First Day Nerves

This is it. 

Today is my last night before I become a real teacher at Jusang Elementary School. What makes me finally 'real', you must be wondering?

I'm finally teaching a literal class tomorrow. 

I'm teaching four classes and yes, I am nervous as fuck.

Not so much in my teaching ability, but if I lesson planned well enough? Does that even make sense? 

If not...here's my defense: I've been sitting in the living room of my Homestay for the last 4 hours, making out my lesson plans. And before that, I was making a powerpoint for about an hour or so. It would've been less time, had I gotten more accurate information on where to start my lesson planning to begin with. 

The hardest part in a new job is the starting point. 

The messier your information, the harder it is to get your mind around everything.

I do pride myself in being able to sort out things out quickly and efficiently. But still...I'm allowed to be nervous!

It's normal!!!!

At least that's what I keep telling myself. 

So here's what I'm jumping into:

There has never been a Fulbright ETA at this school before me. They have one traveling teacher, who jumps between three schools. I am in contact with her, and bless that I am. Knowing where the kids left off before their break is much better on where to start, than suddenly being two chapters ahead. 

Which was the information I got on Friday. And on Friday, I banged out like four lesson plans, they were beautiful. But now...nevermind. Gotta use them later. Maybe in October?

I almost forgot!!

Don't let it fool you. This is not set.

Annndddddd, let's not forget that I don't even know my full schedule yet. I'll find out tomorrow. 

During go time. 

I feel like I'm a new driver with one foot on the gas, the other on the break, and another on the clutch. It's like I have three feet, two legs, with the street signs blown away by the typhoon. 

Gah.

So. Much. Gah.

Lesson learned (pun NOT intended): At the end of each class, semester, year, whatever...write where you left off. It's not only a good benefit for yourself, but also the next person coming in. You definitely want your administrative staff to be aware as well. 

Communication is so important, folks. I mean...don't leave home without it, important. 

There's so many other things going on, why make it harder?

My next post will be on Week 8 to talk about my first week in class. Any predictions on what's going to happen? I'd love to hear about it!

If you want to get updates on the latest #SaveOurToya shenanigans, please hit the FOLLOW  button to the right. I mean, why not? 

I'm a peach.

#SaveOurToya

Chopstick Search

That moment when you're making yourself ramen but can't find the silverware in the kitchen so you go on a search for a solid 15 minutes when you realize there was a hidden drawer in the bigger drawer where you remember seeing them last time.

Life be trying me...

#SaveOurToya

Week 7 - Future Goals

Hi.

Can we take a minute to talk about my host family? Particularly, my host parents?

Because these are the lives I want to have.

They are happily married, sixth sense, and doing the happy couple thing. That's great and all things cute.

But. It's this next part that is, in my opinion, the best part.

Despite being extremely happy with their jobs, fully employed and well off, they live like they're retirees.

Not a care in the world, but completely determined. (Only retirees can be so paradoxical.)

They have a cabin. In the woods. Not just any woods. Up on a mountain.

Where they spend just as much time as they do in their town home. Pretty sure they'd rather be in their cabin on the mountain than in their town home. Not that it's a crazy bad town. It's cute and relaxing.

You can see the whole town from their apartment. I love it!

So hi. I'm Toya. I'm 24 years old and want to be a retiree.

Moving right along...

My host parents have been very nice to me, and quite funny. I want to say that they've gotten comfortable with me rather quickly and I with them.

Well, let me rephrase that. I don't feel hesitant to ask questions or to stumble through our language barrier.

That language barrier? It's there. There's no way it'll just disappear. Fact is fact.

But, I try here and there to add what little Korean I know, so that I can lessen the burden on their side.

What I do worry about is that I hope they're okay with me being a quiet person. I tend to be on the more quiet side until I'm comfortable and relaxed. Who knows when that part of me appears, but that'll happen at it's own time. And hey! Maybe by then, my Korean will be better?

They have been so kind to me, fixing my Korean whenever I stumble through or teaching me new words. I've learned how to say, 'what a waste'. Sounds like something my retiree persona would say all the time...

What do you guys think are some other phrases I should learn how to say?

Also! Before I forget, I wanted to show off the beautiful mountains that surround my little town! Please enjoy them~! (The last three are pictures from up on the mountain!)

당동	당동	당동

#SaveOurToya

First Day Lesson Planning

Before Orientation ended, we had to create a lesson plan for our first day. I was trying to be all smart and proactive by creating it on Google Slides so that I'll have access to it wherever and whenever.

But guess what I found out a few days ago.

No wifi.

So, no internet in the classroom...unless I'm willing to use my phone has a hot spot. Mmm, Mama ain't got that kinda data plan.

Which is why these last two days, I've been reworking my lesson plan to a none online source, that isn't Microsoft Powerpoint (since I lost access to it due to a whole other problem).

Y'all, my life is a hot mess and I don't know why...

#SaveOurToya

Day 1 at my Homestay

My first morning here was very nerve-wracking. I was a bit sick to my stomach really.

I had taken a bite of my bread with jam, thinking how different such a familiar thing tasted and suddenly, it was getting really hard to chew.

I really don't know how I did it. And when I swallowed it, it felt like a rock going down. I had to put my bread down and take a sip from my drink. I was so relieved when it went down without an issue.

I had to take a bite, sip at my drink, back and forth for a good ten minutes.

It was the worst wave of homesickness I ever got while being in Korea. I hadn't realized that my cohort had kept so much of the unfamiliar at bay while we were together. Sure, we were kind of isolated in Songdo, but still. Everything around us was very Korean.

During breakfast, I thought I would be struggling with this uncomfortable-ness for the rest of the day, but I didn't.

My Homestay fam took me out and we relaxed in a remote location where I was surrounded by nature and fresh air (featured in my week 7 post!). I didn't even have my phone with me (just my camera!). I don't think I'll ever be able to tell them how thankful I was that they let me join them on their outing.

I really needed it.

It's Day 2 right now, and as it stands...I'm a lot more calm...and confident in my actions and motions.

I know it'll come back...but for now. I will just enjoy the calmness.

#SaveOurToya

Shoutout to my OCTs~!

Orientation for six weeks is a long time. Even though it felt like time flew, all of could not have been possible without ETAB.

But mostly...it would've been nothing without our awesome Orientation Coordinator Team.

Seriously, the hard work that they put into making our six weeks go well is extremely appreciated.

Every issue that came up, they were able to adapt and adjust as needed. They really busted their butts for us. On top of checking in on us throughout the Orientation to make sure we were okay.

The six of them really made these six weeks something memorable for me. I'm sure the rest of my cohort would agree~!

As it stands, I will be applying to be part of the coordinator team for the cohort that comes next year!

Wish me luck~!

#SaveOurToya

Week 6 - 79 Goodbyes...80 Hellos

Wow. I don't even know where to start...

Usually I have a good jumping off point (at least, I feel like I do...), but today...I'm truly lost in what to say.

Let's start with some facts.

1- Week 6 is the final week of my Orientation period. That's right friends and family, I have been here for 6 weeks, and my Orientation is officially up.

2- I have completed 110 hours of Korean Language Instruction at Yonsei University at the Songdo Campus. Still need to work on it though...

3- I taught in two separate English classes at an English Summer Camp (FEP). Which had been nerve-wracking at first, but has made me more confident as a teacher in the long run~!

4- I was at the US Embassy in Seoul where I met the Ambassador. Was not expecting that...

5- Vacationed in Sokcho for a weekend. Will definitely be going again!

6- Had a fantastic roommate for the whole Orientation period. Truly. Thanks again, Kaby! These last six weeks would've been a different kind of adventure if it weren't for you.

7- ...

You know what? I think I'm going to stop this list here. Because at this rate, I'll just keep going with no end in sight...

But, bonus points...I figured out what I wanted to write about!

My cohort.

Looking back, I don't think I've really spoken about them...not really...right?

It's not because they're horrible people. Far from it. It's because I had no idea on how to discuss 80 people in a single post without it being excessively long.

Spoilers: ...I can't.

80 people is way too long to give individual shoutouts. You can trust me on this. We have to count to 80 for attendance. (We spice things up by counting down to 1.) Even something as small as saying a number can be a challenge...apparently.

So unfortunately, I won't be giving individual shoutouts.

Now then...this cohort...the 2018-19 Fulbright Korea cohort...

In a single word?

친구 - Friends

What had once been 79 strangers are now 79 people who I can look to for support, laughter, exasperation, safety, and even irritation. For what is family without someone to be irritating?

This week- no...these six weeks, the 80 of us have gone through so many challenges and have come out better for it in the end. I am proud to be in this cohort, regardless of the passive aggressive memes. I am happy that we had six weeks to orient ourselves in this country as much as we could before going to our placement. In some way or another, each person has inspired me to be better.

Do better.

Even those individuals who I've barely spoken to. Crazy as that may sound, there are some individuals that I've barely spoken to in this cohort. It's not because of avoidance, but just...so much is happening that I'm already at Week 6/heading to my placement before I had the chance to really sit down catch my breath.

Where has the time gone, Fam?

Before I get all emotional and start crying on my laptop, I want to send warm wishes to my cohort! We'll all be in separate corners of this country, some lucky enough to be in the same city- or by ourselves (like me!), but we'll still be connected to each other because of these six weeks.

I know we'll have our good days. And definitely our bad days.

But I want you all to know, you're not alone. You have 79 guaranteed friends that are a group chat away. Share with us the good. The bad. The ugly. The beautiful. Let us laugh with you. Cry with you. Hold you.

You will all be wonderful and talented teachers!

So really, this isn't 79 goodbyes.

It's 80 hellos to new places. New experiences. And new memories!

#SaveOurToya

So I Kinda Climbed a Mountain...

Oh my gawd. Who let me figure out how to use the record button on my phone? This is my first vlog ever. I have no editing software and this is all me. #NoFilter #ImAMess #SaveOurToya

Just a little context. I recorded this a couple of weeks ago...August 1st to be exact. I went on a little..."excursion"...

As I said, if you think I should add vlogs to my posting schedule, let me know! Leave a comment down below on your thoughts!

Superlative for 2018-19

Guess who got the superlative of Most Likely to Actually Maintain their Blog this Year?

Here's a picture of me in Seoul~!

Me.

I did.

No pressure...right?

Fingers crossed it actually happens~!

Though, this may be a good time to mention...after my Week 6 blog, I'm putting up a warning that Week 7 may be delayed or combined with Week 8! I will be settling into my Homestay and possibly starting school right away.

Which means...I don't know my schedule yet! Sunday Post Day may be switching.

So, there's your warning.

#SaveOurToya

Week 5 - Finals...ugggghhhhh

This week's post is going to be rather short. I'm not gonna lie. It was a little hard to sit down and write a post for today. Not because it was emotionally draining, I was just really- really busy.

Between preparing for Finals, taking my final, going to Seoul, meeting the Ambassador, Dynasty Bonding, and seeing Mamma Mia 2, I didn't have much of a chance to sit down and write out a post.

Each of these highlights deserve their own post, but I'm ready to move to the next part of my time here.

My placement.

This time next week, when my Week 6 post goes up, I will be settling into my placement!!!

That statement deserves three exclamations marks- I don't care what you say.

But, I should give some spotlight to what I went through this week.

Finals- Oh my gawd. I think I failed. I barely understood anything on that exam. What
evvveeeeennnnn?!?!? The night before, I studied for a eight hours, but nothing stuck. It was really bad. I'm just going to leave it here.

Seoul- We took a train to Seoul, which was fine. But I think I need to get better shoes. My feet would start hurting almost immediately. Taking the subway here includes lots of standing, lots of stairs, but barely any money. So, there are small favors there. We went to Seoul to go to the Fulbright Building, KAEC is one of the few (very few) commissions that has their own building, where we heard a doctor explain extra medical things to us. Good stuff to know. But afterwards, we went to the embassy for a pool party and had American food again. Which was great! And it was at that time we met the Ambassador.

2018-19 Fulbright Korea Cohort at the Embassy pool party

Dynasty Bonding- Took up most of my Sunday, so there wasn't any time to write my post.

Mamma Mia 2- It was such a feel good movie~! I'm glad I went. Anni and I decided to hop over to Megabox and had quite the experience. Garlic popcorn. That's all I have to say on that front.

I'll do better next post! See you around, Fam~!

#SaveOurToya

Stronger than I Look - First Month Update

My feelings have reached a new level of exasperation. I am frustrated, apathetic, amused, challenged content, tired, disappointed, excited, and inspired. So much has happened in this month between meeting everyone in my cohort, teaching for the first time, workshops, and trying to figure out what this year will bring me.

Instead of studying for my midterm, I wanted to get something off my chest.

This last week has been...a challenge. I'm not too sure if I can get the words out- hell, I don't even think I can properly express these emotions properly.

Please be patient as I try to put feelings into words. This may be all over the place, but...meh. I'm okay with that.

During one of our workshops, Culture Shock was explained to us. It's not the first time I've heard of it, and I've learned some techniques to handle it during my many travels/moves. Thankfully, I haven't had to experience the intensity that Culture Shock can reach in my past.

But maybe I'll feel it while in South Korea? The culture is quite different from home and anywhere else I've traveled. It's still undetermined, but I'm hopeful that everything will work itself out the way it needs to.

I'm mentioning Culture Shock, because that's probably the first thing others bring up when what I'm about to express is used as an explanation for my feelings. And fine, it may play a role, but if it's one thing I know well, it's that there's more to a story, person, and feeling.

Everything has an origin story, but so much goes into that story that leaving anything out is not only a disservice to the story, but something else entirely. I cannot blame my emotions on Culture Shock, not alone.

Alright, enough stalling. Time to jump right in to the heart of the matter.

I want to read my posts from April and May, to see where my emotions were back then, but I'm hesitant. I had hopes and goals that I wanted to meet. I fear that reading those posts will bring my disappointment to the forefront. No one likes being disappointed in themselves. One day, I'll look at them again, but I don't think I'm in the right place currently to do that.

Why is dealing with emotions such a struggle?

I think I've reached a point in my Orientation where I'm asking myself why am I here. Yes...I have a duty as a cultural ambassador while here under Fulbright's name. A responsibility I am honored to uphold and wish nothing more than to be successful for my country and my communities that I represent, support, and adore.

I want nothing more than to do right by my students and my Homestay Family.

But...I want to do something more.

And yet...what is that more?

I titled this post Stronger than I Look, for two reasons. 1) A friend of mine recently gave me news that I'm on the right path that I need to be on. I will come across trials that may appear daunting, but I have what it takes to get passed it.

And 2) a shout-out to my past. Since as far back as I can recall, I've always took on many tasks and have made it my point to exceed all expectations no matter the request. Of course, I also know how to say 'no'. But more often than not, my quick mind comes up with multiple solutions or answers before I turn to 'no'.

Though my strength exists...I'm also tired. Perhaps, I should hold off on the more and take my time to live a life without the demands that I'm familiar with. I'm still not done with my journey, but there's no shame in getting off at a nearby rest stop. Who knows when I'll get this chance again to stretch my legs, using the bathroom, and restock?

What are my emotions?

What are my actions?

Who knows. But as of now, with one month behind me since I've come to Korea, guess we'll just have to wait and see what I get up to.

#SaveOurToya

Week 4 - FEP

안녕하세요!

Hope you've all been well since the last post. No technical difficulties on my end, that's for sure. I am officially my own IT team. I should make myself a certificate or something. Make it official.

Y'all must be wondering what I got up to this last week. Well, this post I'm actually going to focus on a program I took part in for two weeks during my orientation. It's called: Fulbright English Program, or FEP for short.

It is a summer camp for students to come to and be immersed into the English language (well, as much as one can be while staying in country). The program has six classes with roughly 13 students per class. That's roughly 78 students running around for two weeks.

Lord, I haven't been surrounded by so many kids since...

...I actually don't know.

Haha, that might sound a bit bad, what with me being a teacher in three weeks. (Three weeks!??!?!)

But that's why I'm a bit thankful that FEP is held during orientation. It was really nice to interact with the kids and be able to stretch that teaching muscle I've been working on. For two weeks, I was surrounded by elementary to high school age kids, who are restricted to only speaking English (as are we) and learning about each other!


I gotta say, a lot of these kids started off very shy, but a the minute you take a breather, it's like they took a complete 180 and you're balancing three different conversations.

I'm very proud of all of the kids who came to FEP this year. While I haven't had the chance to meet them all individually, the ones that I interacted with, their confidence grew in the couple of weeks we were together.

FEP from a Fulbrighter's Perspective

First things, first. The dress code.

Where to start...well...I went from a relaxed, college environment to the 1800s. We have to be covered up, and as a Floridian, layering your clothes = heatstroke. So the fact that I even have cardigans is a miracle. (Also, money? What is money?) No shoulders, no toes, and no more than two fingers above the knee.

Guess who rolled in from a weekend in Sokcho in short shorts, a T-shirt, and some sandals. Spoilers: Iz me.

I have been cruising around in slacks and long sleeves. Which would be fine, when the A/C is on and the weather was at least mildly comfortable. Which...good luck on both those fronts.

Korea is very pro eco-friendly, which is lit. I love how thoughtful they are...but...A/C is pretty lit too. Not much we can do for the outside, but inside the building, a little cooler air in the hallways would be nice.

Like really, really nice.

Dress code aside, I had a lot of fun teaching during FEP. As I mentioned, FEP is a summer camp for students to come and be immersed in the English language. It happens alongside our orientation as it is also an opportunity for us to teach as well! I taught two classes that had a mix of ages and experience with English. I had a co-teacher for both lessons, and together, we created some fun and interactive lessons for the kids to enjoy! (Despite my computer having an early life crisis...)

I'm really glad we had the opportunity to teach before we went to our placement. It allowed me to realize where my weak points are in teaching and what I need to work on. Such as my Teacher's Voice. I may small classes, but it's important to catch student's attention quickly. Also, if I have any rambunctious kids, I'll need to be able to effectively handle anything that may pop up. One can only finesse so much.

Another thing FEP allows us to take part in, is Night Fun and Activity Weekend. And hour to two hours where we get to hang out with the kids outside of the classroom. These kids are so awesome! And creative! Some of the things they say, you never see coming!

Honestly, these students are cute!

They make me excited for my soon to be students!

These last two weeks really have been a great learning opportunity for everyone and has truly made me even more excited to teach.

Make good choices.

#SaveOurToya

Sokcho - 속초시

Oh my gosh! A post that isn't on Sunday!?

Haha, yeah it's been a while...a little over a week....maybe?

You might hate me, but I've finally got around to making my post about Sokcho! (All pictures can be found at the end of the post if they are not strategically placed within the post~!)As you can see in the header of this post, I even included the Korean spelling! Sokcho is a city on the east coast of South Korea. If you were to google it, you'd see that it's pretty close to the DMZ. In fact, it was the only time I actually saw military anything while being here.

And even then, it wasn't like they were armed. They were going to the convenience store for a snack or waiting for the bus. Nothing crazy army-like.

Sokcho is known for its beaches and back in July 2016, it was the only place in South Korea where you could play Pokémon GO. Government mapping restrictions...according to Wikipedia.

And if you know me, I don't play Pokémon GO, but I do like going to the beach!

It was a nice reminder of home, to be honest.

Temple we went to

Friday: The bus ride was nice going there. It was roughly four hours long, with a stop around mid-way through. When we got there, it was a little bit past noon. We had limited programming, where we learnt about Buddhism and Korea. It was rather interesting, and I enjoyed seeing the Buddhist temple afterwards. Despite the hot humidity and glaring down on you sun, it was a nice temple visit. We even had dinner at the temple, which was a unique experience in itself!

All I gotta say is: dem potatoes tho!!!!

After the temple, a few of us found our way to a 7/11, grabbed a variety of soju bottles and snackies, grabbed a table outside and had fun. After two intense weeks of Orientation with two following weeks of FEP, we needed a moment to just relax and realize that we were definitely not in America anymore.

Before I forget, we stayed in the Class 300 hotel!

We off to the beach~!

Saturday: The relaxation continued. Some of us found our way to the beach (me) whereas others went hiking (definitely not me - waaayyyy too hot for that). What was supposed to be a quick trip to the beach turned into a four to five hour stay. My tanning game was as strong as ever and I easily got four to five shades darker. Unlike others, who got sunburnt (No shade, fam!).

Angelina's birthday cake

Saturday was also a good friend's birthday. And because it was their birthday, a few of us wanted to surprise them with a cake! That was when Crap-How-We-Going-To-Finesse-This-Happy-Birthday-Plan came alive. While (Anni) was tasked with distracting the birthday bae, Tae Hee and I finessed a birthday cake.

It took a little bit to find the bakery, but when we did. Oh thank Jesus for air conditioning and pretty cakes! I wish I had taken a picture of the cakes, but I did get a picture of the cake we ended up picking. 😀

Angelina Beelina, thank you for letting us celebrate your birthday with you!

Grilling AT the table

There was also went to a really yummy place for dinner. It's the type of place you go to where you can grill your own meat at your table. I have to give a shout out to my girl Anni, who looked like a literal pro as she cooked for us. (I also think she was the youngest at our table..., which works out nicely.)

We ended the night at 노레방. Or as we like to say in English, Karaoke. It's not what we know it as though. Karaoke in Korea is where you and your group of friends get to go into your own rooms, and have your own karaoke party. Whereas in the states, you perform in front of a crowd. A lot less pressure. BUT! at 노레방 we were being scored. That took me by surprise. Haha~!

At the end, we went our separate ways back to our hotel room.

But. In Tae Hee, Angelina, and my room...karaoke continued. We didn't get to sleep until around midnight.

Sunday: We left Sokcho a little bit after breakfast. And I thought it would take a nice comfortable four hours, like it was on our way up.

I couldn't have been more wrong. Instead...it took us eight hours.

4 hours < 8 hours

You may be wondering why...good question.

Honest answer: 2 museums, 1 lunch, free ice cream (thanks KAEC!), a bus stop, and traffic. Lots and lots of traffic.

And the kicker, the bus had no A/C. After the museums and lunch, I happened to wake up after falling asleep. After looking around, I found myself in the middle of a sleepover. Everyone, except for the bus driver, was out cold.

#FulbrightKoreaGrantees

Whether it was because of the heat, the adventures from the days previously, delayed jetlag, or the activites from that day alone, but we were all exhausted. [see image to the right]

When we got back to the Orientation site, we couldn't hang around as most of us were inappropriately dressed for FEP. So we went to our floor (7th Floor) and either crashed in our rooms, changed and mozied about, or something.

I honestly didn't pay too much attention to what the others were up to. I was tired and nasty. I took a shower and went to bed.

Overall, Sokcho is a nice place for a mini-vacation. The beach was nice, if a bit odd from my perspective. Back home, you can pretty much go swimming all along the coast. But here, there were designated swimming areas and barely any waves. The only waves that really came at us were the ones from the boats or jetskies zooming about.

The water was also really cold...

I think I'm going to see if a few of us ever want to go back for a weekend or another place along the coast. Can't go too long without seeing the beach!

Make good choices, Fam~!

#SaveOurToya

The pictures are a little all over...please bear with me until I figure this out!)

Look at our hotel room~!

View from the 15th floor dining room

Look how close we were to the ocean!

Anni!

  

Some of these views...just wow~!

Catch they next album in stores near you

That's the Pacific right there

Tae Hee looking all happy

Kristy~!

A different kind of beach-going

Back at it again

Featuring Toya

Chris and Curtis make an appearance too~!

Lilly pond~!

Anni didn't cook this time, but we still ate good~!

Kisses~! :*

A typical trip to 7/11