Status: barely alive and frustrated
So I taught 1st+ 2nd grade for the first time today and it was a mess. I didn't know what they already learned so I figured I could watch the first class in order to get a better understanding of what to prepare for the next class. Well, their homeroom teacher didn't speak any English at all so she couldn't teach an English class. I winged it and it was really horrible. They were extremely chatty and I had no idea what topics to cover. We ended up going over all the colors, days of the week, weather, alphabet, and I taught them the Itsy Bitsy Spider song. Hahahaha. That was the longest hour of my life.
More bad news: I was informed today that I needed my Residency Certification form in order to get a tax break. Without the form I will not get paid. This is not the first time I've heard of the F8802 form, I read about it a couple of months back but procrastinated and forgot all about it. Now I will be broke and hungry in Korea until I apply for that form and get it back from the IRS. I only have myself to blame.
November 7, 2010
Status: Alive and becoming broke. There’s nothing to do in this little town besides eat and go shopping for household goods. There’s not even a movie theater here! Rawr!
Sunday- I woke up around 11ish today because I didn’t have anything important to do until 3pm. I told one of my students to meet me at 3pm for lunch because I wanted to try a new restaurant but I can’t read the menu. For breakfast I had ramen! It wasn’t too bad but I would rather have a poptart.
I ended up walking around the town again when I saw a white guy. I introduced myself and thought maybe he would like to hang out or something. He didn’t. He looked quite uncomfortable. He said he was also a teacher at some school and told me it was nice to meet me and that he’ll probably see me around then went on his way. Well, at least I tried. On top of that embarrassing encounter, the student that was supposed to meet me for lunch stood me up! It looked like a scene from a sad romance movie. I stood there waiting, looking around, checking the time on my watch… people walked by…. I stood there still. In the end, I stood there alone with a sad look on my face. Lol, I’m just kidding, I didn’t look sad, even though all of that really did happen.
Look at this pole. They're every where around my town but I don't know what they're for. In case you get attacked you should push the button? Then what? By the time someone comes to your rescue you'd be dead or kidnapped! I guess it would help find the person who attacked you. How sad! After by walk, I went to a local convenient store to pick up some toilet paper and candy. My total: $17. Seriously, toilet paper was like $13 alone. I got enough to last me for a month though so I guess that’s not too bad.
For dinner, I went for some fried chicken. My total: $18. Man, I’m spending way more on food in Korea than I ever did in the states. I guess it’s because western food in Korea is pricey but I don’t really have a choice because I can’t order Korean food unless they have pictures. Ugh!
Shout out: I would like to take this time to thank my mother for buying me underwear before I left the states. I needed more underwear than I originally packed BUT these stop ABOVE my belly button. Thank you, mom, for the granny panties. Lol.
November 6, 2010
Status: Alive and desperate for friends.
Saturday- I don’t work on the weekends but I came up to the school to use the free internet. Yay! The school was opened because the students have to go to school every other Saturday (plus weekdays of course). Afterwards, some students spotted me and asked me what I was doing. Out of desperation for some company and something besides PIZZA, I invited 2 students to accompany me to lunch. They asked me what I wanted and I said Korean BBQ, specifically- Galbi. They were shocked and said “Teacher, do you have money?” and asked how much I had. I asked why and they exclaimed “Galbi, expensive!” I showed them how much I had in my wallet and they told me I was rich. Okay, so I guessed I had enough for “expensive” food. Hahaha. We ended up eating galbi and I got a complimentary lotion. Galbi for 3, total: $23.00. Wow, I should seriously go eat Korean bbq more often.
Dinner: I tried some more street vendor stuff. Fried sweet potato= good. Fried shrimp= not good. The dumplings (I think it’s called Mandu) dipped in some soy sauce= good. After watching the locals eat that fish stuff on a stick, I gave it another try. This time, I dipped the stuff on the stick in some soy sauce and drank the soup separately= GOOD.
Shopping for household necessities- laundry detergent, hangers, dish washing sponge, feminine hygiene products, ramen, nail clippers, a box of jelly mint cookies, and a PedEgg. Grand total: $50!!!! The detergent itself costs $15.
I need to come up with a plan to save money. I should just lock myself in my apartment on the weekends. Lol.
Look Mom! I hung up all my clothes!
Note: you can just walk into a school without checking in at the front office. It is nice to know that it is safe enough around here for them to feel like they do not need procedures like we do in the states. Though it is still disturbing to me because some psycho could just walk in and carry one of the students off!
Aww. I miss you. I hope you have enough $. :( Let me stay for a month!
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