1st Day of Christmas

2 more hours. Yep, 2 more hours and I don’t come back to work until 2011. Everything is practically ready. Got my coworkers a “thank you” Christmas cake and my co-teacher treated me and the exchange students to lunch at the Pizzeria. Actually, my co-teacher, along with my principal, gave me Christmas gifts…FOR MY PARENTS. What’s that about? o_O Because my parents are the ones teaching in Korea, dealing with a real winter, and having to learn new things? Riiiiiiiiight (Dr. Evil voice).

Anyways, I’m excited. Tomorrow is Korea’s Christmas Eve, and even though I’ll spend all day suspended in the air, I get to spend American Christmas Eve at home in LA. How I miss thee and all the people you house.

What’s cool is that packing was easy, just the shopping bags and souvenirs. It’s all stuff I can dump out and not have to repack. Can’t wait to have my American goodies.

It all won’t feel real to me until I have a Starbucks Venti Soy Eggnog Latte in one hand and a Chipotle chicken burrito with medium green and medium corn salsa. It’ll taste like home.

Because my friends are the people (next to my family of course) that I want to see the most, here’s a song that is applicable. The #1 Christmas song for me this year.

#1- Phoebe Buffay’s Christmas Song from “Friends”

Missions: Accomplished!/ 2nd Day of Christmas

I feel very accomplished! I now get to relax and enjoy my remaining days in SK before my trip home.

I finished planning my winter lessons, including the passages that are getting published for our school book.

Did all my Christmas/souvenir shopping for my family & friends.

Had a great weekend at Mel & Steve's dinner, Mischa's Songtan celebration, Josh & Audrey's Christmas gathering, Osan Lounge post-gathering, shopping up and down the Main Gate like a mad man, and gathering for a calm Sunday with the JAM.

AND, I'm actually almost done packing for my trip.

Given the stress of the prior week, it's nice to know that there is this great comfort here now.

#2- Britney Spears' "My Only Wish (This Year)"

Ho Ho Ho Holy Los Angeles Pt. 2/ 3rd Day of Christmas

So here's what I have worked into my calendar of being in LA thus far. I really want you all (my friends) to come to what you can, I want to soak in as much of you as possible, in the figurative sense of course. This is a once in a 6-month opportunity!

Friday Dec. 24th- It's Christmas Eve, so family time

Saturday Dec. 25th- It's Christmas, more family time

Sunday Dec. 26th- Holiday Dinner @ San Antonio Winery with friends

Monday Dec. 27th- Disneyland (rain or shine) and Downtown Disney at night

Tuesday Dec. 28th- Lunch with Nick and Pati & Dinner at Ra in Torrance for Happy Hour

Wednesday Dec. 29th- Pho with Phoebes

Thursday Dec. 30th- TBA (nothing thus far)

Friday Dec. 31st to Jan. 2nd- Las Vegas

Monday Jan. 3rd- Lunch near DH with Maria & Suzy

Tuesday Jan. 4th- TBA (nothing thus far)

Wednesday Jan. 5th- Lunch at Sylvan

Thursday Jan. 6- Friday Jan. 7th- TBA (nothing thus far)

Saturday Jan. 8th- I've got a flight back to SK to catch!

Like I told Claude, if you thought you were spending time with your family these holidays, CANCEL IT, I'm your family now!
Some of the things I'm planning on doing on this list are short, so I'm sure I'll have time during the rest of the day to do things with you all.
See you next week LA!

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#3- Linkin Park's "My December"

Fes Pt.2/ 4th Day of Christmas

About a month ago one of the French foreign exchange students came to me and said the she wanted to talk to me about something. She felt because I was foreign as well that I would understand and be able to offer her advice. Because at that moment there wasn't enough time for us to meet I told her she could come by during my office hours.

Well I've seen her along with the other exchange students and she never really said anything about the topic (whatever it was). I discussed this with my teacher friends and we came up with an array of answers, as I'm sure you have as well.

So today I saw her with another exchange student from Taiwan and asked her if she ever solved her problem. She told me she hadn't and if I had the time at that moment to talk. So we talked in my classroom and her issue are the other Korean students. This was a relief considering the scenarios me and the other teachers had come up with.

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It all has to do with Korean maturity. Here's my hypothesis (which I talked to Yaya about when we video Skyped). Korean kids go to school non-stop. When they're not in school, they are in the school's study halls, or they are at the hagwons (private institutions), or they're even working a job. Because of this non-stop schedule, Korean kids never get a chance to be just that, kids. They don't have time to play, hang out with friends, and go over each other's house to play video games and such because there are "more important things to do."

This has caused these children to mature at a slower rate than their foreign counterparts. For example, I teach high school, and sometimes these students laugh at things I used to laugh about in middle school and maybe even elementary. Granted, I do have my set of advanced university-bound students who are really mature, act their age and beyond, but that's not the majority or bulk of these students. The bulk of these students look older, but they have such a childlike mentality and laugh at things that if I laughed at those same things in high school, someone would be right behind telling me to grow up. This is the effect of what overworking these kids has led to, and all my colleague friends and I, and now the foreign exchange students, agree.

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So when speaking to her, and the other Taiwan student who joined us later, I got the sense we were on the same wavelength about the teenage culture in Korea. They told me how Korean teenager idea of fun is just dinner, karaoke (called norebong here), and maybe a movie. I told them that yeah, that sounds like normal PG fun, but that I remember going to parties in high school. As soon as I said that, both of them bursts with a big "YES!" that showed their agreement with me. They said how when they got to Korea their host families where going to have a party, but that it was just a dinner. They told me how much they missed going to real parties with their friends, I felt bad for them at this point.

But then after I explained the Korean maturity mentality I mentioned above, I got a sense of sympathy from them so that they're able to meet their classmates halfway. I also told them that a big part is intimidation. When I first got here I blogged about being the "new puppy" everyone was dying to play with, and after that died down I was just a teacher to them. However, there is still a large number of students in the school whom I don't teach, they're not in any of my classes. When I see those students in the halls, they don't know how to speak to me. Heck, some of them have even said I make them nervous. Double heck, even some of the other teachers have said I make them nervous. That's just it though, it's intimidation. Korea is a very homogeneous society where the majority eat Korean food for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, only speak in Korean, and many have never left Korea to travel. Given these circumstances you can imagine that it's hard for them to relate to people who are multilingual, come from multicultural hometowns, are of a different ethnicity, and have left home to travel the world. Granted, before I got to Korea I made sure I traveled up and down the east coast, west coast, and even some places in between, including the home countries of my parents. The only reason some of these teens have ever gotten on a plane has been to go somewhere else within Korea, a country that is smaller than many US states. And it's not that I'm saying they don't know any better, but this is because the country is on a tipping point in its westernization, it's going to take some time.

So how is a Korean student who has had to go to school from sunrise to sunset supposed to relate to someone who came from France, speaks English fluently (even though it's not her native language), and has traveled before? It's tough. Granted, I'm very fortunate to live and work in Songtan. This is city that is abundant in foreigners, English-speaking shops, diverse restaurants, and so much more. This was very good for me when I got here, but it's not such good news for the students. Yes, I see them at the Main Gate area, and I see them sometimes getting a McDonald's burger, Baskin Robins ice cream, or some Popeye's chicken, but that doesn't mean I see them interact with the Americans there. The silver lining here is that they have grown up accustomed to seeing people from around the world, but there is still that lack of interaction due to intimidation. It's that same layer of intimidation that I'm covered with when I'm with them or when the four exchange students are with them.

The students I have just think of me as Mr. Navarro, just another teacher, but I do wish that the students I don't have would think the same. Some of them don't want to practice their English skills because of that intimidation. It's strange because talking to the exchange students we all relate to the fact that people from our countries want to be multilingual and cannot wait to practice what they've learned. I remember when my parents went to school, they didn't want any of us to speak Spanish because they wanted to practice their English. And when they did learn English, it was up to my sister and I to retrieve what words we could from our French database so we could continue talking about our parents in a typical offspring fashion. Had the French & Taiwanese students never wanted to speak English to foreigners, they would not have befriended me, the other English teachers at my school, or one another for that matter. So that's another observation we made, that the intimidation layer can never be lifted until these other students see that they are free to want to practice outside the classroom and with me. Granted, they do well when they're with me, but I wish it would go outside the walls of the school. Had I not learned and practiced what little I know in Korean, I would have never learned to read or had gotten home each time I stepped into a cab. I also understand that these kids are in Korea, so why learn a language when you don't need it?

Student back home take many languages. I took French, two years of Russian, Latin, two years of Spanish in HS, and a semester of advanced Spanish in grad school. And I know that honestly Spanish obviously comes easily to me because of my background, but I've also taken it upon myself to want to practice Latin, Russian, and French when I was taking those courses. Have I ever needed Russian to survive in my country or culture? No, but I was curious to learn and I really wanted to be a student of the world. But because of the homogeneous mindset that exist here in Korea, it's going to take some time for this idea to sink into the minds of students.

On a final note, I will give Korea credit for taking a step in the right direction that other countries have yet to do. That is that is has hired native English teachers to teach throughout its country to increase student fluency. This starts in kindergarten and continues in high school. However, because this is a recent trend in the education system here, the students I have now were part of that transition, which means that it will only get better with each passing year because students in high school will emerge who had a native English teacher at a younger and younger age.

All I can do in the meantime is be supportive to these exchange students, be glad that they have one another for support, and hope that they learn what they came to learn from this experience. I'm still learning too.

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#4- David Archuleta's "Riu Riu Chiu"

Making Order in Chaos/5th Day of Christmas

"just made my xmas list! now I need to shop! :p"- Posted on Facebook by my twin Etna

Yeah, I'm not even there yet, not even close. You can ask my sister, usually everything on my end would be wrapped and under the tree before the tree was even up. Not this year. Leaving that for this weekend (truly last minute).

On the bright side, I get the day off work, and I must say that I had managed to get many aspects I had planned to clear before I went home out of the way already. On the other side, there's still much to do and straighten out.

Aside from having a calendar at the moment that is parallel to college finals in terms of stress, I've yet to allot my time in LA all the way, so that calendar is still in the making. Just need to tweek some things and people, and then it shall be posted.

Has a song ever given you goosebumps when you not only heard it the first time, but every time after that still? Well that's this song.

#5- Josh Groban's "Little Drummer Boy"

6th Day of Christmas

Still riding the train to stressville. Finished that Korean teaching course and writing my materials for the winter session book and that's going to be published, now I have to complete my actual lessons, activities, and make edits.

Still planning my time in LA, have to plan wisely to make sure I spend a sufficient amount of time with everyone. Also have to plan what I'm taking. Tons to do

#6- Paulina Rubio's "Joy To The World"

7th Day of Christmas

Been super busy. I have a pile of stuff to get done before I go to LA. There's no way I'm going to work when I'm home with my family and friends. No way.

On a lighter note, I've been blasting Christmas music as my productivity soundtrack.

#7- Fall Out Boy's "What's This?"

Have you hugged your caffeine today? / 8th Day of Christmas

Coffee (especially in the recent present) has been like Homer Simpson's television to me, "teacher, mother, secret lover." Got out of a school-wide meeting today which resulted in me getting a lot done in order to block out what the other school departments were saying and trying to stick it out because the English department wasn't presenting until the dead finish. I must say I was able to get a lot done: Peggle, update my Facebook to continue the support for the missing Sarey campaign, Skype, play a round of Solitaire, Tweet, E-mail, and update my calendar. Maybe the only non-technological thing I did the whole time was refill my coffee cup.

But my energy has been fluctuating recently, given what went on this past weekend. On Friday night one of the local teachers, Lynn, was leaving SK so there was a celebration here in Songtan. This celebration involved me being the flip cup champion.

That was fun. And it happened twice where I "met" people I had never met in real life before, but they recognized me. "You're Oscar!" Yes, that happened back in LA before too. Social networking reels it's abundant head once again. After that Friday night, I had to help a friend out (cosmic karma for something I recently did I'm sure), and I got a whole 3 hours of sleep. I was a trooper and somehow managed to get my butt over the Pyeongtaek city tour bus with other teacher friends at 9 a.m. Other teachers were troopers too for being out at the same place the night before.

I must say I'm really glad I did the tour because it was really a lot of fun. Rode a horse, did two art projects, got to see some cool animals, spent time with really cool people, and got to know the area around me a whole lot better. Who knew so many great things were near me (and it was probably the most traditional Korean thing I've done in a while).

After that, a group of us headed out for some grub, then were Seoul bound (not before stopping at Starbucks of course) for Susanna's last Seoul weekend. I made it to dinner, but then my body was starting to give out. I made it to Itaewon, and that's as far as I got before I had to head back to Pyeongtaek and be in bed at a reasonable hour. Also, at the time I was walking with a bad knee that refused to bend without inflicting pain (it's better now though). I made out, but my old fart self got the best of me at some point. I spent Sunday hibernating, left the house for some ramyen and coffee with our same Pyeongtaek group.

This same group said goodbye to Susanna too, and although I recited random facts from a book my friend Nancy gave me instead of helping with the packing, I still felt like I helped. Bye Susanna, you will be missed buddy. We saw her off to the bus. First person from our usual close-knit clique to go off and back to the US. I wanted to tell her there something was wrong with the left phalange ("Friends" reference).

But alas, I will soon be in the US, with 3 more weeks to go. Your faces! I get to see your faces! My Sarey campaign has got me thinking about the good times I miss spending with my friends back home, there's no one quite like them.

Also, on a note my sister and my brother have brought to my attention recently, I believe that the things some people say about others as resentment or to poke fun at are the same things they hate about themselves. It's textbook.

Here's countdown to song #8 from a band who needs to have a new album I can purchase soon.

#8- No Doubt's "Oi to the World"

The Question Part 3 / 9th Day of Christmas

Today is a very special day. Today marks my sixth month in South Korea. It’s my Koreavesarry! It means a lot. It means that I’m halfway through my contract; it means I’ve made it halfway, but it also means that I have to near a very important decision. To renew or to not renew? My plan is to not make a decision until I get home because one of two things will happen:

1- I will feel that this visit will make me feel that this year will be very much survivable and that visits like these will allow me to catch up with everyone.
2- I will totally miss everything about home and will try to find a job in LA, or California, or somewhere in the continental 48 states,


We shall see. Stay tuned. But of course I am not the only one who thinks about this. Like clockwork about 4 times a week I get asked by different people if I’m going to renew. No joke. These people are from different aspects of my life and they surely enough find a way to ask me. Need proof? Here are two pictures from 2 different IM conversations on my Facebook, one from my friend Lizzy from high school and the other from a friend Carolyn from the US Base here in Songtan. Both were asked within 24 hours.


So yes, stay tuned.

In the meantime here goes song number 9, a holiday classic in many homes and iPods.

#9- Mariah Carey's "All I Want For Christmas Is You"