Crazy Town
I have never encountered another noun that drives me round the bend like Korea does!
Just when you think you have got it under control, WHOOSH! and oops you don't. I think I have actually gotten used to falling down in the bathroom on a regular basis; I come walking around the corner and go flying because the way to clean the bathrooms in Korea is to flood them with an inch of water. I am also used to going to dry my hands on a towel that I brought from home (because in Korea there is never anything to dry your hands with, or wash with) and finding it sopping wet and black because it was used to clean the floor. I bring my own lunch now due to the unedibles in the cafeteria. I have made many adjustments, but no matter how much I bend and twist, I can never get to the level of illogicalness that is every day life in Korea.
I once had a disaggreement over logic. Someone tried to tell me that logic is in the eye of the beholder. Wrong. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, common sense is sometimes not all that common, but logic is logic.
It is not logical to be expected to walk thorough the halls quietly to the English room (lest the new English room be disposed of and teachers will go back to going to each of the classes), but not to computer, music, art, or physical education classes.
It is not logical to hose down the bathroom, and to soak the only dry thing in the bathroom (which incidently is used wipe/dry); the toilet paper!
Now, my favorite aggrivation thus far happened yesterday. My new positive reinforcement idea is rewarding the children for good behaviour by giving them a chance to win a lunch at MacDonald's with me. I ran it by my perfectly speaking English co teacher first to see if it was a good idea. "Oh, Yes!" she replied. So, for three weeks I have been explaining/reminding/ and giving out ballads for a chance to win. Now, I even have two perfectly speaking English co teachers, so one or the other has been in class with me for the past three weeks helping to explain and translate this idea of me taking them to MacDonald's for a special lunch.
Out of the blue ( there is never a lack of out of the blue occurences here) yesterday, in the middle of clarifying to the grade fours how things would go down, my co teacher says " You can't take them to MacDonald's for lunch".
"I'm sorry...what?!" I got that sinking feeling in my stomach again of anger boiling up.
No, they are not allowed to leave the school during lunch hour. Oh really? Well that is super fine, sure no problem, totally understandable, BUT YOU COULD NOT HAVE TOLD ME THAT THREE WEEKS AGO????????
How does one sit there day after day, and there are two different teachers who have done the same thing, each day helping to explain how I would take them to MacDonald's for a special lunch, knowing that I cannot take them there, and not saying anything?????
It blows my mind! I am at such a high stress level that I almost told her she and everyone here is crazy and I can't live here!
Instead, I sat down for a second with my head in my hands and made alternate arrangments. One might say, "Nancy, why do you get so stressed and angry if you know Korea is like this?" I would answer that one can never be sure of the rules or when the craziness is going to strike. You can go through all the scenarios in your head, ask permission, have discussions, make your feelings known, and then surprise, there is always something popping up. You can ask for something ten times, and be told yes each time, and each time you don't get it.
A really funny one is that the curriculum is on CD Rom, but the English room has a new computer system that is not compatible with the CD, and only half of it works. My friend does not even have a computer, but is playing the CD on a CD player!
I only have four months of teaching left thank God!!!!! I am concerned about my stress levels because I was awakend tonight at 3:00am feeling terrible stress. I even had a venting session with some friends tonight which was fun, we laughed, ate pizza and birthday cake, but still I woke up burdened.
I want to not care, to let go, go go go with the flow, I do try I really do. I think positive, I laugh at many many things, but still the stress comes. And the anger! I have been pushed to limits here that I have never been pushed to in my life. Thankfully, many many teachers say the same thing!
I woke up thinking I needed to go for a run or something to get the stress out. Now you know it is serious if I am contemplating excercise!! Of course talking and writing always helps and I renew my vow to really chill. I keep reminding myself about the money, ching ching, and that it is not long now before I can escape!
Universe, please hear me and help me be peaceful and come out of Korea with my head still attached to my body!
Just when you think you have got it under control, WHOOSH! and oops you don't. I think I have actually gotten used to falling down in the bathroom on a regular basis; I come walking around the corner and go flying because the way to clean the bathrooms in Korea is to flood them with an inch of water. I am also used to going to dry my hands on a towel that I brought from home (because in Korea there is never anything to dry your hands with, or wash with) and finding it sopping wet and black because it was used to clean the floor. I bring my own lunch now due to the unedibles in the cafeteria. I have made many adjustments, but no matter how much I bend and twist, I can never get to the level of illogicalness that is every day life in Korea.
I once had a disaggreement over logic. Someone tried to tell me that logic is in the eye of the beholder. Wrong. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, common sense is sometimes not all that common, but logic is logic.
It is not logical to be expected to walk thorough the halls quietly to the English room (lest the new English room be disposed of and teachers will go back to going to each of the classes), but not to computer, music, art, or physical education classes.
It is not logical to hose down the bathroom, and to soak the only dry thing in the bathroom (which incidently is used wipe/dry); the toilet paper!
Now, my favorite aggrivation thus far happened yesterday. My new positive reinforcement idea is rewarding the children for good behaviour by giving them a chance to win a lunch at MacDonald's with me. I ran it by my perfectly speaking English co teacher first to see if it was a good idea. "Oh, Yes!" she replied. So, for three weeks I have been explaining/reminding/ and giving out ballads for a chance to win. Now, I even have two perfectly speaking English co teachers, so one or the other has been in class with me for the past three weeks helping to explain and translate this idea of me taking them to MacDonald's for a special lunch.
Out of the blue ( there is never a lack of out of the blue occurences here) yesterday, in the middle of clarifying to the grade fours how things would go down, my co teacher says " You can't take them to MacDonald's for lunch".
"I'm sorry...what?!" I got that sinking feeling in my stomach again of anger boiling up.
No, they are not allowed to leave the school during lunch hour. Oh really? Well that is super fine, sure no problem, totally understandable, BUT YOU COULD NOT HAVE TOLD ME THAT THREE WEEKS AGO????????
How does one sit there day after day, and there are two different teachers who have done the same thing, each day helping to explain how I would take them to MacDonald's for a special lunch, knowing that I cannot take them there, and not saying anything?????
It blows my mind! I am at such a high stress level that I almost told her she and everyone here is crazy and I can't live here!
Instead, I sat down for a second with my head in my hands and made alternate arrangments. One might say, "Nancy, why do you get so stressed and angry if you know Korea is like this?" I would answer that one can never be sure of the rules or when the craziness is going to strike. You can go through all the scenarios in your head, ask permission, have discussions, make your feelings known, and then surprise, there is always something popping up. You can ask for something ten times, and be told yes each time, and each time you don't get it.
A really funny one is that the curriculum is on CD Rom, but the English room has a new computer system that is not compatible with the CD, and only half of it works. My friend does not even have a computer, but is playing the CD on a CD player!
I only have four months of teaching left thank God!!!!! I am concerned about my stress levels because I was awakend tonight at 3:00am feeling terrible stress. I even had a venting session with some friends tonight which was fun, we laughed, ate pizza and birthday cake, but still I woke up burdened.
I want to not care, to let go, go go go with the flow, I do try I really do. I think positive, I laugh at many many things, but still the stress comes. And the anger! I have been pushed to limits here that I have never been pushed to in my life. Thankfully, many many teachers say the same thing!
I woke up thinking I needed to go for a run or something to get the stress out. Now you know it is serious if I am contemplating excercise!! Of course talking and writing always helps and I renew my vow to really chill. I keep reminding myself about the money, ching ching, and that it is not long now before I can escape!
Universe, please hear me and help me be peaceful and come out of Korea with my head still attached to my body!
posted by Nancy at
4:12 AM
1 Comments:
Interesting to know.
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Anonymous, at 4:49 AM
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