Finding my groove

Tonight I taught my first class, actually a practice class. I was allowed to pick the lesson from the school’s curriculum. The class was a random sampling of students of different levels, which means that one of the administrators grabbed them at the last minute. There are students milling about everywhere in this building. One of the teachers and a staff member sat in with the other four students in my class. I was surprised at how nervous I was in the beginning but, mindful of a training session I attended this morning in Kangnam, I attempted to do it by the book. No one seemed to notice my nervousness, and I got a good evaluation from the students at the end. Don gave me some practical advice on teaching technique. The key thing is making sure that the students are talking most of the time. I did most of the talking. I’m not normally a talkative person, but under the right circumstances I let myself go. Afterward Don and I went outside for a quick bite of chicken on a stick from one of the many street vendors here. I almost remember the Korean name for chicken on a stick, but I won’t butcher it here.

I’ve met probably 10 to 12 other teachers here, and I’ve been surprised at how much people seem to be established in their jobs and routines. Everyone has been here for varying amounts of time, but each teacher seems to have found his or her groove. Tonight I feel a little bit like I’m finding mine as well.

I had a couple of awkward moments yesterday. I spent a couple of days starving because my current level of Korean is so limited that trying to order food in one of the numerous restaurants here was very intimidating. Yesterday afternoon I was so hungry I went out and walked around, passing by different restaurants and trying to decide if and where to eat. I passed up the Western-looking franchises because I didn’t travel here to eat American food. I finally entered one seafood place where a very unhappy looking waitress informed me that the restaurant was not yet open. At least that’s what I think she said. Because I couldn’t understand a word she was trying. I determined it wasn’t open because there was no one else in the restaurant and the fish tanks were empty. The only phrase I could utter in Korean was “Do you have octopus?” And she didn’t seem to understand me. She obviously didn’t want me to be there, and the feeling was mutual. I almost left the place unhappy like her.

I’ve noticed that people here tend to eat lunch later in the day. At 11:30, none of the food vendors on this street were open. I thought it was because of the rain.

After leaving the seafood restaurant, I began to experience a type of withdrawal and I started wondering why I came here. I decided to go upstairs to hide out in my room for the rest of the day and read. However, after 10 or 15 minutes upstairs and a quick prayer for focus and strength, I came to my senses and went back downstairs with a new determination to engage this culture a little more. I ended up having a profitable time of reading and Korean study in the teacher’s lounge. I also asked the administrators to let me observe a couple of more classes even though I wasn’t on the schedule to do so.

Last night I finally met Chris, with whom I’ve corresponded the last couple of months, in person for the first time. Chris was another influential person in heloing me to decide to apply directly to a school instead of going through an agency. We ate dinner at a Japanese place right next to my school. My use of chopsticks is improving, and somehow I managed to eat a bowlful of extremely slippery noodles. Also ordering turned out not to be so bad. The key is finding a restaurant with lots of pictures in the menus. I felt proud of myself.

After the training session in Kangnam this morning, I took the subway north to meet Pastor Bill and Leon for lunch. I was able to hear a little bit more about his experience in Korea over the last 20 years. We had a nice meeting.

After four days, this city is a little less intimidating. And the subways are just a lot of fun to ride. I have to force myself not to grin from ear to ear so people don’t look at me. Of course, a few people do look at me--like I’m a giant space alien. Well, maybe “giant space alien” is a little dramatic, because no one has run off screaming at the sight of me. But there’s nothing Asian-looking about this dude. I’ve found most people to be courteous and laid back. Older people have even invited me to sit down on the train, if there’s an empty space seat next to them. People are also very helpful when you ask them for directions, however broken your Korean may be. That’s pretty cool.