I've been at my kindergarten for a long while now and at times I have been put into decision making positions. With that came the responsibility to hire people.
This experience was fascinating.
Applicants were aloof. Resume's were hilarious. And people simply blew it. But the other day I chuckled when I thought about one interview in particular.
Let's call him the British Taekwondo Master. He had long, pony tailed, blonde hair. A very nicely cut, grey three-piece suit and Benjamin Franklin style bi-focals. His face looked kind and his 6-foot frame stood lean and athletic.
He came to Seoul to pursue his dream of winning international Taekwondo competitions and in the interview intricately weaved me through how the Taekwondo masters in London established him as the next best thing. At which I replied with no words but a short glance at the colorful bookshelves with children's books, thinking, "Did you know you are interviewing to teach 4-year-old's how to say 'hello'?"
The interview felt like a vortex of odd. He talked. We didn't. He kept moving his hands in wavy yet circular motions as he spoke. My hands stopped taking notes. His eyes were serious. Mine were understanding, yet very confused. Simply, odd.
The interview ended when he said, "To be honest, and please understand me Mark, I feel like the Taekwondo spirit brought me to Korea, and even to the this office, to speak to you, Mark."
Hmmmm.
As he left, he bowed very sincerely. Then put on a not-so-subtle pair of pointy suede shoes because in Korea you leave shoes at the door and wear slippers inside.
The vice principal, looking perplexed, then quickly asked, "Why does he wear the shoes of a wizard?"
To which I replied, "Good question..."
...get Lost my friends.
Showing posts with label English. Show all posts
Showing posts with label English. Show all posts
1.28.2012
1.23.2012
Subway Observations
These days I ride the subway a lot. I recently started a job coaching
soccer in English and the school's location caused a big jump in my
commuting. So, three times a week, I spend close to 2 hours riding
subways, buses and walking. It's nice, kinda. I read more, reflect more,
but more than anything, I unintentionally observe my Korean compadres.
This brings us to today's post, Subway Observations.
***
In the midst of a brutally compact subway car sat an old lady. Small in stature, frail and sleepy. She looked like any other old woman on the subway but for some reason, I stood peering in her direction.
She sat with closed eyes and hands crossed. Again, nothing unusual but as the announcement rang over the loud speaker, "Next stop, Dongjak station," she casually opened her eyes and wiggled into a position to get up. But, she quickly realized the solid wall of people right in front of her and between the seat and the door.
"Uh, oh," I thought. "She'll never make it."
I stood corrected. She very gently grabbed hold of a young Korean girl's arms who stood directly in front of her. And in that moment, a very beautiful transaction of affection occurred. The old lady lifted herself up and with only a nod or two they successfully shuffled and switched positions. The old lady then scooted her way through the thick kelp-like crowd to the door. She made it, like so many times before in life.
In these moments a very distinct stirring of appreciation happens inside of me. I really appreciate the innate kindness Koreans show toward one another. Sure, this is not 100% the case, but it's definitely not rare. It's common to see, and I truly love seeing it.
It keeps a person kind, even in the midst of terrible subway rides. Beautiful.
...get Lost my friends.
This brings us to today's post, Subway Observations.
***
In the midst of a brutally compact subway car sat an old lady. Small in stature, frail and sleepy. She looked like any other old woman on the subway but for some reason, I stood peering in her direction.
She sat with closed eyes and hands crossed. Again, nothing unusual but as the announcement rang over the loud speaker, "Next stop, Dongjak station," she casually opened her eyes and wiggled into a position to get up. But, she quickly realized the solid wall of people right in front of her and between the seat and the door.
"Uh, oh," I thought. "She'll never make it."
I stood corrected. She very gently grabbed hold of a young Korean girl's arms who stood directly in front of her. And in that moment, a very beautiful transaction of affection occurred. The old lady lifted herself up and with only a nod or two they successfully shuffled and switched positions. The old lady then scooted her way through the thick kelp-like crowd to the door. She made it, like so many times before in life.
In these moments a very distinct stirring of appreciation happens inside of me. I really appreciate the innate kindness Koreans show toward one another. Sure, this is not 100% the case, but it's definitely not rare. It's common to see, and I truly love seeing it.
It keeps a person kind, even in the midst of terrible subway rides. Beautiful.
...get Lost my friends.
1.10.2011
Snow Life
This is my first lengthy experience with winter. Actual winter. I'm from a part of Southern California where the winter equates to people driving 25 mph slower when it drizzles and the temperature never, I mean never, get below 40 degrees.
For those of you that were unaware, Korea has an actual winter. We are talking 6 degree temps, snow, layering, your face getting as white as the section of your body below your waste but just above your mid-thigh, snow, a numb face, snow, staying indoors even when the sun is out and even more, snow. All of these things remain pretty foreign to me.
Yet, in this new experience, there are a few things that stick out the most.
1.) I have never been afraid of anything that does not move, until now. Black ice; you are an ominous little creation.
2.) I need to allow an extra 3 minutes for getting ready in the morning because I now wear a big coat, beanie, scarf, gloves and sometimes dual socks. If I don't I am wildly cold on my way to work. The only problem with this is my work commute is literally a 2-minute bike ride and my co-workers look at me weird because I am bundled-up like I just got off the set of "Fargo".
3.) Snow falling between buildings and nestling onto city streets still stands as one of the most beautiful sights I know.
4.) Don't go to tropical climates (Thailand) for your winter vacation when snow and ice await your return. Total bummer. I completely blew it on that one.
...
It's actually not that bad, which is reassuring. I feel like living in any major city in the U.S. is doable now because I know I can handle some intense winter weather.
Then again, I have a feeling that the black ice has yet to strike it's devilish ways upon me.
...Get Lost my friends.
For those of you that were unaware, Korea has an actual winter. We are talking 6 degree temps, snow, layering, your face getting as white as the section of your body below your waste but just above your mid-thigh, snow, a numb face, snow, staying indoors even when the sun is out and even more, snow. All of these things remain pretty foreign to me.
Yet, in this new experience, there are a few things that stick out the most.
1.) I have never been afraid of anything that does not move, until now. Black ice; you are an ominous little creation.
2.) I need to allow an extra 3 minutes for getting ready in the morning because I now wear a big coat, beanie, scarf, gloves and sometimes dual socks. If I don't I am wildly cold on my way to work. The only problem with this is my work commute is literally a 2-minute bike ride and my co-workers look at me weird because I am bundled-up like I just got off the set of "Fargo".
3.) Snow falling between buildings and nestling onto city streets still stands as one of the most beautiful sights I know.
4.) Don't go to tropical climates (Thailand) for your winter vacation when snow and ice await your return. Total bummer. I completely blew it on that one.
...
It's actually not that bad, which is reassuring. I feel like living in any major city in the U.S. is doable now because I know I can handle some intense winter weather.
Then again, I have a feeling that the black ice has yet to strike it's devilish ways upon me.
...Get Lost my friends.
12.02.2010
Awesome Crying
Last week the strings that pull my conscience one way or the other were vigorously yanked...To the right.
Every month I administer a Spelling Bee to my two groups of smarter kids. One group are 5-year-old's and the other group are 4-year-old's. This month's Spelling Bee unfolded like this.
The 5-year-old's went as usual. One of the smarter kids won, the appropriate high-fives were administered. It was pretty standard. I think it's cruel to put children this old into any type of educational competition, but I walked out with a smile
The 4-year-old class on the other hand exceeded all precedents for a Spelling Bee with tiny people.
Instead of explaining how everything unfolded I will skip to the final round where four kids stood at the front of the class. Three of the students had already won the Bee more than two times. The other student, named Oliva, had not ever won. As a matter of fact, she had never made it to the final round. In the final round I present four words to each student and the student with the most spelled c0rrectly, wins. This Spelling Bee is designed so I can influence the winner. So I did.
(Olivia had been falling behind lately with her English and I have recently made it my goal to help improve her reading. I like Olivia. She told the other students she likes Markuh Teacha' very early on. So naturally, she has been a long time favorite of mine.)
At the end of the round I asked the final four students how many words they spelled correctly. The first said three. The second one said three. The third one said three. The fourth one, Olivia, looked at me shocked, surprised, astonished and simply ecstatic when she finally realized she had spelled four words correctly and had won. With a jump of pure joy she yelled, "FOUR!" She then proceeded to run to my side, wraps her arms around my waist and dig her smiling face into my hip. It was special.
But all of sudden, I noticed another student, Rachel, crying. Her face ran soaked with tears. Her face scrunched together with emotion and she could not hold it in. Everyone in the room paused hoping she was upset because of losing. My Korean co-teacher asked her if she was OK, she nodded slightly. My co-teacher, looking surprised, then asked her, "Are you happy?" She nodded, once again, yes.
My heart dropped. Olivia ran into her friend Rachel's arms and two bawled with happiness over Olivia's accomplishment. They could not hold back the tears of joy.
Witnessing this type of purity turned a page on humanity for me. Rachel was truly happy for her friend. So much so it brought her to tears. This brought me to appreciate my job. I will forever take that moment away with me when I think back on my year of teaching tiny Korean pre-schoolers.
{Rachel on the left and Olivia on the right.}
Get Lost my friends....
Every month I administer a Spelling Bee to my two groups of smarter kids. One group are 5-year-old's and the other group are 4-year-old's. This month's Spelling Bee unfolded like this.
The 5-year-old's went as usual. One of the smarter kids won, the appropriate high-fives were administered. It was pretty standard. I think it's cruel to put children this old into any type of educational competition, but I walked out with a smile
The 4-year-old class on the other hand exceeded all precedents for a Spelling Bee with tiny people.
Instead of explaining how everything unfolded I will skip to the final round where four kids stood at the front of the class. Three of the students had already won the Bee more than two times. The other student, named Oliva, had not ever won. As a matter of fact, she had never made it to the final round. In the final round I present four words to each student and the student with the most spelled c0rrectly, wins. This Spelling Bee is designed so I can influence the winner. So I did.
(Olivia had been falling behind lately with her English and I have recently made it my goal to help improve her reading. I like Olivia. She told the other students she likes Markuh Teacha' very early on. So naturally, she has been a long time favorite of mine.)
At the end of the round I asked the final four students how many words they spelled correctly. The first said three. The second one said three. The third one said three. The fourth one, Olivia, looked at me shocked, surprised, astonished and simply ecstatic when she finally realized she had spelled four words correctly and had won. With a jump of pure joy she yelled, "FOUR!" She then proceeded to run to my side, wraps her arms around my waist and dig her smiling face into my hip. It was special.
But all of sudden, I noticed another student, Rachel, crying. Her face ran soaked with tears. Her face scrunched together with emotion and she could not hold it in. Everyone in the room paused hoping she was upset because of losing. My Korean co-teacher asked her if she was OK, she nodded slightly. My co-teacher, looking surprised, then asked her, "Are you happy?" She nodded, once again, yes.
My heart dropped. Olivia ran into her friend Rachel's arms and two bawled with happiness over Olivia's accomplishment. They could not hold back the tears of joy.
Witnessing this type of purity turned a page on humanity for me. Rachel was truly happy for her friend. So much so it brought her to tears. This brought me to appreciate my job. I will forever take that moment away with me when I think back on my year of teaching tiny Korean pre-schoolers.
{Rachel on the left and Olivia on the right.}Get Lost my friends....
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