Summer English Camp Report Day 1: The Power to Make Anything Chicken

One of the hallmarks of teaching English in Korea is the often dreaded summer and winter "English Camp". What is an English Camp, you ask? In it's most basic form, a camp is a combination of daycare and conversation club. It's like English class minus any serious studying. If you plan it right, it's actually really fun.

Now, the name camp is a bit misleading. Before I started teaching I always thought of camp, especially summer camp, as a place where you go for a week or longer and stay overnight and whatnot. In the Korean school system, though, it's just a name for extra classes in various subjects. Cooking camp, guitar camp, English camp, science camp, you name it. Some camps go on for most of the vacation, while some are only a few days long.

I did a winter camp back in January that was 6 days long, but my camp for this summer was mercifully only 3 days. It's hard to keep a bunch of middle school kids interested in one topic for much longer than that. It's also hard to come up with enough material, so my strategy is to choose a theme and just run with it. For my previous camp I framed the camp around telling stories (written, visual, musical), but for this camp I decided to capitalize on the hype around all the recent hero movies and structure my camp around super heroes. Also I'm a giant nerd so. Camp is about having fun more than actually studying hard, so the best thing is to choose something you enjoy, that the students will also enjoy, and just play with them for a few days.

Eternally Marvel biased. No regrets.

The nice thing about having a theme is that it allows you to do all kinds of really different activities without them seeming too fragmented. By uniting each part under the umbrella of superheroes, it all becomes a lot more cohesive.

As I said, I had three days of camp, and 4 class periods each day, so that means 4 activities for each day. For the first class on the first day, I figured I should start out slow. Some of the students knew each other, but some were from different classes, and all of them were sleepy and shy, so right off the bat I got them standing up and moving around. I learned this game from another teacher, and it's a lot of fun, even if the students hate you for it. Basically, you go around in a circle, and each person says their name, their favorite color, and does some kind of silly movement and sound. Then, everyone repeats your name, color, and the silly movement. I like this because it's simple language that even my lowest levels can manage, and everyone gets to be a bit silly together. I also had them play the Baskin Robbins 31 game, and a couple other easy little games to get their brains awake and thinking about English.

Second period was when we got down to business with my sweet Prezi on superheroes. This was probably the hardest bit, since I had a lot of vocab to introduce about superpowers and whatnot, but my kids were total troopers. After introducing a few famous heroes and common powers, I had them work together to fill out a crossword puzzle. I like this kind of activity, because while some of it may be too easy for the higher level students, they get more practice by helping the lower level students, and it saves me a lot of work. Why do all the work when you can get students to teach each other? A lazy teacher is a smart teacher.

Names are hard to spell.

The next part was probably the bit I was most looking forward to: Make Your Own Hero! I'd given them the vocab they needed, I suggested the grammar they could use "I can/I have/I'm a hero because" and set them free. They're all so creative, but I so rarely see them allowed to use that creativity in their regular English classes, so giving them that chance is always a priority for me. Even my more quiet students got really involved in this activity. Some were more focused on the writing, some on the drawing. Some really seemed to reflect their personalities, and some were just silly.

Hard at work!

 I don't usually use dictionaries in normal class, but in the context of camp I feel like they're really useful. We're working outside of the book, and there are a lot of situations when the students need to find words that I have no way of knowing. Plus, it gives them the power to seek out information on their own, which I think is really important.

Some heroes are simple.

Some are funny.

Some are absolutely amazing.

After they made their heroes, I had them interview each other. Usually when I do interview activities I give them a set of questions, but for this I had them write their own questions. Some students went pretty basic "What's your name? What is your power?" and some were pretty funny "Do you think you're beautiful?" or "Do you want to eat pizza?" When I'm working with so many different skill levels, I like to keep the activities open-ended. Lower level students can write simple questions and answers while higher level students can do more complicated things. Literally had a couple students that are almost fluent all the way down to a couple students who are still working on the basics. It's a nightmare but it's also fun.

After all their hard work, I figured that the final class period of the day should be a game, so I jimmied a Guess Who game I got from someone else into a superhero guess who game because I'm a lazy jerk. All in all, the first day was a roaring success. It's always a bit hard to get them talking at first, but I was very pleased with the outcomes.

Stay tuned for day 2: The Ongoing Adventures of Chicken Girl.

Why did you come to Korea?

After "What's your name?", "How old are you?", "Do you have a boyfriend?", "Why not?" and "Do you know Dokdo?", one of the most common and weirdly challenging to answer questions I get in Korea is "Why did you come to Korea?" Why Korea, and not some other country? Why would you fly halfway across the world, leave everything familiar, and take a job here?

Well? Good question.

Before I came to Korea, I'd been considering both Japan and Korea as possible destinations. Thanks to a dumb mistake on my JET application (postmarked by and received by are VERY different, kids), Japan fell out of the running pretty early. However, that doesn't mean that there weren't plenty of reasons why Korea felt like a good choice.

 1. Food

I feel a bit funny putting food as the first point on my list, but these aren't in any particular order, and honestly food is pretty important in my life. I don't want to move someone where I can't eat the food. Not that I'm a picky eater, but I wouldn't want to teach English in, say, a country that only eats Brussels sprouts and overripe bananas. Also if a real country exists that has that diet I am so sorry.

Well now I'm hungry.

Before I'd even considered moving to Korea, I was already familiar with quite a few types of Korean food, and I knew I loved it. Just as my old roommates if you want stories of my kimchi mania. There are few foods I have not combined kimchi with at this point. No regrets.

2. Teaching conditions 

Compared to other places I was looking at, namely Japan, the type of job I would have in Korea looked more appealing. I want to be a teacher for the rest of my life, and from what I could find out, a NET (native English teacher) in Korea was closer to a full-fledged teacher than in other programs, where it’s common to just be a sort of human tape player, only there as an example of proper pronunciation.

Lesson planning is serious business.

Serious I tell you.

Stop judging me.

Fortunately, this turned out to be entirely true. I plan all of my own lessons, and basically run my own classes, with translation and classroom management help from my Korean coteachers. It's a lot of work, but I feel like it's more rewarding than just being an assistant. I'm aware that not all teachers in Korea have my same experience, but if you want a good chance of being close to a real teacher, Korea is a good choice.

3. Cost of living 

Compared to the US, Korea is very affordable to live in. Food is cheap, clothes aren’t so bad, your school pays your rent, the list goes on and on. Got student loans? You’ll be able to save so much money here, you’ll be able to pay them off in no time.

Some of my teacher friends are constantly complaining that they're broke, and I really don't get what they're spending their money on. Going out? Expensive Western food? Maybe it's because I'm such a hermit most of the time, but it's almost absurd how easily I've been able to save money here in Korea, even with all the (what I consider to be) very reckless spending I've been doing. Maybe it's the extra $500 a month in the bank that comes from not having to pay rent, but I'm not complaining!

Got to avoid that $20 ice cream.

I'm actually surprised by how short this list turned out. I suppose there are a few smaller considerations all dem handsome men, but honestly these are the big three. If you're thinking of moving to Korea, of if you're already here, what are/were your reasons? Tell me in the comments!

Beauty Review: Nature Republic Bee Venom Cream

I picked up this Bee Venom Cream from Nature Republic a while ago, but I wanted to give it time to really start working before I reviewed it on here. What caught my eye immediately was that the packaging said it was "for skin that gets easily irritated and suffers from redness." That is me in a nutshell. Seriously, my skin thinks it's some kind of delicate princess. If you so much as look at it funny it'll get red and dumb. As the weather heats up, this has become even worse, so I decided to try out some Bee Venom Cream. Also, cream with bee venom just sounds cool, right?

69%...heh heh heh

I really like the texture of this cream. I have pretty oily skin, so anything that's really heavy or greasy is not going to last long in my makeup cabinet. This stuff, however, is really light and soaks into my skin without making me feel slimy. The smell is also quite nice, reminding me of beeswax, and in a way kind of...herbal. I dunno, it's hard to explain, but it just smells really clean and natural.

Perfect English! I'm so impressed, Nature Republic

As far as the general redness of my skin, I feel like that's improved? I mean, I didn't take any before pictures to compare to my current after, but I know my skin has been a lot happier lately. I usually just use this at night, because it's humid as a sauna these days so anything more than a light moisturizer for daytime makes me even slimier than usual. I'm sorry if that's an unpleasant image, but things have been pretty unpleasant lately.

Anyways...yeah. Not much to say about this one other than that I like it. I'm super picky about face creams because I hate feeling greasy, but for now this one is a definite winner.

Would I recommend this product: Yes yes yes! My crazy skin seems to have calmed down a lot since I started using this at night, and the smell is just lovely.

Where to buy: If you're in Korea there's Nature Republic stores everywhere, but if not, here it is on Amazon. I know it's a bit pricey, but it lasts a long time~

"We have to pretend to be a couple.": Weekend Adventure Part 2

So let's see...where did I leave off? Ah yes. Bubble tea. Myeongdong. I had plans to meet Yun around 2, so I settled down on a rock...bench...thing in front of the art museum to wait, splitting my time between people watching and reading. The only problem with the choice to read a book is that when he showed up, he was able to scare the living daylights out of me. I now only possess dead daylights. It's a modern tragedy.

The view from my seat.

I haven't known Yun for long, or at least, we haven't spent much time together, but I feel remarkably...relaxed and comfortable around him. Sure, he scolds me if I speak too much English and teases me when I speak Korean like an old lady, but it's in an undeniably friendly, light-hearted way. We escaped the heat in Cafe Pascucci, and eventually decided to track down a noraebang to hide in during the worst of the hot afternoon, then adventure over to the Hanok village area. I don't know what it is about Korean guys, but I feel like they either want to take you drinking, or take you to culture landmarks. Or both. I mean, I don't mind, but it's almost a sure bet that you'll end up in a bar or a palace.

I'd never been to noraebang before either A) during the day or B) while sober, so I have to admit I was a little nervous. I suppose we could have bought some beer, but Yun had a cold and didn't want any, and I didn't want to be the awkward person drinking alone. Luckily for me, for both of us I guess, everything turned out just fine! Also, may I just say, he has a surprisingly good singing voice. No offense to most of the people I go to noraebang with, but I'm used to singing with people make up in enthusiasm what they lack in skill. That's all well and good, but to sing Maroon 5 and 2ne1 with someone who appreciates my harmonies and can even call me out when I make a mistake? Glorious.

Love is the MOMEEEEEENT

I'd been to the Hanok village before, but I didn't have the heart to nay-say his suggestion, since I'd already shot down seeing Transformers. One time seeing that hot mess was quite enough, thank you very much. And really, it did seem kinda fun to see the Hanok village again, if only to compare how it looked back in freezing January. It's nice to wander around Seoul with someone who actually knows where he's going, too. Tara, if you're reading this, I'd like to repeat that it was the SCENIC TOUR and we TOTALLY WEREN'T LOST.

Ahem.

We wandered past a group of performers doing the traditional song and dance, and joked around together about joining them. It got even worse, the joking I mean, when we went inside the first house, serendipitously named "Yun's Family House". I started us off by thanking him for inviting me to his house, and from then on we were...just...really dumb. When we came to a room we weren't allowed to go into, he'd mention his mom was very strict. At a bedroom he assured me I'd could stay there the next time I was in Seoul. A palanquin was offered up at my new car. I don't know if it was the heat, my own dumb sense of humor, or what, but I promise it was hilarious at the time. Really. Stop looking at me like that.

This was frozen the last time I went!

Dinner was a bit of an adventure, but after some criss-crossing we managed to find a place that was both acceptably delicious and not closed. Over steaming bowls of stone pot bibimbap, our conversation moved from favorite actors to what kind of people we want to date, from favorite Korean foods to the funny questions taxi drivers ask. He even scolded me for not trying to speak Korean more, which I actually really appreciated. It's easy for me to get lazy when I'm spending time with people who have a high level of English, but that's no excuse!

Delicious.

As it turns out, Yun has this magical app/car service that allows him to use cars that are all over the city. It's seriously amazing. You open the app, it tells you where all the available cars are in your area, and you unlock it straight from the app. I think you even pay for it through the app. Anyways, I bring this up because after eating, we tracked down one of said cars and headed out for what would turn into a fun and one might even say romantic tour of Seoul in the evening.

I rarely drive in Seoul, usually spending my time either walking or down in the subway, so to relax in the passenger seat and watch the city go by was novel and quite enjoyable. I'm not sure I'll ever want to drive in Seoul, though...the traffic was pretty intense and scary, but with a confident driver at the wheel, I felt totally safe. We hit a few of the big sights, past Seoul Station and the palace and the big statue of Sejong the Great and who know what else. Eventually we turned onto what was, to me, an unfamiliar side street that took us winding up a tree-lined road, slowly rising higher and higher above the city as the sun moved lower and lower in the sky, slanting warm and golden through our rolled down windows.

Our destination, and I didn't even know we'd had a destination, was the top of a mountain on the outskirts of the city. Korean mountains, I have to admit, are pretty adorable in comparison to the behemoths I'm used to. I wish I'd taken more pictures, because the place was gorgeous; a big building in the style of a Buddhist temple, trees silhouetted against the setting sun, children and couples everywhere.

Sunset glow.

There was an amazing moment when the sun seemed to sit on a nearby peak, perfectly balanced for a few seconds before sinking below the horizon. It was hard to believe that we hadn't even really left the city. The air was still warm from the sunny day but starting to cool, there was the smallest of breezes to ruffle the trees, and I could feel my stress melting away into the air.

Say cheese.

I didn't get a picture of this, but if you walk around to the other side of the balcony, there's a gorgeous view of the city. There's nothing quite like watching the lights in a city come on as the daylight disappears. I do enjoy living in the countryside, I really do, but there's a part of my heart that will always love the city. The countryside has stars, but the city has neon, and I'm still trying to decide what I like better.

After getting our fill of sunset, we returned to the car for the final leg of our journey: a nighttime drive along the Han river. According to some it's the most beautiful night scenery in the world, and I'll not argue that it's got to be pretty high up on the list. We turned up the radio, rolled down the windows, and I soaked up the scenery. We passed bridge after bridge, some lit up in red or blue or green, some carrying cars, or trains, or subway rails. Neither of us talked, just sank into the comfortable silence of night driving, lost in our own worlds.

Our last stop was the riverside itself, a small park full of people with the same idea as us. Even though there were plenty of people, the whole place had a feeling of quiet, as if everyone was keeping their voices down. Even the raucous laughter of college students drinking beer in the grass felt muted somehow. We joked about there being too many couples, and for a moment Yun put his arm around me with the joke "We have to pretend to be a couple."

It was just...one of those perfect nights, you know? The kind of night that makes you want to say things like "I feel infinite". The kind of night that makes you want to freeze time so you can linger in the warm night air, trying to see past the streetlights and into the stars.

Because I'm Happy: Weekend Adventure Part 1

For whatever reason I rarely feel motivated to write posts that are just about my life, but I just had such a ridiculously good weekend I feel compelled to write about it. These are the things you want to remember, right? Focus on the awesome stuff, ignore the bad stuff, instant success. Maybe.

Anyways! I've been a total homebody lately, more likely to lurk at home on the weekends reading YA fiction and drinking iced coffee than to go out and do, well, anything, but this weekend I finally broke my rut. Despite a late and lazy start, I caught a bus down to Daejeon to meet my friend Joon who was visiting from Seattle. The whole plan was really hard to explain to anyone. So wait...your friend from America...who is Korean...and she's in Seoul...but you're meeting in Daejeon...why...?

Why Daejeon? Lena Park! 박정현! I'd only vaguely known of her, mostly from her song on the Heirs OST, but when Joon asked if I wanted to go with her, I figured why not? It was my only chance to see a friend, and live music is pretty much always fun.

I am so, so, SO glad I made that choice. Not only is she a great singer, she has a remarkable stage presence and ability to connect with the crowd. Even though I could only understand about a third of her Korean, I felt a real connection with her and her music as she talked to the audience.

If you've never heard her music, go and change that right now. She's a very powerful vocalist and her songs are really beautiful. Lots of ballads, but I've given up denying my love of shmoopy music. All ballads, all the time, zero regrets.

The concert finished around 10, which is unfortunately also when the last bus from Daejeon to Wonju leaves, which is exactly why I'd decided to just tag along with Joon back up to Seoul, adding a weird extra leg to my journey.

Wonju, Daejeon, and Seoul are all almost exactly the same distance away from each other, too, which is kinda funny, and also meant that we rolled into the Gangnam bus station around 12:30, tired as anything. Now, here is something I love about Korea. A couple months ago I spent a night in a cheap little guesthouse near Myeongdong, so I figured I'd book a room in the same place this time. Well, not only did the manager remember me, he upgraded my room for no charge and let me check in at 1 in the morning. He wasn't even there when I checked in, but in the morning we ended up talking for almost half an hour, and now we're friends on kakaotalk. I guess I won't have to worry about finding a place to stay in Seoul any more!

I checked out around 11, but since I didn't have anywhere to be until 2, I figured I'd just grab some coffee and wander around Myeongdong until then. That worked for a little while, but what didn't occur to me is how ridiculously hot it would be. I guess I get spoiled out in the country, because while it's been hot in Wonju, there's something about the way a city gets hot and stifling that is on a whole other level.

At least I met some friends.

Finally, after 45 minutes of sweating and baking and roasting and all manner of other cooking terms, I gave in to my weakness and chose a cafe entirely at random. Lucky for me, John & Jin's was a perfect choice. Quiet and cool, with a perfect people-watching view out the second story window. With sandwich and iced coffee in hand, I settled in for a couple hours of the Great Gatsby over an early lunch.

The decorations were super cute.

I had the place to myself for a while.

I don't really miss western food that much, but every once in a while I really want a nice sandwich, so when I saw a grilled chicken and cream cheese ciabatta sandwich on the menu, I figured I should go for it, and I was not disappointed. The flavors were subtle but delicious, and the bread was actually quite good. I pretty much grew up in a bakery, so I hold bread to a pretty high standard, and this managed to pass muster. Or should I say mustard? I'm sorry, that was terrible.

A+ sandwich, though a bit too much lettuce, I have to admit.

People watching is even better when no one can see you!

By the time I ate and read for a while, the weather cooled down a bit, at least to the point where being outside wouldn't be something like a slow death. While I'm not sure I would want to live in Seoul, I love visiting Myeongdong, losing myself in the crowds. People from all over the world, all ages, anything you can imagine, and so many languages! Korean of course, and Japanese, Chinese, English, French, Russian, and plenty of words I can't even guess at! The small town vibe is nice, but to disappear in that crush of humanity is a real treat once in a while.

Also, I got bubble tea.

I wanted to buy everything.

Better a happy lemon than a sad lemon.

What do you prefer? The familiarity of small town life, or the relative anonymity of the big city? I can never choose.