Second day of school

Today was not a bad day. It started out a little shaky though. I rolled out of bed at 7:45 (Samjan leaves promptly at 8 AM) and had just barely enough time to gather myself (and my pants, I might add, for those of you who worry) physically. Mentally, I was still asleep. I grabbed a sweet potato pastry (yum), downed a glass of water, and shuffled my way out the door, much to the chagrin of my host mother.*

*She generally worries about my eating habits in the morning. She can't understand why I wouldn't want to consume kimchi and bony fish to begin my day. I tell you all now, I doubt there is much worse than eating a whole fish covered in red hot chili pepper paste for breakfast. At least, this is one dish I simply cannot handle at that time of day.

Thirty minutes later and Samjan dropped me off at P*ngsan High School. I get to walk from the front gate all the way to the school. This means EVERYONE gets to see me walk the long, dirt path out of their windows. It's probably a good four-minute trip. I feel like I'm providing the kids with a spectacle, and I'm terrified I'm gonna trip and fall...because that's something I would totally do. I may be more self-conscious about it due to my Emart experiences. Eh, perhaps it'll wear off after a week.

I was in the teacher's lounge getting ready to go to my first class when my nunchi kicked in. All of the teachers were there and were speaking in hushed tones. One even waved a student away when she opened the door. What is going on? I thought. It's almost time for class. We couldn't be having a teacher's meeting right now because class is in 5 minutes. I had no idea what to do, so I walked over to Mr. Lee's desk. I was hesitant to do this because everyone was sitting...and I would attract the whole room's attention, but bit my lip and hoped my diminuitive height would shield me from most of their scrutiny. "Mr Lee, is there a teacher's meeting this morning?" "Ahhh, yes. It was...unplanned." "Uhhh, I have a first period class. Do I stay here or go teach it?" "Oh, yeah, I think you can go to class if you want." Wait, I can go to class if I want, eh? At that point I turned around and saw that my principal was next to the vice-principal and had been there the whole time. Oops. That guy is the sneakiest little man I've ever encountered. I immediately insa-ed him [Insa is the Korean word for giving someone respect. In this case, I bowed and muttered "Annyong hashimnika."] But I must admit that it was a rather hasty, shy insa because, once again, I was the center of the room's attention. I need to stop putting myself in that situation. Mr. Lee then asked the principal if it was ok if I taught my class. I was amused by the fact that he had already given me permission. The principal nodded and spoke in his regal Korean. I imagine he said something akin to "Send the delicate one away," "Make it so," or "What are you asking me for?" Thus, I quickly grabbed my stuff and left the room. Whoa. That was intense.

I managed to say my "sugohaseyo" (literal translation: work hard) when leaving school though. The vice-principal looked a little shaken I had singled him out. Maybe nerves are contagious.

My classes were sleepy today. In fact, I think that's how they'll be every day. If my kids fall asleep in class I embarrass them. For example, I make them stand up at their desk for an undetermined amount of time. This usually does the trick because it's both embarrassing and wakes up the body. In my class right after lunch today, I caught 3 kids sleeping, and they had to sing a song to the class. I'm evil. I know.

My introduction lesson is getting easier to teach. All the students think Alexa is the most gorgeous girl they've ever seen. They always laugh when I show the photos taken toward the North, South, East, and West of my house. The question I have them ask is, "Do you have any neighbors?" I then show them the photos. "No. My closest neighbor lives 1K away." "ooooooo"

I've already noted the exceptional students in class. They are the ones volunteering to pass out papers and raising their hands when no one else will. They also have asked about me teaching an optional club class at night. I'm happy to oblige. I'm not sure what this means for taekwondo though. I really want a black belt. I'll figure that out next week. This week is reserved for three lesson plans, last minute teacher's meetings, and playing "Where's Waldo: Korean Principal Edition"

First day of school

I haven't been this nervous since my first day of high school. I laid out my clothes (from the socks to the bobby pins) last night in order to make sure I didn't forget something important...like pants...at 8 AM in the morning. No, I'm not prone to forgetting my pants, but anxiety does weird things to my brain. It makes me do completely uncharacteristic and ridiculous things. Well, maybe not completely uncharacteristic, perhaps fairly uncharacteristic. Actually, I tend to do stupid things at the worst times, so all-in-all I was afraid of my stupid brain telling me I didn't need pants. Luckily, I arrived at school with pants and everything else I needed.

This morning I accidently walked into the principal's office during a very formal and serious meeting. You know that internal monologue that fires up when you're embarassed? Mine was saying, "D'oh!" and slapping my forehead. I wanted to make a good impression by saying good morning to the principal. I knocked on the door, rather loudly now that I think about it, and opened it slightly. I was met with very serious stares. I immediately muttered my apologies and quickly shut the door. "D'oh! Oh my gosh, I can't believe that just happened on my first day. Wait, yes, I can. I do this stuff all the time. Why do I do this all the time??? Stupid brain!" In fact, I think I shook my fist at myself. I must have made quite a sight. Luckily, again, no one held it against me.

The principal came into the teacher's lounge and had the weekly meeting. I heard a bunch of scraping and realized everyone was standing up. So, nunchi intact, I stood up as well. They then bowed and made a bunch of noise, but I couldn't figure out if they were preparing to sit down or stay standing. So, I stayed standing. Then it happened. The principal pointed at me. Wait, is he pointing at me, or just gesturing at the door? Uhhhh, what do I do? I pointed to myself and said, "Me?" He shook his head up and down, and I asked again, "Me?" Again, I was lucky to have another teacher (the most senior ranking) motion me over saying, "Yes, Noelle, come up here." Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh. So, I stood next to the principal after awkwardly bowing diagonally to him and the other teachers because I didn't know where to bow. He then read something about me from his little black notebook (this notebook was not "cute" but all "because I'm the principal" like). I tried not to look anywhere in particular, not sure if I was suppose to face him or the teachers, then smiled when he was done and the staff applauded. ... I thought it was over ...

All of a sudden I feel everyone's eyes on me in that eery expectant way. I already bowed, so I was trying to frantically remember anything and everything F*lbright taught me about this circumstance. My internal monologue? Chirping crickets. Thank heaven for that high ranking teacher (I'll learn his name ASAP). He said, "Speak." "He wants me to speak?" "Yes, yes. Say something." ... "Uh. I am so happy to be here, to teach English. I am excited to teach your students. Thank you for your kindness." ... They all looked at the principal, he nodded, then everyone clapped politely. I "efficiently" made my way back to my desk. When I say "efficiently" I mean near ran in a manner that hid most of my wracked nerves. The meeting proceeded to continue with a bunch of teachers taking turns giving reports of some kind. the funny thing was, when someone was speaking, everyone was turned toward their desk busying themselves with papers, maybe writing notes. No one made eye contact with the speakers. So, nunchi on, I sat and turned toward my desk as well. This was difficult for me because my back was to the speaker. I compromised and turned my chair halfway toward whomever was speaking. I hope I get better at this.

Today was the first day of the semester. P*ngsan High School had an assembly in the morning. What was the assembly for? First, the principal wanted to remind his students to have a goal in life, even after they enter college. Secondly, the new English teacher was put on display. I gave a short speech, half Korean, half English. It was...well received. My principal gave a brief summary of me before I spoke, and I could understand bits and pieces of his Korean. I am from Washington, I just graduated college, I studied anthropology (this made the students ahh). Then he said something that made the students hoot and holler. I have no idea what it was and probably never will...perhaps it had something to do with me being delicate. Who knows. (obviously everyone but me) The students were shocked when I began with "Annyong hashimnikka." "Chonan Noelle Easterday imnida." (laughter) "Migook saram imnida." (ahhhh) "Washintonju eso wasumnida." (oooooooooo) It was like an informercial audience track.

*deep breath, classtime! My first class has a joker. He calls himself that. He was a little disruptive, but I have a feeling he was just trying to strut his stuff for the American. There were two sweet girls in particular in 2-2. One lived in Louisiana for a while and I can hear her cute Korean/Southern accent. It really is pronounced to the ears of an American. The other girl wants to join my club class after school. Both, so, so sweet. My second class meets right after lunch and everyone is sleepy. This class paid more attention to what I was saying and I think it'll have good essays...but I worry about tough, substantive lessons. I'll need to find some quick energy lifters to begin this class.

Lesson #1:
Introductions
Syllabus (boring! especially for me)
I showed a powerpoint about my home, family, university, experiences, etc. They were shocked to discover that I have no neighbors within 1k. They were even more shocked by my family photos. EVERYONE thought Alexa was the most beautiful girl they had ever seen. The joker asked if she was visiting Korea. "Better keep her away from here or she might cause someone to walk into a bus," I thought.

Here's my assessment breakdown:
25% participation
25% essays
10% quizzes
10% semester project
30% final exam

They groaned at the essay part, but, oh well. I think it'll be good for them. I know it'll be tough on me to grade that many, so often, but I think it'll be one of the most constructive exercises they're assigned...if they do it well. I've still gotta make a plan B for when their essays bomb.

I ate lunch with the other teachers today. This was the most stressful part of the day. I didn't know if I was going to go to the cafeteria, but Mr. Lee came to my rescue and showed me the "teacher's line." I would've completely missed it. Oh, and the women teachers eat together, which I noticed after I sat down with all the men. They didn't seem to care what the American did as long as she didn't impede their food consumption.

*sidenote: I've never seen people eat so fast. Koreans eat a whole plate of food in 10 minutes...they could probably eat it faster if they only used their spoons instead of chopsticks.

Now I'm getting ready to go home. Wow. This morning feels like a lifetime ago. I need a nap.

"Delicate?"

Andong is capital of Korean traditional culture. The population is about 190,000 and it is considered very rural by Korean standards. Andong doesn't have many foreigners visit...actually, very few at all. I mean, I'm probably one of a handful of foreigners total in the city. So, when I walk into Emart (think Carrefour or a four-story Target), EVERYONE stares at me. In fact, anywhere I go people stare. I've been politely smiling back and have avoided eye contact so they can continue staring until they are disinterested. However, I soon found out that an American in Andong will always be interesting. It's one of the most alien experiences I've ever had. To have an entire store stare at you when you walk in the door is a little unnerving. Most adults look away when I make eye contact with them, but many children continue to stare and walk into walls, trees, or other people in the process. All students learn English here, so sometimes the kids say a couple words in English, but mostly they stare until they hit something solid. The elderly stare as well, only theirs is more like a interrogative glare.

However, it can be flattering as well. The kids at my school, when they first saw me, widened their eyes and gaped. hahaha It was hilarious. My host family says that most people are shocked to see blue eyes and curly hair. (It's incredibly humid here, so my hair hasn't been straight since I left the States.) According to my host sister, the students say that I am "cute." This probably means that I'm not the tall, gangly male ETA that preceeded me. I've never been described as cute before, but apparently this is the adjective of choice when describing female American teachers. Everyone made a point to stop by the teacher's room to get a look at the migook (American). Korean teens are generally shy, so they looked at me, then lowered their faces and covered their mouths with their hands immediately after. I couldn't help but internally laugh. Not only are all material goods "cutsie" here, but the way Koreans act is cute as well.

So, I hope the students like me as much after I start assigning essays. hahahaha

Get this. I met with my principal and Mr. Lee (my co-teacher) was translating. At one point Mr. Lee says, "The principal says you are very delicate." ... ... uhhhhh ... ... yeah. I've never thought of myself or have been described as 'delicate' ... ever. I'm still trying to figure out the connontation of that one. Lost in translation.

DMZ: part 2

Our bus was stopped multiple times, our passports individually checked by a very intimidating South Korean soldier with many official frills on his uniform. All the SK soldiers wore tar-black aviator sunglasses. The only soldier's eyes I saw were our bus driver's and the American soldiers who were in charge of security on our tour. After clearing blockaded security check-points, our group entered the Joint Security Area (JSA).

Next, they shuffled us into a small lecture room where our tour guide gave a well-practiced powerpoint presentation. Although the subject matter was serious, I couldn't help but snicker at his ultra-dramatic rendition of the "Ax Murder." When he first tried to explain this event, he began by asking, "Ax murder, do you know what that is?" Everyone kinda looked around to see if they had heard correctly. "This is the location of the AX MURDERrrrr." (The extended 'r' is for emphasis.) It sounded like there was a random serial killer at the border in the 70s... it was definitely not the kind of violence I was expecting to learn about. Turns out the Ax Murder incident was when a couple North Koreans killed three South Koreans with axes. Why did they kill? Well, the South Koreans were cutting down a tree. ... And the North Koreans didn't like that. I'm not kidding.

I was required to sign a waiver that cleared the U.S., South Korea, and anyone else in the area of any wrongdoing if I died. Maybe everyone but North Korea. This paper was returned to us at the end of the tour as a souvenir. All tourists are warned never to point their finger at the North because it may look like a gun...and they may shoot you. However, it was perfectly ok to point our shiny, metallic cameras in that direction.

North Korea builds everything bigger at the border. For example, its flag tower is the largest in the world, and its flag weighs 600 pounds. It is 60 m taller than the South Korean flag tower opposite. NK even has a propaganda village. This is a town they've setup right along the border so when foreigners look in, they can see how well NKs are doing. The thing is, no one lives there. The buildings are big outer shells (props) and every night NKs turn on their lights to make it seem inhabited. There's even a rumor that NK buses little children in to play in the streets, though SKs have their own issues with propaganda.

The border itself was pretty fun. South Korea only stations its taller, most handsome men there. Too bad they were wearing beetle-like helmets and high-cut pants. Right outside the U.N. building that spans the border, there are two SK soldiers stationed. They stand so that their bodies are half behind the wall, and half facing the North. They spread their feet wide and keep their hands at their hips, ready to pull out their guns. This is called "ready position" in Korea, but Americans in particular think it's more of a cowboy showdown position (think Eastwood in "Tombstone") . All they need are spurs...and to ditch the Top Gun sunglasses.

I entered the U.N. building. The desks were shiny, dark-stained wood and the chairs had leather seats. Again, we were instructed not to touch anything or anyone. However, on the way out I noticed that one of tables not only had handprints on it (the shinyness allowed one to see it) but it also had footprints on it. Not shoeprints, bare footprints. Someone was totally table dancing after too much soju. It's got to be incredibly boring just standing guard inside a building no one uses for months at a time. Why not spice things up a little and commit a hilarious, and seemingly untraceable act? You'd think they'd dust afterwards, although I doubt those tight uniforms have any room for Pledge or Swiffer. Still any piece of clothing would've sufficed, so they must not have seen the footprints. Maybe it was the sunglasses.

The U.N. building sits halfway in South Korea, North Korea. So, for about 10 minutes, I was in the North. There is one SK soldier at the North side's door and he was very serious...or asleep. The tour guide told us not to speak about politics because the room was probably bugged, and we didn't want the North using our conversation as anti-West propaganda. He told us this while we were all busy taking funny photos with the very serious South Korean soldier at the North Korean door. There was no political discussion going on. "Teehee. We're in North Korea! That soldier is so serious. Let's get a photo with him while he can't move. Look, I'm straddling the line. I'm in SK, I'm halfway in NK. Teehee." Actually, looking back, I'm surprised we didn't get shot.

We were shuffled out of the U.N. building too soon and taken...to the gift shop. Yep, they sell all sorts of DMZ souvenirs and memorabilia. Everything from shot glasses to wine to watches to bells to children's apparel. You want to cutefy your child? Just deck them out in DMZ clothing, head-to-toe. There were t-shirts, notebooks, even wine with some derivative of "DMZ stuff" on them. Personally, I think this was the biggest jab at North Korea. Ah, capitalism.

What's in a name?

I've been asked to call my host father samjan meaning "uncle." This is different from opa (older brother) that I was calling him. Turns out samjan feels opa is meant for someone younger than him...oh, and apparently, some girls call their boyfriends opa. Needless to say, I'm more than happy calling him samjan. However, I'm still addressing my host mother as oni meaning "older sister."

DMZ: part 1

The DMZ tour was a whirlwind of educational experience, propaganda, and metaphorical manhood measurements. This photo shows the border between North and South Korea. I'm taking the photo from the South. The big building in the back is North Korea. If you look carefully, you can see one North Korean soldier standing guard at the front door. These guards only come out where there are tour groups so as to keep up the imposing image. Everything North Korea builds near the border has to be bigger than the South Korean counterparts. For example, see the blue buildings below? Those are SK, while the gray buildings are NK. The middle blue building is where they hold U.N. talks between the nations.
If you ever find yourself in Korea, don't leave without visiting the demilitarized zone.

To begin, we were required to dress "business casual" in order to give the right impression. You know, the "look how much nicer capitalists look with their St. John's Bay and Calvin Klein apparel" impression. We hopped on two buses and made our way to the zone, North Korea across the river on our left. Most of the area between the river and "Freedom Highway" (this is actually its name) is barb wired off from any human entry. Guard posts are built every 300 meters or so in order to prevent spies from entering the South. Before this trip, I understood the North-South Korean conflict in theory. However, after visiting the border, only now can I begin to comprehend the tragedy of it all.

As we were driving, we were instructed not to take photos of anything related to soldiers, unless given permission to do so. This was quite sobering. We stopped by multiple war memorials/monuments and got a sense of the deeply engrained pain South Koreans feel for their separation from their northern brothers and sisters. At one spot, there was a monument built for American soldiers who participated in the Korean War. There are fifty poles surrounding a central monument thanking Americans for their help in the war. It's one of the better memorials I've come across in my travels. But as stirring as it was meant to be, the fact that an amusement park sat 100 meters away kind of took away from the emotional sentiment. I mean, this is Korea, so why not have a Super Viking excursion after paying your respects. In fact, there's a cute little train you can ride around the war memorial. Why walk around the fifty poles when you can enjoy the view from a cutsie mini-steam-powered choo-choo? There was even a cute little Korean soldier woman outside of the tourist information office.

The big transition..."real" Korea

The trip from Seoul to Andong was beautiful. Gorgeous mountains, scenic rice fields. I'm very lucky.

My co-teacher is amazing. His name is Mr. Lee and he's helped two ETAs before me. He's got a great sense of humor and his English is very, very good. Mr. Lee and the vice principal of the middle school picked me up in Seoul and we drove four hours home to Andong. I'm not bad at small talk, so it wasn't as awkward as I thought it might be, or as other ETAs were experiencing. Mr. Lee was interested in my anthropology background and we talked a bit about how Andong is the center of traditional Korean culture. There are multiple festivals and artforms on display year-round. It is also one of the more conservative areas of Korea. I decided to leave my nose piercing in place. This is a cultural exchange and I really, really like my nose pierced. Thus, I've already been questioned about it. "Is it hard?" "What do you mean, is it hard?" "Uhhh, does it have painful?" "Oh, yeah, it hurt when I got it." *eyes wide* "No, I mean, it doesn't hurt now." "It is itchiness?" "No, no, sometimes I forget it is even there." They then nod in disbelief. Obviously, no one around here can imagine not noticing a nose piercing.

We stopped by P*ngsan high school on the way back and, even though it was dark, I can tell I'm going to love the school. It's definitely a special school, even by Korean standards. Mr. Lee took me to see the library with all the students studying (segregated by sex) and I saw the teacher's room. I met the vice principal of the high school, and in my nerves, forgot to utter my most polite Korean phrases. Oh well, I did manage to bow before I left, so hopefully he won't hold that against me. I will meet my principal on Saturday. I am nervous for this encounter, but by then I will have wrapped my presents for him, so it can't be all that bad. Mr. Lee is my advocate and colleague and I don't think he'll let me go astray.

My host family is even more amazing. My host father is a ooee-sa (doctor) with his own clinic and my host mother is a jubu, or housemom. They are so very kind. I call my host parents opa (older brother) and oni (older sister). Opa has a little English vocabulary and is very thoughtful before he speaks. Oni speaks very little English, so I'll learn some Korean from her. Just like we were warned, my host mother is concerned about my liking it here. She asked what I usually ate, if I eat kimchi, if I go to church, if I need towels, if I need more towels, if I need to go to E-Mart...ok, that is one of the best parts...our apartment is literally across the street from an E-Mart. I have 3 siblings (two sisters, one brother). The oldest daughter, Min Yung (high school sophomore) is currently going to the boarding school I will be teaching at. The family gave me her room as my own during my stay here. The next daughter, Hye Min (6th grade) went to Canada for 6 months to learn English. Hye Min has been the constant translator in the house. The youngest boy, Hyon Oo (4th grade), speaks low-intermediate English.

Last night, Opa told me, "This is your home. You are part of our family. Feel comfortable everywhere here. You can go anywhere you want, do whatever you want." He also told me, "You have a good expression on your face." At which point I was like, oh my gosh, what does that mean...but then I figured out that it meant I smiled a lot and they were glad I wasn't a freaking maniac. I'm very lucky to have such a caring family, and I won't take it for granted.

However, I must share this bit of information. My family has pets...but, they aren't furry or cuddly...they aren't mammals. Their pets are the ugliest, biggest beetles I've ever seen. I'm not kidding. Have you ever seen A Bug's Life? You know the big beetle they ride around on? That's what they have in a plastic cage. In fact, they have jars with cocoons incubating four more of those "things" when the big ones die. They sure had a nice laugh from my reaction when they lifted the lid.

I talked quite a bit yesterday. Today, my voice is almost gone. Surprised anyone? I didn't think so.

I begin teaching on the 28th. I must give a 2 minute speech before the entire school that day...in Korean. Um, can you say intimidating?

PS: George Bush Sr. visited P*ngsan high school last year. Thus, I've been asked multiple times if I like "Old Bushy." Not wanting to offend...I simply say, "He's done some nice things after he left the White House." What more can I do?