I edididid

One of my co-teachers, Jennifer, has been planning an open class for the past two weeks. When she started this year we would be co-teaching the class but since I'm leaving in August I don't need to because it's a two-part presentation. I was a little disappointed about it in the beginning but now I'm happy I'm just an adviser.

She's a really good teacher and one thing I admire in her teaching style is her perfectionism. Especially something this important. I don't know what the story is because it was supposed to be due on Tuesday but now it's Friday and she's still touching in up. She has developed a six-page play-by-play lesson plan for the class that happens in a month! I'm not going to talk about what the lesson plan looks like but I'm going to give you couple common mistakes I've encountered while editing.

Sometimes you just hear words and never see them written: 

Jennifer came into my office a couple days ago (She's dropped by everyday, but this was probably the funniest one) walking me through her open class game. It's a really complicated game. Each student get  a worksheet and dice; if you can't read you need to grab the yellow worksheet and the dice with words; if you can read take the pink worksheet and the die with pictures.

That I understood. Then she started talking about grounds. "The students will roll the dice three times each ground. There are three grounds."

Seeing the printed word really in the lesson plan really confused me. I was just, like, "what is a ground." Then I was like, "Oh, a round."  We both laughed as I put my hands on my face in bewilderment and she did the same in embarrassment.

Wordiness:

Two of my CTs talk in a very eloquent way. Sometimes its very eloquent when they ask students, "How did the man address the woman in the video clip?" Other times it shows they haven't been to a recent course in education when they refer to children with learning disabilities as "handicapped," but we're working on it. Just like me, I try to make my writing more pristine when addressing my peers, but half the time you cut the crap out in editing. One thing that kept coming up was "write the name of the food," I guess if you said it with a British accent it might pass but not a Korean or North American one. I'd just say, "Write down the food." From experience when kids here the the word "name," there's potential at least one kid will write their name instead of a food. Tip to all teachers: Keep it simple, sexy.   

Speed-typing:

Jennifer, mother, new ESL teacher, master's student, and a secondary workhorse in the admin office, she's crazy busy and types super fast like everyone that isn't me. You can see it some days where she's just dog-tired but still plugs away. That's what I'll attribute to her minor mistakes. Sometimes words are stuck together, typos, mysterious upper case letters, all part of being fast. Plus, when you know you're not editing the piece you never look it over when you're done.

All in all, I'm hoping today is the last day of this because now I need to lesson plan. I've made a unit plan  for my Grade 3 and 4 after school programs. I did it in one lesson with my older classes but it left a lot to be desired and was a lot rougher around the edges. Since every kid likes animals I've proposed to make a mind map of the kids' favorite animals. They'll list 6-8 things about the animal and then draw their animal at the center of the mind map. I think it'll be fun, and it gives me the opportunity to put some student work up on the board in library and classroom. TGIF this birds flying the coop!

Hired and Wired

I've been pretty busy lately, this school year actually, I'm not making as many posts as I'd like to but I'm planning to enjoy my last four months in Korea. That's right, I'm moving! Korea will only be with me in spirit come September 2014. I've been hired as a home room teacher in a Middle-Eastern International School. I'm really excited to continue my adventure in Asia and live up to the name "Traveling Teacher." The contract is two years and that's exactly what I'd like: A year to figure it out, another one to build on it and to decide whether or not the climate is for me.

This opportunity excites me just like Korea although I think I'll have less free time to explore and engage myself in the new country. The weather will be pretty hot but school starts early in the day so hopefully naps can happen through the hot afternoons. Especially those first 5 days. The experience is going to be completely different from Korea, I'll have a chunk more lesson planning to do but mentors to help me through it. I'm just generally excited to get on with this new chapter.

After yesterday, I was almost ready to pack my bags and high-tail it out of the school. It wasn't the kids, it was the staff. Our annual volleyball tourney is starting and our gymless school is signed up. Firstly, I don't enjoy the fact its nine players a side, there are more rally points but at the same time the court is too congested. They put me at the net and I was pretty pumped thinking the setter would send some balls my way. Fat chance. Instead the new gym teacher, the king of the court, plays behind me and jumps up for every hit. The old guard of the volleyball crew (we're not a team) have the formula of setting it to the king. He probably hits at a 10% success rate. After the fifth time he came up to the net to hit the ball out of bounds I was checked-out of the game. Then I called for a ball and he jumped into me. I actually told him off after that because he has a big frame and if I break any bone in my body playing some rec league volleyball game I'll go apeshit. I told him to talk to me and that didn't change anything. "Oh that's because he probably doesn't speak English." No, you idiot, he's actually the go-between for everyone else on the team. Then I had dinner after with no one who speaks English and it was so brutal. The two eldest teachers with the most headway at the table talked the whole time and no one made any effort to make a side conversation. At least the food was good. Apologies for ranting.

I'm still writing a post about how Korea was twisting my arm to stay and I could barely feel it. It still does on some days but yesterday, that was a tipping point. I'm thinking of conjuring up an excuse to make the next time we play. Who ever leads us on the court does an awful job, you couldn't even tell we worked in the same school. Our two new guys did a really good job but still it's all individual they got most of our points off of blocks. I guess, my rotten mood came down to the team crew dynamic. There isn't a lot of pressure on this new school staff, it'll just be nice to have an intelligent conversation with a co-worker about something beyond the weather. I'm just peeking over the fence and the grass certainly looks greener on the other side.

Malaysia: Arriving in Mabul

02/25/2014 co-written with The Organizer

We woke up early without an alarm. A little groggy but nothing bad like a soju night. We headed down to the main office for a complimentary breakfast. BP&Js on toast with gritty instant coffee. Bills were paid, goodbyes were said, thanks were given and off we went to Uncle Chang's port. I didn't bring a lot of money with me and took my VISA to make life more convenient; in hindsight it was a stupid idea. I didn't have enough money for Uncle Chang's and the only ATM in Semporna couldn't read my card. So Uncle Chang's is on my VISA (so I have to behave myself). Regardless, everything got sorted out and we traveled to Mabul Island. 

On our boat was a hilarious troupe of Chinese people, varying from infancy to old age, who took at least four hundred photos between five cameras. They would hop from side to side taking pictures with one another. Now I know why its called a Chinese fire drill. We made our way into a couple photos too. One guy even nudged himself onto the seat next to the driver and pretended he was driving. Man, oh man, did he laugh. It was in that throaty sound you make when your choking but you're really excited, and then they all started laughing. The three of us shared this look asking how much longer can this last. I felt so sorry for that baby. 

When we got to Mabul reality sunk in. There were half-clothed children paddling boats, children bailing out the same boats while the smallest children put fingers to their mouths begging for food. Welcome to the third world.

In some instances this is not something humbling for the islanders, some are kings in their own mind because they know the place and everybody in it. The staff is very free-flowing with friends swinging by and just a general lazy demeanor around the island. 

We went on our first snorkel and left our bags on the boat. Luckily I didn't leave any Malaysian money in my bag. My two friends weren't so lucky. We kept all of our $ in the office safe but didn't think the change from paying for the trip would go missing. One lost fifty Ringgit and the other lost 130 (three ringgit is roughly a dollar). That settled all the trust issues we had with the boat driver and the staff. The Pirates of Indonesia are charging north picking on the foreigners. Beware, tourists, looks are deceiving.

Later that night we were playing Rummy and some people watched, didn't understand, then walked away. Others who noticed we were slamming Tigers hung around to witness the antics or enjoy them with us. At this point I had no patience for their attitudes. I got to play some guitar though, Young's "Southern Man" with a harmonica solo from another guest, "Lose Yourself," some Jackie J and something else... I think. Regardless in all the fun our cards disappeared. 

This place has already received a terrible a review, just to prove that "What happens on Mabul doesn't stay on Mabul." I shouldn't rag on all the staff some are really nice and helpful but some lack a work ethic.

Example: Another night, I had my older brother moment babysitting the drunk bartender as he puked over the walkway into the ocean before midnight... I think. I might have been drunk too. 

           

Tawau, Malaysia

02/24/2014

I have three hours to kill. I walked to the end of the parking lot and took some photos along the way.

This is like those bobbing dogs except it was a flower.

Then I had first lunch: a bowl of spicy chicken soup in the shade. It had noodles, fish cakes balls, noodles, a couple kaffir leafs, chicken, and some cabbage. Overall, Malaysian food is living up to what I've heard and seen on Facebook/ Instagram plus its cheap. Just had my second lunch which was a little more expensive and not as flavorful but at the same time it had canned mushrooms in the sauce and that brought be back to family dinners in university. 

While waiting at the arrival gate I ran into a guy from Uncle Chang's, our hostel, was waiting outside the arrivals just like me. As I approached him and asked who he was picking up the guy seemed to only have "Yes" in his English repertoire. My friends got out of baggage claim and I was so excited that I had contributed to the trip (Disclaimer: I planned literally nothing for this trip). The organizer looked me straight in the face, "We sleep there tomorrow." Damn. The guy still gave us a ride to Semporna, our final destination of the day. We listened to "different" club music the whole way there.

He dropped us off at our hostel and gave us his name and number so he can drive us back to Tawau for a discount. Our hostel was pretty small a twin and queen filled the main room. The bathroom was pretty rustic but cleaner than mine (we'd have a problem if it wasn't). After dropping off our bags we explored the small coastal city of Semporna. We found a really cool mosque.

That was the prettiest thing in the area. Besides that there was a fish-filled market that had some less than fresh smells, hecklers, and sweet-talkers. Of course there's also just a huge mound of garbage right beside the water too. We stopped at the Western Bar on the patio and had a bunch of drinks. It was a really solid place until you got a warm breeze from the garbage heap. I found it really hard to get wasted because it was so humid, I was perspiring like nobody's business. Our collective bar tab was $60 which is awesome for roughly 3 hours of drinking. We woke up reasonably early to get our boat to Mabul but it was easy with sun out.  

Malaysia: Wakey Wakey

02/23/2014 - 02/24/2014

We got into the hotel late. The three of us took our time to settle in: figuring out the Air Con and the score in the Gold Medal game (Yay Canada). My flight the following day was at 7:10 so I asked for a wake-up call. The shuttle came at every hour on the hour so I needed to be downstairs by 5:00. My wake-up call was at 4:30. Just brutal. I blindly grabbed for the phone and ended up flipping it over. I got up and walked outside greeted by darkness.

Gradually more people came down. I met a Canadian who works at one of the universities in Seoul and an Environmental Studies Student from the states. The E.S. girl is here for reasons too complicated to understand in the early hours of the day. I was one of the first people to get into the shuttle bus that morning, with the prof from Seoul. The last two people down were a man and a Muslim woman. At this point there was an empty seat up front with the driver and one next to the prof. I had to move to accommodate the woman who can't sit next to a man she's never met before. That was the first culture shock of the trip. I guess shock is the wrong word; I'm just not used to the custom. We, the North Americans, made enough small talk to make the ride seem shorter than it was (fun fact Denmark had 17 HOURS of sunlight in a month during the winter of 2013) then got out of the shuttle and went our separate ways.

I went through the airport rapid-fast thanks to online check-in. I got to my gate and wandered in search of food. Buy+Fly was the only place open with something substantial to eat. The rice here, there's something about it. The grains seem buttery, soft, and not clumpy at all. Ideally I wish I could take some back with me but I feel Koreans would take that as well as one takes a slap in the face.

I was on the plane before the sun was up. Now, above the clouds, the sky is a bright blue. I land in Tawau and will wait in the airport for my friends plane to arrive in three hours. I'll have no idea what I'll do but I'm hoping to get some flip-flops because the toe thong on my left one continuously pops out.

As I sit here, too tired to read, I'm realizing that having a mobile device to watch TV is a very good investment because I don't think airplanes will install personal TVs anymore because of smart phones and tablets.

Malaysia: Togetherness

02/23/2014

On our way to the airport the three of us met up at the interchange station and headed out to the airport together. When we got there we all changed our money over. One of us didn't bring cash to exchange and opted to use a VISA. That doesn't fly. So she went up to her bank's airport branch only to realize she didn't have her bank card. I can understand this, bar-proof your wallet so if you lose your wallet you don't have to rebuild your life after your vacation (or a drunken adventure). She got on her phone to her boyfriend, then the bank, then back to the boyfriend. They tried several ways to figure this out (I was busy reading and perusing the airport occupying my mind and trying not worry.) Eventually the ever-loving boyfriend cabbed down to the airport, she pulled out her money, exchanged it, and then it was a mad dash* through security.We got to the gate as it was boarding.
*That's kind of a lie. We put our carry-ons through the x-ray machine. Guess whose bag gets flagged? After the ordeal with bank card issues my friend had left something in her bag. It gets worse, the personnel couldn't find it on the first try. He took it back to the x-ray machine to see if he could relocate it! I don't blame him, there were about twenty pockets on the pack. We jumped through immigration and walked right onto the plane. Good thing we came early.

According to the pamphlet on the plane these are ten things to do in Malaysia.

1. Eat nasi lemak.
2. Drink coffee from a saucer
3. Make lots of friends.
4. Call home.
5. Eat with your hands.
6. Haggle, haggle, haggle at Petaling street.
7. Hang out at a local coffee shop.
8. Learn the language.
9. Go "mamak"ing 'til late.
10. Don't get ripped off on mobile plans.

I did 1, 3(is 10 lots??), 5(a sandwich), 9 (twice), and 10 by not using a phone at all.

Through the Eyes of the Waygook: A Trip to the Dentist 2: Rebooted

So I went to the dentist on Friday. I brushed my teeth at home then went straight there, thinking they'd be really impressed by the freshness of my breath. I received no compliments what so ever. The dentist sat next to me first and explained what would happen since his hygienist doesn't speak English. So they put this red stuff in my mouth that would mark where I'm not brushing. They cleaned my teeth afterwards. The dentist came back with a big plastic mouth and an over-sized toothbrush in his hands.
"My hygienist will show you how to brush."

Apparently I've been doing it wrong. You need to sweep from your gums to the tips of your teeth. The countless times I've been to the dentist and I've never heard such an idea (or I could have been day-dreaming) the idea there's another technique seems unfathomable. Even in the commercials they're doing it wrong. Either way certain people were worried I had a cavity but I don't which is nice to hear.  The total cost was 10,000 won and half an hour of my time.

Thank you, Korea. You've shown me the path to healthier teeth and presumably gums as well. For a very minimal price too. I guess I can always learn lessons anywhere you go.

...I know I've been slacking on blogs. I'm being productive elsewhere but as far as I know I have a Saturday to myself so I'm going blog crazy. I don't know how many I'll type off but it should be around 7-11 mmmm Slurpees.