Ok, I will start this one with the "punchline"...mostly because I don't want anyone to go into this worried (which is so sweet, thank you!). I am "fine"...or at the very least don't have thyroid cancer.
On to the story...
Friday, January 29, 2016
Tuesday, January 12, 2016
Getting My Korean On...Chef Style!
It's no secret...I love food. I love everything about it. It's one of the few things that is a full sensory experience. I love reading/watching shows about it...the history and culture of it...I love cooking...and I especially love eating.
I've really been trying to learn Korean recipes so I can take all the wonderful food that I love and share it with friends and family back home. There are a few basic cooking classes for foreigners (like the entire program only offers around 5 menu items total)...and only then you only get basic information about the dishes. However, there is one that is absolutely fantastic!
Food and Culture Academy is just wonderful. I especially like that they offer a well-rounded menu and also give the option to request off-menu items that you want to learn (time and scheduling permitting). The main instructor, Ellie, is fantastic...she's friendly and knowledgeable, generous with her time, and her English is excellent. It's a wonderful facility, clean and easy to find. They also provide a "photo area" so you can take pictures to show off your handiwork...and a dining area so you can enjoy your dishes. They also have hanbok (traditional Korean clothing) you can wear for pictures for an additional cost.
I've really been trying to learn Korean recipes so I can take all the wonderful food that I love and share it with friends and family back home. There are a few basic cooking classes for foreigners (like the entire program only offers around 5 menu items total)...and only then you only get basic information about the dishes. However, there is one that is absolutely fantastic!
 |
| With my fabulous instructor, Ellie! |
Food and Culture Academy is just wonderful. I especially like that they offer a well-rounded menu and also give the option to request off-menu items that you want to learn (time and scheduling permitting). The main instructor, Ellie, is fantastic...she's friendly and knowledgeable, generous with her time, and her English is excellent. It's a wonderful facility, clean and easy to find. They also provide a "photo area" so you can take pictures to show off your handiwork...and a dining area so you can enjoy your dishes. They also have hanbok (traditional Korean clothing) you can wear for pictures for an additional cost.
Sunday, January 10, 2016
Hello Again!
It's been a long time, my dear readers. We have a lot to catch up on.
Just to quickly recap, this fall I was moved out of high school and had to split my time between 3 middle schools. Not just three schools, but 5 grades (and by extension, 5 textbooks)...all of which include a hefty daily commute. Now, I know a lot of Guest English Teachers (GETs) here handle multiple schools and grades and still have plenty of time to kill. However, getting all these lessons planned and prepped takes almost all my available time in the week. Not to mention, I prefer to be ahead of the school calendar by 2 weeks (just to give myself a little wiggle room), so having to start all over at new schools with new textbooks, for the better part of the semester I was barely hanging on. Plus, on top of my curriculum classes I also had a 2-hour after school classes...so on the days I had "after school" I would more or less have an 11 hour day, from the time I caught the bus to school, got through the regular school day, for through after school, and caught the bus home.
To be perfectly frank, I have been fairly miserable on this rotation. My new handler (main co-teacher) is a little pushy and demanding. Also, her English is not so great, so communicating with her is extremely difficult. As such, I try to only talk to her to discuss school business...even still we tend to have the same conversation 3 or 4 times before we get to an understanding. There's a few more frustrations about this situation, but at some point it just starts to sound like me whining and less like a frank discussion.
However, I do really like the other teachers that I actually teach with, and they have been nothing less than warm and supportive. This is particularly important because roughly half of the classes I taught this term couldn't have cared less if I was there or not.
To top off my "bad vibes" I was also extremely tired and around midterm exams, I was starting to have some other health problems. At first, I chalked it up to the stress of my new rotation, but even as the term wound down I was still constantly tired and frustrated. Finally, I decided I need to go see a doctor and it turns out I have thyroid nodule...which may or may not be affecting me (as of this post I haven't gotten the test results back)...and I will blog in more detail about this in a future post.
I feel like at this point you are tired of me whining about my life here and really, it is quite the opposite. I really do enjoy my job and if I didn't I would not spend as much time planning and prepping as I do. It's more like the slow grind of time getting to me. And enough of this "Debbie Downer" business...I will wrap up this post with some positive news.
This year, I have been offered and accepted a post in Seoul!
I am extremely happy about this news. Even though I will lose a little on my monthly salary, by the time I factor in weekly transportation costs here (roughly 15 dollars a week, so 60 a month) and the costs of traveling to Seoul for doctors, shopping, or just getting out of the countryside (a minimum of 25 dollar per trip, so if I go twice month, which on average I do, we are talking 50-60 dollars, plus the cost of staying over if I miss the last bus home) I will break even, if not come out ahead.
Thats my biggest news, and I have some more posts planned which I will get to in due time. I have quite a bit of desk warming and vacation time coming up, so hopefully I will get everything up here soon.
Until then!
Just to quickly recap, this fall I was moved out of high school and had to split my time between 3 middle schools. Not just three schools, but 5 grades (and by extension, 5 textbooks)...all of which include a hefty daily commute. Now, I know a lot of Guest English Teachers (GETs) here handle multiple schools and grades and still have plenty of time to kill. However, getting all these lessons planned and prepped takes almost all my available time in the week. Not to mention, I prefer to be ahead of the school calendar by 2 weeks (just to give myself a little wiggle room), so having to start all over at new schools with new textbooks, for the better part of the semester I was barely hanging on. Plus, on top of my curriculum classes I also had a 2-hour after school classes...so on the days I had "after school" I would more or less have an 11 hour day, from the time I caught the bus to school, got through the regular school day, for through after school, and caught the bus home.
To be perfectly frank, I have been fairly miserable on this rotation. My new handler (main co-teacher) is a little pushy and demanding. Also, her English is not so great, so communicating with her is extremely difficult. As such, I try to only talk to her to discuss school business...even still we tend to have the same conversation 3 or 4 times before we get to an understanding. There's a few more frustrations about this situation, but at some point it just starts to sound like me whining and less like a frank discussion.
However, I do really like the other teachers that I actually teach with, and they have been nothing less than warm and supportive. This is particularly important because roughly half of the classes I taught this term couldn't have cared less if I was there or not.
To top off my "bad vibes" I was also extremely tired and around midterm exams, I was starting to have some other health problems. At first, I chalked it up to the stress of my new rotation, but even as the term wound down I was still constantly tired and frustrated. Finally, I decided I need to go see a doctor and it turns out I have thyroid nodule...which may or may not be affecting me (as of this post I haven't gotten the test results back)...and I will blog in more detail about this in a future post.
I feel like at this point you are tired of me whining about my life here and really, it is quite the opposite. I really do enjoy my job and if I didn't I would not spend as much time planning and prepping as I do. It's more like the slow grind of time getting to me. And enough of this "Debbie Downer" business...I will wrap up this post with some positive news.
This year, I have been offered and accepted a post in Seoul!
I am extremely happy about this news. Even though I will lose a little on my monthly salary, by the time I factor in weekly transportation costs here (roughly 15 dollars a week, so 60 a month) and the costs of traveling to Seoul for doctors, shopping, or just getting out of the countryside (a minimum of 25 dollar per trip, so if I go twice month, which on average I do, we are talking 50-60 dollars, plus the cost of staying over if I miss the last bus home) I will break even, if not come out ahead.
Thats my biggest news, and I have some more posts planned which I will get to in due time. I have quite a bit of desk warming and vacation time coming up, so hopefully I will get everything up here soon.
Until then!
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