3:40 AM
Sho
Yes. I’m getting a new co-teacher. I feel like Littlefoot losing his
mother in The Land Before Time. How will I survive without the patience,
good humor, and dedication of Young Rak? He has been an amazing help
in navigating my first week here – driving me to the bank, hospital,
phone place, etc., and translating everything for me. Not to mention
coming up with amazing lesson plans (but not forgetting to ask for
input) and disciplining the classroom in a stern but humorous way.
My new co-teacher is fresh on the field – 22 (American age) – and new to the school. Basically one new student joined the fifth grade and he/she pushed it over the student class size allowance, so another fifth grade class is being created, and Young Rak is being assigned as their class teacher (“homeroom teacher”) and the school is hiring someone new to teach with me. Which will probably be fine if she’s flexible and decent at English. Still, I’m sad. The news came like this:
Young Rak: “I should be a homeroom teacher.”
Me (rolling eyes): No. You’re fine here. (He had warned me a couple days ago that the switch might happen, but that they might keep him in English and hire someone new for the homeroom).
Later: Young Rak: The new English teacher is Singhee.
Me: What?! They told you?
Young Rak: Yes. I said to you I should be a homeroom teacher.
Me: (Thinking about how to explain that saying “I should be a homeroom teacher” is different than
“I will be a homeroom teacher,” and deciding it’s not worth trying.) OK.
She starts Monday. I asked what she’s been doing – sitting around hoping for a job? (I’m not sure what the supply/demand for general teachers is like here). He didn’t know, but she might have been subbing.
This will be like getting a new roommate, but a little bit worse because you can leave/ignore a bad roommate, but you can’t do much about a workmate. I’m optimistic, but it’s a bummer that we’ll both be new to the school.
**
You can tell a lot about a nation by its grocery stores. Or rather, you can tell a lot about the eating habits of a nation by its grocery stores. (Yes, I’m profound like that.) So…Korean grocery stores. My local, decent sized SM mart (not one of the really big chains here), has Tropicana orange juice, but no butter. Or no butter the few times I’ve been – it might have been out of stock. It has a very limited bread section, and no brown/wheat loaves of bread. But it does have imported sweet Gerkins (you bet I bought some), a ton of spam, and an aisle devoted to Ramen type creations.
Foodwise, Korea also appears to be obsessed with bakeries – specifically Paris Baguette and Tous Les Jours – and donut type shops (Dunkin' Donuts), as well as cafes/coffee shops (though those are on every corner in the States as well.)
My new co-teacher is fresh on the field – 22 (American age) – and new to the school. Basically one new student joined the fifth grade and he/she pushed it over the student class size allowance, so another fifth grade class is being created, and Young Rak is being assigned as their class teacher (“homeroom teacher”) and the school is hiring someone new to teach with me. Which will probably be fine if she’s flexible and decent at English. Still, I’m sad. The news came like this:
Young Rak: “I should be a homeroom teacher.”
Me (rolling eyes): No. You’re fine here. (He had warned me a couple days ago that the switch might happen, but that they might keep him in English and hire someone new for the homeroom).
Later: Young Rak: The new English teacher is Singhee.
Me: What?! They told you?
Young Rak: Yes. I said to you I should be a homeroom teacher.
Me: (Thinking about how to explain that saying “I should be a homeroom teacher” is different than
“I will be a homeroom teacher,” and deciding it’s not worth trying.) OK.
She starts Monday. I asked what she’s been doing – sitting around hoping for a job? (I’m not sure what the supply/demand for general teachers is like here). He didn’t know, but she might have been subbing.
This will be like getting a new roommate, but a little bit worse because you can leave/ignore a bad roommate, but you can’t do much about a workmate. I’m optimistic, but it’s a bummer that we’ll both be new to the school.
**
A few items from one of my first shopping trips. Spaghetti was about $1.50, everything else was under $10 I believe.
You can tell a lot about a nation by its grocery stores. Or rather, you can tell a lot about the eating habits of a nation by its grocery stores. (Yes, I’m profound like that.) So…Korean grocery stores. My local, decent sized SM mart (not one of the really big chains here), has Tropicana orange juice, but no butter. Or no butter the few times I’ve been – it might have been out of stock. It has a very limited bread section, and no brown/wheat loaves of bread. But it does have imported sweet Gerkins (you bet I bought some), a ton of spam, and an aisle devoted to Ramen type creations.
Foodwise, Korea also appears to be obsessed with bakeries – specifically Paris Baguette and Tous Les Jours – and donut type shops (Dunkin' Donuts), as well as cafes/coffee shops (though those are on every corner in the States as well.)
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