Archive for ‘April 2010’

I thought since it's been a whiles since I wrote about my kids, I would update you.

A few of them got switched around, some left the school, some moved to a different class, so I now have ten students: Alex, Alice, Alyssa, Becky, Daniel, Elliot, Joe, Lily, Sally, and Thomas. They have really come far since they first started and didn't know any English. We've started doing harder books since the beginning of the term, and now most of them can read simply sentences, they are remembering new words more quickly, some of them can even attempt to sound out new words. Alyssa and Becky are my top students, but Lily and Alice are catching up. Thomas, my probably worst student (knowledge-wise, not behavior-wise) is still my favorite, he is just so freaking adorable. I'm probably going to steal him and bring him back to America. This is a picture of the little goofball and the adorable outfit he came in with on Friday. The kids do have school uniforms (either the grey business suit, or the red stripes sweatsuit) but I like it much better when they wear their own clothes. That was you can tell whose parents let them dress themselves lol.

Daniel is doing pretty good too, he really likes to repeat the things I say, so his mom said that sometimes he goes around the house shouting "Hey! Be quiet!" to his brother. Elliot has REALLY improved since he first started. I remember that he would never talk, I could never get him to volunteer in class, his pronunciation was terrible, he never smiled. But now he's a whole new person. He talks and smiles all the time, he remembers our Theme Book words really well, he can even read a little bit. His handwriting still isn't that good, and he doesn't write too fast, but most it's because he gets distracted in class. Sally and Becky's handwriting are great, probably better than some of the 7-year-old kids upstairs. Joe has gotten a lot better, he's not as terrible as he used to be, he still is a pain in the ass though. His mom says he's been trying really hard at home to be good, so that he can be good in class, and it is starting to show.

They've started learning how to write sentences, and speak in complete sentences. I make them spell every new word that we learn, multiple times, hopefully it will get them to understand the sounds of the alphabet better so they can sound out new words. We have a handwriting book we do a few times a week, where I give them a random sentence about something we did that day, and they have to write it down. They are doing pretty good learning the days of the week, and I'm teaching them how to write the date. We've also started doing reading comprehension, which they aren't really that great at, but some of them can guess the right answers.

Mostly we have good days, but there are still frustrating ones. I know they are little kids, but they have to do a certain amount of work each day, and if they mess around too much then I have to revoke playtime. I've stopped yelling though, now when they don't listen I stand quietly at the front until they all pay attention, and I remind them that the more time they take in class, the less time for the playroom. We are still working on classroom behavior like sitting properly, keeping your shoes on your feet, pushing chairs in, walking calm to get in line, walking in a proper line in the hallways, etc. But they are doing really great.

We started a new book called a Theme Book which has basic vocabulary, handwriting, using "a and an", "it is and they are" type things. Our theme now is food, so at the end of every section I have them make a food book about the foods they like. Here is an example of Sally's "I like Vegetables" book.








































































Dexter, on the other hand, does not give me nearly as much joy as my kids do. I really thought that getting him neutered would calm him down, but there has been absolutely no change. He still likes to stay up all night playing with toys, meowing, knocking over heavy objects that cause me to jolt up in my sleep. Whenever I climb up the stairs, I instinctively pause at the bottom, because I know he is going to come and try to attack my feet. He's jumping up on the tables, trying to break into his cat treat bag, using my lip gloss as a toy, jumping into my recycling bag, trying to knock over the trash. He still likes to jump on my lap when i have my computer, and if I try to move him out of the way even the tiniest bit, he bites me. I know he loves me though because when I get home, he tries to jump up on me wont let me leave until I pet him. I guess the only good habit he has learned since I got him is that he stopped clawing the furniture. Here is a video of his attack styles. First, going for the jacket, then when that taste no longer satisfies him, he goes for my hand. And let me tell you, these are not little play bites, he's shooting for the kill. Sometimes I think he purposefully tries to go for my wrists because he wants to kill me and make it look like a suicide. He's crafty, this one.

For the most part, living in Korea has been a great time. I am America, and when I tell people this i usually get smiles of approval and attempts to speak extremely mispronounced English. And for the most part Korean people are nice and accommodating, business owners go out of their way to do things for you, they try their best to help you understand what they are saying, and some will even help you randomly on the subway when you are trying to write something in Korean. There are two aspects of Korean society though that just seem exasperating.

Back home, it really is true that "beauty is in the eye of the beholder" you know, different strokes for different folks. There are all sorts of movies, songs, pictures, fashion models that depict multiply different types of beauty. But in Korea, it seems like there is a strict definition of what "beauty" is, and if you don't follow the guidelines, society doesn't treat you as well. I rarely (if ever) see a Korean woman go out without make-up and a fully coordinated and chic looking outfit, with hair that probably took hours to do, and 4 inch heels (with no back up pair of sneakers in their bags like the smart girls back at OACD). There are beauty stores literally every five feet, and millions of commercials for beauty products.

I know this seems like the case with America, but here it seems like it is being force-fed down the throats of every teenage girl that in order to get a man and get a good job, you need to be gorgeous. Families pressure young girls extremely that they need to look their best, and that they better the girls look, the better husband they will get in the future.

Plastic surgery is a big market here. One of the most popular operations is "double eyelid surgery" in order to look more western and have bigger eyes. Although breast implants aren't really big here (thank god, could you image a set of double-Ds on a 100 pound, 5'2" Korean girl?), facial operations are really big. And since the market for plastic surgery is so huge, it has lead to a large number of unqualified plastic surgeons operating on people. It seems like there just an inordinate amount of pressure put on woman to have beauty, and they will take extreme measures to get it.

My second (and biggest issue) with South Korea is the straight up racism that takes part in society. Korean is an extremely homogeneous culture, Koreans marry other Koreans and have Korean babies. If you go to one of the more western areas of Seoul, you might see a Korean girl with a western guy, but it's not that common. And most Korean woman that I talk to say they will only date Korean men. Koreans have extreme racism towards people not of their own culture, especially an ethnicity that is darker than their own. They dislike Southeast Asians, Indians, Africans, etc. They also hate the Japanese with a pretty big passion (based on atrocities committed almost 60 years ago). I often get weird looks from Koreans when I go out in public with Daniel and we hold hands or kiss in public. A woman on the subway even asked us how ws it possible that we were friends, he's black and I'm white.

This was even a conversation I had with a 10-year old Korean girl:
Somehow we got on the topic of nationality, and I told her that my boyfriend was not America (and she knows he is black)
Me - No he isn't American, he is from Africa.
Sophia - Oh. Are all people in Africa black?
Me - No, not all of them, but most of them are.
Sophia - Oh, so Obama is black?
Me - Yes he is, part black.
Sophia - You like Obama?
Me - Yes I do.
Sophia - Why? (then a conversation ensued about political views)
Sophia - But he's black.
Me - What, I shouldn't like him because he's black? The color of his skin makes a difference?
Sophia - Yes it does.
Me - Are black people different on the inside?
Sophia - Yes
Me - What do you mean? They have blood right? And a heart? And a brain?
Sophia - Yes
Me - So what's the difference?
Sophia - Black people smell.
Me - What? Korean people smell, are you saying I shouldn't like them?
Sophia - Korean people don't smell.
Me - So you think think that because the black people you have met smelled, that they all smell?
Sophia - Yes.
Me - Ok, well maybe the people you met did smell, but maybe its just those people. You can't dislike a whole group of people based on the actions of a few.
Sophia - What do you think of Indonesian people?
Me - I don't know, I've never met an Indonesian person, but I don't think I would have a problem with them. Why, do you?
Sophia - I knew a baby, and it cried for 5 years!
Me - Okay, well maybe I wouldn't like that one baby, but I can't say that i dislike a whole group of people based on one person or baby.
(by this point Sophia was completely disinterested, she was set in her ways that she did not like people who were of a different color, so I posed a situation for her.)
Me - Ok, so you have just moved to a new school, and there are only three other girls there. There is a white girl, a black girl, and an asian girl?
Sophia - teacher what is Asian?
Me - You are Asian.
Sophia - Oh, you mean yellow?
Me - Uhhh, ya, that's not really PC but okay. Anyway, the white girl smells really bad, and she dresses funny. The yellow girl is really mean to you, she makes fun of you, pulls your hair, pushes you. And the black girl is really nice, and she doesn't smell at all. So who are you going to be friends with?
Sophia - I won't be friends with any of them.

Even at a young age, Koreans are ingrained with the idea that non-western and non-Korean people are inferior to them, that they are criminals and thieves. When Daniel first came to Korea, he told me that his students would make fun of him constantly, they would call him "monkey" and other racial slurs, they wouldn't listen to anything he said. He said it was extremely disheartening that that he wanted to quit after the first week. He says he still gets looks from people on the street, Koreans treating him poorly. He tries his best to be nice and friendly to everyone, and people that have gotten to know him really like him, but others don't give him a chance.

Maybe it's because I've grown up and went to university in a heterogeneous society where the color of your skin isn't as big of a deal. But I couldn't imagine growing up in a country that is so intolerant of other races. I get pretty pissed off when Daniel and I get unapproving looks in public, or when people ask how it's possible for me to get along with a black person. But you know, there isn't really anything I can do about it, I can't change the mind of a whole nation. So to deal with my own irritation towards the matter, I am learning how to say some useful phrases in Korean such as "is there a problem?" when someone stares and "the sex is great", "he has a big penis", and "I love him very much" when people ask how I can like a black man. I know, slightly childish of me, but it makes me feel better!

Well, I officially have a living room! I ordered a rug, a couch, and a bookshelf and they are all now situated in my apartment. It really makes the place look better. The couch I got was pretty cheap too, only about $70. I did have to pay a $35 delivery charge though which sucked. But I came home one day last week and there it was, waiting at my door. It wasn't quite like the picture online, but its good. A few other people at work ordered couches as well, but theirs are smaller than mine. John also left me that little coffee table (technically I think its a sacrificial table), so now I can put all my clutter on there, and have my other table free as a dinner table or use it as counter space since I am lacking in that.

Dexter got neutered last week. I was really hoping that it would calm him down instantly, but I guess not, he's still crazy. In fact, I think he is more crazy. He's now trying to get into any bag or cat carrier I leave on the floor and destroy it. He has also taken his first leap from the upstairs loft. Although it wasn't a completely unaided jump, he broke his fall halfway down by jumping off my back while I was standing in the kitchen cooking. A coworker recently adopted a Korean kitten as well, and apparently she is having the EXACT same problems I had with Dexter a while ago: the constant biting, sneak attacks on the face while trying to sleep, meowing, overall crazy attitude. So I guess Korean cats are just psychotic in general, which is probably why they are not very popular here.

My afternoon classes had their first tests. The teachers are in charge of making, grading, and writing evaluations for the tests. Dear lord, I hate test day. It was seriously 2 hours of "Teacher, what does this mean?" "Teacher, what do I write here?" "Teacher, I don't understand". There was one part on the test where they had to spell about five numbers, and half of the asked "Teacher, how do you spell twenty?" that's the freaking question! I can't tell you the answer! The number twenty wasn't even on the test! Some of them didn't even read the question before the asked. One question said "place a or an in the blank spot before each word" yet many of them still came up to ask me what to do. One girl came up for every reading comprehension question saying she didn't know the answer, but when I read it out loud for her she could think of something (and yes this girl can definitely read). Next time around, I am definitely refusing to answer mundane questions, and it's going to be way more multiple choice.

I'm going to a wedding in a few weeks, so I went dress shopping. Daniel is going to be the best man, so I figured I had to look good. I only brought one dress with me (because I only own one dress) and I'm pretty sure it's not very flattering for my body shape. So out with Mr. Jackson I went to try to find one. I finally found the dress but of course it's not in my size. But the store did do custom dresses of certain styles, and I found one that Tim and I both liked, so I got measured and ordered the dress. I thought the wedding was in May, so I told her not to rush, but then Daniel told me it's in fact in two weeks. So I frantically called the next day, but the woman assured me it would be ready in ten days. I certainly hope it looks good on me, it's an A-Line, and I told her to make it flair out a little more to help hide them birthin' hips of mine. Here is a picture of the display one in the store. I chose a silver colored silk for mine though.

I did get some sad news. Daniel's visa is being revoked and he has to leave the country in two months. He was originally planning on leaving at the end of August anyway to go back home for his sister's wedding and to visit family members. So we planned on going to China together since I have a break at the end of July. But now I guess that's out, and he has to leave at the end of May. When he goes home he's going to get the proper paperwork and funds together to come back on a business visa, and start his own company. But it will mean that he will be gone for at least 3 months. So to make up for China, we planned a trip for a three-day weekend I have in May. We rented a really nice hotel in Busan, one that is right on the beach, and that I got for almost 50% off the listed price. So we're planning on making it a nice romantic/going away weekend for the two of us. It's going to be hard to be without him for 3 months, but I'm really hoping that when he comes back he will move closer to Seoul. By the way, check out the great purse he got me the other day, just because he is so amazing.

I've been cookin' up a storm lately. Last weekend I made great bacon, cheddar muffins and chocolate chip cookies. Ps cookies are really hard to make if you do not have beaters! Especially because Korean butter is a little strange and doesn't quite get as soft at room temperature as regular butter. This weekend I made french toast, homemade mac and cheese (which I still prefer the Kraft kind too. I really miss cheap mac and cheese **hint hint wink wink in case anyone ever wants to send me a few boxes, I would be eternally grateful), and sugar cookies. I would like to be able to make more intricate items, but it's hard when you don't have a house full of baking supplies and spices. Or when you're in another country and can't read the labels or even know what kind of apples you're getting at the store, and when you can't ask for help either. I really want to make pie, but I can't find pie crust, and it's hard to make it by hand if you don't have a processor. Also no graham crackers for cheesecake crust. Hopefully I will learn soon about appropriate substitutes.