CRC: In and out of the country

This post focuses on getting your CRC done in the United States. I mentioned in the last post that I'm currently in Korea, but I still had to get a CRC before I even got here. Just wanted to let you guys know before I get started. It's mandatory to get a CRC to live, work, and go to school in South Korea. No exceptions.

What is a CRC? It's a Criminal Record Check, or a criminal background check. In the US, you can get one without going to the FBI, but that is strictly for people who have never left their state before. If you have lived and worked outside your state, it would be prudent to get an FBI CRC. Also, if you want to live, work, and study in a foreign country, you have to get an FBI CRC, unless informed otherwise.

The first part of this post will focus on how to get your CRC done when you're applying from the US. It's a little easier, but depending on when you apply, it could mean more money spent.

For in-country applicants:

Option 1: FBI direct
The first and easiest option, like I said in my previous post, is to get a couple of fingerprints done. Get this done if you are at the beginning of the application process. Getting fingerprints directly from the FBI usually takes 2 months, but it can take up to 3 because we all know the American Government has it's own time system.
These are the documents you need:
Fingerprint cards
Application
Credit Card Payment Form
You can also pay by money order. The process costs $18.
To get your fingerprints, you can go to any technician and you can get it done at most major police stations. You can also look up where to get fingerprints done quite easily. Just use google.

Option 2: FBI Channeler
This option is for people like me who are on a time crunch. It's more expensive, but you can get results in a few weeks depending on shipping. I personally used Accurate Biometrics, it's definitely one of the cheaper options, But for a full list, please go to this link: FBI channelers

Each channeler has their own application that fits the FBI's standards and processing times are different for each channeler. This option can cost anywhere between $50 and $150, so be sure to choose the best option.

Please go to the end to see how to get your documents apostilled.

For out-of-country applicants:

This applies to people like me, who do not have the luxury of just sending everything off. You have to apply for your CRC yourself, a proxy cannot do it. What I did was fill out all of the forms, and send them to my lovely mother to send to my channeler.

You can still do the same thing as in-country applicants if you're going FBI directly, but t will still be good to have someone to send the documents back to you. Simply fill out the forms, send them to the FBI, and send them to a trustworthy person in the United States who can help you get it apostilled and send it to you.

You also have the option of sending through a channeler as well, and it works by using a proxy as well. Simply send your prints and application to your proxy, have that person send it to the channeler, and have that person apostille it before they send it to you. Same processes, just a few more steps.

How to get your document apostilled.

In most cases, you have to get your document notarized before you get it apostilled. You can get documents notarized at most banks too and at your local courthouse. To find the one nearest you, try searching it up on www.notaryrotary.com. Notarized documents should cost around $10, but it could have changed since I did my last one.

Once you have your document notarized, you have to send your document to the US Department of State with this document. You also should send a check or money order in the amount of $8 as well. Prepare a pre-paid envelope as well so that they can send it back to you.
Send your notarized document, your form, your envelope, and your check/money order to:
Office of Authentications
U.S. Department of State
CA/PPT/S/TO/AUT
44132 Mercure Cir, P.O. Box 1206
Sterling, VA  20166-1206

Once that's done, simply wait to get your documents. For out of state people, have your proxy send you the documents, or have the department of state send it to you directly with the pre-paid envelope (which is what I'll have my mother do).

Please let me know if you have any more questions.
Cheers~

Applying to EPIK

So a lot of people on the EPIK page have been asking a lot of questions and I decided to answer them in my blog because I applied too. First things first: i do NOT have all of my documents, but the one I do need will be mentioned here. When i get those sent in, I will have to wait for my placement.


This advice is mostly for Americans, but if you're from other countries, I can so some research for you.

There are several steps to the application. For starters, before you even send in your application, request your CRC. Your CRC is your criminal record (or background) check. It takes the longest time. If you're going to wait for the new (fall) term, request it directly from the FBI by sending your fingerprints to the FBI and paying the $18 fee. it takes 2-3 months. That's why I suggest that people who are applying for the fall get it now. A CRC is good for 6 months. This way, you can have everything ready to send out if you get invited to the program.

If you're applying just now for the spring, I recommend you use an approved FBI channeler. Channelers can expedite the process. It's a lot more expensive, but if you're on a time crunch, you literally have no other choice. I have more on applying for Channelers while here in Korea as I've recently done it myself, but I'll save that for my next post. If you want links to these channelers, click here: https://www.fbi.gov/about-us/cjis/identity-history-summary-checks/list-of-fbi-approved-channelers

Also, contact 2 figures of authority who can write you a letter of recommendation. This could be your boss, or your professor at university. This person should know you well as a worker. If you taught in Korea, one letter of recommendation HAS To be from your mentor teacher. The letters can be in either Korean or English, and they must have an official letterhead indicating a company or school.

Next, do the application. Fill it out faithfully and completely. During your interview, they will tell you if you did anything wrong, so you can fix that. Use the NEW application. DO not use ones from previous terms. The application will get rejected if you do. The application changes every semester for various reasons that I can't even begin to fathom. For TaLK scholars, you can use TaLK as your teaching experience, but be sure to emphasize it was with the TaLK program. TaLK is not full-time, but it counts as level 2 pay-grade.

Send in your letters of recommendation and application. It will take a while for EPIK to get back to you because they have only a few people (up to 10) sifting through hundreds of applications, but they will get back to you. While waiting, get everything else you need. If you don't have a passport, you can apply for a passport at most post offices and you can get your passport photo taken there too. Passports also take up to a month, but you can expedite it for more cash. It costs $110 minimum to get a passport. The photo costs another $15. If you want expedited processing, it will take 3 weeks and cost $60. If you want overnight delivery, you'll have to pay overnight fees, about $20. There's also an execution fee of $25. For a better breakdown, please refer to this link: http://travel.state.gov/content/passports/en/passports/apply.html

Next it would be a good idea to get your transcripts and apostilled diploma. The transcripts are easy. You just have to request them from your school. You can check your school website on how to do that. I suggest you get a hard copy, as emails will not by accepted by EPIK because they are protected. DO NOT OPEN YOUR TRANSCRIPTS. They want them sealed.

The more difficult one is an apostilled diploma. You have to already have your original diploma and you have to make a copy (scan it) and then get it notarized. You can get most things notarized easily. I got mine notarized at a UPS store. It would be good to research places near you that handle notaries. After you get your copy notarized, send it to your secretary of state with an application and the fee. You can find details on your secretary of state website. My fee was under $40, but as it was a while ago, I don't remember the exact price.

For your proof of level 2 pay-grade, you have a few options. For TaLK scholars like myself, you need 1 year as a TaLK scholar. That's it. For others, you need a TEFL or CELTA/DELTA certificate. There are plenty of online options, but you need a minimum 120 hours to be on the safe side. For Busan, they require about 150 hours. If you had an in-class experience, that would be much better. Also, you may need 1 year of full-time teaching experience. You can get this from your school's admin office.

In my next post, I'll tell you what to do with your passport, how to apply for your CRC while overseas, and what to do after you get your interview. This post will be up in a few hours.

If you have any questions, please comment below and I'll see what I can dig up.

Tests, Junsu, and AOMG

The events for this post took place the weekend following my LOE culture trip. As such, we are almost up to date with my life now! YAYYY!

Anyway, I signed up to take my GRE on Saturday, November 7th (my LOE culture trip was on November 1st) and I had one week to cram for the test. I focused on math because it's literally been years since I've taken any type of math course. I even missed my Korean language class so I can get a decent score on this test. I'm not saying I didn't study for the verbal reasoning part, I did. I practiced with vocabulary flashcards and did a ton of practice questions. But I've always been good at English, but I've always had to work harder on math.

After a week of pushing myself and studying with minimal sleep (I can function on 4 hours, I just prefer 8-10), I went to Seoul directly after work on Friday. Why Seoul? They don't offer classes in Gwangju, it takes too long to get to Busan, and I don't know my way around the other 2 cities they offer the test in. During that drive, I focused on vocabulary. When I got to Seoul and got to the place I was going to stay at, I showered and studied just a little bit more before finally heading to bed.

I woke up at 8am for my 10am appointment. The location wasn't far from where I was staying (2 subway stops away) but I had to get food and make sure I could find the venue. I arrived 30 minutes early and signed in to take the test. They were serious about cheating though,  EVERYONE was searched before they entered the room and they had metal detectors and everything. Anyway, after spending about 4 hours testing, I was able to see my scores on the verbal and quantitative reasoning (I got average scores) and I was out.

After the test, I had something to look forward to: Xia Junsu live in concert at Jamsil. I was soooooo happy. I consider Junsu to be one of the best vocalists I've ever heard, so being able to go to his concert was a dream come true. If I ever meet him, I'll ask him to become my voice instructor. I'm not lying. Anyway, I was going to meet Krystal (Junsu's wife although he don't know it yet) at Jamsil and I got us some food before heading over (only 4 subway stations away). After a series of small mishaps, I made it to the stadium and met some new friends that Krystal made who were all foreign and who all agreed Junsu is a superb singer.

We had standing tickets, so we wanted to be there early. Turns out we didn't really need to.

After hours of waiting, we were finally called to line up. Korea has a system about lining up because fans can get really crazy. They have numbers on their tickets and everyone has to line up in order if you're standing, and you are let in based on what number you are. It's a very efficient system. When we got in, we couldn't get close to the main stage, but it's okay. All the fan service happens on the other stage, so we got as close as possible to that. We waited about 20 minutes for the show to start and then we were in the middle of the concert.

Junsu did songs from his most recent mini-album "Just Yesterday" as well as his most popular songs. He even did a solo acoustic version of "Back Seat," a song he sings with his group, JYJ. It was an amazing time. And Junsu kept looking at our direction as well. Why not? We were a pair of black girls in a 95% Korean crowd. I'm not saying he was looking at us specifically, but we did stand out. We were close to the stage. We were easy to pick out. And his dancers were really hype too, they kept smiling when Krystal and I would jam along. It was a good concert.

Videos are in my photo gallery.

We technically weren't allowed to take pictures or videos, but I snuck a few moments in, even though a lot of people's heads were in the way. I was just sad that I couldn't get his performance of "Incredible" or "Flower." Those were amazing acts.

After the concert, Krystal and I went back to the place I stayed at (with the permission of the owner) and had ChiMec (Chicken and beer) talking about the concert before turning in at about 1am. We went back to Gwangju the next day. Although we may have to see Junsu again... he announced his Christmas musical concert. Damn him.

The next week was spent trying to get into B.A.P's showcase, but I couldn't go, so I didn't think I was going to go to Seoul the following Saturday. Jay Park was having a party at a club where he was going to perform his songs from his latest album "Worldwide." Our rapper friend was gonna be there, so the Squad was thinking of going. I wasn't going to go, but the girls were like "Squad reunion" because it had been a while since we had all been in the same place at the same time, so I decided to go anyways.

Instead of going up to Seoul on Friday, like I normally do, Momo and I went to Seoul on Saturday because we had plenty of time before the club even opened. We met up with Krystal near our hostel And got ourselves checked in before preparing to go to get food and then to go to wait at the club.

We got dressed and got pasta before catching a taxi to Club The A which wasn't too far away. When we arrived, the line wasn't too long so we waited in a cafe for the others. The next people to arrive were Ryanne and Amariah, and the last to arrive was Saya. We got into the club, checked our bags, and managed to snag a spot right by the stage. Apparently our rapper friend saw us and waved, but I didn't see that. The place ended up being packed because it was Jay Park (a lot of people love him) and people kept pushing us. Honestly, I was annoyed before the show started.

And then there were these girls who came and stood next to us and started pushing us, but they complained to the security that we were pushing them. After the guy realized I understood a bit of Korean, he tried to tell me to tell my friends to stop pushing. I explained that we were there first and it was the girls who were pushing us, not the other way around. He tried to get us to move, but I don't think he realized how stubborn Black people are when we're wrongly convicted of something. I repeatedly told him what happened and what the other girls were doing. Eventually he gave up and let us stand there because I told him the truth and even said that he saw we were there first. The girls were annoyed. But they couldn't say anything because they didn't know how much Korean we understood.

Finally, Jay Park and the rest of AOMG came out at 1am, as promised, and put on their show. They were definitely turnt to the max too. It would have been fun if people weren't pushing so hard to get to AOMG, who showed my squad a lot of love. Jay Park kept wandering over to us. Teehee. The perks of being foreign in Korea. Anyway, apart from a small incident where I had to reign myself in (some people got SUPER annoying) it was a good show. Jay stopped everything to ask people to put away their cameras in English (but the crowd was mostly Korean, why use English) and he told people not to push because it was NOT that serious. Yep. Definitely born and raised in the States. No one listened until Ugly Duck repeated all that in English though. Poor Loco looked scared. Loco looks like a hamster. AOMG managed to finish their show, although Simon D had mic issues, and went back to the back.

Anyways, after the show, we dipped because we couldn't watch the after-show because we didn't have clearance. We went to have food at a 24-hour convenience store before heading back to our hostels. For various reasons, Krystal, Momo, Saya and I all decided to just go ahead and head back to Gwangju. It was 4:30 in the morning and trains would be running soon. I was iffy because although I didn't get a ticket to B.A.P's showcase, they were having a fair and raffle, but I decided not to spend that kinda money (I regretted it, but my wallet didn't). We made it back to Gwangju and spent the whole day sleeping. It was an eventful Saturday/Sunday indeed.

Beware of club concerts. They're deadly.

If you want videos, please go to my photo gallery.

That was last week. Nothing interesting happened this week. Lol. I'm out!

Cheers~~

Tripping Over Culture: Part 2

Heeheehee!
I told you there'd be a part two, but I bet you never thought it would be so quick huh? I'm an unfaithful blogger. Sorry about that.

This blog post is about my second culture trip, this time the one for the Damyang LOE. For those of you who don't know, an LOE is a subdivision of the POE, and my location is Damyang, which is half in Jeonnam and half in Jeonbuk. Let's get to the experience, shall we?

There are only 9 scholars in Jeonnam's Damyang LOE including Me, Saya, Gretchen, Sebastian, Kyle, and Fiona. I only named the people I talk to regularly.  Basically no one wanted to go, but I didn't get to cancel so I ended up going with 3 other people (Gretchen and Seb went). It was a day trip on the Sunday after Halloween. I had to be home before 3am on Halloween. The horror. So this trip included us and a few people from the LOE. I'm glad I went though, because it turned out to be a pretty good trip, all things considered.

We had to meet up at the Damyang Education office at 9 am. Gretchen and I went together. It was early and I wasn't happy to be going, so I think I got on her nerves (sorry Gretchen). We got on the bus right when we got there because the building was closed and we couldn't wait inside for another 15 minutes until we left. Graham and the last guy (sorry dude, i will forever forget your name, we don't talk enough) arrived later and we all left around 9:15 (Korean time... I tell you...) to head to Yeosu, which is where the day's events would take place.

I fell asleep on the bus even though the ride was just an hour (I didn't get my 10 hours of sleep) and woke up when we arrived at the first location, which was a temple. Yes, we love temples. They're pretty and the fall foliage was coming into full swing. If you guys want to see some photos, please refer to the photo gallery to the left of this post. Anyways, we walked around the temple and got to see the insides of the temple where people prayed, and there was another lucky toss well. I didn't try that one. But it was okay.

After that, we went to a location to basically take a walk and witness the beauty of Korea in the fall. The scenes made for beautiful pictures.

After the walk, we headed to Yeosu (the city area) to have lunch at a pretty good Italian restaurant. Word to the wise: Korean Italian food is far from authentic. Far. From. Authentic. It's still really good, don't get me wrong. But if you're looking for real Italian food, good luck.

But yeah, after stuffing my face on Italian food, we went to the performance hall to watch a REALLY long play called "The Last Empress." It's basically a play about the events that led up to Japan's occupation of Korea. I would recommend this play to anyone who wants to see a very dramatic retelling. After all, it is a musical. i'm not dismissing the historical accuracy. I'm no historian. Anyway, the play was definitely amazing, and I would recommend it if you can afford it. The musical actors were on point.

But don't rely too much on me, I kept falling asleep because I was so sleepy because I still decided to have a long night on Halloween. But when things got dramatic, I woke right up and I did that enough to follow the story. It was really intense.

After the play, we all headed back to Damyang (we made a pitstop for a snack) and parted ways. And that was my second culture trip in two weeks.

Wait for the updates about concerts and clubs. More juicy stuff.

Tripping Over Culture: Part 1

Hello, hello, hello~

It's been a while hasn't it?

This post is dedicated to the first of two culture trips I went on recently. For ALL the good photos, please look at the photos link to the left of this post. There you will see my complete archive. Yeah. Good stuff.

Anyway, on the weekend of October 23, 2015, the Jeonnam POE (Provincial Office of Education) had a culture trip for all of it's TaLK scholars, just like when we went to Jeju (to read, view this link: http://blazianmochaland.blogspot.kr/2015/06/jeju-part-1-maze-mount-doom-and-pigs.html ). This time, however, we went to Kyeongsan, which is where you can find none other than the Infamous BUSAN!!!! I love Busan, definitely my favorite city in South Korea. But more on Busan later. We'll talk about how it started before.

Saya, Gretchen and I were tired because we were up all night waiting for Verbal Jint (and we saw him, and he wanted to hang out with us, but that is for a whole different post), so when we got on the bus at Gwangju's U-Square, we were out like a light for most of the 4-hour drive to Busan. Another great thing is that there were just few enough scholars so that we could have to seats, so I curled up and said "adios" to the world during the ride.

FINALLY we arrived in Gyeongju, which is about 2 hours from Busan, and we had lunch because we were all starving. We had some fish thing, dwenjang-jiggae (tofu Korean soupy stuff) and lord knows what else. It was delicious so I didn't really care what we ate. I ate with Mr. Yang, Mr. Bae, and Boyoung, all important officers in the Jeonnam TaLK POE. It was a good opportunity to show them that I wasn't as asocial as I seemed, but then again I was. Anyway, I managed to use my budding Korean skills to hold a light conversation before we resorted to using Konglish. It was a good time.

After our meal, we went to a Museum in Gyeongju where we saw a wide array of artifacts spanning the recorded history of Korea as a country, before it was even called Korea (or 대한민국, Daehan Minguk in Korean). As a lover of museums, I was enthralled by all of the artifacts and explanations. Yes, they had explanations in English too. The museum was cool because it showed the progression of technology and culture over a REALLY long time. Korea was once nearly stripped of it's culture, so it's good to know they were able to preserve their history.

After the museum, we went to a temple. Yes, another one. But hey, it was still one I've never been too. Temples are all more or less the same, the biggest differences being the location and the scenery, but it's nice to see that they are so important to Korean culture, even if there are a huge amount of Christians.

After the temple, we went to grab some grub at a local restaurant. We had this meat patty thing that was absolutely delicious with Bibimbap (a rice mix thing) and talked and drank and had a good time together before heading back to the hotel for the night.

The next morning, we went to Busan. My beloved Busan. In the morning, we had breakfast at the hotel and then we rushed to the bus to take that 2-hour drive to Busan. When we arrived, we went directly to another shrine/temple located on the coast whose name escapes me. I might edit this post after I find out. This temple/shrine had a line of statues that represent the Chinese Zodiac, and of course all the Monkey kids had to take a photo together.

Don't we look cute? Heeheehee.

Anyway, because it was a beautiful day and we were by the coast, everyone was in a good mood. We took a lot of pictures. There was a cliff where we got excellent shots of the ocean as well before going to the main temple. On the way to the main temple, there is a spot where you can toss a coin into a bowl inside a pond for good look. I think if you make it you had good luck in the first place, but it didn't hurt to try. I missed, but an opportunity did not go to waste.

After visiting the temple, we went to an APEC sight and checked out what was decent, taking a hike along a coast. It was hot, but the walk was mostly in the shade. Yay us. after the walk we went to lunch and had samgyupsal (삼겹살) before we were left to our own devices for the whole afternoon in Busan. We were strongly encouraged to go see the fireworks in the evening. We figured we had plenty of time to see the fireworks, so we went shopping near Busan National University before going to go find our friends and getting dinner near Gwangalli beach, where the fireworks were going to be.

If you guys want to see videos of the fireworks, please visit my photo archive. I have 3 videos.

We were out until 1 am because we met a few friends who were from different provinces, but still came to see the fireworks. We spent the night talking and having fun before going back to the bus and getting back to our hotel in Gyeongju at 3 am (we were supposed to stay in Busan, but there were complications...). I was out like a light.

The next morning was our final day. I almost didn't eat breakfast because I wanted to sleep more, but it's the most important meal of the day and I usually don't eat breakfast. But it was provided for me this time, so I thought "what they heck" and got some breakfast. The last thing we did was go to Mt. Mireuk. We had to wait to get on a cable car that would take us high up, then we had to hike up the rest of the way. Before hiking, though, we had lunch and then we waited to get on the cable car. The hike up wasn't that bad, other than me not being used to the lack of air pressure, and I was able to get some amazing shots of the surrounding area once we reached the top (really, the actual top). It's amazing, you see how small we are just from the top of a mountain.

Any-who, after that trek, we all boarded the bus and went back home to our cities (this ride was 3 hours). It was a good culture trip, and I had a lot of fun despite my lack of sleep.

Chuseok and Rappers.

Alas! Another post! Been a while. Anyways, I want to give a quick update on my life.

After summer camp ended (quite successfully) we spent the week just chilling for the most part. We planned on going to Busan originally but decided not to because the beaches would all be super crowded and we were not about that life. Shame... anyway, that isn't to say I didn't have a good time being my normal hermit self. Nope. I stayed home and chilled and occasionally went out to eat with my Gwangju ladies.

When class started again, I was ready to face my students and they all told me that they missed me. Yay me! Even students I usually end up chastising missed me. They like me for some odd reason. Anywayzzzz... I got back to teaching and life was good.

And then Chuseok happened. During Chuseok, we went to Busan and lived it up. Kind of. The thing is, most Koreans are at home with heir families for Chuseok, so while we tried to party with the guys from Busan, very few were actually out that weekend. It was mostly other foreigners out having a good time and enjoying having the city to themselves. Busan is one of the largest cities in Korea, so that's saying something.

It was a while ago, so things may not be in chronological order.

Moving on. The first place we went to was a lounge called Ghetto. For once a place with good hiphop music! Geangju has almost no hiphop scene and it's all EDM in most of Korea (How do people dance to ONLY EDM all the time?) . So I was quite happy. Like I said earlier, there weren't many people out and about, but it was okay because that night, we didn't have to buy any drinks. For the first time in Korea. Other foreigners bought them for us. We met a few cool cats and there was a small group of Koreans who were too shy to approach us without any alcohol in their systems, but it turned out to be a fun night of dancing. Koreans are still pretty respectful when drinking as well. It's a good thing.

We met a pair of people who reminded us of Dok2 and The Quiett and they were pretty funny. We also met an African guy named Bright who took it upon himself to take care of us that weekend and show us around. Bright was a genuinely nice guy, so we decided to let him in on some of our plans.

We went hunting for food and for the underground shopping jn Busan. Food was good. Shopping wasn't that bad, but I only bought earrings because we had the same stores and clothes in Gwangju.

We also went to Spa Land too. Spa Land was great, it has a 찜질방 (bath house) that had baths of all different types and temperatures. It felt amazing and so relaxing. It was only 15,000₩ for 4 hours. Yes. Good deal. But I wanted to stay foreverrrrrrrrrr. I almost took a nap at some point while waiting for the others in the sauna that I know would have killed me. But it was nice and we had a snack qhile sitting on prestine heated floors. After Spa Land we went home to prepare for the night, which proved to be an interesting one.

At night we went in search of an actual dance club and Bright td us abou one called Revel that wasn't very far from Ghetto. We went in and found that Revel did indeed have good music. But like at Ghetto, there weren't a lot of people. I think we made it fun that night, we ended up staying for a while. We got to Revel after it had been open for a while, so there were enough people for us to see that it should usually be a packed club. However,  there still weren't a lot of people and like I said, anyone worth dancing with was at home with the family.

I went back with a couple of the girls and we turned in early. We koncked out almost immediately.

The next day was our last day, so we got up early to get ready and clean the hostel before being out  by 11am. We went to the bus station and took our separate busses back to our cities. But it's cool. We meet up all the time.

On Tuesday Saya told me and Krystal about a party where a korean rapper, Ugly Duck, was going to perform so we went and checked it out. The place, which shall go unnamed, was small and it sold tacos. It was the best I'd had since coming to Korea. We got seats near the back but since the place was so small, it didn't matter. By the end of the night we were friends with the owner and the regular DJ. And we managed to talk to Ugly Duck all night too. Good times.

K Hip hop Concerts: Best Be Ready

So, I'm going to start out by saying that the microwave cakes were a total success with my class. They took a while to make because we didn't have enough mugs, but that's fine because my students loved them. We then proceeded to continue to watch Harry Potter.

Now, on to that following weekend. The squad and I went up to Seoul for the Super Hiphop Party that was being held in Gangnam, the area for the rich people in Seoul. You know Gangnam is for the rich people because only one subway line goes there, and it doesn't take you anywhere important. Rich people only want rich people in their area. Lolz. But anyway, we decided to stay in Hongdae at a new guesthouse. It was a nice place and it has access codes to rooms.

We arrived on Friday and spent a long time gathering the squad because A) we all live in different parts of Korea and B) we all ahd things to do in Seoul. Saya and Krystal were getting their hair done, Gretchen and I were basically sleeping the day away, and Momo had to come later for various reasons. We ended up having midnight dinners at 2 different Taco Bells. This was pure coincidence. I swear. We did not plan that at all. But yeah, we finally all met up at the hostel and then Saya, Krystal, and Gretchen went out while Momo and I stayed in because we were tired. The other girls met a Korean rapper named Superbee, and I was a bit jealous, but then I was cool. I didn't know much about Superbee anyway.

Anyway, the next day we went our separate ways again for shopping. Saya, Krystal, and I were originally planning to visit a One Piece exhibit, but ended up in the wrong place. The other place was too far and we wouldn't be able to meet up with the others in time, so we called it quits and decided to go the next day when the exhibit opened. Instead, we went shopping around Hongdae. And then we took a much-needed nap before preparing for this Hiphop concert. We were going to squiggle our way to the front.

We arrived at Club Ellui right before openning, but the line was already ridiculously long. So a few of us went to go get food before we went in. We got pretzels, but because they were being made one at a time we didn't get back to the line until all of us were in the front. After eating quickly, we were let in to find the club packed and we were near the back.

But fret not.

Somewhere between YDG and Cheetah's sets, we ended up near the front. I think Cheetah helped a lot, she was throwing out vouchers for free drinks and Korea is very alcoholic friendly as long as you don't act violently in public. Oh, Korea. The rush helped push us to the front. I'm not a big fan of YDG, so  don't remember much of his set, but Cheetah was awesome. She had a lot of energy as a rapper, in my opinion. After Cheetah left, so did her fans, and that's how I ended up in the front. People were still leaving though, and someone accidentally caught my hair and it hurt, so I had to yank it away and pull my hair to the front. No. I never did get a sorry.

After getting to the front, I spread myself out a bit and refused to move, making a space for myself and making sure no one can move me out of their way. A few people tried, trust me, but people who know me know I only LOOK fragile. I am actually a pretty strong girl. One girl told me that I was pushing her, which wasn't really true, it was the other way around, so I just shrugged it off. I pretended I couldn't hear her. I was there to enjoy the concert. Under normal circumstances I'd be a little more understanding, but too many people were pushing and pulling for me to be my usual magnanimous self.

Anyway, after Cheetah's electrifying performance, we had Verbal Jint featuring Sanchez. Verbal Jint is a great rapper and Sanchez is an amazing vocalist. The performance was good... except VJ had this turtle thing going on and Sanchez was a vampire. There were very few black people in the crowd,  so when Sanchez gave out fan service to our section a lil' too much, we thought it might be because we were there. Sounds arrogant, yes, but it makes sense. Afterall, we were the easiest people to pick out of the crowd. And VJ was just being VJ, which meant a great performance overall for thw Vampire-Turtle pair.

Also, I have no idea why they call Sanchez that. Korea has a unusual love for stage names, and hiphop has always had stage names. I just don't get "Sanchez" but it's really unique.

Now, after the Vampire-Turtle pair, DJ  IT came out and wowed thw crowd with his excellent music. If the club wasn't literally packed, I would have danced like I normally do. But it was and I was one of many sardines in a can. So sad. The music was good to dance to. For once. Anyways, after DJ IT was San-E, who brought along my favorite Korean beat-box expert, J-Cop. San-E is now Satan because he likes messing with people. Anyway, San-E owned his performance, though I was done when he started doing hip-thrusts right in front of me. He's a good rapper, but I do NOT like him like that. Naw. Save that shit for Saya. I really wished I could have traded places with her at the time, but no. I couldn't. And it was award because all the girls around me trying to molest the man, and I'm like "good gawd man get away from me!!!" But other than that I got some good pictures and videos. See my photo gallery for more details.

After Satan left the stage, Jessi came on. I like Jessi just as much as I like Cheetah. She performed all of her songs from "Unpretty Rapstar" and I got to hold her hand. When she took time to talk, a bunch of girls screamed "I LOVE YOU JESSI!" way too many times. And they were American. Way to help a stereotype. Chill. She heard them the first time. Anywayzzzz San-E, being Satan, decided to crash her stage and clown. I was like "no he didn't" but he did. Bad form, man, bad form. But it was funny. He left after one song and let Jessi close out her performances and we rolled out like autobots. We got our free alcohol and bounced. Yes, I drink alcohol. Shut up Kayla, Dan.

Anyway, I'm done with this post.  I'll add the pictures to the gallery within 24 hours.

Cheers~~

Summer Camp Memories

Hello. I'm back after a long time with a new post about my Summer Camp! There are no pictures this time, but next time I'll have a ton!



My  summer camp is Harry Potter themed, and I knew I was going to like it. I had everything planned and prepared a good week before camp started. I worked really hard to make everything match the theme and still be educational. Each day is like another day at Hogwarts, combining all the classes with Muggle studies. I prepared learning content, games, the movie, and movie questions to make sure they pay attention. I even made a (rather imperfect) workbook to accompany my presentations during camp. I was very excited.

Then the first day came and I was surprised. I knew I was going to like my summer camp. But I didn't know how my students were going to take it. My summer camp is difficult, even my friends think so. And my students didn't know anything about Harry Potter. Even my co-teacher had never actually seen the movies, so it is a learning experience for her, too. But I was confident in my students. They are a lot smarter than people give them credit for. I always give them more work then normal and they finish really quickly. I have high expectations, but they're realistic, so if I can explain the instructions or concepts properly, they meet them.

I didn't really expect them to be so interested in my summer camp. I designed the camp to be fun, but I am also aware that some of the students may not like Harry Potter. That's why I have so may games to go with the content, they pay attention because they know they need the information to win.

So I was really happy to see them so into it. I thought "wow, they actually like this!" I was ecstatic. They kept asking questions, they were so interested, and they paid attention to the movie even after they answered the last question. They LOVED the games because during game time I don't care how loud they are, especially because we're in an isolated building. I was shocked, but very happy, to say my camp is, as of now, a success with my students.

Each day is very structured. We start with a review quiz, referring to material from the previous day. The first period is focused solely on vocabulary. They learn words and memorize them. The memorizing is usually fulfilled or followed by a game that requires using the vocabulary. The second part is focused on grammar, but the grammar always relates to the vocabulary, so it's actually a bit of review sprinkled in. Then there's a game that requires both components. Like it starts with vocabulary, but they have to form sentences on their own. After that, they receive a page of a comic I found online. Each page is a drawing that shows the events of each Harry Potter movie. They have to write what they think will happen in Korean, and then translate it to English. Lastly, comes the movie. They watch about 15-20 minutes and answer questions while watching based on the movie. At the end, there's a short exit quiz.

The students more or less know what to expect, the only thing that really changes daily is what games we play.

I admit that if you haven't already seen the movie, the camp is really challenging. But I think that might actually be the reason why they like it so much. They're learning brand new terminology that even in English would be a bit foreign to people.

Of course, they are also learning things they can use practically. Half of the vocabulary is Harry Potter based and the other half is more practical, but still suits the theme. Even the grammar, though inspired by Harry Potter, is really useful. I taught them about shopping and asking for prices, asking about different methods of transportation, nature, and about personality traits.

Tomorrow, they'll be learning about cooking terms because we're making microwave cakes and reviewing everything from this week using a bomb game I made on PowerPoint. I decided to make it multiple choice because the vocabulary can get pretty difficult and I'd rather give them a chance to choose. Especially because I won't let them use their books.

Jeju Part 2: Ice Movies and Museums

Hello All!

Welcome to part 2 day 2 of my Jeju trip update! The goal is to get ths3s out and done consecutively, so hede goes.

Our wake-up call was at 7am, but the ladies in our room were all up between 6-6:30. We were td breakfast was ths most important (expensive) meal of the day by Jae, and it started at 7. That meant we had to be up before that. I mean really. It's free food. Why would anyone miss out on that? Anywayzzzz... we were up and ready to eat ze foooooood. It was a pretty good breakfast. But then again we were staying at a pretty posh hotel, so it better be good. And it was a buffet. Score. Breakfast had western and Korean food. I stuck with western. I love Korean food, but I take my breakfast very seriously. I grew up in the west, so a western breakfast it is! Anyway, me, Tania, Gretchen, and Caitlyn had our breakfast together as roommies and chatted. Of course, we wanted to sit outside, but it was raining. Woe was our being.

After breakfast I bought that umbrella and we piled onto the bus to go to the first location, which was the Trick Eye Ice museum. Anyone who knows me knows I love museums, these were no exceptions. The first floor housed the Ice Museum, which was cool all on it's own. I froze my skinny lil' ass off, but I managed to get a few pictures in of the amazing sculptures. I was wearing shorts,  so I refused to go down the ice slide. Another time, Jeju. Another time.

Then we went upstairs to watch a short 4D 360 movie. There were three playing: Ninjas, Poseidon, and The Room. The last one was a horror move. Can you guess which one I saw? I saw The Room. Yep. Horror movies are pretty funny in large groups, but it definitely would have been scary if I were by myself. But I just laughed and reached out to all the 3D monstrosities begging for my death. Good times. After the movie, Tania, Gretchen and I went to the Trick-eye museum. I will not explain this one. Just check out the photo gallery. All I can say is that it was really cool.

And so after the Trick-eye museum,  I bought some gifts for the teachers at my school and then go myself a drink at the café before we piled on the bus once more. The bus took us to a buffet for lunch. Lunch was meh, but it was lunch, so i ate because I was hungry. I think we were spoiled by our two previous meals. But anyway, right across the way from the buffet place was our next desitnation, the world theme park! It was a neat place with smaller scale versions of famous buildings around the world. The only places we weren't interested in were those from the U.S. 'Cuz most of us didn't care or had already seen these places. I am part of the latter.

Anyway, the them park was fun because it was an excuse to take a ton of pictures. And they started playing familiar music and we started singing and dancing a bit to it. Yes. In public. Jae, Mr. Yang, and Mr. Bae were all laughing at us. But it was fun! I think that's why we had so much fun.

About half-way through the theme park, Andrea and I ended up photobombing some high school boys and it was awesome. They were so surprised that we were behind them and in the photo. later, they asked us to take a picture with them as well. I guess we became a part of the theme park. We also took pictures with some high school girls in front of the mini-Eiffel tower and with this jazz band statue. It was like we were famous or something. But we're not.

After the theme park we went to visit a waterfall. We were getting tired, so the goal was get to the waterfall, take selfies, take a group pic, and take a picture of the waterfall before heading back to the bus. We did that, but had about 30 minutes left over so we chilled in a cafe. After the waterfall, we went to an Estuary. but we weren't about that life, so we chilled at a burger place and played with a dog for about an hour. We were almost late for the bus because we got the meeting time wrong. But hey, it happens.

After that, we finally had dinner at an awesome buffet and I managed to stuff my face way more than usual. I was on a mission. At dinner, the Director of the Jeonnam office came to chill with us and gave a speech and paid for extra soju and mecju. We all took shots with him and I managed to get a selfie with him. He was a nice man.

After stuffing our faces with food and drinks, we all headed back to the hotel. Some people went out. Some people stayed in. I chose to stay in because I'm an old lady at heart and I was tired.

And that was day 2 in Jeju. Stay tuned for day 3.

Cheers!

Jeju Part 1: Maze, Mount Doom, and Pigs

Hello everyone! Doesn't Tania own that wave?

I've been so horrible with posting things, it's all bad. I even got the blog app on my phone to post on the way to and from work, but it just slips my mind these days...

I will make no promises.

MOVING ON.

Some provinces gather all their TaLK scholars for a group culture trip. Well, at least I know Jeonnam does. I think the others do too. But I'm not there, so I don't know for sure. Unless that group visit to a temple was actually a culture trip for another group. That would actually be pretty cool. But not the whole "no meat" thing. I tried it. Not easy and definitely not fun.

Okay, back to the topic. Jeonnam's culture trip was to Jeju-do, an island province off the southern coast of Jeonnam. Yes. I said it. Island. I know what you're thinking. BEACH!!!! Who doesn't love the beach? No one. Everyone loves the beach. Dan, if you're reading this, I know you just said some smart-ass remark. And I know it was a good one. Be sure to comment. I wanna know what you said. Anyways, we were set to go to Jeju, which means tank tops and shorts! And a bathing suit! Good times.

Unfortunately, we found out it was going to rain the second day there. The fudge? We only had 3 days and on the morning of the second day it was going to rain? Blasphemy! But it's okay. It was still going to be pleasantly warm. I made sure I packed well, I figured I'd buy an umbrella in Jeju because they're so cheap. On Thursday, we all met at the airport and I saw all the scholars from the previous generation who decided to go too. There were 22 people in our generation, but I'm not sure about the others. It was nice seeing people from other parts of Jeonnam again. I haven't seen some of them since orientation.

The flight to Jeju was only 30 minutes, which was plenty of time to get in a short nap. From there, we went straight to the first location, which was a maze garden. It was pretty cool. It took a while to find out way, and I kept losing the crew, but in the end everyone made it out safely. I must say though, I didn't like them spiders. And there were signs that told people not to kiss in the maze. I guess that's been a really big problem. People making out in a maze.

Gretchen and Saya are such bad kids. Breaking the rules. Lol.  Anyway, Our time at the maze was about an hour, but it was pretty fun. It's funny that Jae, our coordinator, told us to get lost, but to be back in an hour. Excuse me, sir. if I am to get lost, I will do it properly. And as such, I will not be able to come back in an hour. But I did. So everything was okay. I also had some cactus ice cream there. It was pretty good. It tasted like frozen yogurt. IU had a lot of ice cream on that trip. Good times.

After the maze, we went to a mountain to hike. It was a hard hike. The venue was gorgeous, lush green grass and trees on the top, but it was definitely a work-out. Saya, Erica, Andrea and I adopted the walk for a bit, rest for a second strategy. if we took any significantly long breaks, we wouldn't have made it up the mountain. You know how some people say feel the burn? My legs were feeling it all the way to Monday. No lie. But we had a mission. Make it to the top to take selfies and group pics. We achieved that goal. The view was gorgeous too.

So in the end I didn't die, and we took our sweet time down the mountain and grabbed a few more awesome pics. It was a good time all around, minus the burning pain in my legs that tell me I'm out of shape, of course. I should go hiking more often. I like it... when it doesn't hurt. Anyway, that was our time on the mountain. We made it guys. We survived.

After that we went to dinner and had SAMGYUPSAAAAALLLLLL!!!!! I love that stuff. Really, it's awesome. I don't eat pork in the states, but the way it's cooked here is all good in my book. Samgyupsal is from the same part of a pig as bacon, but because it's thicker and cooked a little (really, only a little) differently, it tastes completely different, and so I eat it. For those of you worried about me and my inability to eat pork, fret not. Korean cuisine suits my palette. Anyway, Jeju is special in it's "black" pork, because the pigs are island pigs and raised differently. It was delicious.

I managed to eat way more than normal, but I owe it to Jeju samgyupsal and that killer hike. My legs haven't been so healthy since high school. Thank you, Mount Doom. Anyway, after dinner we all finally checked into out hotel, where I was unceremoniously voted Key guard and given the key card to our room. Not that it was a big deal. I just didn't want it. But I am grateful my peers see me as responsible. After eating a few snacks and chatting away, we all got ready for bed and hit the hay, we were going to need it for the next day.

The Gwangju Life

So I decided  to update quickly to make up for lost time. This post is focused mostly on my life in Gwangju and teaching. Afterall, people might think I'm in the boonies if they think I only go to Seoul to have fun.

Gwangju is one of the largest  cities in South Korea.  It's by no means the  country, although kpop media makes it seem that way. It's a city, through and through. The only thing it's lacking is a decent subway system  (there's only one incredibly useless line). Gwangju has several large Universities other than Chosun, like Chonnam and maybe like three others. Also, it's night life is pretty active too. However, the  club of choice has shut down and is being replaced by another. It's okay though, Saya found a better one and I trust her judgment.

Moving on... I don't know too much about Gwangju because when I'm not at work I'm usually sleeping, studying or in class. One day soon I'm just going to get up and explore. I maybe next weekend. I'll dedicate it to getting lost in Gwangju and take a taxi home afterwards.

Gwangju has some pretty good restaurants too. We have  particular favorite in the downtown area and one at the back gate of Chonnam University. The first is a ramen place that's pretty legit and the second is a koreanized italian place called the Flower. I also have a burger place I go to before class and the lady who owns it knows me order now. I hope my korean classes pay off so that I can talk to her in Korean.

In general, I find the people in Gwangu to be nicer than the Seoul people. They're very curious about my hair, but most of the time they know not to touch it (apart from the ahjummahs) and there were even a few times when people tried to talk to me about where I come from and why I'm  here. They usually think I'm an international student and they're really surprised when I tell them I'm a teacher.

Children are always open with their fascination and although I was sure they would think I was African, the vast majority assumed I was from my rightful birthplace,  the US. They would always say "미국 라람!" (American!) I think in total I got African about 10 times as compared  to the vast amound of American guesses,  but I don't  mind. I am ethnically of African descent.  Also, having dreads may not help.

Speaking of hair, people -including my students- often look at hair, point and say "reggae style!" And then I'd shake my head and say my hairstyle may be associated with reggae, but it's  not reggae style.  It's older than that. I think I should blame Korean reggae star Skull for that. Even if a lot of famous reggae singers have dreads (I don't even know if it's a thing, I don't  watch  lot of music videos, even kpop videos are lost to me most of the time). But I'm usually kind about it. I consider myself eclectic, but asan unofficial cultural ambassador I want to explain my hair has nothing to do with reggae. It has more to do with looking good and being lazy at the same time.

My students are generally  well-behaved, but I  envy the other TaLK scholars who get to talk with them during lunch. Because I have a building detached from the rest of the school  that takes some walki g to get to, I don't get many lunchtime visitors and I don't  think it's polite to intrude on the classrooms of the homeroom teachers just to talk to my students. I'm mostly told to stay in my office unless I come to class. But today, for the first time, three of my fifth grade girls came to visit me for a few minutes. I hope it happens more. It made me really happy.

Also, I have the same backpack as one of my sixth grade girls,  only a different color. They found this very amusing. I thought when they pointed it out that I had locked someone in the building when I left, but no, it was the backpack. A lot of people have jansport backpacks in the States, so I didn't  find it as entertaining, but I thought they were being super cute.

My mentor teacher is having me help prepare the students for a speech contest. I hope I can do well, but my teacher is expecting a student to place and I find the pressure to be a downer. Koreans find prizes and winninv to be very important (my mentor teachers say it's because they have very low self-esteem) and so winning and getting prizes is the goal in order to increase the prestige of the school. I get it. Everyone likes winning. I just wish there was more emphasis on intrinsic motivation. But that's  just me Western way of thinking. It would  most likely  make more sense if I was raised in a strict, asian household or in Asia. The pressure to be the best is really high here. I just hope I can help the student have fun while striving to be the best.

That was depressing. I'll talk about something more rewarding. I'm going to Jeju next month for a culture trip with schoars from my generation and the 13th generation.  We have a curfew again, but it's okay. I mean, our trip is free so it's  a fair trade in my opinion. If we abide by the rules, we may be ae to stay out later anyway. Then we could go to a beach party in Jeju or something.

Saya and Gretchen have been attending language exchanges most weekend and I think it's  about time I join them and make new friends. Besides, it's a language exchange, and I should start practicing what I'm learning in class, even if it's  minimal. Wish me luck!

Cheers ~

What I've been doing

(Pictures will be updated later, I'm currently waiting for them to upload!)

It's been so long since I've written a post and I'm sorry for my laziness. I'll try to update more!

Anyway, I guess I told you about my orientations and my first week teaching. Now I'll tell you what I've been up to. First off, I started taking Korean classes at Chosun University, which happens to be the best University on the Jeollanam-do area. I don't know how, but we managed to pull free classes. The good thing is that the classes are really small, we only have 6 students in our class and we have about 8 hours of class a week. I don't really get home until 9 on those days, so anyone who knows me knows I'm dead tired by then.

Next I should also say my classes are going pretty well, I co-teach most of my classes with the curriculum teachers during the day. The curriculum teachers are really nice, although I have no idea what we're actually doing until we do it. But they always offer me advice on teaching when I need it. I think the 5th grade teacher is the one who gives me the most information beforehand, though.

My students are crazy kids. I only have 6 kids for third grade, but they're all sweethearts. What alarms me is the gap between the two halves of the class, so I've been thinking of a way to give them more help that wouldn't offend the curriculum teacher. We focus mostly on phonics, but with that I took the opportunity to expand their vocabulary. They're going to have a lot to work with. That and I've been using pokemon to help with phonics. It works pretty well since they all know pokemon.

My fourth graders are much the same, but they are a bigger class (14 students) and they are easily excited. However, I can confidently say they're all around the same level, which helps in teaching them. The only problem I'd say is that these kids need more confidence. But if you give them a game (in English) using the grammar and vocab, they're all in.

Then there's my 5th graders. For a while I had some discipline issues, but I cracked down on them now and they don't step out of line as much. We also had a conversation about the kinds of games they want to play because they didn't like some of mine. When in doubt, ask the kids themselves. They always have some pretty good ideas of what they want to do. It really helps. Besides, they were happy that I asked them and they have been much more active in class since then, since I told them any time they have an idea, they should tell me. I think I'll do a Konglish lesson for them. For some reason I think they'd find it extremely entertaining.

My 6th graders are the most advanced, so I can actually have short conversations with them. They're pretty much cool with anything as long as they're having fun, and they love to talk. I usually have them make short dialogues and then present it to the class. Perhaps I'll have a short project where they make a whole skit using the things we learn later. They'd like that. My 6th graders are all extremely bright and quick to pick up new things, so I actually can pack a lot more into their lessons than the others. I also take the time to teach them more colloquial English, meaning bits of slang here and there.

Outside of school, I have classes, but I also started doing what normal people my age do: party and have "fun." Now usually, I would curl up in bed and read a book (or watch anime), but I figured, I'm in another country. Might as well experience it. I've actually been clubbing now. Shocker, I know, but it's much safer here in Korea. The only downside, I guess, is that guys here are pretty thirsty. Ladies, be careful. But don't worry, a simple "no" is all you need. Really. That's all it takes. If all you wanna do is dance, Korea is actually a pretty good place. Just be sure you make the men here know that.

I've also went up to Seoul a few times. The first time was to go see San-E with my girl Saya, who absolutely loves him. For those who don't know, San-E is a Korean rapper, but he's a gyopo from Atlanta. And he;s really weird. We actually went to 2 concerts in one night. The first was at Lotte World (an indoor amusement park) and there we saw Jay Park, another group whose name I don't know, and San-E. Jay Park and San-E are short. Really. If you guys think they're tall, don't lie to yourselves. They're short. But that's cool for me, I'm into their music anyways. San-E was really good onstage, and he brought on this great beatboxer who did a whole instrumental (voice-over?) by himself. Never got his name, though. Saya managed to get San-E's towel and we discovered that he smells like flowers and fruit. That was freaking weird. What does he eat?! Anyway, I was happy for her, I was trying to get the MC to give it to her for the whole time. I think he was impressed with my selflessness.

Anyway, the next few times I went to Seoul, it was mostly for clubbing. So far, I've been to Cocoon, Papa Gorilla, NB2, BrandNu and I think one other. I don't go as hard as some of my friends. Still too much of an old lady. Haha~. Anyway. Cocoon is has the best atmosphere, although it's super packed, but NB2 has the best music, because it's a hip-hop club. I liked BrandNu the least, but that's because of the foreign guys there, all touchin' my hair and actin' like they're the best thing on the planet. How dare they? Don't touch my hair when you're a Black man that knows the rules. The forgot, been living in Korea too long. I didn't want to get kicked out, so I stuck to just saying "back off" instead of punching them in the face. I am not a dog to be petted. I give Koreans a pass (the first time) because they don't know and they're just fascinated hair like mine exists. I will NOT give others who know that same courtesy.

Anyway, on one of my visits, I met up with my friend, Sun, and we went to the Imperial Castle and Jeongno. The Imperial Castle is huge and I was not prepared. It was beautiful too, but really, it was huge. Why does one person need a house that big?! Good thing his family, courtiers, and ministers all stayed there too. I told Sun that if I were a member of the royal family and they wanted to see me, someone better carry me because I ain't walkin' that far if it's not a matter of life and death. But the castle was indeed very beautiful. Jeongno (I think that's what it's called, correct me if I'm wrong, please) is a traditional street in Seoul where pretty much everything is in Korean. It was a nice place for a walk, and Sun and I took the time to catch up on all the things we missed.

Then it was Amariah and Gretchen's birthday weekend. Woo. Four days of dancing. I had to back out of the third day, I can't do that. But it was fun and we ended up all having a good time. I'm happy that Amariah and Gretchen had fun too, it's only right that they do for their birthdays. I take birthdays very seriously. You're celebrating life. so it's only right to have fun and well... live it up!

I think that's all I can talk about for now. I believe the next post will focus more on my life in Gwangju, and what I've learned so far about teaching while being here. I will tell you this, I really like teaching. It's difficult, but it's a fulfilling profession. Unless I become an idol (which I won't, not in a bajillion years) I'm gonna keep teaching for a while.

Cheers~

Provincial Orientation: A Whirlwind

Cheers and Hello!

It's another post! Yes, I know, two? So soon? Welllllll~ I haven't posted in almost 2 weeks, so I'm making up for it.

Anyway, after the closing ceremony for Busan, we all left for the provincial orientation. Well, most of us did. Some people had no provincial orientation and some orientations are longer than others. The Jeonnam orientation is by far the longest, a whopping 8 days, with only 1 day for rest (thank Gawd for Sundays). Let's just say the Jeonnam Orientation was the Busan orientation condensed into 8 days. Well, more like 7 days because on the first day, we just rested and went out on the town. Gwangju is a nice city (although I'm still digging Busan just a tiny bit more). It was a three-hour drive to our orientation facility from BUFS. We went from a group of 116 scholars (plus 2 who came later) to a small snug group of 22. Ironically, exactly half of this group was from my class in the national orientation, Group C. Keep it Class-C. Lol.

The facility we were at was specific to teacher training and for the first half of the orientation, we had the run of the place. We spent the first day, like I said, resting before classes. In the evening, after dinner, our POE coordinator, Jae Lee (or Papa Jae, as we all call him) took us into the town via bus to show us where the youngun's hang out.

When we walked around, I spotted a churro place and I immediately went to get a churro (I freakin' love churros). The owner, a nice man, said my hair was pretty and the two workers (both guys as well) agreed. I got a churro... and a free ice-cream. I officially named him my Gwangju churro guy. I mean, I got a free ice-cream! And when I went back later, they still remembered me.

It's ben a while and so much happened, so I'm gonna keep it short.

We had our opening ceremony the next day and got right down to business: we had classes. Yep. More classes on pedagogical methods for EFL in South Korea. They clearly take this very seriously. I feel like I should've gotten a TEFL certification after both orientations. Really. All the classes and practice teaching demos. I think I deserve a TEFL certificate. Yes, I had another practicum.

The nice thing about Practicum 3 was that it was a co-teaching class, with actual Korean co-teachers. It was longer, but more realistic in the sense that we'll know how to work with co-teachers. My co-teacher was an adorable guy named Gi-Won. Unfortunately, he wasn't my official KTS, but he was cool people. He's that awkward duckling that you can't help but wanna put in your pocket and take with you everywhere. Anyway, the people who assessed our class said I did good, I just needed to be more enthusiastic (apparently I'm too stoic, but my students like it, so whatevs) and they like how I actually made use of my co-teacher.

We also went on another cultural trip to Jeonbuk where we went to Jeonju, famous for it's Hanok village (aka) the traditional Korean village. I got some cute owl earrings there. They were real silver, and surprisingly cheap. We also went to explore the museum/former palace. It was pretty. Then we went to go make bibimbap, which is this dish of rice and veggies and egg that is served hot and delicious. After that, we were let loose and told to be back by about 5 to head back down to Jeonnam. While prowling he hanok village, we saw a street performance and the indie musicians were pretty good. We got their facebook info too. We're friends now.

Later, we had a class on traditional Korean music and I played the Janggu, a traditional Korean drum. It was awesome. And the teacher was a good singer and I asked her to be my singing instructor. She was totally down for it too. We also had a class where we wore hanbok, traditional Korean garb. I looked good. No, really, I did. Look at the picture. Anyway, we kinda forced Saya and Leo to get married. It was fun. I was a Bridesmaid and I helped Saya get married. Leo had to do a bunch of stuff too. He had to get his feet smacked by the guests until she sang to him (the 3 bears song) and he had to carry her around the classroom to prove he was worthy of his bride. Poor Leo.

Anyway, what else? Hmmm, we had a talent show after our Closing ceremony. Yes, another one. This time I sang "Where are you? What are you doing?" by B.A.P. Once again, I have no video. I'll probably do a cover for my Youtube Channel (look it up, Thatlillady). We'll see. It was a hit, but it was hard because being a B.A.P song, there's rapping and I'm no rapper in English. Imagine doing it in Korean. But whatever. It worked.

After the talent show, we had lunch with our MT (mentor teachers) and then went off to our schools. My teacher took my to my apartment (literally, 15 minute drive from the orientation facility) and then to get myself a phone. Lastly, he took me to the school to meet the staff.

And that was orientation in a nutshell.

Cheers!

Teaching: Week 1

(6th grade in the middle of a speaking activity)

This post comes weeks after my actual first week of teaching. But whatever. I started it and decided to finish it.  No pictures. I'll try to make another post soon. Especially since I'm sick and shouldn't be going outside this weekend.

Week one of teaching was actually pretty good.

Before I explain, I need to break down how my classes are divvied up. I have 10 curriculum classes, AKA 10 classes that are actually included in the school day. I teach these classes alongside the regular homeroom teachers. My mentor teacher, Daniel, is the homeroom teacher for the 6th grade. I mostly help with any speaking activities for these classes. As for after school, I teach a total of 6 after school classes, 3 on Monday, and 3 on Friday. I have complete control over what I do for my after school classes, but I try to supplement the curriculum classes and give extra speaking classes. I try to generate more conversation so that the students get used to speaking English.

Anyway, while I had no curriculum classes on Monday, I did have my after school classes. The plan was to make a PowerPoint introducing myself and quiz the kids on what they knew. It went well... for the older kids. OF course, this is because the older kids had more English experience, but I was surprised at the low levels despite the desire to learn English here. I was warned, of course, but we all know how that goes. You have to actually see it to believe it. Simple vocabulary like family member titles and things were well over the abilities of third and fourth graders, who you would think already knew at least those terms. This is weird because there IS a separate English teacher for K-2nd. But it's okay. 'Cuz I'll be showing them.

A short notice: the levels in rural areas are usually pretty low, but not always. But you won't believe me, so I'll say this instead: Meet your students and assess them yourself. I have friends who have pretty advanced students. I have friends who have students whose levels are basically at Zero. Meet your students and assess them yourself. Don't assume they have low levels or high levels. Don't go in with any preconceived notions. Only then can you prepare properly for your first lesson.

Back to the story. My third graders on Monday knew next to no English. They had an extremely small vocabulary (Hello, goodbye, teacher) and were just learning the alphabet properly. But they were a delight anyway, and too cute.

The next few days I basically assisted the homeroom teachers in teaching English and I got to know the students. The 6th grade teacher, Daniel (Daehan), who is also my mentor teacher, was kind enough to have his students make name plates that they had to bring to class for me to use. It was good, because I'm horrible with names. Always have been. The fourth grade teacher, Mrs. Bang, came up with a bunch of games to help me memorize the student's names (only worked for a few of them, though).  There are only six third graders, sot heir names are pretty easy. I gave up on 5th grade pretty easily. I basically learn them as I go.

Friday was my first day of actually teaching. I had 4th, 5th, and 6th grade in the afternoon all by myself. It wasn't that bad, 4th grade was enthusiastic about helping me know their names, especially since I told them I was bad with names. 5th grade was a little apathetic, but then again I realized they should be just coming into puberty and I should keep an eye on them. 6th grade were angels who were energetic, enthusiastic, and ass focused as normal 6th graders can be (enough to do what I told them, but not enough to do it without talking). I think for the most part they like me. But I also know that they're going to test my limits as a teacher. It's what kids do. Good thing I've never been a lenient teacher. I'm pretty strict.

Before I close this out, I must mention my co-teacher, Sera, who is amazing. She's the only reason I can communicate with my 3rd and 4th graders, and the main reason why they pay attention. They like my lessons, but without some Korean translation, they wouldn't be able to understand. And kids need to understand to be interested. Kids lose interest pretty quickly. I thank Sera for being a translator and thus helping my kids see that my lessons can actually be pretty interesting. Or so I hope. I mean, most of it is games to get them to use English actively anyway.

That's all for now, folks.

Cheers!!

Last Days in Busan

Well... it had to happen... I had to leave Busan.

(Mina, for her birthday outing. Saya was cut off, lol.)

This makes me sad, for in the 2 weeks I was there, I decided I really liked Busan. It was a cool town. I felt really comfortable there. Apart from when the older women just touched my hair out of nowhere. That was weird, but I'll get used to it.

Before I commence with the sad farewell to my dream city in S. Korea, I'll tell you about my last few days. On Friday we had just a few more classes, and we had some on Saturday as well. One class on Friday was based on feedback from our practicums, and it was very much appreciated. it showed us the major holes in our lesson plans. But then the lecturers were sure to tell us we'd get better at lesson planning throughout the year if we're dedicated. I certainly am, or else I wouldn't be here.

A side-note: we keep being told we were the best generation so far. And we keep asking each other "How bad were the previous generations?" Really, we weren't monsters, but I can't say that all of us were angels either. I think it's because we took practicums so seriously. I mean, why half-ass something like that? It is a great way to gauge how good we'd be as teachers and get great feedback on our teaching methods.

Moving on. We also had some cool classes now that practicum was over, such as English magic, where we learned magic tricks and used stories in English along with them to keep the children entertained. We also had a Korean History lesson which in my opinion was a little... different from what I expected. It was a good lecture, though. I think the lesson we all agreed was least involved was the psychology lesson. It was a good lesson, but I think it would have helped to tie it to childhood education. Then it would be perfect. For me, I learned most of it in my Psych 1 class. It wasn't really new material. However, the lecturer's enthusiasm was extremely endearing. It's always heart-warming to see someone, especially this cute old man, excited about something like that. I hope he does well in future TaLK lectures, because I do think there is high value in his lecture. He just needs to bring it out!

On both Friday and Saturday, I pretty much stayed in. If I went out, I don't remember. Really, it feels like I was in Busan for 2 years rather than 2 weeks, with all the studied we accomplished in that short amount of time. However, I do remember that the talent show was on Saturday. Unfortunately, there are no pictures or videos. I sang "Timeless" by Kelly Clarkson, but I mixed it with the Korean version. If I do it again, I'll definitely get it on video. It's a good thing it wasn't caught on camera though, I cracked really bad at a key point in the song. Thanks to Lu-Lu for not posting it on Facebook.

(Me, Mina, and CPT)

Sunday, however, was a different matter altogether. My friend Mina's birthday was on Wednesday, but we weren't going to see each other because we would all be in our provinces by then. So we went out in Busan. We went to the Busan National University area and went shopping in the area. I finally had the chance to pick up a sweater that I had been wanting since I saw a Korea student wearing it in New York. You cana get it at a men's store. Saya and I both got one. We found the hip-hop style stores, they were our priority. Korean hip-hop is different from the American style. But that's okay, I still like it. The guys there treated us like superstars though. We were all black and we were all looking around. Whenever we walked into a store, you could sense they were happy to see us. I almost felt famous. But I'm not. I have to keep in mind that they don't get a lot of black people there.

(At a cafe)

We went back to the BUFS dorm for dinner. If it's free, don't deny it. Dinner was good, but Chef wasn't there, so it wasn't as good as usual. After dinner. we gathered again to go hit up the Noraebang. This is my first time singing at the noraebang in S. Korea. Most of the others had done it at least once since arriving. It was really fun, everyone had a good time. There were 5 of us and we sang for about 2 hours. The echo was a bit annoying, but it can make anyone sound like a superstar.

The next day was Monday, which meant the the end of the national orientation. People were getting rather teary, actually. Tanya was worried because she would be away from us, but we promised to go visit her. Also, Amariah and Ryanne were both going to a different province, but at least they'll be together because they applied through their school. Saya and I were both placed in the same province and the same county, so we had our regional orientation together. And Leo and Sebastian. They're with us too. And Gretchen. Go team Damyang. Anyway, after the ceremony, people went out, and some people stayed in for last-minute laundry and packing. Once again, that night was a blur.

(Class C, bro.)

On Tuesday was the last day, we all departed for our provincial orientations. Except for the three Incheon TaLK-ers. They didn't have an orientation. I think. Or as that another group? Mollayo. We left in groups and in waves, but it was still emotional. 2 weeks was more than enough to get attached to our new friends. Probably because we saw each other every day, ate the same meals, had classes together, spent time in the lounge or out on the time together... we were almost like Siamese twins. That's all I'll say for now. Info on Jeonnam will be reserved for the next post!

(waiting to be shipped off to provincial orientation)

Cheers~!

K-Vocab:
Mollayo: I don't know (semi-formal)