Packages... If you please

This is our address... Not sure why I didn't post it sooner. 

David and Lisa Reed

Korea Nazarene University

Attn: Jenny Kim

#115 Faith Hall (Miteumgwan)

456 Ssangyong- 2 Dong Seobukgu Cheonan City Choongnam
331 718 South Korea

We would love to get any and all sized packages. It's like Christmas when we do get them.

We can get a lot of things here. There is a Costco about an hour away and are planning to go on Saturday to stock up on Chicken, American Cheese and other snacks. But there are a few things that aren't easy to find, are too expensive or not available in Korea. 

Currently on my wish list are:

*300 + count sheets, Queen Size. The sheets here are thin, itchy and not good quality for the price. The cheap sheets (the kind we currently have) here are about $60. I am ok with just the bottom sheet and 2 pillow cases. 

*Anything Gluten Free. Yes, I have said that eating in Korean isn't as hard as I thought but when it comes to snacks, desserts or  American type food like spaghetti/ mexican. Korea doesn't have it or it's not completely gluten free.

        - I would love Betty Crocker Gluten Free brownie mix, corn spaghetti, and even re-fried beans (but only if someone from AZ would sent it to me.) Re-fried beans from Kansas just aren't the same.

*For David, peanut M&M's and any home baked good (unless it has peanut butter in it).

I am sure if I was standing in my kitchen I would think of other things but out of boredom I am writing this at school.... 8 minutes left. I can do this. I am bored because I finished my lesson plans earlier in the week and frankly when I am done with class at 12:10 or 1:40, I don't have much to occupy my time. Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't want to be any busier but at the same time, I can only check facebook and my email so many times in a day. 

Well, I'm down to my last 3 minutes and better pack up. I hope everyone is having an amazing start to their Spring... we have not even started Spring yet, it snowed yesterday and there is still snow in some places today.

Much Love

Lisa

 

Lisa's First Day... Continues into first full week.

Where do I begin? My first day was March 2. I got off at a bus stop too early because I thought that was the bus stop for school, thankfully it's not too far to walk from that bus stop to my school. When I got into the school the school, a teacher met me and took me up to my teachers room. A teachers room is different in every school. Mine is made up of a resource room, conference table and 4 desks. The teacher placed me at a desk and then left. I didn't have a computer... in fact I didn't get a computer until the next Monday. Then on Tuesday it broke for a good portion of the afternoon. On the first day, I thankfully had taken my own computer with me. By 10:00, I had probably played 50 games of of solitaire. Lunch was good, but even by noon, I had no idea what I would be teaching, who I would be teaching and with whom I would be teaching. I had met the principle, and vice principles but didn't know it until after they had left. I was told by some guy (who ended up being my head teacher) that I would meet him after lunch. The meeting consisted of exchanging cell phone numbers and being told that he didn't have my schedule ready because he didn't know how many hours I had been contracted for. After that, I sat some more and sat some more. No one talked to me. No one came and told me what I would be or even could be doing. I asked the 2 other women in the teachers room what I should be doing and they said take a nap. So I went down to my head teachers office and asked him. First he asked if I had looked at the curriculum and I said I don't know what I am teaching, no one has told me. He said ummmm, read a book. I have never had any job tell me to read a book unless it was pertinent to my job. I told him that I had read my book. He said ok, shooed me out of my room and ran down stairs. Later he came up and told me I would be teaching 5th and 6th grade and that in lessons I needed to make up American games. I left my first day very frustrated and very bored.

Now I haven't told you that, the 2 women in the office as well as my head teacher can't really speak English. Also, my head teacher teachers 4th grade, so unless he needs something, I really have little contact with him. On Thursday, I found out that one of the two women in the office is my co-teacher. Her English is the better of the 2 but the other one still teaches English. When I tried to ask questions, I would either have to skip words (making my English horrible) or repeat 3 times. Communication continues to be very difficult, like yesterday, I think my co-teacher was saying that we do different stories on different weeks but she was using the word partition. I informed her after I got the jist (not the understand) of what she was saying that partition was used to describe something that separates a room. I know that the word partition can also mean to separate different items too but in the context she was saying it in, I could not figure out what she was saying. 

So far, teaching in the classroom hasn't been too bad but it's not easy going from classroom to classroom since I don't have my own room. After my 4-5 classes a day, I am pretty bored. I work on my lesson plans but can only do so much. If I do lesson plans till the end of the month things could change and then I would have to do it all over again. Korea is pretty good about changing things last minute with out much notice. 

Hopefully, as the weeks progress, things will get better. However, I am realizing that even though I say I would give up being an American if I was asked to, I am a product of my environment and the American thinking that has brought me up. Even though I don't want to lose my own culture, I need to set it aside or things here will make me so mad.

Things here don't always make sense.

Until later,

Lisa

Day 1 - David

Today is the first day of school for Lisa and I, and I thought everyone would like to know how everything is going.  Well here is a run down of my day:

Initially I met Ms. Choi (Pronounced Cheh) a few weeks ago.  She was supposed to be my co-teacher, but told me that she was uncertain if she actually would be.  She told me that she would let me know on February 21st.  On the 28th I had not heard from anyone so I decided to go to school and ask someone.  When I got here I was told Ms. Choi would not be my teacher, it would be someone named Yongdong.  

I went to school around 8:20 which is 10 minutes early.  They then informed me I now have two co-teachers (one for 3rd and 4th grade and one for 5th and 6th grade).  I don't remember their names, I figured I should wait until I teach with them to be certain they are my real teachers.

So far I am a celebrity in my school.  Children are not use to seeing Americans.  With my blonde hair, blue eyes, and height everyone wants to see the "Wayguken" (Foreigner).  I am pretty sure I gave one girl a concussion.  I was walking to the gym for an assembly and everyone was looking at me as though I was going to dissappear into a cloud of smoke.  This particular girl must have been certain that I was a mirage because she was staring so hard she neglecting to notice the pole which was approaching fast.  She slammed into post head first and stumbled around a bit before blushing and getting back in line to stare at me from the comfort of the group.

During the assembly the vice principal introduced me and the whole school (about 500 kids) started getting excited and jumping around trying to sneak a peak (as if they didn't see me already).  The vice principal had to yell at the kids and get them to stand at attention.  

After the assembly I was told to sit and wait for the Principal so we could meet.  After sitting for one and a half hour alone with nothing to do I was told to just go to my class.  I did.  I was given my books and told I had to make lesson plans.  I spoke with my co-teachers.  One of which said, "I will make the lesson plans on Fridays and give them to you." The other said, "Umm uhh, we will talk about this afternoon."  So I went to lunch (Fish, Soup, Kimchi, Vegetables, rice, and Yogurt) and came back to class.  I can't do lesson plans until my teachers let me know what they want me to teach.  So, I am sitting now.  I have another three and a half hours before quitting time and I am in my quiet classroom with no heat.  A little tid bit of information I may have forgotten to tell you is Korea doesn't heat classrooms.  They don't heat hallways either. You might be saying to yourself, "Oh, that kind of sucks." But when I tell you the high for today is 36 degrees I can assure you it doesn't "Kind Of" suck... it really really sucks.  And to top it off I spilt kimchi on my pants! AND I hate fish!

I can't really complain though.  I do enjoy being a celebrity, as anyone who knows me can vouch for.  I also got my schedule and I will only be teaching for about 11 hours and 20 minutes a week... not bad considering I get paid for 40 hours.  I will still have to be in school so the remaining time will be prep time.  I think I get to go home around 4:30 every day which isn't bad either.  Not a bad gig at all.  

I don't know how the rest of my day is going to go down... I might go try to play soccer with the kids outside.  I will let you know how that goes in my next post.  God Bless,

David A. Reed