Teaching at the Hagwon

I am teaching at a private academy, or hagwon in Songpa, Seoul. Hagwons are not like private schools in the States or in the West. Hagwons may specialize in subjects such as math, science, writing skills, music, sports and English (enter: me!). In Korea, there is a great push for English-learning (just as in many other countries) and therefore, there are many English hagwons throughout the country.

My school building (yes, same building as the Mercedes-Benz dealership):

I am teaching at Seoul English Academy in Songpa, Seoul. It is a fairly new school that opened in 2008. It is a private academy (or Hagwon) that specializes in teaching English to little children. There are 24 students total in the school. There are three different levels in my school and the school hours are from 9:30 until 2:30.
The Koala Group: age 4-5: Youngest and first introduction to English
The Panda Group: ages 5-6: Middle Group and can have basic conversations in English
The Giraffe Group: ages 6-7: Oldest group and they are reading and writing

Yes, these kids are THAT small:

This age group is very new to me as I'm used to teaching middle schoolers. I am missing my middle schoolers because I love working with that age group but these little kids are cute, too. It's definitely an adjustment but I'm learning a lot as I go. I definitely have a new admiration for early childhood educators  (all the prep time involved and all that clapping and singing!). Also, it's so different having students that constantly say, "Help me zip up my pants," or "Help me blow my nose." :)

These kids are very hard-working! This is not the usual preschool or kindergarten schooling that most of us have in the West. Not only are they learning a second language, but these kids are reading short books and writing stories by the time they enter the "Giraffe" group (I know you love the names;)). Now, I'm not saying that all I did in preschool and kindergarten was sing and nap, but I don't remember working as hard as these little kiddos.

The kindergarten kids leave at 2:30 and then I have elementary students from 3:00pm until 5:00pm. Many of my students are graduates of SEA so they are familiar with the school. These kids have been in regular school during the day and then they come to SEA for English practice. After they leave SEA, many of them go to Korean writing hagwon, violin hagwon, Taekwondo hagwon, etc. So, needless to say, these kids are very hardworking.

Korea is a country that is very obsessed with education and this is evident already in the lives of my little kindergartners.  Many people complain about this manic pursuit, but to get into top Korean universities, high schoolers go through a very difficult examination process, studying about 14 hours a day for an annual shot at a college entrance exam! Their parents are probably just instilling that high work ethic from a young age.

I was telling some of my after-school kids about my schedule as an elementary student. I told them that I was usually done with school by 3pm and then I would go home, do my homework and watch TV (Saved by the Bell reruns on TBS). :) They were so surprised that I didn't go to various schools after regular school. :)

A few interesting comments/stories from my students:

My first day, one of the kids' first question was: "How old are you and are you married?" (Did Liberty send him???) :)

Alex: "Miss Ellie, may I go to the restroom?"
Me: "No, but you may go later."
Alex: "But Miss Ellie, POOP!"  ----> I laughed and told him to hurry up (again, very different from middle schoolers!)

(Alex is also the little boy that wears Burberry outfits).

"Miss Ellie, look" (shows me his used kleenex)

"Miss Ellie, you look like a grandma and you are big." (Gee, thanks)

"Miss Ellie, say _______ in Korean." (And then I say it and they laugh).

I've also had some of the boys in the Koala class try to look up my skirt/dress. Awkward.

I'm sure I'll have lots and lots of stories....

The world's largest church...

My first Sunday here, I went to visit Yoido Full Gospel Tabernacle. My mom watches the services at home and I had actually watched a few with her and she suggested that I visit the church.

Yoido Full Gosspel Church is a Protestant church in Yeouido in Seoul. It has about 1 million members and it's the largest Protestant Christian church in South Korea and the world. It was founded in 1958 by Pastor David Yonggi Cho.

They have various services throughout Sunday and I went to the 1pm service (when they have translators). The sermon is translated into Japanese, English, Spanish, Chinese, French and many others.

I looked up the information online and headed to church. The greeters were very nice and directed me to the foreigner section. I listened to the sermon in Spanish.

And I thought Thomas Road Baptist in Lynchburg was huge!

What I've been up to...

Well I've been here a little over a month already. I can't believe it.
A few updates since I didn't start this blog until just a few days ago:

I landed here on September 8th. My flight was long, to say the least, but not as bad as I thought it would be. I love flying but after a few hours, I want OFF the plane so my 13 hour flight from Detroit to Seoul was not something I was looking forward to doing. Like I said though, it wasn't too bad. I had an aisle seat and I was seated in one of the emergency areas so I had a little bit of extra space. As soon as I found my seat, I got comfortable. I had my comfy, fuzzy socks with me (haha), my LU sweater (of course) and one of those funky airplane pillows (because it's always awkward when your head is going all over the place when you fall asleep on planes). I slept a lot, read the Lonely Planet Seoul book that I bought at Dulles Airport, watched random movies and then talked to the nice couple that was seated next to me. Every now and then, I would wake up confused because I was still in an airplane and thinking "What have I done?!?! I am going to be SO FAR AWAY." And then I'd fall asleep again.:)

My luggage:

Because I landed on a workday, no one was able to go pick me up at the airport. Great. I was nervous that I was going to have find my way through the airport, not knowing the language, and carrying two huge suitcases, a carry one and a gigantic purse. I made it, though! Thankfully, my director had given me very specific instructions on what to do. After going through immigration and security, I picked up my bags, called my director to tell him that I had landed and went to the Korean Air Limousine station to buy my bus ticket. I waited for about 10 minutes and the bus came and picked me up. There were only about 5 other passengers on the bus and it was a nice, comfortable bus. It took about an hour or so to get to my stop, Jamsil/Lotte (which is in the district where I work). It was a nice drive because I was able to see a lot of the city (the airport where I landed, Incheon International, is on a small island west of the city).
My director then picked me up and said that my coworkers wanted to meet me, so we headed off to my school. I quickly introduced myself to everyone and toured the school. Then, my director, took me to my apartment. He showed me how to find the subway station (it's only two blocks from my apartment) and then he took me to a little convenience store (which happens to be on the bottom floor of my apartment building) and he bought cereal, milk and bananas for me(very thoughtful!). I then went to bed because I was so exhausted.



The next day, my director met me at my apartment so he could show me the way to get to work. My first day, I observed the other teachers and talked to the kids a bit. It was a pretty laid back day but I did start teaching right away! I was nervous but it wasn't too bad.



My first weekend here, I went to a Korean Language class, met up with other foreign teachers and basically toured the downtown area of the city.


My first time in Myeondong, one of Seoul's main shopping and tourism districts.

Then, my first full week was full of exploring my neighborhood. There's is just so much to see!

So...Korea...tell me a little bit more about it...

Just a little info on this neat country:

South Korea (officially the Republic of Korea) is a county in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by China to the west, Japan to the east and North Korea to the north. The capital is Seoul (which is where I live currently).

As of July 2010, there are approximately 48 million people in Korea. Korea is a developed nation with a rich history.

Some facts about South Korea:

• Myth has it that Korea was founded by the god-king Dangun, in 2333 B.C. 

• Roughly half its people call themselves Christians, the other half Buddhists.

 • Its culture is imbued with traditional Confucian values and beliefs ( Confucianism: human beings are teachable, improvable and perfectible through personal and communal endeavor,  including self-cultivation and self-creation. A main idea of Confucianism is the cultivation of virtue and the development of moral perfection).

• The peninsula's division at the 38th parallel dates to 1945.

 • The war that ensued left more than three million Koreans dead or wounded. 

• South Korea today boasts a thriving democracy and surging economy (This is evident in everything I have seen so far!)

Here are  few pictures, courtesy of The World Factbook, so you know where I am.

                                        

As mentioned before, I am living in Seoul (pronounced like Soul). Seoul is a beautiful city with over 12 million people (and I thought NYC was huge!). Seoul is considered a global city and is one of the world's top ten financial and commercial centers. Seoul is also home to large corporations such as Samsung and LG. The Seoul Subway is the third largest in the world (which makes my commute very interesting!). 

Seoul is divided into 25 districts districts (gu).Each district (gu) is then divided into neighborhoods. So in my school address, which most of you have, Samjeon-dong is the neighborhood and Songpa-Gu is the district.

Here is where I live:

Info from National Geographic and The World Factbook, 2010

Scratching off item #85 from the Bucket List...

Before I started a blog, I wrote a note on Facebook to update everyone:

By popular request, I will begin to write about my experiences in Seoul, Korea. I've talked to most of you already about the things I've been experiencing throughout the last 3 weeks that I've been here, but I want you to see pictures, too. Plus, a friend convinced me of doing this by saying that when I am done with my adventure, I can scrapbook it and show it to future generations. :)

I may turn this into an actual blog at some point but for now, Facebook Notes will be enough. Also, I apologize in advance for any of my entries (errors, not detailed, etc). I can write a 25 page APA paper with my eyes closed but apparently, I cannot seem to be creative in my writing. Sorry!

Alright. So why teach abroad? And what's this about a Bucket List? Like many people, I have a list of things I want to accomplish in my lifetime. I've always had a list in the back of my mind (go to college, go on a cruise, get married, ride on a camel, etc). Well, after I finished grad school (2009), I felt this strange, empty feeling of "what's next?" In undergrad and grad school, we had these completion sheets that are called "Status Sheets." At the end of every semester, I would scratch off the classes I had completed and looked onto the next semester. (I've always been a list-maker). When grad school was done, there were no more status sheets! Don't get me wrong, I am SO excited to be done with school, but that's where the "what's next?" question came to be. I decided to do things I had been wanting to do but couldn't because I was busy with school and work. The summer after graduation, I went to a few new places (like Vegas with my incredible sister) and had a fun 25th birthday (I always knew I wanted a big celebration for my 25th). So all this got me thinking that I needed to make my life "status sheet." I made a list of things that I had already accomplished (and then I scratched them off) and then I continued the list of things that I want to do. So far this year, I have taken guitar lessons, started practicing French again, belly-danced in public, gone to Niagara Falls, and now, I am teaching abroad (this is #85 on my list).

Teaching abroad is something that I have wanted to do for a very long time. It all started with being a student at "El Alba Bilingual School" in Siguatepeque, Honduras (You may now google it). I am originally from Honduras in Central America and just love this beautiful, little country. When my family and I moved to Honduras from the States in the early '90s; my mom wanted my siblings and me to continue getting an education in English while of course, receiving a formal education in Spanish. The answer to this: bilingual international schools.

Bilingual schools and international schools  are common around the world. They are private schools and are usually connected with a school from a different country. Basically, a child enters preschool between ages 3 and 4 and receives an education in more than one language from day one (bilingual schools). Think of everything you learned in preschool. Now think of learning all those things in another language at the same time. That is basically how it works except that you do that all through high school. (It's not similar to taking a foreign language in high school like in most schools in the States). The school day tends to be longer at bilingual schools because you are taking most subjects twice in a day. Also, you can only transfer into a bilingual school if your previous school was bilingual, as well so that you're not behind (makes sense!). So basically, by the time you are done with high school, you are fluent in more than one language! (El Alba was strictly an English/Spanish school but there are various trilingual schools in the capital of Honduras {and throughout the world, of course}. This is where my children will attend so they can speak English, Spanish and French) ;)I completely loved going to school at El Alba. My sister Nidia and I had a blast and made lifelong friendships there. So what does this have to do with teaching abroad? Most of our English-classes instructors were from an English-speaking country. Within my 5 years at El Alba, I met teachers from the US, Canada and England. These teachers would fall in love with Honduras and the culture. During school breaks, they would travel throughout the country and even neighboring countries. Many times, they would cry at the end of their contracts because they didn't want to leave! These were teachers that were not only teaching,  but also becoming more culturally aware and seeing the world! I knew I wanted to do that someday. :)

I started looking into teaching abroad after college, but I had the great opportunity of working for LU and getting free grad tuition while doing so, that I couldn't pass up the opportunity. Now I'm done with school and have 2 years of teaching experience. Everyone kept saying: "Now's the time. You're not married. You don't have kids. Do it."  I researched different areas to teach such as Thailand, Japan, United Arab Emirates and Latin America. I knew I wanted to try a completely different culture so I decided on somewhere in Asia. Meg's friend, Kayla, taught in Korea for 2 years and I followed her blog while she was here and I also had numerous conversations with her about her experience. I decided to do and now here I am! I'm not quite sure how long I'll be here but for now, I'm enjoying it!

I still can't believe I'm in Asia! It's so neat here!

Thanks to everyone for praying for me and this new adventure. And thanks to my family and boyfriend for being so supportive! I love you all and miss everyone!

So, what's on your Bucket List?

I'm in ASIA!

 The architecture here is beautiful.