Teachers are powerful leaders.

In one of my earlier posts I said that I was a good teacher. I take that back. Well actually, I'd like to rephrase it. I think I have the ability to genuinely understand the heart of another person, and this makes it easier for me recognize what they're motivated by, thus teach them. But I could always be a better teacher. It's just one of those skills that can never be perfected, only strengthened. I have definitely improved as a teacher during my stay so far, and I hope to continue doing so throughout my life. Korea has put me to the test because I have to teach when I don't know the language at all. (I know a little more now, but it's still not enough to actually use during my teaching unless I'm disciplining the kids.)

So how does someone become a better teacher anyways? For one, there's spending time making a good lesson plan. If you're a teacher, I sincerely doubt that spending 20 minutes on a lesson plan will create the most effective lesson. The more time you take to plan a lesson, and create materials, the better your lesson will be. So even if you can create an amazing lesson in 20 minutes, it'll probably be even more valuable if you spent 40 minutes on it. ;)

Other than the more obvious "work harder" advice which goes for all skills, having an open mind is really important. If students are putting in the effort, don't blame them for not understanding a concept. Be flexible in your methods of teaching, and have patience. Be able to take criticism, but be confident in what works for you. All teachers are different. Don't limit your view of teaching as something that's a personal skill you take pride in, but a skill that can be utilized for the "greater good" (end purpose which is passing on knowledge). So that means, help other teachers, and share your ideas with others. What has worked? What hasn't worked? I love talking to other teachers about lesson plans honestly. 8) Teachers are powerful leaders.

Not sure if I've mentioned this yet, but in my free time I've been volunteering to teach soldiers, and it's been great! In Korea, males are required to complete 2 years of military service (usually during the university age) and they are placed in different branches. It's not uncommon to see soldiers walking around everywhere in Korea. (No worries, I usually don't see them carrying guns.) At first, I was a bit awed by this and stare at the military trucks. But now I'm completely unfazed. I've even forgotten that this isn't as common of a sight in the States. So the students I teach in particular, are placed in the police department and completing police officer duty. Since I'm doing this voluntarily, they're really flexible with my schedule, and I usually teach around 2 hours per week. Teaching adults is so different, and very fun! The games I can play are more complex and I can actually be a part of them as well. We've played games such as hot seat, alibi, taboo, charades, tongue twisters etc. I teach them about grammar, pronunciation, and help them speak English more "naturally". It mostly serves as a conversation class, and sometimes it feels like I'm just hanging out with my friends.

I honestly don't know who I like teaching better at this point. Kids, or adults. On one hand, I can teach the kids a variety of material and have tons of fun with them. And on the other hand, adults don't need disciplining. They're in class because they want to be. That makes a huge difference.

Well I have to go plan my Halloween lessons for tomorrow now. :) We're going to have some spOoOoky fun! Hopefully, I feel motivated enough to write here more often. I've realized that I can't document every part of my journey, so you'll have to settle for my momentary thoughts.

I hope that you're having a happy week!
Love,
Anisha

A Belated Summer

This was the first time I've experienced a "summer vacation" outside of college. In my previous job, we didn't get a summer vacation. I don't think my career set-up will always be like this, so I'm enjoying every second of it.

Since it's only a short flight away, I decided to visit Japan during summer vacation with Huma and Leek. This was my second time visiting Japan, the first being in High School. This time we explored the Kansai province (Osaka, Nara, and Kyoto) Visiting Japan again as an adult was so worthwhile for me. I noticed so many different things. I was mostly fascinated by the different lifestyle, the cleanliness, the architecture, diversity, and the silence. The whole atmosphere was foreign, yet familiar to me. And I can definitely assure you that anime characters are designed after the wonderful Japanese people. I was in a real life anime, with the small compact spaces, people smoking using cigarette holders in tiny cafes while reading manga, school girls + boys cycling, the grandparents yelling at kids in the markets, the ramen♥, the okonomiyaki!!♥, the sushi ♥, quirky convenient contraptions (like UV proof umbrellas held up on your bike), tatami mats, sliding doors, squishy ominous cats, and a 100% absence of English.

The manga is brilliant. I went to a manga exhibit in Kyoto and found the first original copies of Dragon Ball Z published in 1989. What?! Unfortunately photography is strictly prohibited in most anime museums. But this exhibit was cool because it talked about the rise of manga and how it all started, and the way it gained popularity across the world. My favorite part was the variety of manga there was. Manga was and IS for everyone, of all ages, ethnicities, genders, etc. It's even a news source. I saw many elderly men and women read it on the train, teens read it in cafés, business  men and women, mothers, children, everyone! It's not seen as some sort of cool or uncool culture, like it is in America ~ "I'm into anime." (I'm not saying that's a good thing or a bad thing.) It's a completely normal part of Japanese life. No one bats an eye.

One best parts of my journey was the Nara lantern festival. Thousands of lanterns were sprawled out over the grass and in some areas the lanterns made intricate designs. Guys, it was absolutely breathtaking. No picture can do it justice. The three of us naturally wandered in different directions because we were so taken aback by the sea of lanterns. That was the closest I've ever come to floating through outer space. I felt tiny. ~*~*~*~*And in that moment I was infinite~*~*~*~*~ But really though. It made me tear up.

So that's all I'll be discussing on my trip to Japan. If you have any questions about my trip, feel free to comment below. I highly recommend that everyone visit Japan at least once in your life. :) It's great for solo-adventuring, or even a family trip!

Hope you're having an amazing day!
Love,
Anisha

The Lantern Parade in Seoul

During the month of May, brightly colored lanterns line streets of Korea to honor the birth of Buddha. Last weekend, I went to the Lantern Parade in Seoul to celebrate Buddha's birthday (which is actually today, May 25th). While I'm not religious, Buddhism aligns itself closest to my ideals, and ultimately what I think the meaning of life is. I won't get too much into my views on this, but I'll say that Buddhism is worth learning about. Here are some pictures from last weekend. During the daytime, Lena, Ivan and I explored, shopped, and chilled. Then in the evening we met up with Grace and Moon to eat and look at the lantern parade! Sorry about the blurry pictures. Night time photography isn't my forte.

Street carts + the ever present crowd

Lena! My cutest friend. ^_^

Shopping! I forget which area this is, but it's close to Jonggak station. 

We found this peaceful church...

...and after a long day, we decided to meditate here for a bit. 

DJ playing a track for the kids!  They were really getting into it. :3

Surprisingly quiet crowd listening to a monk's lecture.  

It was a good weekend. For dinner we ate a pizza that had a hash brown crust. Yes, you read that correctly. It was delicious. :)

Korea is going well. I've been on my own here for over 3 months now, yet I still feel like everything is new. I'm told that for the first 6 months, teachers tend to just settle in. I'm also learning a lot about myself. Or maybe my tastes and interests are starting to change. I enjoy spending more time exploring on my own, and being around less people. My inner world is rich with life, but I'm trying to get out of my head and live in the present. After learning about Buddhism I tell myself to stop daydreaming, and start living more frequently now.

Sports Day

This is the view from my office at Jangyang Elementary.

Sports Day at Jangyang Elementary school was tons of fun! The students, parents, and teachers got to compete in fun games and sports. :) My favorite was definitely the baton races. It was truly a wonderful experience for everyone! And it brought a sense of unity to the school. What I loved seeing the most was the sportsmanship displayed amongst the students. After a game was finished I saw the winners hug the losers, and at the end of the day the whole student body helped clean up and put the chairs back in the school. I saw little second graders carrying their chair back into their classrooms! And if a student was struggling, an older student would come to their rescue. It was so heartwarming to see, and I think the world could learn a lot from this culture.

D'oh! :3

These two ladies always sit with me during lunch, and try to get me to take more kimchi. :P

Coordinated dance!

A game is in session. Hi Jinbo Teacher!

From left to right: The principal, and the vice principal! They are playing rock paper scissors.

4th grade cuties!

3rd grade sweetheart! :3 

Go Joon Ik! Wave that flag!

Ahhh! Faster!

Two (adorable) troublemakers from my 5th grade. :) Two peas in a pod!

Fighting!

I talked to quite a number of my students, and we'd have an English conversation. I would make sure to use language that they had learned in class, and it was the cutest thing ever to see their parents behind them swelling up with pride!!!! :') It was also funny and nice to hear random students shout "Anisha Teacher, I love you!!" 

I had the day off, but I'm so glad I went and got to witness such a bright and friendly event. I hope I get to see more while I'm here!

Paragliding

I went paragliding at 성주산자연휴양림 (Seongjusan) in April:

going higher!

up up up

coming down

landed!

I think I'm ready to go skydiving now! :)

Paragliding is very relaxing. It's not extreme at all, and I really think that anyone can do it! You float off the mountain top, up into the sky, and then land. No biggie! My instructor did a couple of spins mid-air, but my favorite bit was when we were floating really high up. I would describe paragliding as calming and peaceful.

Teaching!

I love my students!

I just wanted to start my post off with saying that. Teaching is not the easiest thing. It's been one of the most challenging parts of being here. But it's also the reason I'm here, and it's the most rewarding experience I've had while in Korea. I teach English to kids grades 4-6, Monday-Friday in both curriculum and after school classes. I also do teacher training once a week, so I can help the teachers improve their English skills.

While I don't see myself teaching for life, it's something that I can unabashedly say that I'm good at. Everyday is different, so I look forward to learning something new and it's a skill that I can develop. During my first week, I didn't really know what to expect! I was pretty nervous and had to remind myself that they were just kids! And not little monsters. Well, most of them. :) Over the course of two months I have had kids tear their textbook, slam doors, yell, talk back to my co-teacher, and I had a fight break out in my 4th grade classroom. I'm not fazed by any of it, but I do need to learn how to become better at classroom management. I still need to perfect my reward system because I would like to have 100% control over the classroom. Putting classroom management aside, the kids are really adorable and charming. In South Korea, kids are required to clean their classrooms and take care of their schools, which teaches them a great deal of responsibility. Everyday I see kids mopping the hallways, and cleaning the bathrooms. After the students finish their meals in the cafeteria they go to their homeroom teacher so she can check that they finished their food before they put their tray away. Bowing is also emphasized as a form of respect, so when I walk past a student or another teacher, we usually bow our heads at one another. As I walk down the halls I'm greeted with kids saying "hello!" and I am still welcomed by that everyday! "Hi teacher! How's it going?" I love it when they use language that they learned in my class. :)

Lesson on "directions". Kids are in teams, and one is blindfolded
while the other has to direct their partner to the end! In English of course. :)

My 5th & 6th grade after school class. We did a lesson on St Patrick's Day,
where we made a rainbow attached to a pot of gold. Each student got to write their wish on the pot. 

My favorite part about teaching is my afterschool class, which I do twice a week because I get to be creative and do whatever lesson I want! So we have loads of fun learning English. Curriculum is a bit more restricted because I have to teach by the textbook, but I still try to think of fun activities to replace the boring ones. :P

Let me know if you have any particular questions about teaching kids English in Korea! :)

- Anisha

March (part 1)

A couples of weekends have passed now. In the beginning of March I visited Seoul! Wonju is only a little over an hour away by train and transportation in Korea is convenient and easy to use. I met up with the Cutie Pie Mob in Hongdae. :) We pretty much explored the streets, and ate a lot. Because food is one of our favorite hobbies! We also went to a trick eye museum, where we took tons of photos. And we had the chance to take some cute sticker photos which made my eyes bigger and my skin lighter. *~* A very funny thing! It was quite crowded, and there were many street performers in Hongdae. Everyone was out enjoying themselves, eating and shopping. We ended the night by staying in a jjimjillbang 찜질방, which is a public bath, and I loved it! I would definitely do it again. It felt so natural. I remember when I went to an onsen in Japan all those year ago I was extremely shy and nervous. But I just feel so comfortable with my body- and the human body in generadl- so it's not big deal. :) (Even when I did get stared at by ajumas)

The trick eye museum was no joke. 

AHHHaksjhdshjd!!11!!!

I love this mob of cute people. ^__^

And I also spent a weekend at home, just getting revitalized, and whatnot. I cleaned my apartment, took out a bunch of trash, and got groceries. My apartment gets dusty easily so I have to make sure that I mop regularly. I also have so much... stuff. Things were left from the previous scholars before me so I had a lot of items to recycle or donate. And I'm still in the process of doing so weeks later. :P There's are two cabinets that I have to go through + I have 2 guitars. I want to make my apartment feel like home to me. I have never decorated a place that I know I'm going to move out of, but this is also the first time I've lived in my own apartment before. And I must say that I truly having my own space. But I also realized that I really dislike spending the weekend on my own. I'm going to deinfitely have to make an effort to have something planned every weekend. :) It's not really a difficult task though. There is so much to experience, it's just a matter of deciding what I want to do.

I visited Daegu last weekend, and Sheetal kindly let me stay at her place! Daegu is very awesome, and is known for its nightlife. It felt like a less crowded version of Seoul. We chilled downtown, and did some shopping~ The one thing I got that I am absolutely in love is a super cute bunny phone case! The shopping is amazing in Korea. I have never seen shopping like this in my life. And the best part is that nearly everything fits me!! *-* In the future I wouldn't mind flying to Korea just to shop to be honest. Many of the shops are unique boutiques that have a variety of options.

This weekend I "climbed" Mt Chiaksan with Moon and Grace. I love them and I'm so happy that these two amazing people actually came all the way from Incheon to hang out with little old with me. We have mastered the art of chilling (which means we eat and nap frequently). We didn't climb to the top of the mountain, but we strolled along and enjoyed the temple and the beautiful nature along the trail. It was so serene and peaceful. We just felt really happy. ♥ Spring is officially here. Moon and Grace have an aura of positivity, and every time I spend time with them I always feel happy and loved!  I feel like Moon is my older brother, and Mama Grace is so kind and nurturing, and I really look up to her. :) When I see them together, I see real love. They're the kind of people who spread happiness wherever they go. They are rare, magical, and genuine. I feel so blessed to have the both of them in my life!

♥

♥ 

♥ 

Coffee shops everywhere. Even when you go hiking!

Chicken dinna!!!!! OMNOMNOMNOM. So spicy it made us sweat.

2 months have sped by. I can't believe it!!!!!! I only have 10 more months in Korea! And I really don't know when I will be able to visit this wonderful country again in my life, so I want to experience as much as I possibly can. Life is moving at an incredibly fast pace, and I'm barely hanging on. I swear, wasn't orientation last week?! Nonetheless I can't wait to see what Korea has in store for me next. 

Now there's one HIGHLY important part of March that I haven't included in this post. And that's teaching, which has already started to change me as a person. I'll dedicate my next post to what I spend the majority of my time doing - teaching Korean kids English at Jangyang Elementary School.