Our Trip to 하늘공원 (Sky Park)

Last Friday was my first field trip at YBM. This day was wonderful for a number of reasons; nice weather, able to play with the kids outside, and a relaxed dress code for the day. Not that our dress code is a problem, it's just that our company policy is that we need to wear slacks, dress shirts, and ties unless it is summer and we are allowed to wear polo shirts instead. We loaded up on the bus around 9:30 am and headed off for 하늘공원. The trip there took around 25 minutes, and it was actually quite fun. The kids all have such personalities and seeing them all playing together on the bus was nice. We got to the park and waited around for a bit until the other buses of kids arrived, then we headed off for the main field to set up camp for the day.

 We got to a field full of kids from all levels of school that were playing games and enjoying the weather. The main end of the field had a stage where people performed and they shot off rockets that fell down attached to parachutes. It was a lot to take in. The kids all acted great and it was a lot of fun watching them run around and play games. They liked to chase each other around. One of their activities was getting in a moon bounce and jump around, but the only catch was that other students would throw balls in while the jumping students tried to keep the balls out. This left "teacher Sam" with a lot of balls to chase here, there, and everywhere. I felt like a soccer player again. We all sat down for a lunch of kimbap (see picture), strawberries, and 참외 (chamwe) which is a melon of sorts that reminds me a bit of a honeydew melon mixed with a cucumber. Delicious.

At some point of the day, kids got to get "tattoos." Even I sported an airplane one for the team. Around 1:00 we loaded back up in the bus to head back towards the school, but our adventure wasn't over yet. When we arrived at the school we still had an hour left before parents came to pick them up. We grouped up and walked to a nearby park to play. At the park we ate ice cream and played for 45 minutes before heading back to teach afternoon classes and send the little ones back home. Tomorrow we will all go to Seoul Land for a picnic. The other foreign teachers and I will head back a little early so that we can teach our advanced classes in the afternoon. I can't wait to go. Who knows what adventures lie ahead?

Back In Korea!

Well, here I am again. It has been quite a long while since I posted something new on my blog, so I thought it was about time I did and brought everyone back up to speed on what has been going on in my life. As of this week, I am officially an English teacher for YBM ECC in Seoul, South Korea. I work at the company's Yeongdeungpo-gu location. I had training and job shadowing last week, and all of this week I have been teaching and planning my own classes. I know that I am not an "official" teacher by academic standards, but I do follow a company syllabus and am in charge of running my own classes. I can honestly say that I am doing a real 8 hour a day job here. The type of teacher you are here seems to carry some weight in the teaching society. There are types that are disliked, like public school teachers who only teach a few classes at a school where they don't know the students and don't care about teaching, or the types who come and just work a few hours a day and play all the time. I really have no opinion in the matter, but I can say with certainty that I fit neither description. I came to work and so I am.

Life has been a blur since I landed here. I am so happy to finally be back in the same country as Soojeong. It is nice knowing that I am here for a whole year now and not just a few weeks or months. What a nice change! We have met up almost everyday and gone out for dinner or coffee. She has been such a wonderful help with getting me settled here. Her family also treat me very well. When I was at their house this week for dinner, they told me that they are my Korean parents and I am their son. I felt so welcomed and happy. I can't wait to go mountain hiking with her dad this summer like we did last year. Mountains are all over the place and beautiful nature and mysterious places are around every corner. You just have to know where to look.


Training was pretty long and rigorous, but very rewarding. I feel much better prepared for what is ahead of me now that I went through it. My kids in class are so much fun and have such big personalities. I teach both kinder age kids (7 years old) and kids who are 9 to 10 years old. They listen very well most of the time, and they always are happy to see me. Just today, one of my students mothers bought me coffee and a sausage roll from a cafe because as she said, "it is hot and you need your energy." So nice. My coworkers are all very friendly and have really helped me figure out the way planning and office work go at ECC. Every morning I wake up at 6:00 and study Korean for 1.5 to 2 hours, get dressed, eat breakfast, and head out the door to walk to school. My apartment is probably a 30 minute walk to school. I could take the subway, but why spend a dollar to get there faster when I can get in better shape and enjoy the scenery?

 The pictures below are of a few of Soojeong and I's outings. We went to Namsan Mountain and hiked around while the cherry blossoms were still partially in bloom. There were flowers everywhere and it was quite a sight to see. Th weather was nice and it was great to get up there and see the city from above. I have always enjoyed going there. This past weekend we went to Ilsan to see a flower festival, but it was way too crowded that day so we went to a cafe, walked around, and went looking for a plant for my apartment. It was a lot of fun. Besides that, we have met Soojeong's best friend Goeun for dinner, and met up with our good friend Sookyung in Myeongdong for coffee and conversation. That is all I really know for now. Tomorrow is a school field-trip to Sky Park. I can't wait.