remember what I said about when I am too happy I ignore my blog? well, you can only imagine how much fun I'm having if I haven't updated in like a week.
I promise a better post in a later time, but for now I just want ring in on something.
A lot of people have been talking to me, concerned, about whether going to South Korea right now is a good idea or not. I am really grateful for all the concern but I let me just say that it is a fallacy that is true of Westerners, and particularly of Americans, to think that the rest of the world is unsafe when really, me being & living in the USA is not any MORE safe than being any where else in the world.
I am not trying to belittle the conflict going on between the two Koreas in any way, nor am I blatantly trying to disregard my personal safety, but ultimately, if and when I get accepted to go to S. Korea... I'm going. period.
MIRTH:
Blogging the delicious, the inane, the delightful, and the laughs of a twenty-something.
Showing posts with label Korea. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Korea. Show all posts
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
Teaching Chops
There's something that I've been thinking about a lot lately, and I still don't really know the answer to this conundrum. I wonder if I've got the chops to make it as a teacher...or even if I should be teaching in the first place.
Let me get this out of the way first: this is not about me doubting if I'm smart enough. Like, please. Okay that sounded way too egotistical. What I meant was that I learned a long time about that standing in front of a classroom doesn't necessarily mean you are smarter than everyone else who is sitting down. Far from it, in some cases. But I don't necessarily think that is a bad thing. If you don't know something fess up & turn it into a learning experience. Being in front of the classroom doesn't mean you have all the answers. That's not what teaching is supposed to be about.
The less ego you have in the classroom, the better.
Which is why I'm concerned.
Am I the only one cracking up at my lame jokes? Okay then, I'll stop.
The real reason why I'm concerned, is that I may not have a thick enough skin. The first semester I taught was kind of like HELL ON EARTH for me. I literally woke up in the morning dreading having to go to work. I would countdown the minutes until the end of the period...sometimes just letting them go early because I didn't want to have to deal with them anymore. I hated trying to plan things for class that I knew they wouldn't take seriously & by the end, I didn't care anymore either.
On a personal level, it was such a shock to see the sexism/ageism that happened. Fighting to get people to respect me and what I had to say was harder because I was younger & a girl. I as astounded to see that what I had to say meant less because it came out of my mouth.
And of course, I've always been one to take things personally. When students do poorly, I internalize it. When students dont do what I ask of them, I think its a reflection of me and my teaching skills. When students fail, I take it as my own personal failure.
I can't help it.
As I think about where my life is headed, I see teaching sort of on the horizon--whether it be here in the states or in korea. But teaching was never something that I imagined for myself. As me 3 years ago, 10 years ago, 20 years ago (omg I sound so old), what I wanted to do when I grew up, and teaching was never ever even a consideration.
And so I can't help but think, am I doing this because it makes the most sense? Instead of seizing an opportunity, am I just taking what's handed to me?
Because teachers, I feel, should want to teach. We've all had them. Teachers who should have never become teachers, but somehow are--and you can tell they hate teaching. Some will even own up to it. So how did they find themselves there?
I don't want to be one of those people.
Teaching is hard. It's not glamorous. It's rough. It's time consuming. It's taxing on your nerves, sanity, and emotions.
I also know its about developing a thick skin. By the second semester that I taught, I felt like I was more equipped to deal with students--its not that I was necessarily a better teacher, but that I maybe cared less, which sounds horrible. I cared less in the sense that I didn't let every little thing bother me. Because before I'd lose sleep over my students and my class. I'd stay up for hours, processing and agonizing every little thing that I had done wrong or had gone wrong. That second semester, I cared less. I had to, for my personal sanity.
And I can't also help but wonder, if it's so difficult for me now... how much worse in another country where I don't know the language?
On another note: apparently my documents all cleared in korea... I'm just waiting for my contract to be sent back to me. Any day now EPIK. any day now.
Also, I think I've made my new year's resolution for 2011-20112 (does that sound futuristic or anyone else? and by that I mean, we should be all flying our own spaceships & have our personal time machines?): learn korean. this resolution may extend for 2013 and beyond.
& note to self: get your butt back to learning korean. bc you marrying G-Dragon, TOP and Taeyang is not gonna happen with you only knowing english. kthxbai.
Let me get this out of the way first: this is not about me doubting if I'm smart enough. Like, please. Okay that sounded way too egotistical. What I meant was that I learned a long time about that standing in front of a classroom doesn't necessarily mean you are smarter than everyone else who is sitting down. Far from it, in some cases. But I don't necessarily think that is a bad thing. If you don't know something fess up & turn it into a learning experience. Being in front of the classroom doesn't mean you have all the answers. That's not what teaching is supposed to be about.
The less ego you have in the classroom, the better.
Which is why I'm concerned.
Am I the only one cracking up at my lame jokes? Okay then, I'll stop.
The real reason why I'm concerned, is that I may not have a thick enough skin. The first semester I taught was kind of like HELL ON EARTH for me. I literally woke up in the morning dreading having to go to work. I would countdown the minutes until the end of the period...sometimes just letting them go early because I didn't want to have to deal with them anymore. I hated trying to plan things for class that I knew they wouldn't take seriously & by the end, I didn't care anymore either.
On a personal level, it was such a shock to see the sexism/ageism that happened. Fighting to get people to respect me and what I had to say was harder because I was younger & a girl. I as astounded to see that what I had to say meant less because it came out of my mouth.
And of course, I've always been one to take things personally. When students do poorly, I internalize it. When students dont do what I ask of them, I think its a reflection of me and my teaching skills. When students fail, I take it as my own personal failure.
I can't help it.
As I think about where my life is headed, I see teaching sort of on the horizon--whether it be here in the states or in korea. But teaching was never something that I imagined for myself. As me 3 years ago, 10 years ago, 20 years ago (omg I sound so old), what I wanted to do when I grew up, and teaching was never ever even a consideration.
And so I can't help but think, am I doing this because it makes the most sense? Instead of seizing an opportunity, am I just taking what's handed to me?
Because teachers, I feel, should want to teach. We've all had them. Teachers who should have never become teachers, but somehow are--and you can tell they hate teaching. Some will even own up to it. So how did they find themselves there?
I don't want to be one of those people.
Teaching is hard. It's not glamorous. It's rough. It's time consuming. It's taxing on your nerves, sanity, and emotions.
I also know its about developing a thick skin. By the second semester that I taught, I felt like I was more equipped to deal with students--its not that I was necessarily a better teacher, but that I maybe cared less, which sounds horrible. I cared less in the sense that I didn't let every little thing bother me. Because before I'd lose sleep over my students and my class. I'd stay up for hours, processing and agonizing every little thing that I had done wrong or had gone wrong. That second semester, I cared less. I had to, for my personal sanity.
And I can't also help but wonder, if it's so difficult for me now... how much worse in another country where I don't know the language?
On another note: apparently my documents all cleared in korea... I'm just waiting for my contract to be sent back to me. Any day now EPIK. any day now.
Also, I think I've made my new year's resolution for 2011-20112 (does that sound futuristic or anyone else? and by that I mean, we should be all flying our own spaceships & have our personal time machines?): learn korean. this resolution may extend for 2013 and beyond.
& note to self: get your butt back to learning korean. bc you marrying G-Dragon, TOP and Taeyang is not gonna happen with you only knowing english. kthxbai.
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
Welcome December
What is with this year and me having to make all these grown up decisions about my life? First, it was the decision of what to do after I graduated (move to Philly to attend UPENN). Second it was the decision to quit UPenn & move back home. Third, it was the decision to throw caution to the wind and head to Korea to try and make it as a english teacher there. And now comes the wrench to foil all of my Korea plans-- the local community colleges are hiring in both HUMANITIES & HISTORY. Great. The thing that I'd hope would come to me AFTER I got back from Korea...happens to me before I get there.
So now I have to choose between Korea and my "career." Or, in another sense, I'm standing at the crossroads between being a slightly irresponsible 20something, and a full fledged grown up. Damn you 25 for being so in-between. Do I choose my one last hurrah--quite possibly the last time I'll ever have in my life to just pack up and go anywhere? or do I buckle down and do what's more stable for me in the long run?
Everyone keeps telling me that Korea can wait. That it'll always be there. But I disagree. Because once you're locked into a career--and the teaching positions are TENURE TRACK so I'd be locked in for the next few years--you can't just pick up at go. As you get older, it gets harder to do. That's why a lot of people don't go. They wait until they've made a little bit more money, they've been at their jobs just that much longer, until they've paid off the house, car, children's tuition. Before they know it, they've left that moment of carefree going for when they've retired.
I don't want that. I don't think I could stand the wait.
But at the same time, I can't ignore the fact that this opportunity is a rare thing. I've been watching out for something to open up for the past 2 years.
I'm just going to apply & see what happens. I will try & not just throw together some BS application. But I'm also terribly scared for the outcome. I'm half in agony.
So now I have to choose between Korea and my "career." Or, in another sense, I'm standing at the crossroads between being a slightly irresponsible 20something, and a full fledged grown up. Damn you 25 for being so in-between. Do I choose my one last hurrah--quite possibly the last time I'll ever have in my life to just pack up and go anywhere? or do I buckle down and do what's more stable for me in the long run?
Everyone keeps telling me that Korea can wait. That it'll always be there. But I disagree. Because once you're locked into a career--and the teaching positions are TENURE TRACK so I'd be locked in for the next few years--you can't just pick up at go. As you get older, it gets harder to do. That's why a lot of people don't go. They wait until they've made a little bit more money, they've been at their jobs just that much longer, until they've paid off the house, car, children's tuition. Before they know it, they've left that moment of carefree going for when they've retired.
I don't want that. I don't think I could stand the wait.
But at the same time, I can't ignore the fact that this opportunity is a rare thing. I've been watching out for something to open up for the past 2 years.
I'm just going to apply & see what happens. I will try & not just throw together some BS application. But I'm also terribly scared for the outcome. I'm half in agony.
Monday, November 22, 2010
I am a WANDERER.
I forgot to post this up on this blog. My friend Sonya, via her platonic boyfriend, sent me a link & what I found therein was just uncanny. Here's an excerpt:
(would you look at that. two posts in two days!)
I am writing to you because I'm about to make a pretty drastic decision in my life. To me, it's not that big of a deal. Maybe because I'm dead set on doing it, I've got blinders on so I can't see the bad in my decision. Maybe it's because I love the thought of the unknown. But others seem to think I'm crazy.Read: I AM A WANDERER, since you asked.
I'm quitting my job and moving abroad to hopefully find a job teaching English in Europe.
(would you look at that. two posts in two days!)
Sunday, November 21, 2010
You know I Must Be Happy
...because I'm neglecting this blog.
It's true though. If you look at my archives, the months I have the most posts are because I'm miserable. So I just come here and rant shamelessly. But when I get happy, I ignore my blog.
I'm sorry, blog, you deserve better.
There's nothing especially happy to report, its just an overall feeling of happiness now that I'm at home. Little things I used to take for granted about living in San Diego, and in California in general, I'm trying to make up for--especially since we've been enjoying an extended summer. I think I hit more beaches in San Diego in the 3 weeks I've been back, in November mind you, than I have in the last 10 years of living here.
Panacotta Gelato. The only place in SD that I've ever seen it.
My days consist of sleeping in, cooking, maybe cleaning, sometimes learning Korean, hanging out with friends, occasionally tutoring, and oh right, a whole lot of shopping. So much shopping I'm sort of shocked and appalled with myself. But I had like no winter/cold weather items, so I NEEDED to shop. But here's a hint of a few of the things I picked up.
my biggest and happiest finds, I'll show in another post soon. maybe. If I'm not too busy like being happy or something. ^_^
OH, a small EPIK/Korea update. They have most of my documents in Korea as I type, and I just got my FBI Background check & copy of my Master's Degree in the mail yesterday--so that means I'm off to LA tomorrow to get things apostilled. Then hopefully it'll be smooth sailing.
It's true though. If you look at my archives, the months I have the most posts are because I'm miserable. So I just come here and rant shamelessly. But when I get happy, I ignore my blog.
I'm sorry, blog, you deserve better.
There's nothing especially happy to report, its just an overall feeling of happiness now that I'm at home. Little things I used to take for granted about living in San Diego, and in California in general, I'm trying to make up for--especially since we've been enjoying an extended summer. I think I hit more beaches in San Diego in the 3 weeks I've been back, in November mind you, than I have in the last 10 years of living here.
On a day spent in Coronado with the baby:
Panacotta Gelato. The only place in SD that I've ever seen it.
My days consist of sleeping in, cooking, maybe cleaning, sometimes learning Korean, hanging out with friends, occasionally tutoring, and oh right, a whole lot of shopping. So much shopping I'm sort of shocked and appalled with myself. But I had like no winter/cold weather items, so I NEEDED to shop. But here's a hint of a few of the things I picked up.
my biggest and happiest finds, I'll show in another post soon. maybe. If I'm not too busy like being happy or something. ^_^
OH, a small EPIK/Korea update. They have most of my documents in Korea as I type, and I just got my FBI Background check & copy of my Master's Degree in the mail yesterday--so that means I'm off to LA tomorrow to get things apostilled. Then hopefully it'll be smooth sailing.
Friday, October 22, 2010
dude, like that's so EPIK
alright now that the dust has settled a bit, I can manage to talk about the EPIK interview I had yesterday.
It was scheduled for 8:30pm (9:30 am Korean Standard Time), which was like a double-edged sword because it gave me a lot of time to prep, but then it also gave me a lot of time to worry. The whole day I was a jumble of nerves. I tried to do a lot of things to distract myself. But as the time got closer to the hour, I thought I might just collapse into a pile of nerves and tears, I was that nervous.
I was lucky in that my recruiters sent out a list of questions frequently asked during the interview, so I had some time to prepare my answers. About an hour before the interview, I locked myself in my room, spread out all my application information, thought about potential questions they would ask me, prepped some answers, drank some hot tea, ate a pumpkin brownie (soo yummy), charged my phone, and prayed like mad. All of that, plus I found time to freak out on twitter and run to the bathroom 5 mins before the interview...you know, just in case.
I was supposed to get the call @ 8:30pm. But when 8:35 rolled around and still no call, I began to panic, and by that I mean, even more so. I kept staring at my phone, willing it to ring, then I kept playing with it, checking its connection and whatnot. What if they are trying to call me right now and they can't get a signal? They had recommended that I use a landline for the interview and not a cellphone, but who has a landline these days anymore? What if I had written down the wrong phone number? What if..what if..what if. Needless to say, I was in agonyyy.
FINALLY, at 8:42, I get the phone call. I answered it almost immediately, not even giving myself the chance to lose my nerve.
My interviewer was this really nice, well spoken lady. Maybe it was her voice, kind of soft and gentle, or maybe it was the way she spoke, but she really put me at ease. She verified a lot of things on my application, asked me a ton of hypothetical questions--some of which I think I answered better than others. But I think it went well. She kept saying things like "oh, good answer" or "you've had teaching experience before so you have good answers" or something like that. I don't want to flatter myself though, because who knows, she could say that to everyone she interviews.
There were some parts I think I made her laugh haha. Or, maybe she laughed out of politeness because I was so awkward and sometimes would chuckle or crack jokes (omg whhyy). There was one point she asked me if I have eaten korean food (I don't think this was part of the list of questions she had in front of her, I think she was just curious haha). BUT it was the best question ever because helloooo, I eat korean food like every week. So we had a nice conversation about korean food for a few minutes. It was great!
Another kind of humorous thing happened when she asked me about my TEFL certification. My application said "in progress," which was true because when I submitted my application (maybe 2 weeks ago), at that time I was in progress of the course, or at least like, registering. I had to clarify that I just finished the course and passed my test and everything. And she asked, "how long ago did you begin the course?" and I was like "oh eff." I knew I couldn't have told her the truth (basically last week) because it's, again, supposed to be a 100 hour program. So I had to LIE and say that I did it in 3 weeks. Whether she was impressed or skeptical, I couldn't tell, because she said "oh, wow, you did 100 hours in 3 weeks?" I had to laugh nervously and say that it was because I wasn't studying or working at the moment so it gave me a lot of free time. That, she bought, thank goodness! I wonder what she would have said if I told her I completed it in 5 days. I'm still pretty proud of myself for that, actually.
100 hours/5 days, passing score. awesome :)
There was one thing that was slightly problematic, or maybe not, I have to figure it out still. It didn't have anything to do with the interview per se, but she didn't know I was applying to teach in Seoul--she was supposed to have my 2 applications and ask me questions explicitly about teaching in Seoul. But she was surprised when I brought it up & she asked me nothing about my second application. I don't know what this means yet. I don't know if she just didn't have it, if this means they'll have to re-interview me for Seoul, if this means I'll only get placed outside of Seoul... I have no idea. I've emailed my recruiters and hopefully they can clear it up for me.
Anyway, I'll find out if I passed the interview process within the next 2-3 business days. God willing, if I pass, I should be able to send off all my documents to Korea, hurray! BUT I really need to get back to CA. I need to get stuff signed off in both SD & LA--I was almost tempted to change my flight so I could get back this Sunday instead of on Thursday. But flights are more expensive now, plus the charge for rescheduling, plus I already booked seats to head to New York on tuesday. I suppose a few more days waiting couldn't hurt.
On another note, I woke up this morning super congested. I think I'm getting sick :(
It was scheduled for 8:30pm (9:30 am Korean Standard Time), which was like a double-edged sword because it gave me a lot of time to prep, but then it also gave me a lot of time to worry. The whole day I was a jumble of nerves. I tried to do a lot of things to distract myself. But as the time got closer to the hour, I thought I might just collapse into a pile of nerves and tears, I was that nervous.
I was lucky in that my recruiters sent out a list of questions frequently asked during the interview, so I had some time to prepare my answers. About an hour before the interview, I locked myself in my room, spread out all my application information, thought about potential questions they would ask me, prepped some answers, drank some hot tea, ate a pumpkin brownie (soo yummy), charged my phone, and prayed like mad. All of that, plus I found time to freak out on twitter and run to the bathroom 5 mins before the interview...you know, just in case.
I was supposed to get the call @ 8:30pm. But when 8:35 rolled around and still no call, I began to panic, and by that I mean, even more so. I kept staring at my phone, willing it to ring, then I kept playing with it, checking its connection and whatnot. What if they are trying to call me right now and they can't get a signal? They had recommended that I use a landline for the interview and not a cellphone, but who has a landline these days anymore? What if I had written down the wrong phone number? What if..what if..what if. Needless to say, I was in agonyyy.
FINALLY, at 8:42, I get the phone call. I answered it almost immediately, not even giving myself the chance to lose my nerve.
My interviewer was this really nice, well spoken lady. Maybe it was her voice, kind of soft and gentle, or maybe it was the way she spoke, but she really put me at ease. She verified a lot of things on my application, asked me a ton of hypothetical questions--some of which I think I answered better than others. But I think it went well. She kept saying things like "oh, good answer" or "you've had teaching experience before so you have good answers" or something like that. I don't want to flatter myself though, because who knows, she could say that to everyone she interviews.
There were some parts I think I made her laugh haha. Or, maybe she laughed out of politeness because I was so awkward and sometimes would chuckle or crack jokes (omg whhyy). There was one point she asked me if I have eaten korean food (I don't think this was part of the list of questions she had in front of her, I think she was just curious haha). BUT it was the best question ever because helloooo, I eat korean food like every week. So we had a nice conversation about korean food for a few minutes. It was great!
Another kind of humorous thing happened when she asked me about my TEFL certification. My application said "in progress," which was true because when I submitted my application (maybe 2 weeks ago), at that time I was in progress of the course, or at least like, registering. I had to clarify that I just finished the course and passed my test and everything. And she asked, "how long ago did you begin the course?" and I was like "oh eff." I knew I couldn't have told her the truth (basically last week) because it's, again, supposed to be a 100 hour program. So I had to LIE and say that I did it in 3 weeks. Whether she was impressed or skeptical, I couldn't tell, because she said "oh, wow, you did 100 hours in 3 weeks?" I had to laugh nervously and say that it was because I wasn't studying or working at the moment so it gave me a lot of free time. That, she bought, thank goodness! I wonder what she would have said if I told her I completed it in 5 days. I'm still pretty proud of myself for that, actually.
100 hours/5 days, passing score. awesome :)
There was one thing that was slightly problematic, or maybe not, I have to figure it out still. It didn't have anything to do with the interview per se, but she didn't know I was applying to teach in Seoul--she was supposed to have my 2 applications and ask me questions explicitly about teaching in Seoul. But she was surprised when I brought it up & she asked me nothing about my second application. I don't know what this means yet. I don't know if she just didn't have it, if this means they'll have to re-interview me for Seoul, if this means I'll only get placed outside of Seoul... I have no idea. I've emailed my recruiters and hopefully they can clear it up for me.
Anyway, I'll find out if I passed the interview process within the next 2-3 business days. God willing, if I pass, I should be able to send off all my documents to Korea, hurray! BUT I really need to get back to CA. I need to get stuff signed off in both SD & LA--I was almost tempted to change my flight so I could get back this Sunday instead of on Thursday. But flights are more expensive now, plus the charge for rescheduling, plus I already booked seats to head to New York on tuesday. I suppose a few more days waiting couldn't hurt.
On another note, I woke up this morning super congested. I think I'm getting sick :(
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Exam Taking Strategies & More Korea things
sorry, this post isn't going to be about Korean dramas (and I know you all are SO disappointed by that), but will still be on more Korea-ish things.
So I took my TESL exam. I finished it this morning after a full day's grueling work. It was supposed to take 6-8 hours, but omgg it took me forever! It wasn't that it was difficult, it was just tedious. And yeah, I suppose I should have studied more--the course was designed to be completed, at the minimum, in 2 weeks and comprise roughly 90-100 hours. I did it in 5 days and roughly 20 hours. What can I say, I'm a profession student--I cut corners and read through the BS to get to what's essential, that is, what's going to be on the test. As a student, you can definitely begin to see patterns in the material--stuff that gets repeated often, things that can be easily tested, things that are tricky--and that always helps to distinguish the relevant stuff from everything else. So it did take me super long to complete, and when I finished it this morning I was so relieved that I just sent it in without checking it over. I hope I answered all of the questions.
I'm not going to lie, as much as I didn't really take the course seriously, I am nervous for my results. I feel like I did okay. I need to get 75% to pass. I can miss roughly 46 points. They were so gracious because they marked the value of each question and so I could tell which sections were weighed more heavily, and what questions I could blow off-- fantastic testing thing #2. If a question is only worth 2 points, just answer the thing and move on. There's meatier beasts to fry. Having the value of each question also allowed me to add up the points of the questions I wasn't sure about. There were about 4 questions that I just completely BSed, and a few more that I just guessed. Looking at all the questions I was shakey on, even if I got no points on them (but I'm assuming they give partial credit), I calculated that I should still be able to get a passing score--testing thing #3. I find that calculating a rough score helps put my mind at ease. But that's just me.
So... we'll see. I should get my results within 10 days.
You know what else should happen within 10 days?
My EPIK/SMOE phone interview. That's right, someone from the Land of the Morning Calm is supposed to hold a phone interview with me in 3-10 days. SO nervous. The interview is supposed to be roughly an hour. I don't even talk to my parents on the phone for that long. This was the part of the application process that I was the most nervous about. Fortunately, the recruiters that I'm working with sent out a list of questions that former applicants have comprised. I'm so so glad I got the sample questions because there are actually a lot on there that I know I would be stumbling over if I got asked on the spot. For example:
What's your 3-5 year plan? Hm. Well, that's tricky. I was supposed to go to grad school, but seeing as that's not going to happen...what IS my 3-5 year plan? I can't very well say, live in Korea, so I must think of something.
What will you do in Korea in your free time? Stalk Korean pop artists. Again, can't say that. So must devise something clever.
Elaborate on your TESL experience. What did you learn from it? uh . . .
So you see, I'm going to take a day and bury myself in my imagination, building the sandcastle of my life in Korea. Should be fun.
Lastly, one thing that is not Korea related. Bought Far East Movement's new album "Free Wired" and its dopeee. Highly recommend! :)
So I took my TESL exam. I finished it this morning after a full day's grueling work. It was supposed to take 6-8 hours, but omgg it took me forever! It wasn't that it was difficult, it was just tedious. And yeah, I suppose I should have studied more--the course was designed to be completed, at the minimum, in 2 weeks and comprise roughly 90-100 hours. I did it in 5 days and roughly 20 hours. What can I say, I'm a profession student--I cut corners and read through the BS to get to what's essential, that is, what's going to be on the test. As a student, you can definitely begin to see patterns in the material--stuff that gets repeated often, things that can be easily tested, things that are tricky--and that always helps to distinguish the relevant stuff from everything else. So it did take me super long to complete, and when I finished it this morning I was so relieved that I just sent it in without checking it over. I hope I answered all of the questions.
I'm not going to lie, as much as I didn't really take the course seriously, I am nervous for my results. I feel like I did okay. I need to get 75% to pass. I can miss roughly 46 points. They were so gracious because they marked the value of each question and so I could tell which sections were weighed more heavily, and what questions I could blow off-- fantastic testing thing #2. If a question is only worth 2 points, just answer the thing and move on. There's meatier beasts to fry. Having the value of each question also allowed me to add up the points of the questions I wasn't sure about. There were about 4 questions that I just completely BSed, and a few more that I just guessed. Looking at all the questions I was shakey on, even if I got no points on them (but I'm assuming they give partial credit), I calculated that I should still be able to get a passing score--testing thing #3. I find that calculating a rough score helps put my mind at ease. But that's just me.
So... we'll see. I should get my results within 10 days.
You know what else should happen within 10 days?
My EPIK/SMOE phone interview. That's right, someone from the Land of the Morning Calm is supposed to hold a phone interview with me in 3-10 days. SO nervous. The interview is supposed to be roughly an hour. I don't even talk to my parents on the phone for that long. This was the part of the application process that I was the most nervous about. Fortunately, the recruiters that I'm working with sent out a list of questions that former applicants have comprised. I'm so so glad I got the sample questions because there are actually a lot on there that I know I would be stumbling over if I got asked on the spot. For example:
What's your 3-5 year plan? Hm. Well, that's tricky. I was supposed to go to grad school, but seeing as that's not going to happen...what IS my 3-5 year plan? I can't very well say, live in Korea, so I must think of something.
What will you do in Korea in your free time? Stalk Korean pop artists. Again, can't say that. So must devise something clever.
Elaborate on your TESL experience. What did you learn from it? uh . . .
So you see, I'm going to take a day and bury myself in my imagination, building the sandcastle of my life in Korea. Should be fun.
Lastly, one thing that is not Korea related. Bought Far East Movement's new album "Free Wired" and its dopeee. Highly recommend! :)
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
EPIK/TESL/SMOE and other Korea things
For those of you who have been wondering:
SMOE- Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education is an offshoot of EPIK. They deal specifically with teachers in Seoul, South Korea's capital. You have to be more qualified to teach in Seoul, and it's more competitive, but I figure it couldn't hurt to try.
TESL- to be TESL certified, or Teacher of English as a Second Language just means that I'd be certified to teach english to students who live in a country where english isn't a main language.
Sometimes I can't wrap my head around the fact that I'm actually applying to teach in Korea, and that in a few short months there is a huge possibility that I'd be standing in front of a classroom in South Korea--maybe in Seoul of all places!--filled with Korean students, teaching English. It really is mind blowing. But I'm terribly excited about the prospect that it could actually happen. Whenever I complete another step, move just a bit further towards that goal, I'm filled with what can only be described as pure joy and excitement. In those moments, I can hardly contain my happiness, and I end up dancing around in my room (naturally, to kpop), unconcerned that I may be disturbing the neighbors downstairs.
So, just where am I in the application process? Well, all my paperwork as been submitted for the initial application (we must submit twice). I should be expecting a call from Korea any moment now for a phone interview. I'm a bit nervous about this, to be honest. I don't know what they'll ask me. Usually, in situations like this, I have some idea of what to expect from the interview, or at least, I have an idea of what the interviewer wants to hear. But I'm really clueless this time. The interview is supposed to last something like 45 minutes. That's a lot of BSing time. I don't know if I'm up to the challenge.
Additionally, I decided to go ahead at get tesl certified. I started the program today, and it's been interesting to say the least. I've completed 4 units thus far, and there's been some really helpful tips, some things I disagree with, and other things which were pointless--for me, that is. I'm sure they are plenty helpful to others. It's really interesting to see english grammar explained in english. I only really know english grammar through latin, so it's nice to see english explained in english terms, if that makes sense. A concept may be the same and work the same in english and in latin, but its nice to know what english calls the concept, instead of how latin explains it. Because the last thing I want to do is teach english through a latin filter to korean students. So I'm trying to side step that whole problem by going through this tesl program. I want to see if I can get one more unit in tonight. Maybe not the best thing (they only want you to do 2 units/day) but what can I say, I'm excited.
A good friend once told me that when I get excited about something, I tend to throw myself into it. I guess that's what I'm doing now.
For the moment, my korean learning has abated somewhat. Learning hangul can be such a bore because I just want to SAY things! It'll probably continue to be put on the back burners while I get my tesl lessons in, which I know isn't the best thing for learning a new language, but hey, if I keep watching korean dramas and television shows, at least I'm auditory learning, right?
Sometimes I can't wrap my head around the fact that I'm actually applying to teach in Korea, and that in a few short months there is a huge possibility that I'd be standing in front of a classroom in South Korea--maybe in Seoul of all places!--filled with Korean students, teaching English. It really is mind blowing. But I'm terribly excited about the prospect that it could actually happen. Whenever I complete another step, move just a bit further towards that goal, I'm filled with what can only be described as pure joy and excitement. In those moments, I can hardly contain my happiness, and I end up dancing around in my room (naturally, to kpop), unconcerned that I may be disturbing the neighbors downstairs.
So, just where am I in the application process? Well, all my paperwork as been submitted for the initial application (we must submit twice). I should be expecting a call from Korea any moment now for a phone interview. I'm a bit nervous about this, to be honest. I don't know what they'll ask me. Usually, in situations like this, I have some idea of what to expect from the interview, or at least, I have an idea of what the interviewer wants to hear. But I'm really clueless this time. The interview is supposed to last something like 45 minutes. That's a lot of BSing time. I don't know if I'm up to the challenge.
Additionally, I decided to go ahead at get tesl certified. I started the program today, and it's been interesting to say the least. I've completed 4 units thus far, and there's been some really helpful tips, some things I disagree with, and other things which were pointless--for me, that is. I'm sure they are plenty helpful to others. It's really interesting to see english grammar explained in english. I only really know english grammar through latin, so it's nice to see english explained in english terms, if that makes sense. A concept may be the same and work the same in english and in latin, but its nice to know what english calls the concept, instead of how latin explains it. Because the last thing I want to do is teach english through a latin filter to korean students. So I'm trying to side step that whole problem by going through this tesl program. I want to see if I can get one more unit in tonight. Maybe not the best thing (they only want you to do 2 units/day) but what can I say, I'm excited.
A good friend once told me that when I get excited about something, I tend to throw myself into it. I guess that's what I'm doing now.
For the moment, my korean learning has abated somewhat. Learning hangul can be such a bore because I just want to SAY things! It'll probably continue to be put on the back burners while I get my tesl lessons in, which I know isn't the best thing for learning a new language, but hey, if I keep watching korean dramas and television shows, at least I'm auditory learning, right?
Monday, October 4, 2010
SEOULmates
I don't have a ton of time to blog right now, but I just wanted to share some exciting news! I turned in my preliminary application to EPIK (English Program in Korea) and lo and behold, I found out that I'm eligible to teach in SEOUL (S. Korea's capital, and my number 1 pick of places I'd want to teach)! I'm terribly excited, because I thought I couldn't teach in Seoul, that it was literally a chance in a thousand that I'd get selected (since its the capital, they have higher expectations of the teachers there than in other parts of Korea, and I thought you could only do it if you majored in English or were an English teacher already). But it turns out my masters degree is more useful than I initially thought! Right now, I'm creating a lesson plan for English. I've lesson planned for history before but never English. And growing up with this stupid language, I'm a bit intimidated with the fact that I have to try and explain its stupidity to students. Thus, after much deliberation, I've finally decided to do a tesl program. Yeah its $200 out the window, but I feel like it'll do wonders for me. At least, I'm hoping it does haha.
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