Roger in Korea 'World Tour' 2012 Day Three

KOTESOL 2012
One of the things I am doing here in Korea is to host a table representing UC Irvine at KOTESOL in Seoul.

Did I mention the weather here in Seoul right now is better than Irvine?

Ok, back to KOTESOL.

I also gave a presentation. How to use the iPad as a "MyGyver Knife" for language teaching. Links for my keynote in PDF format are here below:
http://tefl.posterous.com/macgyver-knife1
http://tefl.posterous.com/macgyver-knife2
http://tefl.posterous.com/macgyver-knife3

It was a great time. There were about 40-45 people in attendance. Mostly foreign teachers. I received some emails from people who had enjoyed my presentation.

¡¯Gil-chi'
I get lost very easily. I am a 'road fool'.

TEFL REUNION 1
Waiting outside for my students to arrive was so surreal. I was cold, 4 seasons don't suit me.

It was wonderful to meet my students again. There was happiness and a little sadness. There was one dear one that came all the way from Daegu. That hit my heart. Thank you! Thank you for coming.

Roger

Roger in Korea 'World Tour' 2012 Day Six

This day started with a presentation in Gangnam and ended with a song: So Cold ,"춥다."

I mentioned in day four that I was asked to give another lecture at Konkuk University. 

Min, Byung-Chul asked me to do a short lecture. I gave a talk on three things:

1. Business English is Your Spoon
2. Develop Your Tools
3. How UC Irvine's business English and ACPs could help

The link to my brief talk is here:  http://tefl.posterous.com/the-importance-of-business-english

The lecture went well. I had lunch with Dr. Min and some Konkuk University students.

We talked about global issues. I learned about their school projects and about their fears and dreams. They have so much potential.

This song was blasting out of the 'BOO' clothing shop. I overheard it while I was waiting for my TEFL students outside the restaurant on Saturday. This soulful song froze into my mind then but I didn't  know the title.


Today, before the Konkuk University lecture I heard it again and I grabbed the courage to find out what was the name of the song.

Please listen....

춥다. ()

봄이와꽃을피우고
Bum-i wa kkoch-eul pi-u-go

여름이와기억이녹아내려도
Yeo-reum-i wa gi-eok-i nok-a nae-ryeo-do

난원래사계절이어울리지않아, 
Nan weon-rae sa-gye-jeol-i eo-ul-li-ji anh-a,

차가운아이잖아 
Cha-ga-un a-i-janh-a

모진성격은살을에는겨울
Mo-jin seong-gyeok-eun sal-eul e-neun gyeo-ul

시린바람. 알만큼알잖아
Shi-rin ba-ram. Al-man-keum al-janh-a

내겐냉정이다인걸 
Nae-gen naeng-jeong-i da-in-geol

겨울바다같은심장인걸 
Gyeo-ul-ba-da gat-eun shim-jang-in-geol

배를띄워다가오면알겠지 
Bae-reul ddeui-weo da-ga-o-myeon al-gett-ji

 내가섬이아닌빙산인걸
Nae-ga seom-i a-nin bing-san-in-geol

난초점을잃었지서리낀눈시린기억이 
Nan cho-jeom-eul ilh-eott-ji seo-ri ggin nun shi-rin gi-eok-i

밟혀서목젖없이비명만질렀지 
Balb-hyeo-seo mok-jeot eobs-i bi-myeong-man jil-leott-ji

아픈상처만남은빙판이었지 
A-peun sang-cheo-man nam-eun bing-pan-i-eott-ji

눈사태난듯무너진맘 
Nun-sa-tae nan deut mu-neo-jin mam

추스려보니다시불꺼진밤
Chu-seu-ryeo bo-ni da-sho bul ggeo-jin bam

너란해가떠도눈덮인산은녹지않아
Neo-ran hae-ga ddeo-do nun deop-in san-eun nok-ji anh-a

여긴춥다주머니에손을숨겨봐도
Yeo-gin chub-da ju-meo-ni-e son-eul sum-gyeo-bwa-do

너무춥다손을모아입김불어봐도
Neo-mu chub-da son-eul mo-a ib-gim bul-eo-bwa-do

마음이얼어붙어서자꾸입술이튼다 
Ma-eum-i eol-eo-but-eo-seo ja-ggu ib-sul-i teun-da

나만춥다이불로내몸을감싸봐도
Na-man chub-da i-bul-lo nae mom-eul gam-ssa-bwa-do

너무춥다누군가의품에안겨봐도
Neo-mu chub-da nu-gun-ga-eui pum-e an-gyeo-bwa-do

가슴이구멍나서막아보려해도 
Ga-seum-i gu-meong na-seo mak-a-bo-ryeo hae-do

자꾸바람이샌다
Ja-ggu ba-ram-i saen-da

봄은설레며찾아오지만 
Bum-eun seol-le-myeo chaj-a-o-ji-man

난가을의끝자락에서
Nan ga-eul-eui ggeut-ja-rak-e seo

겨울에멈춘기억따스함은가뒀어
Gyeo-ul-e meom-chun gi-eok dda-seu-ham-eun ga-dweoss-eo

마른마음의튼살안에서
Ma-reun ma-eum-eui teun sal an-e-seo

얼어붙은강물에갇힌추억 
Eol-eo-but-eun gang-mul-e gad-hin chu-eok

붙잡고내손을놓지않아
But-jab-go nae son-eul noh-ji anh-a

차가웠던이별을안뒤부터 
Cha-ga-weott-deon i-byeol-eun an dwi-bu-teo

꽃피던그봄은오지않아
Kkot pi-deon geu bom-eun o-ji anh-a

벚꽃이내겐눈송이처럼피잖아여긴춥다
Beot-kkoch-i nae-gen nun-song-i-cheo-reom pi-janh-a yeo-gin chub-da

햇살도내겐눈보라처럼치잖아나만춥다
Hae-sal-do nae-gen nun-bo-ra-cheo-reom chi-janh-a na-man chub-da

건드리면다얼리잖아 
Geod-eu-ri-myeon da eol-li-janh-a

너의손을잡을까겁이난다
Neo-eui son-eul jab-eul-gga geob-i nan-da

네가나와가까워지면 
Ne-ga na-wa ga-gga-weo-ji-myeon

너의심장도몸살걸릴까봐
Neo-eui shim-jang-do mom-sal geol-ril-gga-bwa

여긴춥다주머니에손을숨겨봐도
Yeo-gin chub-da ju-meo-ni-e son-eul sum-gyeo-bwa-do

너무춥다손을모아입김불어봐도
Neo-mu chub-da son-eul mo-a ib-gim bul-eo-bwa-do

마음이얼어붙어서자꾸입술이튼다 
Ma-eum-i eol-eo-but-eo-seo ja-ggu ib-sul-i teun-da

나만춥다이불로내몸을감싸봐도
Na-man chub-da i-bul-lo nae mom-eul gam-ssa-bwa-do

너무춥다누군가의품에안겨봐도
Neo-mu chub-da nu-gun-ga-eui pum-e an-gyeo-bwa-do

가슴이구멍나서막아보려해도 
Ga-seum-i gu-meong na-seo mak-a-bo-ryeo hae-do

자꾸바람이샌다
Ja-ggu ba-ram saen-da

I’m cold as ice I’m cold as ice
I’m cold as ice. So cold

봄이와꽃을피우고
Bum-i wa kkoch-eul pi-u-go

여름이와기억이녹아내려도여긴
Yeo-reum-i wa gi-eok-i nok-a nae-ryeo-do yeo-gin

여긴춥다너무춥다
Yeo-gin chub-da neo-mu chub-da

마음이얼어붙어서자꾸입술이튼다
Ma-eum-i eol-eo-but-eo-seo ja-ggu ib-sul-i teun-da

나만춥다너무춥다
Na-man chub-da neo-mu chub-da

가슴이구멍나서막아보려해도 
Ga-seum-i gu-meong na-seo mak-a-bo-ryeo hae-do

자꾸바람이샌다
Ja-ggu ba-ram-i saen-da

Translation:
Spring comes and flowers bloom
Summer comes and memories melt but…

The four seasons don’t suit me well, I’m a cold person
My hard personality is like the skin-cutting winter, the cold wind – you all know
To me, coldness is everything, it’s like the winter sea
Send a boat off and you’ll see that I’m not an island but an iceberg
I lost my focus because my eyes are frosted
The cold memories have been trampled
I keep screaming even without my uvula
I was an icy road with only painful scars remaining
My heart crumbled as if an avalanche came down
After I put things back in place, the lights were off and it was night
Though the sun called you has risen, the snow-covered mountain does not melt


Roger

Roger in Korea 'World Tour' 2012 Day Five

Cheonan City.

Thanks to the arrangement of Mrs. Chae and my former TEFL student, Grace Soong-Woo, I had the wonderful opportunity to give a teacher training workshop to a 100 or so foreign English teachers who teach at the elementary, middle, and high school grade levels.

That's a long sentence.

The day started out taking the KTX from Seoul to Cheonan. Let me break it down for you: hotel/taxi to Seoul Station/KTX to Cheonan/taxi to Baek Suk Middle School.

All this in POURING RAIN.

Door to the classroom
At the middle school, I met Mrs. Soong-Woo at her English class. I also met her students. Since it was a special day with little instruction and lots of recreation the middle school boys and girls were in rare form. Actually, they were in common form. Middle schoolers.

I was asked to do an impromptu English lesson. It's been a long time. I love their enthusiasm. I taught them about snowmen, snow women and snow cows. 

(It won't hurt them that 'snow cows' don't exist).

This is a snow cow.

The Cheonan Department of Education was the location of the workshop for the foreign English teachers. I did a two-hour teacher training workshop. Go to Tefl.posterous.com and search for "Engaging ELLs with Style" for the presentation powerpoint.

The workshop began with an amazing performance of kayageum (a stringed Korean harp) and chang-gu (drum). The middle school female singer BLEW ME AWAY. I have never heard such power from such a young person. Young people have a certain kind of power.

I really enjoyed sharing with these teachers. The feedback was positive and specific. I was happy to hear that They asked me back next year. Could this be a regular thing? I hope so. There was even a suggestion to have a similar workshop for the Korean English teachers. 

Why not?

After this, and a brief tour of an Ear, Nose & Throat Clinic, I had the most wonderful dinner with Mrs. Soong-Woo and her husband. It was like a little bit of Italy in Korea. The owner is the chef who trained in Italy. The food was exquisite. I was really pampered. We talked for 4 hours.

Then it was a hurried drive to the windy KTX station, where I took the second to the last train home. 

Did I just say 'home'?

-Roger

Roger in Korea 'World Tour' 2012 Day Four

Sunday in Korea. The second day of the KOTESOL conference. Met some promising leads. A notable one was a gentleman named Min, Byung-Chul.

People say he was on TV, teaching English back in the day when people used to watch TV in Korea. 

He asked me to come to his class two days from now and talk about Business English, Creativity, and UCI's ACP Business Programs. Ok.

Why would he ask me? He doesn't even know me? Right?

Or does he?

TEFL REUNION 2
We did it again. There were some really great conversations regarding teaching and methods and the efficacy of UCI's TEFL certificate program.

They all agreed that what they learned was good, but that they had constraints due to institutional requirements and even students' expectations. I learned a lot. I wonder what I am going to do to TEFL when I come back. Heh, heh....

After chatting at a Cafe Bene we said goodbye for the evening. One TEFL student was left and wanted to take me out for round three...

He even asked me to talk to his son on the phone who was studying for the big upcoming college entrance exam.

Roger in Korea 'World Tour' 2012 Day Two

I tried.

I tried to make him laugh. But he was way too serious.

Walking around Deoksugong when it was still closed was not so much fun. Nice outer walls though!

Samcheonlo
Had a wonderful tea with a former TEFL alumni. I need to remember the tea's name. It was a plum tea. Such a quiet place from all the hustle and bustle of Seoul. I am so lucky to have friends in an unfamiliar city!

back at the hotel jet-lag hit me like a train.
Yawn...
I think I yawned 50 times.

Somewhere between 50 and 51, I fell asleep...

...one hour...

...two hours...

...three hours...

I woke up starving. And this is what I met when I went out to eat.

Found a small busy place with a lot of local Koreans.