Phew! It's effing cold right now, and either my keyboard's keys are getting slightly stuck as I type, or my fingers aren't working so well. Cold, however, is a relative thing it seems, as the weather compared to Canada right now is very good. Unfortunately my school still hasn't bought into the idea of indoor heating, so my work environment is at best unpleasant and at worst a painful struggle. It does create an opportunity to play a lot of active games with my kids in the classroom; though as always, getting the little guys all riled up can be like playing tag with a hungry tiger - eventually, it's going to bite you in the ass.
To date, my blog has given (I feel) a fairly in-depth description of life at my school, covering all the good, bad and strange times that have befallen me. The experiences I have had, however, are not necessarily typical of all English teachers in Korea. Every school has its own unique environment for staff, and there is an amazing contrast between different schools I've found. Shannon's school and mine, two demographically similar schools, are quite far apart in terms of what kind of work environment we face, and her experience has not been nearly as positive as mine when it comes to enjoying her teaching position.
The kids are always hit-or-miss when it comes to being bad-asses. I hate to say it, but income demographics certainly has a lot to do with how they are in class, though the spoiled rich kids can be as bad as the disrespectful poor kids. In the end, the kids can be rough, but they’re not usually what makes or breaks a good school.
Co-workers however can ruin a school, and principals can make your life hell. At Shannon’s school, the teacher is a horrible person (she’s bald, so we call her a witch). She threatens to take away Shannon’s vacation time, pays other teacher 3 or 4 times what Shannon gets for the same job, and subtly makes fun of her clothes (which are really nice, so I just don’t get that). Another English teacher in town was dealt a sexual predator for a co-teacher. That’s right, the man who she worked with, side-by-side everyday, had been busted for sexually harassing both fellow teachers and students. His punishment? A week off the job and a different school to teach at. Of course, the English teacher didn’t learn all of this until AFTER he took her out for a day long hike, then drove to a secluded area outside of town. She was fine in the end, thank goodness, but the 30 minutes sitting in the car waiting to get back to town took an eternity, she said.
Most other teachers who have difficult times don’t face such threatening situations. There are several teachers who have been given homes with cockroaches and another whose power is rather suspect at the best of times and may possibly give her a good jolt one rainy day in the future. Some people are given tones of extra hours to work with little or no overtime pay (Shannon falls slightly into this category), and some –such as myself – will find themselves doing out-of-town English camps where the only money you get is to cover your travel costs. Yep, you never really know exactly what it’s going to be like here until you finally start at school.
(Brief interlude – I’m listening to a friend, Pete Golden, over the radio. I tell my kids, and what do they do? They grabbed the speaker and tried to talk to Pete. So cute.)
Well, I think that’s my tale for today. Holidays are coming up fast, and while I won’t have any exciting stories about them for a while, Shannon and I have just booked our flights to Australia and New Zealand. Spending January lying on a beach is going to be wonderful.
Thursday, November 30, 2006
Wednesday, November 22, 2006
Slacking Off
I've decided to take a week off and let someone else fill in my blog for me this week. The following in verbatim from the Sang-dong Korean Police Substation.
Dear Mr. Bergen.
This is KP(Korean Police) substation in Sang-dong, Mokpo.
Yesterday, we recieved a statement about lost wallet from one citizen.
We searched your fitness membership card from your wallet.
Then we called Vitamin Fitness Club and found out that you are that club's member.
We also found out your cell-phone number(010-5825-1247) by asking to that club's client.
We tried to call up many times, but there were no answers.
In our opinions, you maybe lost your cell-phone with wallet together.
So, we drop in your club and kept your wallet to client necessary.
Please, get back your wallet from client safely.
And if you any questions, contact us below telephone number.
Korean Police substation in Sang-dong, Mokpo
Yes, the Korean Police have come to my aid by finding my lost wallet. Hopefully my letter of thanks I send to them will bring as many chuckles and good times as their's has for me.
The full story goes as follows: Saturday night, we were playing hockey at a friends house (wait till I publish the blog on my home-made goalie pads), and spent the rest of the night having a few beers and playing cards at his house. Somewhere between his place and mine, my wallet was left behind. I was convinced it was at my friends place, but he left town the next day, so I had to wait to check. Meanwhile, my wallet has actually (I strongly believe) ended up in the back of a taxi. The driver gave it to the police (after taking $10 from it), who then gave it to my gym (or maybe the police took my money), who then tried to give it to another Canadian girl in town, before finally giving it to her boyfriend, possibly because he looks just slightly like me, and by that I mean we're both Canadian. Oh, and he's 6'8", so maybe they knew it was the "tall" Canadian's wallet.
Anyway, it's been two days of only minimal anxiety, as I was so sure where my wallet had been, so it's nice to have it back. One of the teacher's in town here has lost, or had stolen, her passport 5 times up to this point, so I'm not feeling too bad. Thanks for checking back in everyone, I'll post again sometime mid-next week.
Dear Mr. Bergen.
This is KP(Korean Police) substation in Sang-dong, Mokpo.
Yesterday, we recieved a statement about lost wallet from one citizen.
We searched your fitness membership card from your wallet.
Then we called Vitamin Fitness Club and found out that you are that club's member.
We also found out your cell-phone number(010-5825-1247) by asking to that club's client.
We tried to call up many times, but there were no answers.
In our opinions, you maybe lost your cell-phone with wallet together.
So, we drop in your club and kept your wallet to client necessary.
Please, get back your wallet from client safely.
And if you any questions, contact us below telephone number.
Korean Police substation in Sang-dong, Mokpo
Yes, the Korean Police have come to my aid by finding my lost wallet. Hopefully my letter of thanks I send to them will bring as many chuckles and good times as their's has for me.
The full story goes as follows: Saturday night, we were playing hockey at a friends house (wait till I publish the blog on my home-made goalie pads), and spent the rest of the night having a few beers and playing cards at his house. Somewhere between his place and mine, my wallet was left behind. I was convinced it was at my friends place, but he left town the next day, so I had to wait to check. Meanwhile, my wallet has actually (I strongly believe) ended up in the back of a taxi. The driver gave it to the police (after taking $10 from it), who then gave it to my gym (or maybe the police took my money), who then tried to give it to another Canadian girl in town, before finally giving it to her boyfriend, possibly because he looks just slightly like me, and by that I mean we're both Canadian. Oh, and he's 6'8", so maybe they knew it was the "tall" Canadian's wallet.
Anyway, it's been two days of only minimal anxiety, as I was so sure where my wallet had been, so it's nice to have it back. One of the teacher's in town here has lost, or had stolen, her passport 5 times up to this point, so I'm not feeling too bad. Thanks for checking back in everyone, I'll post again sometime mid-next week.
Monday, November 20, 2006
Ummm... killing time
It's 4:00 - 30 minutes into my class - and I'm just sitting here... waiting. My principal decided today to take over my class, which is fine by me. But I just thought I should write about the random and unexpected events that happen on a daily basis while teaching here.
Hah! One of the kids just asked me to "Please!" start teaching class. I guess I'm not the only one who thinks this sudden change of teachers is a little bizarre.
Hah! One of the kids just asked me to "Please!" start teaching class. I guess I'm not the only one who thinks this sudden change of teachers is a little bizarre.
Wednesday, November 15, 2006
Crime and Punishment
It’s time for the section on Crime and Punishment for the Everyday English Teacher here in Korea. I’m sure you can all remember what discipline was like for yourself when you were in school, and while the principles have generally remained unchanged (bad behaviour = discipline measures), the means by which discipline is carried out here in Korea is quite different than anything I remember back home. Perhaps it is the Korean culture that brings this out, or maybe it's the language barrier between teacher and student. Either way, you should find this a very exciting and intriguing subject.
As a brief aside, I would like to point out I never get angry with my students. I tried that once, and it failed miserably. Each and every method listed below is done in a friendly, usually smiling manner, and most often the student is laughing too. I never want them to feel bad or as though they’re in serious trouble. I just want them to shut up.
Classical Methods of Discipline
These are the traditional ways to get the kids to settle down and behave themselves. A good scolding is always an easy way to begin, however since Korean children generally don’t understand what you’re saying, they reactions won’t be in line with what you’re looking for. Simple words such as “sit” “stop talking” and “shhh” are about all you can expect to use. “Hajima!” – or, "stop that" - is a good Korean word to try out, but once the initial shock of it has worn off, children will generally just laugh at your funny accent.
Most kids hate corners, so putting them in one always seems to get some results. Keeping them there is a challenge, as even if you catch them sneaking away, which they usually try and do, they may not understand “get back in the corner.” Pointing and gesturing becomes key, and you can always threaten a kid by pointing at them, then at the door. Sending kids out of the room works most of the time, but is a little harsh and deprives them of the education you should desire to give them. I try and send only the worst of instigators out of the room – those kids who thrive on getting a rise out of others and send the whole class into a tailspin.
Neo-Classical Methods
When I was a student, push-ups were an occasional method of discipline my teachers used. Sometimes, this is a great discipline measure to pull out, especially for students who are lacking the constitution or physical attributes to complete more than one or two push-ups. However, they demand a great deal of attention from the teacher, and I have learned that having students hold their arms up or out to the side is almost as effective and requires less personal attention. Of course, students will cheat and do whatever they can to lessen the burden, so you should keep an watchful eye on them.
If they continue to be a problem, have them sit on their knees for a while. For students who refuse to pay attention to class, have them do this front and centre of the classroom, and only once they can answer your questions, allow them to sit down again. In extreme measures, you can place books in your student’s hands. Should they continue to put down the books when you turn away, balance something on the books that you can hear drop. This subtle tactic should not be done too long, as it can cause the entire class to pay more attention to the student than to your lesson.
Seating Arrangements
Students will inherently sit with their friends. That way they can talk. They also like to throw things at each other, which is just way to distracting to deal with. Moving them around will usually solve this. Students don’t like being moved generally, but you should be careful not to move them to a more precarious situation. If there are no sound places to move a student, I may elect to move them to an isolated area of the room, or have them sit on the floor next to me.
Some students, those ones who really don’t want to be in school, much less your class, and hold little respect for you or any teacher (I only have one like this, thank goodness) will refuse any of the above or below discipline measures. Since I can’t give grades, speak Korean, send them to the Principal, or tell their parents they were bad (the parents blame the school for not being able to properly teach them), I will move all the students sitting around them, leaving them to sit on their own. It only furthers the anger that student may feel, so I would suggest isolating them like this only in the worst of cases.
Embarrassment and Other Bizarre and Exciting Discipline Methods
This is where the more creative teachers begin to show their quality when it comes to disciplining students. Embarrassment is always an enjoyable method for both you and the class, and often the student being punished – just be sure they aren’t apt to break down and cry in front of the class. Having students stand up is a good start in having them stand out from the rest of the class, and moving them to the front of the room can be even better. Having them read and answer questions is good, but it can backfire as it may make participating in class seem like a chore rather than something to enjoy. Singing is my preferred method of embarrassment.
Occasionally you will come across a student where no amount of punishment will affect their poor behaviour. One exciting method I’ve started using is to teach the class while sitting down next to this student. Most children’s faces will light up like a fire engine, and they will very quickly cease any and all inappropriate behaviour. If you feel you cannot properly teach a class from a desk, perhaps having the student accompany you around the room may work. Hold their hand if they start to sneak away at any time, which will make even the toughest of students beg for release (just don’t actually hurt them!).
For students engaged in any kind of combative behaviour with each other, forcing them to make up can often be very effective as well. Holding hands is a great sign of friendship, and while the students may not love each other the way you wish them to, at least all their frustration will be directed towards you and not each other. A more extreme example of this used by a fellow teacher, is having fighting students stand at the front of the room shoulder to shoulder, then touch heads and form a heart with their hands above their heads. This may cause the class to get a bit too out of hand (everyone thinks this is hilarious), so maybe save it till there’s only a few minutes left to go.
Given these lessons, you now should be able to control even the most unruly of classes, and have an entertaining and fun time whilst doing it. Teaching can be a great experience, and no one wants that ruined by loud-mouthed children putting gum in each others hair. Just be sure you’re in a country where parents aren’t likely to sue you for putting their child through “unnecessary embarrassment and mental anguish” - those are the best parts of growing up.
As a brief aside, I would like to point out I never get angry with my students. I tried that once, and it failed miserably. Each and every method listed below is done in a friendly, usually smiling manner, and most often the student is laughing too. I never want them to feel bad or as though they’re in serious trouble. I just want them to shut up.
Classical Methods of Discipline
These are the traditional ways to get the kids to settle down and behave themselves. A good scolding is always an easy way to begin, however since Korean children generally don’t understand what you’re saying, they reactions won’t be in line with what you’re looking for. Simple words such as “sit” “stop talking” and “shhh” are about all you can expect to use. “Hajima!” – or, "stop that" - is a good Korean word to try out, but once the initial shock of it has worn off, children will generally just laugh at your funny accent.
Most kids hate corners, so putting them in one always seems to get some results. Keeping them there is a challenge, as even if you catch them sneaking away, which they usually try and do, they may not understand “get back in the corner.” Pointing and gesturing becomes key, and you can always threaten a kid by pointing at them, then at the door. Sending kids out of the room works most of the time, but is a little harsh and deprives them of the education you should desire to give them. I try and send only the worst of instigators out of the room – those kids who thrive on getting a rise out of others and send the whole class into a tailspin.
Neo-Classical Methods
When I was a student, push-ups were an occasional method of discipline my teachers used. Sometimes, this is a great discipline measure to pull out, especially for students who are lacking the constitution or physical attributes to complete more than one or two push-ups. However, they demand a great deal of attention from the teacher, and I have learned that having students hold their arms up or out to the side is almost as effective and requires less personal attention. Of course, students will cheat and do whatever they can to lessen the burden, so you should keep an watchful eye on them.
If they continue to be a problem, have them sit on their knees for a while. For students who refuse to pay attention to class, have them do this front and centre of the classroom, and only once they can answer your questions, allow them to sit down again. In extreme measures, you can place books in your student’s hands. Should they continue to put down the books when you turn away, balance something on the books that you can hear drop. This subtle tactic should not be done too long, as it can cause the entire class to pay more attention to the student than to your lesson.
Seating Arrangements
Students will inherently sit with their friends. That way they can talk. They also like to throw things at each other, which is just way to distracting to deal with. Moving them around will usually solve this. Students don’t like being moved generally, but you should be careful not to move them to a more precarious situation. If there are no sound places to move a student, I may elect to move them to an isolated area of the room, or have them sit on the floor next to me.
Some students, those ones who really don’t want to be in school, much less your class, and hold little respect for you or any teacher (I only have one like this, thank goodness) will refuse any of the above or below discipline measures. Since I can’t give grades, speak Korean, send them to the Principal, or tell their parents they were bad (the parents blame the school for not being able to properly teach them), I will move all the students sitting around them, leaving them to sit on their own. It only furthers the anger that student may feel, so I would suggest isolating them like this only in the worst of cases.
Embarrassment and Other Bizarre and Exciting Discipline Methods
This is where the more creative teachers begin to show their quality when it comes to disciplining students. Embarrassment is always an enjoyable method for both you and the class, and often the student being punished – just be sure they aren’t apt to break down and cry in front of the class. Having students stand up is a good start in having them stand out from the rest of the class, and moving them to the front of the room can be even better. Having them read and answer questions is good, but it can backfire as it may make participating in class seem like a chore rather than something to enjoy. Singing is my preferred method of embarrassment.
Occasionally you will come across a student where no amount of punishment will affect their poor behaviour. One exciting method I’ve started using is to teach the class while sitting down next to this student. Most children’s faces will light up like a fire engine, and they will very quickly cease any and all inappropriate behaviour. If you feel you cannot properly teach a class from a desk, perhaps having the student accompany you around the room may work. Hold their hand if they start to sneak away at any time, which will make even the toughest of students beg for release (just don’t actually hurt them!).
For students engaged in any kind of combative behaviour with each other, forcing them to make up can often be very effective as well. Holding hands is a great sign of friendship, and while the students may not love each other the way you wish them to, at least all their frustration will be directed towards you and not each other. A more extreme example of this used by a fellow teacher, is having fighting students stand at the front of the room shoulder to shoulder, then touch heads and form a heart with their hands above their heads. This may cause the class to get a bit too out of hand (everyone thinks this is hilarious), so maybe save it till there’s only a few minutes left to go.
Given these lessons, you now should be able to control even the most unruly of classes, and have an entertaining and fun time whilst doing it. Teaching can be a great experience, and no one wants that ruined by loud-mouthed children putting gum in each others hair. Just be sure you’re in a country where parents aren’t likely to sue you for putting their child through “unnecessary embarrassment and mental anguish” - those are the best parts of growing up.
Thursday, November 09, 2006
Kyo Jang Soeng Sang Nim, or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love My Principal
Another week, another blog. Thanks to all of you who're keeping up with it, I so glad I’m entertaining enough to be worth reading on a regular basis. I think I was able to make it so you don’t need to log in to comment, so feel free to drop a line on here whenever you like. Especially if you know a good travel agent who can find cheap flights out of Soeul.
There's been some exciting, bizarre, and ever (heaven forbid!) regular nd routine times here in Mokpo over the last little while. Halloween has come and gone, and with it we experienced one of the larger parties here in South Korea, at least for us Waygooks (foreigners). Teachers from all over the province of Jeollanamdo traveled up to 4 hours to take part what's become an annual Halloween gathering, put on by a teacher who's been here for about 6 years now. There were some very exciting costumes (Shannon and I were a Smurf and Arch-Bishop, respectively), and you'd be impressed at how creative people can be given the lack of materials for costume building here in Korea. Or how outlandish and inappropriate they can be. I won't go into too much more detail regarding the night, though there was much Noraebonging (karaoke), dancing and finally it all ended with a number of us catching a bus at 6am for the 4 hour trip home.
The weather is finally starting to cool down, hinting at what might almost be classified as a winter. Well, not by Canadian standards anyway, though there has been one day cold enough I needed a jacket. My school, of course, does not have any heating system in it, and while I was fairly comfortable in the cold, all the students and teachers kept their big winter coats on all day. For a while we looked more like a ski school than an English class room, and while I know the idea of adding in a heating system to the school won’t happen anytime soon, perhaps I could suggest closing all the windows for a change.
Vacation time is coming up, but it’s been tough to figure out holidays, as my Principal, as great a guy as he is, is a bit off his rocker. He’s always forgetting what month it is, will come into my class Thursday afternoons to run our Friday class, and can never quite get the difference between a competition and a seminar. A lot of this is a result of language barriers, but my principal’s also the kind of guy to show up to school on Monday with a bandage on his forehead from some random fall or flying object. Anyway, over the past few weeks, the dates he’s told me my vacation is has changed 4 times. He’s finally started to agree with himself though, so I think I know for sure now what days I have off.
Three times a week, my principal helps me teach my extra class. His job is to mark their homework, and he likes to review some of the material from last class as well. I haven’t had the heart to try and solve the homework issue, but I usually try to keep the class from falling into total chaos while he teaches it, as his methods can be a little unusual. Yesterday, he was working on pronouncing the “f” sound with the kids, which was awesome ‘cause he can’t pronounce the “f” sound either, it’s always “puh”. He ends up trying to work with this one kid who’s doing terrible, so I try to help the kid by getting him to pull up his upper lip. It looks ridiculous, but it works, and the principal digs this, so he gets the whole class to pull up their upper lips and start going “fffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffff”. So now there’s 35 kids going “ffffffffffff” with their hands in their mouths, the principal is holding up his lip smacking his foot on the ground to get their attention, kids are laughing, he’s yelling (with his lip held up), and by the time I got class started we had wasted almost a full half hour.
Well everyone, thanks for tuning in for another weekly adventure of English teaching in Korea. it’s been a blast as always, and I hope you can make it back next week!
There's been some exciting, bizarre, and ever (heaven forbid!) regular nd routine times here in Mokpo over the last little while. Halloween has come and gone, and with it we experienced one of the larger parties here in South Korea, at least for us Waygooks (foreigners). Teachers from all over the province of Jeollanamdo traveled up to 4 hours to take part what's become an annual Halloween gathering, put on by a teacher who's been here for about 6 years now. There were some very exciting costumes (Shannon and I were a Smurf and Arch-Bishop, respectively), and you'd be impressed at how creative people can be given the lack of materials for costume building here in Korea. Or how outlandish and inappropriate they can be. I won't go into too much more detail regarding the night, though there was much Noraebonging (karaoke), dancing and finally it all ended with a number of us catching a bus at 6am for the 4 hour trip home.
The weather is finally starting to cool down, hinting at what might almost be classified as a winter. Well, not by Canadian standards anyway, though there has been one day cold enough I needed a jacket. My school, of course, does not have any heating system in it, and while I was fairly comfortable in the cold, all the students and teachers kept their big winter coats on all day. For a while we looked more like a ski school than an English class room, and while I know the idea of adding in a heating system to the school won’t happen anytime soon, perhaps I could suggest closing all the windows for a change.
Vacation time is coming up, but it’s been tough to figure out holidays, as my Principal, as great a guy as he is, is a bit off his rocker. He’s always forgetting what month it is, will come into my class Thursday afternoons to run our Friday class, and can never quite get the difference between a competition and a seminar. A lot of this is a result of language barriers, but my principal’s also the kind of guy to show up to school on Monday with a bandage on his forehead from some random fall or flying object. Anyway, over the past few weeks, the dates he’s told me my vacation is has changed 4 times. He’s finally started to agree with himself though, so I think I know for sure now what days I have off.
Three times a week, my principal helps me teach my extra class. His job is to mark their homework, and he likes to review some of the material from last class as well. I haven’t had the heart to try and solve the homework issue, but I usually try to keep the class from falling into total chaos while he teaches it, as his methods can be a little unusual. Yesterday, he was working on pronouncing the “f” sound with the kids, which was awesome ‘cause he can’t pronounce the “f” sound either, it’s always “puh”. He ends up trying to work with this one kid who’s doing terrible, so I try to help the kid by getting him to pull up his upper lip. It looks ridiculous, but it works, and the principal digs this, so he gets the whole class to pull up their upper lips and start going “fffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffff”. So now there’s 35 kids going “ffffffffffff” with their hands in their mouths, the principal is holding up his lip smacking his foot on the ground to get their attention, kids are laughing, he’s yelling (with his lip held up), and by the time I got class started we had wasted almost a full half hour.
Well everyone, thanks for tuning in for another weekly adventure of English teaching in Korea. it’s been a blast as always, and I hope you can make it back next week!
Thursday, November 02, 2006
Konglish
Whew, I'm all for integrated classrooms and students of all learning abilities working together, but I just had a mentally challenged kid jump on my back. I like the kid and all, I just wish he didn't weigh 120 pounds already.
You may have noticed my late blogs these days, which is a result of a new, busier schedule. I'm running an after-school English class now, so I'm swamped Mondays and Tuesdays. If you've been keeping up with my weekly adventures, be aware they'll be popping up a litle later in the week. I think I'll make Wednesday night my deadline now.
Eugh... that same kid just spat in my ear. He wasn't really trying, so I shouldn't be mad at him, but his slight loss of motor control has made it a challenge for him to whisper things into your ear without slobbering as well. Yeuck.
I'm almost at a grade 1 level now with my own Korean skills. Hah! Me and the 6 year olds, talkin', hangin' out... kay, maybe we don't have an instant rapport due to language levels (they don't understand why I can't understand them), but our vocabulary is about the same. My advantage over the little wieners is that I can read their language - Hanguel, the Korean writing system, is remarkably easy to pick up, and I've been rather competent at deciphering it for over a month now. Heck, I could sound out words after a few days, however recognizing those words is a problem. Though not as much as you'd think.
"Konglish" is slang for the mixture of English words taken into the Korean vocabulary, and I'm sure there's something like it that every developing or newly developed country in the world has to some degree or another. While the Korean language is fairly complex (I think they have words to express any feeling or action you'd come across), there's so many western culture pieces and technologies that have drifted into Korea, that a whole dictionary of English words taken into the Korean vernacular. Here's a few examples:
"Pocketball" is playing pool, "aircon" is airconditioning, "talent" - TV or movie stars. "Fighting" is a bit of a strange one, and Koreans use it in place of "good luck" or "break a leg". After work, I can go to the "cope-ee see-yope" (coffee shop), or maybe stop by the "hell-suh-kuh-lope" (health club), but it's a long walk, so I'll need to catch a "take-see" (taxi). Hair conditioner is "rin-suh", a one piece dress is a "won-pee-suh", and apartments are shortened to "apar-tuh".
Besides learning the language, I'm also giving it my all to pick up the accent. I don't know how successful I've been so far, but I'm quickly learning about the Korean syllable-factor and how important it is. Hanguel, when being read, is written by forming syllables our of letters, the words out of syllables. When translating, it makes for some interesting results. Allow me to demonstrate:
The word "strike" in English is a one-syllable word. If you were to sound it out for someone, maybe you would put two in there (str-ike), so there's potential to make it a longer word. The Korean language system turns it into five syllables. Yep, "strike" quickly becomes "suh-tuh-rah-ee-kuh" when translated into Konglish. And there's tonnes of words like this, which means that even though you are trying to say a word that Koreans use all the time, they might be clueless about it - and the same goes for the other way around. Today, some kids of mine wanted to call their team "Barcelona", after the soccer team. I had to get them to come up to the board and spell it for me, and it was 7 syllables long. And if you want to catch a taxi to E-mart (just like Wal Mart), you have to be very clear thay you want to go to "E-mar-tuh", as "E-mart" will generally just get you looks of confusion.
Shannon's uploaded a bunch of photos onto Flickr. The links below should take you there.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/shan_korea/sets/72157594308304205/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/shan_korea/sets/72157594297423735/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/shan_korea/sets/72157594308265638/
Hope everyone's doing well, thanks for taking the time to read the ol' blog here! Till next week!
You may have noticed my late blogs these days, which is a result of a new, busier schedule. I'm running an after-school English class now, so I'm swamped Mondays and Tuesdays. If you've been keeping up with my weekly adventures, be aware they'll be popping up a litle later in the week. I think I'll make Wednesday night my deadline now.
Eugh... that same kid just spat in my ear. He wasn't really trying, so I shouldn't be mad at him, but his slight loss of motor control has made it a challenge for him to whisper things into your ear without slobbering as well. Yeuck.
I'm almost at a grade 1 level now with my own Korean skills. Hah! Me and the 6 year olds, talkin', hangin' out... kay, maybe we don't have an instant rapport due to language levels (they don't understand why I can't understand them), but our vocabulary is about the same. My advantage over the little wieners is that I can read their language - Hanguel, the Korean writing system, is remarkably easy to pick up, and I've been rather competent at deciphering it for over a month now. Heck, I could sound out words after a few days, however recognizing those words is a problem. Though not as much as you'd think.
"Konglish" is slang for the mixture of English words taken into the Korean vocabulary, and I'm sure there's something like it that every developing or newly developed country in the world has to some degree or another. While the Korean language is fairly complex (I think they have words to express any feeling or action you'd come across), there's so many western culture pieces and technologies that have drifted into Korea, that a whole dictionary of English words taken into the Korean vernacular. Here's a few examples:
"Pocketball" is playing pool, "aircon" is airconditioning, "talent" - TV or movie stars. "Fighting" is a bit of a strange one, and Koreans use it in place of "good luck" or "break a leg". After work, I can go to the "cope-ee see-yope" (coffee shop), or maybe stop by the "hell-suh-kuh-lope" (health club), but it's a long walk, so I'll need to catch a "take-see" (taxi). Hair conditioner is "rin-suh", a one piece dress is a "won-pee-suh", and apartments are shortened to "apar-tuh".
Besides learning the language, I'm also giving it my all to pick up the accent. I don't know how successful I've been so far, but I'm quickly learning about the Korean syllable-factor and how important it is. Hanguel, when being read, is written by forming syllables our of letters, the words out of syllables. When translating, it makes for some interesting results. Allow me to demonstrate:
The word "strike" in English is a one-syllable word. If you were to sound it out for someone, maybe you would put two in there (str-ike), so there's potential to make it a longer word. The Korean language system turns it into five syllables. Yep, "strike" quickly becomes "suh-tuh-rah-ee-kuh" when translated into Konglish. And there's tonnes of words like this, which means that even though you are trying to say a word that Koreans use all the time, they might be clueless about it - and the same goes for the other way around. Today, some kids of mine wanted to call their team "Barcelona", after the soccer team. I had to get them to come up to the board and spell it for me, and it was 7 syllables long. And if you want to catch a taxi to E-mart (just like Wal Mart), you have to be very clear thay you want to go to "E-mar-tuh", as "E-mart" will generally just get you looks of confusion.
Shannon's uploaded a bunch of photos onto Flickr. The links below should take you there.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/shan_korea/sets/72157594308304205/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/shan_korea/sets/72157594297423735/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/shan_korea/sets/72157594308265638/
Hope everyone's doing well, thanks for taking the time to read the ol' blog here! Till next week!
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