Yay!!! I finally have internet at my place. Kind of shady though...they are using someone else's ARC until I get mine on Friday. Whatever...mini-hiatus officially OVER!!!
Day 5:
It was a pretty average aka boring day. I learned about teaching techniques and ways to supplement the textbook. Probably one of the more interesting parts of training was when we found of which Multiple Intelligence we scored the highest in. Mine was Intra-personal. I think it describes me pretty well. I am very self-aware and reflective which is why I spend so much time lost in the jumble of my thoughts. Like all things being an intra-personal kind of person has its good and bad qualities. I am definitely a very internal human being. I went to sleep pretty early. I don't know what was up with me but I got tired sooo easily during orientation which made me miss out on the fun times after hours. My biggest complain was the beds. They are so hard here. It was/is like sleeping on a rock or something. Nothing exciting happened on Day 5. I ended the night working on my micro-teaching presentation with my partner Mitchell. Overall it was a very low-key kind of day.
Day 6:
I did my micro-teaching presentation with my partner Mitchell. Our topic was giving direction. We focused on simple vocabulary (straight, left, right), and used Zeeto trying to find his spaceship on a huge map as the focus of the presentation. We got a lot of positive feedback, but I think I could have done better. I learned a lot from watching everyone's presentations and it really gave me a lot of ideas on how to become a better teacher, especially when it comes to classroom management. It was cool seeing everyone's teaching styles vs. their personalities. Some were the same and others different.
With only two more days of orientation left. I kept on thinking about the budding friendships I was creating and whether they would last outside these orientation walls. When you are stuck together for a week, you are going to do your best to get along with everyone, but that might change once you all go your separate ways. My thoughts were that I wanted to hang out with people who would do more than party and drink every weekend. I can do that in the states if I wanted. I wanted to find people I can explore Seoul with, take Korean classes with, try new foods with, and just enjoy the year with. I knew that I had to be open minded and give people a chance. I've met a lot of people who are each unique in their own way. I just hope that these relationships grow and gain sustenance over the year. I also would like to make Korean friends and really get an inside look into Korean culture, food, and of course the language.
I told myself I don't want superficiality or drama around me. I just want good people and good times to make this year memorable for all the right reasons. So far it is turning out to be full of unexpected moments, and I have to remember to give as much or even more than I take. This isn't the time to be timid or doubtful. Instead I want to do my best to be bold and live a colorful and flavorful kind of life.
Day 7:
This day was probably the best day of orientation. We got to leave the fortress of solitude and visit a school to see a NSET in action. The school we went to was NICE. Had a lot of cool English areas and you could tell they made an effort to make their school stand out. The NSET was okay. They made her seem like the best teacher in the world..but she was teaching these kids improper English. The worksheets had grammatically incorrect sentences, and I was like if you are going to teach these kids English don't teach them the wrong stuff to say. After the observation we had free time:)! So a couple of us took the subway to Myungdong. I had my first subway experience and it was confusing and crowded. I got my T-Money card too. We ate at this place known for their mandoo (dumplings) and it was delicious. I had kimbap too. It was a nice and relaxing afternoon with some fun people. We ended the outing at the National Museum of Art, but by then I was so tired I just looked around, bought some postcards, and sat at the cafe eating ice cream with some other tired people. By the time we got back to the fortress of solitude I was actually glad to see the place. I found out what school I will be teaching at, and ended the day with packing and goodbyes. I realized that everything would start again tomorrow. My journey in Seoul would truly begin...
Day 8:
The last day was a hectic day. We woke up and loaded the buses with our luggage. This really nice guy helped me with all my luggage and put it on the bus. Thank goodness for all the kindness I have received so far in Seoul. We had the closing ceremony and ate the best meal of orientation. It was soooo yummy, and I realized after that they probably fed us so well because they knew we would starve for the next two days trying to figure out where to find food and getting situated in our apartments. It was in a way like the last meal.
We said our goodbyes and got on our buses. My bus was the Nambu district people. It took about an hour and a half to get to the meeting location. Once I got there, I waited for a bit for my co-teacher to show up. Once she shows up, we see that her car is super tiny and cannot fit my luggage in it. So we call a taxi, the first one arrives and says he won't take the luggage. So then she calls a call van. We waited for almost two hours before finally heading to my apartment. I got to the school at 2 PM and didn't get to my apartment till around 5 PM.
I barely got a chance to look at the place before we headed to Home Plus to buy necessities. The place is very spacious for one person. I'm hoping to get a couch/futon in there. So on we go to Home Plus and my co-teacher calls her mother to come help us shop, and she comes and take over. She pushes the cart, and is like you need this, you don't need this...etc. It was a pretty funny and cute situation. After all the shopping, they both come to my place and her mom makes my bed for me and puts away the things we bought. It was a nice moment to feel taken care of. They left after making sure I was okay, and then the silence penetrated my mind. In that moment I realized I was here. I was really doing this. In that moment there was loneliness and excitement bubbling inside of me. I had made it this far, and even though there was so much I didn't know. I was proud of myself for doing this, and trying to figure out my life by my own terms. So the journey in Seoul begins, let the adventures and mishaps begin to unfold.
Be Blessed,
~Lola O.~
PS: I promise pictures of my apartment and Korea So Far will be posted soon...I'm so sleepy but I wanted to update my blog for my lovely readers. Thanks for taking this ride with me:)!!! Enjoy the SMOE March 2010 video. There is a little bit of me towards the end.
SMOE March 2010 Orientation from SMOE Coordinator on Vimeo.
Day 5:
It was a pretty average aka boring day. I learned about teaching techniques and ways to supplement the textbook. Probably one of the more interesting parts of training was when we found of which Multiple Intelligence we scored the highest in. Mine was Intra-personal. I think it describes me pretty well. I am very self-aware and reflective which is why I spend so much time lost in the jumble of my thoughts. Like all things being an intra-personal kind of person has its good and bad qualities. I am definitely a very internal human being. I went to sleep pretty early. I don't know what was up with me but I got tired sooo easily during orientation which made me miss out on the fun times after hours. My biggest complain was the beds. They are so hard here. It was/is like sleeping on a rock or something. Nothing exciting happened on Day 5. I ended the night working on my micro-teaching presentation with my partner Mitchell. Overall it was a very low-key kind of day.
Day 6:
I did my micro-teaching presentation with my partner Mitchell. Our topic was giving direction. We focused on simple vocabulary (straight, left, right), and used Zeeto trying to find his spaceship on a huge map as the focus of the presentation. We got a lot of positive feedback, but I think I could have done better. I learned a lot from watching everyone's presentations and it really gave me a lot of ideas on how to become a better teacher, especially when it comes to classroom management. It was cool seeing everyone's teaching styles vs. their personalities. Some were the same and others different.
With only two more days of orientation left. I kept on thinking about the budding friendships I was creating and whether they would last outside these orientation walls. When you are stuck together for a week, you are going to do your best to get along with everyone, but that might change once you all go your separate ways. My thoughts were that I wanted to hang out with people who would do more than party and drink every weekend. I can do that in the states if I wanted. I wanted to find people I can explore Seoul with, take Korean classes with, try new foods with, and just enjoy the year with. I knew that I had to be open minded and give people a chance. I've met a lot of people who are each unique in their own way. I just hope that these relationships grow and gain sustenance over the year. I also would like to make Korean friends and really get an inside look into Korean culture, food, and of course the language.
I told myself I don't want superficiality or drama around me. I just want good people and good times to make this year memorable for all the right reasons. So far it is turning out to be full of unexpected moments, and I have to remember to give as much or even more than I take. This isn't the time to be timid or doubtful. Instead I want to do my best to be bold and live a colorful and flavorful kind of life.
Day 7:
This day was probably the best day of orientation. We got to leave the fortress of solitude and visit a school to see a NSET in action. The school we went to was NICE. Had a lot of cool English areas and you could tell they made an effort to make their school stand out. The NSET was okay. They made her seem like the best teacher in the world..but she was teaching these kids improper English. The worksheets had grammatically incorrect sentences, and I was like if you are going to teach these kids English don't teach them the wrong stuff to say. After the observation we had free time:)! So a couple of us took the subway to Myungdong. I had my first subway experience and it was confusing and crowded. I got my T-Money card too. We ate at this place known for their mandoo (dumplings) and it was delicious. I had kimbap too. It was a nice and relaxing afternoon with some fun people. We ended the outing at the National Museum of Art, but by then I was so tired I just looked around, bought some postcards, and sat at the cafe eating ice cream with some other tired people. By the time we got back to the fortress of solitude I was actually glad to see the place. I found out what school I will be teaching at, and ended the day with packing and goodbyes. I realized that everything would start again tomorrow. My journey in Seoul would truly begin...
Day 8:
The last day was a hectic day. We woke up and loaded the buses with our luggage. This really nice guy helped me with all my luggage and put it on the bus. Thank goodness for all the kindness I have received so far in Seoul. We had the closing ceremony and ate the best meal of orientation. It was soooo yummy, and I realized after that they probably fed us so well because they knew we would starve for the next two days trying to figure out where to find food and getting situated in our apartments. It was in a way like the last meal.
We said our goodbyes and got on our buses. My bus was the Nambu district people. It took about an hour and a half to get to the meeting location. Once I got there, I waited for a bit for my co-teacher to show up. Once she shows up, we see that her car is super tiny and cannot fit my luggage in it. So we call a taxi, the first one arrives and says he won't take the luggage. So then she calls a call van. We waited for almost two hours before finally heading to my apartment. I got to the school at 2 PM and didn't get to my apartment till around 5 PM.
I barely got a chance to look at the place before we headed to Home Plus to buy necessities. The place is very spacious for one person. I'm hoping to get a couch/futon in there. So on we go to Home Plus and my co-teacher calls her mother to come help us shop, and she comes and take over. She pushes the cart, and is like you need this, you don't need this...etc. It was a pretty funny and cute situation. After all the shopping, they both come to my place and her mom makes my bed for me and puts away the things we bought. It was a nice moment to feel taken care of. They left after making sure I was okay, and then the silence penetrated my mind. In that moment I realized I was here. I was really doing this. In that moment there was loneliness and excitement bubbling inside of me. I had made it this far, and even though there was so much I didn't know. I was proud of myself for doing this, and trying to figure out my life by my own terms. So the journey in Seoul begins, let the adventures and mishaps begin to unfold.
Be Blessed,
~Lola O.~
PS: I promise pictures of my apartment and Korea So Far will be posted soon...I'm so sleepy but I wanted to update my blog for my lovely readers. Thanks for taking this ride with me:)!!! Enjoy the SMOE March 2010 video. There is a little bit of me towards the end.
SMOE March 2010 Orientation from SMOE Coordinator on Vimeo.
Posts
YAY a post. I seriously have been checking every day. I'm so bored at work this week.
I can't wait to watch the video. Though I'll have to wait until I get home.
hehe ok so I ended up watching the video at work. There is nothing else to do here. Seriously. AND if one of my supervisors can watch "16 and Pregnant" then I can watch this. lol...
Anyways LOVED the video. It looks like so much fun!
Miss you.
It was a fun week. It had a very the beginning of New Start feeling to it. I'm glad I had orientation before starting life in Seoul. Just like I am glad I had New Start before life in college!