"Teacher, I have finished"

One year on. One year gone. How has it been? What’s it like living/working/playing in a vibrant, metropolitan Asian city? What are the positives? The negatives? What have I learnt? Or more importantly, what have I taught? The past year has seen me give a lot more than take. I’ve discovered a new pasture in my life.

I’ve really, to put it simply, got stuck right into the art of teaching English, as a second language. Some teachers come, get their free passport to Asia, do their year and march on with little care. I guess this was kind of my plan, although no cement was mixed. I didn’t really expect to warm to my new job in the fashion that I have. I did have doubts about my capabilities, and also my patience for the adolescent ages. What has happened has surprised me. Not life changing, just an adventure, forming a new chapter of my life.

I can’t help but compare a few things from ‘Now and Then’. The one comparison that sticks and acts as the sticking point for me is the job satisfaction.

The Then:

Working at Bellwood Media was a great job. Reading big movie scripts months before you street kids get your public eyes on them, was kind of cool and rewarding. Securing that BIG placement deal was a rush I not had in the workplace before.

The Now:

Hands down. Flawless. No question. No doubt. Seeing a 5/6 year old grow, not only in personality and character but, of course, their English speaking ability is the single most satisfying reward I’ve ever come across.

That’s my sticking point. And that’s why I’m sat on an airplane, writing this, thinking about my 3-week vacation to the UK. And it being, just, a vacation and not a homecoming. No just yet anyway, “Teacher! I haven’t finished”.

Something else:::::

It was a monsooning Monday. I had finished work, eaten my dinner consisting of a kimbap roll and a bottle of soya milk and had juts left my (old) apartment and was heading to my (new) apartment to check on a few things with my substitute teacher. She’s residing at my new gaff during her month long stay in Seoul.

The rain was teaming down. The kind of rain that reduces visibility down to a metre or two. I ceremonially opened my umbrella and a wave of adulthood flew through me. It suddenly dawned on me that I had an umbrella. An umbrella of my own, that I had purchased for myself a few weeks ago in a very wise and grown-up state of mind.

I realised that an umbrella, a self owned umbrella, is a significant accessory to that of a grown up person. A person who has, over the years, acquired a mature level of practical convenience. In the past, I had willingly accepted getting wet and even felt kind of macho about the whole thing. “Umbrellas are for pussys”. “A little bit of rain never hurt anyone”.

Well, I’m 25 now and feel it’s warmly acceptable for me to carry one around.

Still with umbrellas in our thoughts. A few days ago, I witnessed an umbrella collision, pile-up and resulting traffic jam. Yet again, as it does in monsoon season, the rain was violently pouring. A wide berth of pavement narrowed to become a generous single file. Around ten people, all carrying golf sized umbrellas, all come to locker heads. It was beautiful to watch. I stood back as they organised themselves like a heard of cattle packing into its truck. Normality soon resumed.

Two Places of interest

The first picture is of BLUE class. This is my classroom. I teach, eat lunch, rest, plan and most of all, do my day job in this room. I share this room with my co-teacher Christine. As you know, we share RED and BLUE classes. When I teach in blue, she teaches in red, Visa Versa, it isn't rocket science. I've become attached to my room. I decorated it, Christine and I furnished it. The chairs are very small but surprisingly comfortable at times. I do have my own swivel recliner, but it's good to be at the same height as the kids.

The second picture is of a side street in Bucheon. This is where Giovanna and I spend most Thursday evenings. We sip on our coffees from Starbucks and share stories from the week. The chats range from the usual "How was you day?", "What did you do last night?" type questions, to the more exciting "You'll never guess what I did last night?" or "Has your sexy Doctor called you yet, Giovanna?"..... Other topics tend to be discussed, for example; future travel plans, dating, drinking adventures, emotions, love stories, funny kids and their crazy mothers, Korean cultural experiences. ETC. This weekly installment has become quite therapeutic for the both of us I feel. Not that much bad does happen in Korea (I mean the mood, in general, is that of a positive and progressive nature - no slouching and moaning here, thank you very much), but when it does it's great to have a close friend to off-load onto. I think Giovanna will agree.

Oh, by the way. In the winter time, I have Coffee Latte, two brown sugars, Grande! She has Chai-Tea Latte, as it comes, Tall size. Summer Time. I'll have the Iced-Latte, two brown sugars, Grande! She'll have the Mocha Frappachino, as it comes, Tall size (Grande if its been a hard day).

Fridge and Confusion

I have purchased a new fridge. Check it out. How funky and cool is this piece of genius kitchen electronics? I have been searching for a second hand fridge for a couple of weeks. I went to a few second hand places only to be out-priced and shunted in the face due to my location. I had then resorted to buying a new one online. However, I thought I’d make use of a free, lazy and extremely humid Sunday to give the second hand option one last shot. I suppose you could liken it to England throwing on the lanky piece of leg-ware Peter Crouch in the last ten minutes, a last ditch desperate attempt to salvage something from a bleak situation. Ok, maybe not the same, but you catch my drift.

Anyway, I subway-ed myself to Bucheon (4 stops from Oyrudong) and started popping in and out of shops. My eyes lit up at the sight of this little beauty. It ticked all my boxes of criteria. Medium sized? CHECK. Small freezer compartment? CHECK? Price range? CHECK. Added bonus of bringing some kind of comedic value to my new retro style kitchen? Umm, CHECK!!!!!

So I hereby welcome you to my new best friend. I’m going to call it Rosey. Not particularly original or creative, but sometimes simplicity offers enough. I have also decided that it’s going to be a canvas for people’s creative flow. So, feel free to contribute in any way your creative desire wishes. Send pictures, Polaroid’s, sketches, illustrations, or better still come over and free-hand your inspiration. I declare ‘Rosey’; public property.

Also, a quick flashback to last week. A very brief but comedic conversation I had with a 7-year old kid in my class. His name is Glen. He has been studying English for two years. His level is still very low though. Sentences are short, grammatically incorrect and simple at best. His personality is rather disgusting. His fingers are constantly rooted up his nose and I once caught him licking sugar off the floor. Anyway, he had me crying the other day.

I had the class doing a short writing exercise. Glen seemed distracted. He stood up and his chair fell back onto the floor, due to the weight of his backpack on the chair. He hadn’t noticed this and went to sit down. He fell to the ground. I got annoyed at him and shouted.

Toby Teacher: Glen!! Have you finished your writing?????
Glen: No.
Toby Teacher: Then why are you sitting on the floor?
Glen: because my chair is confused.

Literally, couldn’t stop laughing.

Parenthood and Childcare. Includes Video

I now know what it’s like to be a parent, (sorry, am starting to understand what it might feel like). I have been nursing my brigade of babies for nearly a year now. I have started to notice their individual personalities and habits in relation to my behaviour.

Case Study: Sarah.

You may recall that I have raved on about this angel a few times. The cutest girl. The cutest laugh. The cutest expressions when happy, sad, confused and embarrassed, basically any emotion she finds herself in, she manages to make it rub off with a cute, cat eyed expression.

She was sadly absent when my Dad and Step-mother visited the school back in May. I was hoping for some external evidence to her level of cuteness. Things recently have taken a turn. Christine Teacher and I have noticed a lot of differences. She has physically grown, quite substantially. Slightly taller, and thinner in the face, she now swaggers with slenderness rather then an adolescent waddle. But it’s her attitude that concerns us. The abundance of addictive gaggles and head tilting has stopped and a more frequent frown and head dropping has substituted.

It has made me look at how I have changed. What have I been doing differently since the start?

I realised that my attitude towards her has changed, I have given her less and less attention as time went on. It’s natural to recline in your giving to someone over a period of time. In a grown up relationship this is, in a way, acceptable (to a certain degree) because you’re both grown up and have a mutual level of understanding. In this case, Sarah is only four years old. I need to maintain a constant level of love for her and every other child for that matter. I created my own situation by giving her SO much love and attention from the start. If I begin to drop that level of ‘love giving’ then she will notice and wonder why I don’t love her anymore and her mood will change, which has happened.

So I need to revert to the early days of daily ‘Baby Time’, over the top praise and constant funny loving faces. ‘Baby Time’ was created very early on as it was apparent that she liked to be picked up, cradled in my arms and swung gently from side to side, in the same fashion as a mother would do to its newly born.

Fascinating insight into the world of childcare. Something that is particularly interesting to me at the moment – who’d of thought!!??!!

Sarah on top form........