Summer English Camp 2021

Twice per year at the end of the term in summer and winter, I provide an English camp for a small group of students at both of my schools. Typically between 5 and 15 students sign up for the camp. This summer I had 11 boys at my boys' school camp and 6 students at my main school. 

On the first day, I asked why the students signed up for the English camp. Most responded that they were interested in English or that that schedule seemed exciting. Other students said that an English teacher had "made" them sign up. I suppose teachers may coerce students to join the camp to ensure there are sufficient numbers to run the camp or because they hope the camp will help improve the student's English skills.

The camps are casual and fun, focused more on speaking, playing games, doing interesting activities and crafts, rather than strict academic learning. I always choose a theme for the camp. The theme this year was "Magic". I didn't put much thought into this initially, but during my preparations, I realized that there were many fun activities that combine English and magic. Camps are challenging because there is no set curriculum and I need to think of everything on my own. But I enjoy the camps because I have full autonomy with only minor interference from Korean teachers, who may or may not be present during the camp.

Traditionally, the English camps run for a full week of half days after the semester has ended. Since I've been in Korea, the camps have been shorted to 3 half days because of covid-19 concerns. Last year, some of my camps were conducted online, either live or recorded, while others were held in person at the school. This year, both camps were held in person, so I had a morning English camp at my boys' school and then quickly took the subway back to my main school for the afternoon English camp.

I was worried that the camps would be cancelled because of the rising number of covid-19 cases. Also, only a few days before the camps were set to begin, I learned that there would be construction at my boys' school, and perhaps the camp would need to be completed online. My co-teacher was scrambling to find out what should be done since she was also surprised by the building construction announcement. Apparently, workers would be removing asbestos from the classrooms and it wouldn't be safe for students to come to school. At least, parents would be upset if they learned their children were at school during the asbestos removal. No word on whether it was safe or not for me to be at the school.

The decision was made, last minute, to host the English camp at the school, in the computer lab which was located a safe distance from the classrooms, or that was the official line anyway.

My co-teacher at the boys' school was there for the first day of the camp to help me get set up, then she went away on vacation. Thankfully, she had pre-arranged for some food to be delivered to the students at the end of day 1 and day 3. Here is a picture of the riceball sandwich. It has eggs, cheese, ham, kimchi, and rice.

I had several games and activities planned for the students. The main activity was a magic show on day 3. I gave the students time each day to prepare and practice their magic tricks. Each student did a little performance for the magic show. Most students did simple little tricks, like pretending to remove their thumb, but other magic tricks were more elaborate and students really put on a good show.

Are you not entertained?

Tada!

We watched videos of exciting magic tricks on YouTube, tried to build a house of cards (which was too difficult), and made balloon animals. Of course, all activities were in English and I encouraged communication as much as possible.

The activities that worked best were those that required the students to be active and out of their seats or incorporated competition, especially at the boys' school. I put the students into teams and adapted the game Jenga. I called it "Challenge Jenga". One team would challenge the other to do something like walk across the room while balancing a book on their head. If the other team couldn't complete the challenge, they had to pull a block from the Jenga tower. If they completed the challenge, the team that issued the challenge needed to remove a Jenga block. This led to more and more creative challenges, from walking across the room while balancing several coins on a chopstick to making oneself dizzy by spinning in a circle then balancing ping pong balls on your head.

Students also really liked making balloon animals and I was amazed at how well they did. When I tried at home, I couldn't even make one animal without the balloon popping. Luckily, I had a YouTube video to teach the students how to do it so they didn't have to rely on me.

After three exhausting days, it was time to wrap up. The students received certificates for completing the camp and pictures of memories of the camp. More importantly, the school paid for fast food for the students. They each received a fried chicken sandwich, fries, and Pepsi from Mom's Touch, a burger chain in Korea on day 3. 

The students cleaned up, put the classroom back together, then left the camp to start their real vacation. I need to spend the next week and a half in an empty school before I get my two weeks vacation. I could use the rest.

Dinner Reunion

My experience this school year is different from last year in many ways but none more impactful than the departure of my friend, the old math teacher, who sat beside me for one year at my main school but switched to another school this year. He took me out for lunch numerous times, invited me to attend the 4H Club at school, which he was leading, and helped me integrate into the school in ways that were only possible by having someone take me under their wing.

We had intended to meet occasionally this year but rising COVID-19 cases and our busy schedules have hampered those plans. We texted back and forth every so often, but I hadn't seen him in person since last March. 

Somewhat randomly, I sent him a text message with a photo of the new cafe built next to the school. Strangely, but true to his character, his response was one of concern: "Derek. How is your condition? Is there a problem?" Once I assured him that I was fine, he said he wanted to meet and proposed a time on Monday evening after work.

His school is about 20 minutes away from my boys' school, so we arranged that I would travel to his school via subway and have dinner after work. Anytime I have to go somewhere new, I get a little nervous, but the directions on Google Maps seemed to be straight-forwarded enough. I was confident I could make it there, eventually.

Monday at school, I had several classes and didn't check my phone. When I finally got back to my desk, a teacher with whom I hadn't shared my plans seemed to know all about my dinner plans that night. She asked about my teacher-friend, if he was native or Korean, what subjects he taught, and why I was meeting with him. A little weird, I thought, but she said that another teacher at the school knew my teacher-friend and told her the details. Okay, I'm sure there was some miscommunication going on, but if my friend knew a teacher at the boys' school, there's nothing too odd about that. 

The next thing I know, my friend texts me with a change of plan. He would now pick me up at the boys' school so I didn't have to take the subway to his location. No problem. School ended at 4:30pm and I assume that I'd find him in the parking lot.

Instead, 4:20pm roles around. I'm having a last-minute discussion with a teacher before I leave. And what do I see? My teacher-friend standing in the middle of the staff room. I greet him and ask him to wait a few minutes. Leaving early isn't something that I can pull off at a heavily regulated workplace. Yet, when I sat back down at my desk, the teacher said I could leave five minutes early because "she's the boss." It's important to note that she is not actually the boss. I've never been allowed or encouraged to leave early from this school before. The whole situation smelt fishy. I didn't know what was going on.

Leaving the school in my friend's car, I learned that he had called my school and requested that I be allowed to leave one hour early to meet with him. He didn't mention that this was for dinner and I think he implied it was work-related or that I was going to help him in some way. Also, he made this request without asking me and without informing me.

It also seemed that my boys' school, probably the vice-principal or principal, considered this request without ever informing me about it at all. They denied this request for reasons that, according to my friend, had to do with "Corona". Meeting an hour earlier would have been more convenient for my friend, but he lamented that "private" schools are too rigid with their rules.

Once he picked me up at school, we moved on to other things, but the evening continued on its weird path.

My friend wanted to go to a restaurant near his school, so we drove in that direction. The restaurant wouldn't open until 5pm, so we'd have some time to kill. He took me to his school to hang out for a while. It didn't make much sense, by the time we worked our way through traffic it was almost 5pm anyway. But I went to his school and sat in the nearly empty staff room and chatted for a while. There was another teacher there who had transferred from my school last year, and she was happy but very surprised to see me at her new school. Anyway, we sat around at school then departed for the restaurant at 5:30pm. He plucked a few cherry tomatoes from the school garden for me on the way out.

It was a short five-minute drive to the restaurant from the school. We parked and stepped out of the car only to see a sign in the window: "Closed 3 days for summer vacation." 

My friend apologized profusely for not verifying that the restaurant would be open. We again got into his car and this time drove towards my home. We went to a restaurant next to my main school that we had visited together many times before. He had Korean noodles and I had a pork and cheese cutlet. We shared an order of steamed pork dumplings, and he paid for everything.

It was a nice evening, but what should have been a simple dinner with my friend ended up having a lot of behind the scenes weirdness that I still don't totally comprehend. I was happy to see my friend, in any event.

South Korea and it's changing vaccine policy

As we moved into summer and the vaccine rollout in South Korea keeps (slowly) moving along, my turn at the needle would soon be here. We were left in the dark for so long, but finally, word came that teachers in middle school would have the opportunity to access the online reservation system at the end of July, for vaccine appointments in late July through August.

With my first vaccine imminent, I started to wonder and worry if I should actually get the vaccine here in Korea. Without a doubt, I will be vaccinated, but the problem was that South Korea was primarily using the AstraZeneca vaccine because that was 90% of what they were able to secure However, other places, including Canada, phased out and eventually ceased administering the AZ vaccine due to a rare but serious potential blood clot issue. The blood clot issue was worrying enough, but there was also the concern that those who were vaccinated with AZ were not "counted" as vaccinated in certain places. There was a news report that Canadians who had received AstraZeneca would not be permitted to attend the Bruce Springsteen concert because the Americans were not recognizing AZ as a legitimate and effective vaccine.

So, there was my dilemma. Get the AstraZeneca vaccine in August in South Korea and potentially not have it count as a proper vaccination if I were to go to the USA or other places that didn't recognize the vaccine. Or, I could wait until February when I would have the chance to return to Canada to get another vaccine, probably the Moderna or Pfizer, but those extra months being unvaccinated would leave me vulnerable.

Luckily and quite unexpectedly, the South Korean government decided to adjust their policy concerning AstraZeneca. They had been prohibited anyone under the age of 30 from receiving that vaccine. Without warning, they changed their stance and anyone under 50 cannot receive AZ as a health precaution. That solved the problem for me. I will get a vaccine in Korea as soon as possible.

But why did the Korean government change their mind on AZ after downplaying the blood clot issue? Well, it's very curious that they waited until their supply of AZ was exhausted before changing their policy. Simply put, they minimized the dangers of AstraZeneca while that was the only vaccine they had access to, and suddenly acknowledged the risks when other vaccines became available. 

The government in recent weeks has been pushing for a gradual reopening of society while reducing the restrictions on business and the public. They announced that those who received their two vaccine shots would no longer have to wear a mask while outdoors. Restrictions on the number of people gathering at certain venues, including restaurants, would be lifted, for example. They spoke of doing this for the benefit of businesses and the economy and hinted that the public would have to get used to living with Covid-19 to some degree.

It was quite apparent to me that they were moving too quickly to reduce the social distancing measures. South Korea was way behind other nations in vaccinating people. We had a very late start with the vaccinations and have been moving along very slowly. Only 30% of the population has received one vaccination shot, and a minuscule 10% have received the full two doses. 

Many other countries have made the same mistake, putting business and profits first over public health. Ontario in Canada has had several missteps in this regard, but finally, seems to be doing well because of the mass vaccination of the population. But the premature opening has backfired severely in South Korea.

South Korea now has more daily COVID-19 cases than at any other time in the pandemic. Yes, you read correctly. We have more infections now than during last winter when we set the record of about 1200 cases per day. Now, South Korea is firmly in a fourth wave, recording 1375 cases, and over 1200 cases for 4 consecutive days.

As of now, the fourth wave seems to be localized in Seoul and the surrounding area, with about 75% of all cases occurring there. The highest level of social distancing has been imposed in the capital region for two weeks to help combat the spread of the virus.

Busan seems to be clear of COVID-19 at the moment, but with the summer holiday season fast approaching, travel to Seoul and to areas frequented by Seoulites is more likely and increases the possibility of spread throughout the country.

The fourth wave may affect my English summer camps, but the Board of Education has not made any indications as of yet. Last summer, there were fewer cases in the country, but we suddenly switched to an online format as a precaution at that time. It may happen again this summer.

Also, my vacation in August is threatened because of the fourth wave. I'll have time off, but will most likely be staying close to Busan if cases continue to rise. The next few weeks will make all of the difference. There was a report that cases could spike even more by the end of the month if the "near lockdown" in Seoul is unsuccessful. We'll see what happens.

School Lunch

This week has been pretty good overall and not too eventful, which is perfectly fine by me. Because of exams at my boys' school, I only had one class with them, and that was an online lesson with a grade one class. All of my lessons with the grade threes were cancelled for the exam. At my main school, my grade three classes were online, so I uploaded a lesson recording and that was that. I only had in-person classes with the grade two students, and 2 of 6 classes were cancelled. Once in a while, an easy week is just what the doctor ordered.

I decided to take photos of my food this week to provide a sampling of what school lunch is like in South Korea. It's essentially buffet-style with the food laid out on the table. Teachers grab a tray and help themselves to the food. Sometimes there is a note next to the food indicating a limit per item. It might say "only 1 per person" or something like that, but it is possible to sneak an extra helping if you like.

Pork cutlet, gross salad, Wieners in spicy sauce, white noodles with kimchi, seaweed and veg.

It's essentially the same for the students, except each week a group of students are designated as the "lunch crew" and they serve out the food as their classmates proceed through the food line. The lunch crew is excused from class five minutes early before lunch to prepare for their duties in the cafeteria.

Students and teachers normally eat in the cafeteria, each in their own section on tables with plastic dividers for protection against COVID-19. These days, to prevent crowding in the cafeteria, the grade three students take their lunch to their classrooms. Also, some teachers, including myself, carry our lunch trays to a nearby English classroom so the teachers' section doesn't get too crowded with people. Of course, masks are removed during lunch, so it's a particularly vulnerable time, thus the reason for these precautionary measures.

Popcorn is a rare treat. White cabbage with spicy dipping sauce, spicy sprouts, kimchi, egg things with leaf cooked into it, cheap meat, seaweed soup.

In the English room where I eat, a group of Korean teachers arrange the desks in a circle, adequately distanced, and chat and gossip, while I eat off to the side by myself. Soon, lunch is interrupted by students coming into the room to do their English homework or document their reading progress for the English book club. Still, it's more peaceful than eating in the noisy cafeteria with trays clanging and students shouting.

The food is decent and by the time lunch rolls around I'm pretty hungry. I don't always know what I'm eating, but by now I've seen most of the food that cycles through the menu rotation. Rarely will there be a new dish that I haven't eaten before. 

Wieners, kimchi, tofu with oily sauce, pork, rice, and everything soup.

Sometimes the food has a theme, like "western day" when we get hotdogs, sandwiches or pizza, with some kind of cream soup, or "Chinese day" when they serve dumplings, Chinese style noodles and spicy sauce. No matter what the day or theme, you can be sure kimchi is served with the meal, sometimes twice: once as a side dish and also featured in the soup. I prefer radish kimchi, although cabbage kimchi is more common.

We're not always served a drink with lunch, but sometimes we get a juice box. It's rarely a standard drink like orange juice, but often some weird mix like mango-lime or carrot-apple. Occasionally we get yogurt or an odd milk drink like watermelon milk or chocolate strawberry milk.

Ham fried in egg, mystery meat with rice cake, kimchi, lime juice, seaweed soup.

Rice is served with every meal. Even when the meal is noodle-based, there is always the option to add white rice. I like when they serve fried rice, but sticky white rice is the standard. I try to limit my rice portion because I think too much white rice is unhealthy, contrary to what Koreans seem to think. But when I'm starving, sometimes I can't help but take a heaping helping of rice. I regret it later in the afternoon when I'm bursting.

Noodle soup with veg, radish kimchi, rice ball, wieners and rice cake skewer, and OJ.

Compared to the school lunches I received in Japanese public schools, I would have to say that I prefer Korean lunches. Of course, Korean food famously has multiple side dishes, which is great and adds variety to lunch that was lacking in Japan. It seems that the Koreans are served more food at lunch too, which I also enjoy. I got really tired of having to drink milk every day in Japan, so Korea gets extra points for serving juice sometimes. 

In terms of exotic foods, every so often in Japan, we were served whale. Nothing that crazy in Korea. We get duck once in a while, so that's another point for Korea.

The lunch bell rang. I need to record my body temperature and sanitize my hands, then I'm off to the cafeteria.