Goodbye Korea Series: Busan English Library

I don't know why it's taken me 10 months to post these pictures, but at least I'm posting them. Towards the end of my time in Korea, I have to admit that I was frustrated. Homesickness really got to me and I had to work with a really inconsiderate person. Due to this, I left Korea happily. Now, ten months out, I really miss it, especially the library. Sometimes, we get so caught up in how we're feeling at the moment.  Working at the library was really one of the best jobs I've ever had and I truly miss every single person there.

For my goodbye dinner, they took me to Korean BBQ, since it's my favorite. Afterward, we went to noreabang and sang to our hearts content. It was a great evening spent with my favorite co-workers.  I even received a few gifts, including shoes for my future baby! In the two years I worked at the library, I made so many good memories, too many to name. I'm so thankful for having the opportunity to work at the Busan English Library and it will always be a cherished time in my life!

Goodbye Korea Series | Sandra, my favorite student

Often people ask me what I will the most about Korea and without a doubt it's going to be my students. They were the best part about my whole experience here. I will never forget their smiling and happy faces. Korean kids really are unlike any kids I've ever met. I try not to play favorites, but it was kind of inevitable that I would have one. It's hard to choose a favorite, but one student really stands out in my mind. Her name is Sandra and she is one of the coolest kids I know. She's really amazing and I'm going to miss her a lot.

The balloon says, "I'll remember you always Noel. Mark too!"

Sandra's beautiful mom!

Sandra has been coming to the library for about two years, the same as me. She's my favorite because she is the most talkative of my students. She speaks English really well and her comprehension level is ridiculous. She's only in fifth grade, but I've never had to use Korean with her. I thought she must've lived in a western country because she almost has no accent, but she hasn't. She's just incredible!

The reason why Sandra is my favorite is because she is kind, helpful and funny. There is so much to love about her. In class, she often translates for me because the other kids don't speak English as well as her. She's always helping other students whether it's pronunciation when they read out loud or with worksheets that they don't understand. She's never cocky about her English ability and tries to help those around her. To me, that's simply amazing. Another thing that I love about her, is that she really knows me and the things I like! We met the other day and she painted her nails to look like pandas. She knew I was going to freak out, so she was prepared. She even brought her nail polish so she could paint my nails like pandas!

We spent our last afternoon together with her mom at a cafe near the library. I was worried that I wouldn't be able to see her, but they made it! She painted my nails, we talked about school, and ate patbingsu. It was a great afternoon and I was really sad to say goodbye. I will always remember this sweet and beautiful girl!

Goodbye Korea Series | Beomil Elementary School

Markus's Beauty and the Beast illustration for class

After teaching and working Korea for two years, I realized that I didn't know what Korean school life was really like. I've always been really curious what life is like in the schools and I begged Markus to let me visit his school. Thankfully, he and his teachers were willing to let me visit. Back in early July, I had the opportunity to spend the day at Beomil Elementary School.

Just hanging out.

School life is drastically different than what I'm used to. Markus takes more of a backseat and assists his Korean co-teacher. I think it's really amazing and I wish that I had a co-teacher in my classes. Most of the time, I have to gesture and speak in broken Korean so the students can sort of understand me. The class size is also much larger than what I'm used to. His classes are around 35 students, but mine never reach more than 15 students. It's such a stark contrast to what I'm used to! Also, there was a old guy climbing into one of the windows during class and no one blinked an eye. Apparently he was trimming the trees and needed to hang on the window. Oh Korea...

Markus and his fan club

I'm also a fan!

While I was at Beomil, there was one thing that was obviously clear, Markus's students love him. Markus always tells me funny and amusing stories about them. He really loves them and they definitely love him back. He often talks about how funny and sweet his kids are and I desperately wanted to meet them. I mean, he has a freaking fan club. What English teacher has a fan club? I really had a great time taking a backseat and seeing Markus at work and in his element. I was actually really touched that these kids would love him so much. I know why I love him, but seeing these kids looking at him with so much awe and respect was incredible.
 

Markus not only has good relationships with his students, but he also has a great relationship with his co-teachers and a few other teachers as well. Everyday after lunch, they meet for coffee and even have a little club. I don't know what it is, but Markus has so many clubs all of a sudden. When the school day was over, we went out to dinner with the coffee club. They were really sweet and for some reason they knew a lot about me! It was really cool to be able to hear what they had to say about Markus, which was all nice things of course!

I have to say that I was really impressed with Beomil. It really was everything Markus boasted about. I can definitely understand why he constantly talks about his kids. They really are ridiculously cute and really funny. As much as I love working at the library, experiencing a Korean elementary school made me a little envious. It's okay though, I'm just glad I was able to see what life is like at a Korean school. Thank you Beomil Elementary School and Markus for letting me spend the day with you!

Goodbye Korea Series | My Favorite Preschool Class

Last week was the end of regular classes, which meant the end of my preschool classes. When I first arrived two years ago, I was worried the most about preschool. I used to think I wasn't good with kids. They always sort of freaked me out and then add the language barrier to that, I was terrified. I can still remember the first time I walked into a preschool class. As soon as I saw those cute and adorable faces, all my worries started to fade. Preschool is still a tough class to teach, but they became my favorite.

One class in particular became my favorite. The kids in my Thursday class were the funniest, brightest and sweetest. If I was having a bad day, the minute I saw their faces, my day would instantly get better. They would always run up to me and give me hugs and kisses. Sometimes in class I would sing little songs to myself and they would mimic me. Actually, they copied everything I did. I'll miss their silly dances and funny faces. It's going to be hard to spend Thursdays without them.

Cute Pose #1

Cute Pose #2

Cute Pose #3

So adorable!

I can't... so cute!!

My favorite preschool kids!

Goodbye Korea Series | Jenny and Seung-Ah

My time in Korea would not have been the same if it weren't for these two lovely ladies. They became my family when I was here.  Most Korean co-teachers do what is expected of them, but never more than that. They do the bare minimum and in most cases, let you figure everything out on your own.  Moving to Korea is daunting enough and if you don't have good co-teachers, your experience will suffer. Jenny and Seung-Ah unnie went above and beyond and not only for me, but Markus too. They never made it feel like I was inconveniencing them, it was more than just a work expectation, it was a real friendship. 

The first day we arrived in Busan, Jenny was there to pick us up. Usually, it's one co-teacher for each person, but Jenny was the only came. Without hesitation, she did everything that his co-teacher would've done. Markus felt so bad that she had to take care of him, but she never seemed to care. Throughout our year and a half together, she always asked about Markus and always helped him. She's that incredible.

I'll always remember that first day with Jenny, because something memorable happened. Our apartment wasn't ready, so she had to take us to a love motel. A love motel is basically a place that people go to get it on. It's not as seedy as it sounds and it's actually really cheap accommodation. The one we stayed at wasn't bad and it was in a really good neighborhood. After we checked in, she and the male accountant helped us to our room. In Korea, everything is connected by remote, so she showed us how it worked. She turned on the lights, the a/c and finally, the TV. Now keep in mind, this is a love motel, so there are some questionable things. When the TV finally turned on, it was on an inappropriate channel. She freaked out and then switched to another inappropriate channel. She finally gave up and just turned it off. In the end, we all laughed about the situation. Even though it was a bit awkward, it definitley was an unforgettable bonding moment.

Seung-Ah unnie was also an incredible co-teacher. When Jenny would take care of the big stuff, she took care of the rest. Markus and I could always count on her. There were many times that I was sick and she would take me to the hospital. I've heard of many people going alone and trying to figure it out. I never had to worry, because she always took care of me. It wasn't just the times that I was sick, but it was any time I needed help.

On our second day in Korea, Seung-Ah unnie took us shopping for the house. Again, most co-teachers wouldn't spend a Sunday afternoon helping you buy stuff, but she did. She was incredibly helpful. I'm sure she had better things to do than listen to Markus and I try to figure things out, but she was incredibly patient. After working a few months together, she even let me start calling her unnie, which means older sister. She really became the older sister I never had.

Even though both Jenny and Seung-Ah unnie transferred to new schools, they still made time to see us. We didn't meet for a while, but I couldn't imagine leaving Korea without seeing them. They mean so much to us. Whenever I think of Korea, I will always think of them. They are the reason that I loved this place so much. It's because of them that this place felt like home and not a pit stop in my life. They were such a huge blessing for Markus and I and we will miss them so much!

May Volunteering | 1 of 2

After a bit of a break, Markus and I were able to volunteer at the woman's shelter again. The families that are at the shelter stay for around six months and then they are phased out. All of the students that I used to teach are all gone. This time around, all the kids were new. At first I was a bit nervous, but it wasn't too long til I grabbed one of the girls hands and we skipped into a new friendship. 

One thing that fascinates me about Korea is the amount of children with dyed or permed hair. It's pretty crazy seeing little kids with blue or red hair. While we were at the shelter, I spied the little boy with red hair and said that he was going to be my new bff. I'm happy to say that I was pretty successful because his mom later told me that he liked me. The blue haired kid wasn't part of our group, but I had to get a picture. These crazy haired kids are like Pokemon and I gotta catch em all. 

We walked about 15 minutes to a nearby park and practically took over. There was the perfect amount of volunteers to kids. There was face painting, manicuring, see-sawing, climbing and chasing. As much as I loved my old students, these kids really won me over. They were so much fun and really sweet. I spent most of my time playing and talking with them because I couldn't help myself. 

Usually, the moms and older siblings don't come with us, but this time they decided to join. Throughout the afternoon, the mom of the little girl in the awesome purple sweater kept looking at me curiously. I couldn't tell if she wanted to talk to me or was just confused. When we were walking back to the shelter, she finally started talking to me. She spoke in really broken English, but she was trying really hard. It was actually a really good conversation. I told her that we were going to try and have a baby soon and she proceeded to tell me what vitamins I needed to take. I think she kept looking at me because she was building up her courage to talk to me. It was the sweetest and cutest thing. It's moments like that that make me feel completely humbled and thankful to be in Korea.