Articles by mgedwards

Family reunion

My family returned from Shanghai, China yesterday after a five-week absence from Seoul.  I was very happy to see them, and I missed them very much.  If you’ve read my blog entries during the past five weeks, you might ask, "Are you sure?  You sound you were having too much fun."  Of course I had a lot of fun while they were away, but now that they’re home I can emphatically answer, "Yes, I am glad they’re home"  It feels right to have a stable family.  I’m happy to have my wife back and would never trade what I have for the single life.  My son changed a lot during the time we were apart.  He is now talking up a storm (mostly in Chinese), and he wants to spend most of his time with "baba" (daddy).  It warms my heart that he wants to spend so much more time with me now than he did when he left.  I can tell that he really missed me.  For example, before he left he never let me put him to bed.  Now I’ve put him to bed two nights in a row.  He is sharper, more interactive than even before, and he listens to us.  We communicate better.  We can guide him better now.  It’s wonderful to see how much he’s grown up in such a short period of time.  We’ve reached a time in our son’s life when we can mutually communicate, a window that will close once he learns how not to listen to us. 

Life won’t be as unfettered for me as it was when I was here alone.  I can’t go out for evenings with friends like I did; at least I choose not to do so.  Still, my wife and I have decided to go out more often than we did before we moved to Seoul.  We plan to go out with friends, and on occasion, I will join coworkers and friends occasionally after work.  My wife can go out as well if she wants to get together with friends, and I will stay with my son.   We still have to get him used to being with a babysitter.  He still panicks when mommy (and now baba) is not nearby.  We will trade off and either feed or bathe him to get him used to both of us at night so that he is more flexible in his routines.  My wife is also determined to be more active around the house and help out with many of the things I’ve been doing.  We’re a team.  Separation can be hard, but it can also be the start of a new beginning.  Life is very good for us, but we know that it can always be better.  Now that we’re back together, now is the time for us to make the most of the time we have.

Checking in

Well, I haven’t had much time the past couple of days to write my blog.  On Wednesday evening I stopped by a friend’s house to drop something off and ended up staying over talking with him and his wife until midnight.  Then last night I went out with friends and colleagues for beer and bratwurst at the Oktoberfest pub in Seoul, followed by more noraebang (just can’t get enough!).  The beer at Oktoberfest is great.  I ordered weissbier, or "white beer."  Weissbier is a special type of sweet beer popular in Berlin.  I haven’t had weissbier since I visited Berlin years ago.  So far I’ve been very happy with the beer selection in Korea.  I prefer imports and microbrews over macrobrews like Budweiser, and I’ve been glad to have a good selection here.  I might not be so lucky in another country.

On yesterday I taught my first English class to my Korean colleagues.  It went well, but I came away with a few areas for improvement.  Unfortunately, blog comment poster Jesucristo_es_Fiel, I cannot evangelize and spread Christianity on the job, but thanks for your comment anyway.  I did learn that the students expect snacks and rewards.  Apparently the last teachers, whose shoes are difficult to fill, brought food and gave awards when students answered questions correctly.  Whatever works.  I did learn that I need to focus less on grammar and more on dialogue; that is, the students want to speak more than learn boring ol’ grammar patterns.  I handed out an article on cross-cultural communication I will use next week to stimulate dialogue.

Today was my friends’ son’s 100-day birthday celebration.  In Asian cultures, including China and Korea, the 100 day mark is a special day for children.  In traditional Korean culture, 100-day-old children would be surrounded by all sorts of delicious food, each representing a livelihood.  A child’s projected livelihood would be based on what type of food they touch first.  For example, grain would indicate that the child will be a farmer.  100-day-old children are not very mobile.  Fate would have to play a role in what the child chooses to grasp.  My friend’s event was well attended, and my friends put on an absolutely wonderful spread.  I helped my friend run errands and prepare for the party.  I also volunteered to grill.  I love grilling, and it was a joy for me to grill galbi for the guests.  Many commented that the galbi was delicious.  Of course, I slightly burned a couple slices, and my friend’s Korean mother in law insisted on holding them back and eating them herself.  That is quite common in Asian cultures.  I have seen my own mother in law react in a similar manner; she does not want to serve something she thinks is unappealing but will not throw it out.  She would prefer to eat it herself. 

WorldAdventurers blog hit the 3,000 mark today in total page views.  The blog is now averaging about 29 hits per day.  Thanks for reading!  I appreciate it.

The accidental teacher

WorldAdventurers readers, I need your help.  I need your ideas.  I was nominated a few weeks ago by my Korean coworkers to teach them English every Wednesday afternoon.  It’s an honor I couldn’t turn down.  I’m not an EFL instructor, but I have a good grasp of English grammar and communicate well in my native tongue.  Teaching English was not something I’d planned to do when I arrived in Seoul, but I have to rise to the challenge and deliver.  I really want to do a good job teaching English to 20 Koreans with varying degrees of English (they have enrolled in two classes with 10 students each).  I want to hold their attention and entice them to come back each week to improve their English (the class is voluntary).  I definitely don’t want to dumb them down with mundane grammar drills, rote memorization, or boring sessions.  I’m planning to teach using the GLOW courses developed by Tillyer Associates.  I also plan to supplement the course with short readings pertaining to Korea and America.  Students are supposed to read the coursebook and readings before class and come to class prepared to discuss them.  I’ve been assigned a traditional-style classroom, but I may move my classes to another room with round tables.  I hope that Koreans will be adaptable to an interactive, American style of learning.  If not, I’ll have to adapt the course accordingly.

So, dear blog reader, I need your help.  I need ideas that will help make these classes a fun learning experience.  If you have any ideas for class activities or readings that would fun to use, please post it on my blog.  Thanks, I appreciate it!