My First Day at School in Korea

Monday, January 27th, 2003

My First Day at School in Korea is beginning. It's Monday morning and it's my second time going to the school but as far as I know I am supposed to teach today even though I still haven't met the boss or been told anything about my schedule. Nor have I seen any textbooks or been told about the types of classes I will teach. But I guess there's no time like the present. I am just so glad that I have teaching experience from back home. Hopefully, that will help me.

Ms. Park walks me to the school. I feel bad cause I am not even sure if she has to teach today or whether she is walking me to the school only because she was told to. So I pay careful attention and try to notice landmarks so that after this I can find my way back and forth to the school by myself.

I meet some more of my fellow teachers.

This is a picture of "Amber" and "Nora" they are fellow East Coast Canadians and English Teachers at my school. They used the same recruiter I did and he had them meet in Toronto when they got their E-2 Visas and then fly to Korea together. I am a little jealous that they are roommates cause at least they can speak English together. But, since they only live 3 houses away from me I guess they are close enough I can drop in on them when I have questions and problems. "Amber" especially seems to have made it her mission to help me adjust to my new life here in Korea. I'm sure grateful for that!

Here is "Susan" she is a Korean/English Teacher at my school. She owns her own car and she drives me around all the time. Especially home from work at night cause she doesn't think it is safe for me to walk home alone. She is a beautiful person inside and out.

I learn that I won't be teaching today since it is only a partial week of school. The Lunar New Year will be Saturday, February 1st, 2003 but we will get Thursday [January 30th] and Friday[January 31st] of as holidays. I am told that I will be teaching at LG Learning Center starting the following Monday [February 3rd]. One of my co-workers, Sunny, who is in charge of the Learning Center teachers tells me a bit about my job. I will teach conversational English to the Level 1's [Beginners] and the Level 2's [Intermediates]. The students are adults who work for LG and they will go live at the Learning Center for 6 weeks where they will participate in an English Immersion Program. There will be not only classes and homework but fieldtrips and other activities. I am glad that I had participated in a French Immersion Program back in Canada as a student so I at least have some idea how these programs run - if only from a student's point of view.

Sunny shows me some books she thinks are suitable and sends me off in a taxi to a bookstore to buy books for the students. I choose the books for my classes and go to the counter. I, then, have to explain that they need to bill my school for these books. Thankfully the school seems to have some kind of account so when I tell them the school name they say "OK". But then I realize I don't know how to get back to the school. Some how I make the bookstore staff understand my problem [I'm still not sure how I managed it] and they tell me if I wait 10 minutes they will be delivering the books to the school and I can go, too. Yipee! But, I vow to myself to be more organized in the future and to make sure I get the school address written out for me in Korean and to always carry it with me.

Back at the school with the textbooks I have chosen I am given a 3 and 1/2 inch hard disk and shown to a computer and told to create lesson plans for my Level 1 and Level 2 students. I am at a loss as to where to start - especially since the computer and the operating system are all in Korean. It uses Microsoft Word but in Korean. Luckily, I know the short cut keys and they are the same as in English. (For example CTLR + C is still copy, etc.) Nonetheless, I have never had to make a lesson plan for an ESL class before and I am unsure of how much time to allow for any activity. But time's a wasting so.... I start to muddle through.

This is when "Amber" arrives and once again comes to my rescue. She tells me she taught those classes last term and she gives me a print-out of the lesson plan she used. It gives me a good idea how to plan my time. For example planning some basic conversation for the first 10 minutes of class [like - "What did you do last night?", etc.]. Also, I get the idea to teach a new idiom everyday.

I spend the rest of the day at the school. Later when nature calls, I go to the women's toilet at the school and I am horrified to see it is a squat toilet! It is my first experience with one. Truthfully, I am not sure I can keep my balance to use it. [I thought not having a sink in the bathroom of my apartment was bad. Now that I have seen the school toilet I am happier with my bathroom with it's regular "western" style toilet even if my shower is just a shower head on the wall and a hole in the middle of the concrete bathroom floor.] I decide not to drink too much coffee from the coffee vending machine even though it's only 300 won or about 30 cents Canadian cause I don't want to have to visit the restroom too often.

This is a picture of the squat toilet at my school. It was the first squat toilet I experienced in Korea. I am not sure how to balance so I decide to hang on to the metal pipes so that I won't fall over. It's not a very dignified position. And, what's even worse there is no soap and no towel of any kind in the bathroom and only icy cold water to wash my hands with. I miss Canadian bathrooms! A lot! Well, I wanted adventure and new experiences and I got it.

At the end of my first day Nora, Amber and I take a taxi home to our neighborhood. So, I didn't even have to worry about rather my landmark system works. My first day in Korea is over and I have two more days to prepare prior to having to teach my first class. I am considering myself very lucky, indeed.