me being bitter

Did I mention yesterday that my co-teacher and another teacher were in a minor traffic accident? They were. They showed up to school for a while and moped around until they went to the hospital. They looked sore from the impact, but I mean, if they weren't taken away by ambulance at the scene, they ought to be fine within a couple of days. My co-teacher is MIA at school, so I'm assuming he's checked into the hospital. Earlier this year, 2 other teachers have been in car accidents (does this say something about the way Koreans drive?), and each of them stayed in the hospital for a week. 


Things like this you need to plan ahead for. The unforeseen days when you might not be in school. You have a back up folder. Or, in this case, they are not so sick that they can't call the school and give a basic plan of what to do in class. 


The other English teacher came to sub for my co-teacher's classes today, but he has no materials. He's also blind, so he'd need computer text files, which I can't access because they're on my co-teacher's password protected computer. He said I could leave, so I'm wondering if it's because he thinks I'm inadequate, the fact that there isn't a lot to do since the class has completed their review sheets (finals next week), or that maybe he's embarrassed because he doesn't know what to do with the class. Any way, I'm annoyed when I should be feeling sympathetic for my co-teacher. 


Also, I'd like to remind you that the students are useless. It's the high school class, and no one has enough English, nor do I have quite enough Korean to meet each other halfway. Even if I could do that, they wouldn't. Useless. Absolutely useless. The rest of the day I can handle. It's just this high school mob that I dread whenever I know I'm on my own. The fact that my computer just gave me a blue screen of impending doom doesn't help my grumpy mood either. I guess I'm seriously going to have to set money aside for a new computer. Stay away from HP and Gateway. They both suck.


By the way, I am really sorry that my co-teacher and teacher whose desk is next to mine were in a car accident. Fruit for them when they come back!

the pull from home

I signed a contract with the Dajeon MOE last week, and instead of the refreshing, reassuring feeling that should come along with the knowledge that I am employed for the next year, I just feel kind of trapped. I'm a mix of happy that I can stay another year so I can travel more, learn Korean in a real class (here's hoping), have more time with the school I'm currently working at, and power save money for the next 14 months, and resigned to the fact that I am in fact staying abroad until 2011. I need to figure out something to keep the sped practices I learned and mildly practiced reasonably fresh. The only data collecting I do is recording reading speeds, but the speed checks are done in an inefficient way (it's how my co-teacher wants it, and the students will refuse to do it in the way for a more accurate speed). 


Lately I've been craving the opportunity to be in charge of my own class or students- in charge of the planning, the data, the IEPs (crazy, right?). All that work that comes with being a sped teacher in the states. I want it. I'm really longing for being able to make better established connections with students- done so much more easily if I could speak the same language. I am grateful for my time and future time in Korea that allows me to learn how to be comfortable in the classroom, in front of students, alone with students, and how to roll with the crazy that often accompanies everyday Korean school life. 


I think a lot of this downer period is coming from the fact that I know I'm going home in a month, and that I haven't left Daejeon in a long time. The mud festival somewhere in Korea is in a few weeks, then I leave for Virginia shortly after (yay!). There are whispers of going to Japan during Korea's Chuseok (totally down, up, and sideways for that- and I'm sure I've talked about this a few times before...), and once it no longer feels like I'm swimming through a hot tub, I'm hoping to start leaving the city more often. I mean, I've yet to see Busan, how pathetic is that? Have I also mentioned this? Evidence that I really do need to get out more often.


Daejeon's EPIK coordinator is getting ready to peace out and leave the dirty job to a woman who seems afraid of her new position- can't blame her with all us foreigners constantly complaining and questioning stuff. So the original coordinator has proposed to hire some EPIK teachers around the city to help filter through emails to lighten up the work load. Extra pay is planned. Hell yes, I have submitted my name into the candidate pool. And yes, I welcome any extra work to keep me busy while I am at work. It's much more fun to tool around on the internet when I know I have crap to do. 


Don't get me wrong here, I've really enjoyed my time in Korea so far, and I honestly do look forward to one more year. I appreciate the things that are weird to me, and the fact that there are things I think are funky. I appreciate the similarities, the people, the lifestyle I'm allowed to have here. I also recognize that I will always be a visitor in a foreign country, and I am not the personality that can re-root into foreign places. My home is USA, and living abroad has also helped me cultivate that cheesy sense of patriotic pride for my home country- hot messes and all. 


In the meantime, I can look forward to re-meeting my freakishly adorable nephew, reunions with the girls from my graduate program and college friends, PLAYING WITH MY DOG!!!, hanging out with mom and dad <3 <3. 


And also turkey meatloaf. Stop gagging, it's freaking delicious.

buh.buh.buh.

There's a man who recently began a "society re-entry" program at my school. He sought me out a while ago to talk to me, explaining why he's here blah blah, and mentioned something about getting a meal together, though at the time, the why was unclear. Last week, he came looking for me again during the school's festival and asked again about getting lunch or dinner or whatever, and I was flaky about it. Yesterday, he called the teacher's office looking for me, and mentioned a specific day to get lunch. I said I didn't know, to which he said he'd call again on Friday. 

Buh. It's because he wants to use me to practice his English. Maybe it's how it comes through translation, but he comes off as your stereotypical older Korean man... he wants to run the conversation, which I guess is fine so I don't actually have to talk that much. Even if I wanted to, his listening skills are terrible- he barely understands anything I say. But he made a comment that put me off- the school held a cooking contest during it's festival thing, and he made me go to his team's tent. They shared some of what they made with me, and I asked him what the dish's name was. His answer: "I don't know the name of it because I don't cook. I'm not a housewife."


Uh, yeah okay, I'm gonna go peace out now. 


Honestly, I'm hoping he won't actually inquire about lunch again, but I'm also thinking if I get it done this weekend, maybe that will be it. Buuuuuh. These people who look at us English speaking foreigners as prime opportunities to exercise their language skills... I'm curious to know if they think it's fun for us. Because I'm gonna say that for me, in situations like this, it's definitely, seriously not. Just a whole lotta awkward. And really now, this scenario: a middle aged man with a 24 year old female out in public alone is just WEIRD and inappropriate! Anyone? Or is that really just me?