Lemon Class ... :(

First of all, I'd like to point out that last week would have been nuts, even without my drama. After all, it was the end of the month. The end of the month issues with it a great deal of paperwork and stress. There are student evaluations, monthly plans, and various other things to fill out. But this wasn't just the end of the month; it was the end of a semester. So the whole week was spent finishing our books and lessons for each class. Plus, the administration was trying to figure out what classes everyone would teach next semester.

Everything’s changing because we had some people resign (as in sign again), so their contracts were negotiated and classes got swapped. Plus a large number of afternoon classes were getting completely restructured.

By the way, we started open classes (classes where the parents come to watch and judge your teaching) and the August show is on Monday. There was plenty for each of the teachers to think about. This didn’t exactly make for a happy work environment; there was enough bitching in the teacher’s lounge that I had to stay in my classroom between classes or risk despair.

Lots of things to worry about, right? Well, that wasn't enough. Because not only were we dealing with the end of the semester, but one of our English teachers ended his contract (this was planned), and one of our Korean teachers (let's call her O.) resigned (as in quit). We met the new girl on Wednesday.

If only that were the end of the drama. But alas, that is not the case.

Well, O. decided to leave our school, and she gave them a month's notice. They didn't find anyone until this week, and the girl began training on Wednesday. That's when all Hell broke loose. O. was my partner teacher for baby class. On Wednesday, she started calling all of the mothers to inform them of the change in teachers.

I'd like to take this moment to point out a couple obvious things:
1. Three days is not sufficient warning for mothers to adjust to the idea of a new teacher.
2. My school had told them that teacher switching isn't common.
3. The Korean teacher doesn't really have much to do with teaching (she's a liaison between the English teacher and the mothers. Very little interaction with the students).
4. Korean hagwon mothers are nuts.

Well, the moms weren’t happy. To demonstrate just how unhappy they were, they decided to have a meeting with the administration. I was working, blissfully unaware of this until 6:15 pm when a staff member interrupted my class to warn me, ala: "The Mothers are coming! The Mothers are coming!"

I had class until 7:00, and proceeded to get more and more nervous. Apparently they arrived at 6:30 (as was evident by the screams of my baby class as they and their mothers walked down the halls. I don't know where they learned that behavior, because they never screamed and ran amuck when I was teaching them.) They were there for an hour and I stuck around in case they wanted me to join.

Everyone was incredibly stressed by 7:30, and I was anxious to get out of school. The mothers got their kids and left, saying nothing to me (though the kids all said goodbye and whatnot). I had no idea what all was said in the meeting, but I knew that it didn't have much to do with me.

I tell you this long, long story because I want you to fully understand the situation that I walked into on Thursday morning. When I strolled in to work, I wasn't sure what exactly had happened the night before. If anything, I figured the moms might be mad for a while. But when I stepped inside, my boss waved me over to the front desk and said, "Janette, six of your students were pulled from Lemon class. You'll only have three today."

This is why I say Korean hagwon mothers are nuts. They were upset enough with a change in staffing that they pulled their kids out of our school overnight. I had ten minutes of warning before I had to go start my class. What a difficult thing to do! I had to go into the room, pretending everything was okay, being perky and cheerful and teaching vegetable vocabulary. The three kids kept on asking where everyone else was, and I just said that they were gone that day. I was so afraid of pissing off the remaining mothers that I felt like I couldn’t discipline or yell at them. By the end of the day, the remaining three were pulled (I don't blame the mothers for not wanting to have a three student class).

Lemon class is officially disbanded.

Obviously, I'm still kind of upset. I can't imagine something like this happening in the U.S. If U.S. private school moms were angered, they'd have a whole bunch of meetings, and if they couldn't agree after all of that, maybe they’d take their kids out. It would take weeks, or at least days. But hagwons aren't exactly the same as private schools. Plus, not to stereotype the mothers or anything, but these are very wealthy women, most of whom have never worked, and are very used to having their own way.

But it all happened so fast. It actually had nothing to do with me or my teaching (my coworkers have been telling me how much the kids have improved since I took over). However, that does leave me without a morning kindergarten, which is a five hour long class.

My school has been pretty good to me, considering. They told me that until December, when the next English teacher leaves, I can fill in my morning class times with workbook writing and paperwork. Obviously I'd prefer to have a class, but they didn't fire me or reduce my hours ... That’s something.

Anyway, aside from the pity from everyone, missing my kids (I was really attached to all of them), and general dismay at the situation, I'm doing fine. I've still got my job, I no longer have to be cheerful in the morning, and I can probably milk this for free drinks from my coworkers.

Hey, a girl's got to have her priorities.

Corn!!

What is up with Koreans and their corn?

I don't really like corn. It's fine on the cob, but anyone who's ever lived or eaten with me, probably knows that I don't care for corn.

But for Koreans, it's a staple. Seriously. They put corn on their pizza, in their sandwiches, and just about anywhere you wouldn't expect it. It seems like they like to put corn in foreign food. Today I bought a ham and cheese sandwich (they call it toast) and it had ham, cheese, eggs with corn in them, and kiwi sauce. It's not bad or anything, but I'm kind of sick of discovering corn in everything. Lots of egg things have corn in them. Bah.

Just thought I'd share that rant with everyone.

Wednesday ...

I totally jinxed it with my last post. I swear, this job is a roller coaster ride. Except that cliche doesn't fit completely because you can get off roller coasters. And even in a roller coaster you know that you're pretty much safe.

I'm not implying that it's unsafe here (please don't freak out!). It's very safe in Seoul. But you're strapped in to a roller coaster. I'm kind of operating without a clue. Or a seatbelt, if I feel like riding the cliche train (I don't. Is riding the ___ train a cliche? Yargh!!). Anyway, the point is, every time I think I've got a handle on my job, something happens to yank me off my feet (cliche count: 6).

Last post, I felt like maybe I was getting a feel for the kids (cliche count:7). And that's partway true; they do like me more. But the reason the class was so much easier to teach last week was that one of my students was on vacation. She's not a problem child (8), but still. The minute Amy was back, she wouldn't stop speaking Korean, and everyone else started up again. I would say something about bad apples, but I'm trying to avoid more cliches (nice try, Janette, cliche count: 9).

Anyway, my job doesn't suck, but it's quite the challenge. And if just one of my children is gone for the day, everything is so much easier! Today the sweetest, most obedient student was gone, and everyone was easier to handle. That doesn't make any sense. Shouldn't her shining example (10) be lifting the cumulative goodness in my class?

Also, Wednesdays are Science day. The kids love science class. I don't know why, because they have the lamest projects, and they take ten minutes. We're supposed to stretch it to half an hour, and most teachers manage to make it last all afternoon. I still haven't gotten that far. Anyway, I have nightmares (11?) about science class. Today was a good example of why. The kids were good, I had control over them, but our project involved a dark blue dye. What kind of idiot decides that they want to give three and four year olds their own bottles of dark blue dye? Who is trying to ruin my life (cliche count: 12) ? Thank goodness, no dye got on anyone, but that was because I doled out ink with the miserliness of Scrooge (maybe 13; it's hard to say).

Okay, so that's about it. I'd better stop whining before I make anyone think I'm unhappy. Or the count gets too old (too late! Just for that, we're bumping you up to 15).

Down by the Bay ...

It's getting harder to update nowadays because I've gotten a little bit busier. But here are some of the highlights:

I don't want to jinx it, but this week was the first one so far where I felt like my kids and I actually got along. It was only a slight change; they listened a little better and smiled a little more. Somehow, though, those tiny changes made a huge difference in the week. Also, I've had this problem child (she kind of bullies the other students) from the start. But I've punished her enough that she doesn't even argue with me anymore. For instance, when a child does something wrong, I make them put their head down. She used to moan and stare at me until I literally put my hand on her head. Now if I say, "Head down!" she does it and will wait until I say she can put her head up. This is a big accomplishment, silly though it may sound.

We also need to decorate our rooms by the end of August. The girl who taught before me didn't really do anything, so I'm stuck with pretty much an entire room that's bare. So far, I've put up a calendar, the days of the week, weather, seasons, the alphabet, numbers, and colors. I made a tree using cutouts of the children's hands, and I designated a section of wall for their art. There's still so much to fill, so if anyone has any bright ideas, please let me know. Oh, and here's something I'm kind of proud of: we sing Down by the Bay in class, and for their new nametags, I put different animals from that song next to their names. For instance, I made a whale with a polka dot tail. I think it's cute, but it took a long time, so I hope the mothers don't object for some reason.

Also, I went back to Hungdae during the day. My coworker, D, and I had mexican food and gelato. I also discovered that I like Hungdae quite a bit in the daytime. It's cute; it doesn't look like the rest of Seoul. They have all sorts of restaurants and such, and it's relatively close to where we live, so I have a feeling I'll be there during the day more often.

We also went to Hongik Univ. area. Apparently, that's a women's university. You can kind of tell, because the place is full of little stores. There were scads of boutiques, some western, some Korean, and streets full of the outdoor vendors. I really wanted to buy a pair of shoes (only 5000 won, aka $4) while we were there, but being that I had 4000 won to my name, it was mostly window shopping. I did end up buying this key ring for my phone. It has a picture of Gu Joon Pyo from Boys Over Flowers on it.

Boys Over Flowers is a Korean drama that isn't on anymore, but is still wildly popular. It's hilariously bad, so it naturally sucks you in. There are four main guys and one female lead. As a result, you can find all sorts of things with the guy's pictures pasted on them (Dunkin Donuts ads, makeup bags, cans of Coke ... ). In case you're wondering, Gu Joon Pyo is far and away the most attractive. There are a lot of really beautiful Korean men out there. It's enough to make a western girl feel like the elephant man. But Gu Joon Pyo is the most gorgeous. Plus, he has curly hair, which is kind of unusual for a Korean (I'm thinking perm). Anyway, given that I'm already regressing to middle school mentality, I may as well have a picture of a tv star attached to my phone.

I don't know if I mentioned this, but apparently women in Korea always have keychains on their cell phones. There's actually a special spot on the phone so that you can attach a chain there. The key is to find the biggest, ugliest, brightest thing possible. I may have gone in the other direction, but I think I get points for picking a Korean tv star.

Posting

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Why not Minot?

Hello blog readers,

I have to say, the weeks really fly by here. I spend most of my days working, and when I get off at seven I’m too tired to do much. Of course, that doesn’t keep me from eating out and spending most of my money. I get paid in a week, so it’s okay!

Anyway, the job is getting a little more comfortable. I still have days where I’m wondering why ANYONE would trust me with their children, but I have good days too. However, the good ones are usually tempered by some silly mistake that gets a child bawling. They’re three and four, after all. I used to get a little freaked when someone started blubbering, but now I’m used to it. It’s not like they bawl every day, but they don’t always deserve sympathy and comfort. They’re so young that it’s surprising how conniving they can be. One of my kids will cry to get out of trouble. One will cry to get another kid into trouble. One will cry if she just wants some attention. There are all kinds of tears, and I’ve been learning how to differentiate the ones to ignore from the serious ones.

This weekend was interesting. My coworkers and I hung out at a bar nearby. Naturally, we sang Noraebong (Korean Karaoke), and naturally we sang badly. I think the high point was the half hour where we sang Queen songs (ending with Don’t Stop Me Now). The low point was when a guy sang Enter Sandman at the top of his lungs. I need to get some earplugs, if only to dull the pain.

After that, three of us went to Hongdae. Hongdae is an area in Seoul that caters to foreigners. It’s somewhat similar to Itaewon, but with fewer military types. The bar we went to felt more like bars at home than anywhere else. It was loud, full of foreigners, and had a dance floor. Just like at home, there was earsplitting dance music (unlike at home, they played the Macarena and Getting Jiggy Wit It), cheap drinks (rails and tap beers), and the occasional creepy guy. I got home quite early in the morning.

Yesterday I ended up in Itaewon. One of my coworkers had a friend in charge of some benefit for the cats and dogs in Seoul. It was too random to pass up. The benefit was at a bar in Itaewon, and the cover charge was 10,000 won ($8). That was the biggest waste of 10,000 won I’ve ever spent. We went inside for about fifteen minutes, then decided that it was too crowded (we couldn’t move), too loud (we couldn’t talk), and the music was too awful (a girl was doing a Cranberries cover with an acoustic guitar and no noticeable talent). After hanging out for a while and stopping for some delicious Kebabs, some friends of D’s were playing music at a bar on Hooker Hill. The name is self explanatory, so I’ll keep the description short. A high grade hill (15% if I had to guess) with lots of little innocuous shops. If you actually look in the open doors of the shops, you see scantily clad Korean women in neon colors. Who knew a notorious area could be so mundane? I’ve been wanting to visit Hooker Hill since I got here. The nickname is offensive and everything, but it’s one of those places in Itaewon that everyone knows. No year in Seoul would be complete without at least one trip there. Gosh, I hope my parents are reading this.

Anyway, the guys played at that bar for a while (Speaking of parents, they’d love the music. There was a lot of Pink Floyd, some Tom Petty, and a few Rolling Stones songs.) . And we played pool, talked to some Air Force guys (They were in their late thirties, but one of the guys was from Minot, so how could I resist?), and didn’t do a whole lot else until we went home. The bars don’t really close in Seoul, so you can literally stay somewhere all night. I have to say, that night was a lot more my style than the dancing at Hongdae. Give me pool and conversation over loud music and creepy guys any day.

I guess this may not be the most illuminating post of all time, because it is essentially a rundown of what I did this weekend. But the point I’m making is that I’m getting a lot more settled here. I have people to hang out with, there are places I now know, and I’m pretty comfortable. Ooh, and Tuesday is wings night! Just like at home!

Vacation

Hello All,

I thought I'd post now, because it's been a while and I don't want to lose any loyal readers with a hiatus. It hasn't been really busy for me because I was on vacation last week.

"Vacation?" You say, "Janette must have done something interesting."

Wrong!

Due to certain monetary restrictions (my first paycheck is two weeks away and my checking account is down to change), I wasn't really able to do much. I didn't quite realize the problem over the weekend, so I went to a couple places around Seoul (Itaewon and Insadong). I've already been both places. For whatever reason, I thought I could warm up with them and then go somewhere new.

Then I got home and looked at my bank account. So I ended up spending the rest of my week downloading tv shows and movies. I finally watched The Maltese Falcon, not to mention a couple seasons of Dexter and Veronica Mars. Also, I read several books. It was all in all pretty relaxing, and I didn't think about work at all. Not exactly what I would have picked for a twice a year vacation, but a girl's gotta do whatever it takes to stay in Ramen.

Oh, and here's something fun. I gradually fell asleep later and later. This is a common problem with me, insomnia aside. So I stayed up Saturday night and took a nap at eleven am on Sunday (don't ask me why, but I figured it would help me get back on track). When I woke up at 1:30 (two and a half hours later), I thought it was Monday, which would make me four hours late to work. I may have said a few colorful words. Imagine me sprinting around my apartment, cursing and saying "I'm so DEAD!" over and over again, in my underwear as I try to find something to wear. After about ten minutes of near panic attack, I realized it was Sunday and I was in the clear.

I'm not usually late for work or anything, but the terror came largely from the fact that my company doesn't award sick days or personal days. So I, very new to the job, would probably have been fired.

Even though I was dreading returning, today was actually pretty good, partly because my baby class was tired and thus less rambunctious. Another reason was because one of my kids had a birthday, and we spent an hour + having the party. I got ice cream cake, cookies, and candy. In the end, though, I gave my goodies away to my other classes both to curry favor and because I was sugared out.

Not a bad start. I hope everyone else's Monday was pleasant!