Restoration

6 Jul

Ah, a moment of relaxation.  It is 10ish Korea time on a Saturday night.  I am typing on my new to me gateway laptop computer listening to the sweet sounds of Pandora.com.  Elton John is echoing on my computer speakers and I am enjoying a coconut water “juice box.”   I can hear fireworks shooting off in the not-so-far distance, a delayed fourth of July celebration of some English Village American teachers.

This week is a bit of an echo of my previous “Adjustments” entry.  No tears this week, but still the neck is tight.  I have come to the conclusion that mostly I am … tired.  I mean… bone tired.  I have added some regular walking to my weekly routine and it does help me feel better.  Nonetheless I still have the kind of tired that it feels like a good night sleep just won’t cure.  But don’t worry, Mom, I am okay!

This week has been a  mostly typical English Village work week.  We had two different groups of 300 or so Korean children spend three days and two nights with us. Our first group of kids were elementary school children.  They really were an exceptional group with excellent English skills and generally well-behaved.  Our second group were middle school students who, aside from their own tiredness from recently finished exams, were in many ways above average middle school students.  They were mostly fun to teach and when they weren’t asleep, they were good English speakers and participated well in class.

After the previous two weeks of teaching adult and college age students, it was very clear to me this week that children, no matter how good they are, just take up so much more energy.   It is typical when we begin our classes with new students for them to ask us questions about ourselves.  They will usually ask where we are from, if we have a boyfriend/girlfriend, and our age.  When they ask my age I often ask them to guess.  At the beginning of the week, they will guess years below my actual age of 42 and will gasp and be shocked when I reveal my actual age.  But by the end of the week, as my face and body have experienced some wear and tear from the week, their guesses creep close to my actual age. By that time I am indeed worn out.

This past week we have been piloting new lessons in my content area.  At English Village all teachers are assigned to one content area.  Mine is Media and Entertainment. Collectively, we learn and teach two or three lessons related to that topic. Every 6 months or so we create new lessons for the new term.  Currently we are phasing out our previous lessons and introducing the new ones.  I created one of the lessons for the new semester.  It teaches our students about animation.  In the lesson they are introduced to three different types of animation – traditional animation, computer animation, and stop motion animation.  They are given examples of all types and learn the basics of how they’re made.  Then they get to make their own flip book! I found a great flip book example of local music superstar Psy’s song Gagnam Style.  We show it in class and the kids love it! It has been satisfying, sometimes challenging (and dare I mention… tiring…) to practice and introduce this new lesson.  So far the students have been really engaged with the lesson and it seems to be a success!

I did my best to treat myself to a little outing today in Seoul – exploring what exactly it is that will help me relax a little bit and “take the edge off”…  I went to one of the local palaces in Seoul known for their traditional architecture, Changdeokgung Palace, built in the 1400s.  When I arrived as there wasn’t an English tour for another two hours, I just bought a general ticket and took a look around.  It was a good reminder of the history and tradition of Korea and it was nice to take a little break in the city and see something different.

 

But in the end… I was still tired.  My intention for tomorrow is to  just take it easy.  Really.  No bus trips to Seoul.  No cooking up a storm, cleaning the bathroom or rearranging the drawers in my apartment.  I promise.

So tonight I leave you… tired… but hopeful… for restful and restored days to come.  How are you these warmer days of summer?(unless of course you are in Australia!)  It’s always great to hear from you!

Top photo is a snapshot of a cute little painting featured in a calendar I saw in our student health clinic.  I just love its simplicity and color palette.

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Adjustments

30 Jun

It’s been over two years now since I left New Orleans and took a leap and headed for Germany.  Who knew that original six week adventure would extend into a transformative journey… first in Germany, next in France and now nestled in the hills of South Korea.  You know what they say, wherever you go… there you are.  And here I am!  In Paju now for over 6 months! As my international escapade continues, with all the new people and experiences, new food, and new languages, the one common character cast in this odyssey is… me.  So it seems for my own good I had better pay attention and learn my lessons as I travel the road of this “Grosse Lebenscchule”, German for “big school of life”.

I went to the chiropractor yesterday.  My typical weekly appointment in the ebb and flow of healing my injured ankle.  But this week there was something a little different.  My neck… it was so tight!  I generally have a habit of holding my stress in my shoulders and my neck, but this was something a bit over the top.  I could feel myself holding on so tightly in my neck and feeling like I just couldn’t relax or let it go.  My chiropractor dug his hands into my neck, made a few adjustments and then expediently shot some sort of gun into my neck a few times.  He instructed me to put an icepack on my neck when I got home and then sent me on my way.

Immediately after I met a friend from my Buddhist group in Seoul for lunch.  I was still reeling a bit from my chiropractor appointment and preceding 30 minute massage.  As she asked how I was I found I couldn’t offer a cheery smile and say “great”.  My body wouldn’t allow it.  As we began to talk tears started to flow down my face.  You know the kind – the tears that are going to come out no matter what you do, the ones you can no longer hold back and that a fake smile just can’t hide.  How fortunate for me I was met by her kindness and compassion.  We continued to chat as we ordered the much-loved food at a local Mediterranean restaurant in Itaewon, Seoul.

As we talked the day continued to pour open.  We were joined by two other members of our group, both women, all of us about the same age.  We departed shortly from the restaurant and went to our local SGI community center.  We chanted together for about an hour and then gathered to practice a dance routine for an upcoming retreat.  Afterwards we sat and collected and talked.  It was all light-spirited conversation, but in light of my earlier tears and the tight kink in my neck it was also informative.

At the end of the day it was clear to me that I was in need of a little life adjustment.  On this journey of mine, it seems there are times of rapid growth, times of challenge, and times of relief and new territory.  There are also times when something needs to be done just a little bit different to continue the journey and take things, myself and my life to the next level.  After listening to the conversation mingled throughout the afternoon, I could see clearly that it was time for some change in my life and I could see what it was… I needed to get more exercise and I needed to chant more.

As you may know, chanting is the basic practice of SGI Buddhism.  Members chant sections from the Lotus Sutra and also chant “nam myoho renge kyo“.  Anyone can do it.  I was first introduced to it by a friend in New Orleans just over two years ago.  At the time I was selling organic mushrooms at the local outdoor farmers market.  She said “Chant for your mushroom sales”… so I did and you know what… my sales doubled quite easily and unexpectedly with no additional effort on my part. I began chanting regularly and shortly after my life set sail on this journey.

That afternoon in Seoul, I was so inspired to hear about the challenges of these women and fellow SGI members and how chanting has ushered them through it.  I heard stories of amazing growth and transformation in their lives and families. I saw living proof in front of me of obstacles overcome in the bright spirits and faces I saw.  The afternoon of sharing wasn’t directed towards me or intended to convince me of any correct action.  As I listened and rode the tide of its wisdom I was happy to go to its gentle conclusion.  It was time for a little adjustment for me, recognizing that little changes now in time can lead to big changes.

And so it continues… this journey of a thousand steps and little adjustments.  What about you and your life? Are there any adjustments that you need to make, big or small, as you continue on your way?  Any tiny shifts in your daily way that could add up to a big difference in your life?  If you like, please write and share!  It’s always great to hear from you!

Photos at top: A sea  of umbrellas at a local mall in Seoul.

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It’s a Small World

22 Jun

It’s a Saturday afternoon in Paju and I have to say… I feel lighter today than I did just a week ago.  Why is that you ask?  Well, I recently took a two-day journey to Busan and a quick escape was just what the doctor ordered!  This wasn’t just any excursion, however.  I met up with a friend from elementary school who I haven’t seen since about the 6th grade!  She is Korean-American and her parents recently returned to South Korea after living in the US for 40 years!  We reconnected through the magic of Facebook and the rest is now all history.

Busan is located in the Southern-most part of South Korea.  The “B” in Busan actually sounds more like a combination between a “B” and a “P” but because of the limitations of the English language in expressing Korean sounds, “Busan” is the best we can do.  I was told it is the second largest city in South Korea, but it’s less crowded, more easy and laid back than Seoul.  Still, it has a population of three million people! Despite it’s more Southern location, it has a breezier and lighter temperature then the now thick humidity moving into Seoul and Paju with cool breezes moving in off the coast.

My elementary school friend was traveling for two weeks in a quick visit with her and her husband’s family living here in South Korea.  I was lucky enough to connect with her at the tail end of the journey and spent two days with her and her parents at their new apartment home in Busan.  I received stellar Korean-style hospitality and got the special  “mom and dad” tour of Busan.  It was great!

I took the KTX from Seoul to Busan, Korea’s high-speed train.  I read that it reaches speeds of 300 km/hr (190 mph) but to me it didn’t feel as fast as the bullet trains I traveled in Europe.  But it was fast enough as it only took me three hours  to make a journey that by car would take at least five.  I read a little, took a nap, listened to some music and before you knew it… I was there!

When I arrived off the train, my friend and her son and mother were there waiting for me at the bottom of the stairs.  After nearly 30 years I could still see reflections of my fun young friend in the grown Korean woman standing before me.  Her mother, who I instantly recognized, whisked away my bag and led us in the direction of the parked car.  As she lead the way she called out “bali bali,” Korean for “hurry, hurry”.  We quickly made our way to the parked car with my friend’s dad at the wheel and within seconds we were off on our quick adventure.

As my trip was to be short, they wasted no time in beginning the tour.  First stop was Haedong Yonggunsa Temple, a beautiful temple by the sea.  It was a maze of winding stairs, beautiful colors and patterns, and lovely views.  It’s known for its large gold Buddha and a place where many still come to pray.  We stayed long enough to explore a bit, begin to reconnect, take some pictures and then we were off to our next destination, Haeundae Beach!

At the beach we took in the sand and the beach nestled in the busy scenes of the city.  My friend’s father told me that the beach used to be much larger than it is now, but over the years has gotten smaller and smaller.  Today sand has to be imported from Vietnam just to fill up the beach.  My friend’s son enjoyed a little wading and playing in the water while we did our best to stay clean and dry.  When we had our fill of the sand, we cleaned up a bit and soon made our way to dinner.

My friend and her family were so generous and gracious with my “no-sugar” needs and general diet concerns.  We decided on a Korean family style barbecue restaurant.  Her parents were wonderfully thorough in being sure that everything we ate didn’t have any sugar in it. We all ate and talked till our hearts content and then we went home.

Her parent’s apartment is in an apartment complex in what seems to be modern Korean style – a collection of high-rise apartments.  They were very proud of the beautiful landscaping in the complex with green space and fountains intertwined in the pathways beneath the towering buildings.  When we arrived at their 19th floor apartment I was impressed by its simplicity and spaciousness.  It is a four bedroom apartment home with a spacious kitchen and a view in the living room looking away from the city to the  surrounding green hills. I was generously offered my own room for the night and slept deep and restfully in the graciousness of their hospitality.

The next day was an early start with a tour of the apartment complex grounds and then back in the car to travel to “the best rest-stop in South Korea”.  My friend’s parents are just mesmerized with the contemporary rest stops in South Korea.  They are complete with plenty of places to eat traditional Korean-style snacks and foods and comfortable places to rest and relax… way beyond the standards in the States.  This particular rest area was indeed beautiful, nestled above expansive scenes of the water and islands in the distance.  There was even live musical entertainment!

Next on the tour, we took the worlds “deepest immersed roadway tunnel” and bridge on our way to Geoje Island.  Within minutes we arrived on the island and made our way through the small island villages to pebble beach.  At pebble beach we spent a little time collecting the beautiful stones and pebbles and tossed some of them into the water.  There was still a cool breeze in the air and it seemed it wasn’t tourist beach season just yet.  By late July when Korean students have a break from school the beach will be filled with guests indulging in the warmer summer air.

Buson, South Korea

We continued to wander by car through the hills of the island, stopped and enjoyed a few scenic views and then once again we were off.  We returned to Busan and stopped at a local store with traditional Korean food for lunch.  I haven’t eaten much Korean food as much of it has sugar added to it.  I am still uncertain which Korean foods are okay for me to eat.  With the help of my friend and her family, I selected bibimbap (with no added chili paste) and happily enjoyed the popular Korean dish.

My elementary school friend and I had a good time catching up… recollecting childhood stories, our grade school teachers and classmates.  She told me that the first time she ever had french toast was when my mom prepared it for her at our house and that today it is still one of her favorite breakfast dishes.  She also shared that I gave her first record album, Stix Mr. Robato.  A true classic.  I told her she was the inspiration for me beginning to take piano lessons.  When we were children she played Fur Elise on the piano and I thought it was so beautiful I just had to take piano lessons and learn how to play it.  She confessed that every Korean child learns how to play Fur Elise.

It’s been a long time since we’ve seen each other… but as we talked I saw glimpses of the familiar friend of 30 years ago.  She currently lives in LA close to the large Korean community there, Koreatown.  She had some interesting and helpful perspectives to share on Korean life, culture and beauty.  Raised by Korean parents who moved to the US, she clearly identifies herself as American… but also has obvious close ties and connections with Korean culture.

In no time at all… it was time to leave!  It was so great to reconnect with a childhood friend, receive a little ‘taste of home’ here in Korea and be hosted by the generosity of her parents.  It was a relief to spend a few days where I had to make no plans or decisions and just go with the flow.  We nearly lost track of time before we departed for the train station.  The KTX arrived in timely fashion and in the next minute I was off!  A good visit with a childhood friend… in South Korea!  Who knew?  Indeed, it is a small world!

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“Nobody”…nobody but you…

16 Jun

It’s a fresh Sunday afternoon at English Village.  It’s one of those rare days where the sun is warm and inviting but there is still a cool breeze in the air.  I am working today, but that is no problem.  It’s been a light day of teaching as the program for today completed at 2:30pm.  An easy day, even though I am at work.

Today’s students were here for just two days and one night visiting from a town about two hours away.  My class today were all boys ages ranging from about 9 – 12.  They were full of boy spirit and energy with a few rough edges and bullying in the class, but overall a really sweet group.  I co-taught today’s class with another teacher which is helpful in a class full of boys.  What was the subject today?  Rockets!  The first hour they learn the basics about rockets and the second hour they make and launch their own.  Actually it’s pretty cool.  They make the rockets from empty Coke bottles then put a “nose” and some “fins” on it.  We then head outside where the rocket gets filled with a little water, loaded on to the launcher, and with the help of a bicycle pump, is launched into the sky.  It’s unexpectedly impressive and fun to see the rockets dive further then imagined into the distance.

At the end of the class as we headed to lunch, many of the boys were really kind and grateful giving me a high-five and saying thank you.  Thank you is not something you often hear in the classroom and I was really impressed and appreciative of their good attitudes.

It’s been a great weekend for me.  Nothing out of the ordinary.  The typical venturing into Seoul for the day on Saturday, meeting with my SGI Buddhist group and then sojourning around town.  I appreciated the sheer joy of just being out and about for a bit in beautiful warm weather, connecting with people I like and respect and enjoying the practice of Buddhism, and also having some nice quiet time on my own.  What a pleasure it was to experience all of these flavors in a day and then the joy of returning to the pretty green hills of Paju, quiet surroundings and a relaxing evening.  Mmmm.  Feels good!

As I spend much of my time teaching English and working with Korea children, I have noticed certain tendencies and cultural influences beginning to rub off.  On more than one occasion I’ve had a K-pop song randomly running through my head… an “earworm” that I cannot escape.  For those of you who don’t know, K-pop is the very popular music culture in South Korea (i.e. Korean-pop) making a name for itself in Korea and around the world.  Korean children are CRAZY for K-pop! It features stars like Psy who sings “Gangnam Style” and is internationally known.  The top tune currently running through my mind is the song “Nobody” by the Wonder Girls.  Their music video is pretty funny.  Check it out!

I have also noticed other by-products of teaching English in South Korea.  For example, I now hardly ever say “no” without crossing my forearms in front of my body making a deliberate “x”.  The is the common way to communicate “no” non-verbally in South Korea.  When teaching children who may or may not understand what you are saying, non-verbal cues become important.  But now it seems I cannot make it through a single conversation without this added accentuation.

There are other ESL teaching habits that have slipped into my regular ways.  More and more… I act words that I say… pointing to eyes when talking about eyes, moving arms like I am flying when talking about birds.  And of course speaking deliberately, slowly and distinctly.  I also notice I habitually say everything twice… because it’s not always understood… or heard… the first time.  All of these “symptoms” a sure indication… of an ESL teacher.

As Sunday continues to tick away, the day will soon seamlessly shift into Monday, the beginning of a new workweek.  I am doing my best to keep a light attitude about work and “pace” myself as the upcoming summer schedule doesn’t offer much of a break in sight.

In the meantime, it’s still Sunday.  Although the students have left, there are a few more hours to record at work before being compete for the day.

How are you spending you weekend and Sunday?  It’s always great to hear from you!

Photo at top, flowers and fountain on a summer day at English Village.

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Is It Summer Already?

9 Jun

It’s a Sunday morning here in Paju City, South Korea.  The weather is creeping into summer as the temperatures are tipping into the upper 80s.  That didn’t take long.  Yes, it is June, typically nearly summer weather in some parts of the world.  But it seems that winter just recently… ended.  I could swear it was just a few weeks ago that I confidently tucked away my winter coat for good and took an extra blanket off my bed.  It was not long ago that I finally unplugged and put away my room heater. And here we are greeted with summer weather.  I am told the heat and humidity here will give New Orleans, my former stomping grounds of 13 years, a run for its money.  We will see.  When I lived in New Orleans my last job was working at an outdoor farmers market.  During New Orleans summers the heat and humidity is like a wall.  At the market we would sit there with towels dipped in florida water, a cool refreshing cologne water, hung around our necks and try not to move while the sweat rolled down our foreheads.  Hopefully the summer in Paju is not that bad.

With summer weather comes summer wardrobe.  We have a pretty laid back dress code here at English Village and really we are quite lucky to have such a casual atmosphere.  We can wear shorts and tennis shoes and sandals that are at least a little dressy and have a back strap.  We cannot wear sleeveless shirts or tank tops which seems reasonable for work life.  I am still exploring what is appropriate summer dress in general in South Korea. Wearing tight tank tops that reveals shoulders and skin, a summer staple for me, may not be considered appropriate in regular public life.  I asked a fellow teacher about this and she suggested that some girls in the city wear tank tops but it’s still not all that common just yet.  You often see girls and women wearing a very light almost see through cropped cardigan over sleeveless dresses and shirts.  Still learning the nuances of culture.

It’s been a pretty light teaching week here at English Village, although myself and some other teachers are still busily preparing new lessons for the upcoming “semester”.  This week we have several different programs including a group of young Russian children here for two weeks.  I am not one of their “regular teachers” but did have the opportunity to teach them for one class last week.  They range in age from about 9 to about 13.  They are a great bunch of kids with spunky spirits.  But they can, as other teachers have noticed, push the boundaries.  They are fiestier than the Korean students we have in a way that is both inviting and challenging.  When I arrived in the building to teach them on Friday, four of them were downstairs making a train with rolling desk chairs pushing them around the room.  When I arrived in the classroom upstairs students were drawing pictures on the board during the break, some nice and some… not so nice.  It was quite a first impression.  We spent about an hour together playing a game and while the time did have some ups and downs, generally it went well.  I teach them a few more lessons on Monday and Tuesday.

We had an interesting staff experience on Friday afternoon…. Korean Village.  Yes, all of the English teachers at EV attended a class taught by a Korean teacher using Korean language only. The idea as you can imagine is to give us a sense of how some of our students may feel when in our classes taught only in English.  The question this rose for me was “Don’t our students have years of training in English when they come to us?”  That answer…some, yes, but as it turns out not all.  Undoubtedly we see a range of English-speaking skills here from practically fluent to barely any English at all.  But I had always assumed that their training had tucked away some English somewhere and perhaps they were just shy about speaking it or uninterested.  But apparently this may not be the case.  It seems that economic level does play a part in students English-speaking exposure and participation in quality English lessons outside of the “regular school day”.  Also I was told that some students in public schools take little interest in English and are allowed to slip through the cracks.  So its possible that we get students who really understand and speak almost no English.  This is new to me and certainly puts a slant on trying to teach English in English.

I spent my Saturday in Seoul.  I visited my chiropractor and am happy to report that after a fall in France a year ago, my ankle seems to be getting better.  I went to an area of Seoul called Hongdae, a lively neighborhood near Hongik University.  My favorite taco stand is there, Gusto Taco.  I grabbed two delicious fresh chicken tacos, complete with hand-made corn tortillas and soaked in a little of the international atmosphere.  There were customers from S. Korea and the US, a Spanish-speaking couple, an American owner, and French radio streamed over the internet. It was love.

While in Hongdae I also saught out one of the few thrift stores in Seoul and South Korea called The Beautiful Store.  As noted by other visitors and explorers of South Korea, Koreans aren’t really into buying used clothes.  And so the thift store scene is not too grand.  But The Beautiful Store, a local chain, has locations all over Seoul and their proceeds go to charity.  If it wasn’t for the help of a nearby friendly Korean-American, however, I would have never found the store.

I exited the subway, exit 8, and began to scan through my maps and information on my smart phone.  Seeing my lack of clarity with a friendly voice she introduced herself and asked if I needed any help.  Fortunately for me, she speaks Korean and is able to navigate her ways through the maze of symbols and words known as the Korean language.  With just a little misdirection, some guidance from her smart phone, and her knowledge of Korean we found the store just steps away from the train station.  The store sign is written in Korean so it wasn’t visible to my English reading eyes.

It was a tiny shop but a true thrift shop nonetheless.  My new companion for the moment joined me and we both found just a few clothing treasures for low prices.  If you are in South Korea and would like to go there yourself, here are basic directions:

  • Take the subway to Hongik University Station exit 8.  When you arrive at the top of the stairs, look to your right.  There is a building with a door at the corner of the street.  Enter that door and go downstairs.  The shop is on your right.

Today is a simple Sunday for me.  I intend to enjoy a little luxurious walking in the still fairly mellow summer heat, run a few errands, and do a little cooking for my upcoming work week.  I believe I have another lighter teaching schedule for the work week ahead, much needed after so many crazy weeks and more to come in the future.

Good-bye for now from the slowly becoming balmy land of Paju!

Photo at top a quiet evening at English Village at sunset.

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Little People

1 Jun

It’s a Saturday evening in Paju City, South Korea.  It’s a quiet night at English Village and once again I am grateful for the luxury of a warm spring day and gentle cool evening.  I think I am still defrosting from the long cold Paju winter. The warmth of the sun continues to feel new… and welcome and satisfying.

The typical pattern of work life in English Village has had a new beat this week.  Gratefully, we had a much-needed break with a few days of light teaching with just one or two classes a day. Our students this week have been mostly elementary students, much different from the regular diet of middle school students and the recent weeks of high school and college students. I still remember the first elementary class I taught this week.  When I walked in I was startled by how… little they were.  I did my best to recover from the slight shock and proceeded to teach the lesson.

The second half of the week we had a more regular pace of classes with another elementary school group.  This group was quite good with their English and mostly good attitudes as well.  I even had one student who had spent two years in Australia.  She was quite comfortable with her English and when she would respond to a question she would stand up and announce her answer eloquently to me and the class. Of course, some classes had the expected high level of elementary school ENERGY that must be released in some way!

I piloted a new lesson I created this week with the elementary students.  It’s an English lesson on adjectives for an upcoming month-long program in August called VIP.  Here at English Village we create our own lessons, then “try them out” or pilot them, then make any necessary changes before the lesson continues to be used.  I had a pretty good time creating this lesson (with the help of many other EV teachers).  It’s a mystery sort of lesson where students learn and practice some basic adjectives to describe people.  Next they watch a series of short videos we created of the “EV Bandit” (EV, that’s English Village) perpetrating a few innocent crimes.  Guided by a worksheet, the students choose adjectives that accurately describe the bandit to help “identify and catch him”. My first run this week of the lesson went quite well.  The students were bright and participated whole-heartedly.  They seemed to enjoy the lesson.

Today I made my regular journey to Seoul and my (as of recently) weekly trip to the chiropractor.  Afterwards I treated myself to a little lunch.  I have been craving sushi for some time lately.  Granted I need to travel a little further east to get the good stuff, but it seems it is still possible to get sushi in South Korea.  I went to a place called Alilgato in Itaewon, an expat friendly area of Seoul.

They began the meal with a delicious cup of miso soup. I kept it simple and ordered two sushi rolls – a spicy salmon roll and a California roll.  They were beautifully created and quickly delivered to my table.  Both rolls were truly scrumptious and a real treat as I haven’t had sushi since I left the United States two years ago.

Tomorrow, Sunday, is the monthly World Peace Prayer Meeting for my Buddhist SGI group in Seoul.  It is also the last meeting of one of our members before she and her family return to the US.  After my meeting I look forward to returning to Paju for a juicy afternoon relaxing at home, doing a little cooking and just taking it easy in the fresh spring weather before a new work week arrives.

Cheers to everyone from Paju City!  As always, feel free to write and say hello!

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On the Road to Nowon

26 May

It’s late May and its hard to believe that I have been in South Korea for 5 months already.  In some ways this seems like a long time, in other ways it seems like the blink of an eye.  After 5 months I have settled into some ease with my life and ways here in Paju City and English Village.  I no longer sit on the subway in Seoul frantic that I will miss my stop, attracting attention and usually assistance from concerned Koreans also on the subway.  I can now relax and join the regular rhythm of other passengers using my smart phone until my destination arrives.  When in class students often ask how long I have been here.  I ask them to guess which usually starts at 5 years, 3 years, 2 years.  When I share I have been here for only 5 months their eyes gape open and the mouths drop.  There are some teachers from US and other English-speaking countries who have been in South Korea for years and some have invested the time and energy required to learn the language.

This past week was a great respite from my recent steady pace of teaching many and sometimes challenging middle school students.  I spent my week teaching in an area called Special Programs.  The beginning of the week I taught a small group of middle school students visiting from a rural area of S. Korea here at English Village for only two days.  There were only 30 students and I was told that was their entire school.  Wow!  The students were friendly, kind, and generally well-behaved, with English levels above our typical student here.  There were just a few English Village teachers working with them and it was a nice break to work with a small group of teachers and interact with this easy and engaging group of students.

Later in the week I taught a program of high school students visiting from a prestigious language school here in S. Korea.  When I first met some of them it was an immediate treat to meet mature students with a near fluent capacity with the English language. We were able to connect a bit and talk in a way that is often unavailable with students.  I also found some ease slipped into my teaching and the emphasis, while still on learning English, was more relaxed and conversational.  My concern was less on being understood and more on teaching the lesson at hand.

I learned some of these students had studied and lived in the US or Canada for a year or longer.  I asked them how they liked it and their faces lit up and they said “we loved it!”  I asked them what they liked about it and their response was “it was relaxing!”  Here in South Korea there is such an emphasis on education, students hardly have time for anything else.  Many students are literally in school all day, often attending English schools call Hagwans into the evening as late as 10pm.  It’s not unusual for students to fall asleep in class because… they’re tired.  This pace is currently deeply meshed into Korean culture and I can understand how studying in the States or elsewhere would be a welcome break!

The weather in Paju is a well-formed Spring beginning to slip into Summer.  I had a wonderful day yesterday enjoying the warmth on my body and spending a little time in Seoul.  I began with my morning chiropractor appointment and then grabbed a quick bite to eat at Tomatillos, a taco and burrito type joint in Itaewon.  Itaewon is an area of Seoul that tends to cater more to English-speaking foreigners and is the part of town where one of the US military bases is located.  It was such a treat to enjoy the simple pleasures of a day out and a bite to eat.

Later that day I went to an area of Seoul called the Nowon District. I went their to meet someone for a purchase — some new to me speakers for my iPod/smart phone, courtesy of Craigslist.  The benefit of this outing, in addition to the speakers, was the simple joy of traveling to a new area of the city.  Nowon is on the outskirts of Seoul and is the highest population density in Seoul, with 619,509 people living there.  It is surrounded by the mountains Suraksan and Bukhansan which you can see in the distance beyond the walls of people and commerce. It was fun to continue my experience of saturating myself in a country so new and different from my life in the States.


On the subway yesterday I was sitting down and there was a seat open next to me.  A grandmother motioned for her youngish grandson, about 7, to take the seat next to me.  I saw him look at me then look at her and shake his head.  I had flashbacks of my own shyness when I was a child and hesitancy towards things and people who seemed different.  Also many Korean children have little to no experience with people who look and speak different from them.  I tried to bridge the gap and patted the seat next to me inviting him to take a seat.  He did and easily settled in to playing his video games.  When they got up to leave the grandmother smiled and grabbed my hands and said something to me, I don’t know what.  Then she motioned to the grandson to say good-bye to me and we waved and smiled and they departed the train.

Today is a day of chanting with my SGI Buddhist group in Seoul.  The group is chanting for five-hours today!  Quite a long time but also a very powerful practice.  As members we can come and stay for as long as we like.  I imagine I will stay for nearly the whole time.  Then afterwards run a few more errands in Seoul.

This week we have a refreshing break with no programs on Monday or Tuesday.  What a treat and also a time to catch up on some of the English lessons I am developing for future programs.

Happy Sunday from South Korea!  My best to all of you and feel free to write.  It’s always good to hear from you!

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Stop the Bus!

19 May

It’s a quiet rainy Sunday at English Village.  I am sneaking in a little time to write my blog before I head off to Seoul.  There is a district meeting today for my SGI Buddhist group.  Our meeting is at 1pm but I generally allow about two hours for the journey.  This includes waiting for bus 2200 traveling directly to Seoul, the 50 minutes bus-ride, then catching the subway and any miscellaneous walking involved.  I spent part of my morning today preparing a simple dish for the potluck lunch after the meeting.  It was a good reminder to me how grounding it is to spend a little simple time preparing food.  Cutting vegetables, adding seasonings, mixing ingredients and preparing it to share with others is a simple ceremony that feels like it honors my soul.

I am glad for the rainy weather this weekend.  It somehow gives me permission to have a quiet steady pace after the preceding hectic workweek.  This weekend has been a gentle rhythm of spending time on my own reading and tidying up a bit, traveling to Seoul for a chiropractor appointment and doing a little grocery shopping.  Then yesterday afternoon there was a staff barbecue at English Village.  And last night, I made some homemade tomato soup.  I have never done this before.  It was just wonderful and seemed to feed something in me deeply in need of nourishment and comfort.  Here is the recipe I used!

My second visit to the chiropractor continues the journey of healing my left ankle from my fall in France.  As he works on it, with his friendly and comical “bedside manner”  he gently scolds me as he points out the many different places and ways that my ankle is in need of adjusting.  I have also talked with him a bit about my persistent back and neck pain.  He has concluded that this problem is a hereditary thing and suggest that I sue my parents and we split it 70% for me 30% for me.  Then, he says, I can quit my job and sit at the beach and drink beer.

This past work week was a different rhythm from the sometimes frantic pace of teaching busloads of visiting middle school children.  I worked Monday – Wednesday with a group of college students here from Japan.   It was fun to connect with them and explore the distinctness of being Japanese, the different sounds of their language and names.  I was grateful for some of the simple benefits of teaching college students.  You don’t have to collect them or herd them like disgruntled cats to get them to class.  Generally in class they are well-behaved.  And you don’t have to worry that they might randomly run out of class or hit their friend if you don’t have your eye on them.  That said, upon returning to my regular middle school appointment on Thursday, I was genuinely happy to reconnect with the younger students.  Although challenging at times, it is fun for me to be around their lightness, sometimes shenanigans, and fun spirit.

The greatest challenge lately and this past week has been… how to teach English to students who speak very little if any English.  As I have mentioned before, English Village is a teach English in English organization.  Even the Korean teachers here are encouraged to teach only in English.  English Village even trains teachers how to teach English in English.  And as I continue to develop this skill and refine how to simplify a lesson or express something in its most simplest terms, sometimes I am at a loss of what to do.

Earlier this week I had a class of Japanese college students who spoke and understood only the simplest of English.  My class to teach them was Idioms.  An idiom, if you’ve forgotten, is a phrase commonly used that has its own distinct meaning that is often very different from what the words literally mean.  An example is ” a chip on your shoulder” or “high as a kite”.  Quite difficult to explain to students who don’t have a grasp on the basics of the English language.  But I went into the class with good intentions and did my best to explore it and simply.  After about five minutes as I looked out into a class of totally blank faces, I stopped and said “just one minute!”.  I snuck out of the classroom and quickly made my way to my supervisors down the hall.  I desperately told them my situation and we quickly decided to change the lesson to a word game using English called “Stop the Bus”.  In this game each team has to think of words for different categories beginning with whatever letter is offered for that round…. B, S, T.  When their team has written words for all categories they have to shout “Stop the Bus!”, hence the name. I returned to the class and smiled and announced that we will do a new lesson.  They smiled and laughed and then were fully engaged in the game.

This coming week I will work again with a special visiting group.  They are high school students from a language school.  It is likely that their English level will be high and their behavior a bit more mature as they are in high school.  I am looking forward to it and we will see how it goes!

I must depart now as the bus to Seoul is calling my name.  The bus driver is unforgiving if you are even a few seconds late and will not stop the bus…  Enjoy your weekend!  And of course, feel free to write and share what’s up in your world or even just say hello.  It’s always good to hear from you!

Photo at top, another view of the hills and land surrounding English Village.  Those stone pillars you see on the right… yes those are the giant replica of Stonehenge that greets you as enter English Village.

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Settling into Spring

12 May

It is a foggy Sunday morning here in English Village.  This week has continued to be the typical atypical shenanigans of life and work in English Village (EV).  Monday 500 adolescent Korean students arrived.  We danced the “EV mambo” with them for three days (a unique combination of moves including language and cooking lessons, badminton, soccer and rides on the EV railbike), then they left and a new group arrived.

The visiting schools this past week were filled with the general array of bright faces and unexpected challenges.  First there was the girl who, when I opened the room up for questions raised her hand and asked me if I thought I was pretty and then later asked me for my “autograph”.  Later in the week there was the class of 17 boys who for the first hour wouldn’t listen to anything I asked them to do and talked to each other throughout the whole lesson.  As I had these boys for three consecutive hours of lessons, they challenged me to regroup, adjust the planned lesson, and begin the next two hours reviewing good classroom behavior.  I pulled out some classroom discipline tricks I had seen another teacher use, reminiscent of those from my own middle school teacher.  In the end, they left for lunch quiet and orderly and even picked up the trash on the floor before leaving.  Hooray!  and … Whew!….

As the weekend continues, I am doing my best to soak up the luxury of a quiet weekend day before Monday makes her way back around.  Saturday I took the familiar journey into Seoul.  I had scheduled a chiropractor appointment to tend to my injured left ankle still hurting from a fall down some stairs in France over a year ago.  The chiropractor, who is Korean, spoke excellent English from his studies and work in the States. By the end of my appointment I couldn’t have been happier.  I now can see clearly how my ankle is not properly aligned, my foot turning slightly in to the right, which is why I still have pain.  After one appointment that was just a little painful, it already looks better.  He was also able to give me some good information about my painful back, spine and neck.  He took one look at my neck and asked me if I slept on my stomach… which I do.  He told me that I needed to sleep on my back… so I am now in the process of learning to sleep on my back.  First night… not too bad, but it will take some getting used to!

In the afternoon I met with my SGI Buddhist group.  We had a study group meeting in the home of one of the members.  We read and discussed the writings of Nicheren, the Japanese Buddhist monk who is the founder of the practice.  The more I explore this Buddhism, the more I enjoy it.  It’s general message of perseverance and happiness in the midst of all challenges and situations is very compelling to me.  It’s also been great to know and be connected to the other Buddhist members in the area and feel a sense of community here in S. Korea.

This coming week I will be a little off of my familiar track as I am scheduled to teach Korean college students visiting for the week.  So it looks like this week I will dance a new dance with a different beat and a more mature students body.

Spring continues to settle in with temperatures lately topping off at around 70 degrees farenheit.  It is a deep relief to walk outside and feel a gentle warmth after months of a startling winter.  I took a few photos from a walk in the hills of English Village one night after work.  Also, here are some photos of the neighboring agriculture.  This used to look like an abandoned lot and is now fastidiously developing into a proper garden.

Overlooking the English Village campus in Paju, South Korea

All is well on this side of the earth.  How about you?  How are things in your world?  It’s always great to hear from you!


Photo at top a view from “behind the scenes” of the English Village “hollywood-esque” sign nestled in the hills of Paju City, South Korea.

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Blossoming

4 May

A few weeks have slipped by since my last blog entry.  In the space of my own busyness, Spring has arrived at Paju City South Korea.  While I was lost in the world of teaching, the blossoms were busy exploding on the trees and the sun busy shining.  There is still a slight chill in the air, but the temperature finally leans more towards warm than cold.  I have even gone outside without wearing a coat!  Truly amazing as I was beginning to think that my skin was the texture and color of a dark blue down coat.  Alas, it is not and I am at last thawing out.

I continue to do the dance of English teacher at English Village.  It is a different dance each day.  Some days look a little more elegant than others!  We are fully immersed in our current “semester” welcoming a new group of about 300 Korean students usually every three days, Monday through Friday.  Wednesdays are a bit of a juggling day – one group leaves around lunch time while the other group arrives late morning.

The staff of teachers at English Village continue to face the blessings and the challenges of our current teaching conditions.  In the past few months we have shifted from teaching one group of kids for 5 days (Monday through Friday) to teaching two different groups of students for three days, twice a week.  We are learning that many of our students are coming here with the expectation of a fun field trip and not to study and practice English.  Additionally, lately many more of our students speak very little English.  As an organization that is committed to teaching English in English, this presents opportunities as well as challenges.  Adjustments are often needed to the level of lessons but communicating effectively with students is not always possible.

All that said, being here and teaching English at English Village is a wonderful education.  Each days calls me to be the best teacher I can be, to stretch and explore my sense of compassion for students (and myself), and to continue to learn to set clear boundaries in classrooms of middle school students who are at English Village just “passing through”.  In the midst of this fun and lively, but at times challenging environment,  I am in some ways invigorated and inspired by the challenge.

A few weeks ago I was speaking with a friend and leader in the Seoul foreigners chapter of Soka Gakkai International (SGI), a Buddhist group I belong to, about my week… it’s challenges that were demanding that I rise up and be very deliberate about bringing kindness and compassion in the midst of challenging situations.  Her response was, “Honey, that’s human revolution!”  Human Revolution is a term that SGI often refers to when talking about personal development, growth and happiness.  SGI says “Human revolution is the work of transforming our lives at the very core. It involves identifying and challenging those things which inhibit the full expression of our positive potential and humanity.” As a fairly new member to the organization I am still exploring experientially what its different terms and concepts actually mean.  As for human revolution, I am beginning to get it!

It’s Saturday and I am doing my best to rest-up and prepare myself for the new week to come.  My weekends seem to have a fairly regular syncopation as of late… one day spent recovering and cleaning up from the week and preparing a little for the week to come.  The next day usually spent in Seoul connecting with an SGI activity and friends and often sharing a meal and a little social time.

The biggest news in Paju for now is the arrival of Spring.  It’s amazing what a difference it makes to see the surrounding hills covered with green and blossoms bursting off of neighboring trees.  I must admit I was harboring complaints about the late arrival of Spring… however my family in the Kansas City area of Kansas and Missouri actually got snow over the past few days.  That makes Paju seem like a tropical paradise!

Spring has invited more leisurely strolls and exploration around the surrounding streets and hills.  On my way to the grocery store this morning I saw three hard-working Korean men and women transforming what looked almost like an abandon lot into a field for planting.  It was quite amazing to see them working so patiently, pulling out rocks and debris slowly generating a metamorphosis into neat hills and rows.

As the day begins to wind down, I am grateful for a few more hours of sunlight today before I settle in to the evening.  It’s been a quiet but sunny and productive day.  I am wondering, how is Spring blossoming in your life?  It’s always good to hear from you!

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