I have been teaching in Korea and all I can say is that it is crazy. I don't mean Korea in general (well parts of it yes), but I mean the education system. The kids are pushed and pushed until, well they break. I teach kids from 3year olds to adults and although they all vary, they all seem stressed. Even my 9year olds look (stressed wise) and talk like they are in high school. It is just crazy what the system does to these kids. I could go on for hours but instead I will say this. There is only one thing that can change this. And that is the government.
Showing posts with label The Korean Chronicles. Show all posts
Showing posts with label The Korean Chronicles. Show all posts
This Kid Nails What Korea is Like for its Students
I have been teaching in Korea and all I can say is that it is crazy. I don't mean Korea in general (well parts of it yes), but I mean the education system. The kids are pushed and pushed until, well they break. I teach kids from 3year olds to adults and although they all vary, they all seem stressed. Even my 9year olds look (stressed wise) and talk like they are in high school. It is just crazy what the system does to these kids. I could go on for hours but instead I will say this. There is only one thing that can change this. And that is the government.
Top 100, Don't Just Google and Goodbyes
Back to it all. So this weekend saw something a little different. In all my time that I have spent in Seoul I have never had a picnic on the Han River. I don't know why. It's free, it' beautiful and you throw in some snacks and a couple bottles of Soju and you have yourself a pretty awesome day.
Sirens, Air Raids and Panic
Working in South Korea, is a constant adventure. I mean when I first decided to come here, the first reaction from most people was.....but why do you want to live where Kim Jong is in charge. I smiled and replied, well first off, that is not his name, and secondly, that is North Korea. For the more informed people, they still were wondering why I wanted to put myself in harms way. The answer to that was my first installment "Living in the Shadow of Nukes".
Living in a World of Strangers.
I have touched on this in the past, but I have never really gotten deep. You know wet suit deep. So let's dive in....By definition a stranger means: a person whom one does not know or with whom one is not familiar. Or a person who does not know, or is not known in, a particular place or community. And yes I am sure no one would dispute that. What I now know is how traveling is able to turn a stranger from a random person you pass on a street to a friend you will have for life.
Thought for the Week: Strangers, Grass and Big City Life.
So as most people would agree. Traveling is great, of course it comes with its challenges but that is all part of the awesome adventure. You learn so many different things about yourself that you wonder who that stranger was you left behind all those months ago. There are also those adjustments that you need to make. For me coming from Africa and growing up in a small town or village if you will, meant that the big city brought something new to the table. Again this weekend I found myself in the capital of South Korea, Seoul and it seems that it is possible to make every experience unique.
Thought for the Week: Seoul, Summer Camp and a Super Hero Killer
It's summer in Korea and what that means is heat....and lots of it. It also means rain and lots of it. It seems that is the recipe in South East Asia. You can't have the heat without the rain. Nothing like sweating in the rain. If it sounds like complaining then I don't apologise, because even the locals complain. But I suppose it is all part of the experience. This weekend I traveled to the capital Seoul, once more for an interesting time. I was lured here under false pretenses that my friend would be there for a few beers at his house. I was wrong, I arrived to a message stuck on his door....."Gone on a Tinder date, will be back soon"..... That was at 7.30pm, he arrived back at 1.30am. No worries though, I made myself at home and preceded to eat and drink everything in his house.
We Climbed a Volcano and it was Cold!!!
This article has been coming for a while. Mike "Saffa" as he calls himself - yes sometimes I question our friendship - has asked constantly where on earth this article was, well it is here now. We set off on another adventure and this time we were Japan bound. And yes we did climb a mountain/volcano known as Mount Fuji....yip we are a big deal. I may have told a few of my friends about this a few times, so they are pretty sick of hearing about it. It all comes down to one thing though...jealously...unless you are like my smelly Welsh friend Sam who has climbed Kilimanjaro then maybe he isn't jealous. Anyway I am rambling, first off the pic above is not mine, it's straight off Google because well I climbed in Summer because I thought it would be warmer. How very wrong I was. The pictures and videos below are mine so have a look.
Thought for the Week: Dancing, Palaces and a Heat Wave.
Ahh what a lekker selfie hey. That is us having a little cycle along the Han River in Seoul South Korea (find out more info here if you want to do it). This was the 3rd time I have done it and I tell you what, it never gets old. What it does get is hot. Korea during the summer is brutal. I have traveled to Mozambique and some say the humidity and heat there is something, but I tell you what Korea wins. Besides the need to change my shirt three times a day, the insects are as big as your hand...well maybe not but they are big. The bike ride despite being done off the back of a night out was great though. I must do some research on the matter, but I cannot think of a bigger park, or at least longer one then the one that runs along both sides of the river. The amount of different activities and facilities that they have is also very impressive. If I wasn't so dead from the night before I am sure I would have taken part.
A Thought for the Week: Beaches, Botox and a Doctor Dilema
Another week has gone by and my mind is full of thoughts again. This past weekend saw me sitting on a bus for 6 hours as I went to the east coast of South Korea. A swim in the Pacific Ocean if you will. Then a little trip to the local moonwalk station to show off my moves and maybe a soju or three. So all in all a good weekend. My week however was not so great. It's always interesting doing the important things in another language. Going to the bank, the post office or even the supermarket can be very tough when no one speaks English, or your Korean is so bad that it only makes the pretty check out girl smile as you try to ask her how much it costs. However going to the Doctor is the true mission, the picture above sums it up perfectly. How do you know if he just said you are dying or you are sick?
Korea Burn Baby!
So this last weekend saw an awesome event hit the shores of Korea. Korea burn. It is the Asian equivalent of Burning Man that happens in Mericaaaaaa. If you don't know what that is, then I don't know where you have been hiding, but there is this nifty thing called Google you can use. Anyway, it was flippen fantastic. It saw people from all over the country coming together. Whether they were Korean or foreigners it made no matter all made the journey to experience this awesome event.
My Home Away From Home
So I have been abroad for a while now, and I have called Dangjin South Korea, home for a couple of months now. I have had many readers and friends ask me where on Earth is Dangjin, well I have this awesome video that the municipality made. So if you want you can have a look and be amazed at the wonder that is Dangjin. All in all its a decent place to live, its pretty central so I am able to travel the rest of South Korea pretty easily.
Colour Me Rad, Yes it's spelt colour
A rainbow just _____ on me. I'll let you fill that in. But if you have been to a Holi One fest, then you will know what it feels like to be all colourful. Colour Me Rad (or Color as the AMERICAAANNSS say) is the next event that allows you to do the same thing. Except this time you are running a 5km race while doing it. So on the weekend myself and some friends attended the one in Incheon Korea (near Seoul). An early start and a quick 5km jog, got the juices flowing, some delicious Korean dancers also didn't hurt those juices (just for you 3 girls you know who you are). Anyway there was a real vibe and if this had continued into the night and there was a drink or two to be had I am sure it would have escalated quickly. Nevertheless it was a good day out, and it didn't hurt that we got a colourful pic or two. Here are some below.
Oh Busan you Delicious Treat
Busan, South Korea. I can tell you that it is a wonderful place. If you are thinking of traveling in Asia and South Korea happens to be one of your stops then Busan is a place you need to see. I am going to be honest I went and spent a week in Jeju (one of the 7th natural wonders of the world) an island off Korea, that is a huge tourist attraction. But I have to say that Busan was far better. Haeundae beach area is great, and it just immediately allows you to slip into holiday relaxation mode. I am not going to give a full on review, but take my word for it, Busan is worth the trip. I made a video below of our short time there, not the best, but I gave it a shot.
I Still Have Tomato in my Ear! - Hwacheon Tomato Festival
So this weekend was the Hwacheon Tomato Festival in Gangwon-do province, South Korea. And let me just start off by saying that it was awesome. I went into it with the mind set of, well....not expecting anything, because basically everything is a festival in Korea (Butterflies, Oranges, Chocolate, Tea....the list goes on). Anyway I am losing focus, Tomato Fest. Basically there were different activities that you could do, obviously all involving tomatoes, from eating spaghetti, drinking tomato makoli and having tomato fights or football matches. The best by far was the madness in the tomato pit, where you had to search for 10 Golden rings that were in there between the tomatoes and the chaos. Now I had some awesome footage on my camera, but I got a little adventurous in the river looking for some trout (you could catch them with your hands) and my camera is now at the bottom of some rice paddy. Luckily however....
Look at my Camera Skills - The Lotus Lantern Festival
Ok so this happened a while ago, but I just noticed I hadn't published it yet. So here you are, for those of you that remember I made a video a while ago of it all, but I also took some delicious photos of everything that was passing me by. The Lotus Lantern festival was really awesome and I think I may need to buy a camera with a million mega pixels, but I think these will do....look at my skillzzzz.
Rooney, Giggs and Gerrard
If you think this is an article about football you would be wrong, well I suppose there is some hint of football involved. I mean how can I have those 3 names in my title and not mention football at all. Let me just get to the point. If you are a regular reader of this blog then you may remember the article What's in a Name? Part of the Korean Chronicles, I ..... well talk about English names that Korean kids have been given. And as you can guess, my latest bunch, in fact the first 3 that I met in the class, were Rooney, Giggs and Gerrard.
Oh you Googled Me? Why thank you Children.
Life in a foreign land is always interesting, I mean I have been licked by my kids and I can't tell you the number of times that someone has told me they love me. I have eaten some pretty weird things, that I would never have eaten back home. And as I am sure with most people having an adventure, I have laughed at the stupidest things. Now this may not appeal to most, but to anyone who has taught English overseas or taught for that matter, you will know that your kids have all sorts of questions for you. Also they love to give you gifts. Well this post is about both....them Googling me and giving me a lovely message.
Ultra Korea Here We Come!
It's only 24 days away until Just Kicking It will be hitting UMFKOREA or Ultra Korea as it is better know. And you know what, we cannot wait. In Seoul for 2 nights, the 14-15 of June, there will be some awesome acts that will be sending the guaranteed thousands of people WILD! Afrojack, Armin van Buuren, Avicii, Kaskade and many many more will be giving it horns all night. I personally have to work on that Saturday, but that is not going to stop me from going on the Friday, my kids will understand.....after all its Ultra.
The Lotus Lantern Festival...is that a Dragon!?
The Art of Teaching
So the above pic doesn't really have anything to do with this post, but I thought it was pretty classic all the same HA ignorant foreigners. Well that was me not so long ago, so I can't be to critical. What I have come to learn is that teaching in Korea, is never the same, day in and day out. Some say there is an art to it, while others just like to wing it. I like to think I am somewhere in the middle. Have just enough prepared if all hell breaks loose. So you can fall back on it. But have that same "Hey Kids! Who is ready to learn some English?!" Attitude. Where every class has a new tweaked strategy.
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