ROSETTA STONE

Living in Korea has posed more challenges and obstacles than I had anticipated. I had braced myself for expected implications upon arrival but I think I missed the actual experience. I have been here for nearly 11 months to the date and have learned quite a bit about myself, Korea and the world in general. Ironically enough I have learned more about America and the pros's and con's of America. It still saddens me that there is so much HATE in the world. Most people would probably just laugh at that comment because I think everyone in their rational state of mind feels the same way but its just one big perpetual cycle of continued emotional anguish that there seems to be no end in sight.

I have come the conclusion that I wouldn't have been able to decipher Korea at all without my Rosetta Stone. I am not talking about any ancient writing or book that tells me How to Live in Korea in 500 words or less but simply Christina.

The Rosetta Stone is an ancient Tablet found in Egypt along the Nile River that has provided for the deciphering of Egyptian Hieroglyphics. While this is not Egypt it certainly is another culture with its own language and cultural practices.

Language has always been a strong forte of mine and something that I would really love to pick up. I can speak a lot of Korean nowadays or at least I believe I can. I also know Spanish and well when I was in Japan way back when I was in the process of learning fragmented sentences from my friends. I am reading another Paulo Cohello Book and I think the best part of it is, is the teaching of Calligraphy I would like to undertake some personal time learning this if I could.

The Cultural Differences in mannerisms, beliefs, attitudes, and feelings are what makes me sad more than language. Why am I writing about sad things? Well its not really sad things but just truthful things actually.

Teaching for example is where I feel the most shock. I have become accustomed to not really preparing for my classes. Having as many classes as I do, isn't teaching its detrimental and tantamount neglecting to what English really is. I struggle with my teaching because I have had nothing but interest in giving students a gift of grasping a second language.

Here is how the Academy functions in my estimation. The director pockets the money that is racked in by the coming of the kids. In my school it isn't successful if 30 students walk out speaking crystalline English but if he has 60 or more kids just filling the class seats where miracles are supposed to take place.

The kids don't learn a lick of English from me. I don't see how they could when they sit there like a blob of dust, just waiting for me to dust off the cobwebs and open up their noggins to English.
I will give you a run down of my 4 classes today
All of them have their own unique nomenclature that still escapes me how they manage in class.
TC1: A very bright group of kids but seem to just shut off and not want to talk to me whatsoever even if I am all smiles and promise them a good time. They are becoming my silent class and I already have to many of them. I either have silent class or loud class nothing in between.

TC2: Liam and Tom unnerve me. I didn't punish them because its Children's Day and I don't care about work right now. I have 2 more weeks of nice holidays and then I will care more.

They are loud and they are smart but don't care to learn at all from me. I am still doing a lot of mistakes that are not fixable right now because there is too much other more important things going on.

TD3: My Saturday class. I teach 1 student. I would like to think of her as my star pupil though. I have a Sensai-pupil relationship with her. I would like to strengthen this but its hopeless because its only on a Saturday. She is my favorite student though that I have. WE share cultural stories.
I told her today about people lining up for the trains like the train was going to be away if they were pushing and shoving themselves to get on the blessed train ASAP. Me and Christina just wait until there is no one in the way and then we board the train---last call so to speak. Its the same with the classroom. Kids push themselves in and out of the class as fast as they can because they are trained to always be on the GO GO GO. I hate this feeling.


Last Class.
There were only 2 girls. They both think they are smart-alacks. I can say that they aren't. There is no way I can get through to them. More homework, no homework. Patience, yelling, tattling on them to Mr. J anything I have done has been met with scorn.
They talk to each other all the time. They don't try to speak English. Then they act stupid when it comes to my homework...no matter how easy it is. I have MD class students who are much better than they are. They don't try to speak English they are just into being drama queens and talking about girly things that they shouldn't talk about in class. They can get away with it though because I don't understand a lot of Korean and my boss will not make them change. If they get in trouble then its somehow my fault. My Teaching skill. The Irony is that none of this will matter on Tuesday.


Once again I allude to my Rosetta because in my opinion this is a teaching gig that will only make us better people later on and its a first step up the rung of the social ladder.

Its Saturday night and now I am just contemplating and writing a lot of loose thoughts. I want to shoestring them to something so my thoughts can echo across Gumi and maybe some Epiphany will come. Anyways enough know I will write again shortly...