Seoul Holiday

For one last hurrah before I leave Korea, I travelled cross country to Seoul for a few days of food, drink, and sightseeing. The lunar new year is celebrated in Korea as the Seollal holidays, and most of the country has vacation at this time. I braved the crowds and the most recent COVID-19 spike to see the capital city one last time as a resident of South Korea.

Normally train travel in Korea is quite easy and as a single rider, I can usually walk up to the ticket booth and purchase a seat on the next train without trouble. However, during the holiday season when many Koreans visit their hometowns throughout the country, getting a ticket is more difficult. I arrived at Busan station and had to wait over an hour for an available train into Seoul.

There are two main high-speed trains that connect the Seoul and Busan, the KTX which goes into central Seoul and the SRT which stops at the southern edge of Seoul. I was going to the Gangnam section of Seoul, so I took the SRT for the first time. Sitting in economy, I had a Korean lad next to me for the duration of the trip but he slept for most of the 2.5-hour journey. I, on the other hand, enjoyed the scenic views of the Korean countryside, mountains and fields.

I then took the bus from the station into Gangnam, an upscale and trendy section of Seoul famous for its shopping, wealth, and nightlife. I proceeded to get lost trying to find my hotel. The stated 3-minute walk ended up being 15 minutes.

My hotel was next to the COEX Mall, famous for being the largest underground shopping mall in Asia. I wandered about, looking at the various shops, and enjoying the large library in the centre of the mall. The mall has plenty of restaurants, high end stores, popular brands, and uniquely Korean shops. There is an aquarium as well, and in the attached hotels, there is a casino. I bought a few little gifts, and got a chocolate smoothie for lunch.

Then, I found myself in a packed subway car for the first time since I left Toronto, on my way to see my friend, who I first met in Toronto, for a meal of Korean barbecue pork. It was a cool little restaurant with a grill in the table and a suction fan/hose thing above the table pulling the smoke away. Big hunks of raw meat were put on the grill and we used the scissors to cut them into small pieces. Ingeniously, this restaurant provided a large plastic bag at the start of the meal for our coats so they wouldn't end up smelling like grease and smoke. 

We drank beer and soju, a clear Korean alcohol made from rice. When beer and soju are mixed together, it's call Somaek. There is a specific etiquette for pouring and drinking in Korea, and the rules are pretty strict for business outings with your superiors. The rules relax when with friends. I was gently corrected that I was being too formal when pouring and receiving with my friend, using two hands and turning my face away to drink from my glass. After a few drinks, I got the hang of the more casual drinking format, and we took turns pouring for each other until several empty bottles lined the table.

The next day my friend rented a car and we drove out of Seoul into the suburbs of Gyeonggi-do for an afternoon meal at a traditional Korean restaurant. We were stuck in traffic for a while. Even on a holiday, the roads and highways of Seoul are crowded. The restaurant, in true Korean style, served a series of side-dishes as the meal. Each plate had different vegetables, fish, meats, tofu, kimchi, and sauces to try. We loaded large lettuce leaves with various foods and sauce, and rolled it into a wrap and ate it.

Later in the day, we returned to Seoul for a stroll around the botanical gardens. Again, traffic held us up, but we managed to arrive mere minutes before the last entry time. Inside the dome, it was hot and humid, simulating a tropical rainforest. Outside, it was cold and chilly, but the garden was peaceful and well-maintained.

For dinner we entered a neighbourhood on a steep hill and drove up the narrow, winding roads looking for a suitable restaurant. My friend called ahead to a chicken soup restaurant to ensure they were open, and that we could sit on chairs rather than the floor (by my request), and then we walked downhill to the restaurant. We ate samgye-tang, a delicious soup with a full, boiled chicken stuffed with rice and other vegetables. I had the traditional soup with basic ginseng flavouring and my friend had her's with sesame sauce.

After dinner we walked back up the steep hill for more coffee at a quiet cafe and then wandered along a brick-built wall overlooking the city. With most restaurants and shops closing at 9pm, the wall and lookout were popular with locals at night. The wall was originally part of a defensive structure of Seoul, but I didn't look much into its story. I was tired from a full day and a full stomach.

The next morning I woke up early, checked out of the hotel, and took the subway to Suseo station in Gangnam to buy my KTX ticket to Busan. At 9am, I asked for a ticket on the next available train to Busan. The ticket agent said they were sold out until 9:30pm. Shocked and embarrassed that I hadn't planned ahead for the holiday travel rush, I asked if he could recommend another way to Busan. After punching some keys on his keyboard, he was able to book me on a train to a small city 40 minutes outside of Seoul. I would then wait there for one hour, and transfer to another train that would take me to my destination in Busan. It took longer to get home than I expected, but was glad I wasn't stranded in Seoul.

Seoul is a fun city and really the place to be in Korea. It's the cultural centre of the country, and having a Korean friend ensured that I saw some cool local spots that I wouldn't have been able to see on my own.

Vaccine Booster

On Monday, the first day of my January vacation, I went to the health clinic and got my third vaccine shot. I had originally scheduled this appointment for February 10th but since then the requirements changed and I was eligible for an earlier time slot. All three of my vaccines have been Pfizer.

This time, I went to the clinic myself and managed to negotiate the whole process without having to speak Korean. When I arrived, I took out my ID card and passed it to the staff, but I think they were expecting me because they had my forms already out on their desk. Being a weekday morning, the clinic wasn't very busy at all, so I didn't have to wait. As soon as I signed the form, I was called into the office to check in with the doctor. With her using broken English and me guessing what she was saying based on the context, I managed to communicate that I had no ill side-effects from my previous shots and no allergies.

Next, I went into another room and the nurse was ready right then to give me the needle. I saw an old man lying on the bed, under a blanket with an oxygen mask on his face. That's how they let some patients recover if they feel faint or sick after the injection. I took the shot in my left arm and then sat in the lobby for ten minutes before the nurse said I was free to go. It was in Korean, but that's what I assume she said.

I managed to communicate to the staff that I wanted paper documentation of all of my vaccines. Actually, I showed her a picture on my phone of what I wanted. So, she printed it off for me. I was happy that everything went smoothly. I'm a little more independent in Korea, now, after nearly two years. But sometimes little things go wrong. Yesterday, I went to the post office to send postcards, and of course, I waited in the wrong line. Those kinds of blunders are so common that I kinda expect them  every time I try to do something on my own. In the end, I get done what I need to accomplish.

Getting documentation of my vaccine history in Korea is essential for my return to Canada. I will need to prove to the Canadian authorities that I am vaccinated in order to qualify as a 'vaccinated person' entering Canada. With that, I'll have a shorter quarantine period, which will be much appreciated. I'll also have to go through the arduous task of having the health authorities in Ontario recognize my vaccinations from a foreign country. They should recognize the Pfizer vaccine, but there is a lot of red tape to go through.

My booster vaccination comes just in time as South Korea has reached another all-time high of COVID-19 infections. South Korea reported 13,012 new cases of COVID-19 on Wednesday, and the OMICRON variant is now the dominant strain in the country. Despite this, new rules will come into effect that no longer require people who've had close contact with a covid-positive person to isolate. They will still need to be tested, though. 

I felt fine after my booster shot, except for a slight headache that went away soon after I ate some food and had a rest. Looking back, Korea was quite delayed in rolling out vaccines to the population. We waited months, wondering when we would have vaccines while watching other countries immunize their populations. Now, I've had three vaccine shots and feel very fortunate to have this available to me in Korea.

Desk-warming

The policy in the public school system is that foreign teachers must report to school unless they are on paid leave. So, while students are on an extended break and regular Korean teachers are enjoying the vacation at home, I must be at my desk each day. At the time of writing this, I would have completed 12 consecutive work days at an empty school without classes or any real work to do.

Each day, 1-3 different teachers report in, and then promptly leave as soon as possible. The next day, a different set of teachers come to school for their rotation, and again leave after doing a little work. Additionally, several of the department heads come to school as well as the vice principal. The office lady is a daily fixture and has kindly given me a few snacks during my desk-warming. So, in total, there are usually 4 or 5 people in the office on any given morning and about 1-3 by the end of the day. 

During the previous vacation periods, I managed to keep busy by preparing lessons for the upcoming term. However, as I'm leaving Korea in a matter of weeks, this vacation is especially pointless. I don't need to prepare any lessons at all so I have been occupying my time by applying for new jobs back in Canada. Sadly, once you submit a few applications you don't really need to rewrite your cover letter and resume. Instead, you just make a few adjustments and you're ready for the next application. I've been able to apply to many jobs and it is taking me less and less time, each time. What I'm trying to say is, I'm getting bored.

My Korean co-teacher has been in the office this week sitting at her desk beside me. She can easily go the whole day without talking to me, her face firmly planted in a book. I got tired of being the first one in the office, so I started to come in around 8:45am. I extend my lunch hour to one and a half hours, which I take in my apartment. I'm not allowed to end my work day early, so I wait out the clock until 4:30pm. I say goodbye to whoever is in the office, and I head home, reflecting on another day well wasted.

These last few days, with the students and teachers at home, repairs have been happening at the school. A work crew has been disassembling, cleaning, repairing, and reinstalling the heating units in each room of the school. This means that the heat has been turned off in the faculty office. I have to sit in a cold office for the whole day. I put on my winter coat and hat, and watch my breath mist into the cold air of the school. 

While the crew was working in the faculty office, I went downstairs to the English classroom. Heat was likewise unavailable, but at least I was alone and could put on some music until the crew eventually followed me into the classroom to do their work.

But finally, my desk-warming time has come to an end. Twelve days of boring, cold, nothingness. I am on official paid leave and with the weekends and national holidays tacked on, I have 12 days off, free and clear. During my vacation, I plan to get my booster vaccine and visit my friend in Seoul for a couple of days. Yipee!

Gadeokdo Island

Last weekend, I took an impromptu trip to Gadeokdo Island, which is the largest island in Busan and about a 30-minute drive from my home.

My old Korean teacher friend learned of my pending departure from Korea, so he invited me out to lunch on Saturday for some Chinese food. I took the subway and met him, and to my surprise, he was with two middle school students who would be joining us for lunch. One student was a girl from his school who I had met previously. The other student was a boy from my current school who the Korean teacher also knows well.

Korean restaurants are still operating these days but there are protocols designed to keep people safe. We had a separate small room with a sliding door to ourselves. My Korean friend paid for a big meal that was tasty and filling. We all had jjajangmyeon which is noodles with a thick, dark sauce containing pork and vegetables. I only spilled a drop or two onto my shirt. Not bad.

After lunch, we piled into the teacher's car and he drove us through Busan, along a scenic ocean and mountain view road, to Gadeokdo Island. This island has a nice walking trail and interesting historical sites.

During the early 1900s, Russia and Japan were at war and Gadeokdo was used by the Japanese military as a based. The large flat circles carved into the ground, or launch pads, are still viewable on the island where the Japanese set up their artillery. There are other fortifications and military barracks to view as well.

 

We took a stroll around some of the sites and posed for a few pictures, then it was off to a nearby cafe with a great view of the sea for coffee. It seemed like the entire street was just one big row of cafes to take advantage of the sea view. 

One of the students had written me a nice note about me leaving Korea. Students are being so kind to me since they learned that I was leaving Korea. I guess they have many foreign teachers over the years and few stay with them for more than a year. It's very sad, but I'm glad they can connect with people from around the world. And the students certainly make a positive impression on the teachers. I'll miss them when I'm gone.

English Camps

At both my boys' school and main school, a small group of students joined me for English camp in the early days of winter vacation. This extra-curricular camp is an opportunity for students to interact with a native English teacher in a fun and informal setting while improving their communication skills. Each camp was three half-days, with the boys studying with me in the morning and my main school students, a mix of boys and girls, studying with me in the afternoons.

The camps are a whirlwind of activities that leave me completely exhausted by the end of the three days. I felt like I had been run over by a truck but was really pleased with how the camps turned out. In previous terms, some of my camps were unfortunately held online, but thankfully we were able to meet in-person for these, my final camps, as a teacher in Korea.

Students voluntarily signed up for the camps, or as I learned later, some joined because of good old-fashioned parental pressure. Still, the students were active and enthusiastic participants and we had a lot of fun together. The theme for the English camp was 'Around the World.' I designed a series of activities and games that I hoped would be interesting for the students. My biggest worry was that I wouldn't have enough material for the three days, but I actually had more than enough tricks up my sleeve to keep the kids busy.

Camps are both great and terrifying for me because I'm all alone with the students in the room. No other teacher has input into my plan so I can do whatever I want. But also, it's all on me to make sure things go well for three full days.

As the theme was 'Around the World', I had the students make little passports and fill in their names and information on the first page. Students were to make notes throughout the camp in the passport on the different activities we did. They could write something like 'I played bingo and it was fun' and I would then give them a sticker for their passport, as if they were getting a real passport stamp for traveling somewhere. One girl wrote, 'I failed to make a bingo.' Truly sad that she didn't win at bingo but she earned herself a passport sticker.

I purchased a stack of real postcards from notable tourist sites around Korea. Students wrote English messages to a person of their choice, usually a parent, along with their home address and I sent the postcards off in the mail. It was the first-time students had ever sent a postcard! Many of the students didn't know how to properly write their mailing address, which was somewhat surprising.

I played other fun games and ended off with a short dance party. I played a YouTube video of traditional dances from around the world and then we watched and tried a hip-hop dance tutorial for one last activity. The boys didn't really dance, too self-conscious I think. But the girls at my main school gave it a good try.

The students at my boys' school filled out a survey on their impressions of the camp, and I was told that everyone was very satisfied and had fun. One student wrote that it was a 'perfect camp'. I handed out certificates of completion to the students at my main school, and we ended the camp with a complimentary take out meal for the students. Everyone received a chicken burger, fries, and a Pepsi from the nearby fast-food place.

I connected really well with the students in this camp. It was extra-special because I told them that I was leaving Korea and this was my last chance to teach them and have a camp together. They were espcially kind and well-behaved. They gave a really good effort in the English activities, and all in all, it was an ideal teaching situation albeit very exhausting.

Some of the regular classes during the school year, because they were so difficult, left a bad taste in my mouth. But to basically end my Korean teaching adventure with these camps and with these kids was an amazing gift because it was such a positive experience. I'll leave on a high note.

School Talent Show

As we approach the end of the school year and the much-needed winter vacation, the students held a talent festival to showcase their abilities in music, dance, dramatic arts, and even magic. This festival was cancelled last year because of the corona-virus pandemic, so the students were exceptionally excited and eagerly looking forward to the event. I was worried that the rising COVID-19 cases would again spoil the show, but thankfully the festival was successfully held. The show must go on.

One full grade was present in the gymnasium at a time to perform or watch the performances while the other students were in their classrooms seeing it all on a livestream. Grades rotated throughout the morning. I, on the other hand, watched the entire show from the back of the gym, and I was thoroughly impressed by the students. The festival was well put on with a professional crew manning the light show and an emcee pumping up the crowd at every opportunity.

Students had been practicing for weeks, and in a few cases, such as the orchestra and dance club, had prepared for the entire school year. Knowing that the students would be very excitable, the school administration had asked the students to refrain from shouting during the performances. That directive was useless. The students clapped, cheered, shouted, and supported their classmates at every turn. They were having a lot of fun.

One third grade boy, who I know to have difficulty regulating his behaviour in my classes, drew the attention of the principal and several teachers for his raucous shouting. He was reprimanded several times where he took off his facemask. None that stopped his from hooting and hollering like a crazed fan. He was having the time of his life and nothing was going to stop him.

The first-grade students were the first to take the stage. They performed musical numbers with bells, guitars, drums, and traditional instruments. Each group performed two songs, and there was a very nice selection of Christmas carols. After each performance, the students scurried off the stage and I was there to clap and congratulate them. They looked so happy, and also relieved to be finished with their performance. They stored their instruments and took their seats to cheer on the next act.

The grade two students were equally as entertaining, putting on a short dramatic play. I couldn't understand the details, but it seemed to be about the issues and challenges faced by students at middle school. It ended with students resolving their dispute and becoming friends again.

Every grade three class (5) performed a choreographed dance routine to a medley of fun K-pop and international pop songs. I had a sneak peak of some of these performances since the students had been practicing their moves in my classes for a week or two before the talent show. What surprised me was that each class wore matching costumes for their dance, and many students got special hairstyles or wore fancy make-up. It was truly like a professional production. It was wonderful to see every student participate, even those who are a bit shy or socially awkward danced their hearts out like true pop stars.

The true show stoppers were the dance club members. They did several routines, often with just two or three members at a time. While the class dances were good, it was clear that the dance team were on another level. They were highly skilled and amazingly rehearsed. They could easily fit into any modern K-pop music video. 

Individual students also put on talented routines. A pair of students bravely sang in front of the student body. Another student played the flute. A third-grade girl did a wonderfully funny magic show. The camera was brought close and the images projected onto the screen to show her impressive card tricks. She bantered with the emcee which brought out many laughs from the crowd. The showmanship was outstanding.

Everyone was in a good mood for the remainder of the morning. When the show was over, students had their school lunch and were free to go home for the rest of the day. Teachers stayed in the office to work. Merry Christmas!

'Tis the season for cancelled classes

It's always a difficult challenge to plan lessons for the month or more of classes after students have completed their curriculum and written their final exams. Basically, I have free reign to make 'free topic' lessons on a topic of my choosing. The students are not particularly interested in learning or paying attention, so I need to make the lessons fun with engaging games or videos. Thankfully, I don't need to completely fill the time myself, since there is an unusually high number of cancelled classes at this time of year.

Last week on Tuesday, two of my five classes were cancelled at my boys' middle school. A guest lecturer was brought in from outside the school to speak about a topic. I was not informed of the topic, but when my co-teacher realized it was our two classes that were cancelled she squealed with joy. The two classes are by far the worst, most difficult classes in the school. Teachers always complain about the classes and lament when it's their turn to teach them. Thus, the complete joy when both of those classes were cancelled for the guest lecturer.

Back at my main school on Wednesday, I walked into a third-grade class fully prepared to teach a Christmas lesson and sing 'Santa Claus is coming to town' with my students. But several students met me at the door and pleaded with me to let them practice their dance routine for the school festival instead of having English class. It was, in their words, 'very important that they practice dancing.' They explained that they had seen another class's dance routine realized theirs wasn't up to par.

I consulted with the Korean co-teacher and we decided to let the kids practice their dance routine. I just sat back and watched the class try to choreograph and synchronize their moves to the soundtrack of a K-pop compilation. I was actually really impressed with their dance moves, although some of the less enthusiastic students were clearly just going through the motions. I decided to give all of my 3rd grades classes time to dance instead of teaching. They were more than happy to have an active class, and I was pleased to sit down and watch. I gave each student a candy cane at the end of the lesson.

The next week on Wednesday, the PE teacher had asked to take my first period class for an activity. I wouldn't need to teach. I readily agreed to this - another cancelled class. As it turned out, she also wanted my second period class as well. I learned that when I went to the class at the scheduled time and found it empty.

That very same day, after my morning classes were cancelled, I learned that a student at my boys' school had test positive for COVID-19. I would need to leave the school to go get tested. This meant that my afternoon classes were to be cancelled as well. I didn't teach a single class on that day. My COVID-19 test came back negative early the next day.

Thursday was officially the day of the much anticipated school festival, so again all classes were cancelled that day. I observed the students perform various musical, dramatic, and dance performances from my seat in the gymnasium. It was entertaining, and I couldn't help but take a small bit of credit for giving my students extra practice time to perfect their dance. No, not really. But the students did a great job and I was amazed at how talented the students were.

Friday was Christmas Eve. Classes were held in the morning. I finally had classes to teach - this time, two classes of second year students in the morning. Afternoon classes were cancelled and teachers were free to leave the school at 1:30pm. I had the head teacher and vice-principal approve and sign for my early leave, then I was out the door. For this one week, 11 of my 21 classes were cancelled. It was an interesting but restful week. Merry Christmas, everyone!