snapshots

Wednesday, January 10, 2007

Bits and Pieces

I often receive small gifts from my students. A wrapped chocolate (or sometimes an unwrapped chocolate). An orange. A donut. A cracker. It's sort of silly, but I think it's cool.

I feel very comfortable here. When I enter shops or stores and find a communication barrier, I don't feel flustered or embarassed. I simply grin and shrug. Somehow, things always seem to work out.

Today, I accidentally made a little mistake. I wrote down some students' names using a red pen and they started whispering and giggling. They started saying, "Teacher write bad!" I said, "What are you talking about? My handwriting is excellent." I then learned that if you write a person's name in red, it means they are dead or will die. It's bad luck. The kids quickly put a black pen in my hand and asked me to write over their names.

At my school, there are a total of six foreign teachers and three Korean teachers. The Korean teachers teach grammar, because it is easier to teach English grammar if one speaks Korean.

When I give or receive something, I must use two hands. If I am unable to grab the object with two hands, I must place my free hand on the elbow of the arm that is taking the object (I know it sounds confusing, but it's really quite simple). This is a sign of respect.

Koreans rarely smile in public (I can't even recall a time I saw a Korean laugh in public).

Koreans cannot be friends unless they are the same age. If there is an age difference, Koreans call each other "older brother, younger brother, older sister, or younger sister". They would not use the word friend.

The Korean teachers, Jean, and my flatmate John.

It snowed for two days. Then most of it melted.

I'm working on my sneaky candid shots. I took this photo by hiding my camera in my jacket. Not bad, eh?

A wiseman once said, "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom."
And Jesus answered, "I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise."

A Day in the Life...

7:00 AM: My alarm goes off about this time... I promptly reset the alarm for 7:15.
7:15 AM: I get up and take a shower.
7:30 AM: I make some pancakes.
8:00 AM: I take the elevator down from my apartment on the 10th floor.
8:10 AM: I get on the number 98 bus (standing room only) and pay 850W (85 cents).
8:30 AM: I arrive at Ewha, the language school I work at (on the 6th floor).
8:45 AM: I grade some essays.
9:00 AM: I have my first class of the day. Reading level 98 (levels go from 96-106).
9:05 AM: I take role and write down the names of the missing students. I write their Korean names using the Korean characters. Then I shut the paper in the door. One of the secretaries swoops by and rips it out of the door... it disappears like magic. Sometimes the children jump in surprise.
9:10 AM: I check that everyone has done their homework and initial their homework sheets (which have also been signed by their parents).
9:15 AM: We open our reading book and each child reads a paragraph. Sometimes we must read the same page several times so that everyone gets a chance.
9:30 AM: I ask comprehension questions and explain words or concepts I think the children may not understand.
9:35 AM: I write down the homework for the day.
9:40 AM: Crazy music begins playing... this signals the end of the class (it seriously sounds like circus music or something).
9:45 AM: Quick break. I put together needed materials for the next class.
9:50 AM: Class number two. Reading level 99. This class is full of energy. Some classes sit in silence and it is a real chore to get them to participate... but not level 99. No, they are nearly out of control... so of course I love them. I attempted to teach them "Eric's game" today. I called it a "special test"... not a game. It was a disaster and very fun.
10:30AM: Quick break.
10:40AM: Class number three. Reading level 97. This class is difficult because the children barely understand English. We read things like... Good dog, Rover.
11:20AM: Quick break.
11:25AM: Class number four. Reading level 103. The reading is extremely difficult. The kids are older. They barely understand what they are reading. I spend much of the class helping them summarize the reading. I have also given them tips on how to answer reading comprehension questions. The first day, I busted out the "process of elimination", "method of inferring (reading between the lines)", and "scanning (or skimming)". I just made the stuff up as it came to me. Jean, observed my class and afterwards told me that she was very impressed by how prepared I was (I wanted to laugh. I hadn't prepared a thing.)

... Anyway, I think you get the point. I get home around 9:00 PM. Eat, email, and then sleep.

A wiseman once said, "A lazy man eats no bread."

Tuesday, January 9, 2007

Why?

Today, my fellow teacher, John, asked one of the Korean teachers what she believed. She replied, "I am a Christian." John then asked her, "Why?" To which she didn't answer.

I started to think... What would my answer be? And why do these basic questions stump me over and over again?

Shouldn't I have a convincing two or three sentence response by now? That's when I realized why I didn't have an instant answer...

My Answer:
Do you truly have time to hear about the WHY of my belief? Are you willing to sit for awhile? Are you willing to learn about me? Because my answer is my life. The people I've met. The experiences I've lived through. Evidence for God's existence began as a single snowflake and grew into an avalanche. I have no simple answer. I know only that God is, and forever will be, a mystery. "And He cares for me as though I am the only one, and He cares for you in the same manner" (paraphrased, Augustine).