Christine Teacher!

No, it's not Ms. Grotjohn...it's Christine Teacher! I wish you could hear the way the kids say our names (Britney, London, Shauna, Christine TEACHA)! It's too cute. Today was my first day teaching. I went into the day confident in my ability to handle the three hours of morning kindergarten, but very nervous for the afternoon, elementary classes. Today was also the start of a new semester for the children, so the teachers were responsible for handing out all new materials- text books, audio CDs and tapes, workbooks, sylabi...everything, for several different classes! When I walked into the staff office this morning, I couldn't see my desk...it was covered by all these materials. It was a bit overwhelming to say the least. But, with much help from my Korean staff supervisor Katie, I made it through the day!

My kindergarten class went as well as I expected it to for my first day. Only a few rough transitions between subjects, but it went quite well overall. Kindergartners come every day from 10am-2:30pm. My students are all six years old and are in their second year of English. The most frequent question I get from people is how do I teach them English when I know zero Korean and they are just beginning to learn English. I wondered that before I started teaching too, but I am so impressed by their English vocabulary after just one year. They comprehend what I say for the most part and express quite well what they are trying to tell me. The Korean staff is always available should there be any language break downs though. I have my kinders (as we call them) from 10am-12:30pm, get an hour lunch break, and then have my last hour with them from 1:30-2:30pm. We cover everything from story telling, reading comprehension, games, phonics, songs and chants, arts and crafts, to science. I feel lucky to have a small class of seven very well behaved students!

Thank goodness my first day jitters are over for the afternoon classes. M-F from 2:30-4pm, I have my own class of students who are not fluent, but well spoken in English. I teach the same types of subjects as I do with my kindergartners, but at a much higher level. MWF from 4-6:30pm, I teach reading comprehension to my homeroom students as well as Shuana's class. On T/TH I will be teaching American Social Studies from 4-4:50pm...let's just say it will be a good review of my elementary years! T/TH from 5-6pm is my prep hour. I know you may not have wanted to get my entire schedule, but many people ask what my day is like, so now you know! Handing out all the materials was confusing as I expected, but the older students laughed when I said, "You all actually have to teach me today!" They were such a great help in being prepared with all their work out and explaining everything when I had a blank stare on my face, which was quite often. They are all such pleasant kids to work with...I truly look forward to the year ahead!

Life's Lessons In Korea

I know, I know...I've been MIA for a while. I've just been too busy loving life here to write. Last you read, I told you why I decided to teach in Korea. Already, I've put my gifts to work at school and have started to reflect on the ways I am growing personally from this year long experience. Here are just a few things I've discovered: if you have three different meals you enjoy, three is enough to survive and be satisfied; if you don't understand the language of the person you are trying to communicate with and vice-versa, there are plenty of universal gestures that say what you mean; going to college for four years and getting a degree does not automatically get you a house bigger than a dorm room, but it's a roof over your head; drying racks take up half of your apartment space and leave your clothes extremely wrinkled coming directly from the washer, but none-the-less your clothes are dry and you have saved energy without a drier, and if you can't cook at home in the US with a microwave, oven, and toaster...you definitely won't have much luck with just a stove top. All of these and much more I have discovered in just over a week...imagine what more I will learn about life and adapt to in the coming months!

Here's also a rundown of my last few days before I started teaching. Last Thursday, a co-worker invited our staff out to dinner with the LCI Kids Club staff from a town near by. It was great to meet fellow teachers (many from Minnesota) over a few delicious pitchers of Sangria. We returned to Suji for my first night with Soju cocktails and Noribong. Let me help you visualize...a cozy little room with padded seats and a table, jazzy wallpaper, mood lighting, a few snacks and drinks, tambourines, microphones, and a widescreen TV with song lyrics flashing across it. Drinks or no drinks, Noribong is a night of karaoke fun! Please see the attached photo of my friends exercising their vocal chords!

Friday evening was a send off/welcome party for leaving and new coming teachers. The Korean staff took us out for duck Galbi and wine and then followed the "fun teachers" to Noribong until 3am! As much of a blast that Noribong is, I couldn't do it two nights in a row, so Shauna and I headed back to the hotel as we were visiting Seoul the next day. My first trip to Seoul was wonderful! After a 40 minute ride on a coach bus with leather seats and air-conditioning, we hopped out onto the busy shopping streets in downtown Seoul. After a bit of wandering, we ended up at the Insadong Art district, a long street with many beautiful shops, restaurants, and tea houses. We ended the day in Itaewon, the military base district of Seoul, with lots of foreigners and delicious American food! I'm not sure if I just miss food from home, but I ate the best cheeseburger I've ever tasted...no exaggeration! On Sunday, Shuana and I got to leave the "love motel" and move into our apartments. Shuana has a nice open studio apartment and mine...well, let's just say it's a bit too cozy. It's fine for now, but the Korean staff has informed me that I will be moving in a few weeks when the lease on my apartment is up. Like I said, it's a roof over my head.......

Why Korea?

Many people have asked me why I decided to teach abroad or why I chose South Korea. In February, I went to the MN Private Colleges Job Fair fully expecting myself to find at least a few potential companies I would be interested in working at and who would also want to hire me after landing a great summer internship the previous year, despite the less than hopeful economic situation. I had no doubt that within months, I would have myself a new career to follow graduation and I would be finding an apartment in Minneapolis with any of my girlfriends who would also end up there. Then, I ran into my friend Shauna who said she had just finished speaking with the recruiter at the booth to teach in South Korea, which I was just heading to. We were both excited, but I had no intent on following through with the idea.

My good friend Annie from school had gathered a group of girlfriends for a Christian book study group this year. Our second semester book was titled If You Want To Walk On Water, You've Got To Get Out Of The Boat by John Ortberg. As time passed with less and less potential employers, Korea sounded more and more intriguing. The book had also planted a seed that soon left me trying to discern between faith and foolishness. I was supposed to graduate in four years and get a "real job." Korea was certainly not in line with that plan. The book is based off of Peter's walk on the water with Jesus. Our boat is what is "safe, secure, and comfortable (Orteberg 17)." I was comfortable in MN with friends, family, the surroundings I knew, and the plans I had post-graduation.

"This in not just a story about risk-taking; it is primarily a story about obedience. That means I will have to discern between an authentic call from God and what might simply be a foolish impulse on my part. Courage alone is not enough; it must be accompanied by wisdom and discernment (16)."

Suddenly, I was feeling called to leave my boat. But, I wanted to be sure I wasn't making a foolish impulse on my part because my job outlook wasn't good or because I just wanted to travel. I wanted to be sure that it was God calling me to make a difference by sharing the gifts I was equipped by Him to use.

"I believe there is something-Someone-inside us who tells us there is more to life than sitting in the boat. You were made for something more than merely avoiding failure. There is something inside you that wants to walk on the water--to leave the comfort of routine existence and abandon yourself to the high adventure of following God (17)."

The next few months took much prayer and discussion with family and friends to finally decide on teaching in Korea. I could have stayed in MN and taken the one corporate job I was interviewing for or I could use my gifts to teach. I have loved working with children my entire life. Yes, I was comfortable with them, but I was now placing myself in a position where I would be given the chance to change the lives of Korean children and allow myself to grow in new ways.

"The worst failure is to never get out of the boat (23)." Rather than stay in my boat, I chose to get out. Thank God...I am now walking on the water--and loving it!

HEALTH CHECK!

Let me tell you about our health check. It was much more funny in person, but let me help you imagine! Today (Tuesday) we had our first Korean doctor appointment for a check-up to be 237% sure we don't have swine flu! Everyone here is EXTREMELY paranoid of it, and many parents hesitate to send their children to school if the teachers leave the country on their breaks! We arrived in the crowded waiting area at 10:30am to be quickly sent into a room to remove our shirts (replaced with hospital attire) with the door half open and our school representative (Scotty) standing right outside....ok, SO awkward already! With nine doors wide open surrounding the waiting room, Shuana and I were shuffled to the first room where we were shoved back and forth into our correct seats for our first exams. Shuana and I couldn't help but laugh at the situation. Each time and very quickly, we were sent to the next room for a total of five stops getting our eyes, ears, blood pressure, chest x-rays, and of course....the urine samples. Apparently, Shauna needs her wisdom teeth removed and maybe a teeth cleaning too...good thing I had mine cleaned before I left! :) The urine test was by far the most unique experience of it all. They sent us with a cup and three vials to the public rest room outside the waiting area. We were told to use the cup and then fill the three vials on our own! Then we proceeded to carry the three vials BACK into the waiting and check-up area where everyone was sitting...GROSS! Needless to say, it was a very different experience compared to the very private, closed door appointments we're used to back home. Thank goodness I am HEALTHY and can begin teaching soon!

The first few days...

After much needed rest, Shauna and I woke up Sunday and headed to the internet cafe, a daily stop for us. We met London and Britney for lunch and had the most delicious meal...beef galbi and bop (rice). We sat at a table with a hole in the middle where a is hot grill is brought to you along with lettuce, several side dishes, slices of beef, and many toppings (sprouts, garlic, onion, sauces). There you grill your own meat and make lettuce wraps. It was the first Korean meal I actually LOVED! Then we visited the market across the street with fresh fish, produce, and lots of groceries we would see at home. Thank goodness, I've realized I'm not going to starve to death this year living off fish, which I honestly thought was all I would be eating for a year and can't stand! The girls then showed us a dollar store and Lotte Mart, which is basically a multi-level Walmart/Target store with clothes, groceries, furniture, etc., which I am sure we will be shopping at often when we move.

Shauna and I are looking forward to getting into our apartments, so we asked to see one of the girls' house. London happily showed us her place where we hung out for the afternoon. It was SO cute, which makes us even more excited to get out of our Metro 21 "love motel!"That evening they took us out for authentic Chinese, which looked extremely interesting but tasted surprisingly delicious, minus the tentacles (very chewy and tasteless)! My biggest challenge so far has been the...chopsticks. HOW FRUSTRATING! I think we (Americans) are so used to shoveling huge spoonfuls into our face that the tiny bites you get with the chopsticks drives me crazy. Every meal has me growling at the table, but London and Britney PROMISE with more practice I'll get used to them...yeah right! At dinner, I complained to Shauna that I was going have to start doing hand exercises to help rid me of the terrible hand cramps I get EVERY time I use chop stops (no joke). It's too humorous!

Shauna and I spent Monday morning talking to our parents at the internet cafe and resorted to Subway when we had no idea what to eat elsewhere without London and Britney to help us as they were at school teaching. There we met John, another American teacher, who saw my Gustavus shorts and asked if we were from MN! We ate lunch with him and then he showed us a fun bar for foreigners and suggested a place and meal for dinner. We also got a tour of our school, LCI Kids Club, and were told to go home and rest until our doctor appointment Tuesday morning. We will start observing classrooms Wednesday afternoon and officially start teaching our own classes on Monday. The visit got us both SO EXCITED to start teaching. The kids are ADORABLE! At dinner we met Joelene and Ryan, the couple who Shauna and I will be replacing when they leave. They were such nice Canadians who gave us more suggestions of places to visit and shop. We returned to our motel to get rest for our important health check, which the girls warned us was quite the experience. We had no idea....

Welcome to Suji, South Korea!

It was all worth it! The 4am wake up, 5am friends at the airport, tears of sadness leaving my parents, lugging way too heavy carry-ons around international airports, and the combined 16 hours of air time. When I arrive in South Korea with my wonderful friend Shauna from Gustavus, I instantly KNEW I had made the right decision to travel and teach after graduation!

Both flights were on time. Our first flight from Minneapolis to San Fransisco left at 6:50am and was four hours. We arrived in California at 9:00am. With a four hour lay over, my aunt and uncle (Steve and Katia Petersen) who I hardly get to see, treated Shauna and I to breakfast at the airport Subway....delicious! It was SO wonderful to see them and helped pass the time between flights. When they left, Shauna and I must have walked the entire San Fransisco airport before we were able to go through the correct security a second time, get a new boarding pass, and arrive at our gate to find the plane boarding! There was no time to browse the Coach purses, use the restroom, or get an iced coffee for the plane...all of which we wanted to do during our long layover.

Our second flight was 12 hours long and departed CA at 1:15pm. Too bad I didn't realize wine is free in international flights or I'm sure I would have slept more than three of those hours! I watch two movies, met the Indian natives next to me (who had another 10 hour flight and 7 hour drive to follow!), and read my Glamour magazine, compliments of my good friend Kacy. I had my first Korean meals on the plane. It felt like we were being served food or drinks the entire 12 hours! My first meal was beef steak, potatoes, shrimp pasta salad, lettuce salad, a mixed bean salad, and a bun and butter. By the second meal, I quickly found out that they serve at LEAST two side dishes with everything. Sadly, I couldn't really understand the flight attendant, so I ended up with the Korean meal verses the fish. It wasn't until we got to Korea when I saw my meal served as a side dish everywhere that I realized I had eaten the traditional Kimche and rice. So far, I'm not too fond of it, but I will keep on trying!

We flew into the Incheon International Airport, which is an island on west coast of South Korea, near Seoul. We arrived around 5:30pm on Saturday evening. With a sign that read Mr. Christine Grotjohn (yes, Mr.) just as you see in the movies, we were picked up by Mr. Min who spoke not one word of English. He shouted at us in Korean, hoping we might understand him the louder he spoke (ummm, nope)! All we could do was nod our heads, smile, and laugh. We think he was laughing back at us due to the amount of luggage we were dragging along in addition to our complete lack of Korean knowledge. He dropped us off at the Metro 21 motel in Suji (about 4 miles from Suwon and an hour by subway from Seoul, on the map) where we will stay for the next week until the teachers who are leaving move out of the apartments. Scotty, a representative of the school met us at the hotel, got us into our rooms, and left us with London and Britney, two other girls from MN who are teaching at our same school and are both from MN. They have been the MOST WONDERFUL help you can imagine and have helped us feel completely "at home" already!

The city was HUGE! Shauna and I felt like we were in a wonder land of lights. The girls took us to dinner at a little Korean restaurant where we both had cheesy ramen noodles for dinner (they're big here too!). They showed us our school where we will be teaching and the best places for coffee, the internet cafe open 24 hours, and got us acclimated to our surroundings. With plans to meet for lunch at 2pm on Sunday, Shauna and I made our way back to our hotel and headed to bed after our first evening in SOUTH KOREA!

Thanks to everyone for your thoughts and prayers for safe travels and my year ahead. I am blessed to have this wonderful opportunity, my extremely supportive parents, new friends in Korea already, and my incredible classmate Shauna who I look forward to teaching with!