Week 6 & 7

 

So I'm going to have a Christian girl moment . . . be prepared . . . 

As I sit here with my host brothers watching a cartoon on TV (strangely, most of the cartoons here have main characters who are Caucasian), watching a giggling baby girl chase after a very fluffy cat, and reflecting on the wonderful day I've had with friends, all I have to say is:  I am so incredibly happy. Each and every day is a new adventure and a new blessing, and for the first time in a long time I feel at peace. I don't know exactly how to describe it; I just know that I don't have to be perfect here. After how crazy busy my life has been, I feel like I finally have permission to do the best I can while also relaxing and enjoying the little things. Even though I don't have a church family here and the only person I am brave enough to talk about my relationship with God is Gabrielle, I feel closer to God than I have in a long time, and I feel like some changes in my heart are going to happen this year! Before I came to Korea, I was having many doubts about whether this was the right choice for me because I have such a strong support system at home (to all of you reading this:  I love you! <3), but I am so glad I took a leap of faith. God is so good! :)

I don't know if you've ever read Captivating by John and Stasi Eldridge, a book about how God relates to a woman's soul, but in one of the chapters Stasi discusses how God gives each of us small gifts in our lives that are made especially for each person.  I'm reminded of that on my walk to school each day. I love mountains and have always thought that my favorite place to live would be in a mountain valley, and I am just blown away by the endless rolling green of mountains overlooking sparkling green-blue water everyday. Of course I don't think God made it just for me, but I do think He wanted to remind me how beautiful the world is. Unfortunately, Sang Pin, my host brother, and his friends aren't usually as amazed as I am, so instead of stopping I follow the gentle pull of a child's hand in mine and sing the ABC song as we walk along until we get to the elementary school.

My Host Family

My host family has been my favorite part of my experience so far. I look forward to coming home from work every day to see them! From the moment I stepped inside this tiny apartment in the military complex, I have felt like a part of the family. It can get crazy with a first grader (Sang Pin), a three year old (Seoghun), and a one year old (Yun Kyun), running around--but I have embraced it and love each and every second! Many of the cultural mistakes I make are overlooked because there is just too much happening! These children have stolen my heart. Sang Pin insists on taking care of me at school and drops me off next to the English room every morning. He also loves playing board games and card games with me and is trying to learn English words! On the first day of school when he didn't realize that I had to stay later than him, he called home to frantically tell his mom that he didn't know where I was and to make sure I was okay. Seoghun has so much energy and can be so mischievous, but he's so much fun to play with because he is always laughing! He is so confused by my presence, however--he doesn't listen when I speak to him in Korean and looks at me blankly when he talks to me in Korean and it is apparent that I don't understand as if to say, "Who are you??" He recently learned how to say 'Good Morning,' however, and I always get so excited when he greets me in the morning! Yun Kyun is a happy cuddly baby girl who loves being held and making silly faces. She's started waving at me every day which is so cute! Seoghun and Yun Kyun sneak into my room after bedtime almost every night, but I don't mind too much. ;)

It is my host mother (Mee Ok), however, that has truly touched my heart. Thanks to her incredible cooking skills, her insistence on buying me American foods (usually Korean conceptions of American foods have a crazy twist!), and feeding me many times a day, I am quickly gaining weight! I am hoping she doesn't feel the need to keep feeding me this much! She even bought me trainer chopsticks to make sure I am able to eat properly. Her children are her life and you can see that in everything she does. She has a very compassionate heart, and even though we have to use google translate to talk, I feel very close to her. She has told me that she hopes I feel a part of "one family", and we have had discussions comparing American and Korean culture in regards to family values, education, marriage, and bullying--all through google translate! She also insists on helping to clean my room and do laundry. She was absolutely amazed when I explained how big America is; she thought Korea was big and it only takes 6 hours to get from the top of the country to the bottom! On the first Saturday I was here she took me camping with the family and has since introduced me to several Korean families that live here. She also texts me frequently to make sure I am okay! Unfortunately, my host father left almost immediately for a soldier training in the south and will be there for six weeks, but he was also very nice. :)

Last night, I brought my host family a chocolate cake to share in order to build 'jong', or a feeling of togetherness and respect with my family, but I don't feel like it could ever be enough to thank them for all they have done for me. Here are some pictures:

Seoghun

Yun Kyun

Sang Pin

Hwacheon Elementary School

I am loving school so far! It is so nice to have Gabrielle with me to debrief every day. Right now, I teach 5 sections of 5th graders on Monday and Wednesday, 4 sections of 3rd graders on Tuesday and Thursday, and 2 sections of 2nd graders on Friday. I am required to stay at school from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., but I don't mind staying so long. It gives me plenty of planning time and time to meet other teachers. 

On the very first day of school, each of us introduced ourselves to the school via a live broadcast in both English and Korean. I was so nervous to use my very limited Korean skills, but was able to successfully say, "Annyounghashimnika. Chonin Chelsea. Miguk saramieyo. Michigan eso waseyo. Manasah Bakapsibnida. (Hello [formal]. My name is Chelsea. I am an American. I am from Michigan. It is nice to meet you.)."

Sujin, my co-teacher, is one of the most kind-hearted people I have ever met. She has helped me open my bank account and get a new phone, introduced me to several other teachers in the school, and given me advice on how to improve my lessons. I will work very closely with her throughout the upcoming year and hope to become her friend! She is also an incredible teacher. Although she seems reserved, she is very energetic in front of the students and does her best to make the lesson come alive for them.

So far, Sujin teaches the textbook section of the lesson, and I then teach a 10-15 minute game. I've also done a short introduction of myself for all classes. I think lesson planning for this year will be fairly easy because Sujin and I are both very structured. Although the textbook can sometimes be repetitive and boring, Sujin explained the importance of teaching straight from the textbook--in order to do well on national tests, students need to memorize the dialogue from the text. For the game portion of the lesson, we try to veer away from the textbook because students seem to love that! Since I am still getting my feet wet in the classroom, my role has been pretty minimal this week, but I am excited to dive in on Monday! The only class I don't teach with Sujin are the two sections of 2nd graders, which has proven to be challenging so far. Students aren't required to learn English until 3rd grade, and they don't understand many of my directions in English and I don't understand many of their questions in Korean. This means I will have to start studying Korean soon, just for behavior management!

As far as the students and staff go, I am amazed at how well behaved and respectful the students are. I don't know if this will continue as the school year goes on or if it's just because I am the new English teacher, but the students seem excited to learn English and are very affectionate. I don't think I will ever tire of being called Chelsea Teacher and getting hugs and high fives from them! I worry that I won't be able to learn all 200 student names, however, because the names are so different from the English names I know. I also was asked if I had a boyfriend or was married approximately 20 times, and it was so sad to see the disappointed looks on their faces when I said no! The staff is also very welcoming and friendly, and there seem to be a few other teachers who know English fairly well. I am hoping to get to know them better throughout the coming year. 

One of my biggest concerns about being in Korea has been measuring up to the standards of beauty here. Koreans value beauty very much, and believe it is something that everyone can achieve with enough hard work. As an overweight American with thick glasses and not particularly beautiful features, I felt I would stick out so much here. Instead, however, Sang Pin's teacher greeted Gabrielle and I by saying, "You are very beautiful! It is so nice to meet you!" Those words were so wonderful to hear. It reminded me how much a small compliment can make a difference in a person's day.  

Hwacheon Elementary School

Entrance to the school. Almost every building in Korea has a stoop with closets. You are expected to wear a pair of shoes to school and then change into nice sandals, your indoor non-dirty shoes, to prepare for the school day. This is a lasting tradition from when Korean people slept on mats on the floor instead of on beds; it was polite to keep the floor as clean as possible.

Maybe Korea's educational system is so far ahead of the U.S. because of awesome club classes! Ukulele class after school.

Entrance to Hwacheon Elementary.

My classroom!

It's What Chingus Do

Adventuring in Hwacheon would not be nearly as fun without my chingus and the wonderfully ridiculous memories we have already made in our first week. From discovering and enjoying the many Hwacheon quirks (such as giant polar bear statues, bouncing bridges, and fish EVERYWHERE), crossing a bridge that was built suddenly overnight, dancing in front of the Lotteria only to be stared at as if we were the strangest people on Earth by many South Korean soldiers in uniform, running furiously through the streets of Hwacheon to get toilet paper for a friend in a very disgusting bathroom stall by the river, sharing in mutual setting-off-the-house-alarm-because-I-thought-it-was-a-light-switch struggles, exploring all the coffee shops to find the best one, to just discussing our inability to effectively communicate with our homestays and schools and difficulties we are facing and supporting each other through it all, I have discovered how truly amazing these women are. I can't wait to get to know them even better throughout the year and am so grateful to have them here with me. Here's to the Hwacheon 4:  We may be slightly awkward but at least we know how to have fun. :)

Yea . . . that's us . . .

Hwacheon is well known for its indigenous otters. A few years ago, researchers placed video cameras and tracking chips in some of the otters in the area and then sent them upriver to North Korea. This project was called 'Peace Otters.'

Exploring the island together!

Ice cream!

Awkward pedal boat picture! Instead of four pedal boat seats there were two exercise bike positions and then two regular seats without pedals.

Fun Fact

So, Korea has been extremely hot lately, which means that everyone gets a little gross by the end of the day. One of the side effects for me has unfortunately been bad breakouts! Instead of referring to breakouts as 'acne', Koreans prefer the term 'trouble skin.' Luckily, Korea is well-known for skincare products! I bought this today and I'm hoping for the best:

Okay, I realize this blog post is getting really long! I didn't realize I had so much to say! I just want to end by saying:   Please add Kakao Talk on your smart phones so we can text and call each other for free! My user ID is chelbelle. :) I know many of you are starting Grad School or new jobs soon, and I just want to say:  I love you. I believe in you. You are going to do great things and impact the world in a positive way. I will pray for you! Please keep me posted on all your life adventures. God bless you. <3