6 Month Update

Hard to believe that I've been in Korea for 6 months. Give or take, my contact is about halfway complete. I think time goes especially quickly when everything is new and you're learning each day. Also, when you're having fun.

And it has mostly been fun, although the pandemic has greatly shaped my experience and opportunities in Korea. Many people are wondering when things will go back to normal but for me, I don't really know what the Korean normal is. I only know what my brief experience in the country has shown me. Gradually, I would like to explore more of Korea and get the full experience, but I am content taking things slow.

I have a routine but there are always surprises that keep me on my toes. Specifically, at work, there is something we foreign teachers call the 'Korean Surprise'. I experience it as 'getting jerked around'. 

Essentially, the Korean surprise is unexpected and last-minute changes that impact my day. I learned that my class was cancelled from the students when I arrived in the classroom. The entire day's schedule had been changed, and I didn't find out until it was too late. Other times, I was assigned some work that came with a note asking me to please finish it in an extremely rushed timeframe.

I was recently asked to comment on students' written articles that were uploaded to the school website in a frustratingly tight timeline, even though the articles had been posted there for weeks. Likewise, I was asked to judge the student writing competition. I was given a few days to complete the task by Friday afternoon, but the teachers didn't give me the written submission until days later, with only 60 minutes left in the workday on Friday. I barely had enough time to read the students' papers, let alone give them enough careful consideration to select the winners. 

The writing competition was extra frustrating because the teachers already had an idea of who they thought should win the contest for each grade, so when my choices didn't align with theirs, they just over-ruled me.

There have been plenty of good surprises to keep things fresh and interesting as well. There was a surprise pizza party for teachers at the end of the term. Well, a surprise for me. My co-teacher forgot to tell me about it. We had pizza topped with shrimp, bacon, and barbecued beef. Also, chicken (bones removed) with savoury and spicy dipping sauce. This all came from Dominos with two hard-boiled eggs, a side order of pickles, and a 1.5-litre bottle of coke to share between six people. Shrimp on pizza isn't bad. By the way, whereas we pronounce Dominos 'DOM-i-nos', the Koreans pronounce it as 'doe-MI-nos'.

Also, the teachers wrote a nice card and bought me a piece of cake and ice coffee on my birthday, which was really kind. I actually put the teachers in an awkward position where they had to scramble to save face. I gave out some cookies and said this was a tradition back in Canada. When someone has a birthday in the office, they bring in donuts or treats for their co-workers. Well, the teachers were in a tizzy when they learned it was my birthday. They rushed out to get me something. I wasn't trying to make them look bad. I only wanted to do something nice.

Yes, I turned 40 years old in Korea. I enjoyed the video calls and messages I received from my family, friends, and well-wishers. Staying in touch while abroad is essential. Had my 40th birthday in Korea and 30th in Japan. Where will I be for my 50th?

Speaking of surprises, I've been getting acquainted with some of the local wildlife here in Busan. I stepped outside my apartment only to see a crab walking down the street. Not sure if it came up from the port somehow or escaped from the nearby seafood restaurant. 

Also, I had the nightmarish experience of having a damn cockroach crawl across my arm while I was sleeping. Still half-dreaming, I swiped it off me and jumped out of bed. I thought I had flicked whatever it was across the room. I looked by the floor around my desk and computer but saw nothing. So, as I was about to get back into bed I lifted up my blanket when the cockroach popped out. Utterly disturbed, I tightly rolled up a towel and went on the hunt. The cockroach was KIA but now I sleep uneasily, dreading that this will happen again.

I've had some nice moments with students recently. Because we've finished the set curriculum, we've been having fun classes and playing games. Also, the students are more available to chat at lunchtime. My end of term fun-class idea was the English Olympics. Students were divided into teams and we played a series of simple English games. 

Winners of the gold, silver, and bronze prizes received stickers, chocolates, and choco-pies. I bought several large boxes of choco-pies at the grocery store (reasonably priced). Unfortunately, some sections had their final class unexpectedly cancelled, so they didn't get to play English Olympics. I'll save that for an opportune time next semester.  

With the good, comes the bad. There were several students who intentionally tried to ruin the English Olympics by sabotaging the games and teasing those students who wanted to participate, and by purposefully distracting or shouting down students. This is extremely disheartening because you try to make a fun lesson for students and, in turn, they make it impossible for others to play. Middle school students, boys especially, are the worst of humanity, but at times, they are capable of also being the best to teach. You never know what you're going to get.

My 6-month update would not be complete without a comment or two about COVID-19, which seems to be under control here for now, although there is a spike in numbers every so often. My schools maintain their safety precautions, but the students are inconsistent with their face masks, and social distancing is imperfectly practiced except during lunch when students sit apart. There are typically 30-60 new cases each day in Korea. Many of those are imported and caught at various ports and airports. Still, there are restrictions on travelling abroad and it doesn't look like I'll be able to visit nearby countries any time soon.

Such a strange six months. It's hard to evaluate it because everything is new to me, but also this is a completely atypical time in Korea. Everyone (students and teachers, included) are figuring things out as we go along. Obviously, it has been quite challenging for someone new to the country to also adapt to a pandemic. But I'm optimistic about semester two and anticipate having better classes and more free time to experience Korean life.