You know, even if I don't become a teacher, at least this trip will help me get 1 step closer to fulfilling one of my life goals: being on the amazing race contestant. Since I've been here I've been exposed to kimchis of various residues and thickness: cabbage kimchi, radish kimchi, weird-leaf kimchi, squid kimchi, fermented kimchi, tofu kimchi, water kimchi, kimchi soup, and dumplings stuffed with, you guessed it - meat! I mean kimchi! I've also got to go to McDonald's before I go since there's also a Kimchi burger too...
So, I think I'm more than experienced enough for the food-eating challenges - if Kimchi wasn't enough, I've had coagulated blood soup, chicken stomach, marsh snails, and this thing called mogwart - It's this weird herb that smells and tastes like indeterminate green vegetables, but they put in all their "desserts" like rice cakes and stuff.
I think the moment I realised I could make it on the amazing race was when I was in a Korean barbeque restaurant, I saw these little pecan-shaped things in what looked like butter, so I ate it, and later found out it was silkworm larvae... not that bad, but tastes kinda like crab roe with a semi-soft prawn-shell coating... mmmm, yum!
Friday, June 30, 2006
Korean TV
Been pretty slack on the updates - I've had school every day - so my day starts at 6:30 until 5:30 - almost every night since I've been here I've been invited by someone to go out for dinner - yesterday (thursday night) was the first time in over a week I didn't actually do anything! I was so excited - I got to go to sleep at around 10:30!
Today I've got a open class presentation, where English teachers from the surrounding area come to watch our demo team teaching class. Apparently there's like 20 teachers coming in to watch a class. Originally, we were only going to have the year 9 students (all 5 of them) but the principal decided to make it a joint class with both year 8 and year 9 students - so now we have a total of 7 students! So it looks like there will be 3 teachers for every student! My supervising teacher has stocked up on lollies, so hopefully they'll be on a sugar high and want to participate and not be worried about be watched... Apparently our presentation will be videotaped as well! urgh! stupid cameras!
So I heard we're going to be filmed again by a Korean TV station to record our last days in Jeonju- me and the other guy teachers are "going" to someone's house, where "our" students will be, and have a final goodbye party, where the students will make us some Korean food. Then, they'll record us leaving and our "students" waving goodbye and being all teary-eyed...
I can't believe how much effort that's going into all this stuff - they record for like a couple hours and they end up showing only a minute or so - Unfortunately, this means I haven't been stopped in the street yet by millions of girls asking for my autograph *sigh*.
Speaking of TV I was so excited when I saw a show that I knew on Korean TV - it was dubbed in Korean, but it was still funny and understandable... I managed to record it on my camera so you can hear me laughing in the background...
Today I've got a open class presentation, where English teachers from the surrounding area come to watch our demo team teaching class. Apparently there's like 20 teachers coming in to watch a class. Originally, we were only going to have the year 9 students (all 5 of them) but the principal decided to make it a joint class with both year 8 and year 9 students - so now we have a total of 7 students! So it looks like there will be 3 teachers for every student! My supervising teacher has stocked up on lollies, so hopefully they'll be on a sugar high and want to participate and not be worried about be watched... Apparently our presentation will be videotaped as well! urgh! stupid cameras!
So I heard we're going to be filmed again by a Korean TV station to record our last days in Jeonju- me and the other guy teachers are "going" to someone's house, where "our" students will be, and have a final goodbye party, where the students will make us some Korean food. Then, they'll record us leaving and our "students" waving goodbye and being all teary-eyed...
I can't believe how much effort that's going into all this stuff - they record for like a couple hours and they end up showing only a minute or so - Unfortunately, this means I haven't been stopped in the street yet by millions of girls asking for my autograph *sigh*.
Speaking of TV I was so excited when I saw a show that I knew on Korean TV - it was dubbed in Korean, but it was still funny and understandable... I managed to record it on my camera so you can hear me laughing in the background...
Tuesday, June 27, 2006
mental note...
When you see something that looks like potatoes in tomato sauce in the school cafeteria, and you think it's good because everyone else seems to be piling it onto their tray, don't! You'll soon find out it's just Kim-chi type No. 52, this time made of radish (not potato). And yes, it is spicy. And yes, people will think it's funny you piled on so much onto your tray but only ate one piece...
Sunday, June 25, 2006
my 15 minutes are up...
my 15 minutes of shame were short-lived. Probably because it wasn't even 15 minutes, more like a minute and a half. I tried to record it with my digital camera, but you can't really hear much and all you hear is me going "oh! that's me! wow!" pretty much the whole time... But I heard we're getting a tape from the TV station, so at least I've got something to show of it when I get home... I'm also annoyed because they only showed the first bit where I'm teaching and didn't show anything from when I was outside playing basketball with the students. All this physical exertion for no apparent reason? urgh! Since then, I haven't been doing much - just teaching classes and subjecting kids to Vegemite - it's a shame that the national food of choice tastes kinda sucky. What else? um, nothing much, just got married and stuff - nothing flashy, just a small wedding in Korean costume. I also had to wear a hat being the groom, which didn't look as bad as I thought, considering I can't normally wear hats. So I expect lots of wedding presents when I get back!
Tuesday, June 20, 2006
do wombats have tails?
Do wombats have tails? Let me know, because I may have just told everyone in the area that they don't. During my first day at one of my schools, I was doing a lesson with my supervising teacher when she received a call - It was KBS, and they were doing a news segment on this whole teaching practicum in Korea. I kinda freaked out and couldn't stop laughing about the whole situation - I think my students think I'm kinda weird.
Anyways, me and my supervising teacher freaked out and had to plan a whole new lesson for the day - we were originally going to do just an introductory lesson where students just ask me questions about Australia and that's it. We also had to change the class because originally it was just a year 9 class, but we had to change it to make it a class for the whole school (sounds impressive, but it's a country school, so there are only 11 students) just so it would look better on TV.
After working out the perfect lesson plan, we didn't even end up using it at all. Instead, the cameraman just wanted to get enough shots of me at the board and then wanted us to 'play an English". I don't even know what game it was, I was explained the rules in the few seconds before we started, and then played - it was kinda like Uno, but not and really lame.
I'm so glad it's being aired on Korean TV because I swear I made an arse of myself. I was asked why this was a good program, and my explanation was too long, so had to shorten in to 15 seconds, and I must I look totally out of it. Then, they interviewed some Korean students and asked them to be really pumped and scream and get excited about me coming in. I don't know what it says about me or my teaching, but all the students refused to act really excited about me coming in!
After about 10 more minutes of that, I had to show how much I was bonding with my students and play basketball with them for 15 minutes - They so don't know me at all! I hope there's some clever editing because I must of only hit 2 of like 15 shots, and then I was asked to dunk the ball. Would you call it a dunk when you can't even reach the ring and miss as well? Hopefully they cut and edit it so I look good, or maybe they'll add some stupid sound effects...
Anyways, me and my supervising teacher freaked out and had to plan a whole new lesson for the day - we were originally going to do just an introductory lesson where students just ask me questions about Australia and that's it. We also had to change the class because originally it was just a year 9 class, but we had to change it to make it a class for the whole school (sounds impressive, but it's a country school, so there are only 11 students) just so it would look better on TV.
After working out the perfect lesson plan, we didn't even end up using it at all. Instead, the cameraman just wanted to get enough shots of me at the board and then wanted us to 'play an English". I don't even know what game it was, I was explained the rules in the few seconds before we started, and then played - it was kinda like Uno, but not and really lame.
I'm so glad it's being aired on Korean TV because I swear I made an arse of myself. I was asked why this was a good program, and my explanation was too long, so had to shorten in to 15 seconds, and I must I look totally out of it. Then, they interviewed some Korean students and asked them to be really pumped and scream and get excited about me coming in. I don't know what it says about me or my teaching, but all the students refused to act really excited about me coming in!
After about 10 more minutes of that, I had to show how much I was bonding with my students and play basketball with them for 15 minutes - They so don't know me at all! I hope there's some clever editing because I must of only hit 2 of like 15 shots, and then I was asked to dunk the ball. Would you call it a dunk when you can't even reach the ring and miss as well? Hopefully they cut and edit it so I look good, or maybe they'll add some stupid sound effects...
Saturday, June 17, 2006
me & kim chi at the gran piatta
"We want you to feel comfortable in Korea, so we'll take you to an Italian restaurant today, okay?"
Didn't really expect to be eating just non-Korean food on my first day in Korea. I had this bread-cakey thing my host teacher bought for me for breakfast/lunch, and then for dinner, she was taking me to an Italian restaurant? What, no kim-chi? We are in the land of Kim-chi after all...
But after eating at Gran Piatta, my concerns were put to rest straight away - I ordered a "Korean-inspired" octopus risotto, while everyone else ordered pasta and veal. After an entree of soup, we were served a side of freakishly-sweet Asian bread, and kim-chi! Wow, kim-chi land doesn't disappoint!
my "risotto" wasn't very risotto-y either - I thought it'd be all mixed together and have a creamy sauce or something, but it was just a stir-fry with a side of rice, and also a side of Korean noodles - not mixed together or anything! it was freakishly spicy as well - couldn't end up finishing it because I went all red and stuff.
thinking my night at the Italian restaurant couldn't be any more culture shocky, I went to the toilets, and found ice in the urinal... not like an ice block, but like someone emptied a bag of ice into all of the urinals. WHY? Why would you need to cool it down!?
Oh well, guess I have little else to be surprised about when I try "real" Korean food. Bring on the Kim-chi!
Didn't really expect to be eating just non-Korean food on my first day in Korea. I had this bread-cakey thing my host teacher bought for me for breakfast/lunch, and then for dinner, she was taking me to an Italian restaurant? What, no kim-chi? We are in the land of Kim-chi after all...
But after eating at Gran Piatta, my concerns were put to rest straight away - I ordered a "Korean-inspired" octopus risotto, while everyone else ordered pasta and veal. After an entree of soup, we were served a side of freakishly-sweet Asian bread, and kim-chi! Wow, kim-chi land doesn't disappoint!
my "risotto" wasn't very risotto-y either - I thought it'd be all mixed together and have a creamy sauce or something, but it was just a stir-fry with a side of rice, and also a side of Korean noodles - not mixed together or anything! it was freakishly spicy as well - couldn't end up finishing it because I went all red and stuff.
thinking my night at the Italian restaurant couldn't be any more culture shocky, I went to the toilets, and found ice in the urinal... not like an ice block, but like someone emptied a bag of ice into all of the urinals. WHY? Why would you need to cool it down!?
Oh well, guess I have little else to be surprised about when I try "real" Korean food. Bring on the Kim-chi!
Friday, June 16, 2006
boy are my arms tired..
25 Hours. 4 countries. 3 Plane rides. And no million dollars, because this isn't the Amazing Race. Yes, I'm in South Korea (aka the good Korea) after traveling a ridiculous 25 hours. We ended up having a stop in Bangkok for a 4 hours, and we made an unexpected stop in Hong Kong as well - apparently our flight from Bangkok to Seoul was always via Hong Kong, but everyone's itinerary happened to not have that written down. But boy, was those stop overs in airports so exciting! So much excitement, and so much stuff happened I think I'll leave it out. But I do think that the anti-plane food thing is totally unjustified. Tiny meals, with dessert, each of the dishes in it's little own compartment - what more do you want? Plus, I don't mind the indeterminate foods that are cylindrical shape and taste a little rubbery - it's all part of the experience of flying!
One thing I did learn after all those hours flying is that I can survive with only a few 15-minute naps here an there during 24 hours of travel - watch out amazing race! Now I just need to find a partner (preferably hot) to cry all the time and continually claim "this is the worst experience ever!" and I might just make it to amazing race map and meet Phil...
By the time I got to Seoul, I was really too buggered to actually sightsee while on the 4-hour bus ride to our province. But I did notice a "Kim-Chi land" billboard, so either the Koreans know about their unhealthy obsession with Kim-chi, or there's a really cool amusement park with an assortment of spicy-pickled vegetables. Sounds exciting either way!
One thing I did learn after all those hours flying is that I can survive with only a few 15-minute naps here an there during 24 hours of travel - watch out amazing race! Now I just need to find a partner (preferably hot) to cry all the time and continually claim "this is the worst experience ever!" and I might just make it to amazing race map and meet Phil...
By the time I got to Seoul, I was really too buggered to actually sightsee while on the 4-hour bus ride to our province. But I did notice a "Kim-Chi land" billboard, so either the Koreans know about their unhealthy obsession with Kim-chi, or there's a really cool amusement park with an assortment of spicy-pickled vegetables. Sounds exciting either way!
Thursday, June 15, 2006
it's narin!
I figured mass emails about my exploits in Korea would be pretty hit-or-miss, so I thought I'd set up a blog for people who were interested to see what I was doing and also leave notes - Also, I'm too slack to actually send huge individual emails to everyone, but this way, it makes me sound really considerate about everyone...
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