Week 14 - What do you mean it gets COLDER?

Basically everyone around me, telling me about the weather.

 I've been told that winter was coming.

 Brah, it is 5-degrees Celsius outside.
 (41-degrees Fahrenheit)

 What do you mean it gets COLDER??????

 It's barely October! And yet here I am, wearing long-everything, scarf, jacket, and a hat, wondering why I'm still cold. I'm about to experience a literal winter and I am not ready.

But don't get me wrong. I am excited for a few things this coming season. Like...snow~!

Having lived in Florida for 14-ish years, snow isn't something you see in person. Not really. And without knowing, I embraced the Floridian life quite a bit. Heat and sunshine? I know how to handle that pretty well. I still complain, but that's because it's still hot.

So yes, snow!

Had a dream this week that I saw gigantic snow flakes in front of my face. More than likely that dream was sparked by how cold its been getting, but hey. Snowflakes the size of my face? They're beautiful.

Who knew I was so artistic when I slept?

I'm also very interested to see how South Korea handles winter here. Such as, what foods pop up? Music? What about fashion? Will work/school have snow days? I mean, it's already different since I have most of Janurary off for the winter holidays, but work all of December. For me, that's a bit backwards, but I'm taking a wild guess that it's even colder in Janurary?

As the days grow colder, I will be getting my hands on hot teas and cocoa, thick blankets, and my package from home that has all my winter stuff in it. Like boots, socks (the fuzzy kind. What are we, plebs?), sweaters, and my wintercoat.

Word of warning to anyone moving to Korea and is stuck with the 2 suitcase rule as I was. You can have your winter clothes shipped (if you come during the summer and it's a literal heatwave in constant effect). Just make sure of one thing. If you're accustom to a more tropical climate, and lived in a place known for its sunshine, make sure your package gets to you within the first week of October. Because September will betray your trust in the coldest of ways that keeps getting colder.

If you wanna keep up with the shenangians that I find myself in, please hit the 'FOLLOW' button on the right!

#SaveOurToya

Week 10 - Korean Bathhouses

I really shouldn't worry about not having something to post about. Because every week, I do something or see something that is blog worthy. Work was rough this week, but I also went to a Korean bathhouse and relaxed like nobody's business.

Between the two, I'm sure you can guess what I'm gonna talk about it (you know, if the title of the post didn't give it away...)

You: "Oh, you took a bath? Good for you."

Ha!

I didn't just take a bath. I took a bath with 30 other women. 

Well...basically.

We weren't all in the same bath, but I saw more naked people in 1 hour than I ever have in my whole life combined. It was quite the experience!

Many of you back home must be wondering just what am I getting myself into over in Korea?

It's not signing myself up for an unexpected trip unknowingly...at least not in this post. I purposefully agreed to go to the Korean bathhouse, or as it is known in Korea a 찜질방. And yes, I knew I would be stripping down naked where other women can see me. I did not go into this blind.

I went into this experience as one should, open-minded. A 찜질방 is a very common and popular place for Korean families to come and relax or have a weekend getaway. And while I'm not Korean, and trust me, we all knew that I wasn't, I didn't feel singled out or uncomfortable. 

Being Black in America comes with a lot of extra baggage that your forced to deal with whether you want to or not. And being staring at, no matter where I go or what I do, is quite common.

Get ready to have your mind blown, but I think I got less stares in the bath than I did on the street.

Crazy, right?

Here I am, naked as the day I was born, getting less stares, where I could literally stand in the middle of the street, conservatively dressed, and be the focus of people at all times.

It boggles the mind.

That aside, I had a great time! I was at the bathhouse to celebrate a friend's birthday, which may sound weird, but I low key wish I had thought of it first. I was so relaxed after a month of teaching and adjusting to my new life here in Korea.

We also stayed the night and were never short of snackage or good conversation. I do wish, that I hadn't been as tired as I was. I was so tired that my contacts were doing the thing where you can't see anything.

By the time we checked out, my body was completely relaxed, my vision was back, my skin was ridiculously smooth, and I was ready to face the day in a way I haven't in quite some weeks!

My advice is this: if you ever find yourself the chance of going to a bathhouse, go! It might be a little nerve-wracking (what with the naked part...), but you won't regret it!

#SaveOurToya

I hope you had a great birthday Matt! Though the 찜질방 threw me for a loop as a birthday location, you chose well~! May this year bring your many experiences with even better memories!

Week 8 - Consistency is a Thing of the Past...Apparently

For a second there, I didn't know what I was going to post about...

But then I remember something that happened during Day 2 of teaching.

I don't think you'll ever guess what happened. (Unless we happened to speak to each other during this week.)

Five minutes before I was about to teach my last class of the day, literally FIVE minutes, I get a "Toya-teacher, hi. Can you teach for three hours...straight?" (There was a lot more stop and go, with mistranslations and lots of confusion. But it boils down to that.)

Please note, that I only had a single lesson plan in my hand, wasn't even that good of a lesson plan, that would last for 40 minutes.

Now, I haven't had a math class in quite some time...BUT! Crazy thing, I do know that 40 minutes does not equal three hours.

In my head, "FUCK."

What I actually said, "Three hours? Where? The computer room? Okay!" And skipped my internally freaking out behind back to the first floor where the kids were waiting for me.

Y'all...I really don't know how I survived it. But somehow...I did it.

Looking back, I can hear what one of my favorite coworkers use to say all the time. "Consistency is key!" Out of everyone in our office, she was the one to remain consistent for the two years that I was working there. And she has a point.

Consistency is so important. It helps keep things organized and succinct.

But the way I'm feeling it while being in Korea...not so much.

But before we get all 'rawr rawr' about it, there are some things to keep in mind. Yes, it was day two, and WTF!?, but also. It was Day 2. My schedule is still tentative as they try out having a full-time English teacher. And yes. I am the English teacher. Not the assistant.

There is definitely a language barrier. And that can be really intimidating on getting information across quickly and confidently. Not that it's an excuse, but it is a factor that plays a role whether we like it or not.

Also, did I mention I was their first full-time ETA? Yeah. It's all a bit crazy.

Hopefully, things get better for next week!

So, I want to hear your thoughts! Do you think you'd be okay with someone springing a three-hour class on you all of a sudden? What are your thoughts on consistency? How would you have handled this situation?

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

#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

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

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

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

Week 3 - Technical Difficulties

This last week has been a struggle. Not so much about homesickness or loneliness. But technologically.

Monday, after coming home from Sokcho, my laptop decided it would be a great time to stop working. I could not get further than the sign-in screen.

My laptop tried me for three days. And they were the most inopportune three days it could've picked to get a virus. Shit hit the fan on Sunday and I had a lesson plan due Wednesday at 11:59pm. I tried restarting my laptop. Letting the battery die and then restarting it. So many times of restarting!!! I tried repairing. Resetting. AND recovering.


The 4-Rs.

*shudders* God, that sounded horrible.

I reached out to my 79 closest friends in Korea, and unless I had a mac (I don't), they weren't able to help me. 센상님 was able to tell me where a repair shop was, but my schedule was so busy, I was not able to finesse my way to it in a timely manner for Wednesday.

It was a true struggle of stress, impatience, and culture shock.

The culture shock came into play when I realized I had no idea how to look up a computer repair shop due to my limited Korean, google maps does not work here (okay...well it does, but kinda. It's very limited in information. There are other apps that are used in the country), and I had no idea how I would even explain the situation I was in to the Korean equivalent to Geek Squad.

So yeah, while juggling with that, I was revising my first lesson plan to teach the next day with my first co-teacher, and also arranging that second lesson plan that's due on Wednesday with my second co-teacher.

I almost forgot to mention how I was trying to get in touch with my parents for a good part. I needed to have a password for my laptop, but my dad set it up and Papa Bear wasn't picking up.

How was I balancing any of this out?

Well, thank God cellphones are little handheld computers. I was finessing on google docs like a pro.

And then...Tuesday night rolled around. And I stumbled across something while trying to "hack" my laptop, despite already having arranged a time to go to the repair shop on Thursday. It was a different kind of "restoring". I bit the bullet and decided that it wasn't like I could make it any worse. (That's a lie. I really could've. But let me live my hacker dream, Fam.)

I did what I'm good at doing when faced with options. I made a decision.

For the next two hours, my laptop would restart multiple times as it restored itself (I prayed). I made sure to inform my 79 friends that "I hacked my computer. Pray for me". Or something along those lines.

A little bit before midnight, my laptop was saved.

I saved it.

Me.

It was a glorious and fulfilling moment.

Truly wonderful.

Next thing that happens...I go to bed five minutes later, slept for six hours, woke up, ran through the revised lesson plan for the last time, taught my first class...ever, lunch, four hour culture workshop that low-key inspired me to go back to school, dinner, worked on my second plan on my improved laptop, and finally went out in celebration for a job well done.

Because I earned it.

More so than usual. 😀

Listen, you can take the girl out of Germany, but not the German out of the girl.

True story.

Now excuse me...I need to go buy some protection for my laptop to prevent this mess from happening again.

#SaveOurToya

Week 2 - La's Placement

Hands slightly shaking with sweaty palms. Breaths coming faster, but controlled. Blood rushing to my ears. Clenching fingers squeeze briefly before letting go.

It was go time.

When I heard my name, all the worries and noises went away. I knew what I had to do during my Placement Ceremony. 

It was go time.

Paper in hand, standing straight in front of Director Shim, I gave a 90-degree bow and was then off to place my sticker on the map. 

It was go time.

Clearly...its in the red part...

I have the honor to be teaching at 주상초등학교 (Jusang Elementary School) in 거창군 (Geochang county). It is the province of 경상남도(Gyeongsangnam-do). And by the looks of it, it's a small village school! While some of my fellow ETAs are going to be teaching 500+ students, I will be teaching what looks to be 19 students. 

That's right, Fam.

You read that right.

19 students.

As in ten plus nine equals nineteen! 

I will be taking whatever chance I can to practice/learn Korean as my students will be working hard to learn English! If teacher can do it, so can they!

Relatedly, I don't know how well y'all know your Korean education systems, but elementary school goes up to sixth grade. And since ETAs start teaching at third grade, I will have 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th graders. My fourth grade class looks to be the biggest with ten students. My smallest classes have three students. 

Fam, I can't lie here. These are literally the numbers I was given/researched through the internet.

Do I have any concerns?

Well, I did. I mean, I went from city beautiful, to what looks to be a mountain township. It'll be a big change. And I think I'm ready for that. This is what I've been waiting for these last three years - a challenge! - and I'm ready!

But what I am preparing myself for is being the first black person the people in my township may be meeting. It doesn't look like there were any former ETAs at this school, it's a small place and up in a mountainous area. Then here I come in all my wonderful, beautiful glory or a hot mess. Not only am I representing America and Fulbright, but the black community for this township.

I am really thankful that I've had the chance to talk to former/renewing ETAs who are black and discussed their experiences. It's helped settle a lot of my concerns.

However, I don't think I can get rid of my all of my concern just yet. Not until I'm there and have established myself!

With my placement mostly out of the way, it's all about meeting my Placement Family now! I'll be working hard on my Korean!

Until next week's post...make good choices Fam (like dropping a comment!)

#SaveOurToya

Posting Schedule

In my efforts to be an adult,  I made the decision to commit to a posting schedule. And after looking at my Orientation programming, it looks like it'll be easiest for me to post on Sundays for the next six or so weeks.

Now, that doesn't mean I won't be posting during the week, but I hope to have at least one post up by Sunday!

But there. Voila. This post is my commitment to you and myself.

Sunday is post day. 

#SaveOurToya