First Trip to Busan

I finally made it outside of Changwon for reasons other than work.  This past Saturday, I went to Busan with Mark, a friend and coworker of mine, and his friend Ian (whom I only met for the second time).  It was a busy, exhausting day, but I had a lot of fun and met some cool people there.

We took the 8:00 bus from Changwon to the Sasang Bus Terminal in Busan.  The trip lasted approximately 30 minutes.  I was surprised at how cheap the tickets were.  The cost was only 3,700 won for the one way trip to Sasang.  Unlike Changwon, Busan has a subway system which we used for the next part of our journey.  Busan's subway system seems just like any that could be found in America with one major inconvenience.  The ticket vending machines do not accept credit cards.  If you do not have a Mybi card (a prepaid transportation fare card of which I left at home), you must pay with cash and of course, the machines don't accept notes greater than 1,000 won.  (It doesn't help that the ATMs will only distribute 10,000 won notes.)

 The Busan subway can be extremely crowded at times.

Our first stop of the day was at a Toastmaster's meeting where Ian is a member.  Toastmasters is an international organization to help people become better public speakers and communicators.  The meeting was held at Pusan National University.  From what I could gather, aside from Ian, the club consisted of Koreans looking to improve their English speaking abilities.  Some people volunteer to give prepared speeches at each meeting and others volunteer to perform evaluating roles.  At this meeting there was only one prepared speaker.  I think it was his first speech as a member.  In my opinion, he did a great job as he looked comfortable (most Koreans are very shy when speaking English) and delivered a humorous speech which seemed to hold the audiences' attention. 

After the prepared speeches, the club has a session called Table Topics.  During this session, people select an unknown topic and deliver a 1-2 minute speech.  I was "volunteered" to participate in this.  I agreed and delivered a short speech and the topic was "My Mentor".  Mark and Ian also participated during this session but had different topics.  I must say that I was impressed that the Korean members were making a serious effort to improve their skills and confidence in using the English language.  Afterward, we went out for coffee and sandwiches with some of the club members. 

After lunch, it was back to the subway to head to our next destination.  We went to go help out at an Olympics style event that was being held for children from an orphanage.  A local volunteer organization for expats was sponsoring the event so there were volunteers not only from Korea, but from other countries such as America, South Africa, China, and Iran.  The children seemed to have a fun time interacting with the volunteers while playing games and doing other activities.  After the children returned to the orphanage, most of the volunteers gathered at a coffee shop to socialize and eat pizza, chicken, and bread (various cakes and such).  I met some very interesting people not only from Korea but other parts of the world as well.



When the event was over, Mark, Ian, and I went to a couple foreigner bars in Busan.  The first was a New Zealand style bar called The Beach.  As the name implies, the bar is on the street that runs along Gwangalli Beach.  However, we were unsure which direction it was from where we were so twice Mark asked a foreigner, "Where is The Beach?"  Both times, they must have thought Mark was crazy because they pointed to the beach across the street and said, "Um.....right there."  However, after clarifying he meant the bar, both foreigners did not know where it was.  We eventually found it and had a couple beers while rugby played on the TV above the bar.  Afterward, we went to an Irish bar called Wolfgang's near the more famous Haeundae Beach.  After a Guinness, we decided it was time to head home.  It had been a long day and we were tired.  There was a bus terminal near Haeundae Beach so we caught a bus back to Changwon which arrived around 12:30.  Despite being very tiring, I had a good time in Busan.  I would be willing to go back to Toastmasters as well as help out again with the volunteer organization. 

 Me at Gwangalli Beach

 Mark and I at Gwangalli Beach

Ian and I at Gwangalli Beach

 Gwangalli Beach

It was a long, tiring day!

Note:  I may add more pictures at a later time if I receive them.

The Job: Part 1

The main reason for me coming to South Korea was to teach so it only makes sense that my job is a major part of my experience here.  When evaulating my time abroad, one of the most significant considerations will be whether I look upon my job favorably or unfavorably.  Luckily for me, almost everything has been positive so far.

I've heard many horror stories about foreigners ending up in bad situations both through the teacher himself or herself as well as from other sources.  These bad experiences vary, but the most common situations are schools not paying on time if at all, teachers being fired for no legitamate reason, and schools placing unreasonable demands on the foreign teachers.

When I arrived here in Korea, I was surprised to find out my job situation was not quite what I had expected.  This made me extremely nervous at first.  I thought I was going to be working at one school and that my boss was the owner.  As it turns out, my boss is better classified as a recruiter (at least in my case).  He recruited me to "rent" me out to multiple schools who did not need a foreign teacher on a full time basis.  Honestly, had I known this beforehand, I probably would not have accepted the position.  I'm glad this was not the case as I am very happy with my current situation.

When asked about my boss, most of what I say is positive.  He has been very friendly and helpful to me thus far not only with job related issues but with other situations outside of work.  I am frequently asked if I am happy with my situation and if I am enjoying my time in Korea.  Having a boss who seems concerned about making sure I have a pleasant experience has helped make my transition to life here in Korea much smoother.

Currently, I work at three schools.  I also am tutoring a businessman one on one but I will address that at a later date.  While each school is run differently, I am happy with all three.  I like having a different school to go to each day because it helps me to avoid a monotonous routine.  I have different start and end times as well which helps to prevent me from getting in a rut.  One of my schools is in a different town, Jangyu.  I enjoy getting out of Changwon a couple days a week and being in different surroundings (even if visually there is no difference between the two).

My Korean coworkers I have worked with so far have been nothing short of friendly and helpful.  Whenever I required assistance, someone has always been available to provide it.  I am sure that some of my coworkers became sick of making copies for me as I only recently learned how to use the copiers (because I couldn't read the options in Korean, not because the technology baffled me), but they never complained.

My coworkers and directors at each school seem to respect my ability to run a classroom.  While my level of independence in the classroom is different at each school, I do not feel like I am being micromanaged in any way.  I feel that most of the time I am given enough leeway to conduct class in a manner I see fit.  Although I am required to use the provided textbook (trust me when I say most are not that great), I have also been able to introduce other material as well when necessary.   

The students I teach also show respect (that's a new experience for me!) and, for the most part, are fun to work with.  Despite the fact that Koreans tend to be shy, the students were very outgoing from the beginning.  After the initial shock of my presence wore off (this was usually in a matter of seconds) the curiosity would kick in.  Then the questions would come and these usually started with, "Where are you from?" or "How tall are you?"  The first few times I was asked my height, I answed, "6 feet 4 inches" and this caused a bunch of confused looks until I realized that I needed to provide an answer in centimeters.  I now say without thinking I am 193 cm tall.  It makes me wonder how long it will take me to adjust back to American units when I return home.  Surprisingly, I have only been asked how heavy I am once or twice.  Once introductions are over with, I am just another teacher.  Most students seem to like me, and I feel the same way about them.  The only behavior problems I have to deal with are younger students who may get a bit restless.  In a sense, working with the Korean students is almost like working summer camp at the park district.

To Be or Not To Be...Homesick

It's been a while since I last posted on here.  I've had most of my next post already written for some time now.  I just have to finish it up but I've been putting it off.  I'll probably finish it early this week.  Truth is, last week, I didn't have the motivation to do much of anything.  Upon reflection, I wonder if I was/am feeling homesick.  Many people told me it kicks in around two months after your arrival and this Tuesday will be the two month mark for me.  Aside from work, I really didn't do much throughout the week beside watch a bunch of TV shows and movies I downloaded or read a book on my Kindle.  I realized that I thought more often about what family and friends might be doing back in the United States.  Since I've never experienced homesickness before, are these thoughts, coupled with my lack of motivation, a case of me being homesick?

I've also heard that during the homesick stage, one might become aggravated with his or her new surroundings.  I came to Korea with the understanding that the culture was going to be different in some ways and I've tried not to allow American culture and expectations influence my views of Korea and its people.  Up until today, I think I have succeeded in this.  I should mention that Koreans in general are pushy people.  This has not bothered me once since I arrived.  In Korea, pushing your way through a crowd is not considered impolite, as is the case in America.  Normally, I don't fault Koreans for this.  People are a product of their environment and as such, this is how Koreans are raised.  Today, however, while grocery shopping, I was becoming very annoyed every time someone pushed past me.  I suppose it is my fault for deciding to go to the store on the day it is most crowded but nevertheless, I was still swearing (under my breath of course) at every person who pushed by.    

I tried to find other reasons for my lethargic demeanor and low tolerance level this past week.  The best argument against homesickness is the fact that this was the first full week following a short two-day week.  Even with a job as low-key and low-stress as mine, a full week following a vacation can still be tough.  Even many of my students seemed to be more apathetic and tired than usual.  I wouldn't be surprised if this is all it was and I was over thinking everything.  Some people say I do that from time to time.

Truthfully, I hope this is a case of homesickness.  I know I will get it at some point and the sooner, the better.  If this is all being homesick is, than it is no big deal.  I still went out on Friday night and had a great time.  I went with a bunch of people to an all-you-can-eat meat restaurant and to the bars afterward.  I was out drinking and playing bar games such as darts and beer pong and didn't leave until sometime after 3 in the morning.  If this past week was not a case of homesickness, than I guess I am still waiting and not knowing what to expect.  Either way, I've been here almost two months and not once have I thought that coming here was a mistake.