So for those of you that have facebook you already know that im in love with korean pop music or k pop. For the rest of you it is basically like Britney Spears/Nsync in Korean. It is incredibly addicting even though i dont understand most of what the hell they are singing about. My 2 favorite groups are Big Bang and Girls Generation. Girls Generation is 9 hot Korean chicks that sing incredibly addicting music that I listen to all day at work. Heres a sample of what is my new crack...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q_gfD3nvh-8&feature=BF&list=PLBA050A2DCABDDFE1&index=8
Thursday, December 30, 2010
I wish you a drunk Christmas
Last weekend was Christmas, obvi, but it was the first time I had been away from my family for it. Lemme first tell you that xmas is nowhere near as big in Korea as it is in America. America has the xmas season while Korea has xmas day. A very BIG difference. Meaning that it did not feel like xmas until xmas day.
So anyway me and a big group of people, say 25 or so, went to this Irish bar in Seoul where they would be serving us a buffet style xmas meal. And not just any buffet style but a 3 course meal. It was absolutely uhhhmazing. They first had like 3 diff types of soup, appetizers, and various bread. Pretty good. Then they brought us a meal which we had preordered before. I got turkey and ham. It was soooo good. They also put out like 3 types of potatoes and had gravy. Again it was awesome. Then finally when I thought I couldnt eat anymore they brought us cookies, cheese cake, and ice cream.
We arrived at the bar around like 2 or 3pm and of course started to drink at the time, I mean I hang out with Irish people what do you expect. We ended up leavin the bar around 9ish or so, not totally sure. But anyway we headed to a hookah bar for a lil bit which was pretty fun. Finally we ended up goin to a club for the end of the nite. There was a cover but they had free, yes FREE, mixed drinks for an hour, and that hour happened to start right when we got there. Not saying it was fate, but it was. Needless to say we took great advantage of this. Literally double fisting mixed drinks for an hour straight. I was not sober by midnite.
When we first got there they had some local bands playing some music which was pretty good. Then around like 1 or 2am, I really have no idea when, the djs started up. I ended up at the clubs til like 530 or so, again I think. Literally time just disappears here.
In conclusion, this was the most different type of Christmas I have ever experienced but it was absolutely amazing and my new group of friends helped make it that way.
With love
Brady
So anyway me and a big group of people, say 25 or so, went to this Irish bar in Seoul where they would be serving us a buffet style xmas meal. And not just any buffet style but a 3 course meal. It was absolutely uhhhmazing. They first had like 3 diff types of soup, appetizers, and various bread. Pretty good. Then they brought us a meal which we had preordered before. I got turkey and ham. It was soooo good. They also put out like 3 types of potatoes and had gravy. Again it was awesome. Then finally when I thought I couldnt eat anymore they brought us cookies, cheese cake, and ice cream.
We arrived at the bar around like 2 or 3pm and of course started to drink at the time, I mean I hang out with Irish people what do you expect. We ended up leavin the bar around 9ish or so, not totally sure. But anyway we headed to a hookah bar for a lil bit which was pretty fun. Finally we ended up goin to a club for the end of the nite. There was a cover but they had free, yes FREE, mixed drinks for an hour, and that hour happened to start right when we got there. Not saying it was fate, but it was. Needless to say we took great advantage of this. Literally double fisting mixed drinks for an hour straight. I was not sober by midnite.
When we first got there they had some local bands playing some music which was pretty good. Then around like 1 or 2am, I really have no idea when, the djs started up. I ended up at the clubs til like 530 or so, again I think. Literally time just disappears here.
In conclusion, this was the most different type of Christmas I have ever experienced but it was absolutely amazing and my new group of friends helped make it that way.
With love
Brady
Wait you want me to do what??
Deskwarming, its a term that all English teachers in Korea know. Im about to become a pro at it. What is deskwarming you ask. Well lemme tell you. I show up to work at 830, do whatever the hell I want for 8 hrs, then head home at 430. Wait what? The week before Christmas I was deskwarming from Monday-Thursday because my students were taking finals. Im doing it this week on Wednesday-Friday because the school year just ended here in Korea. I have around 5-10 more deskwarming days in January.
Why do I have to come to school and literally just dick around on my computer for 8 hrs a day? Good question! Its basically because I am only allowed a certain amount of vacation/sick days a year and every other day I have to be at school. Sounds dumb I know, but whatev if they wanna pay me to sit and do nothing thats cool with me. During this time I am supposed to be planning my future lessons...so the lessons I will have when the school year starts back up at the need of February. Not likely thats gonna happen.
The part that actually sucks is that most of the other teachers do not have to be at school during that time, so I dont have many people to talk to while Im there. (Brady why dont you complain about your awesome job some more) Your right I have nothing to complain about. But anyway now if you ever here me mention deskwarming you will understand what im talking about because im literally getting paid to warm a desk. Damn you Korea, your making it waaaaaay to hard to only be here a year.
Why do I have to come to school and literally just dick around on my computer for 8 hrs a day? Good question! Its basically because I am only allowed a certain amount of vacation/sick days a year and every other day I have to be at school. Sounds dumb I know, but whatev if they wanna pay me to sit and do nothing thats cool with me. During this time I am supposed to be planning my future lessons...so the lessons I will have when the school year starts back up at the need of February. Not likely thats gonna happen.
The part that actually sucks is that most of the other teachers do not have to be at school during that time, so I dont have many people to talk to while Im there. (Brady why dont you complain about your awesome job some more) Your right I have nothing to complain about. But anyway now if you ever here me mention deskwarming you will understand what im talking about because im literally getting paid to warm a desk. Damn you Korea, your making it waaaaaay to hard to only be here a year.
holler
So I realized its been too long since ive blogged because my grandma even said something to me about it. The time keeps flying by here. Ive been here for over 2 months now...I cant believe it. I think there are 2 reasons for this. 1st my job can be classified under easiest and best job ive ever had. Because of this it makes the weekdays fly by. I teach 22 classes a week and enjoy most of the classes that I have. The 2nd reason is that the weekends go by even faster here than back home. I swear its Friday nite and then the next thing I know Im heading to work Monday morning. I guess what Im trying to say is that if anyone has ever ever thought about doing something like this, DO IT!!! It is by far the best choice i have ever made so far in my life (other than living in pod 76 for a year of course)
I obvi miss my friends and fam from time to time but mostly im too busy with this or that, its hard to focus on people back home.
I obvi miss my friends and fam from time to time but mostly im too busy with this or that, its hard to focus on people back home.
Monday, November 29, 2010
oh where does the time go
So Im just chillin in my apartment, stealin some internet, eatin some dinner, watchin tv online, ya know livin the dream, and I just realized that Ive been in South Korea for over a month now...wow how time flies. In one way it feels like Ive just arrived but I also feel like Ive done a lot in the time since Godzilla landed.
I can still vividly remember the flight, my orientation, and meeting all of my new friends, but yet that time seems so distant, not in a bad way. But just distant, like it happened at least like 2-3 months ago. I guess I have just been really busy since I got here. Brady in the big city with money to spend = non stop fun. Sry mom.
I mean just this last weekend I went out with my buddies, Friday was the usual, hammered in Incheon, home by 4am. Saturday tho was a slightly different story. We did the usual, ate somewhere as a crew, this place was particularly awesome. It was like chicken and cabbage and ramen noodles, simply amazing. Anyway after that we went out to Hongdae, the main party area in Seoul of course, had loads of fun. Went to the bars then found a club to get a lil crazy at. The night was great. Left the club at like 530 I think, some of the details of the nite are a lil fuzzy if ya know what I mean.
For some reason me Stu, John, Rachel, and Catherine all decided that taking the subway was a good idea, cuz out here the subway stops from like midnite til like 5 or something like that. It would have been an excellent idea, it normally takes me like 1hr 15 mins or so to get home from Seoul on the subway and costs a lot less. However, given that we werent exactly sober at this point and time we accidentally got on the subway goin the wrong way. Luckily a friendly korean overheard us talkin about which stop we had to get off at and let us know we went the wrong way. Thanks whoever you are. Not terrible but I was craving sleep at this point. So were now heading the right way and come to our first transfer point. (Normally when I go to Seoul I have to transfer lines twice) We get on what we believe is the right train, it can be confusing especially when your bombed, one of our friends has been here for over a year and we still went the wrong way, wrong train even. Yes, again we went the wrong way, we got off and had to head back to where we were supposed to go. Long story short I finally made it to bed "Saturday nite" at 9am Sunday morning...COLLEGE...WHEW.
Any who, just thought Id update my peeps back home on my progress so far and to say that as of right now I love everything about my life.
Hope erbody else is doin great!!
Oh and happy belated Thanksgiving
I can still vividly remember the flight, my orientation, and meeting all of my new friends, but yet that time seems so distant, not in a bad way. But just distant, like it happened at least like 2-3 months ago. I guess I have just been really busy since I got here. Brady in the big city with money to spend = non stop fun. Sry mom.
I mean just this last weekend I went out with my buddies, Friday was the usual, hammered in Incheon, home by 4am. Saturday tho was a slightly different story. We did the usual, ate somewhere as a crew, this place was particularly awesome. It was like chicken and cabbage and ramen noodles, simply amazing. Anyway after that we went out to Hongdae, the main party area in Seoul of course, had loads of fun. Went to the bars then found a club to get a lil crazy at. The night was great. Left the club at like 530 I think, some of the details of the nite are a lil fuzzy if ya know what I mean.
For some reason me Stu, John, Rachel, and Catherine all decided that taking the subway was a good idea, cuz out here the subway stops from like midnite til like 5 or something like that. It would have been an excellent idea, it normally takes me like 1hr 15 mins or so to get home from Seoul on the subway and costs a lot less. However, given that we werent exactly sober at this point and time we accidentally got on the subway goin the wrong way. Luckily a friendly korean overheard us talkin about which stop we had to get off at and let us know we went the wrong way. Thanks whoever you are. Not terrible but I was craving sleep at this point. So were now heading the right way and come to our first transfer point. (Normally when I go to Seoul I have to transfer lines twice) We get on what we believe is the right train, it can be confusing especially when your bombed, one of our friends has been here for over a year and we still went the wrong way, wrong train even. Yes, again we went the wrong way, we got off and had to head back to where we were supposed to go. Long story short I finally made it to bed "Saturday nite" at 9am Sunday morning...COLLEGE...WHEW.
Any who, just thought Id update my peeps back home on my progress so far and to say that as of right now I love everything about my life.
Hope erbody else is doin great!!
Oh and happy belated Thanksgiving
Can you speak English, 1 word plz
So this week, my 3rd full week at the school, the kids have to take a speaking test. Basically I sit in a room and the kids come in one by one and I show them one of 3 pics that they should have previously studied and then they have to tell me about the pic in English. It went alright I guess.
Lemme remind you that these are 7th and 8th grade kids, they started learning english in like 2nd or 3rd grade. So I was expecting that these kids would have no problem speakin complete sentences to me, was I wrong. I had to grade the kids on a scale 1,2 or 3. I gave mostly 2s. It took me awhile to figure out the scale on which I should grade the kids. It finally came to this; if they could speak 10 plus english words in a minute I would give them a 2, any less they would get 1. To get a 3 they would have to basically speak in sentences for a majority of the time. 2 was obviously a large range of people.
You would be surprised with how many 1s I had to give out. Some kids could say like some words, but some kids literally would walk in and just sit and stare at me for a minute. I would attempt to help them out, I would point at like a tree and say "Can you tell me what this is?" Amazingly enough some kids would not be able to say simply things in english, not even a word.
On the other hand, there were some kids who were able to speak to me brilliantly. A few were even better than some of my co teachers, and the co teachers know it. It averaged out to about 1 kid every other class that could carry on a good conversation with me.
The first time I spoke with one of these kids I was absolutely stunned, they were so much better than everyone else, some have lived in english speaking countries for a year or so but still, just amazing. Overall tho the level of the kids was about what I was expecting. Im really glad I got to do this so early after being at my school so now I know about the speakin level of most of the kids.
Still lovin the job
B-Money
Lemme remind you that these are 7th and 8th grade kids, they started learning english in like 2nd or 3rd grade. So I was expecting that these kids would have no problem speakin complete sentences to me, was I wrong. I had to grade the kids on a scale 1,2 or 3. I gave mostly 2s. It took me awhile to figure out the scale on which I should grade the kids. It finally came to this; if they could speak 10 plus english words in a minute I would give them a 2, any less they would get 1. To get a 3 they would have to basically speak in sentences for a majority of the time. 2 was obviously a large range of people.
You would be surprised with how many 1s I had to give out. Some kids could say like some words, but some kids literally would walk in and just sit and stare at me for a minute. I would attempt to help them out, I would point at like a tree and say "Can you tell me what this is?" Amazingly enough some kids would not be able to say simply things in english, not even a word.
On the other hand, there were some kids who were able to speak to me brilliantly. A few were even better than some of my co teachers, and the co teachers know it. It averaged out to about 1 kid every other class that could carry on a good conversation with me.
The first time I spoke with one of these kids I was absolutely stunned, they were so much better than everyone else, some have lived in english speaking countries for a year or so but still, just amazing. Overall tho the level of the kids was about what I was expecting. Im really glad I got to do this so early after being at my school so now I know about the speakin level of most of the kids.
Still lovin the job
B-Money
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
First Week
So Ive been reminded that its been a while since i updated this beast (Amy thats you) and so i guess ill start where i left off. I was told to basically just tell the students about myself. So I made a really sweet powerpoint about me and my fam and my peeps. For some unknown reason all the girls thought Dale was handsome, I guess Korean women have really bad taste in men. I obviously taught the boys classes about broing and how to bro. Altho I dont think they really understood anything I talked about, oh well. The girls seemed to try and pay attention more than the boys do, also they dont throw things around the room in the middle of class.
Altho when I think about it I realize that when I was in 7th or 8th grade and some strange guy I dont know shows up and starts speaking some language that I dont care about I would do the exact same things that my boys classes do, so I cant really complain too much.
For the most part the classes went really well. At the end I would have them play a game to see how well the payed attention to me. In groups they would have to answer the questions about me, the team that got the most questions right I gave them candy. Word spread quickly throughout the school and pretty soon the kids knew they had to pay attention if they wanted candy, which they all do.
My co teachers were great and did most of the disciplining the kids, corporal punishment is still legit over here. Kinda funny and shockin all at once when ya see it for the first time. I kinda like it when they do it tho. Get back at the kids who are screwing off and then they actually pay attention.
The 1st week went really well and by Friday I was in a groove and presenting my lesson came like 2nd nature to me. I was talking with my co teachers and they said thats pretty much the way it always goes. Mondays 1st class is always a little rough but then you realize what works and what doesnt, and by Friday the classes are great and you know exactly what you wanna do.
Im enjoying the job, its not very tough and the kids can make it fun. Im actually more bored when Im not in class but I wouldnt wanna teach all day, those days would get really long, my co teachers have informed on this. Anyway, I saw Minnesota got covered in snow, its cold here but no snow so i guess, HAHA.
Altho when I think about it I realize that when I was in 7th or 8th grade and some strange guy I dont know shows up and starts speaking some language that I dont care about I would do the exact same things that my boys classes do, so I cant really complain too much.
For the most part the classes went really well. At the end I would have them play a game to see how well the payed attention to me. In groups they would have to answer the questions about me, the team that got the most questions right I gave them candy. Word spread quickly throughout the school and pretty soon the kids knew they had to pay attention if they wanted candy, which they all do.
My co teachers were great and did most of the disciplining the kids, corporal punishment is still legit over here. Kinda funny and shockin all at once when ya see it for the first time. I kinda like it when they do it tho. Get back at the kids who are screwing off and then they actually pay attention.
The 1st week went really well and by Friday I was in a groove and presenting my lesson came like 2nd nature to me. I was talking with my co teachers and they said thats pretty much the way it always goes. Mondays 1st class is always a little rough but then you realize what works and what doesnt, and by Friday the classes are great and you know exactly what you wanna do.
Im enjoying the job, its not very tough and the kids can make it fun. Im actually more bored when Im not in class but I wouldnt wanna teach all day, those days would get really long, my co teachers have informed on this. Anyway, I saw Minnesota got covered in snow, its cold here but no snow so i guess, HAHA.
Monday, November 8, 2010
Jimjawhat?
Sup
I just had a really enjoyable weekend in Incheon, Friday, and Seoul, Saturday. On Friday I went out to a Korean bbq with some of my foreign friends. We ordered some kind of pork thing and when they brought it out it looked like a huge strip of bacon. Sure enough after we cooked it up it tasted just like bacon. The bacon was wonderful along with the soju and beer.
For those who I havent explained soju to yet, it is this real cheap alcohol that is similar to vodka but not as strong. It tastes terrible as a shot but I still do it. However, the best part about soju is that you can mix it with anything, and when I say anything, I mean anything. For example I mix it in my beer and it still tastes amazing.
After dinner we went out to a bar in Incheon in the Bupyeong district. The bar was lots of fun and filled with other foreigners, but me and my buddy Stu decided we wanted to experience the "real Korea." Whatever that means. So we wandered around and found a bar that was filled with all Koreans and thought that place would be a good spot to go. It was really no different from the last bar but they had popcorn at this place. Whew!! Im not sure if it was the booze, but me and Stu swear it was the best popcorn in the world, not really sure why though. Anyway we decided to call it an early night and took a cab home around 430 or 5.
Saturday night I planned to meet some people from the previous weekend at a subway stop on the way into Seoul. This may not sound eventful but it in fact was. I currently do not have a cell phone because I need my alien registration card first, hopefully Ill have it by next week but who knows. So, we have to make plans in advance via facebook or skype. I had never met anyone at this station so I wasnt sure how long it would take. I arrived a little after the planned time and me and Stu had no idea where anybody was. We werent sure if people had left or not. We decided to wait and they eventually showed up, "caught in traffic' aka "Im a girl."
After that mini adventure we went to eat at an Irish pub, had my first hamburger since Ive been here and it was oh so good. After dinner we went to a mini concert at another bar. The girls we were with knew the guys in the band. A mini dance party broke out after the band played.
We ended up heading to a jimjabong around 5 or so. The jimjabong, or bath house, experience was definitely one of a kind. We got there and they gave us lockers and pajama like gear to change into. After we but on our pajama clothes we went to find the sleeping area. Unfortunately we went into the wrong room and there were a buncha naked Korean guys just chillin. There were like some spas, saunas, and hot tubs filled with naked Koreans. A little much to handle when your hammered and looking for somewhere to sleep. We eventually made it out to the sleeping area. It was basically 2 floors, about the size of a basketball court, filled with mats. However, we arrived later and all the mats were filled up so we slept on basically potato sacks, in the busy area with lights and a tv on. In other words, not a good sleep. The girl who had been there before said that its not bad if you can find the mats to sleep on. All I could think about when i woke up was, "Did I really just pay to sleep on the floor with lights on and people talking." Answer = yes. Oh well, it was better than trying to head home that late and it was pretty cheap.
Til next time
I just had a really enjoyable weekend in Incheon, Friday, and Seoul, Saturday. On Friday I went out to a Korean bbq with some of my foreign friends. We ordered some kind of pork thing and when they brought it out it looked like a huge strip of bacon. Sure enough after we cooked it up it tasted just like bacon. The bacon was wonderful along with the soju and beer.
For those who I havent explained soju to yet, it is this real cheap alcohol that is similar to vodka but not as strong. It tastes terrible as a shot but I still do it. However, the best part about soju is that you can mix it with anything, and when I say anything, I mean anything. For example I mix it in my beer and it still tastes amazing.
After dinner we went out to a bar in Incheon in the Bupyeong district. The bar was lots of fun and filled with other foreigners, but me and my buddy Stu decided we wanted to experience the "real Korea." Whatever that means. So we wandered around and found a bar that was filled with all Koreans and thought that place would be a good spot to go. It was really no different from the last bar but they had popcorn at this place. Whew!! Im not sure if it was the booze, but me and Stu swear it was the best popcorn in the world, not really sure why though. Anyway we decided to call it an early night and took a cab home around 430 or 5.
Saturday night I planned to meet some people from the previous weekend at a subway stop on the way into Seoul. This may not sound eventful but it in fact was. I currently do not have a cell phone because I need my alien registration card first, hopefully Ill have it by next week but who knows. So, we have to make plans in advance via facebook or skype. I had never met anyone at this station so I wasnt sure how long it would take. I arrived a little after the planned time and me and Stu had no idea where anybody was. We werent sure if people had left or not. We decided to wait and they eventually showed up, "caught in traffic' aka "Im a girl."
After that mini adventure we went to eat at an Irish pub, had my first hamburger since Ive been here and it was oh so good. After dinner we went to a mini concert at another bar. The girls we were with knew the guys in the band. A mini dance party broke out after the band played.
We ended up heading to a jimjabong around 5 or so. The jimjabong, or bath house, experience was definitely one of a kind. We got there and they gave us lockers and pajama like gear to change into. After we but on our pajama clothes we went to find the sleeping area. Unfortunately we went into the wrong room and there were a buncha naked Korean guys just chillin. There were like some spas, saunas, and hot tubs filled with naked Koreans. A little much to handle when your hammered and looking for somewhere to sleep. We eventually made it out to the sleeping area. It was basically 2 floors, about the size of a basketball court, filled with mats. However, we arrived later and all the mats were filled up so we slept on basically potato sacks, in the busy area with lights and a tv on. In other words, not a good sleep. The girl who had been there before said that its not bad if you can find the mats to sleep on. All I could think about when i woke up was, "Did I really just pay to sleep on the floor with lights on and people talking." Answer = yes. Oh well, it was better than trying to head home that late and it was pretty cheap.
Til next time
Monday, November 1, 2010
Shinsong Middle School Spirit!!!!
Some people have asked me exactly what it is that I do, so I thought I would let everyone know so that people stop asking me questions bout it.
Anyway, I have to be at the school, Shinsong Middle School, in case you cant read it in the title, by 830 M-F. I have to get on the bus that comes around 8ish. Its packed everyday, today the bus driver stopped the bus, got out, and yelled at someone in a car. Everyone else acted like it was normal and all I could think was WTF. Anyway, bus ride takes between 10-15mins then its a 5 min walk.
My office is on the 4th floor with 4 other English teachers, all Korean. They are very nice and feed me every so often. My schedule varies from then on. I will actually be teaching 22 class periods a week and the other 18 hrs I will prepare for my classes the following week. I teach level 1 and 2, or 7th and 8th graders. I only have to prepare 1 lesson plan for each grade, thats 2 if your not good at math.
I wont actually start teaching until next week, so this week I can watch some of the Korean teachers do their thang and get ready for my class next week. The average class size will be 40 students but I will be teaching with a Korean co teacher every class period so its not too many kids to handle. Oh and ya I have to be here each day until 430 then I hop back on the bus and Im home to the penthouse.
Bout to go get my alien registration card (ARC) then off to the bank to set up my account, direct deposit what what. Although I wish they paid me in cash, I would make it rain every pay check. Im goin with my co teacher, Lucy has been very helpful and Im glad cuz I heard a few horror stories from orientation.
Godzilla out
Anyway, I have to be at the school, Shinsong Middle School, in case you cant read it in the title, by 830 M-F. I have to get on the bus that comes around 8ish. Its packed everyday, today the bus driver stopped the bus, got out, and yelled at someone in a car. Everyone else acted like it was normal and all I could think was WTF. Anyway, bus ride takes between 10-15mins then its a 5 min walk.
My office is on the 4th floor with 4 other English teachers, all Korean. They are very nice and feed me every so often. My schedule varies from then on. I will actually be teaching 22 class periods a week and the other 18 hrs I will prepare for my classes the following week. I teach level 1 and 2, or 7th and 8th graders. I only have to prepare 1 lesson plan for each grade, thats 2 if your not good at math.
I wont actually start teaching until next week, so this week I can watch some of the Korean teachers do their thang and get ready for my class next week. The average class size will be 40 students but I will be teaching with a Korean co teacher every class period so its not too many kids to handle. Oh and ya I have to be here each day until 430 then I hop back on the bus and Im home to the penthouse.
Bout to go get my alien registration card (ARC) then off to the bank to set up my account, direct deposit what what. Although I wish they paid me in cash, I would make it rain every pay check. Im goin with my co teacher, Lucy has been very helpful and Im glad cuz I heard a few horror stories from orientation.
Godzilla out
Halloween weekend
So on the first Friday at my place, Yeonsu-gu Incheon, Yeonsu-gu is the name of the district I live, anyway I met some people that live in my building and we went out to a Korean bbq to eat. Lemme just say if you have never eaten at a Korean bbq you dont know what your missing. It was absolutely amazing. You sit down and they place a bunch of kinds of side dishes around the table and in the middle is this grill where you cook the food yourself. We got steak and it was soooooo good.
After that we went to a place in Incheon near the arts center. None of the people had actually been to the arts center but that is just the name of the area. We went to a foreigner bar and I met some other new people there as well. A little bit later in the night one of my friends from orientation, who I had not spoken to in hours randomly showed up at that same bar, which neither of us live that close to. Pretty crazy I know. Im not gonna say much else because my parents read this blog but it was a great nite.
The next night I went to my buddy's place, who I had met the night before. There are some other people that live in his building and we all went out to Seoul that night. It was a good thing they came with us or we would have gotten totally lost. Seoul is a lot of fun. There are a few different party districts in Seoul and we went to Hongdae, which is where most of the universities are located.
One of the guys I had met the night before told me that when you go out in Korea its like a time warp. I had no idea what he meant until Saturday. We went to an Irish bar and before I knew it someone said we had to go to a club cuz it was like 130 or 2, and I was thinking to myself that it was maybe midnite at the latest. I now understand the time warp. We stayed out very late and the sun was just barely starting to show when I finally got back to my friends place that "night."
I have a good feeling about this upcoming year and am looking forward to it, and not just cuz of the weekends, ok maybe it is.
After that we went to a place in Incheon near the arts center. None of the people had actually been to the arts center but that is just the name of the area. We went to a foreigner bar and I met some other new people there as well. A little bit later in the night one of my friends from orientation, who I had not spoken to in hours randomly showed up at that same bar, which neither of us live that close to. Pretty crazy I know. Im not gonna say much else because my parents read this blog but it was a great nite.
The next night I went to my buddy's place, who I had met the night before. There are some other people that live in his building and we all went out to Seoul that night. It was a good thing they came with us or we would have gotten totally lost. Seoul is a lot of fun. There are a few different party districts in Seoul and we went to Hongdae, which is where most of the universities are located.
One of the guys I had met the night before told me that when you go out in Korea its like a time warp. I had no idea what he meant until Saturday. We went to an Irish bar and before I knew it someone said we had to go to a club cuz it was like 130 or 2, and I was thinking to myself that it was maybe midnite at the latest. I now understand the time warp. We stayed out very late and the sun was just barely starting to show when I finally got back to my friends place that "night."
I have a good feeling about this upcoming year and am looking forward to it, and not just cuz of the weekends, ok maybe it is.
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Godzilla for Lunch
Wow, so I just went to eat lunch with 2 of my other English teachers, both Korean. We arrived before the kids did and the teachers seemed happy along with some of the other non-English teachers that I would eat lunch at the school cafeteria. Im getting the impression the teacher before me did not have a good camaraderie with the other teachers. Apparently he moved his desk to the English speaking room, which is now my classroom, and didnt eat with them.
Anyway the reason im writing this is because as we were eating more and more students began to pile in, its a big lunch area and the school is about 1600. The noise that began as i got up and walked out of the cafeteria was ridiculous. Not trying to brag but you would have thought that a rock star had just shown up. Kids were goin insane and yellin and waving. It was hard not to have a smile on my face.
Ladies and gentlemen,
Godzilla has arrived
Anyway the reason im writing this is because as we were eating more and more students began to pile in, its a big lunch area and the school is about 1600. The noise that began as i got up and walked out of the cafeteria was ridiculous. Not trying to brag but you would have thought that a rock star had just shown up. Kids were goin insane and yellin and waving. It was hard not to have a smile on my face.
Ladies and gentlemen,
Godzilla has arrived
The Arrival
Yo yo yo
So yesterday I left orientation and got on a bus to go to a hotel in Incheon, where I am now living. Took a little over an hour to get there and then i met my main co teacher. A co teacher will be the Korean teacher who teaches the glass grammar, reading and writing. I am considered the English conversation teacher. My main job will be speaking with the students when they come to my class.
Anyway, I met my main co teacher, her Western name is Lucy and she was amazed by how tall i am. From there she had another one of my co teachers, Diana, come to pick us up and went directly to the school to meet my vice principal because the principal was gone. They then showed me my office which I will share with other English teachers, however none of them will be my co teachers. I will have 7 co teachers, 3-4 is average but someone at orientation had 22, yikes.
We then left and they took me to my apartment. It is about a 15 min car ride and a 20-25 min bus ride. I will mainly take the bus each day. We arrived at my apartment and Lucy and Diana helped me settle in a bit. We then went back downstairs and Lucy showed me my area a little bit, bus stop, department store, food places, etc.
We then went out to eat at an Italian place just across the street from my Apartment. They were very curious to know if it tasted like actual Italian food. I got something that looked like pasta with meat sauce and it tasted very good and like back home.
I then left with Lucy to go to the department store, Lotte Mart. Its about 2 blocks from my house and i bought some stuff like toilet paper, drinking water, they dont drink from the faucet, and some other stuff.
We headed back and I left Lucy to go to my apartment. Its on the 12th/top floor, penthouse what!!! Its bigger than what i was expecting, not exactly sure how to describe it. Hopefully I can put up some pics soon to show. Started unpacking but it was already 9 and i had to go to school, the next day/today/Friday.
I am currently at school. I will start teaching in 2 weeks. Today and next week I can just observe other teachers teach and begin to decide what I will do for my first week of class. Each week I will have to come up with 2 different lesson plans. One for each level I will teach. Hope to go out tonite and meet some new peeps.
One love
B-Rad
So yesterday I left orientation and got on a bus to go to a hotel in Incheon, where I am now living. Took a little over an hour to get there and then i met my main co teacher. A co teacher will be the Korean teacher who teaches the glass grammar, reading and writing. I am considered the English conversation teacher. My main job will be speaking with the students when they come to my class.
Anyway, I met my main co teacher, her Western name is Lucy and she was amazed by how tall i am. From there she had another one of my co teachers, Diana, come to pick us up and went directly to the school to meet my vice principal because the principal was gone. They then showed me my office which I will share with other English teachers, however none of them will be my co teachers. I will have 7 co teachers, 3-4 is average but someone at orientation had 22, yikes.
We then left and they took me to my apartment. It is about a 15 min car ride and a 20-25 min bus ride. I will mainly take the bus each day. We arrived at my apartment and Lucy and Diana helped me settle in a bit. We then went back downstairs and Lucy showed me my area a little bit, bus stop, department store, food places, etc.
We then went out to eat at an Italian place just across the street from my Apartment. They were very curious to know if it tasted like actual Italian food. I got something that looked like pasta with meat sauce and it tasted very good and like back home.
I then left with Lucy to go to the department store, Lotte Mart. Its about 2 blocks from my house and i bought some stuff like toilet paper, drinking water, they dont drink from the faucet, and some other stuff.
We headed back and I left Lucy to go to my apartment. Its on the 12th/top floor, penthouse what!!! Its bigger than what i was expecting, not exactly sure how to describe it. Hopefully I can put up some pics soon to show. Started unpacking but it was already 9 and i had to go to school, the next day/today/Friday.
I am currently at school. I will start teaching in 2 weeks. Today and next week I can just observe other teachers teach and begin to decide what I will do for my first week of class. Each week I will have to come up with 2 different lesson plans. One for each level I will teach. Hope to go out tonite and meet some new peeps.
One love
B-Rad
Orientation
Hello all,
I just got done with a 4 or 5 day orientation about working and becoming a better teacher. It was kinda troublesome getting to the orientation area because the directions were a little vague. I had to ride a bus into Seoul and from there I got off at the stop they told me to and was completely confused on where I had to go from there. I waved down a cab and he knew where i needed to go so i eventually reached my destination. During the next few days I made some pretty good friends with some other guys, 2 in fact who live in Incheon with me.
Throughout the course of each day we had 2 morning classes, a lunch break, and then another 2 classes in the evening. These classes covered a wide range of topics from lesson planning to class activities to working with your co-teacher. In the evening we would have classes learning the Korean alphabet and helpful Korean phrases, most of which i have forgotten.
Orientation went by really fast but at the same time it seemed like it felt as though i had been there for a long time. Each night my friends and I would go out and explore a little bit of the city around us. We never really made it that far but went to about 5 or 6 different bars. Here when you go out to a bar they expect you to buy food as well. They do not expect each person to buy food but instead they expect groups of around 4 or so people to buy like an appetizer. Sometimes you can haggle your way out of it but not always. Also one night after the bars we went to a karaoke place. Its a lot different here then back home. We could bring in hard liquor, i think, but not beer. We had a group of around 15 people and we went to a room and paid for that room for an hour. We had a curfew every night at midnite so we couldnt stay out too late. They do have some stuff called soju out here. Its absurdly cheap and vodkalike but you can pour it in your beer and its really good.
Overall orientation was amazing and im sad that its over and im now away from some of my buddies, but now i will be able to go and travel around different areas in Korea and actually know people.
Until next time
I just got done with a 4 or 5 day orientation about working and becoming a better teacher. It was kinda troublesome getting to the orientation area because the directions were a little vague. I had to ride a bus into Seoul and from there I got off at the stop they told me to and was completely confused on where I had to go from there. I waved down a cab and he knew where i needed to go so i eventually reached my destination. During the next few days I made some pretty good friends with some other guys, 2 in fact who live in Incheon with me.
Throughout the course of each day we had 2 morning classes, a lunch break, and then another 2 classes in the evening. These classes covered a wide range of topics from lesson planning to class activities to working with your co-teacher. In the evening we would have classes learning the Korean alphabet and helpful Korean phrases, most of which i have forgotten.
Orientation went by really fast but at the same time it seemed like it felt as though i had been there for a long time. Each night my friends and I would go out and explore a little bit of the city around us. We never really made it that far but went to about 5 or 6 different bars. Here when you go out to a bar they expect you to buy food as well. They do not expect each person to buy food but instead they expect groups of around 4 or so people to buy like an appetizer. Sometimes you can haggle your way out of it but not always. Also one night after the bars we went to a karaoke place. Its a lot different here then back home. We could bring in hard liquor, i think, but not beer. We had a group of around 15 people and we went to a room and paid for that room for an hour. We had a curfew every night at midnite so we couldnt stay out too late. They do have some stuff called soju out here. Its absurdly cheap and vodkalike but you can pour it in your beer and its really good.
Overall orientation was amazing and im sad that its over and im now away from some of my buddies, but now i will be able to go and travel around different areas in Korea and actually know people.
Until next time
Thursday, October 21, 2010
Flight and stuff
Hey everybody,
Currently holed up in some hotel in Incheon waiting til saturday to go to my orientation in Seoul. Flight was as terrible as it would sound. We flew over the Artic which was kinda weird i guess, and that was also the 6 or so hours i slept. They fed us twice, once right away and then the second time with about 4 hrs left in the flight. Had a choice between American or Korean food and of course i choose American. Had a HUGE exit row area, i could have laid down if they let me, which was super awesome. At the airport there were some very helpful people that directed me to where i needed to go, lets hope it stays that way. The information people at the airport called the shuttle for my hotel to come pick me up. That is where i currently am. Although it was dark when I arrived you could tell this was a pretty urban area. The hotels entrance is super tiny and the hotel isnt much better. Already hit my head on the door frames twice, gonna have to get used to ducking i guess. Anyway its about 7:30AM here, 5:30PM back home. Gonna try and force myself to take a nap now and wake up later so i can get used to the time difference as soon as possible.
much love
Brady
Currently holed up in some hotel in Incheon waiting til saturday to go to my orientation in Seoul. Flight was as terrible as it would sound. We flew over the Artic which was kinda weird i guess, and that was also the 6 or so hours i slept. They fed us twice, once right away and then the second time with about 4 hrs left in the flight. Had a choice between American or Korean food and of course i choose American. Had a HUGE exit row area, i could have laid down if they let me, which was super awesome. At the airport there were some very helpful people that directed me to where i needed to go, lets hope it stays that way. The information people at the airport called the shuttle for my hotel to come pick me up. That is where i currently am. Although it was dark when I arrived you could tell this was a pretty urban area. The hotels entrance is super tiny and the hotel isnt much better. Already hit my head on the door frames twice, gonna have to get used to ducking i guess. Anyway its about 7:30AM here, 5:30PM back home. Gonna try and force myself to take a nap now and wake up later so i can get used to the time difference as soon as possible.
much love
Brady
Thursday, October 7, 2010
13 Days and counting
So for those who care ill be leaving to teach english in South Korea for a year on October 20th. I know very little details as to what exactly will be goin down, where ill be livin, or who i will know. Should be exciting and i hope to keep everyone updated here.
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