chapter and I drew pictures on the board of the vocabulary words. My observer would occasionally ask the girl if she knew what the word was in Korean or she would tell her the Korean word. My student liked my drawing of an octopus. It made her laugh.haha. I'm not an artist. I drew it with 8 short legs.
In my 2nd class I have 3 students and they are usually out of control. They were speaking in Korean during study time and she told them to stop. They were being a little bad and she told them to be good and follow my directions. We had 2 tests. I let them study for 5 minutes for the word test. Then we had a writing test. I went over the answers to the writing test on the board. Then we went over homework.They were actually good for the class! I was surprised at how eager they were today. The 2 boys wanted to answer every question. I usually have to beg them to answer. One of the boys wanted to answer every question.
I found out that we don't have to finish the books until June 12th. We start new books in June and we have to finish them by August. Each "semester" is 6 months. In Sept we will start a new session.
I saw a funny shirt today. I wonder if the boy understands the meaning. It was a middle school boy at my school. His shirt said "Free Pony Rides" and had an arrow pointing down.
She watched all of my classes today. Then we had a meeting where she discussed things from notes she took. She said I was doing better from last time.She says I need to take things faster so the kids won't get bored. Well I was trying to take it slower so they actually understand. She says I need to describe the pictures more. Get the students to describe the pictures to me. I can bring in extra materials that go along with the topic-like maybe a news article that relates to the lesson. That's good to know. I never know if I'm suppose to only stick to the book. I can bring visual aids. If we are talking about a fish then bring in a picture of that fish from the internet so they can see what it is instead of drawing it on the board. She says I need to make it more personal. I need to ask them personal questions. Like if we are talking about food ask them what kind of foods they like,etc. I need to give them listening assignments. They have cds and tapes with their books. Get them to listen to the cd at home. I need to explain all the new vocabulary words. I need more interaction with the kids and let them interact with each other (like doing group work). I shouldn't let them speak Korean and If I'm having a behavior problem I should tell the Korean teacher and they will call their parents.
Oh and she reminded me again "don't get the swine flu." I'm not going to get the flu, but if its spreading rapidly then there isn't really a way to prevent it esp when you live in one of the biggest cities in the world. Personal space isn't a concept here.
I had a good workout. I did interval training for 30 minutes on the elliptical. Then I did 2 different leg machines. I don't really want to work my legs that much because they are already too big! Then I did 20 minutes on the treadmill at various speeds. In all today I burned about 250 calories in 50 minutes.
So Lesley has been texting this Korean American soldier. He wants to meet her next weekend. She asked me if I wanted to join. She wanted to make sure he knows its not a date. He's actually bringing along one of his American soldier buddies. She was texting him and he thought she was bringing her boyfriend. He asked her if she could bring someone to introduce to his American soldier friend (so I guess thats me). So next weekend we sorta have a 'double date.' I'm not really expecting anything to come out of it. I'm not really into soldiers. Plus dating me would be complicated-if he's looking for some action then he won't be getting any!! And he might be disappointed that she's introducing him to a fat girl. Get his hopes up that he's meeting some hot girl then he sees me and gets bummed out. (no I'm not putting myself down. I'm just saying most guys aren't into fat girls.their loss). I'm just going for the fun of it. Maybe I'll make some new friends.
North Korea is in the news again. They just keep doing things to stay in the news. They just started up their nuclear program and tested a few short range missiles. Now they are threatening to attack the South if they search their ships.
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Day 161
May 26 Tuesday
My level 5 class is giving me trouble again. I asked for their homework and they said "you didnt give us homework". I argued with them. YES I DID!! I wrote it on the board. of course no one did it. I wrote it on the board and if they didn't copy it then thats their fault. they were being bad in class today. talking and playing with their phones and not paying attention. Im up there talking and they are just carrying on like I'm not even up there. They were even talking during the test. I had to keep telling them to be quiet. I have one girl who is always late. She's been late for the last 3 classes. We had just gotten finished with the word test and she came in and I had to give the test to her. This class is getting a bad 'assignment' grade on their report card-either a C or D. I'll probably give some of them a B for behavior also.
My 2nd class was taking a test so I just sat at my desk. Then the teacher told me that the test was over and I could go to class at 5:20. Then she thought it would be better if I just had that class at 5:50 which is my normal break time. I like having my break from 5:50 to 6:50 but now I wont have it. I walk in the class and "we're taking a test". Why do their tests last more than 45 minutes so that they take up my time? In my 2nd class we went over 2 pages of material then they had a lot of free time. We are finished with the book.
So I'm going to my 4th class and they are giving a test. They took up 20 minutes of my class time. When I got to the class we took our writing test and then we went over 2 pages in the book.
the Korean teachers didn't have to teach much today or yesterday. They are just giving monthly tests. Well I dont care if my tests take all class on Thursday.
Assigning essays to the lower levels is a waste of time. I had a student today who turned in an essay and I gave it back because he didn't write sentences. I give them a sample essay but they don't pay attention to it I guess. Another girl in level 4 wrote one sentence and it was in Korean so I didn't take her's either. I even had a level 9 student who didn't write in sentences.
I had a good workout tonight. I did 30 minutes on the eliptical at a moderate pace. Then I worked out my arms, back and chest. We were chit chatting with the personal trainer tonight while we were at the gym. He talks to us everytime we are there. He said I was diligent at working out.
I got my supplements today. I'm going to start taking the acai pills tomorrow. I'm not going to start taking the colon cleanse till the weekend so I can see how it will affect me and if I should take it during the week.
I have to be observed tomorrow. yuck! I hate being observed. I'll be teaching speaking in my first class, then I'll be giving 2 tests in my 2nd class (we probably won't have any time to do any real work), in my 3rd class Im giving 2 tests and a writing unit, in my last class we will be doing speaking.
I think this is the last week of the quarter. I need to ask tomorrow. When the new quarter starts I'm coming up with class rules and new policies. I'm going to give everyone a copy of the rules so they know what they are. I might even make them sign the rules so they can't say they didn't know. Im going to be strict and they are going to hate me! I want to make them only speak English. There's way too much Korean speaking going on in class. I've got to think of some punishment options because I havent punished anyone. Maybe I'll implement the 'invisible chair'. Make them sit against the wall like they are sitting in a chair but there isn't a chair. That will teach them to be good. I'm going to make an essay schedule so they will know exactly when the essays are due. They can't have any excuses about not knowing when it was due. They are going to have one chance to turn in their essay. Then I can tell the Korean teacher to call their parents.
My level 5 class is giving me trouble again. I asked for their homework and they said "you didnt give us homework". I argued with them. YES I DID!! I wrote it on the board. of course no one did it. I wrote it on the board and if they didn't copy it then thats their fault. they were being bad in class today. talking and playing with their phones and not paying attention. Im up there talking and they are just carrying on like I'm not even up there. They were even talking during the test. I had to keep telling them to be quiet. I have one girl who is always late. She's been late for the last 3 classes. We had just gotten finished with the word test and she came in and I had to give the test to her. This class is getting a bad 'assignment' grade on their report card-either a C or D. I'll probably give some of them a B for behavior also.
My 2nd class was taking a test so I just sat at my desk. Then the teacher told me that the test was over and I could go to class at 5:20. Then she thought it would be better if I just had that class at 5:50 which is my normal break time. I like having my break from 5:50 to 6:50 but now I wont have it. I walk in the class and "we're taking a test". Why do their tests last more than 45 minutes so that they take up my time? In my 2nd class we went over 2 pages of material then they had a lot of free time. We are finished with the book.
So I'm going to my 4th class and they are giving a test. They took up 20 minutes of my class time. When I got to the class we took our writing test and then we went over 2 pages in the book.
the Korean teachers didn't have to teach much today or yesterday. They are just giving monthly tests. Well I dont care if my tests take all class on Thursday.
Assigning essays to the lower levels is a waste of time. I had a student today who turned in an essay and I gave it back because he didn't write sentences. I give them a sample essay but they don't pay attention to it I guess. Another girl in level 4 wrote one sentence and it was in Korean so I didn't take her's either. I even had a level 9 student who didn't write in sentences.
I had a good workout tonight. I did 30 minutes on the eliptical at a moderate pace. Then I worked out my arms, back and chest. We were chit chatting with the personal trainer tonight while we were at the gym. He talks to us everytime we are there. He said I was diligent at working out.
I got my supplements today. I'm going to start taking the acai pills tomorrow. I'm not going to start taking the colon cleanse till the weekend so I can see how it will affect me and if I should take it during the week.
I have to be observed tomorrow. yuck! I hate being observed. I'll be teaching speaking in my first class, then I'll be giving 2 tests in my 2nd class (we probably won't have any time to do any real work), in my 3rd class Im giving 2 tests and a writing unit, in my last class we will be doing speaking.
I think this is the last week of the quarter. I need to ask tomorrow. When the new quarter starts I'm coming up with class rules and new policies. I'm going to give everyone a copy of the rules so they know what they are. I might even make them sign the rules so they can't say they didn't know. Im going to be strict and they are going to hate me! I want to make them only speak English. There's way too much Korean speaking going on in class. I've got to think of some punishment options because I havent punished anyone. Maybe I'll implement the 'invisible chair'. Make them sit against the wall like they are sitting in a chair but there isn't a chair. That will teach them to be good. I'm going to make an essay schedule so they will know exactly when the essays are due. They can't have any excuses about not knowing when it was due. They are going to have one chance to turn in their essay. Then I can tell the Korean teacher to call their parents.
Monday, May 25, 2009
Day 160
May 25 Monday
I was heading to my first class and the Korean teacher told me "We have a monthly test. You don't have to teach today". I didn't have to teach my 1st class. I had spent time preparing for my class, but its nice to have a break. Maybe I'll get a break from some of tomorrow's classes. That would be really nice since Tues/Thurs kids drive me crazy! I have to give my monthly tests on Wednesday,Thursday,Friday.
I had to teach my 2nd and 3rd classes. My 2nd class was being wild. They were being loud and playing with their cell phones and not wanting to pay attention. I gave them more homework than usual in return for their bad behavior. In my 3rd class we finished the speaking book.
I had a good workout tonight. I was on the eliptical doing interval training for 30 minutes then I worked out on a few of the leg machines. Then I walked on the treadmill for 20 minutes. Then I took a 20 min walk to my house.
The ex President of Korea committed suicide recently. He jumped off a cliff. He was involved in some corruption scandal. One of the Korean teachers told me she went to the funeral this morning.
I'm thinking about going to a football game on Saturday. Soccer is called 'football' over here. Tickets run anywhere from 8-12,000 for general admission seats and 20,000($16) for assigned seats. I may get an 8,000(6.43 usd) or 12,000(9.65usd) ticket.
There have been 22 confirmed cases of (swine)flu in South Korea. 18 of the people are currently in isolation. Our school is advising us to stay away from places like Itaewon where a lot of foreigners hangout since there was an outbreak among some English teachers. They aren't worried about the Korean people getting it. They think since they eat so much Kimchi that they won't get it. Seriously, these people think Kimchi is some miracle drug.
North Korea has declared that they had another nuclear test.
I was heading to my first class and the Korean teacher told me "We have a monthly test. You don't have to teach today". I didn't have to teach my 1st class. I had spent time preparing for my class, but its nice to have a break. Maybe I'll get a break from some of tomorrow's classes. That would be really nice since Tues/Thurs kids drive me crazy! I have to give my monthly tests on Wednesday,Thursday,Friday.
I had to teach my 2nd and 3rd classes. My 2nd class was being wild. They were being loud and playing with their cell phones and not wanting to pay attention. I gave them more homework than usual in return for their bad behavior. In my 3rd class we finished the speaking book.
I had a good workout tonight. I was on the eliptical doing interval training for 30 minutes then I worked out on a few of the leg machines. Then I walked on the treadmill for 20 minutes. Then I took a 20 min walk to my house.
The ex President of Korea committed suicide recently. He jumped off a cliff. He was involved in some corruption scandal. One of the Korean teachers told me she went to the funeral this morning.
I'm thinking about going to a football game on Saturday. Soccer is called 'football' over here. Tickets run anywhere from 8-12,000 for general admission seats and 20,000($16) for assigned seats. I may get an 8,000(6.43 usd) or 12,000(9.65usd) ticket.
There have been 22 confirmed cases of (swine)flu in South Korea. 18 of the people are currently in isolation. Our school is advising us to stay away from places like Itaewon where a lot of foreigners hangout since there was an outbreak among some English teachers. They aren't worried about the Korean people getting it. They think since they eat so much Kimchi that they won't get it. Seriously, these people think Kimchi is some miracle drug.
North Korea has declared that they had another nuclear test.
Sunday, May 24, 2009
Day 159
May 24 Sunday
I actually got up early this morn. I first woke up at 9:00 then my friend sent me a text message saying she wanted to meet an hour later so I went back to sleep for an hour!
I met my friend at the subway station. She said she moved the time because She was hungover and wanted a little more sleep. She drank too much last night.
We went to an English exhibition at Coex mall. The school asked her to go and check it out. Its set up like a job fair except its for summer English camps and study abroad to learn English. She got a lot of different brochures from various tables. Then we got on the subway and headed home.
She was asking me if I went to church. I told her I didn't know who had English services. She said I could go with her sometime. She goes to a Seventh Day Adventist. They meet on Saturdays. She said she could introduce me to some other foreigners who go there. I'll have to check that out.
At 5 I had an orientation session at the gym. I was walking in the hall towards the gym and I saw the personal trainer. He asked me why I was late. I told him I was suppose to be there at 5pm. He looked at his phone. It was 4:59.
First he showed me some stretches. He said he was worried that I broke my promise. I didn't forget about today. I just got there right on time. The cute guy at the front desk came to talk to me while I was working with the PT. He told me he forgot my name. I finally got his name also. The PT showed me some upper body exercises today. I got on this machine for the back which I thought was going to be really hard to use, but it actually wasn't that hard. While we were working out he was asking me all sorts of questions like what was my major and asking about other teachers and when I'm leaving. Titanic was playing on the tv screen and he was asking me if I saw it and asking me about what movie stars I like. all sorts of things. He said I should stay in Korea and get married and have babies.haha. Most people that I talk to say I should stay for a long time.ha. I won't be staying more than a year. well actually it will be a year and 2 months by the time I leave. He showed me some upper body machines for chest, pecs, lower back. He asked me if I knew how to use the stair climber. I told him I did. How hard could it be? I never intended to use it anyway! I thought if I told him I knew how to use it he wouldn't show me how. Wrong. Ouch! The stair climber hurts! I won't use it again unless I get a lot stronger. I really worked up a sweat in a short time. I was on it for about 10 minutes. Its harder than it looks. It said I climbed 32 flights of stairs and burned 64 calories in 10 minutes. It wasn't set to my weight though so that figure isn't correct. Then it was finally over!
I think he wants me to help him with his English. He couldnt quite get out what he wanted to say but he said he wanted to talk to me a lot. He said he is forgetting his English because he didn't use it much. (I know how that is! I almost forgot Spanish!) After our workout I was leaving and he thought I should stay and workout longer! He said "youre not going to run?". I said "i'll run tomorrow." Then I headed home.
My supplements, new sports bra and workout clothes should all be arriving this week. I'm expecting 3 packages. Then I'll be set and I wont have to wash my one pair of workout clothes almost everyday. Im looking for one package around Wednesday or so and 2 around Friday. I need to go tonight and shop for groceries. First I need to figure out what I want to eat this week. And I've actually got to eat it instead of letting it rot in the fridge because I choose to eat out instead of at home.
I actually got up early this morn. I first woke up at 9:00 then my friend sent me a text message saying she wanted to meet an hour later so I went back to sleep for an hour!
I met my friend at the subway station. She said she moved the time because She was hungover and wanted a little more sleep. She drank too much last night.
We went to an English exhibition at Coex mall. The school asked her to go and check it out. Its set up like a job fair except its for summer English camps and study abroad to learn English. She got a lot of different brochures from various tables. Then we got on the subway and headed home.
She was asking me if I went to church. I told her I didn't know who had English services. She said I could go with her sometime. She goes to a Seventh Day Adventist. They meet on Saturdays. She said she could introduce me to some other foreigners who go there. I'll have to check that out.
At 5 I had an orientation session at the gym. I was walking in the hall towards the gym and I saw the personal trainer. He asked me why I was late. I told him I was suppose to be there at 5pm. He looked at his phone. It was 4:59.
First he showed me some stretches. He said he was worried that I broke my promise. I didn't forget about today. I just got there right on time. The cute guy at the front desk came to talk to me while I was working with the PT. He told me he forgot my name. I finally got his name also. The PT showed me some upper body exercises today. I got on this machine for the back which I thought was going to be really hard to use, but it actually wasn't that hard. While we were working out he was asking me all sorts of questions like what was my major and asking about other teachers and when I'm leaving. Titanic was playing on the tv screen and he was asking me if I saw it and asking me about what movie stars I like. all sorts of things. He said I should stay in Korea and get married and have babies.haha. Most people that I talk to say I should stay for a long time.ha. I won't be staying more than a year. well actually it will be a year and 2 months by the time I leave. He showed me some upper body machines for chest, pecs, lower back. He asked me if I knew how to use the stair climber. I told him I did. How hard could it be? I never intended to use it anyway! I thought if I told him I knew how to use it he wouldn't show me how. Wrong. Ouch! The stair climber hurts! I won't use it again unless I get a lot stronger. I really worked up a sweat in a short time. I was on it for about 10 minutes. Its harder than it looks. It said I climbed 32 flights of stairs and burned 64 calories in 10 minutes. It wasn't set to my weight though so that figure isn't correct. Then it was finally over!
I think he wants me to help him with his English. He couldnt quite get out what he wanted to say but he said he wanted to talk to me a lot. He said he is forgetting his English because he didn't use it much. (I know how that is! I almost forgot Spanish!) After our workout I was leaving and he thought I should stay and workout longer! He said "youre not going to run?". I said "i'll run tomorrow." Then I headed home.
My supplements, new sports bra and workout clothes should all be arriving this week. I'm expecting 3 packages. Then I'll be set and I wont have to wash my one pair of workout clothes almost everyday. Im looking for one package around Wednesday or so and 2 around Friday. I need to go tonight and shop for groceries. First I need to figure out what I want to eat this week. And I've actually got to eat it instead of letting it rot in the fridge because I choose to eat out instead of at home.
Day 158
May 23 Saturday
Well it was a boring day. Most of it was spent sleeping. Other than that I just went to Emart so I could go to Mcdonalds to eat. I should be out doing things, but most of the time I just choose to stay at home and do nothing. I actually do a whole lot of nothing recently. Probably because I deserve a break after being so stressed out at school! The kids are really starting to drive me crazy!
I went to bed at 7am. yes it was light outside when I went to sleep. I have no problem going to sleep at any time. Then I woke up at 6pm. I slept half of the day away, but it felt good.
Today I caught up on the 2 episodes of "Ugly Betty" that came on Thursday. I am 7,000miles away but I have watched every single episode through the power of the internet. A lot happened in the last episode of the season. The woman who was Betty's mentor stole Betty's job at the New York Review. An editor died at Mode.Betty and Mark were competing for the same job and Betty got it. Betty's brother didnt get accepted into the performing arts school. Daniel's wife died. Betty's boyfriend broke up with her because she kissed her ex, Henry who showed up in the last episode. Willamina wants to hunt down Conner and take the money he stole from the company. Then she goes into a room and drops her glass and says "what are you doing here?". Was Conner there?
I can't wait to see the new season. Thats what I say about all my shows. It's going to be a long summer without all my shows. "How I met your mother" ended on a suspenseful note also. Ted Mosby says that his future wife is in his class that he is teaching at the university. Now I think whenever I watch it next season I will wonder who it is. I'll wonder about all the girls he talks to in his class.Is she his wife, is it her?
On Sunday I'm getting up early to go to an English exhibition at Coex with one of the Korean teachers. I also have another orientation session at the gym with the personal trainer. I need to grade the essays that I actually got and make 4 of the 9 writing tests for next week. At least level 8 and 9 can have the same test since they both just began working in the same book. Wonder if anyone would notice if I gave them the same exact test they took 2 weeks ago. hmm. tempting. They still wouldn't have a clue and be just as confused.
Well it was a boring day. Most of it was spent sleeping. Other than that I just went to Emart so I could go to Mcdonalds to eat. I should be out doing things, but most of the time I just choose to stay at home and do nothing. I actually do a whole lot of nothing recently. Probably because I deserve a break after being so stressed out at school! The kids are really starting to drive me crazy!
I went to bed at 7am. yes it was light outside when I went to sleep. I have no problem going to sleep at any time. Then I woke up at 6pm. I slept half of the day away, but it felt good.
Today I caught up on the 2 episodes of "Ugly Betty" that came on Thursday. I am 7,000miles away but I have watched every single episode through the power of the internet. A lot happened in the last episode of the season. The woman who was Betty's mentor stole Betty's job at the New York Review. An editor died at Mode.Betty and Mark were competing for the same job and Betty got it. Betty's brother didnt get accepted into the performing arts school. Daniel's wife died. Betty's boyfriend broke up with her because she kissed her ex, Henry who showed up in the last episode. Willamina wants to hunt down Conner and take the money he stole from the company. Then she goes into a room and drops her glass and says "what are you doing here?". Was Conner there?
I can't wait to see the new season. Thats what I say about all my shows. It's going to be a long summer without all my shows. "How I met your mother" ended on a suspenseful note also. Ted Mosby says that his future wife is in his class that he is teaching at the university. Now I think whenever I watch it next season I will wonder who it is. I'll wonder about all the girls he talks to in his class.Is she his wife, is it her?
On Sunday I'm getting up early to go to an English exhibition at Coex with one of the Korean teachers. I also have another orientation session at the gym with the personal trainer. I need to grade the essays that I actually got and make 4 of the 9 writing tests for next week. At least level 8 and 9 can have the same test since they both just began working in the same book. Wonder if anyone would notice if I gave them the same exact test they took 2 weeks ago. hmm. tempting. They still wouldn't have a clue and be just as confused.
Saturday, May 23, 2009
Day 157
May 22 Friday
I have a "gifted" student in my first class. I guess he did an IQ test. He was asking me about my IQ. The last time I took an IQ test it came out around 117 which is average. He told me his IQ was 134. If thats correct then my student is more intelligent than me. haha.
My first class was productive today. We didn't actually cover much material, but the part that we covered included a lot of speaking and writing. One out of the 2 people had their essay today. During our first class the alarms went off and the lights were flashing in the halls. I guess that was the fire alarm. All the teachers just stuck their heads out their doors to see what was going on and then just went back to teaching their classes. In America even a false alarm would be cause for evacuation.
In my 2nd class nobody had their essay. We took a word test and everyone made a perfect score except one person. I think he probably waits till the last minute to study. He's always looking like he is trying to cram it all in everytime I let them study before the test. Today I gave them 10 minutes to study. Some of them didnt want to study that long so I let them take their test first while the others studied.
During my breaks today I was catching up on "House". I watched one episode at work. Now I only need to see 6 more episodes and I'm caught up with where it ended at the season finale. I hate season finales! I'm almost caught up with all of my shows. Now they don't come back on till around September so I dont have anything to watch. I guess i'll start finding movies, but I have no clue what movies are even coming out.
In my 3rd class we had a word test then we went over our writing unit. One of my students actually typed up her essay and inserted color pictures. She's one of the newest students in that class. Her writing ability is actually the best I've seen at the school. There were a few mistakes, but it was much better than any of the other stuff I get. I gave 2 students their essay back because they wrote it wrong. One didn't write in sentences. The other wrote about the wrong topic. We finished up the unit that we were doing last time in class. They are so silly. When we were having the word test one of the students sneezed right when I said the word and nobody heard it so I repeated it. Then other students decided to be funny and make a noise whenever I would say the word so I'd have to repeat it. They weren't doing it to be mean. They just got a kick out of making the class laugh. At the end of class one of the students liked turning the lights off and picking up the emergency flashlight.
My students are funny. In my 3rd class one of the students asked me "is 'son of a bitch' a bad word. I said yes. Then he said "is 'shit' a bad word. Again I said yes. I'm not teaching them the bad words. They hear them from their friends and from the internet.
So all of my essays should have been turned in by now. I have 47 students in all. I think I received about 6-7 essays. I actually had about 6-8 that I gave back to students because they either didn't follow directions or they didn't write sentences. My essay schedule is all screwed up. I think if they just turn in a first draft I won't even worry about a 2nd draft this month. It was hard enough to get the first!
The new math teacher wants to hangout with me next Saturday. She wanted to take me sightseeing in Seoul. I think we are going to see a palace. She asked what I liked to do and I said I like to see the palaces. Then she called at 1am to tell me that she wanted to change the date till May 31s (Sunday). That was odd. She couldn't wait to tell me at school I guess.
On Sunday I'm hanging out with one of the korean teachers. We're going to an "early study abroad and English camp fair". Different companies try to promote their language program. Its aimed towards Koreans who want to learn English. I'm just going because she asked me if I would like to join her.
I went to the gym alone tonight. Lesley was watching a rugby match. I did 30 minutes of the eliptical machine and then I did a few leg exercises and went home. The personal trainer that I talk to all the time came by and told me I needed to go faster on the eliptical. I didn't listen. haha.
It was raining and I didnt really want to walk home in the rain so I decided to see if the subway was still running. I went down to the platform and I missed the train that left one second before I got there. Then I was looking at the timetable for the trains. I couldn't find a specific ending time for the train that I was on. A Korean woman asked if she could help me. She was telling me that the trains run till about 1am on the weekday and that a train was on its way. Then I got on that train and when I did a man who was getting off told me that the next stop was the last stop. I was confused as to why that was the last stop. I got off at the next stop and started to look at the time table again. This time a young Korean guy asked me if he could help me. I told him that I needed to get to Eungam. I was trying to figure out if another train was coming. He told me that there was another train coming. So tonight within a 15 minute period I had 3 people who spoke good English talk to me on the subway. That's a first!
I have a "gifted" student in my first class. I guess he did an IQ test. He was asking me about my IQ. The last time I took an IQ test it came out around 117 which is average. He told me his IQ was 134. If thats correct then my student is more intelligent than me. haha.
My first class was productive today. We didn't actually cover much material, but the part that we covered included a lot of speaking and writing. One out of the 2 people had their essay today. During our first class the alarms went off and the lights were flashing in the halls. I guess that was the fire alarm. All the teachers just stuck their heads out their doors to see what was going on and then just went back to teaching their classes. In America even a false alarm would be cause for evacuation.
In my 2nd class nobody had their essay. We took a word test and everyone made a perfect score except one person. I think he probably waits till the last minute to study. He's always looking like he is trying to cram it all in everytime I let them study before the test. Today I gave them 10 minutes to study. Some of them didnt want to study that long so I let them take their test first while the others studied.
During my breaks today I was catching up on "House". I watched one episode at work. Now I only need to see 6 more episodes and I'm caught up with where it ended at the season finale. I hate season finales! I'm almost caught up with all of my shows. Now they don't come back on till around September so I dont have anything to watch. I guess i'll start finding movies, but I have no clue what movies are even coming out.
In my 3rd class we had a word test then we went over our writing unit. One of my students actually typed up her essay and inserted color pictures. She's one of the newest students in that class. Her writing ability is actually the best I've seen at the school. There were a few mistakes, but it was much better than any of the other stuff I get. I gave 2 students their essay back because they wrote it wrong. One didn't write in sentences. The other wrote about the wrong topic. We finished up the unit that we were doing last time in class. They are so silly. When we were having the word test one of the students sneezed right when I said the word and nobody heard it so I repeated it. Then other students decided to be funny and make a noise whenever I would say the word so I'd have to repeat it. They weren't doing it to be mean. They just got a kick out of making the class laugh. At the end of class one of the students liked turning the lights off and picking up the emergency flashlight.
My students are funny. In my 3rd class one of the students asked me "is 'son of a bitch' a bad word. I said yes. Then he said "is 'shit' a bad word. Again I said yes. I'm not teaching them the bad words. They hear them from their friends and from the internet.
So all of my essays should have been turned in by now. I have 47 students in all. I think I received about 6-7 essays. I actually had about 6-8 that I gave back to students because they either didn't follow directions or they didn't write sentences. My essay schedule is all screwed up. I think if they just turn in a first draft I won't even worry about a 2nd draft this month. It was hard enough to get the first!
The new math teacher wants to hangout with me next Saturday. She wanted to take me sightseeing in Seoul. I think we are going to see a palace. She asked what I liked to do and I said I like to see the palaces. Then she called at 1am to tell me that she wanted to change the date till May 31s (Sunday). That was odd. She couldn't wait to tell me at school I guess.
On Sunday I'm hanging out with one of the korean teachers. We're going to an "early study abroad and English camp fair". Different companies try to promote their language program. Its aimed towards Koreans who want to learn English. I'm just going because she asked me if I would like to join her.
I went to the gym alone tonight. Lesley was watching a rugby match. I did 30 minutes of the eliptical machine and then I did a few leg exercises and went home. The personal trainer that I talk to all the time came by and told me I needed to go faster on the eliptical. I didn't listen. haha.
It was raining and I didnt really want to walk home in the rain so I decided to see if the subway was still running. I went down to the platform and I missed the train that left one second before I got there. Then I was looking at the timetable for the trains. I couldn't find a specific ending time for the train that I was on. A Korean woman asked if she could help me. She was telling me that the trains run till about 1am on the weekday and that a train was on its way. Then I got on that train and when I did a man who was getting off told me that the next stop was the last stop. I was confused as to why that was the last stop. I got off at the next stop and started to look at the time table again. This time a young Korean guy asked me if he could help me. I told him that I needed to get to Eungam. I was trying to figure out if another train was coming. He told me that there was another train coming. So tonight within a 15 minute period I had 3 people who spoke good English talk to me on the subway. That's a first!
Thursday, May 21, 2009
Day 156...im going insane!
May 21 Thursday
I had one of the worst days! I'm tired of this whole essay crap. I'm just going to forget about it and give everybody a C. No more being miss nice girl by giving them a B. If you don't do your assignments you are getting a "C" on your "assignment" grade. I think I C is being nice. Maybe they need an F. Then the parent will say "what happened". Then I'll say "GET YOUR STUDENT TO DO THEIR ESSAY! YOU WANTED IT NOW MAKE THEM DO IT!!". That's what they tell us "the parents want a writing assignment to be assigned". I think that's bullshit because none of my kids parents are actually making them do their essays!! And if you're constantly talking in my class I will lower your behavior grade also.
I came into my first class and told the students to study for their word test. They said "what word test?" "we dont have the words". I said "I gave them to you last Thursday." Then everybody in the class said they didn't have them. The copier was broke so I couldnt make copies so I just told them to study the pages in the book. Then I asked for their essays. "What essay? You didn't give us an essay". YES I DID. I GAVE IT TO YOU LAST THURSDAY. One student was late and she had the essay and the words. I knew I gave it to them. I wouldn't give it to only one student. So I said I would give them the test on Tuesday but they will have 3 tests in that week. I'm just going to lower their grade on the essay. I'm tired of asking for it every class. I think I'll lower it to a C instead of a B this time. Then they were being bad and talking during class. Then We had to listen to a tape. I told them over and over that the answers to the questions were on the tape. I played the tape 4 times and they still were just as clueless!! oh my goodness!! Out of 8 students that were present I only got one essay. The rest just basically called me a liar. One of my students asked me "do you like essays?". I said "no". They said "I don't like essays either."
My 2nd class was actually good except for only getting one essay. 6 students present. 1 essay. We went over homework, took a word test, and went over one page of material.
Out of my 3rd class I was going to have 2 essays but the 2 students didn't write in complete sentences so I gave it back. One of the students only wrote 3 sentences (which weren't sentences at all). I tell them to write complete sentences and they think that means to write the question and write the answer out beside it. I tell them to quit writing the questions in the essay. Assigning essays to the lower levels is a lost cause! I even gave them a sample essay to look at and they still can't figure out how to write an essay. They say "its too hard".
I came in and told my 4th class to study for their word test. They weren't studying for my word test during that time. They were either talking or studying for another teacher's test (which they like to do in my class). I finally told them "lets take the test" (since no one was studying anyway). Then one of the students who was just sitting there talking gets a word list and asks for 5 more minutes. I told him no because I had just gave him time to study and he chose not to. They were talking when they should have been working so we couldn't cover as much as I would like. So I just gave them a lot of homework. Out of 5 people who were present 2 of them actually did their essay but I didn't take it because it was wrong. In our unit they had to do a book review on a fable by Aseop. I chose another fable by Aseop and rewrote it into simple words where they could understand and asked them to do a book review on it. One person wrote about the story in our unit. Another student chose another fable and wrote about it. I pointed out that they were suppose to write about the fable that I gave them on the paper.
Maybe I need to get a stick like the Korean teachers. Then they won't act up as much. I just can't think about hitting a kid. What if the parents found out and complained. I know the Korean teachers hit the kids with sticks, but how would they feel if I did it. While I was in my last class the Korean teacher came in to get her stick that she left. Then the students get that look of "oh somebody's gonna get it" on their face.
My last class was having trouble with their writing exercises. We just did all the exercises as a class instead of trying to let them figure it out on their own. This unit was basically talking about simple past. None of them brought their essays. One of them actually showed me the paper that they had just stuffed into their book and he hadn't even written on it.
I went to the gym alone tonight. Lesley wasn't feeling well. One of the Personal trainers came over to talk to me while I was on the eliptical. He was asking me how I was and telling me how he was sore from his new workout program. He asked me where Lesley was. I told him she was sick. He wanted to know what was wrong. I said all she told me was that she was sick. I didn't ask for anymore details. He wants to know why. I told him that she just texted me and told me.
When I went into the gym the guy at the front desk came to talk to me. (All the english speaking people at the gym usually talk to us everytime we go.) He told me "long time no see". Last time I saw him was on Saturday. He wanted to know why I hadn't been there in a long time. I told him I had been there for the past 2 nights. (maybe he had already gone home by the time I got there bc I didn't see him). Then he told me to have a good workout. I almost said "you, too." but i caught myself. I'm so used to saying "you too" like when someone says "have a good day". Its out of habit and I almost said it for that.haha. He always says "have a good workout". He's kinda cute and speaks really good English. He's usually very sharply dressed-nice pants, nice shirt and a tie.
Tonight for my workout I did 30 minutes of interval training on the elipital (burned 127 calories) then I worked out my arms, back, chest and abs. Then I went to Burger King and ruined it. Yes I have problems!
I had one of the worst days! I'm tired of this whole essay crap. I'm just going to forget about it and give everybody a C. No more being miss nice girl by giving them a B. If you don't do your assignments you are getting a "C" on your "assignment" grade. I think I C is being nice. Maybe they need an F. Then the parent will say "what happened". Then I'll say "GET YOUR STUDENT TO DO THEIR ESSAY! YOU WANTED IT NOW MAKE THEM DO IT!!". That's what they tell us "the parents want a writing assignment to be assigned". I think that's bullshit because none of my kids parents are actually making them do their essays!! And if you're constantly talking in my class I will lower your behavior grade also.
I came into my first class and told the students to study for their word test. They said "what word test?" "we dont have the words". I said "I gave them to you last Thursday." Then everybody in the class said they didn't have them. The copier was broke so I couldnt make copies so I just told them to study the pages in the book. Then I asked for their essays. "What essay? You didn't give us an essay". YES I DID. I GAVE IT TO YOU LAST THURSDAY. One student was late and she had the essay and the words. I knew I gave it to them. I wouldn't give it to only one student. So I said I would give them the test on Tuesday but they will have 3 tests in that week. I'm just going to lower their grade on the essay. I'm tired of asking for it every class. I think I'll lower it to a C instead of a B this time. Then they were being bad and talking during class. Then We had to listen to a tape. I told them over and over that the answers to the questions were on the tape. I played the tape 4 times and they still were just as clueless!! oh my goodness!! Out of 8 students that were present I only got one essay. The rest just basically called me a liar. One of my students asked me "do you like essays?". I said "no". They said "I don't like essays either."
My 2nd class was actually good except for only getting one essay. 6 students present. 1 essay. We went over homework, took a word test, and went over one page of material.
Out of my 3rd class I was going to have 2 essays but the 2 students didn't write in complete sentences so I gave it back. One of the students only wrote 3 sentences (which weren't sentences at all). I tell them to write complete sentences and they think that means to write the question and write the answer out beside it. I tell them to quit writing the questions in the essay. Assigning essays to the lower levels is a lost cause! I even gave them a sample essay to look at and they still can't figure out how to write an essay. They say "its too hard".
I came in and told my 4th class to study for their word test. They weren't studying for my word test during that time. They were either talking or studying for another teacher's test (which they like to do in my class). I finally told them "lets take the test" (since no one was studying anyway). Then one of the students who was just sitting there talking gets a word list and asks for 5 more minutes. I told him no because I had just gave him time to study and he chose not to. They were talking when they should have been working so we couldn't cover as much as I would like. So I just gave them a lot of homework. Out of 5 people who were present 2 of them actually did their essay but I didn't take it because it was wrong. In our unit they had to do a book review on a fable by Aseop. I chose another fable by Aseop and rewrote it into simple words where they could understand and asked them to do a book review on it. One person wrote about the story in our unit. Another student chose another fable and wrote about it. I pointed out that they were suppose to write about the fable that I gave them on the paper.
Maybe I need to get a stick like the Korean teachers. Then they won't act up as much. I just can't think about hitting a kid. What if the parents found out and complained. I know the Korean teachers hit the kids with sticks, but how would they feel if I did it. While I was in my last class the Korean teacher came in to get her stick that she left. Then the students get that look of "oh somebody's gonna get it" on their face.
My last class was having trouble with their writing exercises. We just did all the exercises as a class instead of trying to let them figure it out on their own. This unit was basically talking about simple past. None of them brought their essays. One of them actually showed me the paper that they had just stuffed into their book and he hadn't even written on it.
I went to the gym alone tonight. Lesley wasn't feeling well. One of the Personal trainers came over to talk to me while I was on the eliptical. He was asking me how I was and telling me how he was sore from his new workout program. He asked me where Lesley was. I told him she was sick. He wanted to know what was wrong. I said all she told me was that she was sick. I didn't ask for anymore details. He wants to know why. I told him that she just texted me and told me.
When I went into the gym the guy at the front desk came to talk to me. (All the english speaking people at the gym usually talk to us everytime we go.) He told me "long time no see". Last time I saw him was on Saturday. He wanted to know why I hadn't been there in a long time. I told him I had been there for the past 2 nights. (maybe he had already gone home by the time I got there bc I didn't see him). Then he told me to have a good workout. I almost said "you, too." but i caught myself. I'm so used to saying "you too" like when someone says "have a good day". Its out of habit and I almost said it for that.haha. He always says "have a good workout". He's kinda cute and speaks really good English. He's usually very sharply dressed-nice pants, nice shirt and a tie.
Tonight for my workout I did 30 minutes of interval training on the elipital (burned 127 calories) then I worked out my arms, back, chest and abs. Then I went to Burger King and ruined it. Yes I have problems!
Day 155
May 20 Wednesday
22 weeks...oh my....I still have @284 days left...I'm almost through with my 12th week of teaching....almost one quarter down, 3 more to go :(
I caught up on the latest episode of "Ugly Betty" at work. I'm also working on catching up on "House." I'm currently on season 5 episode 17. There are 24 episodes this season so I'm almost there!
I went into my first class today and there were no students. I thought they weren't going to show up. Then one of them showed up about 5 minutes late. One of the students was absent.
In my 2nd class the students like to work ahead in the book. They had already done the page that we were suppose to start on today. One of the students had already marked the answers as being right before we even went over it. (she likes to use a red pencil and mark if the answers are right or wrong). I told them to turn to that page and they said "we've already done it". I said "no, we haven't". Sure they did it, but I didn't have a chance to go over it with the class. I wish students would quit working ahead!! My students weren't as bad as they were last class, but they still like to talk during class. THey were also singing some song. It was in Korean. They were begging to play a game, but I didn't let them. We needed to do our work.
My highest level student forgot his essay. His was the first one that was due. I'm already off to a bad start. I've heard that the parents are so concerned that the students are doing writing assignments. Well if they are so concerned then why don't they actually make their children do the assignment!!! I only have one student in this class so we move along in the book pretty fast. We cover more in one class than any of the other classes. We are almost finished with the speaking book. Just a few more pages left. I rearranged his schedule a little bit. I told him we were going to do speaking on Monday instead of writing. There is only about 3 pages left to do in the book. I'm supposed to be observed next Wednesday. I'm scared if I do speaking that we will run out of material when Im being observed and then I won't know what to do. If I move it to Monday at least I can make some extra activity for him to do. So I moved writing to Wednesday. I'll give him a writing test/word test and then we will cover the writing unit which is long enough to not run out of material. I wonder what she will say. She doesn't like when I stand still after giving directions. I should be walking around the room making sure they know how to do it. This student doesn't need any help. I stand at the podium and let him answer. He rarely gets an answer wrong. He hasn't made lower than a 9 on any of his tests so far.
When I am being observed in my 2nd class next week I will be giving a writing test and a word test. That will take up most of the class. She'll probably criticize me for making the test too hard. I give the same format every time but they still don't understand after i give examples. why am I giving a writing test to students who don't even know how to write?? If she says its too hard I should say "well if its too hard then why don't you just make the test?!". Thats what I want to say (but I won't). But really I dont know what to put on a writing test. I dont teach them writing. I teach speaking. We probably won't get much actual speaking time in the class. Hmm maybe observing a writing test can show her how giving a test to level 3 is stupid!
There were 3 students absent from my last class today. Class was actually a lot quieter with one of the class clowns not there. He's not a trouble maker, he just likes to do stuff to make people laugh.
I ate fast food twice today. Not doing too good on the healthy eating plan. I would have eaten lunch at home, but I didn't get out of bed early enough to give me time to eat. Yes, once Im in bed I never want to get up. I stay in bed till the last possible minute to give myself just enough time to get ready and run out of the house.
I went to the gym. Lesley wanted me to try the bikes. I didn't like them-just doesn't feel right. Its like you're sitting in a chair and riding a bike. We went to the eliptical machine. I worked out at a slow pace for 30 minutes. Burned a little over 100 calories. Then I worked out my legs. And left to eat at Burger King. At least I had the lesser of two evils-the chicken sandwich.
Tomorrow I'll be back to my interval training. I read online that its good to take a day of rest between interval sessions so today I just worked out at a constant pace. 2-3 times a week for about 30 mins is good.
22 weeks...oh my....I still have @284 days left...I'm almost through with my 12th week of teaching....almost one quarter down, 3 more to go :(
I caught up on the latest episode of "Ugly Betty" at work. I'm also working on catching up on "House." I'm currently on season 5 episode 17. There are 24 episodes this season so I'm almost there!
I went into my first class today and there were no students. I thought they weren't going to show up. Then one of them showed up about 5 minutes late. One of the students was absent.
In my 2nd class the students like to work ahead in the book. They had already done the page that we were suppose to start on today. One of the students had already marked the answers as being right before we even went over it. (she likes to use a red pencil and mark if the answers are right or wrong). I told them to turn to that page and they said "we've already done it". I said "no, we haven't". Sure they did it, but I didn't have a chance to go over it with the class. I wish students would quit working ahead!! My students weren't as bad as they were last class, but they still like to talk during class. THey were also singing some song. It was in Korean. They were begging to play a game, but I didn't let them. We needed to do our work.
My highest level student forgot his essay. His was the first one that was due. I'm already off to a bad start. I've heard that the parents are so concerned that the students are doing writing assignments. Well if they are so concerned then why don't they actually make their children do the assignment!!! I only have one student in this class so we move along in the book pretty fast. We cover more in one class than any of the other classes. We are almost finished with the speaking book. Just a few more pages left. I rearranged his schedule a little bit. I told him we were going to do speaking on Monday instead of writing. There is only about 3 pages left to do in the book. I'm supposed to be observed next Wednesday. I'm scared if I do speaking that we will run out of material when Im being observed and then I won't know what to do. If I move it to Monday at least I can make some extra activity for him to do. So I moved writing to Wednesday. I'll give him a writing test/word test and then we will cover the writing unit which is long enough to not run out of material. I wonder what she will say. She doesn't like when I stand still after giving directions. I should be walking around the room making sure they know how to do it. This student doesn't need any help. I stand at the podium and let him answer. He rarely gets an answer wrong. He hasn't made lower than a 9 on any of his tests so far.
When I am being observed in my 2nd class next week I will be giving a writing test and a word test. That will take up most of the class. She'll probably criticize me for making the test too hard. I give the same format every time but they still don't understand after i give examples. why am I giving a writing test to students who don't even know how to write?? If she says its too hard I should say "well if its too hard then why don't you just make the test?!". Thats what I want to say (but I won't). But really I dont know what to put on a writing test. I dont teach them writing. I teach speaking. We probably won't get much actual speaking time in the class. Hmm maybe observing a writing test can show her how giving a test to level 3 is stupid!
There were 3 students absent from my last class today. Class was actually a lot quieter with one of the class clowns not there. He's not a trouble maker, he just likes to do stuff to make people laugh.
I ate fast food twice today. Not doing too good on the healthy eating plan. I would have eaten lunch at home, but I didn't get out of bed early enough to give me time to eat. Yes, once Im in bed I never want to get up. I stay in bed till the last possible minute to give myself just enough time to get ready and run out of the house.
I went to the gym. Lesley wanted me to try the bikes. I didn't like them-just doesn't feel right. Its like you're sitting in a chair and riding a bike. We went to the eliptical machine. I worked out at a slow pace for 30 minutes. Burned a little over 100 calories. Then I worked out my legs. And left to eat at Burger King. At least I had the lesser of two evils-the chicken sandwich.
Tomorrow I'll be back to my interval training. I read online that its good to take a day of rest between interval sessions so today I just worked out at a constant pace. 2-3 times a week for about 30 mins is good.
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Day 154
May 19 Tuesday
I am such a dummy! I ordered something off of Ebay and I forgot to put my room number in my address! It will get to my officetel building but they won't know what room number. And finding out if it arrived will be such a hassle. The guards don't speak English!! and I dont speak Korean! I dont know how I would ask them if there is a package for me. I'll just wait about a week and see if I see a package up there without a room number and then show them my name badge and see if they understand. Why do I have to be such a dumbass?...I have such a long stupid address....
My 1st class was being bad today. They were being loud and not paying attention and talking to each other while I was trying to talk. i had to yell at them a few times. I told them their essay was due on Thursday and one kid had already lost his sheet so I had to give him another one. I bet half of them won't even turn it in. One of my students was absent last week on Thursday and they will be absent this Thursday as well. Her class is going on a trip.
In my 2nd class we only went over a few pages of material. Then I let them play a game. I don't want to go to fast because we don't have much material left to cover. the lessons are too short plus we started on unit 3. We only had 6 units to cover in 13 weeks. I just watched them play a game. Something about 007.
My student from level 2 moved up to level 4. I was wondering yesterday why they were copying books for level 4.
I just never know what to write here!!! All my classes are becoming predictable.
Went back to the gym tonight. I did a 35 minute interval workout on the eliptical. Then I worked out my arms and left the gym at 11:30pm. I had a good workout. Tomorrow I think I will do the treadmill for about 45 minutes then briefly work my legs.
My friend Lesley was being observed today. I'm suppose to be observed next Wednesday. I talked to the observer on Monday. I'm hoping that her "next week" doesn't mean tomorrow. I get stressed out over observations. I don't like being criticized for something I know I'm not really good at. I didn't have any formal training so I'm doing the best I can. I would compare it to singing. Lets say you ask me to sing an Italian Aria, but I don't know Italian. So you criticize me on how I mispronounced the words. same difference. I'll admit that I don't know what I'm doing when Im teaching! I realize that this wasn't the smartest career choice and I don't want to be here, but I'm going to stick it out so at least it won't look like I'm a quitter on my resume. At least I can look back and say "What the heck was I thinking?"
I'm so confused on when one "quarter" ends and the next one begins. I have no clue. I need to figure that out.
Me and Lesley are going on vacation at the same time. And she is going to Jeju also with her boyfriend. We might run into each other there.haha.
I am such a dummy! I ordered something off of Ebay and I forgot to put my room number in my address! It will get to my officetel building but they won't know what room number. And finding out if it arrived will be such a hassle. The guards don't speak English!! and I dont speak Korean! I dont know how I would ask them if there is a package for me. I'll just wait about a week and see if I see a package up there without a room number and then show them my name badge and see if they understand. Why do I have to be such a dumbass?...I have such a long stupid address....
My 1st class was being bad today. They were being loud and not paying attention and talking to each other while I was trying to talk. i had to yell at them a few times. I told them their essay was due on Thursday and one kid had already lost his sheet so I had to give him another one. I bet half of them won't even turn it in. One of my students was absent last week on Thursday and they will be absent this Thursday as well. Her class is going on a trip.
In my 2nd class we only went over a few pages of material. Then I let them play a game. I don't want to go to fast because we don't have much material left to cover. the lessons are too short plus we started on unit 3. We only had 6 units to cover in 13 weeks. I just watched them play a game. Something about 007.
My student from level 2 moved up to level 4. I was wondering yesterday why they were copying books for level 4.
I just never know what to write here!!! All my classes are becoming predictable.
Went back to the gym tonight. I did a 35 minute interval workout on the eliptical. Then I worked out my arms and left the gym at 11:30pm. I had a good workout. Tomorrow I think I will do the treadmill for about 45 minutes then briefly work my legs.
My friend Lesley was being observed today. I'm suppose to be observed next Wednesday. I talked to the observer on Monday. I'm hoping that her "next week" doesn't mean tomorrow. I get stressed out over observations. I don't like being criticized for something I know I'm not really good at. I didn't have any formal training so I'm doing the best I can. I would compare it to singing. Lets say you ask me to sing an Italian Aria, but I don't know Italian. So you criticize me on how I mispronounced the words. same difference. I'll admit that I don't know what I'm doing when Im teaching! I realize that this wasn't the smartest career choice and I don't want to be here, but I'm going to stick it out so at least it won't look like I'm a quitter on my resume. At least I can look back and say "What the heck was I thinking?"
I'm so confused on when one "quarter" ends and the next one begins. I have no clue. I need to figure that out.
Me and Lesley are going on vacation at the same time. And she is going to Jeju also with her boyfriend. We might run into each other there.haha.
Monday, May 18, 2009
Day 153
May 18 Monday
Ive decided Im taking a break from the gym tonight. My legs need one more day of no exercise so they can recouperate.
My 2nd class just didn't want to do the lesson today. I had to keep yelling at them to quit talking. They were talking while I was talking. Just talking to each other and not paying attention to me. I had to yell their name a few times to get them to answer my questions. Then they were begging to play a game. We didn't have time for a game. One of the students just would not listen to me when I told him about the essay. He wanted to write it right then and hand it in. I told him to write on the back of the topic sheet but he didn't. He wrote the answers beside the questions. So I just wrote the sentences how they should be on the back and he will have to use that for the final draft.
I think one of my students in level 2 is moving up to level 3. We have 2 weeks left in this quarter and he is moving up to a new level. Why not just let him move up next quarter? In level 2 he likes to answer for everyone. I'll ask someone to answer a question and he's already blurted out the answer before that person has a chance to answer.
The new math teacher brought sanwiches for us today. It was a weird combination. Egg and Jam. I never would have combined the two. It was okay.
I finally chose my vacation dates at random...July 27-31st. I'm going to plan a trip to Jeju.
I found out that I am going to be observed next Wednesday. At least I know in advance. Wednesday is when I have all my small classes. 2 in my first class, 3 in my 2nd class, one in my 3rd class and my last class is the biggest with 9 students.
Ive decided Im taking a break from the gym tonight. My legs need one more day of no exercise so they can recouperate.
My 2nd class just didn't want to do the lesson today. I had to keep yelling at them to quit talking. They were talking while I was talking. Just talking to each other and not paying attention to me. I had to yell their name a few times to get them to answer my questions. Then they were begging to play a game. We didn't have time for a game. One of the students just would not listen to me when I told him about the essay. He wanted to write it right then and hand it in. I told him to write on the back of the topic sheet but he didn't. He wrote the answers beside the questions. So I just wrote the sentences how they should be on the back and he will have to use that for the final draft.
I think one of my students in level 2 is moving up to level 3. We have 2 weeks left in this quarter and he is moving up to a new level. Why not just let him move up next quarter? In level 2 he likes to answer for everyone. I'll ask someone to answer a question and he's already blurted out the answer before that person has a chance to answer.
The new math teacher brought sanwiches for us today. It was a weird combination. Egg and Jam. I never would have combined the two. It was okay.
I finally chose my vacation dates at random...July 27-31st. I'm going to plan a trip to Jeju.
I found out that I am going to be observed next Wednesday. At least I know in advance. Wednesday is when I have all my small classes. 2 in my first class, 3 in my 2nd class, one in my 3rd class and my last class is the biggest with 9 students.
Sunday, May 17, 2009
Day 152 My legs hurt!
May 17 Sunday
My legs hurt!! The front part between the top of my leg to the knees-the quadriceps. Probably those darn squats the trainer made me do at the gym!! I'd do a squat and he'd say "lower". After the workout going down stairs was painful!! I'm sore because I'm not used to having that part worked out at that level! I think I might skip the gym tomorrow and let my body recuperate.
I was reading about a supplement that was promoted by Rachel Ray and Oprah called "Acai Burn". Its suppose to be good for fat burning and weight loss. In clinical studies people used it for 6 months and their average was 14 pounds a month. I read a lot of reviews and I decided that I would give it a try. I found some on Ebay for about $40. (normally a month's supply is $53 a bottle). I ordered it and now I'm just waiting to find out how much I owe. I'll use it for a month and give the verdict! There was also a months supply of a colon cleanse pill. They are suppose to work really good together. I've read that there are a lot of toxins in your colon and when you clean it out you will feel better.
I was reading about the benefits of colon cleansing and found this:
One of the surprising benefits of colon cleansing is that some people experience significant weight loss after treatment. The average human colon weighs approximately four pounds. But it is not at all unusual for colon cleansing to flush away as much as ten to thirty pounds of stagnant fecal matter.--sounds gross, but really cool if I lost weight just by cleaning out the colon.
I'm currently researching about Jeju for my vacation. I think I might try to take my vacation in July. I was told just to pick a week for vacation. I kept getting asked over and over and over to pick my vacation. Why are they in such a rush for me to pick my vacation?
I was telling one of the Korean teachers that I was thinking about going to Busan for vacation. She suggested Jeju. She said its a lot nicer. I read up on Jeju and its a nice place that sorta resembles the Hawaiian Islands. Its a very popular tourist spot. It looks like a nice place from the pictures that I've seen. I was researching flights and ferries. I actually think I might take a ferry. A Ferry leaves from Incheon Mon/Wed/Fri and leaves Jeju on Tues/Thurs/Sat. It takes 13 hours to get there. A 2nd class bunk costs 70,000 won(you share a room with other people). Thats not too bad. Flights are more expensive. Plus the ferry will be a neat experience. Kinda like a cruise without all the amenities.
I found a site that offers a day trip for 48,000 won which will take you to a lot of tourist places. I might try to find some love motels to stay at. Love motels are usually cheap. I read about one that was 40,000 won for 2 people. That's cheaper than a normal hotel. I also read about this guesthouse which is pretty cheap-30,000 a night. I think my whole trip might set me back about 500,000 won but I think it will be a fun experience and a lot cheaper than hopping on a plane and going to somewhere else outside of Korea.
I went out to take my garbage and the guard at my apartment just started talking to me in Korean and although I probably looked like I didn't understand he still kept talking. There was a guy outside who knew some English. He said that the guard said there were some people in the building who wanted to learn English. middle school students. I told him I didn't want to and he wants to know why. My contract says I can only teach at my school. There might be a slim chance of getting caught but still I don't want to take the chance. Plus I'm already busy enough with school and going to the gym. I don't have much free time.
I have a love hate relationship with E-mart. Just imagine Walmart around Christmas time when the store is crowded. Well its pretty much like that everyday at E-mart. Its so hard to get around because its so crowded. Then it gets on my nerves how Koreans are so pushy. I was at the checkout waiting for the cashier to ring up my groceries. I was standing down at the end of the counter (where a bagger would be at a normal supermarket)(you bag your own here and you buy the bags) I took my own bag today. so I was standing there bagging up my groceries and she is standing right beside me. She's ready for her groceries and I haven't even finished getting mine yet. Then when I had put all my groceries in my bag and paid I was picking up my bag she pointed to my watermelon as if to say 'don't forget it'. Give me time! I can't pick up my bag and the watermelon at the same time! I hate it how when I'm getting ready to pay they are standing right next to me. stand up at the belt part until its your turn!!!!!!!
My legs hurt!! The front part between the top of my leg to the knees-the quadriceps. Probably those darn squats the trainer made me do at the gym!! I'd do a squat and he'd say "lower". After the workout going down stairs was painful!! I'm sore because I'm not used to having that part worked out at that level! I think I might skip the gym tomorrow and let my body recuperate.
I was reading about a supplement that was promoted by Rachel Ray and Oprah called "Acai Burn". Its suppose to be good for fat burning and weight loss. In clinical studies people used it for 6 months and their average was 14 pounds a month. I read a lot of reviews and I decided that I would give it a try. I found some on Ebay for about $40. (normally a month's supply is $53 a bottle). I ordered it and now I'm just waiting to find out how much I owe. I'll use it for a month and give the verdict! There was also a months supply of a colon cleanse pill. They are suppose to work really good together. I've read that there are a lot of toxins in your colon and when you clean it out you will feel better.
I was reading about the benefits of colon cleansing and found this:
One of the surprising benefits of colon cleansing is that some people experience significant weight loss after treatment. The average human colon weighs approximately four pounds. But it is not at all unusual for colon cleansing to flush away as much as ten to thirty pounds of stagnant fecal matter.--sounds gross, but really cool if I lost weight just by cleaning out the colon.
I'm currently researching about Jeju for my vacation. I think I might try to take my vacation in July. I was told just to pick a week for vacation. I kept getting asked over and over and over to pick my vacation. Why are they in such a rush for me to pick my vacation?
I was telling one of the Korean teachers that I was thinking about going to Busan for vacation. She suggested Jeju. She said its a lot nicer. I read up on Jeju and its a nice place that sorta resembles the Hawaiian Islands. Its a very popular tourist spot. It looks like a nice place from the pictures that I've seen. I was researching flights and ferries. I actually think I might take a ferry. A Ferry leaves from Incheon Mon/Wed/Fri and leaves Jeju on Tues/Thurs/Sat. It takes 13 hours to get there. A 2nd class bunk costs 70,000 won(you share a room with other people). Thats not too bad. Flights are more expensive. Plus the ferry will be a neat experience. Kinda like a cruise without all the amenities.
I found a site that offers a day trip for 48,000 won which will take you to a lot of tourist places. I might try to find some love motels to stay at. Love motels are usually cheap. I read about one that was 40,000 won for 2 people. That's cheaper than a normal hotel. I also read about this guesthouse which is pretty cheap-30,000 a night. I think my whole trip might set me back about 500,000 won but I think it will be a fun experience and a lot cheaper than hopping on a plane and going to somewhere else outside of Korea.
I went out to take my garbage and the guard at my apartment just started talking to me in Korean and although I probably looked like I didn't understand he still kept talking. There was a guy outside who knew some English. He said that the guard said there were some people in the building who wanted to learn English. middle school students. I told him I didn't want to and he wants to know why. My contract says I can only teach at my school. There might be a slim chance of getting caught but still I don't want to take the chance. Plus I'm already busy enough with school and going to the gym. I don't have much free time.
I have a love hate relationship with E-mart. Just imagine Walmart around Christmas time when the store is crowded. Well its pretty much like that everyday at E-mart. Its so hard to get around because its so crowded. Then it gets on my nerves how Koreans are so pushy. I was at the checkout waiting for the cashier to ring up my groceries. I was standing down at the end of the counter (where a bagger would be at a normal supermarket)(you bag your own here and you buy the bags) I took my own bag today. so I was standing there bagging up my groceries and she is standing right beside me. She's ready for her groceries and I haven't even finished getting mine yet. Then when I had put all my groceries in my bag and paid I was picking up my bag she pointed to my watermelon as if to say 'don't forget it'. Give me time! I can't pick up my bag and the watermelon at the same time! I hate it how when I'm getting ready to pay they are standing right next to me. stand up at the belt part until its your turn!!!!!!!
Saturday, May 16, 2009
Day 151
May 16 Saturday
Today I was suppose to go workout at the gym. I was going to meet with the personal trainer at 3pm for an orientation. I was going to come at 4 but I got a call yesterday saying that the schedule changed and that I could come at 3pm. When I got there at 3 the trainer told me that the person who was coming at 3 showed up even though she said she wasn't going to be able to come.He asked me if I could wait till 4pm. So I went to the treadmill for 45 minutes. I was going slow on the treadmill. I don't know how to convert kilometers in my head. The highest I went was about 4.5 km per hour which is about 2.79 miles per hour. I was going pretty slow!
At 4 I met with the personal trainer. His English name is Ace. He asked me a lot of questions then I was weighed and held on to these things which enter your info into a program. It was bad! I have way to much fat. He said I had good upper body strength but my lower body strength was weak. There were all kinds of variables that the program measures. My protien, water and muscle levels were normal but my fat level was high. I need to lose a lot of weight!! According to the program I need to lose 44kg. I wonder if I can achieve that in 9 months. I need to lose @11 pounds a month to lose 44 kg by mid-March. I need to lose about 3 pounds a week. oh my. I've got a long way to go!
He was telling me to quit eating all that fattening food. No pizza or hamburgers or dongas. I need to eat a lot of vegetables, a little rice, and meat with no oil.
Then he showed me how to do a few machines. Then we did freeweights. Oh my-that squat was tough!After he showed me a few machines we set up another appt for my last orientation session. I'm going back next Sunday at 5pm.
Its rainy today and I didn't take my umbrella. I didn't know it was raining before I left (I rarely check the weather before heading out) and I didnt want to go back upstairs to get it. When I was at a crosswalk a Korean woman put her umbrella over my head. I walked under her umbrella until I got to another crosswalk.
After I got done working out I went to burger king to eat.I know its bad but thats what I wanted!
My legs were hurting!! going up and down stairs was painful after my workout!
Today I was suppose to go workout at the gym. I was going to meet with the personal trainer at 3pm for an orientation. I was going to come at 4 but I got a call yesterday saying that the schedule changed and that I could come at 3pm. When I got there at 3 the trainer told me that the person who was coming at 3 showed up even though she said she wasn't going to be able to come.He asked me if I could wait till 4pm. So I went to the treadmill for 45 minutes. I was going slow on the treadmill. I don't know how to convert kilometers in my head. The highest I went was about 4.5 km per hour which is about 2.79 miles per hour. I was going pretty slow!
At 4 I met with the personal trainer. His English name is Ace. He asked me a lot of questions then I was weighed and held on to these things which enter your info into a program. It was bad! I have way to much fat. He said I had good upper body strength but my lower body strength was weak. There were all kinds of variables that the program measures. My protien, water and muscle levels were normal but my fat level was high. I need to lose a lot of weight!! According to the program I need to lose 44kg. I wonder if I can achieve that in 9 months. I need to lose @11 pounds a month to lose 44 kg by mid-March. I need to lose about 3 pounds a week. oh my. I've got a long way to go!
He was telling me to quit eating all that fattening food. No pizza or hamburgers or dongas. I need to eat a lot of vegetables, a little rice, and meat with no oil.
Then he showed me how to do a few machines. Then we did freeweights. Oh my-that squat was tough!After he showed me a few machines we set up another appt for my last orientation session. I'm going back next Sunday at 5pm.
Its rainy today and I didn't take my umbrella. I didn't know it was raining before I left (I rarely check the weather before heading out) and I didnt want to go back upstairs to get it. When I was at a crosswalk a Korean woman put her umbrella over my head. I walked under her umbrella until I got to another crosswalk.
After I got done working out I went to burger king to eat.I know its bad but thats what I wanted!
My legs were hurting!! going up and down stairs was painful after my workout!
Day 150 Holiday: Teacher's Day
May 15 Friday
Teachers Day: Originally was started by a group of red-cross youth team members who visited their sick ex-teachers at hospitals. The national celebration ceremony had been stopped between 1973 and 1982 and it resumed after that. On the celebration day, teachers are usually presented with carnations by their students, and both enjoy a shorter school day. Ex-students pay their respects to the former teachers by visiting them and handing a carnation. Many schools now close on Teacher's Day because of the rampant bribery implicit in the expensive gifts often given to teachers. Schools can use the day to have an outing for the teachers.
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I did not get the day off for Teacher's day. Its odd how the children are off for Children's day, but teachers are not off for Teacher's Day.
I didn't get anything from my students for teacher's day :( Maybe they only give gifts to their real teachers at their daytime school.
Today all the teachers from my academy got together for a "celebration". I was thinking it would be like a party. It wasn't. We just sat in a room and listened to a few people speak in Korean. I didn't understand a word they said. The school gave us a "luxury romance towel" as a gift. (Whatever that is!)Its a small towel about the size of a handtowel and they had the school's name embroidered on it.
Today was Mk's last day!! He wants to get together with me and Lesley next weekend.
Now my person in charge of making sure I pay my bills is one of my Korean teachers. She gave me a schedule that tells me what day of the month all my bills are due. I don't know why the school wants a receipt for every bill I pay. Why is that necessary? I'm still confused about why I haven't received an internet bill. I've told 2 people at the school. If it doesn't get paid KT won't be on my case anyway. Its not even in my name.
My students in my 2nd class were being rowdy today. I had to keep telling them to be quiet and get in their seats. Today we were just reviewing. In one of our songs in the unit there is a line that says "there are 20 noisy kids and one poor teacher". That's how I felt today. There are 6 noisy kids and one poor teacher!! I gave them their essay topic today. Their essay topic was to write about their favorite movie. They all handed their papers back to me and said they don't watch movies.(I don't believe it) Anyway I have to make a new essay topic.
I watched 2 episodes of "House" at work today. I'm trying to catch up on episodes that I have missed. I still have 10 episodes to watch and then I will be caught up.
In my 3rd class we did a writing unit. One of my students had this vest thing that you can zip all the way over your head and it looks like a skeleton. When its zipped it covers the whole face. He kept zipping it up during class. One time he was asking for help and he zipped it up. I started helping another student and he said "me first, me first." Then I told him to unzip it first so he could see what I was showing him. He also zipped it up when he came in the teacher's room to talk to a teacher.
After school I went out to eat with a few of the teachers. The school gave us money to celebrate teacher's day. (not individually but to the group to use.) We ate Galbi and Samgyupsal. It was yummy! I ate a lot of the corn salad. Its very interesting and delicious. I don't know what all was in it but I know it had corn and apples and some kind of mayonnaise based "dressing". I think I ate about 3 bowls of it. Every time I would finish one they would bring another one. In Korean restaurants they have bottomless side dishes.(love it!) I also tried something weird. One of the korean teachers put the word into her korean-english dictionary on her phone and it said it was "Acorn starch jelly". We were in the restaurant for a long time-over 2 hours!
After we got finished eating they decided they wanted to go to a noraebang (karaoke room). My first Korean karaoke experience. Very interesting. The one we went to was open 24 hours.You go into this small room. You only sing in front of the people that are in your group. There were 8 of us. There are couches to sit on and books to choose what song you want to sing. They have a good selection of English songs.(and tons of Korean songs). They brought in snacks and drinks for us.They also have tambourines in the room. You have this remote control where you type in the number of the song you want to sing and the words come up on this big screen TV While one person was singing everyone was standing up dancing, singing along, and playing the tambourine We had a great time. Everyone was being silly! They tried to get me to dance but i wouldn't! I sang 4 songs. I started out with "Hero" by Mariah Carey. They all commented on how good I sang. Then I sang "Alone" by Heart. Then I butchered "Bohemian Raphsody" (note to self-never attempt that song!!). Then i sang the last song of the night which was "I Kissed a Girl". Fun times. I think we were in there for about an hour. When we got finished it was 2am!
 |
| Teacher's Day |
Teachers Day: Originally was started by a group of red-cross youth team members who visited their sick ex-teachers at hospitals. The national celebration ceremony had been stopped between 1973 and 1982 and it resumed after that. On the celebration day, teachers are usually presented with carnations by their students, and both enjoy a shorter school day. Ex-students pay their respects to the former teachers by visiting them and handing a carnation. Many schools now close on Teacher's Day because of the rampant bribery implicit in the expensive gifts often given to teachers. Schools can use the day to have an outing for the teachers.
-----------------
I did not get the day off for Teacher's day. Its odd how the children are off for Children's day, but teachers are not off for Teacher's Day.
I didn't get anything from my students for teacher's day :( Maybe they only give gifts to their real teachers at their daytime school.
Today all the teachers from my academy got together for a "celebration". I was thinking it would be like a party. It wasn't. We just sat in a room and listened to a few people speak in Korean. I didn't understand a word they said. The school gave us a "luxury romance towel" as a gift. (Whatever that is!)Its a small towel about the size of a handtowel and they had the school's name embroidered on it.
Today was Mk's last day!! He wants to get together with me and Lesley next weekend.
Now my person in charge of making sure I pay my bills is one of my Korean teachers. She gave me a schedule that tells me what day of the month all my bills are due. I don't know why the school wants a receipt for every bill I pay. Why is that necessary? I'm still confused about why I haven't received an internet bill. I've told 2 people at the school. If it doesn't get paid KT won't be on my case anyway. Its not even in my name.
My students in my 2nd class were being rowdy today. I had to keep telling them to be quiet and get in their seats. Today we were just reviewing. In one of our songs in the unit there is a line that says "there are 20 noisy kids and one poor teacher". That's how I felt today. There are 6 noisy kids and one poor teacher!! I gave them their essay topic today. Their essay topic was to write about their favorite movie. They all handed their papers back to me and said they don't watch movies.(I don't believe it) Anyway I have to make a new essay topic.
I watched 2 episodes of "House" at work today. I'm trying to catch up on episodes that I have missed. I still have 10 episodes to watch and then I will be caught up.
In my 3rd class we did a writing unit. One of my students had this vest thing that you can zip all the way over your head and it looks like a skeleton. When its zipped it covers the whole face. He kept zipping it up during class. One time he was asking for help and he zipped it up. I started helping another student and he said "me first, me first." Then I told him to unzip it first so he could see what I was showing him. He also zipped it up when he came in the teacher's room to talk to a teacher.
After school I went out to eat with a few of the teachers. The school gave us money to celebrate teacher's day. (not individually but to the group to use.) We ate Galbi and Samgyupsal. It was yummy! I ate a lot of the corn salad. Its very interesting and delicious. I don't know what all was in it but I know it had corn and apples and some kind of mayonnaise based "dressing". I think I ate about 3 bowls of it. Every time I would finish one they would bring another one. In Korean restaurants they have bottomless side dishes.(love it!) I also tried something weird. One of the korean teachers put the word into her korean-english dictionary on her phone and it said it was "Acorn starch jelly". We were in the restaurant for a long time-over 2 hours!
After we got finished eating they decided they wanted to go to a noraebang (karaoke room). My first Korean karaoke experience. Very interesting. The one we went to was open 24 hours.You go into this small room. You only sing in front of the people that are in your group. There were 8 of us. There are couches to sit on and books to choose what song you want to sing. They have a good selection of English songs.(and tons of Korean songs). They brought in snacks and drinks for us.They also have tambourines in the room. You have this remote control where you type in the number of the song you want to sing and the words come up on this big screen TV While one person was singing everyone was standing up dancing, singing along, and playing the tambourine We had a great time. Everyone was being silly! They tried to get me to dance but i wouldn't! I sang 4 songs. I started out with "Hero" by Mariah Carey. They all commented on how good I sang. Then I sang "Alone" by Heart. Then I butchered "Bohemian Raphsody" (note to self-never attempt that song!!). Then i sang the last song of the night which was "I Kissed a Girl". Fun times. I think we were in there for about an hour. When we got finished it was 2am!
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Day 149
May 14 Thursday
I was so busy today. When I got to work I was working non stop. I had to print out all the essay topics. I even wrote a sample essay for the kids since they have such a hard time. The topic was "Write about your favorite movie." I also had to print out test sheets and new words for all of my classes. There were papers all over my desk! I have way too much work to do!
Here's My essay:
My favorite Movie is “Office Space”. It’s a comedy. I have watched this movie a lot of times. Some of the characters in the movie are Michael Bolton, Milton, Peter, Samir, and Bill. In the movie, the main characters work at Initech. They all hate their jobs. They decide that they want to steal from the company. They set up a program to only take a penny at a time so they think they will never get caught. They end up with a lot of money. I like the movie because it is funny. My favorite part of the movie is when they steal the copy machine and take it to a field. Then, they beat it with a bat. They really hated the copy machine because it was always broken.
In my first class it took forever to take our word test. First they wanted time to study. Then they wouldn't quit asking me off topic questions. "do you like kimchi?" "do you like bulgogi" Etc. Then we only had enough time to finish one page in the book. We have 3 more units to finish in 4 more classes. One of those classes will be spent on doing writing tests. I'm going to have to try to cover a lot of material, but this is the class that always has trouble. I have to explain things over and over. That's bad that I won't be able to finish the book. I've done the best I could.
In my 2nd class I let them study for a few minutes then we took the word test. Then they wanted to see their grades. I have this one student who doesn't put the words in the right order. I told him that this time I would count it right because he spelled it right but next time he needs to put the words in the correct blank.When I say "This is number one" he needs to write the word beside number one instead of beside number 5. We covered 2 pages in the book. I didn't want to cover too much because we are on the last unit and its very short.
Some classes I can't cover enough material and in other classes there isn't enough material.
In my 3rd class we did our word test. We finished up the next to last unit. Then we played 3,6,9. We only have one unit left. The students in the class complained about having too much homework. I wish I didn't have to give homework, but I do.
The Korean teachers need to learn how to pace themselves in the lesson so they can be done at the right time. Sometimes they start late. Other times they are still teaching right through break time. Then the students take a break when my class is suppose to be going on. Lets say class ends at 4:55. They are still in the classroom at 5:00 when my class is suppose to be beginning.
One of the student's moms gave us doughnuts. (a box from dunkin that the office shared). I guess that was for teacher's day. Tomorrow is teacher's day. I've heard that the student's moms give gifts to the teachers. Wonder if I will get anything good.
My 4th class likes to make noises. strange noises. Today they wanted to talk when they should have been doing their work. We were still able to finish the unit.
In my 5th class we did our writing unit and I assigned an essay from the 1st unit. They tried to beg me not to give them an essay because they have a big math test on Sunday. I have to assign it.
I keep trying to stress how they need to turn in their essays on the the day that is on the paper. I'm giving them a whole week to write their essay. I assigned it today and its due next Thursday. I bet half of the people won't even turn it in. Sometimes I want to scream. Its so hard to get them to turn in their essays!! I need to say "if you dont turn it in I will beat you with the stick." The Korean teachers actually hit the students with a stick when they misbehave. I wouldn't hit the kids. I havent had to discipline any of my kids. Most of them are good. One of the lower level classes likes to misbehave from time to time. I just yell at them.
I bought a george foreman grill tonight at E-mart. It's a little smaller than the one I have at home and it was a lot more expensive. 52,000 won=$41. Now I can start making grilled chicken. I bought some this weekend and put it in the freezer. Now If I can just get up early enough!
I got my gas bill today. Its only 17,000. Last month it was 38,000. It was probably double because I used the heater at night. I didn't have to use the heater in April.I still havent got a internet bill. I've had internet for 2 whole months now. I should have a bill. I told MK that I didnt have a bill. I'll just have to tell Sunny. She will be our go to person since MK is leaving. I'm still getting the other person's mail that used to live here. Its been 3 months and he hasn't changed his address!I wonder if opening someone's mail here is a crime. I know I've opened at least 2 things that weren't mine. I can't read Korean.
I need to go to the bank tomorrow and pay my gas bill and cable bill.
I ate at Mcdonalds tonight. They didnt have big macs ready so I had to wait a few minutes. I took one bite and noticed there was only hamburger patty. One of the workers must have known they made a mistake because they found me and brought me a new big mac and took the other one.
I got a call from one of the Korean teachers around 11:30pm. She told me there is a teacher's day celebration at the Nokbeon campus. And no one remembered to tell me until 11:30pm. Wonder what we will do to celebrate. We are meeting at 2:30 pm. We will probably be there about an hour. That means that I won't have much time to prepare for my 3 Wednesday classes. I know I'll have time after my first 2 classes. So when we get back from the celebration I'll have to work hard to get everything ready for my first 2 classes and worry about the last class after break.
I was so busy today. When I got to work I was working non stop. I had to print out all the essay topics. I even wrote a sample essay for the kids since they have such a hard time. The topic was "Write about your favorite movie." I also had to print out test sheets and new words for all of my classes. There were papers all over my desk! I have way too much work to do!
Here's My essay:
My favorite Movie is “Office Space”. It’s a comedy. I have watched this movie a lot of times. Some of the characters in the movie are Michael Bolton, Milton, Peter, Samir, and Bill. In the movie, the main characters work at Initech. They all hate their jobs. They decide that they want to steal from the company. They set up a program to only take a penny at a time so they think they will never get caught. They end up with a lot of money. I like the movie because it is funny. My favorite part of the movie is when they steal the copy machine and take it to a field. Then, they beat it with a bat. They really hated the copy machine because it was always broken.
In my first class it took forever to take our word test. First they wanted time to study. Then they wouldn't quit asking me off topic questions. "do you like kimchi?" "do you like bulgogi" Etc. Then we only had enough time to finish one page in the book. We have 3 more units to finish in 4 more classes. One of those classes will be spent on doing writing tests. I'm going to have to try to cover a lot of material, but this is the class that always has trouble. I have to explain things over and over. That's bad that I won't be able to finish the book. I've done the best I could.
In my 2nd class I let them study for a few minutes then we took the word test. Then they wanted to see their grades. I have this one student who doesn't put the words in the right order. I told him that this time I would count it right because he spelled it right but next time he needs to put the words in the correct blank.When I say "This is number one" he needs to write the word beside number one instead of beside number 5. We covered 2 pages in the book. I didn't want to cover too much because we are on the last unit and its very short.
Some classes I can't cover enough material and in other classes there isn't enough material.
In my 3rd class we did our word test. We finished up the next to last unit. Then we played 3,6,9. We only have one unit left. The students in the class complained about having too much homework. I wish I didn't have to give homework, but I do.
The Korean teachers need to learn how to pace themselves in the lesson so they can be done at the right time. Sometimes they start late. Other times they are still teaching right through break time. Then the students take a break when my class is suppose to be going on. Lets say class ends at 4:55. They are still in the classroom at 5:00 when my class is suppose to be beginning.
One of the student's moms gave us doughnuts. (a box from dunkin that the office shared). I guess that was for teacher's day. Tomorrow is teacher's day. I've heard that the student's moms give gifts to the teachers. Wonder if I will get anything good.
My 4th class likes to make noises. strange noises. Today they wanted to talk when they should have been doing their work. We were still able to finish the unit.
In my 5th class we did our writing unit and I assigned an essay from the 1st unit. They tried to beg me not to give them an essay because they have a big math test on Sunday. I have to assign it.
I keep trying to stress how they need to turn in their essays on the the day that is on the paper. I'm giving them a whole week to write their essay. I assigned it today and its due next Thursday. I bet half of the people won't even turn it in. Sometimes I want to scream. Its so hard to get them to turn in their essays!! I need to say "if you dont turn it in I will beat you with the stick." The Korean teachers actually hit the students with a stick when they misbehave. I wouldn't hit the kids. I havent had to discipline any of my kids. Most of them are good. One of the lower level classes likes to misbehave from time to time. I just yell at them.
I bought a george foreman grill tonight at E-mart. It's a little smaller than the one I have at home and it was a lot more expensive. 52,000 won=$41. Now I can start making grilled chicken. I bought some this weekend and put it in the freezer. Now If I can just get up early enough!
I got my gas bill today. Its only 17,000. Last month it was 38,000. It was probably double because I used the heater at night. I didn't have to use the heater in April.I still havent got a internet bill. I've had internet for 2 whole months now. I should have a bill. I told MK that I didnt have a bill. I'll just have to tell Sunny. She will be our go to person since MK is leaving. I'm still getting the other person's mail that used to live here. Its been 3 months and he hasn't changed his address!I wonder if opening someone's mail here is a crime. I know I've opened at least 2 things that weren't mine. I can't read Korean.
I need to go to the bank tomorrow and pay my gas bill and cable bill.
I ate at Mcdonalds tonight. They didnt have big macs ready so I had to wait a few minutes. I took one bite and noticed there was only hamburger patty. One of the workers must have known they made a mistake because they found me and brought me a new big mac and took the other one.
I got a call from one of the Korean teachers around 11:30pm. She told me there is a teacher's day celebration at the Nokbeon campus. And no one remembered to tell me until 11:30pm. Wonder what we will do to celebrate. We are meeting at 2:30 pm. We will probably be there about an hour. That means that I won't have much time to prepare for my 3 Wednesday classes. I know I'll have time after my first 2 classes. So when we get back from the celebration I'll have to work hard to get everything ready for my first 2 classes and worry about the last class after break.
Day 148
May 13 Wednesday
Today I was sitting at school and my cell phone rang. It was actually the best news I'd heard all week. haha. Mk's last day at the school is Friday! I won't have to put up with his crap anymore!
In my first class I gave a test and we covered a few pages in the book.
In my 2nd class we had a word test then we covered 2 pages in the book. Then I let them play a game. I told them we have to cover these two pages before we can play a game.
In my 3rd class we had a word test and then we covered a lot of material. I only have one student. We can actually cover almost a whole unit because he's smart and in my highest level class. I never have to repeat things or explain something a million times because no one understands. He's really quiet but he does his work and he participates. He has to participate and he has to speak in English the whole class period.
In my 4th class I gave them a writing test. There was 3 people who I didn't make take the test. They werent in my class in April so its not going to count for anything. Then we had a word test. I actually gave 2 word tests. Level 8 had the words they studied and my student who moved up from level 7 got tested on his words. He will also be tested on his words on Friday because he hasnt learned any of their words. I gave him an option if he wanted to learn new words or study the ones he knew. He chose to study what he knew. He's a good student.
I have a lot of stuff to do tomorrow! I have to give word tests to 5 classes. Then I have to give them a new word list to study for the following week. I also have to assign essays to the students. I think I'll just let every level write about their favorite movie. I think that might be easier for all the students. And I only have to make one topic.
After work I rushed to the gym. I was suppose to have an orientation class tonight. The schedule was full. They didn't check the schedule before letting me choose when I wanted to have my class. I scheduled my class for Saturday at 4pm. They will show me around the gym and give tips and I have to get weighed. yuck! I know my approximate weight and Its not good!!
Tonight I was on the eliptical for 40 minutes. I burned 142 calories. I used the "random hill" program. I started out on level 3 and progressed up slowly to level 10. Its a great workout. I could stay on there for a long time. Maybe Saturday I'll do it for an hour. Then I worked out my legs, back and abs with the weight machines. One of the personal trainers at the gym keeps talking about how I am always smiling. He was also calling me shy. He asked me what my goal was at the gym. I told him I wanted to lose weight and tone up. His tips for losing weight are run and eat little. Yeah its pretty simple, but complex at the same time. My willpower is kinda low, but im hoping that will change very soon. After my workout I totally ruined it by going to Burger King and eating a whopper. I guess I just workout for the fun of it. I've got to start having some disipline. No more eating out!! Then I walked home from the gym.
Me and Lesley decided that tomorrow is our break from the gym. I'm also taking a break on Sunday. I'll be there every other day. 2 days of rest is good.
I have got to learn to be disciplined. There are so many areas that I need to work on.
a) eating right
b) going to bed at a decent time
c) not hitting the snooze alarm 5 or 6 times
d) learning new tips on how to be an effective teacher
e) cleaning the bathroom...yuck! I think I might hire a maid eventually! Its pretty cheap.
f) saving more money instead of making frequent trips to the conveinent store and buying stuff I don't really need.
I need to pick my summer vacation time soon. I'm not leaving the country, but I still need to pick out a time. I think I might go to Busan. Its at the southern part of South Korea. (I live in the north) You can take a short flight or a 3 hour fast train. I'll choose whatever is the cheapest. I'll definatly check out the beach while Im there. I also want to stay in a love motel at least one night just to check it out. I'll probably spend 3 or 4 nights in Busan. Then I'll come home and relax and do nothing for the rest of my vacation!!
Today I was sitting at school and my cell phone rang. It was actually the best news I'd heard all week. haha. Mk's last day at the school is Friday! I won't have to put up with his crap anymore!
In my first class I gave a test and we covered a few pages in the book.
In my 2nd class we had a word test then we covered 2 pages in the book. Then I let them play a game. I told them we have to cover these two pages before we can play a game.
In my 3rd class we had a word test and then we covered a lot of material. I only have one student. We can actually cover almost a whole unit because he's smart and in my highest level class. I never have to repeat things or explain something a million times because no one understands. He's really quiet but he does his work and he participates. He has to participate and he has to speak in English the whole class period.
In my 4th class I gave them a writing test. There was 3 people who I didn't make take the test. They werent in my class in April so its not going to count for anything. Then we had a word test. I actually gave 2 word tests. Level 8 had the words they studied and my student who moved up from level 7 got tested on his words. He will also be tested on his words on Friday because he hasnt learned any of their words. I gave him an option if he wanted to learn new words or study the ones he knew. He chose to study what he knew. He's a good student.
I have a lot of stuff to do tomorrow! I have to give word tests to 5 classes. Then I have to give them a new word list to study for the following week. I also have to assign essays to the students. I think I'll just let every level write about their favorite movie. I think that might be easier for all the students. And I only have to make one topic.
After work I rushed to the gym. I was suppose to have an orientation class tonight. The schedule was full. They didn't check the schedule before letting me choose when I wanted to have my class. I scheduled my class for Saturday at 4pm. They will show me around the gym and give tips and I have to get weighed. yuck! I know my approximate weight and Its not good!!
Tonight I was on the eliptical for 40 minutes. I burned 142 calories. I used the "random hill" program. I started out on level 3 and progressed up slowly to level 10. Its a great workout. I could stay on there for a long time. Maybe Saturday I'll do it for an hour. Then I worked out my legs, back and abs with the weight machines. One of the personal trainers at the gym keeps talking about how I am always smiling. He was also calling me shy. He asked me what my goal was at the gym. I told him I wanted to lose weight and tone up. His tips for losing weight are run and eat little. Yeah its pretty simple, but complex at the same time. My willpower is kinda low, but im hoping that will change very soon. After my workout I totally ruined it by going to Burger King and eating a whopper. I guess I just workout for the fun of it. I've got to start having some disipline. No more eating out!! Then I walked home from the gym.
Me and Lesley decided that tomorrow is our break from the gym. I'm also taking a break on Sunday. I'll be there every other day. 2 days of rest is good.
I have got to learn to be disciplined. There are so many areas that I need to work on.
a) eating right
b) going to bed at a decent time
c) not hitting the snooze alarm 5 or 6 times
d) learning new tips on how to be an effective teacher
e) cleaning the bathroom...yuck! I think I might hire a maid eventually! Its pretty cheap.
f) saving more money instead of making frequent trips to the conveinent store and buying stuff I don't really need.
I need to pick my summer vacation time soon. I'm not leaving the country, but I still need to pick out a time. I think I might go to Busan. Its at the southern part of South Korea. (I live in the north) You can take a short flight or a 3 hour fast train. I'll choose whatever is the cheapest. I'll definatly check out the beach while Im there. I also want to stay in a love motel at least one night just to check it out. I'll probably spend 3 or 4 nights in Busan. Then I'll come home and relax and do nothing for the rest of my vacation!!
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Day 147 He has a hula poop
May 12 Tuesday
I finally went to the bank to transfer money. The exchange rate today was 1252 and I got a small discount to make it 1248. I transferred 1 million won which equaled out to 768.00. Everything takes so long here! I was with the the teller for 45 minutes. I would have hated to be someone who was waiting in line behind me. The bank teller asked me about teaching her English. I'm hesitant to say yes. I know that I can get in trouble for teaching outside of my school. It might be a slim chance of getting caught but thats a chance I don't want to take.
In my first class the students were telling me "you didn't give me a word list." I did. I gave it to them on Thursday. 2 of the students actually had theirs. I made copies for the people who said they didn't have one. I hate giving writing tests to the lower levels because they have so much trouble. I don't have time or the skills to adequately teach them how to write. I explain the directions and give examples. I have to repeat it at least 3 or 4 times. The writing test took up most of the time. Then we had a spelling test. We didnt have time to cover any new material today.
In my 2nd class we are ahead of schedule because the units are short. We took a writing test and a spelling test. We had time to cover some pages in the unit but I let them play a game instead. We only have one unit left.
In my 3rd class we took the writing test and spelling test. Then we covered one page of material before I let them play a game. One of the answers on the test made me laugh! The answer was: He has a hula hoop. Instead the student wrote: He has a hula poop. hilarious.
In my 4th class one of my students has moved up a level. When I give the test to level 8 I will give him the test for what he learned in level 7. I'll also give him the level 7 word test. We took a writing test and a spelling test. We had enough time left over to complete 3 pages of material in the book.
In my 5th class we took the writing test. then the students asked for extra time to study for the spelling test. I gave them 10 minutes. During the study time they thought it was so cool to try on each other's glasses. In this class I have 5 students-4 of them are 13 and one is 12. All of them wear glasses. So they were putting on each other's glasses and then saying stuff in korean. We didnt have any time to cover any new material.
After school I was going to the gym. I changed into my gym clothes in a bathroom at the subway station. I like my privacy. Asians don't believe in privacy. The women are all naked and changing in front of everyone.
I finally joined the gym. The woman at the front desk wasnt good at English so she called someone over who could speak English well. He helped me with the paperwork. I signed up for a 6 month membership. It was suppose to be 576,000 but he gave me a discount so I paid 540,000. I have one orientation session tomorrow at 10pm. Then I have one more. Its basically where they show you how to use stuff in the gym which I already know. Me and Lesley worked out together. We did the elipical machine for 30 minutes. I burned 99 calories in 30 minutes. Sometimes I alternated between fast and slower speeds to do some interval training. Afterwards I lifted weights to tone my arms. I don't think I will work my legs. They are too big already. I dont think lifting weights will help them get any smaller.
Afterwards I went to eat at Burger King. I got the chicken sandwich. At least I didnt ruin my workout completly by getting a whopper. The chicken still isn't the greatest choice. whatever. It was after midnight and probably one of the only things open that I'd actually want to eat.
Then I walked home from the gym. Lesley walked with me most of the way. Its a pretty short walk. Maybe 15 minutes. I'm just going to walk home from the gym everyday which will give me extra exercise. Plus after i work out it will be too late to ride the subway home on most nights probably.
Now I just got to start eating right! I totally blew it today. I had dongas for lunch (pork cutlet). For supper I had a chicken sandwich from burger king. Plus I had a big brownie from home plus as a snack. At least I'm getting my vitamin c. I buy vitamin c drinks everyday.
I finally went to the bank to transfer money. The exchange rate today was 1252 and I got a small discount to make it 1248. I transferred 1 million won which equaled out to 768.00. Everything takes so long here! I was with the the teller for 45 minutes. I would have hated to be someone who was waiting in line behind me. The bank teller asked me about teaching her English. I'm hesitant to say yes. I know that I can get in trouble for teaching outside of my school. It might be a slim chance of getting caught but thats a chance I don't want to take.
In my first class the students were telling me "you didn't give me a word list." I did. I gave it to them on Thursday. 2 of the students actually had theirs. I made copies for the people who said they didn't have one. I hate giving writing tests to the lower levels because they have so much trouble. I don't have time or the skills to adequately teach them how to write. I explain the directions and give examples. I have to repeat it at least 3 or 4 times. The writing test took up most of the time. Then we had a spelling test. We didnt have time to cover any new material today.
In my 2nd class we are ahead of schedule because the units are short. We took a writing test and a spelling test. We had time to cover some pages in the unit but I let them play a game instead. We only have one unit left.
In my 3rd class we took the writing test and spelling test. Then we covered one page of material before I let them play a game. One of the answers on the test made me laugh! The answer was: He has a hula hoop. Instead the student wrote: He has a hula poop. hilarious.
In my 4th class one of my students has moved up a level. When I give the test to level 8 I will give him the test for what he learned in level 7. I'll also give him the level 7 word test. We took a writing test and a spelling test. We had enough time left over to complete 3 pages of material in the book.
In my 5th class we took the writing test. then the students asked for extra time to study for the spelling test. I gave them 10 minutes. During the study time they thought it was so cool to try on each other's glasses. In this class I have 5 students-4 of them are 13 and one is 12. All of them wear glasses. So they were putting on each other's glasses and then saying stuff in korean. We didnt have any time to cover any new material.
After school I was going to the gym. I changed into my gym clothes in a bathroom at the subway station. I like my privacy. Asians don't believe in privacy. The women are all naked and changing in front of everyone.
I finally joined the gym. The woman at the front desk wasnt good at English so she called someone over who could speak English well. He helped me with the paperwork. I signed up for a 6 month membership. It was suppose to be 576,000 but he gave me a discount so I paid 540,000. I have one orientation session tomorrow at 10pm. Then I have one more. Its basically where they show you how to use stuff in the gym which I already know. Me and Lesley worked out together. We did the elipical machine for 30 minutes. I burned 99 calories in 30 minutes. Sometimes I alternated between fast and slower speeds to do some interval training. Afterwards I lifted weights to tone my arms. I don't think I will work my legs. They are too big already. I dont think lifting weights will help them get any smaller.
Afterwards I went to eat at Burger King. I got the chicken sandwich. At least I didnt ruin my workout completly by getting a whopper. The chicken still isn't the greatest choice. whatever. It was after midnight and probably one of the only things open that I'd actually want to eat.
Then I walked home from the gym. Lesley walked with me most of the way. Its a pretty short walk. Maybe 15 minutes. I'm just going to walk home from the gym everyday which will give me extra exercise. Plus after i work out it will be too late to ride the subway home on most nights probably.
Now I just got to start eating right! I totally blew it today. I had dongas for lunch (pork cutlet). For supper I had a chicken sandwich from burger king. Plus I had a big brownie from home plus as a snack. At least I'm getting my vitamin c. I buy vitamin c drinks everyday.
Monday, May 11, 2009
day 145/146
May 10/11 Sunday/Monday
Well nothing happened on Sunday so thats why I didnt write. The only thing I did all day was go grocery shopping. I bought some healthier foods. Tomatoes, oranges, cucumbers, pasta, chicken. I saw a George Foreman grill for 52,000 won (42 usd). I think I might go buy it. I have one at home in the USA, but I know shipping it here will be a massive amount of money since its heavy. Might as well just buy a new one. Just one more thing I have to sell before I leave in March.
I've got to eat healthier. I'm joining the gym on Tuesday. I need to lose weight and get into shape so I can walk up 60 stairs on the subway every day and not be out of breath. I also want to feel better about the way I look instead of being so self conscious all the time. I actually want to be able to find clothes here, but its going to be a long time before that happens. Asian women's clothes are tiny! I may never fit into their clothes. Asian women have small chests and small hips so Western women say its really hard to fit into their clothes.
Monday....
I never want to get out of bed. I love to sleep. Today I was going to get up early to go to the bank. I woke up at 11am, but then I decided the bank could wait.The exchange rate has been going down lately. In a way I want to wait to see what it will do, but if I wait too long then it could be up again and my money is worth less in usd. I'm just going to go on Tuesday.
I slept till 12:50. Then I had to rush to get ready to leave at 1:30.
I washed my hair and dried it. I also used a straightening iron on it. My hair does funky stuff so i have to use my straightening iron. Then I went outside and it was raining. great all that work for nothing. I didn't take my umbrella. If I would have went back upstairs to get it I would have missed the subway and had to take the next subway 8 minutes later which would make me late for work. I also forgot my name badge while I was rushing out of the house. My hair got wet and it looked yucky all day. One of the korean teachers asked me if I got a perm. I told her my hair looks wavy when it rains. Its naturally straight but when it rains its wavy and not good.
I had to give a writing test in my 1st and 2nd class. After the test we didn't have time to go over any new material. I let my first class study for their word test in listening. I let my 2nd class play a game. We were playing 3,6,9 and we were counting all the way up to 200. When someone made a mistake we didn't start over.
My 3rd class of the day is more advanced. It didn't take him long to do the test. He made a 100 and we still had time to complete a whole writing unit.
I made a lot of writing tests during break. made new word lists. I hate tests!I have to give some of my students 3 tests this week. I didn't give my Tues/Thurs class a test last week because we missed one day. This week I'm giving them 2 word tests and one writing test.
I also need to assign essays this week so the first draft can be due next week and the final on the 4th week of the month. I have a hard time thinking of topics. I think I'll let the lower levels write about their favorite movie or their best friend. Level 7 just got finished talking about birthdays so I'm going to have them write on that topic. Level 8 and 9 just finished a unit on book reports so I'm going to give them a short fable to read and write about the characters and what happened in the story. I dont know about level 10 yet. I'll make him expand one of his paragraph assignments.
I didn't go to the gym tonight. I didn't feel like getting out in the rain again.Pluse I looked like crap. I told my friend Lesley I'd go tomorrow night.
Well nothing happened on Sunday so thats why I didnt write. The only thing I did all day was go grocery shopping. I bought some healthier foods. Tomatoes, oranges, cucumbers, pasta, chicken. I saw a George Foreman grill for 52,000 won (42 usd). I think I might go buy it. I have one at home in the USA, but I know shipping it here will be a massive amount of money since its heavy. Might as well just buy a new one. Just one more thing I have to sell before I leave in March.
I've got to eat healthier. I'm joining the gym on Tuesday. I need to lose weight and get into shape so I can walk up 60 stairs on the subway every day and not be out of breath. I also want to feel better about the way I look instead of being so self conscious all the time. I actually want to be able to find clothes here, but its going to be a long time before that happens. Asian women's clothes are tiny! I may never fit into their clothes. Asian women have small chests and small hips so Western women say its really hard to fit into their clothes.
Monday....
I never want to get out of bed. I love to sleep. Today I was going to get up early to go to the bank. I woke up at 11am, but then I decided the bank could wait.The exchange rate has been going down lately. In a way I want to wait to see what it will do, but if I wait too long then it could be up again and my money is worth less in usd. I'm just going to go on Tuesday.
I slept till 12:50. Then I had to rush to get ready to leave at 1:30.
I washed my hair and dried it. I also used a straightening iron on it. My hair does funky stuff so i have to use my straightening iron. Then I went outside and it was raining. great all that work for nothing. I didn't take my umbrella. If I would have went back upstairs to get it I would have missed the subway and had to take the next subway 8 minutes later which would make me late for work. I also forgot my name badge while I was rushing out of the house. My hair got wet and it looked yucky all day. One of the korean teachers asked me if I got a perm. I told her my hair looks wavy when it rains. Its naturally straight but when it rains its wavy and not good.
I had to give a writing test in my 1st and 2nd class. After the test we didn't have time to go over any new material. I let my first class study for their word test in listening. I let my 2nd class play a game. We were playing 3,6,9 and we were counting all the way up to 200. When someone made a mistake we didn't start over.
My 3rd class of the day is more advanced. It didn't take him long to do the test. He made a 100 and we still had time to complete a whole writing unit.
I made a lot of writing tests during break. made new word lists. I hate tests!I have to give some of my students 3 tests this week. I didn't give my Tues/Thurs class a test last week because we missed one day. This week I'm giving them 2 word tests and one writing test.
I also need to assign essays this week so the first draft can be due next week and the final on the 4th week of the month. I have a hard time thinking of topics. I think I'll let the lower levels write about their favorite movie or their best friend. Level 7 just got finished talking about birthdays so I'm going to have them write on that topic. Level 8 and 9 just finished a unit on book reports so I'm going to give them a short fable to read and write about the characters and what happened in the story. I dont know about level 10 yet. I'll make him expand one of his paragraph assignments.
I didn't go to the gym tonight. I didn't feel like getting out in the rain again.Pluse I looked like crap. I told my friend Lesley I'd go tomorrow night.
Sunday, May 10, 2009
Day 143 Pro Baseball in Korea-Doosan Bears
May 9, 2009 Saturday
I went to my first Korean pro baseball game.
I was meeting my friend Lesley at her station. She was running a few minutes late so she let me know. At her station lines 3 and 6 meet. I was on the 3 line waiting and she got on the 6 line. Ha. So she had to come around to the 3 line. We had to transfer twice. Once to get on the number 2 line then we had to get off that train and wait for another train.
We were suppose to meet some people at the baseball stadium at 4:30. We were running a little behind. It was 4:30 when we got off the subway at Jamsil. When we got there we didn't know what exit to take so we just took the one towards the sports complex. We saw a map outside the subway that showed the direction. Then the person I was suppose to meet called me to see where I was. We were actually walking towards the stadium and she said to meet her at exit 5. I thought she meant the subway station exit 5 so we walked back to the subway. She was actually at the stadium. It was a long walk to the stadium. I called her and told her I couldnt find the stadium. She told me to get in a cab and she would talk to the cab driver. The fare was only 1900 won which is a little more than a dollar. When we were on our way into the stadium we saw a subway exit that would have taken us right to the stadium. We wondered why she told us to take line 2 station 16 instead of line 2 station 18 which would have been a lot quicker.
Anyway we met up with her and some other English teachers. Tickets were only 8,000 won. There were 8 of us in our group. Me, Lesley, our recruiter, and 5 new English teachers that she also recruited.
At the game they had 4 female cheerleaders and one male cheerleader. They also use "thunder sticks". They are inflatable and you beat them together and they make a loud noise. Tons of people had them. They have the team name on them. There was a KFC and Burger King inside the stadium. There was a man with a beer dispenser on his back and he'd walk around selling beer. I took a lot of pictures.
The game was between the Hanwha Eagles(they wore orange) and the Doosan Bears(white). The stadium was packed. I didn't see many empty seats. I was sitting near the foul line way out in left field. The game was very long. One person on the Bears team hit a homerun. When they hit a homerun all the players on their team lined up to congratulate them. The game started at 5pm and was over a little past 8pm. Thats one thing I hate about baseball. It can last for hours and still have a very low score. The Bears won 4-3.
How to get there: Green line (2) Sports Complex Stop (station 218) any of the exits bring you out right near the stadium. I took exit 6 to get out of the stadium.
I went to my first Korean pro baseball game.
I was meeting my friend Lesley at her station. She was running a few minutes late so she let me know. At her station lines 3 and 6 meet. I was on the 3 line waiting and she got on the 6 line. Ha. So she had to come around to the 3 line. We had to transfer twice. Once to get on the number 2 line then we had to get off that train and wait for another train.
We were suppose to meet some people at the baseball stadium at 4:30. We were running a little behind. It was 4:30 when we got off the subway at Jamsil. When we got there we didn't know what exit to take so we just took the one towards the sports complex. We saw a map outside the subway that showed the direction. Then the person I was suppose to meet called me to see where I was. We were actually walking towards the stadium and she said to meet her at exit 5. I thought she meant the subway station exit 5 so we walked back to the subway. She was actually at the stadium. It was a long walk to the stadium. I called her and told her I couldnt find the stadium. She told me to get in a cab and she would talk to the cab driver. The fare was only 1900 won which is a little more than a dollar. When we were on our way into the stadium we saw a subway exit that would have taken us right to the stadium. We wondered why she told us to take line 2 station 16 instead of line 2 station 18 which would have been a lot quicker.
Anyway we met up with her and some other English teachers. Tickets were only 8,000 won. There were 8 of us in our group. Me, Lesley, our recruiter, and 5 new English teachers that she also recruited.
At the game they had 4 female cheerleaders and one male cheerleader. They also use "thunder sticks". They are inflatable and you beat them together and they make a loud noise. Tons of people had them. They have the team name on them. There was a KFC and Burger King inside the stadium. There was a man with a beer dispenser on his back and he'd walk around selling beer. I took a lot of pictures.
The game was between the Hanwha Eagles(they wore orange) and the Doosan Bears(white). The stadium was packed. I didn't see many empty seats. I was sitting near the foul line way out in left field. The game was very long. One person on the Bears team hit a homerun. When they hit a homerun all the players on their team lined up to congratulate them. The game started at 5pm and was over a little past 8pm. Thats one thing I hate about baseball. It can last for hours and still have a very low score. The Bears won 4-3.
How to get there: Green line (2) Sports Complex Stop (station 218) any of the exits bring you out right near the stadium. I took exit 6 to get out of the stadium.
Friday, May 8, 2009
Day 142
May 8th Friday
Today is Parent's day in Korea. Its not an official holiday as in things are closed but the kids are suppose to show appreciation for their parents.
Today I paid my management expenses-almost 97,000. Mk told me the office was on the 5th floor so i went there and there were 8 rooms so I didnt know which one to go to. I texted him and he said it was the 15th floor.
I went to the wrong class today. I usually have my lowest class at 4:10 on Friday, but this week the schedule changed so I didn't notice that it changed on Friday. Then I went to my regular class.
There was only one student in my first class. The other student was absent. I gave her the word test and she got 8 out of 10 right. Then she was really having trouble with the lesson today. I don't think she understands the material.
In my 2nd class we were going to have a word test. They were all frantically studying. They asked for 10 mins to study. I let them have 15. Then when it was time to take the test they were telling me to be quick. haha. Most of them did really good. One student only got 3 right (out of 10). Some of them were begging to not have the test today. I gave them the papers on Monday so they had all week to study. After the test was over I graded the papers. Then two boys in the back of the room started fighting. They were hitting each other. I went back there and broke it up and told them to sit in their seats. They were good for the rest of class. I don't know why they were mad at each other. They weren't saying anything. Just hitting each other.
In my 3rd class I had 2 new students. Now I have 8 students. 3 boys and 5 girls.Over the past week I've had 3 new students in that class. I don't know why we would accept new students 2 months into a semester. They have missed so much.Its good that the material doesn't progress in a way where you have to know what was in the previous chapter to understand the current chapter. The students begged me not to have the word test today. I told them okay but that meant we will have 2 nexts next week.Plus I have to give them a writing test next week. Most of my classes will have 3 tests next week because of missing one day this week. One of the boys in this class has a pencil case in the shape of a boy. Its like a doll and there is a zipper in the back so you can put in your pencils. He was playing with the pencil case in class making it walk across his desk. The boys thought it was so funny. At one point I had to tell him to stop playing and do his work.
I had to go to Nokbeon tonight to meet Mk to get my papers about my salary. He just not noticed my hair. I saw him the day after I got it cut (Wednesday). And today he said "you changed your hairstyle". He was explaining everything on my paystub. Its pretty self explanatory as to what everything is-I just want to sign it and get out! He was telling me that this would be the last month that I pay my security deposit. I'm glad! I'll have an extra 200,000 next month! He always wants to know what I'm doing every weekend-Where I'm going, who I'm going with. And he always wants to know if I'm going to Itaewon. Every week he asks "are you going to Itaewon this weekend?" I don't go there every weekend.
I'm going to see the Doonsan Bears tomorrow. Its one of Korea's pro baseball teams. A group of about 8 of us are meeting. I only know one person-my new recruiter. She posted on Facebook(she's one of my friends on facebook) that there was a baseball game and asked who wanted to come. I replied and said I'd like to come. My friend Lesley who teaches at my school saw my post on facebook and I'm going to meet her at her subway station and we are riding together.
Today is Parent's day in Korea. Its not an official holiday as in things are closed but the kids are suppose to show appreciation for their parents.
Today I paid my management expenses-almost 97,000. Mk told me the office was on the 5th floor so i went there and there were 8 rooms so I didnt know which one to go to. I texted him and he said it was the 15th floor.
I went to the wrong class today. I usually have my lowest class at 4:10 on Friday, but this week the schedule changed so I didn't notice that it changed on Friday. Then I went to my regular class.
There was only one student in my first class. The other student was absent. I gave her the word test and she got 8 out of 10 right. Then she was really having trouble with the lesson today. I don't think she understands the material.
In my 2nd class we were going to have a word test. They were all frantically studying. They asked for 10 mins to study. I let them have 15. Then when it was time to take the test they were telling me to be quick. haha. Most of them did really good. One student only got 3 right (out of 10). Some of them were begging to not have the test today. I gave them the papers on Monday so they had all week to study. After the test was over I graded the papers. Then two boys in the back of the room started fighting. They were hitting each other. I went back there and broke it up and told them to sit in their seats. They were good for the rest of class. I don't know why they were mad at each other. They weren't saying anything. Just hitting each other.
In my 3rd class I had 2 new students. Now I have 8 students. 3 boys and 5 girls.Over the past week I've had 3 new students in that class. I don't know why we would accept new students 2 months into a semester. They have missed so much.Its good that the material doesn't progress in a way where you have to know what was in the previous chapter to understand the current chapter. The students begged me not to have the word test today. I told them okay but that meant we will have 2 nexts next week.Plus I have to give them a writing test next week. Most of my classes will have 3 tests next week because of missing one day this week. One of the boys in this class has a pencil case in the shape of a boy. Its like a doll and there is a zipper in the back so you can put in your pencils. He was playing with the pencil case in class making it walk across his desk. The boys thought it was so funny. At one point I had to tell him to stop playing and do his work.
I had to go to Nokbeon tonight to meet Mk to get my papers about my salary. He just not noticed my hair. I saw him the day after I got it cut (Wednesday). And today he said "you changed your hairstyle". He was explaining everything on my paystub. Its pretty self explanatory as to what everything is-I just want to sign it and get out! He was telling me that this would be the last month that I pay my security deposit. I'm glad! I'll have an extra 200,000 next month! He always wants to know what I'm doing every weekend-Where I'm going, who I'm going with. And he always wants to know if I'm going to Itaewon. Every week he asks "are you going to Itaewon this weekend?" I don't go there every weekend.
I'm going to see the Doonsan Bears tomorrow. Its one of Korea's pro baseball teams. A group of about 8 of us are meeting. I only know one person-my new recruiter. She posted on Facebook(she's one of my friends on facebook) that there was a baseball game and asked who wanted to come. I replied and said I'd like to come. My friend Lesley who teaches at my school saw my post on facebook and I'm going to meet her at her subway station and we are riding together.
Thursday, May 7, 2009
Day 141
May 7 Thursday
So last week one of the Korean teachers told me not to make my monthly test. I was glad because I hate making the test! Today we were recording grades and the other Korean teacher noticed that I didn't have a writing grade. I told her that the other teacher told me not to make them. She says we have to have a writing grade. She asked me if I could give the tests today and tomorrow. I said no. Those tests take time to make. I can't just make the test right before class. So now I have to give the writing test on Monday, Tues, and Wednesday. My students are going to hate me next week. I'm giving them 3 tests. 2 speaking tests and one writing test in my Tues/Thurs class. I have to give them a weekly test. We didn't have class on Tuesday so I didn't give them a weekly test today. So I'm giving 2 next week. This month I'm doing word tests. I give them a list of vocabulary words that we have learned and they have to know how to spell the words.
In my first class some of the students wanted to change their name. They took up about 5 minutes of class asking me about various names. I kept writing various names on the board. Its hard to think of names off the top of my head. They use an English nickname for my class. I had a "new" student in the class. There was this boy who missed the whole month of April and now he's back for May.
In my 2nd class we reviewed our lesson and then we played games for the rest of the class. Today we played 3,6,9. (You have to count and you clap on the numbers 3,6,9..if you dont clap or say the wrong number then we start from the beginning. When someone messes up they hit each other.
In my 3rd class we went over 2 pages of material. Today we were talking about animals and parts of animals like tail, head, leg, fin, etc. In the book there were some animals with the wrong number of body parts. Like a giraffe with 2 necks. They had to correct it. Example: Giraffes don't have 2 necks. They have one neck. Then I let them draw a funny animal.Then we played 3,6,9. We made it all the way to 100 once.
Students in my 4th class were studying for a test during my class. Every time they would get finished with an exercise they would go back to studying words for another class. We started a new writing book in this class.
My last class was being silly as always. One of the students wouldn't say anything half of the time. He would mouth the words, but not say it out loud. Sometimes the boy in front would act like he was translating for him. The boys were drawing in their book as always. They like to do crazy things to pictures in the book. One of them drew horns on a girl in the book. They like to poke out the eyes also. They will punch a hole in the book where a person's eyes should be.
I got my medical card today. I finally have health insurance. Now I need to research what it covers and doesn't cover in case I need it.
I have to meet mk after school tomorrow to sign papers for my salary. This month I'll have extra deductions for medical and pension. This will be the last month that I have the apt fees coming out of my check (like a security deposit).
I'm going to a baseball game this weekend with my new recruiter.
The won is going down! Its currently at the lowest point that its been since I've been here. According to Yahoo's bank rates today's exchange is $1usd=1257 won. That
will be good when I transfer half of my salary to my wachovia account on Monday! (the day I arrived in Seoul it was at 1262 and the highest was 1500). I watch the exchange rates because the lower the won the more my salary is worth in American dollars.
I'm joining a gym on Monday. Its way overpriced, but I want to go to a gym. I've got to try hard to eat healthier.
So last week one of the Korean teachers told me not to make my monthly test. I was glad because I hate making the test! Today we were recording grades and the other Korean teacher noticed that I didn't have a writing grade. I told her that the other teacher told me not to make them. She says we have to have a writing grade. She asked me if I could give the tests today and tomorrow. I said no. Those tests take time to make. I can't just make the test right before class. So now I have to give the writing test on Monday, Tues, and Wednesday. My students are going to hate me next week. I'm giving them 3 tests. 2 speaking tests and one writing test in my Tues/Thurs class. I have to give them a weekly test. We didn't have class on Tuesday so I didn't give them a weekly test today. So I'm giving 2 next week. This month I'm doing word tests. I give them a list of vocabulary words that we have learned and they have to know how to spell the words.
In my first class some of the students wanted to change their name. They took up about 5 minutes of class asking me about various names. I kept writing various names on the board. Its hard to think of names off the top of my head. They use an English nickname for my class. I had a "new" student in the class. There was this boy who missed the whole month of April and now he's back for May.
In my 2nd class we reviewed our lesson and then we played games for the rest of the class. Today we played 3,6,9. (You have to count and you clap on the numbers 3,6,9..if you dont clap or say the wrong number then we start from the beginning. When someone messes up they hit each other.
In my 3rd class we went over 2 pages of material. Today we were talking about animals and parts of animals like tail, head, leg, fin, etc. In the book there were some animals with the wrong number of body parts. Like a giraffe with 2 necks. They had to correct it. Example: Giraffes don't have 2 necks. They have one neck. Then I let them draw a funny animal.Then we played 3,6,9. We made it all the way to 100 once.
Students in my 4th class were studying for a test during my class. Every time they would get finished with an exercise they would go back to studying words for another class. We started a new writing book in this class.
My last class was being silly as always. One of the students wouldn't say anything half of the time. He would mouth the words, but not say it out loud. Sometimes the boy in front would act like he was translating for him. The boys were drawing in their book as always. They like to do crazy things to pictures in the book. One of them drew horns on a girl in the book. They like to poke out the eyes also. They will punch a hole in the book where a person's eyes should be.
I got my medical card today. I finally have health insurance. Now I need to research what it covers and doesn't cover in case I need it.
I have to meet mk after school tomorrow to sign papers for my salary. This month I'll have extra deductions for medical and pension. This will be the last month that I have the apt fees coming out of my check (like a security deposit).
I'm going to a baseball game this weekend with my new recruiter.
The won is going down! Its currently at the lowest point that its been since I've been here. According to Yahoo's bank rates today's exchange is $1usd=1257 won. That
will be good when I transfer half of my salary to my wachovia account on Monday! (the day I arrived in Seoul it was at 1262 and the highest was 1500). I watch the exchange rates because the lower the won the more my salary is worth in American dollars.
I'm joining a gym on Monday. Its way overpriced, but I want to go to a gym. I've got to try hard to eat healthier.
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