Learning

Cute roadside fence in Jochiwon

    After our mandatory medical checkup on Saturday morning, we had the rest of the weekend free. Most of my fellow TaLK scholars left Jochiwon. Many went to Seoul and spent the night there, while others visited Seoul or somewhere else for a day trip. On Saturday afternoon I headed out with about 17 other people to walk across town to the local HomePlus store (the Korean equivalent of WalMart), which was about a 35-minute walk away. It doesn't seem like the most exciting activity, sure, but it was a pleasant outing for us. We were led there by two 7th-generation TaLK scholars who live in Jochiwon. (I am part of the 8th generation of TaLK scholars. The 7th-gen is the group that began last summer.) For me, Sunday was simply a day to relax and unwind. I even had the chance to play a few games that evening, which was refreshing.

  On Monday we had a great set of lectures, ending in a particularly engaging and useful lecture on using powerpoint effectively. Sadly, our second lecture on Tuesday was a great demonstration of how not to use powerpoint. It was difficult to sit through all 2 hours of that lecture, but the two lectures afterwards more than made up for it! One of those lectures was on using songs and chants. A few people were really dubious about this class, but I think in the end we all enjoyed it. For the last part of the class, the teacher gave each group (of around 5-8 people each) one pre-made lesson plan, which we were supposed to review as a group. Then she split the groups over two sets of three tables, and at each table we took turns teaching each other our little lessons. Or I should say, trying to teach each other. Haha, it was a little crazy, and we certainly learned by experience the value of sufficient preparation! None of the teams at my table successfully completed their lessons, partly because of lack of preparation, but also because we were laughing so much.

  I am really enjoying orientation. Most of the lectures are useful, and I like the people here. It is a gentle sort of introduction to Korea, a way to gradually become accustomed to a very different culture. We are getting used to the food (hey, if we can take Korean cafeteria food, surely we can handle normal Korean food without a problem!), we are learning to navigate unfamiliar territory as group instead of going alone, and we are learning together how to operate within this culture. I am very thankful to have all of this preparation, instead of just being thrown straight into teaching.

  Today was another good lecture day. I could spell out a summary of each lecture, but I think that would get boring very quickly, so I will leave it at this: of today's varied lectures, some were certainly more useful and relevant than others.

  It is hard to believe that our time here is almost over. I feel like it is going by too fast. There are so many people yet to meet, and I want more time to get to know those that I have met already. Alas, this is no summer camp. The focus here is not on building relationships with fellow foreigners, but instead, on teaching children and learning about Korea. The friendships built through orientation are only a... side effect. A desirable and useful side effect, but definitely not our main mission.

  I see the end approaching, but it is only the end of the beginning. In just a few short weeks, I will be teaching in my own elementary classroom. Crazy!