Blogs from Busan, South Korea, Asia - page 35

Leaving Korea-Part 1 (Jeremy writing) It has been an interesting few weeks to say the least, and there is much to chronicle. I will start by saying that we are making this post from Japan. Our teaching job in Korea became untenable, so we made the move to the place where we had originally intended to come. How we got here is a story in itself that will require several posts. So I will begin in the beginning: our gradual slide into extreme dislike for our job. (Jen writing) My slide was not gradual and it started long ago. Everything you could say about what you did not want in a manger, he epitomized. To be brief about my numerous annoyances, he was a habitual liar and only did things to the school’s detriment. (Jeremy again) ... read more

(Jen writing) Well as many of you have noticed (and commented on) we have not updated our journal in quite some time. The reason for this was actually not pure laziness. We have not been able to access the site from overseas for about a month and a half. We had to wait until I was in the U.S. in order to switch it over. The new site is http://jeren.blogspot.com/ We hope to be updating this one quite often. We hope everyone is doing well. We miss you all and hope to see you soon. School Life (Jen writing) Well, another week is almost done. I certainly have my days where teaching frustrates me, but I have to say I do like it more than I thought I would. The children here, for the most ... read more

(Jeremy writing)-First, a quick story that relates to cultural observations. The people here, as mentioned, think we are quite the novelty. They openly stare and talk about us, although we have no idea what they are saying. I tend to think they are saying, "What a handsome couple. Perhaps they are movie stars shooting a new Hollywood film." At any rate, another thing they are always amazed by is our language. When people hear us before they see us they always kind of jump-as if our English is abrasive to their ears. So bearing that in mind, the story: We live in a tower that has four elevators. Sometimes, if two elevators arrive at the same time, Jen and I will hop on different ones and race. About a week ago, we began our race and ... read more

(Jen writing) This week really flew by. Now that I've gotten to know my students better and I have a better grasp of their abilities, time is flying by. I'm really enjoying teaching and I really like my kids. Now that we've had six weeks to get to know each other, classes are a lot more fun. When we have behavior problems, we're told to stick the children out in the hallway and have them stand up against the wall with their hands over their head. This is what all the Korean teachers do and it appears this and calling their parents is the only forms of punishment they use. Most of the boys, especially the older ones, find this form of punishment to be a joke. Luckily we don't have too many problems in class. ... read more

Well, Jeremy has touched on most everything that's happened in our lives. The personal space thing is definitely taking some getting used to. Every where I go I get touched. Especially, at school. My kindergarten is out of control. They poke me everywhere and when I inquired about it to the staff, they told me that is a compliment and they like me. (Thanks for the help!) Teachers day was really nice. All the children's mothers brought in food and bought us presents. Some of them were rather generous, while others were interesting. Socks are a very popular choice. Jeremy received two lovely pairs of baby blue and gray print ones. He wears them nonstop. The flowers here are packaged very differently than in the U.S. Roses and carnations come armed with more taffeta and ruffles ... read more