Spontaneous Trip to Gyeongbokgung Palace (경복궁)

This past weekend, my host family told me they were going on a trip, so I decided that instead of spending the weekend alone, I would find someone to hang out will. Apparently there were a bunch of ETAs in Seoul and I didn't realize it, so on Saturday, I set out to visit the capital. I arrived a bit earlier than most of the people I was going to meet up with so it was suggested that I visit the palace. This palace is a "must see" for tourists in Seoul and I hadn't done it yet.

When I first got there, the weather was just started to turn nice, it had rained earlier, so the ground was a bit muddy. Many people like to rent hambok when they go and so they can take pictures and they usually get free admission. For everyone else its only 3000 won. So not a bad price. I ended up going through the palace by myself, and although I did get a lot of really awesome pictures, it was a bit boring.

Because I didn't know when my friends were getting in, I didn't bother getting admission to any of the museums, but I think I will come back one day and do those parts of the tour (and possible take a walking tour of the place with a guide). The place was beautiful, though the architecture is very similar to the other traditional temples and residences that I have visited. Perhaps when it is warmer, I will go back with friends and wear hambok through the place. Until then, I can enjoy some pictures of the buildings and statues with the beautiful mountains in the background.

Back to School!

Ahh, new school year. Students have new hairdos and school supplies and the brand new first graders are so tiny and cute! The first day of school is always really fun, but I got to enjoy it in a whole different way. I don't have any classes. Since the first day is all administrative, no English classes.

But one really interesting thing that I learned about Korea is that on the first day of school all of the teachers are introduced to the students and parents (since teachers move schools and grades so frequently here, there are often new teachers) and students also don't know what teachers are assigned to their classes when they first show up. The students know what class they are in but it isn't until this ceremony that they actually know who is going to be their teacher. One grade at a time in called onto the stage and the teachers are introduced one by one and the students are told what class they are teaching. It was really funny to watch the students at this point. I also had to go up to the stage and bow, but everyone knows who I teach. Now this ceremony was only for the 2-6th grades. There was another ceremony an hour later where the first graders were brought in with their parents and introduced to the entire staff.

I also had a new schedule this semester. I am still teaching 4th and 5th grades, but since we only have on Korean English Co-teacher that the other Fulbrighter and I have to share, we had to come up with a new solution to how to teach all of the classes. So this year, I will teach 4th grade with my co-teacher and Nya will teach 6th grade with her. We will both be teaching our other grade, 5th and 3rd respectively, with the homeroom teachers for each class. I was genuinely worried about this. This would mean that I would have to take on a much larger role in the classroom than I was previously. I was even more worried after meeting with the 5th grade teachers. Each of them wanted a different role in the classroom. One was there just for translation and discipline purposes, one did that along with also wanting to teach the into and closure of the lesson, and the third wanted to teach half the class.

But I have had some time to get into this new dynamic and I absolutely love it. It is so much fun and I get to do so much with them. I introduced a new reward system and they are so into it.

I also have a new after school class this semester. Because of the lack of interest in the 5th and 6th grades for an English after school, I now teach 4th grade after school twice a week. They are dramatically different from my 5th grade boys from last semester. First of all, there are more of them that come consistently, and secondly they just want to do such different things. The girls want to draw and color while the boys want to play games and not really learn English. The balance between the two groups will be my biggest struggle this semester but I think I am up to the task.

Taekwondo Black Belt Exam in Korea

As many know, I have been taking Taekwondo lessons since coming to Korea. I love Karate and have been practicing it for about 10 years (though not as habitually since starting college) and had thought about training in another martial art at some point. After all, it can only make a person a better at the art. Right?

Well, since I already had a black belt in Karate, and I know many of the basic skills already, I was kind of accelerated though my training here. I ended up taking my black belt test in about 6 months. That seemed a bit fast for me, but who am I to question my master. When I was off of school for winter break, everyday I would go to lessons for an hour. Well, most days. I did have a life sometimes. The last weekend before returning to school I got to take my test. And boy was it an event.

It first began with Master Kim picking me up at 9am to go to a town about an hour away. Because of how they conduct the test, it is done in a large sports complex on certain days. When I got there, I was so shocked at the size and amount of people. When I took my black belt exam in the US for karate, it was in my own dojo and my instructors were the judges. Here, there were 9 judges (three for each event) who scored everyone.

My group was second to last in the day, so I had to wait until almost 2pm. The morning was for people testing for their 2nd degree (some kids from my dojang) and the afternoon was for those testing for their 1st (me).

The test is separated into three events and done almost conveyor belt style. You are  put into groups of 8. Each group sits in the chairs, moving up a row each time, until it is their turn. Then repeats in the next section.

The first sections is called 기본동작 (Basic movement) which is a set of 8 hand and 8 foot techniques that is done as a drill. The second section is 봄세 (Forms/Kata) here we preform 2 of the 8 forms taught before black belt. You are not told which ones you will preform until the day of. The last section is 규루기(sparring). You are matched up with another person in your division and spar for one minute without stopping.

Because the adult group I was in only had 11 people, I was matched up with a 할머니 (grandmother) and I just had to kick in her direction and I was done. It was very easy. They didn't want me to hurt her. Overall the test was pretty easy for me (I think its generally designed for children) and I was done quickly.

I didn't find out right away, but a few weeks later I learned that I passed the test (I didn't really have much doubt) and I received my certificate and embroidered black belt with my name on it. I will wear it with pride.