Well, I’ve been in Korea for just over a week now, and exactly one week in Seoshin. My arrival here last Monday was compounded of equal measures confusion, misinformation and Korean efficiency.
27 March 2007
Once I had settled on a flat (the second option) we had to furnish it – in my contract there is a list of items (headed sample inventory) but taken as literal gospel by my hosts. No substitutions allowed so instead of a bedside lamp, which would be really useful, I have a tiny little toaster oven! At least I have a really useful fridge and microwave oven, and a two-ring gas cooker! All these appliances and the actual bed, wardrobe etc. had to be bought in Sanyong, a bigger centre, to which Mr. Hong drove me. Here we also bought a duvet, a sheet (which is really like a very flat comforter with plush on one side and linen on the other, and which just lies flat on the bed, no tucking under!) and a pillow. Since all the furniture would only be delivered the next day I spent the night tucked up on the floor in my new duvet on top of my sheet. The thought kept running through my mind as I tried to get comfortable – I’m getting too old for this...
2 April 2007
Well well well – I never thought to say this but boy, does SA have efficient banks in comparison to Korea! Maybe it was just the language difference, or maybe its just me, but a relatively straightforward transaction such as remitting money to a foreign bank took on the aspect of Sisyphus’ stone. I’m hoping that Internet banking, which I have now signed up for, will solve this problem and that I will be able to transfer money fairly painlessly in future.
5 May 2007
As to yesterday’s teaching – after nearly three months of fairly advanced reading, lots of sentence construction (all on paper, though) and lots of vocabulary (all via translation) we played Simon says with the grade one class. Out of them all (51) only about ten students could actually do what the sentence ‘Simon says touch your nose’ or any other body part instructed! It just goes to show that the grammar translation method of language teaching is great for producing literates, but not speakers of a language.
Unfortunately the worst part of it is that the schools remain wedded to it (it’s how they teach Chinese, too) and as far as they are concerned it’s all about whether the children pass the tests!
So, to borrow a phrase - 'wait, it gets better!' Although I have come to terms with a lot, and I live quite happily here after two years, some things have not changed - the teachers still translate everything while the kids still struggle with the most basic of sentences, the bank system is no better or worse and the people are still as efficient in one sense and confused and confusing in the other as ever...
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