A Very Relaxing Night After a Whole Day of Wrestling with a Research Paper

Host mom lit this candle and placed it on the floor to freshen up
the air and help ward off mosquitoes in the apartment

Officially, I have graduated from college but, until today, there was still one thing - one very important research paper - that I still needed to complete and submit to my University in order to be technically done with my undergraduate years.

Today I finally finished the last of my edits and submitted the paper, immediately falling back on my bed from mental exhaustion.

I gulped down the awful knowledge that there really is no such thing as a completed paper. Only drafts upon drafts upon [hopefully] improved drafts.

Mimi, allow yourself to be done. Let it go. Close your eyes. Sleep. 

Hours later, Seoyeon knocked on my door, and eventually lured me out of my bedroom by inviting me to a dinner of grilled chicken. I stayed up late, enjoying the chatter of my family and being warmed by their close company.

Establishing Classroom Rules and Getting a Virtual Tour of Dynamic Busan

Every Friday, I teach two English classes, and serve as a co-teacher at an English club class. 

This week, I am covering classroom rules, of which I have four: 1) Speak in English (loudly and confidently!) 2) Show Respect (no cat-fights) 3) Listen While Others Speak (part of showing respect) 4) Stay Awake (don't sleep!) 

ONE METHOD VS. MULTIPLE METHODS OF TEACHING

The redundancy of the parenthetical statements is a natural byproduct of my effort to word and explain things in as many different ways as possible. This effort goes against the advice of other ETAs who say stick to one way of wording greetings and instructions in class. Don't confuse students. Establish a routine.

So far, things are going well. Students seem to understand what I am saying in front of the class. If I perceive that this approach is not working, then I will pause and re-consider taking the advice. I definitely see the merit in the advice, but I am going against it because, once again, I am extrapolating from personal experience - one that has taught me that I learn best when ideas are explained to me using different wordings/phrasings/imagery, and shown me using different teaching techniques. 

EXTRAPOLATIONS, ASSUMPTIONS, & EXPECTATIONS

My assumption is clearly that my students operate the same way. My hope is that they will latch on to at least one explanation if they fail to access another. 

Though I have never been a thespian, I take pains to act out each classroom rule I am asking my students to abide by. When this doesn't work, I enlist the translation services of my co-teachers, who are often just sitting/standing ready to provide me with assistance in the back of the room. 

The following is a photo story of the rest of my day. 

TESTING MY STUDENTS' MEMORY

Students randomly chosen to write out the four Classroom Rules. Each one represents a row in the class, from which they can receive assistance.

INTRODUCING A UNIT ON U.S. GEOGRAPHY THROUGH SONG

Today, I began teaching my students the names of the 50 U.S. states, introducing them to the "50 Nifty United States" song, and assigning each one a state (for individual rewards), as well as a region (for group work/competition/rewards).

FUELED BY STUDENTS' EXCITEMENT
I am so excited to start this! My vision is for this to be a semester-long unit, tacked on at the end of each class to help diversify my lessons' content, provide them with fun U.S. trivia, and have an excuse to end class with my students singing on their way out the door and down the hall. They were very excited to adopt a U.S. state, and were quick to ask each other and my co-teacher how to pronounce their state names.

COVERING 5 OUT OF THE 50 STATES
Today, we covered the first five of the 50 states. Like in the classroom rules activity, I picked students to go up to the board and write out the first five states in alphabetical order: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California!

Their teams/U.S. regions could help them out only by singing the song. Of course they didn't follow this direction. Apparently, some had smartly written down the five states and were dispensing cheat sheets to their student rep. Other reps were quite open about peeking at their competitors' answers on the board.

STUDENTS CHEATING IN FRONT OF ME
Me: No cheating! No, that's cheating. Yes, it is! Uh-uh. Okay, give it to me. Just try your best! You can do it! 

SNACKING BETWEEN TEACHING

Today, Sookhee gave me these Binch chocolate crackers - my favorite!

I'm pretty sure I've become a part of my co-teacher's dieting plan. She will be eating some delicious snack one moment, and then the next she will be sliding half the portion over to me. So sweet! Some days, she even gives me an accompanying drink (coffee, juice, shake, tea, etc.). 

I'm spoiled at home, and I'm spoiled at work. 

CO-TEACHING AN ENGLISH CLUB CLASS

The project she assigned our class today asked students to give me suggestions on where to go to experience the beauty of Busan. It is a mix of first- and second-graders, who are interested in combining English and art in class projects. I was impressed by the quality of their work, given they only have two hours dedicated to this class every other week. 

I don't have my own club class at my high school. I was looking forward to designing and facilitating my own, and was a bit bummed when I heard I would only be co-teaching with another teacher. However, after today's class, I allowed myself to just enjoy the arrangement. I'm actually liking not being the one in charge - for once.

Plus, it doesn't hurt that my co-teacher is an extremely sweet lady!

STUDENT JOURNALISTS MEASURING THE LENGTH OF MY HAIR 

 This is a student with said ruler.

A group of students interrupted me during club class to interview me for the Blue Wave, or the school's English newspaper. The interviewers asked about my weight (which I couldn't give in kilograms), my height (nor this in centimeters), my shoe size (Uhhh?), and my hair length (...not even gonna ask).

The students gasped at the sight of the length of my hair, and quickly called on others to produce a ruler.

After this group of student journalists left, another group came in asking me to dress up the next day for a photo shoot. Apparently, they will also be producing something on teachers' fashion styles.

Well, teacher dress up it is! This should be very interesting. Let's see how the Blue Wave represents me in the coming days.

College Prep: The Only Class I Teach With Third Graders in High School

How adorable are my students?! Very - the answer is very.

THE PROPOSITION
Yesterday, another teacher approached me to ask if I would be willing to teach a type of college entrance exam prep class. In the coming month, high school seniors will be applying to colleges all over Korea, and there were about a dozen students at our school who would be applying to Busan National University, where the application process involves some level of English mastery. They were very interested in working with an English teacher who could provide them extra support in the areas of writing (for their personal statements) and speaking (for their university interviews). Korean students - whether first, second, or third graders - struggle in these two areas the most, and I can personally relate.

Being the only "native English speaker" in the school, the teacher thought I was the most qualified candidate for the job.

THE RESERVATIONS
I agreed, but not without many unvoiced, internal reservations. I was fully aware of how unqualified I was to shepherd a dozen Korean high school seniors to their dream universities. However, I also happened to be quite familiar with this sense of being eternally unqualified and inadequate (even in areas that those around me would say I am most definitely capable of executing), so I stamped out the reservations and, in resolving to accept her proposition, kicked feelings of inadequacy in the face.

Actually, to be honest, I don't think I had a choice in the matter, but the teacher was awfully nice about it (making me feel like I had a choice and all :D))

THE HOOK
After my first class with these girls, I am absolutely at peace with my decision! They are sponges, and are extremely eager to learn, not to mention appreciative of my teaching techniques.

We had a meeting before this first class, and I was able to gauge then that, while very eager to learn, their confidence in their ability to communicate in English is kind of...non-existent.

THE LESSON 
This is why I decided our first class would revolve around two things: 1) Speaking Loudly, and 2) Speaking Confidently.

That's it.

THE BACK STORY OF THE NATIVE ENGLISH SPEAKER, WHO WAS ONCE NOT ONE
Although I am now considered a native English-speaker, I was not always one.

At the age of 11, right after immigrating to the U.S., I sat in a U.S. classroom resolutely quiet, and seriously shy - so much so that some of my schoolmates thought I was mute for the better part of the year. I could smile at my teachers and muster up a "yes" and "no" when I understood what they asked of me, but basically nothing else.

Because I didn't dare speak (and dreaded making mistakes, and being corrected, and possibly being ridiculed - you know, minor things to a young adolescent), I was unused to hearing my own voice [in English].

THEN: SPEAKING VISAYA FLUENTLY, AND ENGLISH STUMBLINGLY 
I know I was quick, loud, and commanding when using my native tongue, so there was nothing physically preventing me from speaking in English, except a serious lack of confidence. When I did finally muster up the courage to speak up it was to mask how badly my voice was cracking and how visibly my hands were shaking. I was surprised, then enlivened and encouraged by my new-found volume, so I spoke louder, and felt more and more confident. Over the years, of course.

NOW: RELATING TO MY STUDENTS' WOES LEARNING THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE
So, yes, I remember what it's like to be a student, and especially a student of the English language. I believe this same confidence issue has most of my Korean students in a choke-hold, and, at a critical moment like this (when their futures are about to be decided by one English-dominated test), it is critical that I do everything I know to do to help free them from that crippling hold.

I hear them scream over EXO music videos, and exclaim over photos of Super Junior, and yell at the top of their lungs at each other while running down the hall. Some of them wail and screech for no apparent reason in class. I know they have the voice box to produce sound, words, language!

If my students could only exercise the same boldness when it comes to my class.
If they could strategically suspend their own reservations and come to terms with the fact that their tongues are, in fact, traversing through an unfamiliar linguistic terrain, and know that it's perfectly okay to be lost.

WORKING TO BOOST MY STUDENTS' CONFIDENCE LEVEL IN ENGLISH CLASS
Speak Loudly. Speak Confidently. Really, it's a beautiful cycle. And I experienced its effectivenes not for the first time today, when I gave them an impromptu speech assignment for one minute each.

Encountering Biblical Stories in the Korean High School English Textbook

FUTURE LESSON IDEAS, COME AT ME
I was flipping through the English textbook this morning - soaking up and sifting through the content for ideas on how to integrate the material with my style of teaching -  when I came across this reading section. Go on, read it.

A snapshot of the page. I would include publication information here, but it's all in Korean. 

TRIPPING OVER A BIBLICAL STORY
From the very first sentence, I recognized it as the story of King Solomon in the Bible and of how he demonstrated his great God-given wisdom in the case of two women fighting over one baby (Click here for the fascinating story in I Kings 3:16-28).

ALL SORTS OF RESPONSES
At first, I was shocked to see a biblical story (notwithstanding its very watered-down quality) included in a school curriculum. I re-read it again, and scrutinized the page it was on to see if there was anything identifying it to the Bible or to Christianity. (I know some people who would be immediately outraged to discover the same, so my first reaction was defense: NOBODY IS DOING NOTHING TO NO ONE, and I can prove it (and, yes, I'm aware of the multiple negation here - *ahem* it's just for effect ;)).

ALL SORTS OF QUESTIONS

A closer but still low-quality shot of the image on the textbook

Is this particular unit on "World Religions," for instance? Hmm, no, not really. Well, then, is the theme about generally-awesome rulers throughout time? No? What about women's rights? Social justice?

There was nothing about the passage that identified it to its original source - (the picture depicting, well, "two women...[and] a wise king" does not count).

I experienced a moment of confused curiosity - wondering about all sorts of things, including but not limited to: Is the publisher Christian? Or was this passage snuck in or fought for by a contributor? Is the textbook industry just generally apathetic? How many Korean students recognize this reading exercise as originating from a holy text? What do Korean parents think about it? Has any parent or other "concerned individuals" sued any company or school district for this (like some adults very likely might in the U.S. public schools)? Can the Bible be approached as literature? What does paraphrasing a Biblical account like the one of Solomon's "court ruling" do to both the source and the receiver? Why is this so important to me?!...Also, can I teach on this?

WHEN ALL IS SAID AND DONE, THIS IS THE QUESTION THAT STANDS 
Or, perhaps a better question might be: How can I incorporate my spiritual ambassadorship with my cultural ambassadorship while teaching English in a public high school in Korea? The two don't have to be mutually exclusive.

The aforementioned discovery took me off guard, thus the shock and the confused curiosities, but then - with all of those initial feelings going still unresolved - this discovery slowly gave way to excitement. Ideas for future lessons and, perhaps even units, exploded all over the mental landscape of my brain.

CHALLENGING MYSELF AS A TEACHER
I glanced at the passage again. I could do that. I could (re)tell a story, and create a lesson based on it. And I could do it in a way that is fun, engaging, and educational!

THE BIBLE & ITS VERY REAL LITERARY IMPACT
As an English major, I have studied the Bible as Literature, and, now as an English teacher, I can see myself teaching English to non-native speakers using the Bible as Literature. After all, apart from those who believe it to be the "inspired Word of God," the Bible is, undeniably, a masterpiece of storytelling that has affected billions of life throughout history.

I have absolutely no idea how to go about this, or how this will pan out, but I am an educator - have long known I am - and will do my best not to shortchange my students' education in the name of political correctness.

DON'T MISREAD MY INTENTIONS
...nor my considerations. I am not confusing my role as a teacher with that of a pastor. I am not going to use my authority as a teacher to convert anyone at school, etc., etc.

THE BIBLE & ITS VERY REAL HISTORICAL IMPACT
I am merely considering the various roles I now find myself juggling, and thinking through my next steps. In light of this, I must necessarily acknowledge that no other book has influenced Western literature and history like the Bible has - and I want to consider this little detail as I think about how to teach my students most honestly and most fruitfully about the West in general and the U.S. in particular.

MY QUESTIONS FOR YOU
I just shared my own reactions to encountering a biblical story in a public school textbook. What are your thoughts, (if any)? If you had come across it, would you have recognized the story in the reading exercise as one originating from a religious text? Should it or should it not matter?

What do you think of my main question, as far as how to marry my dual ambassadorship as a Christian and as a U.S. citizen? How could I fine-tune this question to better serve my students and my assignment here in Korea while also representing my faith with confidence? Share your thoughts in the comment box below.

Teaching Motto: Less is More & Don't Assume Anything (No Really, Don't)

Students shyly hiding behind the door as I snap this photo on my way in

The E-Zone, I was [sort of, not really] quick to realize, stands for English-Zone.

What else could it stand for, Mimi?!

WHERE TEACHERS RECHARGE
It's the homeroom class of an English teacher - my Fulbright co-teacher, Sookhee, to be exact.

Behind a glass window in the back of the room (a-la Big Brother-style) is a room full of snacks and English teachers in various states of repose - some with their slippers off, rubbing their feet back to life, some with grapes half stuffed in their faces, and some with handkerchiefs draped over their heads as they nap.

The E-Zone itself has posters of English translations and conjugations of Korean words and concepts passively offering knowledge on every corner of the room - not to mention English essays written and illustrated by students plastered all over the walls .

The essays are pretty polished and likely written by older students, but they still made me hope. Maybe some of my classes - or some of my students in those classes - will be a bit more advanced than the ones I have encountered so far and I can assign essay-writing of the same caliber as the ones posted up!

No such luck.

Passing out very exciting "Introduce Yourself to Teacher" WSs! 

BREAKING AWAY FROM THE BREAKUP 

Tuesday is my "Friday" as far as lesson planning goes, so I gave my self-introduction and induced the same responses as last Thursday one last time. This was a bit of a relief as I could now tackle other, more important things other than how to carefully orchestrate a massively downplayed account of my recent break-up. 

NEW TEACHING MOTTO: DON'T ASSUME ANYTHING

I gave my students worksheets that allowed me to eyeball their language level, confidence level in the areas of Reading, Writing, Speaking, and Listening, as well as gather some biographical data that would hopefully aid in my effort to remember students. 

I modified this "Introduce Yourself to Teacher" worksheet for every class - with each version becoming more simple and less wordy. 

The "Less is More" motto I have adopted has now been joined by a "Don't Assume Anything" mentality. 

The importance of the second one was impressed upon me when I created what I thought were very convenient and matter-of-fact headers for my worksheets. 

VERSION 1:

Name: ____________________________

Date:   ____________________________

Class:  ____________________________

VERSION 1: HOW STUDENTS FILLED IT OUT

Name: _이름_______________________ - Students wrote their names in Korean, which is still hard for me to read. Must modify

Date:   _2013/27/8 or 27/8____________ - Students came up with all manner of writing the date, confusing me. Must also modify

Class:  _1__________________________ - Students wrote "1," which tells me their grade but not their class. Must modify!

VERSION 2:

Name: __(Korean)___/___(English)______

Date:   ___________/____/____________

Class:  _____________-______________

VERSION 2: HOW STUDENTS FILLED IT OUT

Name: __(Korean)___/___(English)_____ - Because of the parenthetical notes, students wrote their names microscopically

Date:   _________2013/27/_8__________ - Produced the same variety of date-writing, except this time, there are backslashes... -_-

Class:  __(insert student ID here)________  - Umm...? Why??

VERSION 3: 

Name: (Korean)_______/(English)_______ 

Date:   ________8/____/2013___________

Class:  __________1 - ________________

VERSION 3: HOW STUDENTS FILLED IT OUT

Name: (Korean)_주현_/(English)_Juhyeon_ - Yes!

Date:   ________8/_27___/2013_________  - Yes!

Class:  __________1 - 8________________ - and YES! 

Okay, so I actually skipped a few other versions for time's sake, but I was pleased with how the headers eventually elicited uniform and consistent responses. Though worksheet headers may be a small-enough detail, it's crucial at the moment, especially as I am just meeting my students and learning to organize class materials.

A student's motivation to learn English 

A student's father is a "salaryman"?

 And now, to the teacher's office...

 WELCOME TO MY [MESSY, OVERFLOWING, & INCREASINGLY HOMEY] DESK SPACE!

Check out my sweet name tag! (It really is the little things...)

TWO THINGS DEAR TO MY HEART: PHOTOGRAPHY, THE PHILIPPINES
It took a while for other teachers in the office to understand that I personally took the photos gracing my office space. They thought I was merely sharing someone else's work out of my love for landscape photography and for the Philippines. They would not be incorrect about those two loves, but why would I ever display someone else's photos when I am perfectly capable of capturing and re-producing the world through my own perspective?

Name placard no longer empty!

Shareena's lovely Christmas card

My fourth Husky Kick-Off

Name tags, and all the worksheet responses I have to read this weekend from my eight classes

THE TREES WE SACRIFICE AS TEACHERS

I have been a teacher for less than a week, and I already feel incredibly convicted by the amount of paper - and trees! - I am using! I know this is done in the name of education, but I am unused to and even uncomfortable with this kind of luxurious printing powers. I will change the way I teach class so as to require the least amount of paper without shortchanging my students. 

I left this afternoon with a part of the school awash in golden light. It was mesmerizing!

NAPS ARE TAKING OVER MY LIFE IN KOREA!
I function perfectly at school - albeit a bit sleepy the whole day - but, once I get home, it's all over. Some days, I don't even recall changing, or crawling into bed for what has become a pretty regular three-hour afternoon nap.

This evening, I slept so late that my host father had already come home from work. He greeted me cheerfully and presented me with this:

HOST PARENTS' GIFT: PORTABLE HARD DRIVE
He refused to let me pay him back, insisting this was his and host mom's gift to me. This was definitely not part of the agreement we made last time we were at Costco, but he was resolute. And I was a bit unsure if there was a cultural code I was breaking by not accepting a[nother] gift from my host parents.

The model I wanted to buy from Costco!

I was very pleased that host dad had gotten me exactly what I had been looking for just last week, but was beginning to understand why the OCs had given us phrases in Korean containing the English word "burden" as in - "I am burdened by this [gift]." I am racking my brain even more now on ways to, not repay, but reciprocate my host family's incredible generosity.

MY QUESTIONS FOR YOU
How do you handle the art of receiving gifts? What kind of gifts (specific items) would you recommend I buy/make/prepare for my Korean host family?

Classroom Logistics & Working with the High School English Textbook

The textbook I am not required to follow

I have a lot of freedom as far as the content of my lessons! There is a textbook that Sookhee, my co-teacher, uses and which she says I could also teach from - especially in the areas of Speaking, Listening, and Writing.

Seeing me casually flip through the book in front of her, she quickly added that I was, by no means, beholden to tying my lessons to this book. 

NOT THE MOST INTERESTING TEXTBOOK EVER

Sookhee: It is...hmmm...kind of boring! [smiles] It's okay if you don't

Me: Oh? It looks....interesting!
Sookhee: Haha!...No, not really. Students are not very interested. I have trouble making them interested.
Me: Ah, okay. I understand. 

With this established, I have decided to loosely follow the units in the book, starting with one on Personalities. I have a lot of ideas, and I am so excited to follow up my introduction from last week! Because I started my "first" day of school on a Thursday, I won't actually get to implement my next lesson plan until this Thursday. Until then, I will still be doing my self-introductions.

The fragmented nature of my workweeks already feels strange, but I am sure I will become accustomed to it.

CLASSROOM LOGISTICS 

I only have two co-teachers: Top: Sookhee Teacher
Bottom: Yeonghee Teacher

Number of classes taught per week: 8 
Number of English workshops for teachers: 2
Number of extracurricular classes taught: 3
Number of classes taught per day: ~2-4
Number of students per class: 27-35
Total number of students: ~ 300
Number of co-teachers: 2
Technology (computer/projector): Yes

Number of sleepy students per class: ~5
Number of loud students per class: ~3
Number of times I have my students sing: Every class

Total hours I am at work each day: 8

Having eight classes a week is on the low-end of teaching. It definitely ranges, but I hear from my fellow ETAs that they are teaching 15-23 classes per week! 

Since my assignment to Busan, the second largest metropolis in Korea, I expected many classes, with many students. As it is, being assigned to Yeong Island actually creates a different reality for me. The island is small, and my school is also quite small with only about 900 students from the first to third grade. 

As you can see on the right collage, I have two co-teachers, who help me with tech set-up, as well as minor disciplinary issues. They are both very gentle and sweet women, and I have not witnessed any corporal punishment in the classroom by their hand (or any other teachers' hand, for that matter). 

QUALITY TIME AT HOME WITH HOST FAMILY

This evening, I was in my room working with the door closed. Hearing my family members stirring outside, I opened the door remembering what the OCs had told us about the more communal style of Korean living. 

A sweet night of fellowship, complete with midnight fruit snacks, singing in the living room, counting games, and tucking flowers behind our ears

My family was seated in the living room, talking and laughing together. Once in a while, I would look up from my work and take a peek at what they were up to. Their laughter, freely mingling with the others, was quite inviting. I half-hoped that they would notice I wasn't actually working anymore and invite me. 

And they did! 

Opening a letter from Mama - almost a ceremonial process

Juhyeon looked at me, quickly ducked out of the photo I was taking, and invited me to join them in their singing and hand-clapping. They taught me many games involving counting numbers and making facial expressions, and - at the end - they taught me two songs that were meant to bless me.

The gesture was so sweet. I was so moved. Even without the Google translation, I could tell that they were giving me something very special. Later, Juhyeon translated the lyrics for me and sent it via Kakao Talk (KaTalk).

One is called: God Bless You, and the other: You Planted the Trees at the Creek (again, this is Google translate, so I don't know if these titles are accurate).

I smiled and laughed so much tonight that I felt like a different person when I returned to my room, and resumed my work. In the midst of this joy, I felt like there was something missing.

I opened a letter from Mama (one of the precious ones that I keep close at hand, but try not to open until either very special occasions or very lonesome moments).

Ma, I can hear your voice, and I savor the strength you give me from afar! 

Attending an English Service Church: Holy Joy Center

I had a good experience at my host parents' Korean Presbyterian church last week, but I was not shy in asking for their help in finding an English-speaking one I could attend on a more regular basis.

They understood my request and eagerly collaborated with Sookhee to find me such a community in the area. Tens of phone calls and countless inquiries later, Sookhee had found me a church that welcomed foreigners.

The church is called Holy Joy Center, and it sits facing Lotte Department Store at the tip of Yeong Island, right before you cross the bridge.

Its proximity to our apartment makes it convenient for me to attend. As if this weren't enough, my host parents also coordinated for me to receive rides to and from the church with the deacons. 

AN INTERNATIONAL GATHERING OF BELIEVERS
The afternoon service starts at 2:00 p.m. and is pastored by a Bangladeshi, and attended by many Koreans, a couple of Americans (including myself), a Ghanaian, as well as a handful of Filipinos. This last bit made me very excited!

David, the deacon who my host parents had contacted, greeted me warmly and immediately introduced me to a Filipino man there named Russel. Russel, he said, was to be my friend. He finished shaking my hand brusquely and left a slightly confused-looking Russel on the same table where my host parents and I were seated.

Later, during prayer-time, we were asked to get up and form a circle, holding hands. I was sandwiched between two ajummas (older women) firmly holding both my hands when, suddenly, Russel came flying out of nowhere, grabbed one of my hands, and then belatedly apologized to the older lady he had cut with a smile. I had time to swallow a smirk before I closed my eyes for the actual prayer.

The actual service itself was very different in style and delivery from my home church in the states. My thoughts were scattered. I fought very hard to stay awake, and, once awake, not to compare Holy Joy with Puyallup Foursquare. One of the more agonizing things I experienced during this time was finding myself without a notebook and a pen to take notes with. Note-taking keeps me awake. Fingers from my right hand curled around an invisible pen and, in slow motion, drew invisible messages on the table. I bore a hole through the projector screen trying to concentrate on the texts that were there.

After the prayer and before the message, my host parents quietly excused themselves to attend to other things.

I was on my own.

FINDING COMFORT IN THE DISCOMFORT OF BEING A FOREIGNER

Though I was new at the place, I could tell that there were others who likewise didn't quite feel like they belonged. It was obvious when they were also asked to give a brief self-introduction in front of the church, but it also showed in the way they stood, clasped their hands, and held their cups of Korean rice juice in the hour or so that we had to mingle.

Seeing that I wasn't the only one colliding with simultaneous feelings of newness helped me feel …more comfortable.

The worship pastor and his wife gave me a ride back home. We picked up their two young children on the way up the island. It seemed like a perfectly normal family – one that also just happened to regularly encounter the not-so-normal ebb and flow of new foreign faces. Perceiving these very subtle “disturbances” in the lives of other people further helped make me feel more comfortable.

What is so comforting about feelings of not quite belonging and perceiving disturbances in others’ lives?

Perhaps it’s in knowing that I’m not the only one facing an onslaught of changes (though mine may be in a more obvious form). Perhaps it’s in seeing the grace with which other people are handling their own encounters with change.

THREE-HOUR NAPS CONTINUE TO RENDER MY DAYS SHORT

After church, I remember changing out of my blue dress, and tucking myself in for a “short” nap. Three hours later, I woke up very groggy, confused that sunlight was absent between my blinds.

Host dad came home shortly after and asked how church had been. I Google translated my first impressions of the church, mostly telling him and host mom about how welcoming and nice everyone had been. They were very pleased to hear this.

MY HOST PARENTS CONTINUE THEIR GIFT-GIVING

Without any sort of preliminaries, my host dad presented me with a pair of white sneakers. They were brand-new and fit quite snuggly. Him and host mom must have noticed that I hadn’t brought any sneakers with me from the states. I thanked them profusely, and then found out we were going out just then.

Oh, right now?...Like at this very moment?...Gotit. Hold on, let me just put. This. On. Done. Let’s go! 

GOING TO A CHINESE RESTAURANT AND EATING…KOREAN FOOD

The food on the bottom left is Seoyeon's meal!

The ocean breeze tickled my nose and played with my hair all the way over to a Chinese restaurant we drove to and dined at. I knew that eating out was reserved for very unusual days because, every night it seems, host dad is telling me about how much he loves host mom’s cooking, and how much the quality of her meals trumps those from any restaurant we could possibly ever go to.

Host dad: Mom tired

Seoyeon: Dad says mom is tired tonight

Me: Ah!

I glance over at host mom, who is smiling back at me and trying to be subtle about massaging her forearms.

It seems everything we ordered tonight was Korean food. I ordered seafood fried rice. It was decent, though I had expected a lot more. It was basically a plate full of yellow-looking rice with little bits and pieces of shrimp and crab meat. The seafood to fried rice ratio was definitely nothing to blog about, so I will stop now.

CASUALLY DROOLING OVER SOMEBODY ELSE’S MEAL

Seoyeon’s meal, however, was something else. If there is such a thing as casually drooling over somebody else’s meal – well, there has to be because that’s pretty much an accurate description of what I did over dinner. 

EVENING STROLL ON OUR WAY TO THE GYM

Afterwards, we headed down the island and enjoyed a nice walk right by the sea on our way to the gym (apparently, this was why I needed the sneakers).

I enjoyed the walk so much that when we discovered that the gym was actually closed, I didn’t mind very much. There were families camping outside on little patches of grass, huddled together over meals they had brought as picnic food; there were children tumbling over, stumbling over chasing each other, chasing bubbles in the air. There were sparklers, and a fire show (which reminded me of Gasworks Park in Seattle), and there were fishermen casting their nets into the dark sea.

And then there was my host family.

It was delightful  to see my host parents walking together – ahead of us or behind us – holding hands,  telling each other jokes and laughing quietly between the two of them, giggling over something that likely didn’t concern me or Seoyeon next to me.

It was just delightful. By the end of the day, I felt peace holding my hand, slowly tugging - inviting me to let it do its work.

Host Parents' General Welfare Advice: Prohibit Excessive Kindness to Men

ENJOYING SOME MANGO GOODNESS 

Delicious fresh mangoes from Costco

After we got home from Costco, we all sat down together and ate fresh and dried mangoes my host mom prepared. My mouth was in ecstasy! I vacillated between trying to articulate the deliciousness of it all through mouthfuls, and trying to chew, and taste, and savor.

In the middle of this, my host dad whipped out his phone and started typing feverishly.

After ages, he finally showed me the screen. It was dating/relationship advice.

I don't remember the exact wording, but I burst out laughing, my cheeks stinging from the unexpected exercise. He had typed for so long that I thought there was at least a publishable novella on his phone, but there were only a handful of words. He must have typed and erased, typed and erased again in search for the right phrasing.

ADVICE THROUGH GOOGLE TRANSLATE

Host Dad's advice on how to avoid attracting unwanted attention 

He withdrew his hand and typed something else. This time, I took a picture. The second message was: "Pretty worry more," by which I thought he meant something along the lines of: "Mimi, since you are a pretty young woman, there will be more men bothering you for attention. As your host parents, we will just naturally worry more about you and how you are faring, especially around men."

So, obviously, that's not what he actually said, but that's my interpretation of those three words.

I was amused by this, and also warmed that he had thought many steps ahead concerning my general welfare in Korea. I looked up and tried to catch host mom's eyes in all of this, but she strategically averted her eyes though she had a smile on her face.

Later, host dad pointed out to me that, even though he was the one talking to me about this, he and mom [motions to mom busily going here and there] were of the "same mind."

Host dad: Same, same! Mimi, mom and dad...uhh, hmm...ah! Same mind, okay?

I nodded my understanding, and smiled thinking about how the two of them might have discussed how to best broach the subject with their American host daughter. Their marriage is something else. I really admire the love and respect between them!

Host Dad's last message was uplifting

"PROHIBIT EXCESSIVE KINDNESS TO MEN"
My host dad withdrew his hand again and typed in, "Prohibit excessive kindness to men," by which I thought he meant: "Mimi, to avoid unwanted male attention, please don't be too nice around them." Again, that's not what he actually said, but the almost warning-label quality and tone of his message compels me to write a "translation." Host dad then proceeded to instruct me on what to say should I be bothered by a man while on my own: "waikano?!" (roughly: "Why are you touching me?!").

Host dad asked me to repeat the foreign phrase, and so I did. He was pleased with how quickly I was catching on.

WHOLE FAMILY ACTS IT OUT TOGETHER

By this time the whole family was sitting around me, watching as host dad repeated the phrase again, and acted out what my tone, body language, and facial expression should be to accompany the words. It was all so funny, I couldn't stop laughing. It was like charades - but with a very specific topic!

Juhyeon and host mom followed up with their own more feminized version of "waikano?!" and had me repeat this until they were pleased with my execution. 

Family: Ah! Okay, Okay, Okay! Mimi very goot! Very goot [insert massive smile of approval here]

It was around 1 a.m. when we finally finished eating, Google translating, and laughing. 

A for Autism, B for Busan, C for Costco, & D for [Learning] Disabilities

Well, my first week of mostly-not-teaching is over, but I sure looked forward to the weekend like I had pulled a full week! My family gave me the choice of going to a museum on the island or going to Costco in Haeundae.

It was a no-brainer.

RELAXING FAMILY CAR RIDE TO HAEUNDAE
The windows were down. I breathed in lungs-full of salty air, and enjoyed the shimmer of city lights against the vast darkness of the ocean as we descended from the island and crossed the bridge connecting Yeongdo to the rest of Busan.

We arrived in Costco after forty minutes of sitting in the backseat of my host father's car, singing pop songs in both Korean and English with my host sisters. They are both in the church choir so both have great voices. Meanwhile, I'm doing my best to keep up by inconspicuously humming along with them.

I stopped the humming to gaze upon this sight:

Viewing the bold Costco store sign through a rain-splattered car window added to the nostalgia/familiarity I felt  

COSTCO WAS FOUNDED IN SEATTLE, WASHINGTON
Never imagined I would be this happy to see a Costco store. But, I have very good reasons to be. Not only does Costco provide a wide selection of American merchandise, it was also founded in Seattle, Washington and, therefore, carries products from my home state! I basically floated into the store like it was paradise.

This escalator blew my mind. The little things...

 There are a lot of things in/about Korea that confound me, but there are also a lot of things here that just makes a lot of sense. Like this slight-incline, grocery-cart-friendly escalator, for example. It just makes so much sense...

COMPARING KOREAN COSTCO TO AMERICAN COSTCO
I quickly scouted the Busan Costco, mapping it out in my head, and making mental comparisons to the one in Puyallup. It was basically the same inside! The prices for some of the products (or at least the ones that I checked out) were actually higher, which was disappointing.

Another disappointing thing was not finding my made-in-the-Philippines dried mango obsession. However, my host mom found another brand (not quite the same), but also containing dried mangoes from the Philippines.

HOST DAD UNIMPRESSED BY AMERICAN PRODUCTS
After criticizing the unfamiliar mango packaging, I continued wandering around the store in search for a portable one terabyte hard drive. My host father was not impressed by the American brands, even Seagate, which is the one I have been using for the past several years as a photographer. He urged me to wait on my purchase and check out other brands like, say, Samsung (so much Korean pride!). The prices would have been comparable either way, but I followed his advice.

This half of the cart contains the bags of lollipops, chocolates, and other candy I bought for my students, as well as a
couple of English workbooks

Cost of food is the same, I think!

CANDY: THE ULTIMATE CLASS INCENTIVE
I bought the goodies I would need to establish my class rewards system starting next week, and also happened upon an enormous pile of fun-looking books. Most were in Korean, but my host sisters helped me dig up a few gems in English.

My head was semi-buried in one of these files when my sister asked me:

Seoyeon: What are you looking for? 
Me: Yeah...can you help me find one more of these? [I hold up an attention-grabbing alphabet workbook]
Seoyeon: Ah. For students??
Me: ...Yeup! For some of my students!
Seoyeon: [confused-looking] Okey...!

KOREAN STUDENTS LABELED AS "SPECIAL NEEDS"
I remembered the handful of special needs students that I have in some of my classrooms, and decided to buy a couple of workbooks for them to practice writing the alphabet as well as very simple English words. Buying these workbooks means involving special needs students in a level appropriate for them while they are in my classroom. Buying these workbooks is, therefore, completely contrary to what my co-teacher had told me the previous week.

Me: How should I go about teaching my students? 
Co-teacher: Ah, don't worry about them. They will not understand what's going on so, yeah. I don't think it's good idea involving them.
Me: Ah, okay...But, say I were to involve them? 
Co-teacher: [smiles at me patiently] Don't worry about them.

I had requested copies of the class rosters and had noted students with learning disabilities. One by one, their faces - mugshot-style - flashed in my head. And then without a break in the sequence, there was the face of my youngest sister.

Emily.

DISCUSSION ON LEARNING DISABILITIES HITS HOME

Host dad putting groceries away after grocery shopping

The smile pasted on my face as I had this conversation with, I'm sure, a well-meaning teacher, didn't crack for a second, but my heart was splintering in all sorts of directions at the mere picture of my sister possibly receiving the same treatment of "Don't worry about [her]" in what was supposed to be a learning environment.

I have not always been as understanding of what Emily's autism and learning disabilities entailed for her and for those who surround her in daily life, but I believe I have nevertheless grown up with a keen sense of reading social situations - and, specifically, quickly sensing opportunities of inclusion and similar and often simultaneous opportunities of exclusion.

As a teacher, I have the power to break down walls of exclusion and build a more inclusive learning environment.

I still have no idea how to carry this out beyond buying two English workbooks, but this is something that's in my heart and something I would be more than happy to receive feedback/suggestions for.

When I added these two items in the family grocery cart, my host dad immediately picked them up and furrowed his brows as he leafed through them. All I had to do was give Seoyeon a slight nudge for her to translate my justification for the purchase.

Host dad: Ahhh! [breaks out into a huge smile]. Mimi goot, very goot. Teacher very goot! [He gives me a thumbs up of approval before happily continuing to push the cart towards the checkout aisle].

MY QUESTIONS FOR YOU
What kinds of situations have made you feel included, especially in a classroom setting/learning environment? When it is in your power, do you find that you more often include people, or exclude people? On what basis do you exercise this "power"?

If you were a teacher with a handful of special needs students, how would you go about making sure they are included in each class activity?

Fueling Up For Day #2 of Teaching: Feast My Host Mom Prepared for Me

My host mom's amazing home-cooked breakfast

My room is right next to the kitchen, so I could distinctly hear my host mom stirring at 3 a.m. already preparing for the day! I don't know if this is part of her routine, or if she's going out of her way to wake up earlier in order to cook more for me before school. 

When I finally woke up three hours later, she had everything prepared on the table. She must have been very tired, but she still called me to the table with the sweetest smile and with the softest voice, saying, "Mimi, eat" in Korean. It was like a short song she composed just for the occasion. 

Most of the food looked strange to me, but I tried everything and found them to be delicious! When he gets home from work and eating a meal with us, host dad is always telling me about how mom is the best cook on the island, how she makes every thing by hand, and how the ingredients are organic (some even grown from host mom's family farm in the countryside!). 

When you know how the food is made, how long it took to make, and where it was grown, you appreciate every bite even more. 

And, to answer your question, no - I wasn't able to eat all of this before heading to school.

Day #1 of Teaching: Mimi Teacher's Self-Introduction & Relationship Status

No class cancellations today! I was so excited, but thankfully reigned in my nerves as I entered each of my classes. I only taught two morning classes (that means I still had six hours of desk warming for the rest of the day). 

This is Class 1-8. My host sister noticed the camera in my hand and quickly ducked behind the podium before I took this shot.

The first class I had was at 8:40 a.m (basically first period) with Class 1-7 (translation: 1 = first-grade high school students; 7 = seventh class out of 8 different classes of first-grade high school students). Sookhee was my co-teacher, helping me set up the technology, which was very essential for my first week's lesson plan on Self-Introductions. I had the students create name tags for themselves as Sookhee and I both struggled to get the projector and computer to communicate with each other. 

She had told me the previous day that my students were mostly low-level, so I modified what now looks like an extremely ambitious first week lesson plan (for, in my hopes and dreams, a high-level, or at least high-intermediate class) to suit this new piece of information. 

In keeping with this, I had a two-part lesson. I will share the first part because, being a PPP, it lends itself quite easily to this task.

I created a power point presentation made up largely of photos and simple captions about my life before coming to Korea. This worked wonderfully, based on student reactions. 

WEEK 1 LESSON PLAN: MIMI TEACHER SELF-INTRODUCTION

Here's a little something of how this went down: 

Students: [expectant silence]

Me: I will tell you a little bit about me. After, you will tell me a little bit about you, okay?

Students: [Nods] Yes, Teacher

Me: You can ask me questions at the end, okay?

Students: [Nods] Yes, yes, Teacher!

Me: What are these?

Students: Places!

Me: Correct! Which country is the blue one? 

Students: ...United States! Latin America! Malaysia! Hong Kong!

Me: Um...no. That is THE PHILIPPINES.

Students: Oh!

Me: I was born in the Philippines!

Students: Ohhhhhhh!

Yours truly is Filipino-American, and all too proud to represent these two aspects of my identity while abroad! :D

Me: This is my family.
Students: Wah...
Me: One of them is my mother.
Students: WAHHHHHH! [insert 30 Korean girls screaming here] Which???
Me: Which one do you think?...That's correct! The second one from the left.
Students: WAHHHHHHHH! Beautiful!

Me: [Smiling] I know...  

Me: I am the oldest of four daughters. This is my family in the Philippines with the second oldest sister!
Students: Wahhhh [they are basically impressed with everything they see on the slides]. Teacher, what is name of mom and seesters?
Me: Ah! Let me introduce you to them :D
Students: Okay, Okay.

Me: Who is this?
Students: MOTHER!
Me: What is her name?
Students: Mer...cedddess
Me: Mercedes, that's right! This picture was taken one month ago at my college graduation. My mother raised me and my younger sisters by herself in the U.S.
Students: OHHH

Me: This is my grandmother. Halmoni. She helped raise me and my younger sisters in the Philippines. She still lives in the Philippines. I want to visit her during winter vacation!
Students: Ahhh...Philippines...

Me: These are my three younger sisters!
Students: WAHHHH! Beautiful!
Me: Jessel is the second oldest. She lives in the Philippines with her husband.
Students: [Screams of incredulity] But Teacher, she younger than you...?
Me: Yes...and she also has a baby girl!
Students: [More screams]
Me: And this is Merry Chris. She is a student at the University of Washington (same university as Teacher), and she is majoring in Spanish and International Relations.
Students: Ahh...
Me: Merry Chris is the one who made me watch Boys Before Flowers with Lee Min Ho...
Students: Ahhhh!!! Teacher, you know Lee Min Ho?!
Me: And this is Emily. She is in high school and loves to draw, paint, and run and jump! Emily is the youngest, so she is especially close to my heart :D

Me: These are my friends in America. I have known them for many, many years.
Students: [More screams of "Beautiful!" "So, so beautiful!"]
Me: Shhhh...Shhhh...The next slide is very important.

Me: These are my favorite food. Raise your hand if you like mangoes.
Students: [Some raise their hands]
Me: Raise your hand if you like chicken
Students: [Goes wild, screaming their love for all things chicken].

I think we're going to get along very well here...

Me: This is my university!

They have no conception of what a "minor" is, so my co-teacher translated it for them in Korean.

My students also had no idea what "Diversity Studies" or "Women Studies" mean. I gave explanation a shot...

Students: Ohhh...!!!
Me: Before, I was in America. Now, I'm here in Yeongdo with you! We will have a great year together :D
Students: Yes, Teacher

ASKING THE PERTINENT QUESTIONS
Me: Alright, that is the end of my introduction! Do you have any questions for Mimi Teacher?

[Silence...then, a student tentatively raises her hand]

Me: Yes?
Student: Teacher, do you have a boyfriend?
Whole Class: [Excited giggles]
Me: Ah...Do I have a boyfriend?
Student: Yes
Me: What do you think?
Student: Yes! Very, very have a boyfriend!

Students all raise their hands, saying they think I have a boyfriend

Me: Wow. Okay...Raise your hand if you think I have a boyfriend.
Class: [Every student raises their hand]/ [Good, they're all awake]
Me: Huh!...Why do you all think I have a boyfriend??
Another Student: Ring! Teacher has a ring on finger!
Me: [Dang, they're good] Ah...Okay. Let's see if you all are right [flips to next slide]

*Picture has been changed and blocked out here to protect the innocent (or guilty, depending on who you are). 

Students: [MASSIVE ERUPTION OF TRIUMPHANT SCREAMING, presumably in the name of love] SO HANDSOME! Teacher boyfriend, so handsome! WAHHHH...HHHHH!

I give them 30 long seconds to get the excitement out of their systems, and then - a brief lesson on verb tenses:

Me: This was my boyfriend. Was.
Students: [Deep, quiet groans of immense disappointment] was...? :/
Me: When I came to Korea...no more.
Students: Ohhh...Sorry, Teacher. Sorry, sorry...
Me: It's okay. It's okay.

Me: It's okay, because I have a new boyfriend now!
Students: OH?!
Me: Much more handsome [flips to next slide containing picture of me and one of the heartthrobs in Korea from the boy group EXO]
Students: WAHHHH! No Teacher. No!
Me: Hahaha. Why no?
Students: He is mine! He is my husband! He is not! No Teacher!

My all-girls class was very upset with me...haha!








I had gathered from previous conversations with the OC Team, my host family, and co-teachers that this would be one of the first questions my students would ask me. Instead of lying to my students about it (which I was tempted to do), or flailing my way through it (which I was bound to do), I decided to tackle the question head-on.

It wasn't easy, but adding humor helped. Vocalizing this recent break-up to 300 female students was difficult, but it became easier over the course of giving the same powerpoint presentation eight different times. This is as far as I have gotten in terms of processing all this, so I don't have much else to offer.

Three years of my heart all boiling down to these two powerpoint slides. I guess that happens sometimes. Someday, I will have a much more grand story to tell - not just to my students, but to myself.