Rollercoaster.

This week has been a rollercoaster for sure.

I've laughed, cried, cried from laughing so hard, absolutely loved my students, wanted to put tape over my student's mouth, missed home, been encouraged tremendously by people from home, adventured, and stayed home.

Let's begin with school.  I wasn't super confident going into this week's lesson, but then again, I never am.  However, this has been the best teaching week by far.  Seating charts where I split up every table that sat together the first two weeks were implemented, resulting in much less chatter and a longer attention span.  The lesson was on directions. simple.  I had a fairly easy powerpoint with easy vocabulary and phrasing and had them repeat after me, etc.  Then had them do some exercises as a class with a map - I give them directions and they tell me where we end or they tell me how to get somewhere.

Now comes the fun and very highly entertaining part.  I would blindfold one student, put an object (I used a whiteboard eraser) somewhere on the other side of the room, and the rest of the class had to direct her to the object using english and the vocab we had just learned.  It was honestly so hilarious while being extremely effective in their learning.  I had girls running into chairs, jumping randomly in the middle of the room because their friends thought it was hilarious, and crawling on the floor. Entertainment for me while they learn = amazingness.  Once a girl from each table had gone, I allowed them to blindfold me and hide the object.  They love that I will be silly with them but I truly think I'm maintaining their respect. 

Best story from this activity:  In one of my classes I have a Korean coteacher who is always smiley and speaks a bit of English and you can tell the students enjoy him.  So for when I "hid" the eraser one time, I gave it to him.  He then proceeded to stick it in his front pocket on his shirt.  Now, I know that in the US this would not fly and would be deemed inappropriate, blah, blah.  but here it's not a big deal.  By the time the girl was directed to close to him, he was totally hamming it up and would clap on either side of her and everyone in the class was laughing hysterically.  I don't cry very easily while laughing...and I had tears running down my face, as many other students did.  so. good.

The best part of this lesson? At the end, when I review and ask questions about what we learned, each class has been excited to answer and knew all the answers. I guess I do like this teaching thing when it goes well. :]

Aside from school, if I can be real with you all, which I will be, I've been missing home a lot, especially family. There was a pretty low point this week where I didn't know if I really wanted to be here for a year and just secondguessing this whole adventure.  However, as usual, God turns things around.  Thanks to an amazing week of teaching, plans for a fun weekend ahead (a hike to a temple!), dinner out with friends, and amazing talks from supportive friends and family back home, I'm in such a better place.  The thought of a year is daunting, but when I think of all the fun trips and people visiting in the year ahead, the technology to be able to see and speak with people in the US, and just what an opportunity this is - I'm okay.  I'm glad I'm here.

I'm going to add some random pics from recently if you don't mind - otherwise they'll never get up and I want you to be able to see them!


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Keimyung University. There were lines for buses everywhere to take students home!

random large doors on the campus - there was nothing on the other side!

Seomun Market - LARGE traditional market!

yummy market food with holly

Seaweed anyone?

or what about anchovies? want a box?

the market in a fairly calm spot.

beautiful church we found

temple close to downtown - one of my favorite pictures

my other favorite :]

well, I'm sure I'll have an update after this weekend so you'll hear from me soon.  If you ever want to shoot me an email or snail mail, I love them both!!

rmilhous788@pointloma.edu

Rachel Milhous
janggi-ro 38gil24 #202
Dalseo-gu, Gamsamdong, Daegu, South Korea.

the English Zone...where they speak Korean.

hey friends! Sorry I've been a blogging slacker and am just now getting around to the much anticipated blog about teaching.  For once this blog will be short and to the point and you get a gem of a video tour of my classroom with narration by yours truly!

hopefully that video gives you a glimpse into where I'm teaching - maybe soon I'll take pictures or video outside and around the school too!  While at times I still feel awkward and like I don't belong at this school, I am so much more comfortable with the other teachers and as a teacher in general.  I've officially taught 3 weeks of class and am growing more confident each day. My biggest struggles of teaching would be the sheer number of girls I have in each class (about 40) coupled with the expected language barrier and convincing the students to participate and actually use their English.  But even with those struggles, I'm still moving forward and learning different ways to encourage them - usually by trial and error with different classes.  Because I spend so much time attempting to communicate, I tend to speak slowly with hand gestures, think of different ways to phrase things easier, and ask "do you understand?" - even when I'm not teaching. yep, I've turned into a true ESL teacher.

While I can say with about 90% confidence that teaching is not my calling in life, I am so glad to be having this year of experience.  I was walking to the subway station the other day while listening to some good ol' Journey on my ipod and just thinking about home when I had an epiphany, if you will.  I'm pretty sure God  took me by the shoulders and gave a little shake saying "rachel. look around you. you, my small town daughter, are living in Daegu, South Korea. be present here - enjoy it, learn from your experiences both in the classroom and out, and make this a good story. it may not be your favorite story that you've lived, but make it a good one nonetheless." After making sure I was safely out of the way of scooters, bikes, and pedestrians on the sidewalk (yes, scooters and motorcycles ride on the sidewalks and will run you over if you don't move), I stopped and took a minute to really look around me.  From my viewpoint, I was able to see cute coffee shops, people who come into the city from the farmland selling bowls of strawberries and apples, stylish korean men and women, tons of korean restaurants, a group of korean men in suits laughing and enjoying one another, and so much more. It's so awesome to be seeing this culture firsthand and immersing myself into the differences, even though some may seem to drive me insane.

If you have known me for very long, you know that I seem to fall in love with new places that I move to. I absolutely loved living in sunny San Diego, rainy but vivid green Ireland, and rustic Kidder in Etna.  To be honest with you, I don't know if South Korea will make it onto the list.  I enjoy it here, but it's not stealing my heart.  However, I can promise you I will live a good story while here and am excited to share it with you.  I'm glad God decided to shake me up a bit and remind me of the chance I've been given here. 

A little encouragement: You don't need to travel to have a good story.  Start something new. Sign up for something you will have to work for (ex. 10k run, etc.). Volunteer for something you are passionate. It'll be worth it.

(I know I said this one would be short and to the point, but yet again I've drifted off topic.  Normally I would just delete all the extra info, but I want to share with you my thoughts, even if they drift around.)

jumble.

For the past 20 minutes, I have been sitting here with a blank text box glaring me in the face.  Do you ever have those moments where a million different topics are running through your head and you have opinions and thoughts on all of them but you don't know where to begin? yep, that's where I am currently. Initially I was going to tell you all about teaching etc. but sitting here on a Sunday night, it almost seems criminal to bring that upon myself so I will chat with you about that later this week (as well as another great video tour - this time of my classroom!) Instead I am just going to ramble about the other million things trotting through my head right now.

One Month.
As of the 17th, I have been in South Korea for an entire month.  Weeks are going by so fast and while I can't believe I'm going into my 3rd week of teaching and 4th of being in Daegu, I feel as if I've been in Korea for forever.  Now this isn't necessarily a particularly great or negative thing - in fact, I think it can go both ways which leads me to my next topic. (you might notice my thoughts flow quick and sometimes windy, try to keep up - my friends and family call it my "chain reaction" and is sometimes hard to follow or if you're a kidder folk, you may just say "girls are spaghetti!")

Comfort
I am so much more comfortable here now.  This is not the same as saying things are easier.  I've talked to teachers who have been here longer than a year and they still say how hard everything is - there are no simple or direct ways to do things; it's just a fact of life in good ol' South Korea.  You will get contradicting directions, rules, etc. and the language barrier is always evident. However, the walk to school is becoming routine, going to teach classes, etc. without a coteacher to lead me is comfortable, and even showering while standing next to the sink isn't as weird anymore.  I'm also much more confident in the little things such as public transit, ordering food, and even walking around and disregarding the ever-present stares because apparently being a blue eyed light brown haired young woman doesn't allow me to blend in. bummer. ;] 

Honeymoon's almost over friends.
As some of you may know, with any big change, especially culturally, most people go through a phase called the "Honeymoon Phase." While I'm going to focus on the culture shock aspect of the honeymoon phase, obviously because that is what has impacted me, this can be applied to any big change in a person's life - like a big move, a new job, etc. In the honeymoon phase, everything is exactly how it sounds - wonderful.  You laugh off the negative aspects or rationalize them so that they are "different" and "exciting".  Depending on the person, this can last a few days to a few weeks to a few months until it turns into the Negotiation phase, basically where the person begins to really miss their home country and they can start picking out things of their new culture that they seem to strongly dislike etc.  Anyway, you're not here to hear a informative lecture, you want to read about my true life experiences. (google culture shock phases if you are curious for more).  These past few weeks in South Korea have been amazing. I haven't had any substantial "bad" days and most things I don't understand I just laugh off and say "oh Dynamic Korea, you're funny."  While this is great, I can see my perspective changing.  I need to decide to keep my perspective positive, as I can see the potential for a negative outlook for a bit.


Missing Home
Most of my posts, if not all, have been cheery and positive without the mention of missing home.  In case you were concerned that you were forgotten or disregarded, that is definitely not the case.  I miss home a lot.  I miss my family most of all but of course my friends, family friends, church family, and anyone I've ever met and decide it's harder that I'm way over here and can't see them, even if I haven't seen them in 5 years.  Let's not forget my cat the beloved OscarBob, my car Wanda, or my teal room with brightly colored polka dots - those are all equally missed also.  I think it's beginning to hit home (no pun intended) that I will gone for an entire year.  Right now it's only been a month, which is relatively short compared to the lengths of time I am usually gone but I'm realizing that it will be a little over 11 more of these until I come home. weird. all that to say, yes. I miss you.  If you've even remotely been in my life in the past...umm.. 18 years of my life (because I don't really remember much before the age of 4) then I've probably thought about and missed you recently.

Faith.
Time and time again, God amazes me.  I mean, I guess I expect for Him to amaze me because He is, well, amazing. ha. But really, there are so many places in my life where people, opportunities etc, have come together and it's one of those things that I can't help but say, yep that was God. (or not come together and then He uses that to teach me something - usually something I don't want to learn - figures.)  The one I want to focus on now is community.  The past two summers I have worked at Kidder Creek Orchard Camps first as a counselor and then WIT program director and saw firsthand the incredible life changing influence that we can not only have by letting God work through us to those younger than us but also as a community of believers.  I have never felt so encouraged, supported, and truly loved by a group of people as the staff of Kidder (thanks, guys!).  As people are getting their jobs for this coming summer and I'm realizing Kidder isn't in the works for me and consequently meaning I won't be surrounded by that amazing support system, it's been hard. 

and then God steps in.  I've been trying to really refocus on Him this past month and I'll admit, it's been hard.  However, today I went to a church that had an English service and it was SO encouraging.  It was welcoming, friendly, encouraging, and just SO good to worship with people again.  It won't be the same type of community as Kidder (nothing can top that - kidder is irreplaceable) but it will be a support.  I'm stoked for it. 

Finale.
This went from a blank page to many words of ramblings - hopefully you enjoyed them and if you didn't, well, it was probably therapeutic for me to get it all out. :]

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“I should like to spend the whole of my life in traveling abroad, if I could anywhere borrow another life to spend afterwards at home.” – William Hazlitt

You know you're in Korea when...

 Someone who is in my program wrote most of this list and I've added, clarified, or taken away some of the statements.  It's just a humorous glimpse into the quirks of living in South Korea - some may be generalizations but I've experienced most at one time or another! enjoy! warning: there are quite a few. if one doesn't make sense or you want an explanation or most likely a funny story of experience to accompany the sentence, let me know!

You know you're in Korea when...

- There are only 3 shower settings – boiling hot, luke warm, freezing cold…
- You will buy ANYTHING with English instructions…
- All food comes either in a single serving or a convenient 30-pack…
- No matter where you are standing, you are always in an old lady’s way…
- You wince every time you turn on your bathroom faucet because you forgot to look to make sure it wasn't on the shower…
- Your shoes’ safety is always at the back of your mind…
- Someone is always watching you… or staring more likely.
- All you watch on TV are Korean game shows, K-Pop music videos, and CSI Miami…
- You expect to be startled at least once a day by someone sneezing loudly…
- You are now always ready for anything to happen…Dynamic Korea! (their motto)
- You wish the country would import cows…
- You hit the switch language button on your keyboard more often than the space bar…
- All protests, stores, or announcements contain a song and dance…
- When the department store opens, the staff will kindly bow to you just before they are nearly trampled…
- Sometimes you feel that the whole city is just a giant school…
- Curiously, you are a little excited about the yellow dust season…when else can I wear a face mask and fit in?
- Facebook is the only thing keeping you sane…
- You actually prefer bowing to saying hello…
- You buy the product with the prettiest label because you can't read anything it says so you just hope it's what you want…
- If you had a wish, you would make every person taste a Western pizza…
- People only need to walk one block to reach a convenience store or PC room…
- People politely start public trash piles rather than littering everywhere…
- Students love to sharpen pencils…with razor blade things, not pencil sharpeners...
- You find yourself disappointed in the equipment offered at the free public park gyms when it's lower than normal...
- You still have no clue how the garbage/recycling system works here...
- You've given up on the rice cooker and now proudly own a microwave...
- Who needs a janitor when you have a school full of kids?
- Costco is your favorite holiday destination…and it's 2 stories!
- You actually convince yourself that you’re starting to blend in…
- You actually believe that you are really beautiful because they tell you so much…
- Everyone is very impressed with your chopstick skills and kimchi-eating ability…
- A single bar of soap can kill the bacteria on the hands of 1000 people…
- Pedestrians share the sidewalk with automobiles and motorcycles...
- Public restrooms don't have toilet paper or paper towels...
- Every child you pass on the street will say 'hello' to you and then promptly giggle and run away...
- Children love arm hair...
- People think you should board the train first before allowing people to get off...
- Cell phones are meant to always be turned on...
- People love to know your blood type...
- Kids and non-smokers are invincible to second-hand smoke apparently...
- Trash can fires are not just for the homeless anymore...
- You are at risk of being hit by a car the second you walk out of your apartment (so, so true)...
- You don't cringe when a car zooms past you on a street narrow enough for one car and misses you by inches...
- There are more oscillating-fan-related deaths than shootings...
- Other foreigners fascinate you...
- People think that it is really nice to meet you once again for the 300th time...
- Most laws are merely suggestions...
- All food is "delicious" with no exceptions...
- You only hear Justin Bieber and Lady Gaga's names twice a week now...
- The school bell makes you crave ice cream (it's a whole song like an ice cream truck...I tend to want to dance to it)...
- The apocalypse has not arrived... it's just some guy selling fish... (people drive trucks around with loudspeakers announcing what they are selling as they drive...but it sounds like the world is coming to an end)
- You carry your empty coffee cup for a long time after you finished it...
- Everyone is fascinated by their own face and like to take lots of pictures of themselves...
- If you have light colored eyes (like me) they will stare and then tell other people and then you have tons of people just staring at your eyes and still speaking Korean until one finally says "you have beautiful eyes!" and they all nod...
- You need to start making a schedule of your laundry waiting period so things have time to dry...
- Fish and rice belong at any breakfast table...
- Walking backwards in a circle is a great way to exercise...
- It makes sense to remove your face mask if you need to sneeze...
- There are only 2 languages ever spoken - Korean and English...
- Little kids traveling alone on public transit is nothing to be concerned about...
- Loud construction workers are Korea's answer to the alarm clock...
- Any decent men's tie should sparkle...
- Using a broom half your size instead of buying one that you don't have to bend in half seems logical...
- Animals love to advertise their own consumption....
- Everyone, including 7 year olds, has a nicer cell phone than you...
- Even if you are fast asleep on the subway or city bus, you won't miss your stop...

so, like I said, these are just a few that I thought were funny or thought "so true!" when I read them!

I'll do an update on teaching soon! :]

oh, and I'm finally a registered alien here! woohoo!!

climbing Mt. Apsan.

This past weekend brought the most beautiful weather I have seen thus far in Daegu.  Clear blue skies, warmer temperatures, and the timing of the weekend was perfect.  Rather than be stuck in my classroom during this phenomenal weather, I was able to go hiking with my friend Holly (side note: I appreciate her friendship so much and know this adventure would be so different if I hadn't met her! I'm grateful for her! :] ).  She lives near a large mountain, so naturally, we decided to hike it on Saturday.  We started out at about 2pm and just started walking toward the mountain.  Just walking without knowing where we are going tends to be a common action with us and has let to some great adventures.  Mt. Apsan did not let us down.

so we found this path and kept going - every sign was in korean and there was no map but never fear, a very jolly older korean man stopped us and was excited to speak some English.  He then told us there were 3 trails - flat and easy to the right, windy to the left, and steep in the middle.  After suggesting that we do one of the easier trails, we thanked him and kept walking.  What was the decision when we got to the fork in the road? the steep trail of course.  I wish I would have taken a picture of the beginning of this trail because it was seriously SO steep. It began as ribbed concrete as to give better traction and up, up, up we went!  Something you should know about Koreans and when they hike: they take it very seriously.  Legit hiking boots, jackets, backpacks, and hiking stick things (I don't know technical terms, I do minimalist hiking) surrounded us.  Most people we saw hiking were well over the age of 50 and I'll even admit that they may have passed us with little to no difficulty.  The trail came to a point where we weren't sure if we were at someone's house (I'm still not sure what that was) but after looking confused for a few minutes, we "asked" a bicycle man who was resting which way to go.  By "ask" I mean that Holly pointed up the mountain and said "this way?" and he just smiled and nodded.  He kept us going on that path too - we paused to rest (it was steep I tell you!) and he apparently could still see us because he yelled "ya! ya!" and kept pointing.  On we went.

trailblazers.

a man told us to smell this. I think it might have been a joke, because I was leaning off a large rock treacherously.

After passing a full on gym in the middle of the mountain, having great laughs and telling stories to each other, we made it to the top of Mt. Apsan.  It was a gorgeous day and we were able to hike in t-shirts - definitely the first day that I've done that in South Korea!

did we miss the pink day memo?

view from the top

It was at this spot that we met our second batch of Korean friends of the day.  The man who took our picture at the top of the mountain talked to us for a little bit and gave us delicious hard candy! I know, I know, don't take candy from strangers, but they were definitely our friends at that point! We decided to adventure down a different path to reach the base of the mountain yet again.  Luckily and semi-surprisingly, we made it without a hitch!! No getting lost on the mountain and having to make beds of leaves or eat berries to survive. Our first hiking adventure in Daegu - definitely a success.

temple at the base of Mt Apsan.

Because we are so obviously photogenic, we asked an older Korean man to take our picture on the bridge and were very surprised to hear his English skills.  He was phenomenal! After taking our picture, we stood and talked to him for quite a few minutes until he asked us to sit on a bench with him and have a chat.  He informed us that he was 79 years old (but obviously 79 yrs young!) and he used to run up the mountain every day when he was younger.  He has traveled to both the US and Canada which made us both happy and was basically a fascinating person to talk to. Side Note: Being stared at for being a foreigner is a constant in Korea and they do it unabashedly - you get used to it. However, because we are foreigners and we were talking to a Korean, it was Stare City.  Anyway, back to our conversation.  Mr. Huh, I'm not joking, is a networking paradise.  He has connections all over the city and gave us his phone numbers so that we may meet up with him again so that he can practice his English (which is already wonderful) and we can have an old Korean friend! So fun.

Hungry from hiking, we finished our adventure by visiting a little place that Holly had heard had great light meals.  The man working there gave us fairly good descriptions in English of the food options and it was so delicious and reasonably priced!  Mine was some type of meat (I seriously have no idea what it was because he said it and I just said, sure, that one") surrounded by rice all wrapped in seaweed.  This is revolutionary.  Before I came to SKorea I hated seaweed.  I would have to hold back a gag when I even smelled it. Now, only a month after moving here, I not only can tolerate the smell, but will voluntarily eat it in combination with other wonderful foods.

Let me just say that it was SO refreshing to be outside in God's creation once again.  Sitting inside and working at a school isn't bad by any means, but I absolutely love being outside and soaking in the sun and nature and just relaxing.  I look forward to many more mountainous adventures in the very near future.  Maybe you should too - go climb a mountain or at least go for a walk outside. you'll enjoy it.

dance, monkey, dance!

This past Thursday night was one of the most incredibly uncomfortable and simultaneously wonderful nights I have experienced thus far in Korea.

On Thursday, my school, Kyungwha Girl's High School, had national testing to rank them among other schools/students in the nation (similar to California's STAR testing I guess).  This took all day and was taken very seriously by both the students and teachers.  Teachers were just in the classes to supervise and luckily for me, they decided I could just chill at my desk instead of sitting bored in a classroom.  Sitting with Internet is much less boring than sitting in a classroom of 40 students! This provided me time to lesson plan for next week (St. Patricks Day lesson!) and catch up with people online - so nice.

That evening, we had a banquet dinner at the beautiful Alliance Hotel, a hotel with multiple huge conference rooms or halls which are often rented out for wedding receptions etc.  The school sponsored the dinner and all of the faculty and staff were invited.  It was a huge buffet dinner with fancy tables and trays and trays of food. I didn't recognize most of the food (welcome to my life), but my co-teacher tried to explain the food as best she could and I tried anything I didn't recognize!  A few interesting items on my plate - kimbap (similar to California sushi rolls...), some mushy japanese ball thing, random bits of chicken, marinated raw meat (yes, you read that right...it was like strips of raw beef marinated...not bad tasting actually and I didn't get sick!), and many other unidentifiable objects. It was all delicious for the most part (mashi-asayo!) and because I sat with mostly other English teachers I could participate in much of the conversation!

all of my co-teachers!

The young woman on the far right in the tan coat is my main co-teacher, with the English name of Amy.  She picked me up initially, has helped me with my apartment, schedule, etc., and is basically amazing.  I am SO grateful for her and her willingness to help me.  She studied abroad for a year in Washington so she understands American culture and has wonderful English.  The rest of the table are English teachers I work with and who have welcomed me so willingly!  The two people on the right (the man and the first woman to the left) are not my co-teachers although he does have a desk in our teacher's room!

Story about him:  I sat next to him during the dinner and after the dinner but pre-entertainment, he kept looking like he wanted to say something but wouldn't.  I didn't think he spoke any English and I actually thought he didn't like me because I see him all the time, he always avoids eye contact (which isn't weird in Korea, but his is excessive avoidance) and  he hasn't said a word to me since I've been here when most teachers have at least said hello.  He finally turns to me and says in very broken English, "Hello. I want to introduce myself but my English is very bad. My name is ..... (I honestly don't remember it, I'll need to ask my co-teacher for it again) and I've been too nervous to talk to you because of my bad English" I wanted to hug the guy!  Poor teacher was embarrassed about his lack of English skills when they weren't horrible at all! I then tried to tell him it's okay he doesn't speak English well because I don't speak Korean...at all.  I tried to intentionally make a fool of myself and say the few phrases I know in Korean so he didn't feel bad. It was so interesting to know that people are intimidated by me when I am the one intimidated by them! 

Add caption

On to the entertaining part of the evening.  So Koreans are all about "saving face" in everyday life.  For example, they won't acknowledge if you trip or burp or whatnot so as not to embarrass you.  However, they love public humiliation and think they are laughing with you and not at you.  That being said, we had a MC comedian to facilitate our festivities after the meal.  Apparently he was very funny and was interacting with the audience, I couldn't say for sure because I just smiled when everyone laughed.  Of course he noticed that I was there and tried to speak to me in Korean which got a few laughs and also made me do this cheer thing by myself when I didn't even know what I was saying.   It was making all of the teachers laugh so I was okay with this.  However, then the karaoke began.  If you know me at all, you know I don't sing in public and no one would want me to.  "Sing A Song" at camp was my worst enemy. The karaoke was entertaining as most of the teachers had drank a little bit and have no shame at belting out a song even if they are blatantly tone deaf.  

sorry it's blurry, but they were really getting into it!

some important lady (she talked a lot) of the school singing away

back up dancers?

I tried to inconspicuously video a few - this is the man who sits across from me in the teacher's room - he and I are friends and he tries to speak English to me almost every day!

Of course I again was called out and tried to convince me to karaoke.  Absolutely not. No, thank you. Fine then, they say, you must participate in a dance off. As this was the most ridiculous thing I could imagine at a fancy banquet in front of the entire staff including principal, etc., I of course agreed.  Yes, I participated in a ridiculous dance off with old teachers with my new school in Korea. 

Many, many laughs later with my hands tired from clapping to each and every karaoke song, I headed home.  As I walked home (it was very close to my apartment), I realized how genuinely fully happy and grateful I am to be here, in this country and doing what I'm doing.  I am exactly where God wants me for this year, whether it is hard or easy, I'm so joyful just to be given this opportunity.  Once I got back to my building, I found two letters in my mailbox from friends back in the United States.  I don't know if I'm doing justice to how I felt that night, but I was completely content.  I'm here. and SO glad I am.

1st day of teaching, done!

As expected, this weekend was refreshing and adventurous.  After letting myself sleep in on Saturday, I went for a run in an attempt to find Duryu Park, a park that I could see on my very general map.  My map doesn't scale distances to size so I was hoping to find it but not holding my breath. About 10 minutes after leaving my apartment, I could see the park.  Now, this isn't some small park with ducks and a pond and swings.  this is a huge combination park composed of natural land, hiking trails, walking/hiking/running track around a mountain, and large pond complete with bridges as well as rollercoasters, museums, a Space Needle type structure and large playing fields for soccer and baseball.  Oh and I can't forget the two functioning traditional temples I came across - and I didn't even explore the whole park!  It must be the meeting place for all elderly people of Korea to walk and play games, because one area of the park was FULL of elderly people all talking, laughing, and walking together! so inspiring to keep active when I'm older!  Here are some pictures I took on my ipod while running in Duryu Park

First temple I came upon

beautiful detailing!

so gorgeous!

What a beautiful place to run! I'm so grateful that I actually found it!

The rest of the weekend was spent adventuring across town to Costco (yes, they have one here and it's 2 stories...picture one in the US - and then put another one on top of that!) with my friend Holly and relaxing on Sunday, skyping with some family (so great!) and trying to prepare myself for today!

Today was my very first day of teaching, and look! I'm still alive!  I taught 4 classes each at 50 minutes with about 35-40 girls per class beginning at 8:30 this morning.  The first 3 were back to back, and then I had a break before my last one at 3pm.  Overall, it went okay.  It was just an intro day where I did a powerpoint about myself, home, etc (you might have made a debut in the powerpoint and lots of Korean girls saw you!), had them ask me questions about myself, and then partner up and introduce each other to the class.  Sounds simple, right? Well the powerpoint went very well in each class - the girls do this crescendo "aaahhhh" thing when they get excited.  Slides that got a lot of attention were the picture of our house (I had to explain about living in the country), the one of the whole Milhous family at Christmas, and the picture of my cat, Oscar, because apparently there's a famous soccer player or something who's very handsome and his name is Oscar.  A teacher had to explain that one to me, because I just thought they liked my cat as much as I did!

When it was their turn to ask me questions, they asked everything from simple questions like how old are you? Do you have a boyfriend? (those two are standard when you meet a Korean) What is your favorite Korean food? to my favorites from the more advanced students:
student: "What color are your eyes?"
me:"My eyes are blue"
everyone: "aahhhhh"
same student "we're all jealous of your eyes!"

or my other favorite:
student: "is your hair real?"
me: "the color? then yes"
whole class: "aahhhh"

I was asked what my blood type is (it's kinda like a predictor sign like your horoscope is in the US), When my first love was (random), how many countries I've been to, and so much more.

All of the classes were very receptive and excited for the class = lots of giggling. In Korean classes, the method of teaching is mainly lecture style, so getting them to speak out loud and move/work in groups while staying focused is my biggest challenge. I think persistence, encouragement, and consistent classroom management will facilitate this and move the class in the direction I would like it to go.

Frequently I think, I am totally not qualified for this.  I have no teacher training, have made a total of maybe 5 lesson plans in my entire life, and the combination makes me want to back away.  But I won't.  I'm here for the year, and in this year I will grow in my teaching abilities and in my confidence in myself both in and out of the classroom... there is no other option.


The feelings remind me of the beginning of directing the WIT program at Kidder Creek last summer.  During that first week of camp, WIT Training, I felt way in over my head.  I felt incompetent (which I hate), not organized or prepared (even though I had been preparing as much as possible and had lots of training, just like here), and just second guessing my abilities.  There was one experience that week that really impacted me and changed my perspective.  I was with a counselor, Jacs, and was trying to move this stubborn truck that was faced towards a ditch and I just could not get it moving.  It would catch, die and roll farther towards the fence&ditch. While I was ready to give up and throw in the towel, Jacs was not.  She didn't try to take over, but she just encouraged me - told me without a doubt that I could do it (no matter how silly it was that we were just trying to move a truck) and I did it.  I also ended up loving the program at camp and thriving in my position.  Persistence, believing I can do it, and knowing others also believe in me and my abilities is key.   I want to take this with me into my teaching here in South Korea.

I know that this year will be challenging and frustrating and exhilarating at different points as I'm working with these students at this school, interacting with co-teachers, and balancing my outside life.  However, throughout all of the struggles, I know that while I am teaching others, I am learning just as much from them and the culture that I have immersed myself in this year.


hey, by the way, you can officially call me Rachel Teacher.

Working on my Nunchi.

Unfortunatly (or I like to think of it as fortunatly), I have not become an official teacher yet.  The new semester began on Wednesday but instead of teaching, I have been "desk warming" as we lovingly call it.  It's about as exciting as it sounds - I'm not teaching until next week, but because my contract has began, I must come to school and sit at my desk for 8 hrs a day to fufill the 40 working hrs a week contract.  It's really not that bad: I've caught up on facebook, emailed with my mom a lot, read The Devil Wears Prada, and done a lot of research on lesson plans (which is good, because I finally start on Monday!) The only bummer is that my computer is very slowww and the day I brought my laptop, the internet wasn't working right so it was useless! anyway, now you know what deskwarming is. 

Since my life hasn't been to exciting the last few days, I want to share a few thoughts/interesting things I've learned/seen/experienced since I've been here.

Nunchi. Korean people are centered on respect and this goes back to the Confucian ways, which are still very prominent here today. Because of this, Koreans don't want to disrespect you and are definitely not confrontational.  Enter the Nunchi.  This is like a sixth sense and is basically just learning to read between the lines of what they are saying. Here's a very simple example: You ask someone "are you hungry?" and they say no because they don't want to make you have to find them food. but you see them rubbing their stomach like they're hungry so you go get them rice and kimchi.  You have just used your nunchi to figure them out.  So my new goal is to learn to read minds.

Transportation Oh boy this should be an entry in itself.  Drivers here are INSANE. and I mean that in the most loving way but they are out of control.  I've seen a lot of crazy drivers - driven in LA, SF, ridden in New York, ran across roundabouts in Ireland, etc. but this tops the cake.  They must have the best depth perception ever.  On the side streets, it's narrow and only for 1 car...but you can make sure that 2 will fit.  Put some pedestrians, cyclists, scooters, and haphazardly parked cars in the mix, and you've got a transportation circus.  FYI: Pedestrians do NOT have the priority. I repeat, in case you are ever in Korea, pedestrians do NOT have the priority. okay, moving on. Main streets, I'm not sure if the traffic lights really mean much. I've seen cars go through red lights no big deal.  Maybe I just don't understand - I just know I need to be very alert when I cross streets! On a more positive note, the subway system as well as taxis and buses are very inexpensive and convenient!

Logic: As most of you know, I love logic.  If something is not logical, well, you'll probably have to convince me to agree...by using logic. However, Korea is not built on logic.  They tend to not be a very logical people and it doesn't bother them.  For instance, having a window open while the heater is blasting is not very logical right? no big deal in korea.

Kids I'm stoked to get to work with these high school girls, and they seem so fun!  They're focused on school so much (high schoolers tend to be at school from 8am to 11pm easily) but they're all giddy and laughing and get so excited when I just say a simple hello to them.  I know the stardom will quickly pass, but it's fun while it lasts, right? and the Korean children that run around with no parents visible and are better at avoiding getting hit by cars than I am are absolutely adorable.  I had 3 little boys cross my path and elbow each other until one finally blurted "hello!" then when I said hi back they got all excited, asked where I was from, and then ran away. precious.

Koreans Love...coffee.  they really do.  They actually have great instant coffee over here and then a ton of really good coffee shops are on every corner!  The shops actually have great comfy chairs and creamy lattes and are just perfect to relax and read or chat!  Another big thing in korea are Nori-bang (sounds more like bong) which is a Singing room.  Basically Karaoke! hilarious.  I haven't been yet, but they're everywhere. Oh, Korean women love high heels.  I brought a few pairs, but due to the fact that I'm unsteady in them and usually have to walk a ways, forget that.  They wear them all the time and are so stylish! Do I fit in in my little flats, jeans and simple peacoat? nope, but I'm a foreigner and always will be so I might as well dress the part.  It's not like I'll ever convince someone I'm Korean! :]

This post is way longer than I anticipated and I could still go for pages and pages.  I'm learning so much about culture and perspectives and am being reminded daily that my way (or even just the average "Western" way) is not always the only way!  I'm sure I'll have an update after I attack my first day of teaching on Monday!

and it begins.

annyeong haseyo! I mean, hello!

Life is becoming more comfortable.  I'm not saying that it is necessarily comfortable yet, but it's not uncomfortable.  I've conquered the subway AND the public bus system.  Coming from a small town girl whose original town does not even have their own dial-a-ride system, I'm pretty proud of myself.  The past few days have been about adventuring around my apartment, learning how to control my heating/hot water (it's confusing), figuring out where I am in relation to other teachers, and discovering the joys/annoyances of apartment buildings. pro: my own space (even though it is very small). con: paper thin walls. my neighbor has quite a coughing problem. nasty.

Here is a little guided (by yours truly) tour of my little apartment:

tour of my apartment...don't mind the awkward title: "my movie".  I'll master movie maker soon. :]

My apartment building.

down one street

the other way.

sweet park I found near my apt!

traditional market

so much food

comforts of home.

so, I'm not going to write much because I need to be getting to bed - tomorrow is a very big day.  It's my first official day of school.  However, I have NO idea what I'll be doing.  I may begin teaching tomorrow, I may desk warm (literally sit at a desk and do nothing), I may be introduced to the school and observe some teaching, or who knows what.  I literally have no idea.  What an adventure!

If you're so inclined, I now have an address - and I love snail mail. :]

janggi-ro 38gil24 #202
Dalseo-gu, Daegu, South Korea.

“Each time we face our fear, we gain strength, courage, and confidence in the doing.”