Korean Kindness

Hi!

I have been moved to tears for the past 2 days. Not tears of sadness, but tears of feeling overwhelmed by the kindness shown to me. The Korean people value kindness very highly. And this is evident from both the students and teachers.

On Wednesday, my high school vice-principal kept checking up on me to see if I was ok, chatting to me so I don't feel lonely, etc. He called me to his desk to show me South Africa on google earth. He then also showed me some video/photo presentations that he had compiled and edited of his many travels. (Fran! You would love him! He owns a yacht and has gone trekking up the Himalayas! Just your kind of guy. And he's very good-looking, too! But, unfortunately, he's already married:( )

The teachers here at the high school are trying to hook me up with one of my co-teachers. They are a very friendly bunch, full of fun and jokes. They are also trying to get me to take tennis lessons with one of the other male teachers! They rag each other constantly. (Battswood, I feel right at home!)

They always check to see if I had breakfast; coffee and tea get pushed into my hand. I'm not allowed to say no, thank-you!

Even the kids move me to tears! I finally got to sit in on 2 classes yesterday. The students wouldn't let me carry my own chair. They removed it from my hands.

I then met 2 students after school yesterday afternoon. I finally understand the full meaning of PAINFULLY shy. I felt soooo sorry for them. It's the first time I have ever felt sorry for adolescents. I just wanted to mother them! But I told them that unfortunately, I am a bit deaf, so they really need to speak LOUDLY for me to hear them. I am going to have to start speaking all American, too, till they become accustomed to my SA/British English.

I have a lovely classroom at the Middle School - remember, this is a rural area - but classrooms all have big-screen tv's and computers! My classroom also has a data projector. Korean kids are extremely visual. So teachers are encouraged to use technology in their lessons to keep students awake and interested.

One of my co-teachers was just telling me this morning how he worked with students till 11pm last night. Gives a new meaning to school-life, hey?

My latest challenge is trying to figure out how to plan lessons and co-teach with 5 different co-teachers. There is not much time in the classroom, as they have to work through the curriculum, but at the same time, the kids MUST learn English conversation, as they have to conduct their future job interviews in English when they graduate from university. If they want good jobs with big companies like LG and Samsung, English is a must. So we are very concerned about how to equip them when they already have so little time. Their studies are focussed on entrance exams for university. This does not include English conversation. I don't think that 1 year is enough time. And for those of you who know me well, I am already thinking that I will have to stay on for a few more years, at least so that I can see that I have made some progress and input in these beautiful yong people's lives.

Speaking of 'beautiful'... the more confident kids will greet me in the hallways, and tell me that I am beautiful! How cute are they! When I tell them that they, too, are beautiful, they do not accept it. They will disagree. As for the teachers, they think I am 'well-rounded', 'sociable', 'always smiling', 'beautiful', 'positive'...... All good things of value for them. So far, so good!

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Andrea