I usually have lunch with Professor Kim on Fridays. It's fun because he thinks of places that foods or cooking style I have not tried. Last week we were at a place with no shoes and sitting on the floor (not unusual). There were about 10 ban chan (side dishes), some fish (the whole thing - so I am getting better at using my chopsticks to find the flesh and avoiding the bones) and a new rice style. The rice comes in a thick cast iron type bowl that is very hot. Most of the rice is removed to a dish, and then some very hot water is poured in the bowl and lid replaced. The crunchy rice stuck to the bottom and sides comes off, and then it is like soup.
Today (after practicing my Korean with one of my students for 45 minutes after class), Professor Kim and I went to a shabu place (regular tables). There is a gas heat source in the middle of the table and a fairly shallow dish/pot with oil is put there. Thin-sliced raw beef, shrooms, and some cabbage is cooked. There was a large plate of veggies sliced very small - sprouts, carrots, and others. Then one takes a flat circular item that looks like plastic (diameter maybe 6 inches) and dips it quickly in a bowl of hot water. It is actually made of rice (a Vietnamese item). It softens up (and is clear), and then the cooked meat and veggies are wrapped inside. Three delicious dipping sauces were provided. Then some noodles are cooked. And then, of course because it is Korea, there is some rice. The waitress took the bowl of cooked rice, some pumpkin, and a raw egg and stirred it around in the oil. Tasty!! (A funny p.s. to this part of the note is that I took one of the flat things home and Michael thought it was for opening jars. It definitely got him interested in going to a shabu place. Prof. Kim got on his iPhone after lunch and showed me on a map where we can walk to a place in our neighborhood.)
We then walked a bit behind campus where there is a nice hike. I told Prof. Kim it's funny that moving to a city of 1 million people is providing such easy hiking opportunities. I knew Munsusan (san means mountain) was basically behind campus, but I didn't know how to get to a trail. What a great way to take a break.
Tomorrow we are going with the Jangs to .... Costco!! There is one in Busan. It's reallly not my kind of place, but I consider it an outing. I asked Justin a few weeks ago if his mom goes, and he said she had asked him if he thought I would want to go. Many of the expats at the foreigner compound take a trip over there every few months. I think the Jangs might think it's strange if I don't buy anything, so I will be on the look out for some difficult-to-find items or good bargains. We will also have lunch.
Time for language studying!! I want to learn some new places (bank, post office, park, grocery store, department store) so I can expand my answers to "Where are you going?" to include some places I really go.
It's a beautiful fall day here with a good forecast for our long weekend. God bless!
Kim and Michael
Thursday, September 29, 2011
Nice week
The weather has been beautiful and signs of autumn – a bit cool in the morning with sunny blue skies. We’ve been hiking and biking in Grand Park. I came across a look out that has all country side and mountain view – I didn’t realize the city doesn’t extend back that way (south). There were also some old graves – rounded mounds – and also some vegetable gardens … all on a hike in the city!
One night this week, Michael and I rode our bikes to a “Special Concert,” Professor Kim told me about. The signs had “special concert” in English. They kept saying “su pae shul con ce tuh,” and it was making us laugh. It was only thing we could understand besides “thank you.” There were several performers; I kept thinking “this must be the headliner.” They also had a lot of lights flashing a screen set up showing the stage – even though it wasn’t that big of a venue. There were a few fireworks, smoke, and fire. It struck me as quite Korean with all the technology. They started with 3 young women in short skirts, then 2 guys with acoustic guitars (our favorite), then a guy in a suit and tie, then a guy with white pants, white shirt, tuxedo type vest and jacket. The clothes were quite different from what we would expect in the States (except the girls!).
I am getting to know my students better. I had a visitor for office hours. He and talked about the Korean language as much as we talked about accounting. I also met after class for awhile with a small group of students who study together. One student brought me a traditional treat. (She is so sweet – she always sort of giggles when she answers “I am fine” when I ask her how she is.) My office mate has brought me juice, a pear, and today a small box of cookies. I got a welcome reprieve from teaching on Wednesday because there was a COB sports competition that day and nearly everyone cancels class. I like teaching, but it saved me some preparation time. There are basically 4 majors, and they played soccer, basketball, and a couple other things. Two students met me and took me to the location, and I sat for awhile with a professor I had met previously. The teams looked pretty good playing soccer. Each major had a tent set up, and all of the tents had people making pancakes. They had very large covered containers of the mix (the batter and leeks or green onions) and then cooked them in a large pan over a one-burner gas grill. The gas grills are very popular. Some teams had extra food – tofu and kimchi! The accounting team had “GAAP” on their shirts, and someone told me it is or has to do with the name of the accounting club.
It seems like if I am awake, I am thinking about my Korean language class. The teacher slowed down this week. Everyone was relieved, and it was a lot more fun. We did a lot of practicing speaking and listening. We have moved through introducing ourselves (My name is Kim Key. I teach accounting. I study Korean. I am an American.) to “where” phrases – e.g., “where are we/where is this place?”, “where do you _____ (study, eat, read a book) with answers including library, Ulsan University, home, restaurant, market. When I saw one of my students yesterday, he asked me in Korean “where are you going?” and I could say I was going home. Justin met with me to practice, and I will meet his mom next week. It’s not so hard to keep up with reading and writing (when the teacher slows down), but the whole point is to communicate face to face. We are off Monday for a national holiday, so I have extra time to catch up and practice. Then we are moving onto “how is the weather?”
Michael got star of the week again last week. You know him – he does NOT want to get it again. I joked and said that he could act badly to ensure he does not get it or he could try to bring out the best in someone else. Different teachers nominate from week to week. His English teacher wrote “for being such a diligent student and providing help to others when appropriate; for having such a pleasant personality.”
Last Friday there was a party at school – the pool closing has a Pirate’s Day tradition. Michael did not want to dress up and seemed to be hanging around with me at the start. But right when the teams were getting ready to go on the treasure hunt, a couple of boys called, “Come on, Michael.” And I said, “Go on,” and off he went. He had a very good time. There was pizza for dinner, and then he went to a boy’s apartment for movie watching in a group. I met a few moms, a couple who said they would like Michael to come over and possibly have sleep overs too – I hope they follow up. Michael has been staying after school regularly and playing – lots of times it’s kicking a soccer ball on the small field by the school. I just got him an iPhone, so he likes to call me to tell me he is going to be home later than usual.
I had lunch duty on Tuesday this week – very easy! It's about a once-a-month parent duty. In the midst of it I noticed a teacher’s lunch in a foil container, so I found out the club house at the compound makes 2 Western dishes a day. A couple of lovely Korean ladies do the cooking, and so it is homemade. They will pack it to go, so I bought 2 lasagnas with salad and two sliced chicken (it looks like white meat!) with gravy and vegs. I hope to buy regularly, but apparently the management is changing Oct. 1 and no one is quite sure what will be going on at the clubhouse. I also saw a couple of moms I know and one of the gals had made a picnic lunch, and I was lucky to get an invitation. The gal is from Alabama and her husband has base access, so she gets a lot of American ingredients and food. She made a good pasta salad AND had some frosted chocolate brownies/cake too.
I am so pleased and thankful for how our trip is turning out. On a beautiful day walking on campus, I often recall what a blessing this opportunity is.
One night this week, Michael and I rode our bikes to a “Special Concert,” Professor Kim told me about. The signs had “special concert” in English. They kept saying “su pae shul con ce tuh,” and it was making us laugh. It was only thing we could understand besides “thank you.” There were several performers; I kept thinking “this must be the headliner.” They also had a lot of lights flashing a screen set up showing the stage – even though it wasn’t that big of a venue. There were a few fireworks, smoke, and fire. It struck me as quite Korean with all the technology. They started with 3 young women in short skirts, then 2 guys with acoustic guitars (our favorite), then a guy in a suit and tie, then a guy with white pants, white shirt, tuxedo type vest and jacket. The clothes were quite different from what we would expect in the States (except the girls!).
I am getting to know my students better. I had a visitor for office hours. He and talked about the Korean language as much as we talked about accounting. I also met after class for awhile with a small group of students who study together. One student brought me a traditional treat. (She is so sweet – she always sort of giggles when she answers “I am fine” when I ask her how she is.) My office mate has brought me juice, a pear, and today a small box of cookies. I got a welcome reprieve from teaching on Wednesday because there was a COB sports competition that day and nearly everyone cancels class. I like teaching, but it saved me some preparation time. There are basically 4 majors, and they played soccer, basketball, and a couple other things. Two students met me and took me to the location, and I sat for awhile with a professor I had met previously. The teams looked pretty good playing soccer. Each major had a tent set up, and all of the tents had people making pancakes. They had very large covered containers of the mix (the batter and leeks or green onions) and then cooked them in a large pan over a one-burner gas grill. The gas grills are very popular. Some teams had extra food – tofu and kimchi! The accounting team had “GAAP” on their shirts, and someone told me it is or has to do with the name of the accounting club.
It seems like if I am awake, I am thinking about my Korean language class. The teacher slowed down this week. Everyone was relieved, and it was a lot more fun. We did a lot of practicing speaking and listening. We have moved through introducing ourselves (My name is Kim Key. I teach accounting. I study Korean. I am an American.) to “where” phrases – e.g., “where are we/where is this place?”, “where do you _____ (study, eat, read a book) with answers including library, Ulsan University, home, restaurant, market. When I saw one of my students yesterday, he asked me in Korean “where are you going?” and I could say I was going home. Justin met with me to practice, and I will meet his mom next week. It’s not so hard to keep up with reading and writing (when the teacher slows down), but the whole point is to communicate face to face. We are off Monday for a national holiday, so I have extra time to catch up and practice. Then we are moving onto “how is the weather?”
Michael got star of the week again last week. You know him – he does NOT want to get it again. I joked and said that he could act badly to ensure he does not get it or he could try to bring out the best in someone else. Different teachers nominate from week to week. His English teacher wrote “for being such a diligent student and providing help to others when appropriate; for having such a pleasant personality.”
Last Friday there was a party at school – the pool closing has a Pirate’s Day tradition. Michael did not want to dress up and seemed to be hanging around with me at the start. But right when the teams were getting ready to go on the treasure hunt, a couple of boys called, “Come on, Michael.” And I said, “Go on,” and off he went. He had a very good time. There was pizza for dinner, and then he went to a boy’s apartment for movie watching in a group. I met a few moms, a couple who said they would like Michael to come over and possibly have sleep overs too – I hope they follow up. Michael has been staying after school regularly and playing – lots of times it’s kicking a soccer ball on the small field by the school. I just got him an iPhone, so he likes to call me to tell me he is going to be home later than usual.
I had lunch duty on Tuesday this week – very easy! It's about a once-a-month parent duty. In the midst of it I noticed a teacher’s lunch in a foil container, so I found out the club house at the compound makes 2 Western dishes a day. A couple of lovely Korean ladies do the cooking, and so it is homemade. They will pack it to go, so I bought 2 lasagnas with salad and two sliced chicken (it looks like white meat!) with gravy and vegs. I hope to buy regularly, but apparently the management is changing Oct. 1 and no one is quite sure what will be going on at the clubhouse. I also saw a couple of moms I know and one of the gals had made a picnic lunch, and I was lucky to get an invitation. The gal is from Alabama and her husband has base access, so she gets a lot of American ingredients and food. She made a good pasta salad AND had some frosted chocolate brownies/cake too.
I am so pleased and thankful for how our trip is turning out. On a beautiful day walking on campus, I often recall what a blessing this opportunity is.
Gyeong-ju day trip
Saturday the Ji family took us to Gyeong-ju. It is a popular tourist site and has a large amount of historical artifacts from one of the dynasties. It is an hour from Ulsan and on the coast too. They picked us up about 10:00 and we went to one place – burial sites of kings. The graves are huge mounds. One has been excavated, and we could go inside and see where the king had been buried. There were thousands of items excavated. It is a lot like the Egyptians did, I guess. Then we had a picnic lunch that Song Jae had made – gimbap, another bap item (tofu batter outside and rice inside – lightly fried and cut in triangle halves), salad, and chestnuts. They were surprised I had not eaten a chestnut before, but I don’t recall having the opportunity. We also had the famous local food they picked up there – warm and fresh small baked good with red bean sweet filling – Hwan Nam Pang (pang means bread). The salad was lettuce, red and yellow peppers and apple slices and nuts. Song Jae mixed in strawberry yogurt. It was all very good. I have copied the salad this week at home. Most of the yogurt is thin (almost between yogurt and a yogurt drink, so it works well as dressing). After lunch we went to a historical temple site. Then we went to the resort area that is on a lake and had a coffee and sat by the lake for awhile. Next up was pedal boats for the kids (and Song Jae – one adult had to go!). The boats are so cute. They have a cover in the shape of a duck (hence the name: duck boats). Song Jae said Michael was pedaling hard, and the boys seemed to enjoy “accidentally” running into a couple other boats. We practiced our Korean and English. Mr. Ji tells Song Jae how to say things she wants to ask me (Have you ever …. ), and in the car on the way I had pictures for Luna to ask me “what is ____?” or “is that ____?” The three kids fell asleep on the way home; we got back about 8:00.
Saturday night there was a very loud noise in the middle of night. I figured out the electricity was out, but in the morning we also discovered we had no water. Something blew up in the basement of our building. They had people working on it all day, and by 4:00 or so it was back to normal. I said I would go to church clean and with wet hair, but I just could not go without a shower. So we biked and hiked and had lunch at a restaurant where Michael likes the fried mandu. At first I thought it was soup, but I had mixed up my guk (soup) and gun… so I think gun means fried. We spent some time in my office with me using my computer and Michael using a computer at a different desk. He was doing astronaut report research, and I was working on Korean. It was very nice to get back to the apartment and take a shower.
Saturday night there was a very loud noise in the middle of night. I figured out the electricity was out, but in the morning we also discovered we had no water. Something blew up in the basement of our building. They had people working on it all day, and by 4:00 or so it was back to normal. I said I would go to church clean and with wet hair, but I just could not go without a shower. So we biked and hiked and had lunch at a restaurant where Michael likes the fried mandu. At first I thought it was soup, but I had mixed up my guk (soup) and gun… so I think gun means fried. We spent some time in my office with me using my computer and Michael using a computer at a different desk. He was doing astronaut report research, and I was working on Korean. It was very nice to get back to the apartment and take a shower.
Saturday, September 17, 2011
Foreigner Town
I heard about a grocery store with foreign items so wandered around an area near downtown looking for it ... for quite awhile. The luck of the Irish got me there. I saw three young caucasians and asked if they knew where to find the "Foreigner Town" store. "No, but we are looking for it too." They are English teachers from Ireland. We walked together for awhile and then one of them spotted it. We laughed at ourselves for expecting all of it to be western. There was also Thai (lots of canned coconut milk, which reminds me of Paulo), Vietnamese and Indian. Some things could be purchased at a regular store (spag. sauce, for example). But I did buy a big bag of frozen peas (Michael is hardly eating vegetables but wasn't that excited about my find) and American hot dogs (that seemed better to him). The other thing that interested me was oatmeal and Hershey's chocolate syrup.
The store was very near where the foreigner festival was held. I saw a few people from language class. I participated in a game that our team won - yay! It was tossing up large tubes sort of like heavy beanbags. Depending on how they fell, a guy moved around a tarp with big circles (like a big twister mat). We got a prize that turned out to be a table version of the game. There were several different dancing groups and a good-sized crowd with lots of Koreans too. I didn't stay long because Michael was home on his own.
We had observed there are no Mexican restaurants here (which is such great eating when we visit family in Tucson), but today I saw a Mexican Chicken place. It wasn't open but looked just to be a chicken delivery place that maybe uses sauce that could pass for Mexican. It may be a good business opportunity for my brother Terry's family. Koreans like rice and spicy food!
We were at Ulsan Grand Park this morning. Besides having a large and beautiful expanse of developed area, there is also a sizeable woods area with hiking trails. I hiked while Michael biked. I got sort of lost on the way back. I had not noticed all the different trails on my way out adn then didn't even remember obvious landmarks like a bridge. I think I was just so happy to be on a hike. I ended up coming out of the woods onto a street but not recognizing it. I walked the direction I thought was correct and got back to the park in about 15 minutes. I was a relief to start recognizing some buildings. I didn't want Michael to worry if I was late to meet him. It was a good lesson to have money in my pocket, which I did. And I figured I could tell a taxi driver the name of a nearby apartment building.
Michael is at the part this evening for a ride on his own... enjoying that freedom! I picked up some ice cream at the convenience store across the street (C Mart) and went for the surprise of Goo Goo Cluster - some choc. chips and, I think, peanut butter. The weekend seems to go fast ... just like at home. Love to everyone, Kim and Michael
The store was very near where the foreigner festival was held. I saw a few people from language class. I participated in a game that our team won - yay! It was tossing up large tubes sort of like heavy beanbags. Depending on how they fell, a guy moved around a tarp with big circles (like a big twister mat). We got a prize that turned out to be a table version of the game. There were several different dancing groups and a good-sized crowd with lots of Koreans too. I didn't stay long because Michael was home on his own.
We had observed there are no Mexican restaurants here (which is such great eating when we visit family in Tucson), but today I saw a Mexican Chicken place. It wasn't open but looked just to be a chicken delivery place that maybe uses sauce that could pass for Mexican. It may be a good business opportunity for my brother Terry's family. Koreans like rice and spicy food!
We were at Ulsan Grand Park this morning. Besides having a large and beautiful expanse of developed area, there is also a sizeable woods area with hiking trails. I hiked while Michael biked. I got sort of lost on the way back. I had not noticed all the different trails on my way out adn then didn't even remember obvious landmarks like a bridge. I think I was just so happy to be on a hike. I ended up coming out of the woods onto a street but not recognizing it. I walked the direction I thought was correct and got back to the park in about 15 minutes. I was a relief to start recognizing some buildings. I didn't want Michael to worry if I was late to meet him. It was a good lesson to have money in my pocket, which I did. And I figured I could tell a taxi driver the name of a nearby apartment building.
Michael is at the part this evening for a ride on his own... enjoying that freedom! I picked up some ice cream at the convenience store across the street (C Mart) and went for the surprise of Goo Goo Cluster - some choc. chips and, I think, peanut butter. The weekend seems to go fast ... just like at home. Love to everyone, Kim and Michael
Thursday, September 15, 2011
Nice Friday
When I practiced my Korean language on my students at the end of class, they clapped. What a special, little blessing. Our first real lessons are starting, and this is what I said to them: What is this? It is a door. Pretty impressive, huh? It's more syllables in Korean!! We are also working on: What is that? and then answering (desk, chair, window, etc). I am trying not to judge the content of the course!! I just have to be patient to get to the chapter on interacting with taxi driver. I bought a small spiral for flash cards - the office supplies are so neat here. This one has "I can do it" cover. I stop by the little store on campus regularly to see if there is something that catches my eye. I can go to the post office (and bank) in the same building.
With such a small accounting class, I can see personalities in the students. There is the smart guy who seems a bit impatient with sometimes slow pace, there is the serious, alert fellow who seems on top of things, there are a couple of jokers, and there are a couple of very kind ones. These are just impressions; I know they are all unique and more complex. One of them told me after class that the reason he was late was "too much drinking last night." Too much information, I thought. Today one student who arrives early (like I try to do) asked me why I arrive early. I told him I like to talk informally with students before class and also get myself organized and ready ... especially coming from a different building. I am not sure if the Korean professors as a whole tend to arrive early. I am trying so hard to remember their names - 13 names in the States would only take a couple days not even trying.
It is nice to wrap up class on Friday and feel like I survived another week of Intermediate II. I have at least a week of material ready to go. I'd feel better with a bit more. It was nice yesterday to meet Michael at home instead of going out to HFS. I had more than an extra hour at work (and finished equity chapter!), and we both arrived home right about 4:30.
May the peace of Christ rule and reign in our hearts so that the overflow out of our mouths builds up. Have a great weekend! There is a foreigner party downtown Saturday (we've seen some posters). I told Michael we ought to support them supporting us.
With such a small accounting class, I can see personalities in the students. There is the smart guy who seems a bit impatient with sometimes slow pace, there is the serious, alert fellow who seems on top of things, there are a couple of jokers, and there are a couple of very kind ones. These are just impressions; I know they are all unique and more complex. One of them told me after class that the reason he was late was "too much drinking last night." Too much information, I thought. Today one student who arrives early (like I try to do) asked me why I arrive early. I told him I like to talk informally with students before class and also get myself organized and ready ... especially coming from a different building. I am not sure if the Korean professors as a whole tend to arrive early. I am trying so hard to remember their names - 13 names in the States would only take a couple days not even trying.
It is nice to wrap up class on Friday and feel like I survived another week of Intermediate II. I have at least a week of material ready to go. I'd feel better with a bit more. It was nice yesterday to meet Michael at home instead of going out to HFS. I had more than an extra hour at work (and finished equity chapter!), and we both arrived home right about 4:30.
May the peace of Christ rule and reign in our hearts so that the overflow out of our mouths builds up. Have a great weekend! There is a foreigner party downtown Saturday (we've seen some posters). I told Michael we ought to support them supporting us.
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
Long weekend
We ended up with 5 invitations over the weekend - we're so thankful. It was the Ji family Friday night Then Sat. night we had dinner at Prof. Kim's house. His wife is very nice, and like lots of older women, especially nice to Michael. The food she prepared was so attractive. It must be so time consuming, and her kitchen has hardly any counter space. She made a crab-stuffed egg for each of us that was on individual plate lined with green leaf. The veggie tray had the thinnest slices I have ever seen. There was also three kinds of sliced and then baked or fried items: zucchini, cod, and tofu. Thin sliced marinated beef was the protein. There was soup, rice, and a couple other things. For dessert she had apples, Asian pears, and kiwi - all cut in a pretty way. She then microwaved a pastry for Michael because we were talking about the red bean pastries; this one was green beans ... and very sweet! Michael ate a lot, especially at the end.
We had fun at an Indian restaurant and walking around with the Bakers after church Sun., and then we went to the birthday party on the 51st floor. The place was huge and luxurious. The kitchen had some unusual things: an electric small closet drying rack for clothes, rice pull out storage, a disinfecting drawer for knives and cutting boards, and a special drawer for food waste that uses heat to make it smaller and not so smelly. Not unusual but just fancy was two fridges and built in cappucino maker. There was on oven too - trying hard not to be envious of that. Gemma made tacos sort of improvising on part - like pizza cheese. The sour cream was very sour. Her son is Mitchell. On the way home Michael and I switched back and forth talking about how fancy the place was, and unfortunately, how badly-behaved Mitchell is. I could not understand why his parents let him talk so rudely to them. Michael is not that comfortable around him it turns out. We met them at new student orientation; Mitchelll is a year behind Michael. The other boys at the party live in the same building, and two of them go to HFS. Michael likes the other boys, and they all seemed on the quiet side. Mitchell's family is from Australia, and the dad had rugby on the tv. It is World Cup time (every 4 years), hosted by New Zealand. We will try to keep up a bit online to see how Samoa does.
Monday we had no plans and rested up and had a bike ride. It takes some time to catch up with correspondence, and I also tried to work on my language class. Tuesday morning we biked too, and then we had lunch with Ji Hwan at his family's home. He goes to the English language service at church and invited us and an American, Jonathan. The two of them are pretty good friends. Ji Hwan went to law school at Campbell in NC, and Jonathan actually did his undergrad. there. Jonathan has been teaching Korean for 6 years. I think they are both 35 or so. Ji Hwan actually lives with his parents in the Korean way, though it is the first time in many years they have lived in the same place. He had funny stories about livin for some time in Newfoundland and picking up Irish accent and phrases - he told us some of them. Apparently there was a fairly large Irish immigrant community there. He had to learn a different English. Michael said Jonathan is like Uncle Mike - a big joker. Jonathan could tell it was a compliment. Ji Hwan's mom sent Michael home with a snack bag. When the rice is cooked in a pot (instead of rice cooker), there is part that gets a bit overdone and sticks to the pan - turns out that if that part is scraped out and sprinkled with some sugar, it's a tasty snack. Michael had eaten quite a bit at the table, so she knew he liked it.
Michael was still off today (Wed), but I was back at Korean language class and then teaching. He stayed home by himself and successfully did some errands (like dropping off clothes to be ironed) and had lunch out. I asked him if he feels like a teenager! The saccounting class seemed to go well today. Last Wed. someone asked me to slow down, and when I asked how it was today, they said fine. As in any class, some are on top of it and some are lost - but when someone does not bring his book, of course he is lost!! I had to add a couple numbers at the board, and I stopped and told them my US students know I cannot add well standing up when people are watching me ... they seemed to think that was pretty funny and helped me with the adding. The language class is moving along quickly. I told my students I think my teacher talks too fast!! I finally got the textbook after class, so at least now I can prepare better.
I get my first paycheck soon - direct deposit. I am glad it's small and I don't really need the money because today when Prof. Kim took me to open my bank account, everything I received was in Korean. I might just leave it there until we depart. My department secretary had a print out of apartment expenses they will take out of my check this month: 80,000 won maintenance (a flat fee), electric for month was 30,000 won, which I thought was reasonable for using A/C, 11,00o won for water. The gas bill did not get processed because of holiday. It is normal for a foreign faculty to be provided housing because Korean leases tend to be at least 2 years and often large upfront payment is required where landlord earns interest on the money. Plus, it would also be hard to make all the arrangements by yourself!
Michael plans to start taking the bus home on his own too - a big time saver for me. I will go out to HFS once a week or so just to be around a bit. That's all for now!
We had fun at an Indian restaurant and walking around with the Bakers after church Sun., and then we went to the birthday party on the 51st floor. The place was huge and luxurious. The kitchen had some unusual things: an electric small closet drying rack for clothes, rice pull out storage, a disinfecting drawer for knives and cutting boards, and a special drawer for food waste that uses heat to make it smaller and not so smelly. Not unusual but just fancy was two fridges and built in cappucino maker. There was on oven too - trying hard not to be envious of that. Gemma made tacos sort of improvising on part - like pizza cheese. The sour cream was very sour. Her son is Mitchell. On the way home Michael and I switched back and forth talking about how fancy the place was, and unfortunately, how badly-behaved Mitchell is. I could not understand why his parents let him talk so rudely to them. Michael is not that comfortable around him it turns out. We met them at new student orientation; Mitchelll is a year behind Michael. The other boys at the party live in the same building, and two of them go to HFS. Michael likes the other boys, and they all seemed on the quiet side. Mitchell's family is from Australia, and the dad had rugby on the tv. It is World Cup time (every 4 years), hosted by New Zealand. We will try to keep up a bit online to see how Samoa does.
Monday we had no plans and rested up and had a bike ride. It takes some time to catch up with correspondence, and I also tried to work on my language class. Tuesday morning we biked too, and then we had lunch with Ji Hwan at his family's home. He goes to the English language service at church and invited us and an American, Jonathan. The two of them are pretty good friends. Ji Hwan went to law school at Campbell in NC, and Jonathan actually did his undergrad. there. Jonathan has been teaching Korean for 6 years. I think they are both 35 or so. Ji Hwan actually lives with his parents in the Korean way, though it is the first time in many years they have lived in the same place. He had funny stories about livin for some time in Newfoundland and picking up Irish accent and phrases - he told us some of them. Apparently there was a fairly large Irish immigrant community there. He had to learn a different English. Michael said Jonathan is like Uncle Mike - a big joker. Jonathan could tell it was a compliment. Ji Hwan's mom sent Michael home with a snack bag. When the rice is cooked in a pot (instead of rice cooker), there is part that gets a bit overdone and sticks to the pan - turns out that if that part is scraped out and sprinkled with some sugar, it's a tasty snack. Michael had eaten quite a bit at the table, so she knew he liked it.
Michael was still off today (Wed), but I was back at Korean language class and then teaching. He stayed home by himself and successfully did some errands (like dropping off clothes to be ironed) and had lunch out. I asked him if he feels like a teenager! The saccounting class seemed to go well today. Last Wed. someone asked me to slow down, and when I asked how it was today, they said fine. As in any class, some are on top of it and some are lost - but when someone does not bring his book, of course he is lost!! I had to add a couple numbers at the board, and I stopped and told them my US students know I cannot add well standing up when people are watching me ... they seemed to think that was pretty funny and helped me with the adding. The language class is moving along quickly. I told my students I think my teacher talks too fast!! I finally got the textbook after class, so at least now I can prepare better.
I get my first paycheck soon - direct deposit. I am glad it's small and I don't really need the money because today when Prof. Kim took me to open my bank account, everything I received was in Korean. I might just leave it there until we depart. My department secretary had a print out of apartment expenses they will take out of my check this month: 80,000 won maintenance (a flat fee), electric for month was 30,000 won, which I thought was reasonable for using A/C, 11,00o won for water. The gas bill did not get processed because of holiday. It is normal for a foreign faculty to be provided housing because Korean leases tend to be at least 2 years and often large upfront payment is required where landlord earns interest on the money. Plus, it would also be hard to make all the arrangements by yourself!
Michael plans to start taking the bus home on his own too - a big time saver for me. I will go out to HFS once a week or so just to be around a bit. That's all for now!
Friday, September 9, 2011
Miscellaneous
I had fun getting my hair colored and cut. The place had been recommended by a British woman I met. It was 85,000 won for color and 25,000 won for cut - no tipping in Korea. It's a high end place. Justin's mom told me her area of town would cost about 50,000 won and downtown maybe 80,000. I couldn't bring myself to tell her I was going to pay more than 100,000 won. It's an Aveda salon!
There was a woman, Ban Seok, and two young male assistants tending to me. Two people applied the color while I sat at a long table in a chair with a back pillow and a pillow propped in front to hold up magazines. They brought me Korean Elle and Cosmo; I looked at some pictures to be polite. I selected OJ from a list of drinks, and it was accompanied by some rectangle shaped pieces of pound cake with a small plastic two pronged fork. I am glad the one of the guys sort of stabbed the end and handed it to me - I probably would have done American style and tried to break it into pieces first. But after stabbing, one is to take a bite at a time. I saw a guy at Paris Baguette do this with a 10 inch or so baguette. No touching food with hands!! The hair washing took awhile and was very relaxing - including a hot towel under my neck for awhile. One of the fellows dried my hair, and then Ban Seok cut it. She said it's sort of short already so she would trim it. Trim sounded just fine. Oh, and at one point one of the assistants sang a traditional song to me. They told me it was for new customers.
I poked around downtown a little longer - some time in Hyundai department store checking for shoes bigger than size 10 for Michael (no luck). Then I checked on a robe for me - more than 100,000 won. No way!! That store is so expensive. Then I walked a couple of blocks to the fish market, where there are also stalls set up for vegs. and fruit. There is also a small eating area. It reminded me of the market in Samoa. The contrast within a couple of blocks is such an intersting aspect of Korea. The old and the new are side by side. The Korean restaurants are traditional food (and often sitting on the floor), ladies are on the street with fruit or vegs to sell, and Pizza Hut is next door. And there is a store for every athletic name brand you can think of.
We've been observing that Korea is such a hard working society. The kids are in school day and night and many Saturdays (maybe it's erring on the side of quantity, but the Korean culture is not lazy). Even on campus many of the professors work late enough in the evening regularly that at lunch with a couple professors one of them asked if I go out for dinner too. Prof. Kim explained that I have Michael to take care of.... what a handy excuse for me! It was fun that they taught me to ask for more soup: guk chom da ju se yo. Luckily I already knew the last part. The sentence structure is soup more bring/give me.
Friday I picked up Michael and was pleased to find that he was named Star of the Week in Year 6 (different numbering compared to our grades). After the long PE on Friday afternoons, there is school assembly and the stars are named there. His home room (and math) teacher wrote on the back: for being a fantastic, hard-working student and a caring member of the Year 6 class. Of course, Michael didn't really think it was a big deal, but I told him I was especially proud of the "caring" part.
We went to the immigration office by taxi after school and are now official in Korea because we have our alien registration cards. I can now open a bank account (for direct deposit of my small stipend from university) and get point cards at Paris B and Lotte Mart - you can not do anything here as a foreigner without that card!! When we arrived home, we found a bag from Justin's family: gimbap, veg. pancakes, and Asian pears (though I bet they don't add "Asian" to the name). The pears are huge - size of large grapefruit - and jucier than we expected. It was a Chuseok gift.
The Ji family invited us to have dinner Friday evening to celebrate Song Jae's (mom's) birthday. She admired my hair :). We went to a place that specializes in a few things including a type of soup with thin, long noodles and shaved beef. Michael liked the dok gal bi a lot - one plate came for the table. It sort of has the texture of hamburger and is very moist with a tasty sauce. They were happy he liked it so much. They like to tell us Korean words, and Luna, the 9 year old girl, talks to me a lot. She showed me some of the names of items on the menu. They noticed us pray silently over our meals at their house, and Mr. Ji invited me to say a prayer for all of us. Please pray that in those opportunities I would use words that God would use to work in their hearts. We took a walk at the park after dinner with the boys kicking around a soccer ball. Jo-el wants to be a soccer player; Luna wants to be a doctor.
We had short notice about dinner, so there wasn't much time for gift shopping. The stores (including grocery) are full of boxed sets of various items, so I bought a 3 bottle set of fancy vinegars. I think that's what it was - maybe it is some kind of drink. Michael and I think a lot of the choices are odd - like a gift set of canned tuna. Just buying the cans of tuna on their own would be seem a smarter move financially. There is so much packaging to these sets, especially for how much recycling is expected here. We have to pay if we want a bag at the store. We even have a pail for food waste and threat of fine for not doing our garbage correctly. We will take a gift set of 3 Asian pears to Prof. Kim's. It seemed like a healthy option, and I bought them before the Jangs gave us some. So maybe it really is an appropriate gift!
We have other social plans for the weekend: dinner with Prof. Kim and his wife Saturday; lunch after church with the Bakers, and a birthday celebration dinner and cake with one of Michael's school mates, Mitchell and family. He is new and in Year 5 - and huge feet. I asked his mom to let us know if they find some big sizes. Their apartment is on the 51st floor - so we think that's going to be neat. I think the husband must have a pretty good job, and this is their 3rd overseas location.
There is a typhoon in the area that is causing a LOT of rain today, so we are thankful that a box arrived yesterday that Bethany had sent. It has several books for Michael, and he said he wants to have a relaxing day. He is off M-W for Chuseok holiday. The official holiday is Monday, and the day before and after are also holidays. The university is open on Wed.
Grace and peace to all of you. Love, Kim and Michael
There was a woman, Ban Seok, and two young male assistants tending to me. Two people applied the color while I sat at a long table in a chair with a back pillow and a pillow propped in front to hold up magazines. They brought me Korean Elle and Cosmo; I looked at some pictures to be polite. I selected OJ from a list of drinks, and it was accompanied by some rectangle shaped pieces of pound cake with a small plastic two pronged fork. I am glad the one of the guys sort of stabbed the end and handed it to me - I probably would have done American style and tried to break it into pieces first. But after stabbing, one is to take a bite at a time. I saw a guy at Paris Baguette do this with a 10 inch or so baguette. No touching food with hands!! The hair washing took awhile and was very relaxing - including a hot towel under my neck for awhile. One of the fellows dried my hair, and then Ban Seok cut it. She said it's sort of short already so she would trim it. Trim sounded just fine. Oh, and at one point one of the assistants sang a traditional song to me. They told me it was for new customers.
I poked around downtown a little longer - some time in Hyundai department store checking for shoes bigger than size 10 for Michael (no luck). Then I checked on a robe for me - more than 100,000 won. No way!! That store is so expensive. Then I walked a couple of blocks to the fish market, where there are also stalls set up for vegs. and fruit. There is also a small eating area. It reminded me of the market in Samoa. The contrast within a couple of blocks is such an intersting aspect of Korea. The old and the new are side by side. The Korean restaurants are traditional food (and often sitting on the floor), ladies are on the street with fruit or vegs to sell, and Pizza Hut is next door. And there is a store for every athletic name brand you can think of.
We've been observing that Korea is such a hard working society. The kids are in school day and night and many Saturdays (maybe it's erring on the side of quantity, but the Korean culture is not lazy). Even on campus many of the professors work late enough in the evening regularly that at lunch with a couple professors one of them asked if I go out for dinner too. Prof. Kim explained that I have Michael to take care of.... what a handy excuse for me! It was fun that they taught me to ask for more soup: guk chom da ju se yo. Luckily I already knew the last part. The sentence structure is soup more bring/give me.
Friday I picked up Michael and was pleased to find that he was named Star of the Week in Year 6 (different numbering compared to our grades). After the long PE on Friday afternoons, there is school assembly and the stars are named there. His home room (and math) teacher wrote on the back: for being a fantastic, hard-working student and a caring member of the Year 6 class. Of course, Michael didn't really think it was a big deal, but I told him I was especially proud of the "caring" part.
We went to the immigration office by taxi after school and are now official in Korea because we have our alien registration cards. I can now open a bank account (for direct deposit of my small stipend from university) and get point cards at Paris B and Lotte Mart - you can not do anything here as a foreigner without that card!! When we arrived home, we found a bag from Justin's family: gimbap, veg. pancakes, and Asian pears (though I bet they don't add "Asian" to the name). The pears are huge - size of large grapefruit - and jucier than we expected. It was a Chuseok gift.
The Ji family invited us to have dinner Friday evening to celebrate Song Jae's (mom's) birthday. She admired my hair :). We went to a place that specializes in a few things including a type of soup with thin, long noodles and shaved beef. Michael liked the dok gal bi a lot - one plate came for the table. It sort of has the texture of hamburger and is very moist with a tasty sauce. They were happy he liked it so much. They like to tell us Korean words, and Luna, the 9 year old girl, talks to me a lot. She showed me some of the names of items on the menu. They noticed us pray silently over our meals at their house, and Mr. Ji invited me to say a prayer for all of us. Please pray that in those opportunities I would use words that God would use to work in their hearts. We took a walk at the park after dinner with the boys kicking around a soccer ball. Jo-el wants to be a soccer player; Luna wants to be a doctor.
We had short notice about dinner, so there wasn't much time for gift shopping. The stores (including grocery) are full of boxed sets of various items, so I bought a 3 bottle set of fancy vinegars. I think that's what it was - maybe it is some kind of drink. Michael and I think a lot of the choices are odd - like a gift set of canned tuna. Just buying the cans of tuna on their own would be seem a smarter move financially. There is so much packaging to these sets, especially for how much recycling is expected here. We have to pay if we want a bag at the store. We even have a pail for food waste and threat of fine for not doing our garbage correctly. We will take a gift set of 3 Asian pears to Prof. Kim's. It seemed like a healthy option, and I bought them before the Jangs gave us some. So maybe it really is an appropriate gift!
We have other social plans for the weekend: dinner with Prof. Kim and his wife Saturday; lunch after church with the Bakers, and a birthday celebration dinner and cake with one of Michael's school mates, Mitchell and family. He is new and in Year 5 - and huge feet. I asked his mom to let us know if they find some big sizes. Their apartment is on the 51st floor - so we think that's going to be neat. I think the husband must have a pretty good job, and this is their 3rd overseas location.
There is a typhoon in the area that is causing a LOT of rain today, so we are thankful that a box arrived yesterday that Bethany had sent. It has several books for Michael, and he said he wants to have a relaxing day. He is off M-W for Chuseok holiday. The official holiday is Monday, and the day before and after are also holidays. The university is open on Wed.
Grace and peace to all of you. Love, Kim and Michael
Wednesday, September 7, 2011
Classes and feedback from HFS
Language class is cruising along. The bookstore is out of the book, but the teacher has some handouts. We learned the entire alphabet and all the dipthongs and rules for the sounds of letters when they are at the end of a syllable. Monday wasn't too hard, but today was harder. It takes a lot of practice, so I am going to try to keep myself organized and practice regularly. There are several English language teachers enrolled, some PhD students, a few spouses of Hyundai foreign related operations, and others. A few countries are India, Viet Nam, Ireland, Canada, England. The rapport among the students seems pretty good, but today there were several more people - we are at 23. The teacher is hoping the university will split the class into two sections, especially because it's a conversation class and we need to practice. The people with more experience can sort of push the pace, but I think I am about in the middle. I am so glad to be taking the class within a month of arriving. Some people have been here more than a year.
On Wed. I leave Korean language class a little early so I can get to my accounting class. I thought today went great. I did a handout review and got through the whole thing (not to bore everyone, but for my colleagues it was stuff like 3 main business activities, financial statements and elements, journal entries, using a trial balance to calculate net income, etc. I have to keep reminding myself to say Statement of Financial Position instead of Balance Sheet and Share Capital instead of stock). I told them I was going to be like my Korean language teacher and have them say things back to me. They were cooperative. I remarked that their English is very good - and it was. Many of them were right on top of the material (though even the best ones added accumulated depreciation with the total liabilities), but a few are struggling. I think a couple of them had intro. but not Intermediate I (maybe fewer rules about pre-reqs?). They must really want to take the English section. I had some quiet laughs when I called roll, but I told them I need to work on my Korean. There were 12 students today. The most that were on any temporary roster was 16, so I think last week there were extra people just checking me out. 12 is a good size for me to get to know them. Pray that there will be a good rapport in the classroom. I also hope to see some of them outside of class (lunch or coffee) but will wait for a couple of weeks for things to settle down before branching out. Funny challenge with office supplies: the 3 hole punch is in centimeters; hmm... where exactly to slide the punching pieces. I used trial and error.
Michael had a homework assignment that said to use A4 paper. I said he should find out what it is. But then the next day I noticed the standard reams of paper for the printer say A4. We don't have a printer at home (yet), so he sent an e-mail attachment of his Mars report and I printed at work. He has had some regular homework - mostly math.
Today there was drop in time for parents at school. (Recall the kids are off Wed. afternoon. Michael took a cab to campus - the school office called one and told destination - and Justin met him for lunch and then did a little shopping with him. Then they came to my office after I finished class. Then we put him in a cab home and I took a cab to HFS.) It turned out to be very nice that I went to HFS on the late side. The teachers were available from 1 to 5. I was the only one there at 4:00, so no one was waiting, so I am sure I got to talk to the teachers longer. They all said Michael is doing great on all aspects. One of them heard him say something to a classmate about "In Alabama ..." and this teacher thought that explained some of his good manners. There were some insightful comments - like given that he is new he seemed to sort of observe and size up people in order to decide who might be suitable for friends. They are pleased with his work and his behavior and that he seems very engaged in the classroom. The math teacher said a couple other classmates are about the same level so that it will be some healthy competition. It was nice for me to meet some of them for the first time and also to hear a bit about philosophy, etc. I could not be more pleased with how the school year has started for Michael. I give a lot of credit to Trinity for his fine education so far and for high standards of conduct. Please pray for him to make good choices about his conduct and to be a positive influence on others. Also please pray that he will do his best work and take a real interest in it.
I am pretty wiped out, especially given how I feel. Justin said, "You have a cold too?!" But I think mine is worse than Michael's. I had already planned not to go to campus tomorrow, so I think it will be nice to feel the freedom to sleep as late as I need. I will spend a couple hours getting my hair cut and colored for the first time. I had a recommendation for the place from a British woman. The Chuseok holiday has the university closed Mon. and Tues. (and Michael is also off Wed.), so we have some recovery time. It doesn't affect my accounting class, but it will be helpful to regroup in Korean language class with only Wed. next week.
That's all for now!! The Lord bless and keep all of you.
On Wed. I leave Korean language class a little early so I can get to my accounting class. I thought today went great. I did a handout review and got through the whole thing (not to bore everyone, but for my colleagues it was stuff like 3 main business activities, financial statements and elements, journal entries, using a trial balance to calculate net income, etc. I have to keep reminding myself to say Statement of Financial Position instead of Balance Sheet and Share Capital instead of stock). I told them I was going to be like my Korean language teacher and have them say things back to me. They were cooperative. I remarked that their English is very good - and it was. Many of them were right on top of the material (though even the best ones added accumulated depreciation with the total liabilities), but a few are struggling. I think a couple of them had intro. but not Intermediate I (maybe fewer rules about pre-reqs?). They must really want to take the English section. I had some quiet laughs when I called roll, but I told them I need to work on my Korean. There were 12 students today. The most that were on any temporary roster was 16, so I think last week there were extra people just checking me out. 12 is a good size for me to get to know them. Pray that there will be a good rapport in the classroom. I also hope to see some of them outside of class (lunch or coffee) but will wait for a couple of weeks for things to settle down before branching out. Funny challenge with office supplies: the 3 hole punch is in centimeters; hmm... where exactly to slide the punching pieces. I used trial and error.
Michael had a homework assignment that said to use A4 paper. I said he should find out what it is. But then the next day I noticed the standard reams of paper for the printer say A4. We don't have a printer at home (yet), so he sent an e-mail attachment of his Mars report and I printed at work. He has had some regular homework - mostly math.
Today there was drop in time for parents at school. (Recall the kids are off Wed. afternoon. Michael took a cab to campus - the school office called one and told destination - and Justin met him for lunch and then did a little shopping with him. Then they came to my office after I finished class. Then we put him in a cab home and I took a cab to HFS.) It turned out to be very nice that I went to HFS on the late side. The teachers were available from 1 to 5. I was the only one there at 4:00, so no one was waiting, so I am sure I got to talk to the teachers longer. They all said Michael is doing great on all aspects. One of them heard him say something to a classmate about "In Alabama ..." and this teacher thought that explained some of his good manners. There were some insightful comments - like given that he is new he seemed to sort of observe and size up people in order to decide who might be suitable for friends. They are pleased with his work and his behavior and that he seems very engaged in the classroom. The math teacher said a couple other classmates are about the same level so that it will be some healthy competition. It was nice for me to meet some of them for the first time and also to hear a bit about philosophy, etc. I could not be more pleased with how the school year has started for Michael. I give a lot of credit to Trinity for his fine education so far and for high standards of conduct. Please pray for him to make good choices about his conduct and to be a positive influence on others. Also please pray that he will do his best work and take a real interest in it.
I am pretty wiped out, especially given how I feel. Justin said, "You have a cold too?!" But I think mine is worse than Michael's. I had already planned not to go to campus tomorrow, so I think it will be nice to feel the freedom to sleep as late as I need. I will spend a couple hours getting my hair cut and colored for the first time. I had a recommendation for the place from a British woman. The Chuseok holiday has the university closed Mon. and Tues. (and Michael is also off Wed.), so we have some recovery time. It doesn't affect my accounting class, but it will be helpful to regroup in Korean language class with only Wed. next week.
That's all for now!! The Lord bless and keep all of you.
Weekend
We had a nice weeekend. Friday night we had dinner with the Jangs at a place very near our apartment. There are similar places in town and called "family buffet." We had just spotted one downtown on the top floor of a department store, and I recognized it as a place we had lunch here in 2010 with the MBA trip. There is a salad bar, all sorts of small sized items, lots of sushi, steak to grill. It's easy to try a lot of things. The Jangs are so friendly. Keun-yung (mom) asked Michael questions about school. I shared a story about being at a porridge restaurant by myself (I thought I should go while I was on my own because Michael is not interested). It was pretty much a big bowl of delicious pumpkin soup - I heard a blender so it's hard to say exactly what else is in it, but I think some sweetner along with a starch - though it was very smooth. (Ban chan is time name of all the side dishes ... and I am always happy to see shrooms, which this place served.) So the story is that I forgot I needed to pay! Either one pays immediately like at McDonald's or you pay at the end ... but they don't bring a bill to the table, so I forgot. I thought the woman was telling me to bring my plates, and then I figured it out. How embarrassing. Prof. Jang told about being in the military in the 70s and actually liking it because there was basically unlimited milk and juice. Korea was so poor then. We said that is no incentive for Justin as he gets ready for his duty. He is applying to serve with an American unit. We were also talking about the upcoming Chuseok holiday. I think it's the biggest holiday in Korea. There is a Thanksgiving element, but there is also ancestor-related elements. I told them there was an article in the Korea Herald about the stress of the holiday. Some advice was about getting enough sleep and drinking enough water. Part of it said women get frustrated because they are busy doing all the cooking while the men are watching tv. I told them it was so funny because it sounds like the States. And Prof. Jang knew American men would be watching football. They took us down by the river after dinner for a nice walk and view of the area. There is a walking bridge over the river that is fairly new. Hw drove on a route that would be the shortest to take our bikes.
Saturday morning we took the bus to the street near campus that has several sport shoes stores. A couple have many brands, but 4 or 5 are a single brand (Reebok, Adidas, Nike, Converse). We were looking for shoes for Michael, but the biggest size in any store was 10. So he came home sad and with no shoes. Michael said maybe they could order a bigger size, adn I told him to work on his Korean language :). Justin said to try a department store. Late in the afternoon we met the Ji family at the park (the family who befriended us). The boys rode bikes together with Luna, the sister. Then we went to Pizza Hit for dinner. Mr. Ji drove. Driving is hard enough here (I rejected renting a car fairly quickly after arrival; all the Koreans were correct who said they didn't think I should get one), but I don't know how they squeeze into some of the small parking places. At Pizza Hut we told Mr. Ji Michael likes cheese crust and pepperono, but then we let him order from there. There is a phrase (chu gi yo) that is used to get someone's attention. I feel like we have not been able to use it because the service people are so attentive. Later Michael and I laughed about the Ji family getting the waitress over and then all the back and forth between the waitress and family, and they said chu gi yo a few times during the course of the meal. It seemed like a lot was going on just to order pizza. The pizza was kind of like BBQ chicken, and I told Michael later I was proud of him for eating it and not saying anything about pepperoni. He said it was delicious, and I thought so too. The family invited us to spend the Chuseok holiday at the kids' grandparents, but after sleeping on it we realized it would be too much - 4 to 5 hour drive; 3 full days; it's a bit challenging (and sometimes tiring) to communicate. And we've both been a little sick and could use some recovery time.
Sunday we went to church - biggest crowd yet. Lots of people who are here somewhat long-term leave on summer holiday. We met Mr. and Mrs. Baker, both teachers at Michael's school. They are from South Africa. They are very kind and straight-forward about being Christians and what it really means; for example, we were talking about the role of the church and men at church given Paulo is not with us. She reminded me of an older Emi. She does the Christian after school club, and it is meeting on Wednesdays. That is the day we can really use something for Michael to do - good providence! She said there are often Muslim or Indian children in the class. They make it a priority to clearly explain salvation to all the children and they let the parents know they will be reading the Bible. Please pray that this class will have a lasting effect on all the children - Michael included. Who knows how God can use it. Pray for the Bakers' ministry in the class.
Thanks for keeping up with us. It's been about a month since we arrived. I remember the first morning looking out the window from the Lotte Hotel (same view I had on MBA trip) - mountains in the background, big city in all directions, and lots of Korean letters on signs all the way up the buildings. And to myself I thought, "Am I crazy to have brought Michael here?" And right about the same time, he said, "I am really excited to be here." His adjustment to Korea and HFS (school) have been remarkable. But I believe he needs to get interested in learning to speak the language - please pray for that too.
God bless.
Saturday morning we took the bus to the street near campus that has several sport shoes stores. A couple have many brands, but 4 or 5 are a single brand (Reebok, Adidas, Nike, Converse). We were looking for shoes for Michael, but the biggest size in any store was 10. So he came home sad and with no shoes. Michael said maybe they could order a bigger size, adn I told him to work on his Korean language :). Justin said to try a department store. Late in the afternoon we met the Ji family at the park (the family who befriended us). The boys rode bikes together with Luna, the sister. Then we went to Pizza Hit for dinner. Mr. Ji drove. Driving is hard enough here (I rejected renting a car fairly quickly after arrival; all the Koreans were correct who said they didn't think I should get one), but I don't know how they squeeze into some of the small parking places. At Pizza Hut we told Mr. Ji Michael likes cheese crust and pepperono, but then we let him order from there. There is a phrase (chu gi yo) that is used to get someone's attention. I feel like we have not been able to use it because the service people are so attentive. Later Michael and I laughed about the Ji family getting the waitress over and then all the back and forth between the waitress and family, and they said chu gi yo a few times during the course of the meal. It seemed like a lot was going on just to order pizza. The pizza was kind of like BBQ chicken, and I told Michael later I was proud of him for eating it and not saying anything about pepperoni. He said it was delicious, and I thought so too. The family invited us to spend the Chuseok holiday at the kids' grandparents, but after sleeping on it we realized it would be too much - 4 to 5 hour drive; 3 full days; it's a bit challenging (and sometimes tiring) to communicate. And we've both been a little sick and could use some recovery time.
Sunday we went to church - biggest crowd yet. Lots of people who are here somewhat long-term leave on summer holiday. We met Mr. and Mrs. Baker, both teachers at Michael's school. They are from South Africa. They are very kind and straight-forward about being Christians and what it really means; for example, we were talking about the role of the church and men at church given Paulo is not with us. She reminded me of an older Emi. She does the Christian after school club, and it is meeting on Wednesdays. That is the day we can really use something for Michael to do - good providence! She said there are often Muslim or Indian children in the class. They make it a priority to clearly explain salvation to all the children and they let the parents know they will be reading the Bible. Please pray that this class will have a lasting effect on all the children - Michael included. Who knows how God can use it. Pray for the Bakers' ministry in the class.
Thanks for keeping up with us. It's been about a month since we arrived. I remember the first morning looking out the window from the Lotte Hotel (same view I had on MBA trip) - mountains in the background, big city in all directions, and lots of Korean letters on signs all the way up the buildings. And to myself I thought, "Am I crazy to have brought Michael here?" And right about the same time, he said, "I am really excited to be here." His adjustment to Korea and HFS (school) have been remarkable. But I believe he needs to get interested in learning to speak the language - please pray for that too.
God bless.
Saturday, September 3, 2011
School and Work - first week
Michael had a very good week at school and likes nearly all his classes a lot. Already on Tuesday he rode the city bus by himself to school. I still picked him up, but I kind of like to make the trip and just be there when school dismisses. He had a little math homework and finished it way ahead of the due date. He has music and art once a week, Korean twice a week (they got a letter sheet, but we are not sure how much is language vs. culture, etc.), math and English everyday, and IPC everyday. PE is scheduled 2 hours on Friday afternoon. The schedule changes a bit everyday.
I worked on my syllabus and first chapter materials earlier in the week. I signed up for a Korean conversational class that starts Monday - it meets 6 hours a week. At the office where I signed up, the young lady had me sit down at a table and they offered me a drink, so I said "yes" and received an iced coffee and someone also brought me some cookies. She said the placement test was the next morning, and I said, "I know 10 words and can count to 5." She said I didn't have to take the test and that she would put me in level 1. I am looking forward to meeting some of the people.
My office is in a building next to the business building. The accounting department office is on the 3rd floor; my office is on the 5th floor (I go in on second floor)... and neither building has an elevator. The buildings have air con in offices and classrooms but not common areas, hallways etc. The people in the office have been very friendly. The secretary is a young woman and recent graduate of the university. Her name is Su Mi ("sue me"). She brought me a set of office supplies with pencils, paper, tape, and ... a steel cutter. Hmm - not so sure about that. But then it turns out Michael used one this week - but he could't explain it to me very well. It sounds like you could cut out part of a piece of paper without stabbing with scissors to get started. There are also some little plastic pieces in a small ziploc - not sure there either! I got a computer keyboard that switches between English and Korean letters, and they also provided me Office in English. My name appeared on the door right away - it's in English. I was sort of hoping for Korean with Ki Kim fitting their alphabet so well. I have had to explain "key" like for a door; otherwise people have been pronouncing Kay.
I have only seen one office mate so far, Chung Mi. She teaches only on Thursdays. It was sort of hot this week, so the walking around to enroll for the Korean class, running some errands, going to get lunch, walking to bus all had me fairly sweaty and worn out. If I get on a bus by 2:30, I get to Michael's school at 3:30. It's sort of a nice time to unwind. I got my IPOD working. It's sort of surreal to close my eyes and hear Chris ... but it's a great use of time to hear a good sermon.
My first class was Friday ... and 20 minutes before class I got up to leave my office to get there early and check out room equipment, etc. and I was locked IN my office. Yes, in. The entry is electronic with a small card, and the electronic connection was not letting go. I called our department secretary hoping she would understand, and she did. But it takes some time for someone to get there. I made it to class with 2 minutes to spare. The young man she sent over is so kind, Jin Kwan, and I speak to him in English, but he cannot speak well. So I feel bad for making him uncomfortable, but it's just so natural for me to talk!
I was expecting 8 students, but there were more than 20. I only had 12 or so copies of the syllabus! I do not have anything electronic on line because the system is in Korean. I have certainly had the experience in class of wondering how many students understand me, but typically it's on a hard tax topic .... not the first day going over the syllabus. I am not sure how much they will tell me or respond. We will see. The other mishap is that the other professor teaching the class said he is starting with the last chapter of the 1st volume because that is where he left off in the spring. So I have a set of notes and a pile of homework on Bonds. But a lot of the students did not take his spring class so do not have Volume 1. Of course, I don't want them to buy a book for one chapter. But I also don't want to just say "Forget bonds," because I have not taught this course before and I spent about 10 hours getting ready!! So, I am having the chapter copied. After the first day I decided I cannot just launch into Bonds when I don't know their command in English (or Korean for that matter) of some fundamentals and common terms. So I am going to spend next week reviewing and defining some terms and analysis tools we will use. It's going to be interesting. A fellow at church today told me it will be very hard to get them to speak up. I am trying to sort out in my mind what teaching this class is really going to be all about.... and I am pretty sure it's not just about accounting. Please pray for me to reach the students and to be open to how I can serve them.
The first day of passing out the syllabus only takes about 20 minutes. Wed. class is 2 hours!! I did walk over to the restaurant where I had been with Professor Kim and had a delicious daily special lunch for 4,500 won. The food arrives in about 2 minutes! The price at Korean restaurants is so low. I was on my own and the ladies workig were so kind - bringing my change to the table when they saw me with a 10,000 won even though usually one goes to the register; making sure I had my umbrella. (The conversion to dollars is very easy because 1,000 won = about $1, so we just move the decimal over 3 places to get $4.50 US).
Love to all!
I worked on my syllabus and first chapter materials earlier in the week. I signed up for a Korean conversational class that starts Monday - it meets 6 hours a week. At the office where I signed up, the young lady had me sit down at a table and they offered me a drink, so I said "yes" and received an iced coffee and someone also brought me some cookies. She said the placement test was the next morning, and I said, "I know 10 words and can count to 5." She said I didn't have to take the test and that she would put me in level 1. I am looking forward to meeting some of the people.
My office is in a building next to the business building. The accounting department office is on the 3rd floor; my office is on the 5th floor (I go in on second floor)... and neither building has an elevator. The buildings have air con in offices and classrooms but not common areas, hallways etc. The people in the office have been very friendly. The secretary is a young woman and recent graduate of the university. Her name is Su Mi ("sue me"). She brought me a set of office supplies with pencils, paper, tape, and ... a steel cutter. Hmm - not so sure about that. But then it turns out Michael used one this week - but he could't explain it to me very well. It sounds like you could cut out part of a piece of paper without stabbing with scissors to get started. There are also some little plastic pieces in a small ziploc - not sure there either! I got a computer keyboard that switches between English and Korean letters, and they also provided me Office in English. My name appeared on the door right away - it's in English. I was sort of hoping for Korean with Ki Kim fitting their alphabet so well. I have had to explain "key" like for a door; otherwise people have been pronouncing Kay.
I have only seen one office mate so far, Chung Mi. She teaches only on Thursdays. It was sort of hot this week, so the walking around to enroll for the Korean class, running some errands, going to get lunch, walking to bus all had me fairly sweaty and worn out. If I get on a bus by 2:30, I get to Michael's school at 3:30. It's sort of a nice time to unwind. I got my IPOD working. It's sort of surreal to close my eyes and hear Chris ... but it's a great use of time to hear a good sermon.
My first class was Friday ... and 20 minutes before class I got up to leave my office to get there early and check out room equipment, etc. and I was locked IN my office. Yes, in. The entry is electronic with a small card, and the electronic connection was not letting go. I called our department secretary hoping she would understand, and she did. But it takes some time for someone to get there. I made it to class with 2 minutes to spare. The young man she sent over is so kind, Jin Kwan, and I speak to him in English, but he cannot speak well. So I feel bad for making him uncomfortable, but it's just so natural for me to talk!
I was expecting 8 students, but there were more than 20. I only had 12 or so copies of the syllabus! I do not have anything electronic on line because the system is in Korean. I have certainly had the experience in class of wondering how many students understand me, but typically it's on a hard tax topic .... not the first day going over the syllabus. I am not sure how much they will tell me or respond. We will see. The other mishap is that the other professor teaching the class said he is starting with the last chapter of the 1st volume because that is where he left off in the spring. So I have a set of notes and a pile of homework on Bonds. But a lot of the students did not take his spring class so do not have Volume 1. Of course, I don't want them to buy a book for one chapter. But I also don't want to just say "Forget bonds," because I have not taught this course before and I spent about 10 hours getting ready!! So, I am having the chapter copied. After the first day I decided I cannot just launch into Bonds when I don't know their command in English (or Korean for that matter) of some fundamentals and common terms. So I am going to spend next week reviewing and defining some terms and analysis tools we will use. It's going to be interesting. A fellow at church today told me it will be very hard to get them to speak up. I am trying to sort out in my mind what teaching this class is really going to be all about.... and I am pretty sure it's not just about accounting. Please pray for me to reach the students and to be open to how I can serve them.
The first day of passing out the syllabus only takes about 20 minutes. Wed. class is 2 hours!! I did walk over to the restaurant where I had been with Professor Kim and had a delicious daily special lunch for 4,500 won. The food arrives in about 2 minutes! The price at Korean restaurants is so low. I was on my own and the ladies workig were so kind - bringing my change to the table when they saw me with a 10,000 won even though usually one goes to the register; making sure I had my umbrella. (The conversion to dollars is very easy because 1,000 won = about $1, so we just move the decimal over 3 places to get $4.50 US).
Love to all!
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