#28 yanGju festival!

some traditional drum thing

cheerleading act

superkid

YES - it really is what you're thinking.. these are condom mascots... they were giving out free condoms at the childrens festival!!

kids in hanbok (traditional korean clothes) playing games

the weekend that just passed was a quite weekend for me... i spent both days just reading through the stduents books and writing out dialogues and short scripts for them to practice... it wasnt very fun...

in my area, the yangju festival was held... like i mentioned before, on sundays, the streets around my place are closed to that the kids can play... ride on their bikes.. skateboards... some even bring out mats and sit and sell they're stuff like baseballs cards... toys etc.. its very cute..

this sunday... the streets were closed and stalls were set up for the festival.. im not really sure what sort of festival it was but it was ok.. they had traditional dancing.. cheerleaders... this band called superkid.. belly dancing and a whole lot of stalls that had face painting, games and food.

this week is my first week of actually teaching teaching... as in real english.. its been ok.. i find alot of the students dont want to learn english and i cant really make them.. i plan a lesson and i teach.. its up to them if they participate or not .. i still get paid even if they don't hahaha

i guess now i'll just have to find activites to get them motivated to learn... they like games and watching movies... i guess games can help improve their english but i dont know how watching movies and filling out worksheets will.. we'll see how it goes.. i need to put my thinking cap on!

anyways 2moro i will be getting my mobile and my bankcard!! yayyy!! that means il get paidd!!!! then next week or the end of this week il be getting my tv and my net installed!! yayyy!!! i wont be bored anymore.. hahaha

last note: teaching middle school is not as easy as it seems -_- i love the students but they stress me out LOL

안녕~

xo m

#27 first week of teaChing over!

Officially a registered alien in korea!

its fridayyyy!!!!! yayyyyyy!!!! my first official week as a teacher is over! this week has been a mix... i've had really good classes and then i had really bad classes... the 1st day was a total nightmare.. students were just out of control and like i said in the previous post.. when they cant understand you.. they'll just stare at you blankly... the only good class was my grade 7 ..

on monday night i was dreading coming to work the next day.. not only because i couldnt handle the students but because i was sick of doing my introduction already.... that day i only did 4... i teach 25 classes so i had 21 more to go!

after 2 days of teaching i started to get used to the students and got an idea what kind of level each grade was on and what kind of attitude they would give me... the grade 7 was the best.. the grade 2 .. they were ok.. they're willing to participate and join in what i had but they werent as enthusiastic as the grade 7... the grade 3 however was the worse... the first few days i played nice and let them sit there.. but i got so fed up with it i became a mean and strict teacher.. hahaha

today i had the BEST class.. it was one of my grade 7 class.. it was so fun.. i did my intro then had them ask questions... they asked everything.. are u married... do u have a bf... where do u live... do u like korean food.. can u speak korean... do u like girls generation.. whats your ideal type bf... are u gonna marry a westerner or a korean.. it was heaps of fun... after that i got them to introduce themselves to me... some told me they were in love with their gf... otheres danced and sang... b4 i knew it 45 was up and class was over...

next week i start teaching the classes for real... as in from their textbook... i actually have no idea what to teach them yet... today i started writing up dialogues that they can do but i think il need to do more searching... its very hard to teach the students how to speak and pronounce words correctly.. they say v as vuie... we played hang man and i kept hearing vuie vuie vuie .. i was like wthhh ?

lol so this weekend will be a quite weekend.. i think im spending to much money anyways on shopping so i think i should stay in and save my money until my next pay... i guess its gonna be a weekend of tv shows/movies and lesson planning!

안녕~

xo m

#26 my first claSs

my introduction .. this is how it went..

Hi, my name is Misha Nguyen but you can call me 4 things... Teacher.. Miss.. Misha.. or Miss Nguyen

I am 22 years old and i was born in Vietnam so no I am not Korean, please speak to me in English

Like your former teacher i am also from Australia


In Australia, i live in the city of Sydneyy!!!

in Australia we have.. kangaroos... koalas.. and wombats !!

In my family i have a younger sister, mum and dad...there are 4 people in my family

Recently i graduated from university, i studied media!

my hobby is baking...

going shopping... eating... and playing on my macbook

I also enjoy listening to rnb music!

Its a pleasure to meet you all, do you have any questions?

today i taught my first class.. it was ok.. not as bad as i expected but not as good as i'd hope for.. the classes here are very big and sometimes it hard to control all 40 students in one class. My first class was the 3rd graders (yr 9), i do not enjoy this class at all... the students just sit there and stare as if they just wanted to get out of there and not learn english... i got them first to watch my slide show of my introduction and then i got them each to introduce themselves to me... they did a good job, however they weren't very confident in speaking so i had to walk around the class to hear what they said.. after that i wasnt sure what they'd learn so i just went through some dialogues in the book with them. they did well however this class went on forever and i was just hoping it would end.

my next class was the 1st graders(year 7) i seriously don't remember being this small when i was in year 7... the 1st graders are always a joy to see, they're always very happy to see me and is always willing to participate in whatever i have for them... we did mine and their introduction and then played games... we ended up playing hangman which was fun... they were better than i thought because they could get most of the words i put up.. i ended up giving them prizes (my souvenirs) after ...

3rd period i had the 2nd graders.. they were also well behaved and werent ignorant like the 3rd graders.. they were able to participate and some of the students were actually very good with their english.... we did a mini activity which they had to say their hobby and ask the other person what their hobby was .. after that we played 2 games of hang man where i gave out more prizes.

so far today has been fun.. its my first day teaching so i expected to not do very good but i did ok... hopefully by next week after i've done all of my introductions, we'll get into teaching.. atleast now i have something to do while at school and not just sitting around chatting all day

안녕~

xo m

#25 a saturday in dOngdaemun

doota shopping mall!

shoooeeeeesssss
womens clothes

bags everywhere!!

and more baggsss

men's wear

very spicy rabeoki

today i was meant to meet up with thuy for this tour that she booked however i waited for ages there and no one showed up... i might've waited on the wrong platform i don't know so i just left after an hour or so and went shopping on my own..

i got the train and headed to dongdaemun... today was a really crappy day cos the weather was raining and gloomy and it was just a day that i didnt wanna go out and just wanted to stay at home and rest.. but since i was out already i thought i'd make the most of it..

my first impression of dongdaemun was .. why is there fabric everywhere? thats all i could see... just floors after floors of fabric.. i didnt really like it cos i went there to shop for clothes, shoes and bags.. after walking around and observing everything i ended up in a market... the market had heaps of belts and hats.. it was nothing interesting until i found pauls cap! my friend paul wanted this hat for so long and i couldnt find it anywhere in sydney but eventually came across it in korea! i was very proud of that purchase =)

after that i headed to all the other markets.. i was about to give up and go home when i saw this department store.. it looked expensive but i thought i'd give it a try anyways... the mall was called doota and it was so awesome!! they had really really nice clothes bags and shoes in there.. all reasonably priced.. not as cheap as markets but much cheaper than australia... i had a look around then headed upstairs for lunch.. i ate rabeoki - its like ramen (dry) with deokbeoki (spicy rice cakes) in it.. i've always wanted to try it when i was in australia but they dont sell it.. it was good but very very spicy!

after doota i headed to migliore and hello apM.. these were also fashion malls but the clothes here were much cheaper than at doota .. i managed to buy a lot of tops for work because i didnt bring many with me... i bought quite alot and spent less than $120!!

after 4 hours of shopping i decided it was time to head home.. i went home and then headed out again to e-mart and gsmart... everytime i go in there i seem to buy a whole house full of things.. i've spent so much money on household stuff like mats, cleaning products, mops, dish racks, laundry basket... hopefully this is it and i won't have to buy more!

2moro is sunday and my plan is to head to uijeongbu to take a look around... last time i was there i saw there were many good shops however didnt have much time to buy anything cos i was with eunice.. i hope the weather clears up and it doesnt rain!

another note... i'll start teaching from next week!! aaaarrrrghhhhhhhhh

안녕~

xo m

#24 teaChers day!

my renovated apartment!

kitchen
bed

comp table & sofa

wardrobe & door to the toilet

today is teachers day! all of the students came to school today with presents, flowers, food and drinks and balloons for their teachers... the staff room is now decorated with flowers everywhere!

today we finish early after 3rd period.. the kids get to go home and all the teachers at my school are gonna head to uijeongbu for lunch... the faculty is huge! i don't know how we're all gonna fit in a restaurant lol

this morning i observed the 1st graders.. they're sooo adorable.. they're very cute and innocent.. not like the 3rd graders.. they're the biggest trouble makers -_-

anyways hope you enjoyed my previous blog with my video post...

안녕~

xo m

#23 a videO tour of my apartment

I decided it's abt time i made a video tour of my apartment!

NOTE: i've only been here a week that is why

1. There is no food in my fridge

2. I eat out alot

#22 school lunChes

teachers day gifts! (2moro is teachers day) we got mandarins and strawberrys as well but i ate them.. hahah these are korean rice cakes we were given
my souvenirs that i keep at my desk.. alot of the students come in to ask for them~

in korea, everyone eats at school... i think this is an awesome idea and that schools all over the world should do this.. at 12.30 all the students and teachers we head to the cafeteria for lunch .. lunch usually consist of rice, a soup, kimchi, meat and salad... everyday the meat and salad dish changes but there would always be rice, kimchi and soup. The lunches are pretty good... i've only been here for a week but i've enjoyed it everyday... so far i've had meat with eggs, these spicy buckwheat noodles, potato and bacon bake and today i had spicy pork. This set up is good for me because it gives me a decent meal everyday.. something that consist if rice, soup and salad..

in australia at lunchtime i usually eat a roll or a sandwhich then will have a proper meal at nightime, here il have something proper for lunch then at nightime i usually eat a salad or street food... the street food here is awesome

today im going to observe the 2nd graders - the year 8s. i hope they wont be as bad as the 2 previous class that i went to... im really scared now to teach next week cos the students are so noisy and misbehaved.. 2moro i get to observe the 1st graders .. they're usually very cute and innocent... hopefully they'll be good.. im looking forward to that class ahahah

안녕~

xo m

#21 classroOm chaos

haha don't u think this is funny

at school, all the students and teachers have to wear slippers - hahaha im being serious, we wear normal shoes to school then when we get here there are lockers with our slippers in them so we change and wear slippers at school throughout the whole day... its a good idea cos now i dont have to wear heels all day!

my desk

i spend all day chatting!! but now i've started to look up site for worksheet ideas and lesson plans, im nerdy =P

wow the kids here are crazyy!! i've only been to observe 2 classes and the kids go wild here... my first observation was with one of my co teachers Tina - she taught the 3rd graders - they're in yr 9... this class was ok.. half of them were sleeping, some fixing their hair and others talking.. only about half of the class was paying attention and participating with what was going on.

Today i observed another 3rd grade class with my other co teacher Mrs Cho, this class was a total nightmare! the projector didnt work so because they couldnt see anything on the screen they just all decided to not to anything.. i was sitting at the back so the students at the back was more interested in me than the class.. throughout the whole class this 1 boy and 2 girls just kept staring at me and asking me questions.. he was a trouble maker though so he really didnt do anything.. he started singing, dancing, arm wrestling, hitting ppl, flicking them with rubber bands, playing on his phone, listening to his mp3.. anything u can imagine besides participating..

i don't understand why the teachers dont do anything abt it. When the students are sleeping they just ignore it and let them sleep... the students leave the classroom and still they dont say anything... what am i gonna do?? right now i am so not looking forward to next week -_-

안녕~

xo m

#2o firSt week of school

my timetable~

this is my first week here.. i havent started teaching though. this week i basically come in to do nothing. yesterday (monday) i pretty much sat at my desk and chatted til home time at 430 pm. alot of the students have been spying on me though, i havent been introduced to them yet so they're very curious who the new teacher is i guess.. the whole day yesterday i had kids coming in between periods just standing there staring at me, when i turn around to say hello they just giggle.. ahahah they also start following me in the hallways and when i turn around they just stand there and giggle, its so cute. this little boy yesterday at the end of the day he was cleaning the teachers room, he came to my desk and wiped a small corner of my table, when i turned around to look at him and say hello he just smiled and ran off.. ahahha

so today is tuesday and im guessing it's gonna be the same as yesterday. in 4th period i get to attend one of my classes though to observe one of my teachers to see how she teaches, that would be fun cos il get to meet some of the students atleast... today is a long day because we have 7 periods, Eunice.. the teacher that is managing me has no classes then so we're gonna go and get my ARC (alien registration card). im really happy she's organised... some ppl take up to 3-4 weeks to get theirs done, with this card i can then apply for a bank card, internet, phone etc.

i was told yesterday that i have to teach an extra class... i have to teach all the teachers in my school english as well! how do i do that? lol i cant even speak english properly myself hahaha i thought teaching the students was one thing but now the teachers??!! im only 22 and am the youngest teacher in the school.. are they even gonna take me seriously? where do i even start?? we'll see how that goes!

안녕~

xo m

#19 a weekend in anSan/seoul..

the streets of ansan
street food! my favourite

ansan nightlife.. a city of its own!

namdaemun market

it was so big i got confused i had to leave!

the streets of seoul~

lotte young plaza... where they only sell clothes for young ppl... literally lol

lotte young plaza.... very nice .. but expensive

entering myeongdong!

streets full of shops

and many many more!! my favourite place in the world!!!

markets in myeongdong

and more...

on sunday.. they close the streets around my place so kids and their parents can play... when i walk out they're everywhere riding their bikes and rollerblaidng.. i think this is really cool!

this weekend i spent it in ansan and seoul... on friday i had to go to school... i don't know why because i basically did nothing all day.. i just sat at my desk from 830-1230 and chatted until it was time to go home... a few of the students saw and came up to say hi cos they knew i was the new foreign teacher.. they're very shy though.. mayb because they're not confident with their english.

so after school i headed to ansan... it took me 2 hours to get there... it was like hell and was seriously the longest train ride of my life. i eventually got there and we spent the night in jungang... this place was so maddd.. at night it was like a city of its own even though it was located like over an hour away from seoul... we basically just ate, sang, drank and shopped!

the next day we headed off to seoul... first stop was namdaemun market... namdeamun was ok... im sure its a lot better but its so big and so crowded i didnt know where to start looking... after spending about an hour ish there we headed off to myeongdong...

myeongdong is soooooo awesomeee... its my favourite place in the whole world!!! the shopping there is crazy.. there are streets after streets of shops... i spent about 4-5 hours there and i still didnt finish going through everything!! i bought too much stuff though so after while decided to go home and rest.. in the end im living here now.. not for a holiday.. i can come back anytime i want.. lol i keep forgetting that.

so far my impression of korea is pretty good.. im finding my way around places and settling in ok... my place finally feels like a home now because i started unpacking and buying stuff for my house... 2moro will be my first official week at school.. i won't be teaching though.. just observing... we'll see how that goes!

안녕~

xo m