lao-ocean-girl » Pusan http://lao-ocean.com Travel often. Capture Life. Create Art. Wed, 25 Jan 2012 05:32:06 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3 Still kickin’ it in Pusan http://lao-ocean.com/2007/01/25/still-kickin-it-in-pusan/ http://lao-ocean.com/2007/01/25/still-kickin-it-in-pusan/#comments Thu, 25 Jan 2007 12:12:23 +0000 lao-ocean-girl http://lao-ocean.com/2007/01/25/still-kickin-it-in-pusan/ Wow, I’ve been *really* busy with this camp.  I’ve got one more day, and my two weeks at this camp will be over.  I’m with the kids from eight in the morning until nine at night, but it’s really the easiest camp I’ve ever worked at. This is my schedule: 
8-12 – reading/academics
12-1 – lunch
1-2 – homeroom / finish projects / practice for talent show
2-5 – scavenger hunt / arts and crafts / gym / science projects
5-6 – dinner
7-9 – evening activity (movie, golden bell, talent show)

We only follow this schedule Tuesday through Thursday.  On Monday, the kids arrive and we level test them, they settle in, have dinner, and play ice-breaker games.  On Friday, there’s a closing ceremony, movie, lunch, and everyone leaves, including teachers.

Last week’s class was fun.  I had the high level 5/6th graders and we did a fashion show in drag for our talent show.  For this week, I’m teaching the youngest and lowest level students – 4B.  They’re a good bunch of kids too – very energetic.  As far as teaching kids in Korea, my favorite grades are 4th, 5th, and 6th graders.  They have enough vocabulary that ideas can be conveyed, and they’re not too cool to learn, like middle school students can be. Ras is working at his own camp in Pusan and I’m meeting up with him tomorrow night after his obligations are done.  His camp isn’t as organized as mine.  There have been a lot of complaints from the teachers, especially from Ras.  Since Ras directed over 30 teachers at an English camp in Japan last summer, he’s opinionated about how his disorganized camp should be run.  Basically, the camp is for kids who won a raffle for a free week at camp.  Therefore, the staff have told the teachers that they don’t care if the children learn anything while they’re there.  Ras doesn’t think that’s right and has been very vocal about all the things that are wrong with the camp.  You’d think they’d fire him, but instead, they made him head teacher!  Go figure.  He’s not sure he can change much about the camp, but will try – for the teacher’s and the kid’s sake. 

Anyway, that’s what I’ve been up to.  My camp finishes tomorrow afternoon and I’ll be in Pusan for one more night relaxing before going on my way.

]]> http://lao-ocean.com/2007/01/25/still-kickin-it-in-pusan/feed/ 0 24 hours in Pusan http://lao-ocean.com/2006/08/01/24-hours-in-pusan/ http://lao-ocean.com/2006/08/01/24-hours-in-pusan/#comments Tue, 01 Aug 2006 13:16:52 +0000 lao-ocean-girl http://talis.blogs-about.com/~laoocean/?p=432 Part of last weekend was spent in Pusan (??) with co-workers.  On Friday night, I went out with Curtis, Hye-rim (who I’ve worked a summer camp with), and her friend (who I don’t exactly remember the name of).  We went out for drinks at a brewery before hitting the university area.

Me and Hye-rimMe and Hye-rim(Oh yeah… I got my hair cut in Tokyo!  And I’m drinking a beer… I’m a big girl now.)

We had this dish I’ve never eaten before.  Hye-rim told me the name, but I can’t remember it  (Update: It’s called ?? ???? – literally, seafood fried rice soup).  You take a piece of the fried rice and pour this spicy seafood broth over it.  It was delicious.
Hye-rim and her friend  Hye-rim and Curtis at Foxy II in Pusan

We then went to the Kyungsung and Pukyong University area, where the clubs were.  Pusan’s Club Day was the previous week, but we wanted to check things out anyway.  We arrived around 1am, and it was kind of dead.  Nonetheless, we got some dancing in, had a drink at a Family Mart, and met the obligatory drunk Korean that wanted to befriend foreigners. 

The next day, the four of us ventured to Haeundae Beach.  The people who live in Korea know it’s the busiest beach in the country.  On the day we went, there were about 700,000 people at the beach, but the numbers will swell up to 1 million this week (with the onset of summer vacation). 

Haeundae Beach

Some of you are probably wondering why I would even want to go to such a crowded beach. There’s no good beach real estate, as everyone is packed like sardines. The lifeguards herd the swimmers so they don’t go past a certain boundary. In this case, the water came up to my shoulders (I’m 5’8"). And, there’s more urine in that water than I want to think about.  Still, you’ve got to make do with what you’ve got. There’s more people in Korea than in Canada, and they reside in an area about the size of Illinois. Even with 100 lifegueards, they have to control 1 million people! So, I can understand the boundaries.  As for the pee… hey, you’re not drinking it.  Even with how bad it sounds, it’s still the BEACH! How often are you able to go swimming at the beach in Korea?  Plus, it’s fantastic people watching.  You get to see all the Seoul girls with their 3 inch dangling belly button rings.  The beach culture here has changed a lot in four year.  You actually see a lot of bikinis at the beach now.

Peeping through and inner tube ringPeeping through the inner tube handle.

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