Love Ballads and an Ostrich

Little Campus

I've been a kindergarten-elementary school teacher for three days now.  Day one, I showed up having no idea what to expect.

 First things first, you can't wear shoes in the building.  I was given a pair of slippers to wear.  The "no-shoes" rule seems to be very common in Korea.







That morning I sat in on two classes and after lunch, with no training, I was thrown into the deep end.  My first class was one of the classes from the regular kindergarten who we see once a day.  They spoke no English.  They asked me question after question in Korean and I just sort of stared at them.  It didn't help my classroom control at all.  Any time I told them to sit down or be quiet they just looked at each other and continued.  They had no idea what I was saying to them.

I did have one little girl on my side in that class.  Any time I yelled at one of the misbehaving boys, she got up from her chair, smacked the boy across the head, and sat back down.  I had to fight back my smile; it was hilarious.  Completely inconducive to my goal of calmness in the classroom.  But hilarious.  







Day two was a little rough as well.  First, in the morning, the director took me to the Immigration Office in attempts to apply for my alien registration card (ARC card).  He spoke no English.  We had our phones out speaking into google translate in attempts to understand one another.  It was sort of futile.  Made for a very silent car ride.  And I couldn't even apply for my ARC card.  I needed the medical check up first.

The class I had after lunch was awful.  I had to separate three of the kids.  I don't really understand why kids just feel the need to poke, prod, and annoy one another.  I had one more little boy that could just not keep quiet and it was as though he were being repelled by his chair, springing into the air every two seconds.


After school, the teachers invited Alan and I to go out to Korean barbecue with them.  No shoes again. We sat on mats on the floor and they brought out buckets of charcoal that were placed into holes in the tables so we could cook our own meat.  

Throughout the dinner, I watched my supervisor, my director, and a couple of the teachers throw back beer after beer.  My supervisor is rather rambunctious sober.  Her volume level just increased from there.  I'd read about co-workers and even their bosses going out and getting drunk together in Korea, but I didn't think I'd ever experience it.




When we finished dinner, everyone said they were going to a "norebang".  A karaoke room.  So Alan and I tagged along.  The first thing that happened upon arriving was the appearance of more alcohol.  The evening overall was amusing and enjoyable.  It was a good way to break the ice.  Or shatter it, rather.





Today, day three, I had to go to the Ulsan City Hospital for the medical exam.  It was a rather humiliating process.  The nurse I was with was pleasant enough. But overall the place was not clean and I felt like an animal being tested.



Teaching today was a little better.  I discovered that if I stop mid-sentence and do nothing but stare at the misbehaving child, it works wonders.  I also discovered that the younger the class, the less effective this is.

During lunch today, one of the teachers told me that the school had an ostrich.  A real ostrich?  From Africa?  Yes.  I didn't believe her.  Guess what.

My kindergarten has a pet....ostrich.

The school actually has dozens of animals.  No others quite so exotic, but they have chickens, rabbits, peacocks, ducks, birds, fish, and dogs.  And puppies!!

It's like a zoo.  I love it.  :)

Some more observations about Korea.

- Traffic rules are a mere suggestion.  Red lights stop no one. Other cars occasionally do.
- Jay walking isn't really a thing here.  In fact, it might cost you your life.  See previous.