Posts
I've been having trouble with my body lately, so I ended up going to a new hospital to see what they could do for me. My right knee has been numb for two or three months now, and the past few weeks my arms and legs, and other parts of my body, too, have been falling asleep very, very easily, like if I stay still for a few minutes, put even a tiny bit of weight on a body part, or raise my hands above my head for more than like a minute.
At the hospital, the doctor, who speaks English and lived in New Jersey and New Hampshire for a while, had me get X-rays of my spine and knees. My knees are fine, but my posture is bad, he said, because my spine is slightly scoliated, which I knew. No help there.
He recommended taking hot baths, which I and 90% of Korea can't do on a regular basis, since Korean bathrooms don't have bathtubs, unless they're in a really modern, Westernized building. He also gave me a bunch of pills to take, as is the practice with Korean doctors. Stupid pills.
He said I had to start seeing him two times a week for a few weeks, so the second time, when I hadn't gotten better, he put me on physical therapy, gave me more pills, and suggested I start jogging. I said no to the last part. I told him I do yoga four times a week and walk once or twice a week. That should be fine.
Physical therapy was silly. The nurse started me off with paraffin wax gloves. I had to dip my hands in hot wax ten times to make the glove, then she put plastic bags over my hands and had me lie down for fifteen minutes. At least it's good for the skin. Then she pulled off the gloves and put two suction cups on each forearm and ran electricity through me for fiteen minutes. This is what they did for my neck back in LA, except they used tiny pads, not huge suction cups. That was it the first two times.
The third time I saw the doctor (whose name I was never told, by the way), and told him I felt about the same, he told me to quit yoga, and do something more "oxygenizing." I said no. He also reiterated about the bath. I reiterated that I don't have a bathtub and he suggested a bathhouse. Bathhouses are like a two hour ordeal, and you have to pay. Screw that. I'd love to do it sometime for the cultural experience, but not twice a day. I don't have the time.
Physical therapy added a "massage" to my forearms, where my arm was kind of manipulated around and pulled a bit, and the nurse ground his knuckles up and down my bone. It wasn't too bad, but not a real massage. Then he put my right arm into this big sleeve that had inflatable compartments. The compartment at my hand inflated, then the one at my wrist inflated, and the first one deflated, then a third inflated, and the second deflated, and so on, all the way up to my shoulder. It was pretty cool. This lasted about another fifteen minutes. He didn't do my left arm. I have no idea why.
The fourth time when the doctor asked me if I had taken a bath before I went there and I said, no, I have yoga after this and it's silly to wash before exercising, he hung his head in frustration. Then I decided not to come back. He recommended getting an EMG to get my muscles checked, but we had discussed that idea at the beginning and it's a $600 procedure. No way. He last asked me if I take vitamins, and I said I take folic acid. He said I should take vitamin C and B. I said I get plenty of vitamin C, since I drink orange juice every day and eat oranges and other fruit with vitamin C. He still recommended the pills--they're better (what the crap?). So I asked him how much vitamin C is in a pill, and I don't think he quite got me, so he said the dosage varies. So I said, yeah, but how many oranges are in one pill? He still didn't get me. Even if I ate fifty oranges a day, he'd still recommend the pills. I ended up buying them anyway, because the pills are a B and C complex, with the various B vitamins, and I don't really know how to get those into my diet if they're not there already. After this little series of disagreements and misunderstandings, I really decided not to come back.
My last physical therapy session involved the wax and electricity, but no more inflatey sleeve. The nurse put these massive adhesive strips, like bandaids without the medical pad, on my forearms, and said she didn't know how to explain it in English. She said to leave them on and take a hot shower tonight. I'm not sure if she meant I should take them off before or after the shower. I also didn't bother to ask her if it was okay for me to take my regular noontime shower with them on. I'm almost positive the were just bandaids. They weren't even mentholated, like the muscle-relaxing patches.
So now I have an even poorer opinion of Korean medicine than before, when they were giving me tons of pills and ass-shots and steam inhalants for a cold. Heather took me to the oriental hospital today to see what they could do about it. More on that when I have time.
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
Ye', Drinkin' with the Locals
So today as I left work, Heather's dad followed me down and asked if I wanted to go drink some beer. He had asked me to drink with him when I was living at Heather's house, but I said no at the time because it was a school night. At this point, I'm not quite as concerned with what I do the night before work, so I said okay. He drove me to this place about a quarter mile away from my apartment. I'm pretty sure it was called Camelot, although the name on the building was in Korean, and I don't think it said that. The menu said Camelot, though, so who knows.
So he took me to Camelot, which is a nice place. The tables on the perimeter of the bar each have their own stall, kind of like enclosed diner booths, and there are also tables in the middle. We sat in one of the stalls, and he ordered three beers and a fruit plate. Koreans eat a lot of fruit. When the waitress brought the three beers, at first I thought he was going to double-fist it for a second, but then I remembered about Korean eating and drinking custom: everyone shares. So we each got a glass, and we shared every one of the five beers we drank (I think he went light on me since it's a weekday. I'm sure he could have tossed back a few more easily. Koreans party hard.).
We drank Hite, a Korean beer that, I'm pretty sure, tastes exactly like Budweiser. Not having had a Bud in almost a decade, I'm not positive, but all beer tastes the same to me, anyway. It's worth drinking shitty alcohol to have an important cultural experience, though.
There was a lot of Konglish and Engorean. Neither of us speaks enough of the other's language to have a real conversation. He obviously speaks more useful English than I speak useful Korean, though. I was able to make a complete sentence about what we were doing, and he thought that was funny. I also could name some of the fruit we were eating, and name some colors, and say which fruit was big and which was small ("small red tomato"), and he would laugh at that. Silly American.
He was telling me about how much the other teachers drink. Lissette, the girl I replaced, drank three beers, which he seemed impressed with. I don't think women drink as much here. He said Steven drinks a lot, which I can understand, as he's a pretty big guy. I said I usually drink whiskey and coke back home, and he said Lissette liked that, too. I wouldn't be surprised if he treated me to whiskey sometime. It's more expensive, of course, but this family seems to have some money.
Some funny things:
I still don't know Heather's parents' names. She told me to just call them Omma and Apa--Mom and Dad.
Although an ashtray was provided for the rinds and seeds of the fruit we were eating, Heather's dad still spat watermelon seeds onto the floor. And not just onto the floor around the table, but out into the main part of the bar. Stuff like that seems totally okay here, as confusing as it is to us.
The big tv they had going on the wall was playing the most bizarre stuff. Every time I looked up, I was like what the crap? For example, one time I looked up and a bunch of people were holding up picture frames with plastic wrap stretched inside them and pressing their faces into the plastic wrap. I think maybe they were making face prints??? One guy just smashed his face right through the plastic, so I don't know if my theory is right. Korean tv is so weird.
We only stayed for an hour, which was better for me, since I had already stayed a half hour late at work to correct, and I only have three hours or so from when I end my last class and bedtime. It was a good time overall, and I'm glad I didn't knee-jerk refuse based on communication barriers and it being a school night.
So he took me to Camelot, which is a nice place. The tables on the perimeter of the bar each have their own stall, kind of like enclosed diner booths, and there are also tables in the middle. We sat in one of the stalls, and he ordered three beers and a fruit plate. Koreans eat a lot of fruit. When the waitress brought the three beers, at first I thought he was going to double-fist it for a second, but then I remembered about Korean eating and drinking custom: everyone shares. So we each got a glass, and we shared every one of the five beers we drank (I think he went light on me since it's a weekday. I'm sure he could have tossed back a few more easily. Koreans party hard.).
We drank Hite, a Korean beer that, I'm pretty sure, tastes exactly like Budweiser. Not having had a Bud in almost a decade, I'm not positive, but all beer tastes the same to me, anyway. It's worth drinking shitty alcohol to have an important cultural experience, though.
There was a lot of Konglish and Engorean. Neither of us speaks enough of the other's language to have a real conversation. He obviously speaks more useful English than I speak useful Korean, though. I was able to make a complete sentence about what we were doing, and he thought that was funny. I also could name some of the fruit we were eating, and name some colors, and say which fruit was big and which was small ("small red tomato"), and he would laugh at that. Silly American.
He was telling me about how much the other teachers drink. Lissette, the girl I replaced, drank three beers, which he seemed impressed with. I don't think women drink as much here. He said Steven drinks a lot, which I can understand, as he's a pretty big guy. I said I usually drink whiskey and coke back home, and he said Lissette liked that, too. I wouldn't be surprised if he treated me to whiskey sometime. It's more expensive, of course, but this family seems to have some money.
Some funny things:
I still don't know Heather's parents' names. She told me to just call them Omma and Apa--Mom and Dad.
Although an ashtray was provided for the rinds and seeds of the fruit we were eating, Heather's dad still spat watermelon seeds onto the floor. And not just onto the floor around the table, but out into the main part of the bar. Stuff like that seems totally okay here, as confusing as it is to us.
The big tv they had going on the wall was playing the most bizarre stuff. Every time I looked up, I was like what the crap? For example, one time I looked up and a bunch of people were holding up picture frames with plastic wrap stretched inside them and pressing their faces into the plastic wrap. I think maybe they were making face prints??? One guy just smashed his face right through the plastic, so I don't know if my theory is right. Korean tv is so weird.
We only stayed for an hour, which was better for me, since I had already stayed a half hour late at work to correct, and I only have three hours or so from when I end my last class and bedtime. It was a good time overall, and I'm glad I didn't knee-jerk refuse based on communication barriers and it being a school night.
Friday, May 16, 2008
Teachers' Day
Yesterday was Teachers' Day, and I was glad that they have a day to honor those of us who work our asses off to help kids learn. I was told that children give their teachers gifts; one of my students mentioned that they give carnations to teachers.
Since I don't really like flowers, and a chocolate bar costs the same amount, my friend from the air force gave me the idea to put up a little sign in my classroom last week with a picture of a flower with the red circle and bar through it and a picture of a chocolate bar with a thumbs up next to it, and refuse to comment on it. So I did, and some of the kids even figured it out. They all thought the sign was very peculiar and they studied it a lot. Now that I think of it, I should have taken a picture.
Considering the amount of teachers Korean students have, I expected a lot of kids to give me a flower or maybe a card or some little trinket. I was wrong, though. It seems to be more of big deal than I thought, and most of the kids seem to choose which teachers they want to give presents to, and give them pretty good presents, instead of small ones to all of them. I got thirteen presents, with one more on the way. One of my students says "It's not ready yet."
Here is a picture of the full spread:
And a little more detail:
From left to right, generally: bergamot body wash from The Body Shop, an embroidered handkerchief with hand mirror from renoma Paris, a mini rouge compact from Anna Sui (it's not in the detail picture, but I remembered to include it in the wider shot), body lotion from Anna Sui, a "diamond" hair clip from Ssilbaereudae Paris (it's in Korean, so I don't know what the English translation is), a basket of assorted French cookies and cakes (the picture shows only half of what it had originally), orange and aloe-flavored chocolates from Jeju Island in Korea, a decorative box, a floral handbag, a bar of milk chocolate, and handmade soaps in aloe, grape, and black sugar flavors. Plus the massive basket of carnations.
I think the box is my favorite. I love containers. Like I said, I don't really like flowers, but I was rather impressed by the basket of carnations. It was quite thoughtful, as were all the gifts.
All this stuff, especially considering that a fair amount of it is European or American, and how nice the Asian stuff is, is easily worth over $100, probably closer to $150. Holy schnikes.
Here are close-ups of some of the more decorative stuff:
Since I don't really like flowers, and a chocolate bar costs the same amount, my friend from the air force gave me the idea to put up a little sign in my classroom last week with a picture of a flower with the red circle and bar through it and a picture of a chocolate bar with a thumbs up next to it, and refuse to comment on it. So I did, and some of the kids even figured it out. They all thought the sign was very peculiar and they studied it a lot. Now that I think of it, I should have taken a picture.
Considering the amount of teachers Korean students have, I expected a lot of kids to give me a flower or maybe a card or some little trinket. I was wrong, though. It seems to be more of big deal than I thought, and most of the kids seem to choose which teachers they want to give presents to, and give them pretty good presents, instead of small ones to all of them. I got thirteen presents, with one more on the way. One of my students says "It's not ready yet."
Here is a picture of the full spread:
And a little more detail:
From left to right, generally: bergamot body wash from The Body Shop, an embroidered handkerchief with hand mirror from renoma Paris, a mini rouge compact from Anna Sui (it's not in the detail picture, but I remembered to include it in the wider shot), body lotion from Anna Sui, a "diamond" hair clip from Ssilbaereudae Paris (it's in Korean, so I don't know what the English translation is), a basket of assorted French cookies and cakes (the picture shows only half of what it had originally), orange and aloe-flavored chocolates from Jeju Island in Korea, a decorative box, a floral handbag, a bar of milk chocolate, and handmade soaps in aloe, grape, and black sugar flavors. Plus the massive basket of carnations.
I think the box is my favorite. I love containers. Like I said, I don't really like flowers, but I was rather impressed by the basket of carnations. It was quite thoughtful, as were all the gifts.
All this stuff, especially considering that a fair amount of it is European or American, and how nice the Asian stuff is, is easily worth over $100, probably closer to $150. Holy schnikes.
Here are close-ups of some of the more decorative stuff:
Monday, May 12, 2008
Lotte Department Store
Lotte Department Store has eight floors and I perused all of them. It was really silly. I thought that having only done clothes shopping at lower end stores that maybe the fashion of Korea was misrepresented a bit, but no. High end clothes just mean more ruffles, more spandex leggings, more long, clunky jewelry, and more awful color clashing.
There was not as much Engrish as I wanted, though I did find a couple good examples. I'm kicking myself now for not writing it down, but the first good one I saw said something about "feeling actually emotion," which was cool and made me laugh out loud. Another one was called "Green, Be Nice!" and had a bunch of little icons, presumably stuff you can recycle? One of them was "Strong Duck." I took a long time looking at that shirt.
The things men wear here would frighten any American man, I think. I really, really, truthfully saw ties with sequins and glitter on them. And a lot of them, too, not just a few weird ones. Like almost a majority of the ties in the store were either bejewelled or were a color not considered masculine by our culture.
Additionally, golf clothes, which get half a floor to themselves, are evidently synonymous with blindingly bright colors. They don't seem to go as much for the plaid golf pants here, unless of course they are canary yellow and fluorescent orange.
There was not as much Engrish as I wanted, though I did find a couple good examples. I'm kicking myself now for not writing it down, but the first good one I saw said something about "feeling actually emotion," which was cool and made me laugh out loud. Another one was called "Green, Be Nice!" and had a bunch of little icons, presumably stuff you can recycle? One of them was "Strong Duck." I took a long time looking at that shirt.
The things men wear here would frighten any American man, I think. I really, really, truthfully saw ties with sequins and glitter on them. And a lot of them, too, not just a few weird ones. Like almost a majority of the ties in the store were either bejewelled or were a color not considered masculine by our culture.
Additionally, golf clothes, which get half a floor to themselves, are evidently synonymous with blindingly bright colors. They don't seem to go as much for the plaid golf pants here, unless of course they are canary yellow and fluorescent orange.
Going to the Movies and Other Such Nonsense
I went to the movies for the first time yesterday. I wish I had started going a long time ago, but it took me a while to find out where the theatre is, and I also wasn't sure if they would be playing any decent American/European movies. What I ended up finding out, though, is not only do they play at least a few English-language new releases, but South Korea seems to sometimes get earlier release dates than the U.S., according to imdb.com. For example, Iron Man came out 3 days earlier here than there, and Luc Besson's Taken came out April 10 here, while the U.S. has to wait until September 19. I guess starting in France makes a difference.
I didn't really plan on going to see a movie, but it kind of just ended up that way. I had do a little shopping, so I didn't bother with a shower because I was walking over a mile to the Lotte Mart. On the way I saw a couple white guys and they actually approached me--the first time another foreigner has done that since I've been here. They were "seamans," as they called it (haha), from Bulgaria and the Ukraine off the ship for the day. They got off the ship without asking how to exchange money and hadn't had any luck with banks. The only way I was able to get money exchanged without a bank account was for my boss to do it for me, and since Ulsan isn't a tourist spot, they don't exactly have a lot of money exchange places. It being a Sunday and the day before a major holiday (Buddha's birthday--I have the day off) didn't help, either. I called my boss to see if she had any ideas, but she said pretty much the only chance was to exchange at the airport, which they couldn't get to without money, of course. They suggested maybe a hotel could help, them, and luckily were were right by the rotary, which houses several large hotels, so I directed them there and wished them good luck. The End.
Back to the story. True to form, Lotte Mart was not able to provide me with what I was looking for. So it was onto the bus and off to Emart again, where I pretty much always find what I want. Then I figured that since I was only a mile from the movie theatre and I'd have to pay for the bus again to get there from home the next day, I might as well walk over and see a movie while I was in the neighborhood.
Iron Man was playing on three screens (out of nine), and even though I haven't seen any ads for it, I have heard a couple rave reviews, and figured since it was a comic book movie, I should see it either way. Other options include Taken, which I'll see next weekend, maybe, and Horton Hears a Who. And some Korean movies, of course. The next show of Iron Man was sold out, so I figured I'd just kill time in the Lotte Department Store, connected to the Lotte Cinema while I waited a couple hours for the next one. I started writing in this entry about what I saw there, but now that I've made this entry wicked long, I think I'm going to split them up.
Buying the ticket and seeing the movie were a little different than in the States. The weirdest part was the ticket counter. Instead of just choosing a line to wait in, you have to take a number, like at the deli. Digital displays above each ticket station display whose number they are now serving. When you take your number from a machine, a display on the machine shows how many people are in front of you in "line." That bit of info, plus other stuff I didn't understand, is also printed on the number ticket. I guess this system prevents people from choosing the slow line and also allows people to go to the bathroom or buy a concession or whatever while waiting, but it seems like such a waste. All that paper...
My seat in the theatre was assigned, like in Hollywood's Arclight. This is a high end cinema, so I'm not sure if it's just the Arclight of Ulsan, or if all Korean movie theatres have assigned seating. On the up side, despite it being a nice theatre, the ticket only cost about $7, and during a prime time, too. I'm not sure if they have matinee prices. I'll have to check that out sometime. Still, though, even with the extra two bucks for the round trip bus ride, going to the movies is still cheaper here than in LA.
Another strange thing about going to the movies is that I'm pretty sure they make some sort of announcement, like at the train station or airport, as to when people can enter the theatre. I got back from killing time only fifteen minutes before showtime, and I walked upstairs to my screen amongst a huge crowd of... zero. The ticket taker asked if he could help me (in English), and I said I'd like to see my movie (duh). He took me into the theatre and showed me to my seat, but had to talk to the cleaning crew that was still in there, presumably to check to see if it was okay for me to be there yet. It was clearly highly unusual for someone to be seated at that time, but I assume they let me in because I'm a foreigner who clearly doesn't know any better.
Strangely, they were broadcasting on the speakers an interview with someone talking about the making of Michael Jackson's Thriller music video, and how they got Vincent Price to do the narration. I wouldn't expect them to play something that most people wouldn't understand at all, and only a few people would understand fully or nearly fully.
A few minutes after I sat down (in the direct center of the theatre, a benefit of buying the ticket almost two hours in advance) EVERYONE else came in. This is why I suspect the announcement. They played a couple commercials, as they do in the US, and a few previews, though not as many as I'd like. I wish I could remember what the previews were for. There's something awesome coming out June 5, but I can't for the life of me remember what movie it is. I guess I'll find out in a few weeks.
The movie was subtitled in Korean, of course, but since the screen is so big, I hardly noticed them. I did see that people's names were put in quotation marks, which was odd. They don't do that on TV. Luckily, when the characters spoke other languages, the English subtitles were still on screen, which is a benefit I don't get when watching TV here.
The funny thing about being the only American watching an American movie in a foreign country is the parts when I'm the only one laughing. Admittedly, that still happens back home, but for different reasons. Some jokes just don't translate. I was the only one laughing when Gwyneth Paltrow and Robert Downey, Jr. were joking about how he wouldn't get along without her if she quit as his assistant. He says he'll make it a week, and she then asks him what his social security number is. He says "5." Even though it was translated in a way that probably allows them to infer what an SSN is, but apparently the joke just isn't funny to them. I was the only one to vocally react to Stan Lee's cameo, as well.
Additionally, only five other people, chicks, surprisingly, stayed in their seats through the credits and were able to see the postcredits scene. As I watched the throngs of people exit the theatre as soon as the credits started, I supressed the urge to cry out, "Foolish mortals!" knowing they were going to miss something totally cool. But they wouldn't understand me, so whatever.
It was a fun outing, and one that I think I will try to do more often now, given the price and convenience. By the way, I recommend Iron Man. It was neato.
I didn't really plan on going to see a movie, but it kind of just ended up that way. I had do a little shopping, so I didn't bother with a shower because I was walking over a mile to the Lotte Mart. On the way I saw a couple white guys and they actually approached me--the first time another foreigner has done that since I've been here. They were "seamans," as they called it (haha), from Bulgaria and the Ukraine off the ship for the day. They got off the ship without asking how to exchange money and hadn't had any luck with banks. The only way I was able to get money exchanged without a bank account was for my boss to do it for me, and since Ulsan isn't a tourist spot, they don't exactly have a lot of money exchange places. It being a Sunday and the day before a major holiday (Buddha's birthday--I have the day off) didn't help, either. I called my boss to see if she had any ideas, but she said pretty much the only chance was to exchange at the airport, which they couldn't get to without money, of course. They suggested maybe a hotel could help, them, and luckily were were right by the rotary, which houses several large hotels, so I directed them there and wished them good luck. The End.
Back to the story. True to form, Lotte Mart was not able to provide me with what I was looking for. So it was onto the bus and off to Emart again, where I pretty much always find what I want. Then I figured that since I was only a mile from the movie theatre and I'd have to pay for the bus again to get there from home the next day, I might as well walk over and see a movie while I was in the neighborhood.
Iron Man was playing on three screens (out of nine), and even though I haven't seen any ads for it, I have heard a couple rave reviews, and figured since it was a comic book movie, I should see it either way. Other options include Taken, which I'll see next weekend, maybe, and Horton Hears a Who. And some Korean movies, of course. The next show of Iron Man was sold out, so I figured I'd just kill time in the Lotte Department Store, connected to the Lotte Cinema while I waited a couple hours for the next one. I started writing in this entry about what I saw there, but now that I've made this entry wicked long, I think I'm going to split them up.
Buying the ticket and seeing the movie were a little different than in the States. The weirdest part was the ticket counter. Instead of just choosing a line to wait in, you have to take a number, like at the deli. Digital displays above each ticket station display whose number they are now serving. When you take your number from a machine, a display on the machine shows how many people are in front of you in "line." That bit of info, plus other stuff I didn't understand, is also printed on the number ticket. I guess this system prevents people from choosing the slow line and also allows people to go to the bathroom or buy a concession or whatever while waiting, but it seems like such a waste. All that paper...
My seat in the theatre was assigned, like in Hollywood's Arclight. This is a high end cinema, so I'm not sure if it's just the Arclight of Ulsan, or if all Korean movie theatres have assigned seating. On the up side, despite it being a nice theatre, the ticket only cost about $7, and during a prime time, too. I'm not sure if they have matinee prices. I'll have to check that out sometime. Still, though, even with the extra two bucks for the round trip bus ride, going to the movies is still cheaper here than in LA.
Another strange thing about going to the movies is that I'm pretty sure they make some sort of announcement, like at the train station or airport, as to when people can enter the theatre. I got back from killing time only fifteen minutes before showtime, and I walked upstairs to my screen amongst a huge crowd of... zero. The ticket taker asked if he could help me (in English), and I said I'd like to see my movie (duh). He took me into the theatre and showed me to my seat, but had to talk to the cleaning crew that was still in there, presumably to check to see if it was okay for me to be there yet. It was clearly highly unusual for someone to be seated at that time, but I assume they let me in because I'm a foreigner who clearly doesn't know any better.
Strangely, they were broadcasting on the speakers an interview with someone talking about the making of Michael Jackson's Thriller music video, and how they got Vincent Price to do the narration. I wouldn't expect them to play something that most people wouldn't understand at all, and only a few people would understand fully or nearly fully.
A few minutes after I sat down (in the direct center of the theatre, a benefit of buying the ticket almost two hours in advance) EVERYONE else came in. This is why I suspect the announcement. They played a couple commercials, as they do in the US, and a few previews, though not as many as I'd like. I wish I could remember what the previews were for. There's something awesome coming out June 5, but I can't for the life of me remember what movie it is. I guess I'll find out in a few weeks.
The movie was subtitled in Korean, of course, but since the screen is so big, I hardly noticed them. I did see that people's names were put in quotation marks, which was odd. They don't do that on TV. Luckily, when the characters spoke other languages, the English subtitles were still on screen, which is a benefit I don't get when watching TV here.
The funny thing about being the only American watching an American movie in a foreign country is the parts when I'm the only one laughing. Admittedly, that still happens back home, but for different reasons. Some jokes just don't translate. I was the only one laughing when Gwyneth Paltrow and Robert Downey, Jr. were joking about how he wouldn't get along without her if she quit as his assistant. He says he'll make it a week, and she then asks him what his social security number is. He says "5." Even though it was translated in a way that probably allows them to infer what an SSN is, but apparently the joke just isn't funny to them. I was the only one to vocally react to Stan Lee's cameo, as well.
Additionally, only five other people, chicks, surprisingly, stayed in their seats through the credits and were able to see the postcredits scene. As I watched the throngs of people exit the theatre as soon as the credits started, I supressed the urge to cry out, "Foolish mortals!" knowing they were going to miss something totally cool. But they wouldn't understand me, so whatever.
It was a fun outing, and one that I think I will try to do more often now, given the price and convenience. By the way, I recommend Iron Man. It was neato.
Wednesday, May 7, 2008
Disciprine
Considering how hard they are worked, how much is expected of them, and the fact that hey, we're in Asia, makes me extremely surprised at how little discipline these kids have. Even American kids, as I recall from my childhood and from recently working at a school, seem to be better behaved and exert more self control than these monsters, I mean kids, I mean monsters.
They're good enough kids. I like most of them, except for the awful ones. But they're terrible students. I have a couple students (out of about 40) who have been with me for weeks and months and have only turned in a handful of homework assignments. Others turn in homework every day because they face some sort of punishment at home if they don't, but all they do is vomit language onto a piece of paper, and the vomit in no way resembles what I asked them to do.
Others continually say they don't have time to do the homework, which I totally believe and understand, considering that they get up at like 8 in the morning and are engaged in academic activities until midnight every night. Unfortunately I can't excuse them from the homework for that reason. It makes me wish the parents would get their priorities straight and just enroll the kids in classes that are absolutely necessary, like English.
The excuse runner up is "I went to my grandma's house," to which I say, "And why can't you do homework at grandma's?" I never get a satisfactory answer on that one. I think it's culturally inappropriate to do homework when visiting one's elder relatives.
Beyond not turning in homework, there are a number of normal behavioral problems the kids have, like hitting, screaming, getting out of their seats (constantly), not paying attention, being rude. I had assumed that rudeness would not be much of a problem here, considering that the whole language and culture is based on reverence for those older than you, but no. I still have kids treat me like I'm nothing, or a toy, or stupid (laughable).
What gets me about the education system here is that there's no way for me truly punish the kids. I would be in favor of detentions, but we can't give detentions because the kids' schedules are so packed. There is a system of stamps given and taken away for doing or not doing a good job, but really, who cares about stamps? The main punishment is making kids stand against the wall with their hands above their heads, but that doesn't do much. I did that to a girl yesterday, and then when I said she could sit down, she asked if she could stay like that. Then another kid joined her. Super.
I used to write on their faces, since the teacher I replaced used to do that when kids fell asleep. I figured embarrassment was the only possibly effective way to punish them. And they do hate it, but because I'm sure that I would get in a ton of trouble with parents if I used magic or permanent markers on their faces, I just use the dry erase markers. This allows them to rub their faces clean within five minutes. I got tired of doing this after a while, too, because it doesn't work so well, and because the kids put up such a fight about it. One kid totally flipped out and started crying and called me all the worst swears in Korean (the other kids told me), which made him eligible to be ejected from the school, once the other kids told my boss. Heather told me about kicking him out, and I said it would be okay to keep him in my class, since he seemed to be pretty smart and he participated a lot. I have come to regret that decision, though. Ever since then, he's been rude and contrary, he slacks a lot and doesn't pay attention, and he seems to have gotten dumber.
Corporal punishment is alive and well here in Korea, but even if I didn't oppose hitting someone else's kid, I recently found out that I'm not allowed, as a foreigner, to hit them. Steven, the Canadian teacher, recently suggested that we ask the Korean teachers to collect the homework for us, so they could hit them if they didn't turn it in, but apparently that didn't get past the boss.
I decided last week that calling parents is the only way to get the students to do the homework. So now I've devised a chart with all my classes on it and spaces for names and homework details. At the beginning of each class when I collect homework, I note who didn't do it and what they need to do, and the school's assistant calls the parents to tell them. It's kind of a weak solution, since it means the kids get no punishment from me or the school, but I'd like to think the kids get hell at home, since the parents are so hard on the school itself about making the kids learn. But I really have no idea.
They're good enough kids. I like most of them, except for the awful ones. But they're terrible students. I have a couple students (out of about 40) who have been with me for weeks and months and have only turned in a handful of homework assignments. Others turn in homework every day because they face some sort of punishment at home if they don't, but all they do is vomit language onto a piece of paper, and the vomit in no way resembles what I asked them to do.
Others continually say they don't have time to do the homework, which I totally believe and understand, considering that they get up at like 8 in the morning and are engaged in academic activities until midnight every night. Unfortunately I can't excuse them from the homework for that reason. It makes me wish the parents would get their priorities straight and just enroll the kids in classes that are absolutely necessary, like English.
The excuse runner up is "I went to my grandma's house," to which I say, "And why can't you do homework at grandma's?" I never get a satisfactory answer on that one. I think it's culturally inappropriate to do homework when visiting one's elder relatives.
Beyond not turning in homework, there are a number of normal behavioral problems the kids have, like hitting, screaming, getting out of their seats (constantly), not paying attention, being rude. I had assumed that rudeness would not be much of a problem here, considering that the whole language and culture is based on reverence for those older than you, but no. I still have kids treat me like I'm nothing, or a toy, or stupid (laughable).
What gets me about the education system here is that there's no way for me truly punish the kids. I would be in favor of detentions, but we can't give detentions because the kids' schedules are so packed. There is a system of stamps given and taken away for doing or not doing a good job, but really, who cares about stamps? The main punishment is making kids stand against the wall with their hands above their heads, but that doesn't do much. I did that to a girl yesterday, and then when I said she could sit down, she asked if she could stay like that. Then another kid joined her. Super.
I used to write on their faces, since the teacher I replaced used to do that when kids fell asleep. I figured embarrassment was the only possibly effective way to punish them. And they do hate it, but because I'm sure that I would get in a ton of trouble with parents if I used magic or permanent markers on their faces, I just use the dry erase markers. This allows them to rub their faces clean within five minutes. I got tired of doing this after a while, too, because it doesn't work so well, and because the kids put up such a fight about it. One kid totally flipped out and started crying and called me all the worst swears in Korean (the other kids told me), which made him eligible to be ejected from the school, once the other kids told my boss. Heather told me about kicking him out, and I said it would be okay to keep him in my class, since he seemed to be pretty smart and he participated a lot. I have come to regret that decision, though. Ever since then, he's been rude and contrary, he slacks a lot and doesn't pay attention, and he seems to have gotten dumber.
Corporal punishment is alive and well here in Korea, but even if I didn't oppose hitting someone else's kid, I recently found out that I'm not allowed, as a foreigner, to hit them. Steven, the Canadian teacher, recently suggested that we ask the Korean teachers to collect the homework for us, so they could hit them if they didn't turn it in, but apparently that didn't get past the boss.
I decided last week that calling parents is the only way to get the students to do the homework. So now I've devised a chart with all my classes on it and spaces for names and homework details. At the beginning of each class when I collect homework, I note who didn't do it and what they need to do, and the school's assistant calls the parents to tell them. It's kind of a weak solution, since it means the kids get no punishment from me or the school, but I'd like to think the kids get hell at home, since the parents are so hard on the school itself about making the kids learn. But I really have no idea.
Thursday, May 1, 2008
Find me a find, catch me a catch...
Koreans like to play matchmaker, it seems. I think like in some other cultures, they don't like to see someone, probably especially a girl, hit a certain age without finding a mate. The very first night I was here, when I was at the bar with all my coworkers, I was asked if I was married or had a boyfriend. At the negative answer, I was immediately referred to the guy next to me, whom I haven't seen since. I'm not even sure if he's a teacher at the other branch of the school or if he was just a friend of someone's. But he was single, and Heather made it a point to note that he is considered quite handsome for a Korean.
When I was getting my hair dyed (dark red with blonde streaks) at the salon the other day, one of the hairdressers asked me the Single question. Then she slapped my hairdresser on the stomach and told me he's a good catch (or whatever Konglish equivalent, I don't remember).
Today I went out to lunch with my boss and mentioned that I like little kids, as there was a cute one running about. She said it's because it must be time for me to get married. Then I explained to her my opposition to marriage, and she agreed, actually. I mentioned how my mom thought it would be nice to have some little Korean grandkids, and Heather thought that was so funny. Then she got the Idea.
Nine hours later, as I was leaving work, she said she found a very tall Korean guy for me who had studied business in the US for six or seven years and she would hear back from him next week, since she's leaving to go to Hong Kong tomorrow for the long weekend.
Now I'm a little nervous.
When I was getting my hair dyed (dark red with blonde streaks) at the salon the other day, one of the hairdressers asked me the Single question. Then she slapped my hairdresser on the stomach and told me he's a good catch (or whatever Konglish equivalent, I don't remember).
Today I went out to lunch with my boss and mentioned that I like little kids, as there was a cute one running about. She said it's because it must be time for me to get married. Then I explained to her my opposition to marriage, and she agreed, actually. I mentioned how my mom thought it would be nice to have some little Korean grandkids, and Heather thought that was so funny. Then she got the Idea.
Nine hours later, as I was leaving work, she said she found a very tall Korean guy for me who had studied business in the US for six or seven years and she would hear back from him next week, since she's leaving to go to Hong Kong tomorrow for the long weekend.
Now I'm a little nervous.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)