Speaking of my students. The other week in grade three (3-2, one of my favourite classes) we were playing Family Feud and you have to be very careful where you click on the screen for the answers to pop up or else it'll go to the next slide. I accidentally clicked it to the next slide, but I thought it was going to show all the answers so in my milisecond of panic that I was going to give away all the answers, I said "shoot!" without realizing it. My students have heard me say it before, I think, but I guess since it sounds so much like "shit" the students broke down laughing and saying "shoot". Cindy started laughing, I started laughing and that's basically how the class went for the next five minutes. And now that I'm writing it I realize it doesn't sound as funny written here. It's hilarious in my mind, but I also know my students as well as Korean students. Kris and Gab thought it was funny, but maybe you won't.
In the same class last week I was describing the sticker system that Cindy and I used for the cards they made for me the previous week when Jin-uk, one of my favourites and the boy who is convinced that I understand Korean (I know, I describe students a lot on here, but I forget which one's I've mentioned and how long ago so if you remember his name, congratulations and if not, that's why I put the reminders up!) goes into a detailed question, in Korean, most of which I didn't understand, but based on the topic of conversation and where he was pointing on his poster where we have the sticker system, I knew exactly what he was asking. Without thinking I shook my head and said: "no, no, no" and proceeded to explain again how it worked. I didn't realize what I had done until the whole class stopped, starred and there was a mix of laughing, surprise, awe, and "I KNEW teacher understood Korean!" going around the classroom. That was a BIG mistake on my part. They already think I understand more than I do and I just made it worse. I spent the rest of class telling them to speak English in the English lab and refusing to answer questions in Korean even if I understood their question perfectly. Which is harder than it seems because it's so natural to answer a question in Korean with an English answer without realizing you're doing it.
This isn't the only time I've done it. Sometimes purposely, other times accidentally. Each time I do (I usually only do it with my grade three's) it's harder and harder to get them to speak to me in English. Oh dear. What have I done?
Thanks to an awesome music lesson I did, my grade three's now tell me "Teacher! My life would suck without you!" the title of the song by Kelly Clarkson. That lesson was a huge hit with the students.
Ok, enough about school.
Damyang: Kristen was teaching adults for two weeks in Damyang a bit ago and Gab and I went to visit her one night to hang out and save her from boredom. Thanks to Sam's photo lessons and the use of his kick-ass camera, I spent the time practicing taking pictures. Kris and Gab acted as models at times.
I have ALWAYS wanted a picture like this. These things are all over Korea so you can see around the corner if I car is coming. I finally got one!
Samseo school picnic: I got lucky and Samseo's picnic was on a Wednesday, the day I am at their school! So not only did I teach them once in six weeks, but the week after I was back there, we were on a picnic! Awesome.... (I'm supposed to be there today, but it's exams so I have it off again! Hence the time to blog or else this wouldn't be here for another few weeks...)
I got home around 3pm that day, ate Jajangmyeon, and promptly fell asleep. Thanks to the bokbunja. I think gym teacher man found it amusing I was trying to match him so he kept serving me more and more. Apparently it's stronger than I realized. Whoops!
DMZ Part II: The Panmunjom Tour!
The last DMZ tour was interesting, I really wanted to see the Third Tunnel and the Dora Observatory, but what I really wanted was to see the Panmunjom, the only town if you can even call it that, that both North and South Koreans control. Until 1979 it was the only place North and South Koreans co-existed, but then when South Korean soldiers and I think some American ones as well, went to trim a poplar tree that was obstructing the view of one of the sentry posts (something they did every year so it was nothing new), North Korean soldiers came over and told them to stop. When they didn't they attacked them and murdered two soldiers with axes. It is now referred to as the 1979 Axe murders and was the reason behind the area being split right down the centre with North Korea controlling the northern part and South Korea controlling the southern part. It's been a spot of continual conflict over the years since. Tours here have become popular. It's the only place you can see North Korean soldiers, it's in the heart of the DMZ, and since the sinking of the Chonan has been rather tense. Two weeks before we were there my guide told us even he was scared to do the tours there because it was so tense. While we were there it was tense, but not tense enough for any part of the tour to be cancelled. Thankfully.
If Chinese people want a tour, they go through North Korea (because their countries are chingu's [Friends]) and then the building we were in would be opened on the North Korean side and closed on the South side. A man defected once on a tour. That caused an uproar and almost got people killed, but he survived and South Korea didn't send him back (or he'd die so...)
So that was the PSA tour. Best one out of the two and I'm so glad we went back! The history of the DMZ is incredibly interesting to me, as are the current problems there. After living in Korea for 10 months, I've learned a lot about South and North Korea. South Korea's dream to reunite with their countrymen is so strong! They all want unification, but you can tell they all know deep down that it's a long ways away if it ever happens. It's a sad history, but a history that's worth learning about.
Thanks for the great history blog, Tara! Your small details make it very interesting:)
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