blustery january day

Its cold, and there was no way I was going to go to the gym today in the freezing cold. I am going to have make up for it by Wednesday; hopefully the weather will be more accommodating.

I reached a kind of breaking point last Thursday night at work with one of the teachers. That night I swore I was going to burn him in effigy on this blog. I was going to write how he is a pompous, self-serving egotist whose pseudo-intellectual banter serves as a shell to hide his own inadequacies, but instead I will take greater pleasure in writing about the experience after work. Several other co-workers and I went to a 노래방, or a singing room.

It has been too long since I have had that much fun in a singing room. It's one thing to go to a singing room, and it's another to go with people who are as much into it as you are. You know you are in good company when your singing room companions jump up and dance or sing along with you. I sang a lot of songs; this is what I could remember: Age of Aquarius, Oblaidi-Oblada, Hello,Good Bye, With or Without You, Don't Worry Be Happy, Happy Together, Mrs. Robinson, and about two to three Queen songs. Everyone sang at least a song or two, except for Scott. Scott only goes to the singing room to watch and enjoy; he said he would only sing if there was a B-52's song available. We started singing around 10:15ish and left around midnight. The question on everyone's mind since then was when will this night happen again?

After that night of singing, I felt a lot better. I was able to relieve the tension that had been building that whole day.

New duty at Poly

Earlier this week, I was one of three teachers asked to field questions that prospective teachers may have about working at Poly. Two days ago, I received an email from a prospective teacher who had lots of great questions. I decided to post the questions and my responses below just to give you more of an idea of what I am doing over here, and perhaps fill in information gaps I may have neglected to mention in earlier posts. Enjoy!

----------------
I am an afternoon/evening teacher who intends on switching to the morning program. I work from 1:00pm-9:00pm with 2 hours of prep and 6 hours of teaching. I'll answer the easier questions first.

> How many foreign teachers are there at the Ilsan
> school?

Currently, there are 12 foreign teachers (a mix of Canadians and Americans), 2 foreign supervisors, and a director that seems more American in approach than Korean.

> How close is the apartments to the Juyup subway
> station?

By taxi, about 5 min. By bus, about 10 min. By foot, 25-30 min.

> How close is the school to the apartments? Can you
> walk?

Some of the teachers do actually walk; I sometimes walk to and from school. A brisk walk to school should be 15 min., leisurely walk, about 20 minutes.

> What is the Ilsan area like?

Its great! Imagine planned-community. Open spaces, plenty of landscaping, cleaner air than Seoul, and a very small population density. I've lived in the Gangnam area of Seoul, and it was great to be around so much, but the polluted air and dense population really got to me. I don't mind being a 30 min. bus ride outside of Seoul.


> If there was one thing you could tell us that is
> negative about the school what would it be? One
> Positive thing?

A negative aspect about this job is the amount of paperwork you are expected to do each month. Besides prepping and teaching, you will be responsible for monthly report cards for all the students you teach, daily attendance (this includes monitoring who received and returned their report cards), checking homework each class (or during a part of your prep time), making parts of monthly tests, and curriculum evaluations. Because of the many paperwork responsibilities, many teachers take some of the it home and complete it in their off time. I have to do this every month with report cards.

A positive aspect is really everything else. Ilsan Poly has a western-style of management, so supervisors will not try to "save face." You can go up to Trevor and Tim and expect them to act on any critical comments or suggestions you may have. Also, they will be honest and candid with you. I could go on if you'd like to know more.

> How are the accommodations? What is average
> cost of utilities etc.?

The single-housing accommodations range in various shapes and sizes. For example, the area of the apartments can be as little as 33 sq. m. to 50 sq. m. They are relatively new, built in the last 10 years or so. The configuration of the apartment is difficult to describe.

Imagine one large living area that has a double-sized bed, wardrobe, TV+VCR, and kitchen area. My apartment has a balcony that runs along the length of my apartment. I can send you pictures if you prefer. Let me know... There is a downside to the living arrangements though: low-quality appliances.

The school purchases second-hand appliances to supply the apartments. The appliances include washing machine (sorry, no dryer), fridge, TV, VCR, and telephone. If anything breaks, then the school will replace it with another second-hand item (in rare cases, new ones). A consolation I tell myself is its better than paying rent while here in Korea.

Utilities are very cheap! My gas bill on average is $15 US (I use a lot during the winter months for heating). My electricity bill ranges from $9 to $30. What I'm trying to say is your utilities should be well under $100 per month. It only goes up when you add services like Internet, etc.


> Are there at lot of resources available
> (books,teaching aids etc)?

The answer is Yes and No. It really depends on what you are teaching. For example, I've been able to find plenty of supplements for the Science classes I teach, but very little in the way of Vocabulary and Grammar. Normally, when I have a question about how to effectively teach something, I talk to Trevor. He is a great resource of teaching tips. If Trevor is no help, I consult the Internet for ideas.

What's great about Poly is that other teachers teach the same kind of classes that you will, and you can collaborate and create supplements together. I have to say the teachers are really great about helping each other out in the way of teaching and sharing supplements. Also, a few past teachers who've worked at Poly compiled their supplements they've made or found into notebooks for future teachers to use. These notebooks also are a great help.

> What are the relationships like with fellow
> colleagues both Korean and Foreign?

Aside from helping each other out, on the whole, I would say that the foreign teachers are fairly easy-going and cordial to one another. No one has any hard feelings or grudges.

In terms of the Korean-Foreign relationships, the same could be said. I've found that the Korean staff at Poly are much nicer to the foreign staff and more open with the cultural differences than my previous school. Most of the staff that you will directly deal with speak some English. Yet, they still are Korean, and will get offended easily if treated with any kind of disrespect. For example, the Korean teachers were offended when some of the foreign teachers referred to them as "Korean assistants."


> What is the curriculum like?

Poly exclusively uses material from North America, particularly the US. I primarily teach grammar, vocabulary, and writing, therefore I only see these kinds of textbooks. Frankly speaking, the curriculum is hit or miss. I've had great grammar books that tried to take some of the dullness out of it, but the current ones are not anything to write home about. The same could be said with the writing and vocabulary books. I cannot say much about reading books, because I don't teach that subject.


> How much prep work do you do?

It really depends on the material. Sometimes I am pressed for time to complete all of my prepping within 2 hours. But you must remember, I am prepping for 4-5 kinds of classes per day. Yes there is overlapping due to the material, but not much. I have never felt that I have consistently not have enough time to prep.

Other days, like test days, I have virtually very little to prep. In fact, I can pay bills at the bank, go get a coffee, or whatever errand I must do. Usually, I am expected to be in the school, but the supervisors give me some slack, but not too much. Weeks with tests scheduled feel like short working weeks because of the test administering duties. Give the test, that's it.

> What is a typical work day like for you?

Arrive at 1:00pm, prep for two hours, teach for six hours. I'll give you a rough version of my work schedule to get an idea. All classes are 40 minutes with five minute breaks in between each one.

On Mondays:
3:00-3:40= Returnee Grade 1 Writing
3:45-4:25= Special Grade 1 Writing
4:30-5:55= Returnee Grade 4 Writing
6:00-7:30= Returnee Grade 6 Vocabulary
7:35-8:15= Returnee Grade 8 Novels
8:20-9:00= Returnee Grade 7 Vocabulary

On Tuesdays and Thursdays:
3:00-3:40= Special Grade 2 Science
3:45-4:25= Special Grade 1 Science
4:30-6:40= Gifted/Talented Grade 5 Writing/Grammar/Vocab
6:50-9:00= Gifted/Talented Grade 6 Writing/Grammar/Vocab

Wednesdays are Returnee Grammar days.

On Fridays:
3:00-3:40= Returnee Grade 1 Writing
3:45-4:25= Special Grade 1 Writing
4:30-5:55= Returnee Grade 4 Writing
6:00-7:30= Returnee Grade 6 Vocabulary
7:35-8:15= Returnee Grade 8 Writing
8:20-9:00= Returnee Grade 7 Vocabulary

That's my schedule. If you any further questions let me know.

Peter

JoongAng Newspaper on Englishspectrum.com

My original intention was not to continue the englishspectrum.com thread from the previous post. However, I received a translated version of the first article that was printed in the JoongAng newspaper. I decided to post it below. Any thoughts??

Web messages draw Koreans’ wrath

A column on an English-language Web site has created a firestorm.
Englishspectrum.com, a Web site on which foreign English teachers can search for jobs and exchange information, has had a problem since last week because of a column titled “Ask the Playboy.”
In the column, a man calling himself “the playboy” related his dating experiences in Korea and gave advice to those who asked how to “get” a Korean woman.
Using raw and vulgar expressions related to such topics as “how to sleep with Korean women,” the column angered a group of Koreans who saw the articles as insulting and degrading to Korean women and to Korea as a nation.
In a message on the site’s bulletin board, someone referred to Korea as “Kimchi Land,” and said the country has nothing to offer except “easy women” and money.
Soon the messages were passing through cyberspace, offending many Koreans.
Since the major users of the Web site were native-speaking English teachers in Korea, the Korean public had not been exposed to the contents of the column to this extent in the past.
Eventually, the matter was taken up by the major domestic media, both on and offline, and the Web site was temporarily closed down.
A party involving foreigners and Koreans held in a bar in the Hongdae area also recently became a target of the public’s anger as demonstrating the “immoral” activities of foreigners in Korea.
Photos taken at the party were disseminated on the Internet, exposing the identities of some of the people who attended. The bar’s Web site was inactivated as well.
One notable aspect of the public reaction to these incidents was that Korean women who date Western men were severely criticized, especially by Korean men.
“Korean men should all beware of Korean women who’ve been abroad, or who speak English well,” was one such comment.
In the “Anti-English Spectrum Cafe,” created after the “Playboy” incident, many comments carried extremely negative views about relationships between Korean women and Western men.
“I cannot believe what I saw in the pictures from the party,” one person wrote on the cafe’s message board. “I hate the girls more than the Westerners who were with them. They give a bad name to Korean women.”
The bar’s owner, however, said, “If a Korean woman dances with a Western man, does that make her a prostitute? Ignorance of cultural differences and irrational patriotism are hurting innocent people.”
“The party didn't harm anybody. It was just another party involving alcohol and fun,” said another Internet user whose ID was repubofkorea. “In Korea, there are far worse parties where Korean men do dirtier things. Just because there were Korean women and Western men, the public is making racist judgments.”
Some English teachers said they were puzzled by the escalating issue.
“Koreans should not judge the entire group of native-speaking English teachers in Korea based on the messages written on a Web site,” said one English teacher, who did not identify himself.
“The messages on the board (in the ‘Ask the Playboy’ column) weren’t meant to be taken seriously,” he said, adding that scenes from the party that Koreans called “nasty” and “immoral” were considered acceptable in North America.
To add fuel to the fire, however, another shocking online message written on a Web site for English teachers in Korea, bearing the title “How to Molest Your Students,” was brought to the public’s attention, creating even more anger.
An English teacher who identified himself as “Jamie” expressed strong concern about the situation.
“The message was disgusting. Many other English teachers expressed their anger to the person who wrote it,” he said. “I hope the message doesn't worsen Koreans' sentiment about us. The messages of a few ‘bad’ people should not be the standard by which to judge the whole group.”


by Choi Sun-young

tim coming to town?

Tim, my old college friend and roommate, has recently picked up a traveling visa to China. I got to see Tim briefly in California while I visited during New Year's, and now he may be visiting me in Korea for about 5-7 days. He is looking to come out in mid-February.

Tim is no stranger to mainland China; his visit will be his second. On his first visit to China, Tim spent a year studying the Chinese language. I am not sure about his second visit. When we talked last, Tim said he has job prospects lined up in Beijing. I guess one of these prospects came through for him. Maybe he will become an English teacher much like myself, or maybe he will become a radio personality. I am not sure which... I'll find out soon enough.

englishspectrum.com

Englishspectrum.com is known to many expatriates in Korea as a primary portal for communicating with other expatriates about life in Korea. You can find just about anything expatriate-oriented on the site, whether it be information on social events/clubs in and around Seoul, to job postings for English teachers, to even a guide and chat area for whatever anyone felt they wanted to express. This morning I learned that the website has been shut down indefinitely.

The third largest newspaper in Korea wrote a scathing article lambasting the website for facilitating information (including pictures) on exploiting Korean women. What specifically generated the uproar was the "Ask the Playboy" column, which is a column about how to pick-up Korean women. As a response to the article, various Korean groups will demonstrate in an area of Seoul that expatriates usually frequent.

The main reason why I mention any of this is because I really wanted to focus on the messenger of this news, my old roommate from Kids Club, Stephen. He sent me the message this morning. I am cautious to write anything more about him here on this weblog, because I know he reads it. If I am to write anything, then I should write that I am glad that he is my friend, and I regret not seeing him more often than what I do these days. Stephen lives and works in Seoul, where as I live and work in Ilsan, just north of Seoul.

Thanks for the email, Stephen!

Weekend please

This has got to be one of the busiest weeks I have had at Poly. Not only have assumed new classes that call for additional prep time, but I am also to write a twenty question test over 98 pages of sixth grade grammar material, write report cards for 100+ students, and teach a morning intensive course on third grade writing! Am I forgetting anything... yes, a month-long project on revamping the school's website. One thing at time, I hope.

The test was due today; I will spend tonight making it. I will start as soon as I press publish.

LA pics part 2

More pics as promised.

New Year's in LA: a conclusion

Thursday night, the three of us strolled around Downtown for awhile, went back to Urth Caffe (the deck coffeehouse that makes great cappuccinos and lattes) , and called it a night at the apartment.

New Year's Eve: Friday, Tim leaves, and Matt and I do last minute shopping for me in the afternoon along with meeting Nick and Christine. Nick and Christine are the couple that let us crash at their place earlier in the week while they were shooting a short film in the desert. That night Matt and I discussed our plans for New Year's, and I insisted that I would be more open to ideas if I had caffeine inside me. Much was going on in the city so we had much to choose from, but alas we attended none of the events. Turns out the jetlag caught up with me, and I slept through New Year's. Later, Matt told me that he too went to bed early. We later found out that was a good thing because we both had a big day ahead of us: LAX HELL!

Originally, I intended to demonize both LAX and United for their inefficiency and poor customer service, but on second thought, I decided against it. The reason for the roasting was because it was pandemonium at the airport, and United lost my luggage. Later, as I arrived in Korea, I learned that my bag never left LAX. I eventually got my luggage intact. Matt also had difficulties. The pandemonium that was the airport confused him, and then agitated him greatly. When Matt landed in San Francisco, he had to wait 30 minutes for his bag to be unloaded from the plane. I decided against writing about here because, I lost the steam that was driving me.

I will post more from the trip.

New Year's in LA: a summary

Like I wrote before, going to LA was about spending quality time with good friends, and not about viewing the tourist sites that LA has to offer. That was my goal, and I accomplished it. The day I left for Korea I told Matt I wished I had another week of vacation. One week was clearly not enough time.

Matt met me in the airport the day I arrived in LA. We drove in a rental car to the apartment where would be staying for most of the week. The notable highlight of this day, other than seeing Matt as I walked out of the LAX terminal, was meeting Matt's sister's family. The picture below with the baby is Caren, Andy, and their daughter Olivia (Olive). I have known Matt for at least 6-7 years, and within that time I have met his father, mother, and various uncles, aunts, and cousins, but never his sister and family. I have seen dozens of pictures, heard many stories, and even talked to Caren over the telephone for a few minutes. Being able to have a personal experience with them was truly a joy. I could write more of a reflection about the experience, but that is for a later post. I had lunch with Matt, his sister, Andy, and Olivia.

On Monday, Matt and I learned that Brian was having difficulty catching a flight to LA. Later that day, we learned that Brian would not be able to make it at all due to fully booked flights. Matt and I puttered around in shopping areas, and eventually found ourselves cruising up the Californian coast while listening to U2's latest album + B-sides. After which, we grabbed a bite of Tex-Mex, and later in the evening we watched the Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (or was this Sunday?). Matt enjoyed the movie; I didn't.

Tuesday was shopping day for me day. Matt was very nice using this day to buy me stuff. As the day progressed, so did my guilt about it. I did not want to be completely selfish with our time. Around lunchtime, I noticed Matt was shutting down; he needed fuel. By shutting down, I mean his chin progressively drooped more to his chest as he walked, and his lips began to protrude as if he was pouting. I sensed Matt needed food. I bought him ice cream as a way of showing my appreciation. That evening we watched Lemony Snicket's a Series of Unfortunate Events. We both enjoyed the movie.

Wednesday, Tim arrived from San Diego. He caught up with Matt and I in a village near UCLA. Earlier Matt and I tried to go to the Getty Center, but the line to it was far too long. It was nice to finally see Tim. He told me about his upcoming plans to go back to China to continue studying Chinese while working there. We left the little village in the late afternoon, and drove to Hollywood Blvd. to visit the Museum of DEATH! Unfortunately, it was gone, and and in its place was a Thai restaurant. We spent sometime walking the Hollywood strip at night... quite a different feel than when walking during the day. We bought tickets to two wax museums... they were decent.

Thursday was museum day. The three of us parked the car in Downtown LA, and went to the MOCA (The Museum of Contemporary Art), a kind of Farmer's Market, the Japanese-American Museum, and the MOCA Annex. The picture below of the three of us behind a silverly building is us behind the Walt Disney Orchestra house... I forgot the name. The picture below of us with beer and with Tim with chopstickes is us at a Korean restaurant having lunch. We ordered Korean beer...

I'll post more later.

ahh... the weekend

This week went by quickly... I can't believe its already Saturday. I have started teaching a writing intensive course for returnee grade 3 students. We meet two days a week and for three classes per day. The length of the course is five weeks. Two new teachers have arrived at the school. Friday was Charles's last day. I have slowly gotten over the jetlag, but not fully. I'll write another post about the trip to LA.

NewYear's in LA

I am still have the jetlag. The trip was incredibly revitalizing. Going to LA was about spending time with good friends and enjoying their company for what little time we had together. Matt has written a great post about a part of the trip on his blog. Go there to get his take; I will post mine later. Until then, enjoy the following pics from the trip!


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