It is such a big change to move to a
new community, house, and workplace. Since I'm not that far from where I
was before and I'm doing the same type of work, I didn't expect it to
be as different as it feels, but as I think it through now I think my
feelings are pretty normal.
My new school is a much better place for me. It is a Christian elementary school on its second year. We have kindergarten (3 girls!), 1st grade, and 2nd grade. Every year they will add another grade.The pace is slower- there are fewer students and fewer classes for me to teach, and we don't have to cover as much material in class as we did at the old school I worked at. In the after school classes I teach, there's not even a plan for how much material I have to cover- I have books, but I can go at the students' speed, and add any kind of supplemental material I want. While at the beginning lesson planning for that can be a bit hectic, as a professional teacher it's a joy to be able to incorporate some of my own ideas into the classroom, to not just have to cover a set number of pages.
On Monday I do have 8 classes, but otherwise I teach from 5 to 7 40-minute classes a day. I also have a cleaning chore, and ride the shuttle bus to pick up and drop off children. I enjoy the range of activities, and also having a decent amount of time to plan for my classes. Lunch is fun, too- I eat with the bus driver (who is the pastor/principal's father) & his wife, the cook, the secretary, and the Chinese teacher (who comes twice a week). The cook makes delicious Korean food, and even sends me home with leftovers sometimes, after I hinted in that direction. :) I really enjoy eating with this group and getting to use Korean for a little bit.
At 2:40 pm every day, I ride the shuttle bus and drop off one of the kindergarten students, and then I get dropped off at the church that runs the school. I teach my afternoon classes there, to students who come after attending public school. All my students attend the church. I start and end all my classes with prayer, letting the students lead the prayer if they desire but never making them. My afternoon students range in age from 9 to 16 years old. Some of them have a very low English level, a level I haven't taught in older children, so I have some challenges to figure out how to best teach them. I'm trying to only use English in class because I don't want the parents to get upset, but it's very difficult with some classes where there are extremely low level of comprehension (and bad behavior). I'm trying different things and have faith that once I get some routines started, things will go much more smoothly.
My day ends at 6:50 pm on Mondays and Fridays, 5:10 pm on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and 6 pm on Wednesdays, and then I usually walk from the church back to the building where my house and the school are located. There's a beautiful path by a stream that I can walk on to get home. I spent the first few evenings getting my house organized or just resting, but now I'm back to being my social self, because otherwise it's much too lonely. I've been riding the bus to Jamsil to meet friends there, or having my friends come out to see me. I don't have friends in the area and I don't feel very close to the people at my work place yet because I haven't been there long. However, I'm trying to reach out and invited one of the women I work with over for dinner last week, and that was so much fun. She reminds me a bit of my aunt Karis. :) Also, tomorrow I am planning to go the the young adult worship service at the church where my classes are held. I don't plan on changing my church, because I am so involved and established at my church, but I thought attending the other church once or twice might help me meet young people in the area.
I have been going to lots of practices for the Easter play this month. My church has a huge Easter play every year and hundreds and hundreds (maybe thousands?) of people come. It's a big outreach opportunity. This year the play is about Jacob and Joseph's lives and how God was present throughout. The main actors are all adults excellent at acting. I'm in a scene with 6 other young adults, and we had been practicing separately until this week, when we started the full practices with the adults as well. We also have a dancing scene (for Isaac and Rachel's wedding). My role in the separate scene is Naphtali, one of Joseph's brothers, and I also dance at the wedding and play one of Esau's wives at the very beginning.
I ask for your prayers with me as I continue adjusting to the new job and community. While it's a better place for me, it's hard being new and not completely comfortable yet at work. I also hope to find some friends in the community, while continuing to maintain my other friendships.
I will leave you with some exciting news. My vacation time seems to line up perfectly to go to Vietnam on a mission trip with my young adult service! If all works out, I will go in September over the Chuseok holidays. I've been wanting to go on one of these mission trips for a long time, but the timing was always an issue because of work.
My new school is a much better place for me. It is a Christian elementary school on its second year. We have kindergarten (3 girls!), 1st grade, and 2nd grade. Every year they will add another grade.The pace is slower- there are fewer students and fewer classes for me to teach, and we don't have to cover as much material in class as we did at the old school I worked at. In the after school classes I teach, there's not even a plan for how much material I have to cover- I have books, but I can go at the students' speed, and add any kind of supplemental material I want. While at the beginning lesson planning for that can be a bit hectic, as a professional teacher it's a joy to be able to incorporate some of my own ideas into the classroom, to not just have to cover a set number of pages.
On Monday I do have 8 classes, but otherwise I teach from 5 to 7 40-minute classes a day. I also have a cleaning chore, and ride the shuttle bus to pick up and drop off children. I enjoy the range of activities, and also having a decent amount of time to plan for my classes. Lunch is fun, too- I eat with the bus driver (who is the pastor/principal's father) & his wife, the cook, the secretary, and the Chinese teacher (who comes twice a week). The cook makes delicious Korean food, and even sends me home with leftovers sometimes, after I hinted in that direction. :) I really enjoy eating with this group and getting to use Korean for a little bit.
At 2:40 pm every day, I ride the shuttle bus and drop off one of the kindergarten students, and then I get dropped off at the church that runs the school. I teach my afternoon classes there, to students who come after attending public school. All my students attend the church. I start and end all my classes with prayer, letting the students lead the prayer if they desire but never making them. My afternoon students range in age from 9 to 16 years old. Some of them have a very low English level, a level I haven't taught in older children, so I have some challenges to figure out how to best teach them. I'm trying to only use English in class because I don't want the parents to get upset, but it's very difficult with some classes where there are extremely low level of comprehension (and bad behavior). I'm trying different things and have faith that once I get some routines started, things will go much more smoothly.
My day ends at 6:50 pm on Mondays and Fridays, 5:10 pm on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and 6 pm on Wednesdays, and then I usually walk from the church back to the building where my house and the school are located. There's a beautiful path by a stream that I can walk on to get home. I spent the first few evenings getting my house organized or just resting, but now I'm back to being my social self, because otherwise it's much too lonely. I've been riding the bus to Jamsil to meet friends there, or having my friends come out to see me. I don't have friends in the area and I don't feel very close to the people at my work place yet because I haven't been there long. However, I'm trying to reach out and invited one of the women I work with over for dinner last week, and that was so much fun. She reminds me a bit of my aunt Karis. :) Also, tomorrow I am planning to go the the young adult worship service at the church where my classes are held. I don't plan on changing my church, because I am so involved and established at my church, but I thought attending the other church once or twice might help me meet young people in the area.
I have been going to lots of practices for the Easter play this month. My church has a huge Easter play every year and hundreds and hundreds (maybe thousands?) of people come. It's a big outreach opportunity. This year the play is about Jacob and Joseph's lives and how God was present throughout. The main actors are all adults excellent at acting. I'm in a scene with 6 other young adults, and we had been practicing separately until this week, when we started the full practices with the adults as well. We also have a dancing scene (for Isaac and Rachel's wedding). My role in the separate scene is Naphtali, one of Joseph's brothers, and I also dance at the wedding and play one of Esau's wives at the very beginning.
I ask for your prayers with me as I continue adjusting to the new job and community. While it's a better place for me, it's hard being new and not completely comfortable yet at work. I also hope to find some friends in the community, while continuing to maintain my other friendships.
I will leave you with some exciting news. My vacation time seems to line up perfectly to go to Vietnam on a mission trip with my young adult service! If all works out, I will go in September over the Chuseok holidays. I've been wanting to go on one of these mission trips for a long time, but the timing was always an issue because of work.
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