Connexus Halloween Party

Some kids' drawings from a costume brainstorming activity…
(I took pictures and coloured them digitally).

Pre-Halloween Party photo op in the teacher's office :) Teacher and 
Korean admin dressed up as Snow White and the Seven Dwarves. 
My costume was the big, bad queen with the apple and mirror… 
(Halloween photos thanks to Sojeong - front right).

Halloween decor.

Trick-Or-Treating down the hall.

Group shot from our 3:30 classes. 

Extra Curricular Odds 'n Ends (Sept / Oct 2015)

Eating out! This is ddeokbokki, a favourite food among
Connexus kids (New faces: Sarah Wilson, front right and
Michaela Payne, centre right. They're both returning teachers).

One of my regular haunts: The public building belonging
 to the cemetery just behind our apartments (It's always
empty, so it's a great place to read outside).

Amazing spring roll supper made by YoungJin and SoYoung
(front). We were saying farewell to Karen's father and uncle
who'd come to visit and help with construction.

My roommate Michaela rocking out at a Noraebang (Korean
karaoke house). I went with my housemates as a farewell
for Haesun--I was glad the remote was so complicated
so I had an excuse to stick to the tambourine :)

Walking around Olympic Park.
Found this funny: couples and selfie sticks galore!

Taking the subway is always a great people-watching opportunity.

Korean movie club. They meet once a month at a church
where I 've done some Saturday language classes.

Cuddling puppies at the KOPI / CONNEXUS / NARPI
retreat in Yangpyeong this weekend.

Got a taste of construction yesterday: drywalling and
scraping excess stucco away from the corner of windows.
  

Chuseok trip to Jeju-do!

Because of Chuseok holiday (Korean Thanksgiving) we got a four-day weekend in mid-September, so Karen, Matt and I went on a road trip to Jeju:"Korea's Hawaii"!

We were among lots of tourists--both in the bus group we went with, and also in the spots we stopped--but I really enjoyed it.

Early morning Subway ride into Seoul to meet our tour group.

Heading out of Seoul for a full-day on the road. I was
very happy about the bus lane! (Cheusok is one of
the days that traffic is worst--everyone's heading
to their  hometowns for family gatherings).

Ferry port off the south tip of mainland. About a 2.5hr trip to Jeju.

Not my picture, but looks very similar to our accommodations;
Traditional Korean beds = mats on a heated floor.

People lounging on a smaller ferry to Udo Island (beach afternoon).

Exploring tide pools

Just off the main road on Udo

Greeting the 외 국 인 ("outside country person").

Got some shade protection in a cute cafe.
Their peanut ice-cream was really good.

Walking around Udo.

Lunch stop at a market. Seafood seems really plentiful in Korea.

Some of my fellow bus people on the Jeju Olle 
Trail (These four guys were from Nepal. One of 
my seatmates was a carpenter (?!) for Samsung. 
There were also four PHD statistics/computer 
candidates from Pakistan, some fun-loving factory 
workers from Philippines, two German tourists, two 
US army guys and a few other English teachers...).

Snapshot of a snapshot: "Black pig BBQ" at a restaurant.

Got up at 5:30 to see the sunrise from the top of a small volcano
ridge. Surprised by the crowds that early in the morning.

Enjoyed a window seat on the bus back.
Fun to see the mountains and rice fields fly by!

A Regular Weekday: Snippet of Connxeus life

On most weekdays I go to the office to prep for classes around 10am. Sometimes I mop, have a mini Korean lesson or help make lunch, but usually mornings are spent preparing for the day's lessons at your own pace. All 6 English teachers and 3 Korean staff eat together at 12:30. (They're really the pillars of Connxeus: Misook is the office manager and Minjeong and Sojeong are grammar teachers--they communicate with parents, teach grammar lessons and help out in our classes when needed).

The view from my bedroom window (rain this morning).

The Connexus building in downtown Deokso --right across
from McDonalds :) The front of our building is so crowded
with signs, there wasn't room for ours! (It's on the back).

There are 5 slots from 2:30 to 7:30pm for groups of up to 4 kids to have 50 min classes. I see the same kids everyday for an hour (so far, that's the bit of teaching that I'm enjoying the most: getting to know the kids/relationship building). Students range in age from 7 to 13; Korean age that is (it's calculated a little differently than Western age: you're 1 at birth, then 1 again on lunar New Year…so babies who're born at the end of December are considered two within a few days!!). Some of my phonics kids seem very young and it's hard for them to focus for the whole hour.

Mondays and Wednesdays are "Storybook Days" where we read fairy tales and work on introducing new vocabulary, pronunciation, reading comprehension and spelling. Tuesdays and Wednesdays are "Backpack Days." They're more grammar and workbook focused. Fridays are reserved for fun, hands-on activities like cooking or group games outside if the weather is nice. At the end of the month we have spelling and grammar tests and report cards are sent home to parents. Then we start a new unit (read a new fairy tale and have a new grammar focus).

Some pictures from activity days…

Pictionary in the Connexus lobby.

Group games outside.

I usually walk home, make supper and eat at 8:30 or so. Sometimes we eat out.

The burger place kitty-corner to the office...
This is a favourite of Matt and Karen's.

This house/restaurant is one of the last turns on the walk home.
There's always a sad-looking dog chained up outside.

My First 2 Weeks: A few pictures...

Hi Friends! Welcome to my blog. Here are a few pictures of my first two weeks in Korea :

1) New Connexus teachers by a sculpture on King Seojun (famed inventor of Hangul, the Korean alphabet). 

This was during a "Seoul Scavenger Hunt" made for us by the returning teachers, Sarah Wilson and Michaela Payne, as part of our orientation week.






Left to right: Ben Mast (Indiana), Matt Mayers (Edmonton), Karen Jantzen (Nebraska / Edmonton).

2) Eating out is a big thing; everything's pretty cheap. This was again in Seoul. The Bibimbap was really good (hot mixed rice and veggie dish seasoned with sesame oil and hot pepper paste). 

A cultural note: when you eat out it's customary to take turns treating for the meal. And often everyone eats the same thing from one dish…one of the things that'll take getting used to for this frugal / independent mennonite gal :)




3) There's a cemetery behind our apartments! Apparently, many Koreans think it's bad luck to live near a cemetery but I welcome the greenery and quiet.

4) Teachers take turns making weekday lunches for the Connexus staff. Sarah and I made Manduguk (a dumpling soup). Here we've just strained out the anchovies and seaweed that are the base of the broth.

5) One of many public exercise stations. This was early morning... most of the time it's in use.

A cultural note: Many people stay up very late and sleep in ("work hard, play hard" mentality). It's common to work late into the evening and eat supper at 9:30 or 10pm. Most public service places (e.g. banks) only open at 10am.

6) Right outside our apartment's front door: drying hot peppers on the cement, clothes on the railing…It's so humid here but outside is still the best way to dry things (no drying machines).

7) Just past the cemetery and hill, over the creek, heading toward the Connexus office. These I-Park apartments are where lots of our students live.

8) My classroom. We met the kids on Friday (group activities outside) and regular classes begin tomorrow!!

9) Yesterday's wedding! Donguk and Hyesun, two KOPI (Korea Peacebuilding Institute) staff were married yesterday. Connexus and KOPI staff sang a Korean pop song and "Give Yourself to Love" by Kate Wolf.