Jul 2006

HIYA!

Hey, right now I've got two possibilities on my table. Neither has been offered just yet. I have seen one or both contracts. The one I'm more interested in is taking a bit longer in getting back to me. I don't like telling people to wait. You never know when they might decide they've waited long enough.

The one that is communicating with me more seems a bit scary. They seem to want me to work before I've got the proper visa. I will not do this. No chance. I've read what can happen to teachers working without a visa. Deportation is apparently common. It's not for me. There are other things in the contract that I'm not comfortable with. So I'll contact again the one that I'm more interested in. I'll do that tonight.

Teaching hours are Monday to Friday 2pm to 7:20. Wow! Less than other schools. Yet they still say it's 120 hours a month. That's standard. So I don't get it. Daily working hours, according to other schools' contracts, are longer yet the contract will still say 120 hours a month. I am not so great at math, but I don't get it. Something's not being said by someone.

So much regarding teaching English here in Korea seems so fishy, from so much of what I've read that it's scary. I'll only teach for a year. I don't want to sign a contract with a school that'll try to steal money from me, physically and / or verbally abuse me (I've read about such abuse), and use other ways to take advantage of me. I could just quit but it's not that easy either. So why even do this? I am told that it's easy, easy, to save a grand a month. Even $1,500 a month! Where else on Earth am I going to be able to save so much per month? Well, there may be a few countries though I don't know of any. But, to be able to practice Korean Zen AND save so much money, well.... And it seems that the situation has improved quite a bit in the past couple of years. Most of what I've read is from the late 90's to 2003 / 2004. And, if you investigate a school well, the chances of landing in hell are considerably lowered. So, I use all the resources I have easily available.

I've set a goal of saving $12,000 before going back home. But I was told that it'd be easy to save $15,000. So, we'll see. I'll save as much as I can. And though I haven't yet looked into how I can invest the money - through Socially Responsible Investing FOR SURE - I will.

Both jobs are on the southernmost island called Jeju. In a way I don't want to be so far from the peninsula because it's a long boat trip. So if I want to do something on the peninsul, say, in the capital Seoul, I won't have much time because so much will be eaten up on the boat. But still, it's the only place I'm considering.

Going out soon with a lady to walk to a shop several kms away. I want to get a food processor so I can make some fruit - vegetable smoothies in the mornings. Vegetables are free at the cafeteria. I've been buying fruit - mostly bananas - at a shop just outside the university where this camp is being held. I've been eating some of the food at the cafeteria. Some of it tastes pretty darn good. But vegetarian food is so scarce in that place that I don't eat much there. They've been told that there are vegetarians but it doesn't seem to have helped. There is one other vegetarian here. With a population of 48 million people, you'd think that there'd be some vegetarians, especially since Buddhism has long roots in this country. At least they've responded by putting out sliced carrots, onions, cabbage, and sometimes cucumbers. Some lettuce or other fibrous vegetables would be nice but I'm glad just to get this much.

Enough of this. We're going to eat at the cafeteria then go to the shop.

Troy.

HIYA!

Today is Sunday and I've been making lesson material all day. I'm done for the day, I suppose. I'm glad I spent the time. It's been productive. So it should be easier to get to sleep at a reasonable time during the week.

I've been enjoying the camp well enough. It's not great been going great, but this is certainly the best camp I've done so far. That's because I'm better prepared, better organized, and more open to the kids than ever before. I get better and better at these things. And I'm glad. Really.

But still, I don't know what to do sometimes. Like, when kids aren't interested, how in hell do you get them interested? Of course, it may be impossible. But it may be my technique that for some reason isn't working. I've decided to make the lessons easier. And I've decided to stick with things that have worked fairly well so far. Spelling games, enjoyable pronunciation exercises (sound like an oxymoron?!) are working well enough. Did a math game that went pretty well.

These are the lowest level kids. They are 9 to 11 years old, I think. They know less English than any of the other kids at the camp. I was told they are at the ABC level. Well, they can all speak and read and write though not all that well. Still, far more capable than I had been told. I was really interested in teaching the very basics. Thought it couldn't be so hard. So I revised my general plan after the first day.

The best thing about teaching, in a way, is having relationships with the kids. Just being people with people. Instead of being teacher and student. Sometimes it feels pretty good. But other times, wow, it's a push, which doesn't feel so great. I don't want to push myself to enjoy being with the kids. But I don't want to hinder it either. It has been happening more and more at each camp but, wow, sometimes it feels so foreign.

I've been asking myself recently, just what it is that is so adorable about kids. I know that there are people who just love being with kids. There are people who just detest being with kids. And of course, there are those who neither love nor detest being with kids, but can tolerate them okay. I don't mean at this camp specifically, but just in general, in life.

Yesterday I asked a teacher what it is that some people so like about kids. She is not so sure either. She's feeling similarly. One thing she said is that some of the kids can be cute. Okay, I can see that too.

I remember reading in The Three Pillars of Zen by Philipp Kapleau that people who have the same vibration frequency will get along well together. And vice versa. Same with a person and a place. Places also have an energy vibration, or "vibes" I guess we sometimes call it. I've often looked at relations with people in this context. And especially with kids. Picture this: a room of 10 kids, six or seven are running around or playing that creates an atmosphere of commotion, one or two are sitting quietly at their desks doing whatever, and I'm working with one or two. It's noisy and there is a general feeling of commotion, a cacaphony of sounds and motion. The energy vibration in this way doesn't feel calm and peaceful to me.

I know I'm not calm and peaceful in my own life. But for me to have all this commotion bash my senses (mostly my ears) is really draining. I ask myself, what is so endearing and charming about kids in such a situation?

The answer to me seems really to be about a person's internal environment and has little or nothing to do with what's going on without.

I told this other teacher yesterday that I really invite her ideas on this idea (what's so charming and endearing about kids?). I enjoy tweaking, twisting, turning inside out and upside down my way thinking about things and looking at the world. So, I feel really open to changing my way of looking at kids. I welcome anyone's ideas, comments, questions, and anything else that may come along.

I'll write one more in a minute. About my job search.

With Childish Love (REALLY?!),
Troy.

HIYA!

Got into the airport in Seoul on schedule last night at 9pm. There was a lady there waiting for me. She's great. She's so much fun. We took 3 hours to drive from the airport to the university because they were lost. Should take about 1 hour!

Got to sleep probably about 1 am and woke up about 6:30 this morning, feeling okay. Had some breakfast, met everybody, have had a little meeting, and this afternoon we'll have orientation.

So far, great.

I'll post things on my blog from now on. Occasionally.

Troy.