I spent the past weekend on Jeju island. This is a very small volcanic island in the East Sea just south of South Korea. Lonely Planet describes Jeju like this, "Hawaii, the Mediterranean, Disneyland, paradise....Jejudo has been compared to all four, and each is at least partly true." I probably would not have gone to Jeju this early into my time in Korea but, you guessed it, there was a marathon there!
I took off on Friday night, my flight was at 7:55 and I almost missed it thanks to my work but that's another story. Luckily, another runner from the Seoul Flyers went as well so I was not navigating this island by myself. We got into Jeju at about 9:00 or so, caught a cab and went to our hotel. We were both pooped when we got to the room so we crashed early and got rested up for the weekend.
Unfortunately, when we got up on Saturday morning it was raining, for once the Korean weather forecast was right! But we weren't going to let that stop us seeing the island. We were staying on the north end of the island, and we had heard the south end had some pretty amazing sights. Jeju is not that big so a bus ride from the north to the south will take about an hour. We found where to catch the bus, grabbed our umbrellas and we were on our way. For 5,000 WON (or about $4.50) we could take the bus from the airport to Seogwipo-si where we could see the Choenjiyeon and Jeongbang waterfalls.
We learned which stop we needed to get off at to see the waterfalls but once we reached our destination, we really had no idea where to go! So we just started walking around Seogwi-dong and hoped we would find what we were looking for. As luck would have it, we did! Although I am in a country in which I am completely illiterate, there are usually signs in English or someone around that can help you get to where you want to go. As we started walking we saw signs for the falls and just followed them. By this time, it was raining pretty hard and although we had umbrellas, we also thought it would be a good idea to get some rain coats or ponchos. We stopped at the Family Mart (much like a gas stating but without the gas) and got ourselves some classy ponchos. After that, we ventured to the first waterfall. The walk to the waterfall was just as pretty as the actual waterfall. Zu, the girl I was there with, and I just kept saying how much more wonderful the scenery would be if it would have been sunny, but regardless it was gorgeous. We made our way to the falls, admired it's beauty, snapped some pictures, and then we were on our way to the next fall.
We walked about 1km to our next waterfall (everything is in kilometers and meters here). It once again was a beautiful walk to the actual waterfall. In my opinion, this waterfall, Jeongbang Falls, was even more beautiful than the first. Once again we took some pictures, I took a video and admired the scenery, and once again we kept saying how much more beautiful it would have been if it had been sunny!
After we admired the view for a while, we headed back to where we started, caught a cab to the Hyatt to eat some lunch. After lunch, we got back on the bus to go back north to our hotel. By the time we got back to the airport and caught a cab back to the hotel, it was about 7pm and time to get ready to run in the morning! Whenever I run marathons in destination cities the race, is usually far from my mind. When we have gone to Boston to run, the marathon is always an after thought. It was no different in Jeju. As I was getting ready for bed, I was thinking to myself, "Oh man, I have to run a marathon tomorrow!!!" Even as I was going to bed, I wasn't thinking about the race. You see, Saturday night was also the first game for South Korea in the World Cup. They were playing Greece so Zu and I turned on the game as we were laying in bed. We watched most of the game and then we decided we should probably get some sleep!!
Race day brought cloudy sky's and muggy weather, but NO rain!! Thank goodness!! We got ready and made our way downstairs to get shuttled to the race. When I was looking into running the Jeju marathon I was looking at the winning times from years past. I had seen the winning times were not out of my reach so I had thought it might be possible to place in the top 3 or even win. But as the race was about to start, I began to have doubts. I had seen many of the female runners before and I thought some of them were pretty quick. I decided to just run my own race and do what I could do.
I felt great the first half of the race. I was in 3rd place and just before the half way point, I moved into 2nd. My legs were feeling okay and even though it was hot, I didn't feel like the heat was effecting me too much. That feeling soon faded! With about 10K to go, I started to die!! My stomach was cramping and I really started to feel crappy. I knew I had had a pretty sizable lead on the 3rd place girl but that gap started to close. I had to stop at every water stop, drink and stretch and with about 3km to go, I saw the 3rd place girl. I tried my best to keep my ever slowing pace from slowing too much but I just didn't have it in me. With 1km to go, the last water stop, she was very close! Lucky, I had some help from another runner. Him and I had been running next to each other for the past 5km and I just stayed next to him and let him "carry" me into the finish!
I had held on to my 2nd place by about 20 seconds. I finished in 3:17.27, not my best but great for how I had felt the last part of the race. The girl who won finished in 3:09, which is very close to my personal best. I was very happy with the race and even more happy for the 100,000 WON gift card I got to one of the department stores here.
Once I was done, I waited for Zu to finish and we headed back to the hotel. Both of us were feeling the effects from the heat. We were nauseous and feeling very sick, and wondering why we put ourselves through this torture. We showered and layed down for a bit before we had to make our way to the airport. We got some kimchi jigae, Korean soup, and some soft serve ice cream and we were both feeling better. The flight home was quick and painless and once we landed I caught my bus back home to Bundong.
It was a great weekend. I want to go back to Jeju to see it in full glory, when the sun is shinning! Regardless, it was beautiful. And to think, I probably would not have seen it if I didn't run marathons! They are good for something!
Monday, June 14, 2010
Thursday, June 10, 2010
Discipline, Open Class, and Birthdays!
Before coming to Korea, I had very little experience being a disciplinarian. Sure, I have babysat my niece and nephews and I have worked in a school, but I have never been the one with complete control. Having that responsibility is a bit of a shock, especially when that power and control is over 7-year-old Korean kids.
When the school year started, I wanted to set a firm boundary between friend and teacher. I wanted them to like me but I also wanted them to respect me. I think I did a pretty good job finding that line and I think my kids knew where that line was. There are, of course, the few that seem to do things to just completely annoy me! For example, today we were doing our math lesson and one of my boys was playing with his eraser. It is a well known rule in my class that erasers are for erasing, not for balancing on your head, playing hockey with, spinning like a top, or trying to put up your nose. As I was helping another student, James kept playing with his eraser after I told him several times to stop. Since he kept playing he earned himself a check mark and I asked him why he kept playing with his eraser after I had told him to stop. His response, "I don't know why. My heart tells me to play with the eraser while my head tells me to stop." How do you know laugh at that!! I couldn't be mad, it was just too clever of a response.
In some ways, I do feel like I have been too lenient with the rules but in other ways I feel like I should let them be kids, they are only 6 and need to have some fun in life. Some of the moms feel as if I am not disciplining properly, well actually it's just one mom. Her son is a complete behavior issue but she tends to think his behavior problems are because of me and Sheena. She believes our ways to discipline are the problem and not her child. I usually write something about his behavior problems in our weekly comments and she no longer wants to hear it. I guess if it's out of sight it's out of mind. That's a great way to teach a 6 year old how to behave and how to respect his teachers! Things like that really make me wonder...'if you didn't want to raise a child, why did you have one?'
I was actually a little glad this mom said those things this week because today we had Open Class. That is when the parents can come and watch me and Sheena teach. In theory, this sounds like a great idea, but in reality all it is is a rehearsed lesson that the moms are watching. We actually practice what the lesson will be with the students. We also drill into our kids the information they need to know for the Open Class so they look smart in front of their moms. I had thought the whole point of the Open Class was so the moms could actually see what their kid is like in class and how we teach. But it is nothing of the sort. First off, Sheena and I team teach this lesson, which NEVER happens. Her and I are never in the same room together teaching. Second, the kids know everything we are going to do and have practiced with us. Third, no child will act the same when their mother is sitting right next to them. The whole things is just a big production and a complete waste of time! But, I was happy to see Ian's mom here today (Ian is the one with the behavior issues). She got to see first hand how he behaves in class and it wasn't pretty. It was a little victory for me!
This week was also my birthday (it was a crazy week for me)! I have never been away from my family on my birthday so I thought it was going to be a little sad, but Sheena made it a very memorable birthday. She decorated my desk at work with balloons and she gave me a gift. It was actually a gift from all my kids. The past few weeks she had them make a card for me, they all wrote me their own special note and colored a picture. Then Sheena laminated the cards and put them together to make one very special card! I had tears in my eyes as I read it! It truly made my day and made my 28th birthday a day I will always remember!
As much as I miss home, I am fortunate to have the co-workers, Korean and American, that I have. They are becoming my Korean Family.
When the school year started, I wanted to set a firm boundary between friend and teacher. I wanted them to like me but I also wanted them to respect me. I think I did a pretty good job finding that line and I think my kids knew where that line was. There are, of course, the few that seem to do things to just completely annoy me! For example, today we were doing our math lesson and one of my boys was playing with his eraser. It is a well known rule in my class that erasers are for erasing, not for balancing on your head, playing hockey with, spinning like a top, or trying to put up your nose. As I was helping another student, James kept playing with his eraser after I told him several times to stop. Since he kept playing he earned himself a check mark and I asked him why he kept playing with his eraser after I had told him to stop. His response, "I don't know why. My heart tells me to play with the eraser while my head tells me to stop." How do you know laugh at that!! I couldn't be mad, it was just too clever of a response.
In some ways, I do feel like I have been too lenient with the rules but in other ways I feel like I should let them be kids, they are only 6 and need to have some fun in life. Some of the moms feel as if I am not disciplining properly, well actually it's just one mom. Her son is a complete behavior issue but she tends to think his behavior problems are because of me and Sheena. She believes our ways to discipline are the problem and not her child. I usually write something about his behavior problems in our weekly comments and she no longer wants to hear it. I guess if it's out of sight it's out of mind. That's a great way to teach a 6 year old how to behave and how to respect his teachers! Things like that really make me wonder...'if you didn't want to raise a child, why did you have one?'
I was actually a little glad this mom said those things this week because today we had Open Class. That is when the parents can come and watch me and Sheena teach. In theory, this sounds like a great idea, but in reality all it is is a rehearsed lesson that the moms are watching. We actually practice what the lesson will be with the students. We also drill into our kids the information they need to know for the Open Class so they look smart in front of their moms. I had thought the whole point of the Open Class was so the moms could actually see what their kid is like in class and how we teach. But it is nothing of the sort. First off, Sheena and I team teach this lesson, which NEVER happens. Her and I are never in the same room together teaching. Second, the kids know everything we are going to do and have practiced with us. Third, no child will act the same when their mother is sitting right next to them. The whole things is just a big production and a complete waste of time! But, I was happy to see Ian's mom here today (Ian is the one with the behavior issues). She got to see first hand how he behaves in class and it wasn't pretty. It was a little victory for me!
This week was also my birthday (it was a crazy week for me)! I have never been away from my family on my birthday so I thought it was going to be a little sad, but Sheena made it a very memorable birthday. She decorated my desk at work with balloons and she gave me a gift. It was actually a gift from all my kids. The past few weeks she had them make a card for me, they all wrote me their own special note and colored a picture. Then Sheena laminated the cards and put them together to make one very special card! I had tears in my eyes as I read it! It truly made my day and made my 28th birthday a day I will always remember!
As much as I miss home, I am fortunate to have the co-workers, Korean and American, that I have. They are becoming my Korean Family.
Thursday, June 3, 2010
Balancing Act
Every aspect of life is a balancing act. Although I knew this before moving to Korea, I have learned it even more so being here. We all work and we all play, but it's finding the appropriate balance within the two and between the two.
Work:
I knew working at a private school in Korea was going to be a lot of work. We have school all year around, we work long hours, and we don't get "personal days" like back home. We don't have summer vacation or spring break. There is no Memorial Day or MEA. If we get a three day weekend, it is cherished and savored. That being said, when we are at work, we work hard. Teaching 5-7 year olds for 5hours a day is tiring and can be frustrating. Add on our after school three days a week and our teaching patience is tested to the limit every week. We are asked by our administration to properly balance our work and patience, but we are not given that same work load balance from our administrators. As this year has gone on, we are expected to do more and more, without receiving an understanding from those above us about how to balance teaching and other obligations. I understand that life here is much different than life at home, but I feel as if we are expected to respect every aspect of the Korean culture but we are not shown the same respect or understanding about our culture. Helen Doron's sense of balance needs some major adjusting.
Play:
As stated above, we work hard, and because we work so hard, we also play hard. As the oldest teacher here, I have not been as wild as the other teachers thus far on my adventure. Many times, the other teachers have stayed out until 5 or 6 in the morning. Not only does it just not sound fun to me, but I just don't know how they do it!! I'm tired by midnight and lucky to make it to 2am!! But this past weekend, I lived the life of the "younger ones." Saturday morning started like so many other Saturday's have since I've been here, up at 6am to run a marathon. After the race I came home, ate some food, watched a movie, and then we decided to go out. It started innocent enough, at our local bar, Pub 210. It was going to be a low key nigh, just a few drinks then home by midnight. Somehow that planned changed drastically. Long story short, I was awake for almost 24 hours!! Throw in running a marathon that day and needless to say, I was exhausted!! Don't get me wrong, I had a great time but there is NO WAY I could do that every weekend, or even every other weekend. It has taken me the entire week to catch up on sleep! As much as I want to try to be 23 again, the calendar doesn't lie, I will be 28 in 6 days!! And boy do I feel it being here!
Work:
I knew working at a private school in Korea was going to be a lot of work. We have school all year around, we work long hours, and we don't get "personal days" like back home. We don't have summer vacation or spring break. There is no Memorial Day or MEA. If we get a three day weekend, it is cherished and savored. That being said, when we are at work, we work hard. Teaching 5-7 year olds for 5hours a day is tiring and can be frustrating. Add on our after school three days a week and our teaching patience is tested to the limit every week. We are asked by our administration to properly balance our work and patience, but we are not given that same work load balance from our administrators. As this year has gone on, we are expected to do more and more, without receiving an understanding from those above us about how to balance teaching and other obligations. I understand that life here is much different than life at home, but I feel as if we are expected to respect every aspect of the Korean culture but we are not shown the same respect or understanding about our culture. Helen Doron's sense of balance needs some major adjusting.
Play:
As stated above, we work hard, and because we work so hard, we also play hard. As the oldest teacher here, I have not been as wild as the other teachers thus far on my adventure. Many times, the other teachers have stayed out until 5 or 6 in the morning. Not only does it just not sound fun to me, but I just don't know how they do it!! I'm tired by midnight and lucky to make it to 2am!! But this past weekend, I lived the life of the "younger ones." Saturday morning started like so many other Saturday's have since I've been here, up at 6am to run a marathon. After the race I came home, ate some food, watched a movie, and then we decided to go out. It started innocent enough, at our local bar, Pub 210. It was going to be a low key nigh, just a few drinks then home by midnight. Somehow that planned changed drastically. Long story short, I was awake for almost 24 hours!! Throw in running a marathon that day and needless to say, I was exhausted!! Don't get me wrong, I had a great time but there is NO WAY I could do that every weekend, or even every other weekend. It has taken me the entire week to catch up on sleep! As much as I want to try to be 23 again, the calendar doesn't lie, I will be 28 in 6 days!! And boy do I feel it being here!
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