Norigae

No-ri-gae are traditional Korean decorations that hang off my mobile phone and are badly designed by teachers teaching Arts & Crafts.

(The kids did a better job.)

No Pictures Darling, No Pictures

It's no secret as to how I feel about having my photo taken.

A very public part of me wants to simply avoid it altogether, make them more flattering or at least make it more bearable on my large yet terribly fragile vanity...somehow.

Nevertheless, it happens and thankfully not all the photos are used.
(Although there is one of me sweating horribly in a wool jumper in a newsletter somewhere for the children to go: 'That's Aoife-teacher! She's always shouting.')
At least Helen and Seth got the benefit of airbrushing on their brochure shots. (Not that I am in any way implying that they are anything less than perfect.)

I hesitate to post pictures of the children on the internet, naturally enough, although other TEFL teachers have no problems but I just don't feel comfortable putting them on my facebook.
Maybe it's partially cultural where there is an element in current training where they tell you never to be completely alone with a kid, never so much as touch their shoulder and don't give too much eye-contact etc etc etc.

But these photos come from the website so they're already on the internet - ahahahahaha!

This is me with my 6 year old homeroom - Brown class. This was Science where 'the kids' had to make a rubber band powered school bus.
It's one of the classes otherwise known as 'Aoife-teacher makes eight school buses.'

Please note how there's always one kid taking the time to throw up gangsigns.

This is an hour later doing another Science class with my 7 year old homeroom - U.C. Berkeley.
I...can't really remember what it is that we were doing. I think it was an optical illusion and not a very good one IMHO.

 That's both classes with Alex and I at Everland. Note how high I apparantly look. Mostly, I'm just exhausted.

This is the entire group in Everland. It was after I was pulling several kids away from the fountain and a certain dip. At least it wasn't raining. This is also the day before I flew out to Kyoto and I hadn't packed at this point.

 Finally, Halloween. Lots of princesses, ninjas and plenty of Batman. We felt very safe there. As you see I did not dress up. How dare you accuse me of being a killjoy! I don't need ridiculously difficult to obtain Halloween props! I'm terrifying enough on my own!!
(Besides I had plenty of crying children hanging out of me all day.)

Mad Skills

 One of the most important parts of an activity is modeling.

What this essentially means is leading by example. You do a half-assed example of the task for the kids to reference and hopefully they won't copy it word for word identikit. (...........)

Pictorial reference is also invaluable when teaching new vocabulary. (Although sometimes the children already know the strangest words and gestures...)

I frequently do this through the use of my clearly awesome art skills which are only slightly demonstrated here. Sadly I did not take pictures of such materpieces as my marker illustration of a parka coat (for a lesson on clothes - hey it was in the book) or my fabulous depiction of a ninja in the bushes (for 'action words').

Well, some people learn through images so it's all enforcement (or theatrical rhyme) in the end anyway.

Stickers, Stickers Oh-gods STICKERS

Children are distracted by stickers. FACT.

They will jump through hoops, skip dance and recite damn near anything for them. Thus, bribes reward systems! :D

You can laugh but gods it works so well on kids of all ages. The happy face stickers do well and they really like the shiny stars I have too. C:

Central Command - Interiors

If I ever need rescuing from the vicious and violent currents of the sixteenth floor then I’ll lean out the window and holler at the coast guard. I don’t know if they’d understand but I think S.O.S is universal. Failing that, I’ll scream like a ninny. That’s sure to work.

I'm fortunate enough to have two windows (unlike some of my co workers) but one has a net and the other only opens by unnecessary electronics. I think the idea is to prevent people from falling to their untimely deaths. If so, they fail because If I could fir out that window so could the average Korean citizen. 

As you see I have no blind. So anyone on the  16th floor of a neighbouring building could see right in! *le gasp*. Seriously though, sans the potential existence of a highpowered scope I think I'm safe enough. I still want a blind though. The sun wakes me about six daily.

That table is a collapsible one that someone left behind. I use it to do some work on, as you can see by yon mess. I don't know if the TV works only that it's there. I've fond a plethora of wirse and doodads that I have yet to go through. The sofa is quite comfortable though.

The bed is rock hard. It's fantastic ~ <3  Aside from the heat and the sun and the stuffy air at certain times of the night, I sleep really well. XD I tried to get a duvet cover but I'm not paying 50,000 Won for something I'll throw away or leave behind. That's a bit much for a friggin' duvet cover!!

 Also, another table. Always good.

Bathroom is tiny with a drain in the floor - figure it out. As you can see, everything behind those mirrors is storage.

One thing I've noticed is that all the taps are the lever kind that wave from hot to cold. Convenient and utterly ubiquitous.

Kitchen area. Regarding that little cluster on the wall. AC, Lightswitch, doorbell/phone system/letting people in thinguhmobob.

Don't deny you want one Sean. You can phone people and let them in.

Sink is massive. I have the hose extended simply to show you. It's handy for using. The ing with the water is, it's turned on by violently kicking the pedal at ankle level. I don't know why, presumably to reserve water.

So yeah, kitchen. Hob, cupboards, fridge (Goddamnit I know better than to show you the contents!!)
The basics really.

This however, is a little more interesting. From left to right: Food dehydrater, water purifier, bins. Apparantly all a necessity.

The necessity. Please not how it is tucked next to the bathcupboardroom. The machine is actually a half step down in the entrance area along with most of the cupboards.

Across from it, shoe cupboard. To the right shelving.

Aa promised, the walk in wardrobe. Chair is for effect. I can shut it in therewhen I close the door - other side of bathroom. Pretty good right?

And finally, for Sean the techies among you. Witness



The entrance:

• slide up
• punch code
• slide down
• wait for bells and whistles.

Thus for the curious. The interior of the apartment.

Where do I hang laundry? I string the washing line from the back of the door to the window- better than any dehumidifier. XD

J'arrive

According to Erika Moen, everyone uses the same reason to start a blog. Mainly to inform the vast and unlimited interwebs of your existence but also to tell it about your lunch.

I'm not inclined to disagree but we also have a myriad of other reasons: to share our vapid and mostly wrong ideas, to flaunt our opinions and inflated sense of entitlement and to expose ourselves in a manner that will return to haunt us in a manner far more horrifying that one photo (even though you'd thought you'd destroyed all evidence) from that day way back when - you know the one.

Why am I doing it though? Well, I'm.................well I've..................................maybe I've finally gone mad, that's a possibility isn't it? I know insanity is a little out of fashion but I've such a fondness for the classics. But seeing as I lack a suitably gothic dress and mansion I'm afraid I'll simply have to defer the dubious pleasure.

I guess it's because I'm going abroad in a very real sense - no Scotland isn't really all that different culturally speaking - and I should do something to commemorate such a momentous occasion. But really to give those back home something to peer at. Hey. they can tut disapprovingly over SKYPE. Better that than questions about my weight. (That, afterall, is the sole provense of my mother)

But to begin with, what? Afterall, I haven't really gone yet and until my luggage is actually packed I don't want to neurose about it. Hmmmm......well, this is the Internet so I should respect the culture!! KITTY!!!