Excited to Attend Seattle University

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About a year ago people would ask me if I was going to stay in Korea for the rest of my life. My typical response was something like, "Unless I can figure something out to do back home, Korea is my home for now." I really didn't think about going back home and heading to graduate school. But as we all know my mind changed and I'm heading to be a student again.

I thought I would spend some time talking about the program I am heading into. Located within the Education department I will be working on getting my M.A. E.d. TESOL (Masters of Arts in Education with emphasis in TESOL. When I was picking which school to attend I mostly focused on the West in areas in California, so that I would be close to family. What I found was that most programs were situated in the English or Linguistics department and had a strong emphasis on the technical aspects of the degree. Of course, there is nothing wrong with this but as I looked at SU's program I began to see that it fit me better. 

As I did the research I liked that the program prepares, "...teachers of ESOL who will be successful classroom teachers in a wide variety of institutional settings and cultural contexts." I was also impressed by the information available online and how organized it all was. In the courses section, they didn't just list them but provided what kind of work will be expected from students. 

In addition to this I liked hearing that most classes were offered in the evenings, no more than 25 students per class and that they have internship opportunities. One catch was that they are on the quarter system, which I am not familiar with. So I will need to get use to doing my work faster than before and having shorter breaks. But the prospect of a new city and an enticing program are what finalized my decision to attend SU. 

Am I ready to be a graduate student?

I'm not really sure what I could do to prepare myself to go back to school, other than take interest in articles and media related to my field of study. I'm definitely mentally preparing myself for the challenge and considering the hard work ahead. 

But mostly I'm excited to be a student again and to head back to the classroom where ideas and discussions will be fervent. I have found that by attending the Seoul KOTESOL workshops I enjoy learning and discussing about topics in TESOL. Also, I feel I have a lot to say and add to the conversation. Mostly, I'm looking forward to turning my five years of work in the field into something professional. 

Why not stay in Korea, keep your job and take an Online course?

A few years ago I took an online TEFL certificate and worked really hard at it. I didn't have classes to meet up with online, but did most of it on my own time. However, that experience taught me that I missed the classroom. I'm not entirely sure how Online courses function, and from what I hear there are interactive sessions. But I really just couldn't see myself working full time hours then coming home to do my homework. I think I function better in the classroom then from a distance. Sure economically it makes sense to do your degree Online while keeping a salary at the same time. However, I do intend to find part-time, internships or volunteer work in the field to keep my teaching skills sharp. 

I hope all of that sums up what my program is about and also why I chose it. If you are thinking of taking your teaching gig to the next step professionally, I hope this gives you some insight into that. :)

San Francisco > Seoul > Seattle

Ever since I left my dad's house to attend community college in Humboldt County (Eureka, CA), it feels like I have been a nomad. I think it's a symptom of my age, where we don't settle in one place. But this allows one to explore and see the world as they move around. That is why as I find myself packing things up and heading to Seattle, I know I'll be ready for what's ahead.

I also find it somewhat iconic to be going from one big city to the next. In San Francisco I worked at an insurance company that was right in front of the Pyramid building, and a block from Chinatown. 

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Living in San Francisco, for the most part, was where I gained my city feet and learned how to survive in the urban environment. Having come from Eureka, a town of probably just a thousand people set against the deep redwood forests, living in the city was certainly new. When I decided to come to Korea I wondered if I was prepared for Seoul life, a city of millions. 

I left the triangular tower and came to Seoul with it's iconic Namsan Tower set in the center of everything. 

(my photo)

What really can prepare you to live in a city of millions of people? Everywhere you go, whenever you go is crowded or never really empty. Life flows on the streets so abundantly here that the buzz only dies down on certain holidays. But this doesn't mean it's a bad thing. It just means this is a city that beats and constantly spins to it's own rhythm due to the number of people and it's culture. I've often felt when visiting back home in my dad's small town an eerie feeling of the lack of people around. Seoul is a vibrant city with so much going on that you hardly need to dig deep to find meaningful experiences. 

Leaving Seoul behind is a hard decision as it is a city that has truly grown on to me. I have felt like I fit in here after so many years. But it's time to look forward and onward, and this time the place of interest is Seattle.

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I have never been to Seattle, and in fact it will be the Northwestern most point in America that I will end up in. People tell me it's a fun and great city to live in and I believe them. From what I've read the place is buzzing with good food, live music and an eclectic scene of artists and creative people. 

Already I've found museums and parks that I want to explore, and with Canada right up top I might take an adventure there too. Since I'll be a student they have plenty of cozy cafes to warm up in with my laptop or books. And libraries!! Yes, Korea has libraries but you know..wasn't the same. 

It's going to be a new place to discover and I hope to get involved in the community and get to know what makes Seattle buzz. 

Anyway, just wanted to share this interesting set of facts about my life. Winter is here in Korea and I have to keep warm thoughts as the temperatures drop down. So here is looking ahead to the future and appreciating where I have been in the past. Cheers!

Foreigner Joy will soon be foreigner no more

This is what I looked like when I first arrived in Korea, back in spring of 2008. At that time I was exhausted but also thrilled to start my Korean life. For the next four years I learned a lot about Korean culture, it's people and mostly myself. I've had two serious Korean boyfriends in that time, and they helped shape my experience here. So what am I getting at?

I'm leaving Korea.

I will write about how I came to this conclusion and what my plans are shortly. But first I want to say something to those who have been reading this blog from the beginning, or generally keep up with it. Thank you! Really, I was able to get through the tough times and enjoy my time in Korea so much more because I had this blog. Also being involved in the K-blogging community kept me from jumping ship even earlier. I know many of you appreciate what I write and do to represent Korean life, and so a part of me is sad that I will no longer be contributing after I leave. However, I think what I leave behind here on this blog will be helpful to other's in the future and certainly will remain as a great way for me to look back on life here.

With that said I also want to say something to those who might be saying, "I guess Joy has given up." "Korean life was just too hard for her anyways, she must not have tried hard enough to live here." When you live somewhere for four years, especially in another culture, you do spend a lot of time making it your home. There are folks in Korea who have been here a long time, made it a point to learn Korean, and have engulfed themselves in the culture by either marriage or other means. These are "lifers" and for a while there I thought I was one of them. But my life changed and wasn't really going down that track anymore (I'll write more on this later when I talk about why I have decided to leave). In short I want to say to those who might think I have "given up", that making a decision like this is not easy.

So why am I leaving and where am I going? I am going to detail the "why" part in a different post as I feel it would be good to give a better description of this then just, "It was time."

As for where I am going...well. I decided to go back home and go to Graduate school. After spending considerable time researching I have decided to go to Seattle University and attend the M.A. Ed. TESOL program. You see I decided that I need my American life back and I also want to advance in this field. Now, I'm no fool and know that the American job market is tough. I won't be guaranteed work after I graduate. Yet I am willing to relocate myself again to where job opportunities may be. If there is a job in Arizona that would hire me, I'll take it! Perhaps I'll even head out again and this time to Japan.

So from now on I'll still be sharing posts about my remaining time here in Korea (I'll be leaving at the end of my contract in February). Also I'll talk about my move and my time here in Korea. Once again thanks for following me through all these years or weeks...it's been a pleasure keeping this blog. So time to move on...and get going!

An Afternoon in Hapjeong

I had a wonderful and pleasant time in the Hapjeong area of Mapo-gu yesterday. This is the side of Hongdae that is further away from the University, bars and clubs. I think I have been here before, but never really explored it as much as I did this time. I had a great time seeing the cute cafes and the contemporary feel of it all.

First off I was hungry for some lunch and after browsing my options decided on FranKY's located along the main inner road from exit 4. My order was the pastrami sandwich that was to be "frank" the most amazing sandwich I have ever had in Korea!

Why was this a fantastic sandwich? For one all the ingredients were fresh and super tasty. The pastrami wasn't piled on high, which would make the sandwich hard to eat. Also it had a great dark peppery taste to it and was just salty enough. Fresh and crisp cheese along with sauteed onions and a homemade relish made this even more divine. The side of fresh lettuce with a balsamic vinaigrette was also fresh and light. Altogether this was definitely worth the 12,000 Won I shelled out for it, and now I am enticed by the other items on their menu including fresh burgers and an avocado chicken sandwich.

In addition to the great food the atmosphere at FranKY's was also very pleasant. Jazz was playing over head which was a thankful contrast to the usual K-pop heard throughout Korean restaurants. It helped that it was a warm Fall afternoon with cool breezes blowing by, making the dining area feel light and airy. In essence, if you are traveling to the Hapjeong area I would highly recommend a stop by at FranKY's.

Not really sure where to go I meandered around this main street before heading off down smaller alleyways. Here I enjoyed finding a cupcake shop. However, as cute as these cakes looked I think they weren't as fresh as I would want them to be.

As you all know by now the Cafe craze has picked up in Korea, with not just the big chains dominating street corners but small-business types that decorate their shops with cuteness and uniqueness.

This next place was called, "Five tables" and I am going to guess that maybe they just have five tables.

Mostly I loved strolling along and seeing the odd displays out front or decorations around the cafes.

As I moved closer to where this area starts to melt with Hongdae I ran into a design gallery called, UngddungSang. It looked like something was going on as several guys with large cameras were waiting out front, so I took a peek inside.

There was a gallery space on the basement floor exhibiting a Hangeul text design show, which was fun to look at.

One creative design was using Hangeul in shoes, definitely a very whimsical feeling.

When I left the exhibit a few black cars rolled up and men with earpieces stood around it. Then a man and woman came out, were photographed and escorted into the building. I have no clue who these people were, but am guessing very high profile folks. Maybe a large donor to the exhibit or space...perhaps the owner? Ah I'll never know.

I'll finish this post with a restaurant discovery I made while heading back to the subway station. I have other photos and places to put up, which I'll do later. But for now I want to mention that I think Hawaiian food is becoming a new craze here. I found several Hawaiian themed restaurants as I wondered around, the following one took the cake.

Called, Bonjour Hawaii this place was mostly fascinating in its design. What captivated me was the sign on the top of the building that looked like it was ripped off from American diner and planted here. Everything about this place seemed like it was thoughtfully recreating a beach scene in Hawaii.

However if you read the signs carefully who can see the English mistakes, which place you in Korea. After checking out the pics on Foursquare I am definitely enticed to try some of their meals. If anyone wants to come along, hey let's go!

Actually I think the new trend for restaurant entrepreneurs here is to buy up a "Villa" style home, then redo it into a restaurant. That's what the original Vatos in Itaewon did, and I think it's something catching on elsewhere. For one this definitely gives the restaurant more space, more outdoor seating and also some charisma.

To end this post I'll put up the following picture of a building under construction with blue safety nets all around it. For some reason this shimmered in the afternoon light and was quite beautiful.

Map for a better understanding of this area...

My Accounts of Typhoon Bolaven

The windows are rattling and the cats are sleeping soundly in the house of Joy. Typhoon Bolaven (태풍 볼라벤) has been blowing its hardest over South Korea since last night and bringing with it hysteria. However, as much as it is kind of silly watching Korean people get all up in arms about this severe weather, safety is usually a good idea. I recall a few years ago when windows blew out in the last typhoon while people were standing near them enjoying the typhoon scenery.

For the most part this typhoon hasn't been too grand or destructive. From what I can see and have walked through. However, it mostly disrupted the everyday schedule.

My school didn't allow the students to attend but teachers were made to come in. This caused many of the foreign staff to request to leave early and at one point people wanted to stage a "walk-out." Yet we were allowed to go at 12pm, and all was well. I'm imagining a lot of people got the day off today, which is a rare sight in Korea. Yet you can imagine we will be making it up at some point.

Last night the sunset was stunning as the sky was alit in lovely hues of pink and blue. The "calm before the storm" I suppose. When I walked to work today, as I tried not to get blown away, I noticed many people taped up "x's" on their window. In Florida people shutter their windows with planks of wood and hunkered down somewhere safe. I think the days of taping up one's window are over out there.

The sky this morning showed dense clouds moving swiftly, which are kind of fun to watch. For the most part I find this typhoon connects us all together. Whether we are at home or in the office, we all are sharing the experience. I hope everyone had a safe journey through Typhoon Bolaven...till next season.

A little action to leave you off with...

Seoul KOTESOL Chapter Meeting

I have decided to take teaching English a bit more seriously, and in that process realized it might be a good idea to join the KOTESOL group. About two or three years ago I attended their international conference they hold each year in the Fall. Although I showed up at the last half of it, I remember it felt great to be around folks who are interested in teaching English.

Yesterday, I attended the Seoul chapter of the group and enjoyed their monthly meeting nearby Sookmyung University. It was a hot and sultry afternoon when I arrived, and due to a busy morning had skipped lunch. But I grabbed a snack and joined folks in the cool air-conditioned room. There I was greeted by Stafford from the Chosun Bimbo, whom I have had the pleasure of meeting at other events. I also was greeted to some other nice folks who are part of the group.

Things got under way and soon there were two groups swapping stories and ideas about the 4 basic skills one teaches in this job. (Reading, writing, speaking, and listening). I found myself having to kick on the gears in my head and respond to questions like, "Have you had any successful speaking activities lately?" I teach 2nd grade math, and explained that most of the time my goals are for the students to not speak Korean and that the lower levels do well. But I chimed in with several examples and statements on the topics, adding my own flare to the group. Mostly, I just enjoyed being around people who take their teaching job seriously and want to learn more. I hate to say this, and not sound terrible, but I find myself at work not having many conversations about the actual teaching job. Mostly we talk about which students are our favorites and which ones we wish would fall down a well. When it comes to talking about improving our lessons, or how to get the kids to speak, all of that kind of wandered off from the beginning.

But at my school we are left to our own devices and can teach however we see fit, so it is no wonder people don't really feel like talking about it. However, usually we meet with other members at the school to discuss the subject we are teaching (subject meetings). Thankfully, at these events people talk about how to improve and get the kids to use their skills more.

Back to the fun times at the Seoul chapter KOTESOL meeting. We finished up our group discussions and then headed up the hill to the Hyochang park. Both of these areas were new to me, and sorry I didn't grab any pictures. Actually, I brought my camera but realized that I attached my macro lens on accident.

The park picnic was very pleasant, and gave everyone a chance to gab about this and that. I was amongst other seasoned residents of Korea, and so we reflected on how things have changed over time.

All in all, I look forward to attending future meetings and making it to the International Conference in October. I also highly recommend anyone interested in perking up their teaching career to give the group a shot. Enrollment fees are half off, apparently and with membership you get discounts to their big events. Plus, nothing really beats the conversations you can have about teaching and people you can meet who have been in this field for some time.

Head on over to the KOTESOL website, and if you fancy it try out joining as a member.

A Response to This American Life's "American's in China"

A while back I listened to the podcast show of This American Life's episode, "Americans in China." As I listened I was amused to hear familiar tales of life in an Asian country, coming from seasoned expats. At the same time I was a little peeved that the good folks at This American Life didn't consider the same show but with Korea as their backdrop. Heck, why not even a similar show with both Korea and China together? Maybe now that Samsung is becoming a big hit abroad, popular media will pick up on what life is like out here. Until then I feel like responding to their episode with bits of my interpretations to life on the peninsula.

Point 1: Foreigners on TV in China might be more exploited than foreigners on TV in Korea.

In the beginning of the show you are treated to an introduction about how foreign folk (mainly non-Asian) are often asked to be shown on TV. Not just this but typically they are made to sing or dance for the audience, which makes some people feel like monkeys.

Benji: When foreigners go on TV shows, the most common thing is, they like to dress them up in old Chinese garb, like the Tang Dynasty clothes, and make them sing some old Chinese song and say some ridiculous phrase in Chinese. And then the host will come out and just kind of make fun of them ....
Like I've heard that in Chinese TV, the things that get the best ratings are children, animals, and foreigners, which just kind of says it all. It's just that foreigners are considered cute and adorable. It's kind of like a baby who can't take care of himself and needs to be loved.

Sound familiar? The thing is though I haven't felt like foreigners have been made to do the same thing here on Korean TV. Sure foreigners are interviewed and put up on Arirang TV or news shows, but they haven't been randomly plucked off the street and whisked to the studio. I've known several bloggers who have been on popular tv programs here, but they were given notice and a choice.

However, I would say that foreigners are often depicted in non-sensical and racist ways on Korean TV, as seen in the MBC video (the scandalous one that reveals the "truths").

Anyways the theme of the show seems to be about how foreigners are interpreted in the communities around China, and how the foreigners themselves have learned to live and love the country.

Point 2: Always the outsider

The show transitions into a segment about the senior expats in China and how they have become so adapted to the atmosphere, that their almost "Chinese" themselves. Then it grows into a segment about one family that lives in the rural part of the country. Where on the one hand they are the welcomed foreign traveler that brings English language to the village, yet on the other they are the complete outsider.

This piece centers around Michael Meyer who has written the book, "The Last Days of Old Beijing." He lives in the rural town of "Wasteland", which is uncanny enough. As a man married to a Chinese woman, he gets asked about his family there a lot. Yet even though probably every villager knows him by now, he still receives the stare.

In urban China, the sight of a foreigner no longer causes a crowd to gather and stare. But in the rural half, people still approach me with friendly, cautious curiosity, the way you might if a giraffe wandered down your street. I read that the comedian Steve Martin used to hand autograph seekers a signed name card that confirmed the person had met Steve Martin and found him to be warm, polite, intelligent, and funny. I've often thought of making a similar card to present with a silent smile, answering the usual six questions asked of me in this order.

I've had the same idea, to have a small laminated card with the basic details of my life on it. "Where are you from?" "How old are you?" "How long have you been in Korea?" "Yes I can eat kimchi and use chopsticks." ...etc. Something to present the next person who starts asking me these questions, to which I can hurry things along and get to more personal and fun questions about myself.

But he also expresses the encounters he has had that were humbling, like a construction worker who asked him a philosophical question about life. I too have randomly found myself having a strange yet deep conversation with Korean strangers on the street (in English).

The show continues to show how Michael's life in rural China becomes how he is a representation of his country. People ask him about political and economical life in America, and why they are such a superpower. Similarly, I've felt like a small diplomat over here covering for my country when huge issues occur.

He moves on to the disruption his presence causes in the village, that he really has no control over.

Like teachers, writers are worthy of pity in China, even out in the sticks. But I know the trouble my presence causes, cutting a wake across the surface of village life. China's distrusts the single traveler, the person without a work unit or even a name card, especially when the person is a la-wai, an old outsider, as foreigners are often called. And with reason-- we can always leave.
Chinese doesn't use tenses or differentiate between singular and plural. So one la-wai is the same as six la-wai. But in situations such as this, in a town so small, where I am a visitor, teaching, sure, and invited to weddings and funerals and New Year's dinners, but a guest always. I know how to describe my numbers. Just as there is a murder of crows and a school of fish, in China, even in the middle of Wasteland, the foreigner is always a hassle of la-wai.

I think I can never voucher for being that disruptive in my neighborhood, as I live in a highly dense part of Seoul. But I can say I've recognized my presence in the schools I've worked as one where people walked on eggshells around me. Not because I was a terrible person (I'm a nice person!), but because they didn't want to speak English or deal with whatever might happen. This only meant for me to warm up to people in my school slowly, so to make my presence a warm one.

~~

It's a fun podcast and gives you some insights into what expat life in China is kind of like. Certainly, interesting to see the similarities and differences. I do wonder what it would be like to be an expat of one country for a long time, and move to the next. Readjustments not only in language surely must be a hurdle to overcome. Anyways, take a listen to this podcast and see what you can discover for yourself.

On the Business of Being a Team Leader

It's been almost two months into my second year at my school, and I figured it is time to talk about being a Team Leader. This title makes me in charge of three other foreign Native English teachers in my department (2nd grade). It also means that I am in the intermediary between the English crew and the Korean homeroom teachers. When I was first given this duty I was stricken with fear that I couldn't do it, and would find myself stressed out too much. Today I am going to expose how being a Team Leader has developed for me and give insights into what's been happening so far.

Things started off kind of rough when on the first day back I was bombarded with level testing. I wasn't aware this had to be done so I was found scrambling for the test and spending my prep time giving it to the new students. But I handled it quite well and did my best to keep up with the day. During that first week I thought it was very important to make a good impression with the Korean staff, and so tried to talk with them, and one day gave them some chocolate I acquired from recent travels. But it seemed they were too busy and into their own worries to really pay attention to me or my English staff in general. I mostly just tried to go with the flow and so stayed out of their way.

Since then I have gotten use to being the person the Korean staff goes to when delivering important messages. Information includes schedule changes or nuances about vocabulary and tests. There are four Korean homeroom teachers and the make up is interesting. One of them is an older woman and doubles as the school's Vice Principal. So she doesn't really talk to me much, but I try my best to be nice and mild around her. The other homeroom teacher is the one to go to for paperwork and schedule changes, and mostly for English messages. However, she is going to have her first baby at the end of this month, so we won't see her again till next semester. Then there is the next homeroom teacher, a guy, who pretty much keeps to himself. I only go to him if one of the kids from his class is having trouble. That leaves us with the Head Teacher, a guy who is nice and communicates well with me. All major things pass through him, so I try to be nice and just do whatever he requests.

For example, today we had a new student and this morning as I was just setting up in my room, he informed me of her. I was to give her the level test. If this were me about 4 years ago when I first came to Korea, these last minute things and random invites would have me in a twirl. But I've gotten use to a lot of the Korean workplace nuances and so I'm nice about these things.

Otherwise, being Team Leader seems to mostly be about keeping up with everyone's paper work. Monthly planner, vocabulary and lesson plans are the major forms of paperwork I have to check and make sure are all right throughout the month. I have to make sure folks are keeping up with these things and occasionally ask them to hurry along.

As leader itself I am letting things grow at a good pace. I have had bi-weekly meetings with my staff to catch them up on current topics and agenda. It seems to make my team happy, as we also end up talking about the kids and our classes.

I have to say I find being team leader not as stressful as I thought it would be, but at times I hope I'm not slacking off too much. My concerns would be that I don't really talk to the Korean staff or get to the know them. This is something I am notorious for doing. I just figure if I'm being nice and doing what is being told, than I am on their good side anyways. Hmm, maybe time to rethink my strategy, haha.

In the end, I feel that my position at this school and the unique teaching environment that I am is a fortunate win on my side. So being Team Leader, so far, is treating me very well.

Have a Jolly Golly Christmas It's the ...

I'm currently on my Christmas vacation that will last till the New Year. To give the kids something special we (the English teachers) dressed up in a Santa outfit, played songs and handed out presents. The kids had a splendid time, except for a few that were displeased with their presents. Hey! It's not my fault kid! The presents were brought in by other students and randomly put into a bag.

To be honest, this year I'm not too much of a fan of this holiday. For one, I am reminded of my recent break up with Korean boyfriend #2 and the good times we had last year. You can see in these posts (here and here) that he visited me in San Francisco. As you can imagine, I am little beside myself this season just wondering why such a difference.

But life moves on and lesson plans need to get made, which is mostly what I am doing this Xmas vacation.

I think having this stable job and even just the promotion of going to 2nd grade and being a team leader, has me grounded. The work is keeping me busy and the good times had with the children are helping me feel the holiday spirit. But I'm hoping next year's holiday season will be a festive and warm one with someone to share it with.

Happy Holidays~