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.)