Well I've finished up my second week of teaching (well it's really only my first week of teaching, a week of introducing myself doesn't really count) and I'm starting to get a better feel for things.
My week starts at Hyan-Lim Elementary School where I teach grades 3-6. My co-teacher, Mrs. Lee, is very nice and a dedicated teacher. So much so that she want's to teach the actual lessons. As such she asked that I to an introduction at the beginning of each class and then to lead the game that ends each class. It's not really all that much, especially given that they stick to a textbook that gives you everything, including the game. So my first day of actual teaching and in the end I was little better than a trained parrot.
Once the intro was over, Mrs. Lee would lead the lesson which included the heavy use of a CD-Rom program. The students would hear the CD play 'is this yours?' Then they would repeat it. The teacher would point at me (this was my cue!) so that I could say 'is this yours?' The students would repeat it again. Nine lessons, forty minutes a lesson. How incredibly boring. I just kept reminding myself that they are paying me good money to do the job of a CD-Rom that they already own. Seems like a waste, but I'm not going to point it out.
After it was all done, my co-teacher and I spoke about things and she feels that perhaps over the course of a month I could progress to teaching more of the lessons. Really? Wow! Thanks.
Wednesday through Friday is spent at Sungnam Elementary School, where I teach grades 5-6. This is a larger school, but I still only have 10 classes over three days. Five grade 5 classes and five grade 6 classes. Unlike Mrs. Lee though, my co-teachers (yes I have three altogether) don't want to teach English (I can't blame them, one is a converted art teacher and the other is a converted music teacher), so I do everything. They are helpful with translating instructions and for some class discipline issues, but I do everything. Given the fact though that I only teach grades five and six, I only need two lesson plans as I teach the each lesson five times. Again, pretty easy.
For the most part the kids are fine. The grade sixes at Sungnam aren't all that interested in English class though. I can't blame them. I probably felt the same way about learning French. The thing that I am having to work through though is how to keep not only their attention but keeping them in line as well. So far having them stand up for a minute or two is working fairly well. Hopefully their behavior in class will either improve or this form of correction will remain effective.
Later today I will host my first English workshop for the teachers. I don't forsee any problems. At least not this time around. It is the day before a long weekend and the workshop is during the final hour of the day. I'm not planning on anything too strenuous, mostly just giving them the opportunity to learn about me, for me to learn about what they want from me in these workshops and perhaps a game. I'm aiming for open and casual.
I started taking Korean language lessons this week. They are free on Tuesday nights at the local education office. At the very least it won't hurt anything and I'll meet a few more foreigners. Hopefully I will gain some grasp on the language and I can become more independent. A lot of it will be practice.
On Wednesday I was taken by my two co-teachers for tea with some other women. It was rather interesting. The women seem really shy about speaking English in front of me. There was a lot of back and forth talking with my co-teachers about a question they wanted to ask before actually asking it. Of course what they really wanted to know was whether or not I found Korean women attractive and how old I thought they were. Not too surprising I guess. Of course the answer is 'yes' and 'younger than I really think'. They were very much pleased with my answers. There was a lot of smiling and giggling on their part. It should make for an interesting year.
Wednesday was also my Korean sporting debut. I played both 'kickball' (baseball where you kick the ball rather than hit it with a bat) and volleyball. I apparently impressed a few people with my catching ability and my ability to place the ball where I want it when kicking. I also managed to make more than a few people laugh, myself included, when I wiped out in the dirt trying to get to a fly ball. I'm not too used to running in sand. My team lost, but for me it's just a way of having fun and interacting with the other teachers.
From 'kickball' we moved on to volleyball. They tested me out, checked my form and decided that I should be playing at the net as a spiker. I think that they made a bit of a mistake there, as I can barely get my hand above the net, but that is where they wanted me. The game was fun, my team won both games and with it a bar of soap. Yay! I made a few decent plays, nothing too special, but I didn't make any big mistakes so I think it all went well. A few of the male teachers seemed to be pleased with my performance, so that is good.
Afterwards we went inside for the traditional post-game drink and food. This week we had some spicy chicken which was quite good, some raw fish cut into strips served with red pepper paste and grapes. The fish was surprisingly bland, so that helped me to put down a few pieces to the approval of my tablemates. I was also lucky in that I managed to get out with only having to choke down one shot of straight soju. I'd drink more of it if I could mix it, but they frown on that so shots it is.
On Thursday I made my first venture to the Korean version of Wal-Mart: E-Mart. I feel that this will be the beginning of a beautiful friendship. I found actual spaghetti sauce there. Spaghetti sauce! I was never so thankful to see it before in my life. I also managed to finally get my Principal and Vice-Principal some gifts. I bought my VP a Chivas Regal gift set that included a bottle of 12 year old Chivas and two glasses. For my Principal I bought him a Johnny Walker gift set that included a bottle of Johnny Walker Black and two glasses. Gift giving is big in this culture, so hopefully these will go over well. Next time I'm going to try the other big department store in town, Home Ever, and see if they can be as pleasing as E-Mart was.
Things have started falling into place now. I've gotten a feel for what my job will entail and I've finally gotten my financial house in order. Having been forced to surrender my passport for my Alien Registration Card, I was living on about $10 a day, which had to pay for food and transportation. Now that I've got both my ARC and my passport, I've been able to exchange the rest of my travelers cheques and open a bank account. With the bank account came the potential for repayment for my flight and my settlement allowance. These both came in yesterday. So now I'm flush with cash and used to living cheap. I also received some good news in that my first paycheque in September will be for both August (from the start of my contract on the 21st) to the end of September. I was anticipating it only being for August. So now with some cash in hand and more on the way I feel much more confident about my situation and I'm already planning my first trip for next weekend; Ulsan to visit a friend.
Some observations:
- I've really got to get used to the busses here. They cram people on there with a shoehorn and they are not shy about pushing their way into every little nook and cranny.
- Unlike in Canada where pedestrians are fairly safe, here vehicles rule the road and everything else for that matter. It's not out of the question to see someone riding their scooter or motorbike down the sidewalk. In fact I've seen cars driving down the sidewalks here. Cross walks are seemingly suggestions for the most part. If a car can go it will go, whether you are walking there or not.
- They have an affinity for English language shirts, but they don't really pay attention to what the shirt says. I guess it's simply enough for it to say something, whether or not it makes sense or even insults the wearer is secondary.
- The smells here are something to get used to. I'm not saying that they are bad (although stall after stall of fish can get to be a bit much), just different.
- I wasn't holding out much hope, so I'm not really all that surprised to find out that the majority of the westerners that I've seen around town here seemingly treat living here like living in Toronto. They are all members of insular little cliques that have no interest in new people (a generalization to be sure, but not inaccurate). I'll walk down the street, see a white person, wave and have them simply ignore me. I had had a small hope that in going to an eastern culture where the individual is subservient to the group that the people drawn here would be more group oriented, more inclusive. Unfortunately, in my experience, this simply isn't the case for the most part.
Friday, September 12, 2008
Thursday, September 04, 2008
The one in which I bow
Well my first week of classes has finally finished up, as has my first full week interacting with Koreans on a daily basis. For the most part it has all been good. There have been some frustrations, but they have been outside of the classroom and for the most part settled.
My first day of school started off well, when I had confused the directions that I was given by my co-teacher and ended up being late for my ride. He was not happy about that. I was supposed to meet him at 0810 but unfortunately didn't meet with him till 0815. For five minutes all he did was point at the clock in his car, shake his finger and say something in Korean. I think I figured it out. The problem, as always at this point in my Korean adventure, is the language barrier. There was no way for me to appologize or explain as he understood no english. I of course understand virtually no Korean, so we were at a stalemate.
When I got to school, I was shown my classroom and told that there would be no classes. Fine, that is what I was anticipating. Then I was told to sit in the classroom and that my co-teacher was going back to her office till noon, when she would return to take me to lunch. Great. Three hours of sitting by myself in a foreign classroom. Well, at least the classroom is nice. It's a new school so it was air conditioned, had a computer for me to use, a projector and screen.
So after being told that there would be no classes for me, I set in at the computer and tried to figure out the cd-roms that I am to use for my lessons. At one point a couple of students poked their head in and said hi. I said hi, they giggled and ran away. I was afraid though that they might get in trouble if they were found in the halls during class time, so I decided to lock the door so that if anyone happened to come by, they would find the door locked and go on to class. That of course didn't deter a determined grade four class. They were sent to english class by their homeroom teacher and after banging on the door for a while, which I was ignoring, not knowing it was an entire class, one of the kids carded the door and 35 grade four students filed into class.
So there I was, me speaking nothing more than 'hello' and 'thank you' in Korean and the students not speaking much more than 'hello', 'goodbye', and 'how old' in English. So for the first minute I just sat there staring at them, and they at me. Akward! Then I tried talking with them but their vocabulary and understanding is so limited (as should be expected really). So after a few minutes of me trying to explain that I was from Canada and that I liked to play rugby, I got on the phone to my co-teacher who told me to send them back to their class. At the very least I got them to understand that.
Of course it was just before lunch that my co-teacher informed me that the teacher that drove me that morning would not take me home or drive me to school the next day. I was left with the impression that I had really pissed him off. Wonderful. First impressions are everything and I didn't like the idea of one of the senior male teachers at the school not liking me from day one. Luckily I found a ride home with another teacher and it was all good.
The rest of my first day was spent sitting at the computer alternating between facebook, work and wikipedia. Not the most productive day perhaps, but man was it boring sitting in a room all by myself for 8 hours. I did manage to create a slide presentation to introduce myself to my students as well as a set of classroom rules. I wasn't going to have another debacle like earlier in the day happen for the rest of the week.
For my second day I spent five classes 'introducing' myself to my grade five and six classes at my first school. Over and over again. How boring, but I guess it had to be done. Plus it had the added benefit of not having to come in and teach right off the bat. The kids had varying intrest levels. Many were completely indifferent to me and my presence. Some, while interested, were too shy to ask any questions. My co-teacher though made sure that everyone asked at least one question. At the very least, in this way, the time went more quickly then the group of us just sitting there staring at one another.
Wednesday, Thurday and Friday were spent in much the same way, but at my second (and I think my main) school. Introducing myself to numerous classes, getting asked much of the same questions, time and time again. All in all, it went by okay. There were two questions asked consistently by every class: how old was I, and was I married. Confuscianism dominates here and how old you are matters a great deal. Other consistent questions centered around whether I had a girlfriend, did I like kimchi, did I like Korean food, could I speak Korean. And these questions were not only asked by the students but by the teachers as well. I think the strangest question I was asked was what blood type I was. Apparently here in Korea, they use blood type as a horoscope for your personality. Sort of like the Chinese zodiac. It appears to be a remnant of the Japanese occupation of Korea for several decades at the beginning of the 20th century.
Wednesdays here are going to be fun. My school closes down early and all of the teachers get together to play a game. Not all teacher's participate but they at the very least show up and watch. I didn't have anything to play in, so I was a spectator this time around, but it looks like it could be good fun. The event was also used as a means of introducing myself to the teaching staff of the school; unbeknownst to me. After all of the teachers had gathered in the schools court yard / play area, I was told to go stand in front of everyone and say hello. Great. So I go up and do a deep bow (better to be too respectful I figure) and say anyeung hasayo (hello). The vice-principal said something and all of the teachers applauded. I was then asked, of course, how old I was and whether or not I was married. Oh, your not married? How about a girlfriend? No, no girlfriend. This brought about some giggles from the women. I was then told I could resume my spot in line.
The teachers who were participating then went a played a game of kick-baseball. It all looked like a lot of fun. There were about 12 teachers a side, both men and women. The men were to kick with their left foot, the women could kick with their right. There were a couple of men that were competitive about the whole thing but overall it looked like they were there just having some fun together. After the game they went and played some volleyball. They all look pretty good, far better than me at the very least.
It was at this point that some of the cultural gender/age roles started to come through quite clearly. Any time the ball got away from them it was always the youngest male teacher that ran after it. The first time it got away, the closest man started to go after it, but the younger man told him that he would go get it and ran after it. After that point there was no question. It wasn't until the second game, and they were tired of losing the ball that the VP told the youngest female teacher Hyun-Jin (one of my co-teachers) to simply stand at the end of the court and stop any more balls from escaping. She dutifully ran over to her post without a word.
Towards the end of the third game, many of the women who weren't playing told me to come with them as there was food inside for us to eat. I was ushered in, given a prime location and all of the food was offered first to me. I don't want to paint the picture of them waiting on me, they weren't, but it was obvious that they were making sure I was taken care of. So we sat at a few tables and ate. Had some orange juice. I had noticed at a couple of other tables that there was some soju. When they seen me looking at it, they asked if I wanted some. I said sure. So of course they got it for me and poured me a glass (one never fills their own cup here in Korea). I offered to pour for them, but they all refused. I mixed my soju with orange juice (so good) but they frowned and said no. Shortly after the volleyball players joined us.
All of the men sat at the tables with soju, the women were at tables without soju. Once the men were situated the VP began talking. Apparently he was talking about me, and then everyone raised their glasses and cheered my name. Pretty neat moment to be sure. As soon as this was over I was ushered over to the principals table by the women. Men and women are seperated socially at such functions I'm told. So then the Principal, whom I'm told likes me (can't be a bad thing that is for sure, these guys rule everything concerning the school), offers me some soju, which I of course accept. I now figure that I'm to drink it straight, so I sip it down. Of course as soon as it's empty another male teacher comes and fills it up. Finish that one and it's filled yet again. Oh, your cup is too small, here is a bigger cup, filled with soju of course. After a few I managed to excuse myself, but overall it was a positive experience.
My schedule is pretty good. My contract calls for 22 'hours' of teaching. In reality this means 22 classes, which are only 40 minutes long. On Monday I teach 4 classes, Tuesday 5, Wednesday 4, Thursday 4, and Friday 2; 19 in total. All of the classes are in the morning and only on Tuesday do I teach a class after lunch; directly after lunch. On Friday's I will be hosting a teacher's workshop at three in the afternoon. Hopefully these will go over well.
As for the two schools, I was told that I was going to have a country school and a city school. In fact I have two city schools. One is in the north end of the city near Suncheon University, while the other is near the downtown. The M-T school is quite new, air conditioned classroom and I will be teaching grades 3-6. At my W-F school I'll only be teaching grades 5-6 but it is an older school, so there is no AC. I dread next summer.
Lunches here will be interesting. All of the teachers eat with the students in the cafeteria. You file in, grab a tray and they serve up the day's meal. Each meal includes soup. Usually made from fish and has chunks of tofu floating in it. Rice comes with every meal, along with a meat dish, a vegetable dish and something else. These are all dished out for you, so you get a limited amount. Of course the kimchi is left at an entirely different table so that you can take as much as you want. So far I've eaten squid, anchioves, curry, fish soup, kimchi, lots of rice, spicy beef, chicken, pork, grapes, an orange, and a potatoe (which you break open and peal yourself). I'm trying to make a point of trying everything at the very least. This seems to satisfy them. I also think that I've come up with a plan for eating successfully. Eat the stuff I don't like first, with lots of rice so that the meal finishes with what I do like. So far so good.
One odd thing about the schools here is that the students clean them. There are no custodians, just the students. I was a little surprised the first time two little girls came into my classroom and started wiping down all the tables and sweeping the floor. This takes place all over the school. But, despite what you've probably heard about how strict Korean schools are, or how disciplined the students are, one can imagine what a school cleaned by a bunch of first to sixth graders looks like.
Then there are the students themselves. The boys are incredibly violent. Is another boy sitting in your desired chair? Why not go over and punch him in the head or grab him by the throat? That should get him to move. Of course all of this happens in front of the teacher, who doesn't bat an eye lash. That brings us to the times when the teachers do step in. I've seen mild things like having students stand at the front of the class facing the wall, or having to hold their hands in the air. Then there are the times that the teacher gives them a pinch or a flick. Which escalates to a rap on the head or a punch on the shoulder. Nothing of course to the time I watched my co-teacher punch a kid in the stomach or give one a rap on the head with a stick. All of this in just one week. I have a feeling this could make the year a bit long.
Everyone has been extremely nice. My co-teachers helped me to open a bank account, exchange travlers cheques, get a bus pass, arrange an appointment with the gas man, find a ride to school, in addition to constantly translating for me everywhere we go. All three of them are extremely nice, helpful women. I look forward to working with them this year.
My first day of school started off well, when I had confused the directions that I was given by my co-teacher and ended up being late for my ride. He was not happy about that. I was supposed to meet him at 0810 but unfortunately didn't meet with him till 0815. For five minutes all he did was point at the clock in his car, shake his finger and say something in Korean. I think I figured it out. The problem, as always at this point in my Korean adventure, is the language barrier. There was no way for me to appologize or explain as he understood no english. I of course understand virtually no Korean, so we were at a stalemate.
When I got to school, I was shown my classroom and told that there would be no classes. Fine, that is what I was anticipating. Then I was told to sit in the classroom and that my co-teacher was going back to her office till noon, when she would return to take me to lunch. Great. Three hours of sitting by myself in a foreign classroom. Well, at least the classroom is nice. It's a new school so it was air conditioned, had a computer for me to use, a projector and screen.
So after being told that there would be no classes for me, I set in at the computer and tried to figure out the cd-roms that I am to use for my lessons. At one point a couple of students poked their head in and said hi. I said hi, they giggled and ran away. I was afraid though that they might get in trouble if they were found in the halls during class time, so I decided to lock the door so that if anyone happened to come by, they would find the door locked and go on to class. That of course didn't deter a determined grade four class. They were sent to english class by their homeroom teacher and after banging on the door for a while, which I was ignoring, not knowing it was an entire class, one of the kids carded the door and 35 grade four students filed into class.
So there I was, me speaking nothing more than 'hello' and 'thank you' in Korean and the students not speaking much more than 'hello', 'goodbye', and 'how old' in English. So for the first minute I just sat there staring at them, and they at me. Akward! Then I tried talking with them but their vocabulary and understanding is so limited (as should be expected really). So after a few minutes of me trying to explain that I was from Canada and that I liked to play rugby, I got on the phone to my co-teacher who told me to send them back to their class. At the very least I got them to understand that.
Of course it was just before lunch that my co-teacher informed me that the teacher that drove me that morning would not take me home or drive me to school the next day. I was left with the impression that I had really pissed him off. Wonderful. First impressions are everything and I didn't like the idea of one of the senior male teachers at the school not liking me from day one. Luckily I found a ride home with another teacher and it was all good.
The rest of my first day was spent sitting at the computer alternating between facebook, work and wikipedia. Not the most productive day perhaps, but man was it boring sitting in a room all by myself for 8 hours. I did manage to create a slide presentation to introduce myself to my students as well as a set of classroom rules. I wasn't going to have another debacle like earlier in the day happen for the rest of the week.
For my second day I spent five classes 'introducing' myself to my grade five and six classes at my first school. Over and over again. How boring, but I guess it had to be done. Plus it had the added benefit of not having to come in and teach right off the bat. The kids had varying intrest levels. Many were completely indifferent to me and my presence. Some, while interested, were too shy to ask any questions. My co-teacher though made sure that everyone asked at least one question. At the very least, in this way, the time went more quickly then the group of us just sitting there staring at one another.
Wednesday, Thurday and Friday were spent in much the same way, but at my second (and I think my main) school. Introducing myself to numerous classes, getting asked much of the same questions, time and time again. All in all, it went by okay. There were two questions asked consistently by every class: how old was I, and was I married. Confuscianism dominates here and how old you are matters a great deal. Other consistent questions centered around whether I had a girlfriend, did I like kimchi, did I like Korean food, could I speak Korean. And these questions were not only asked by the students but by the teachers as well. I think the strangest question I was asked was what blood type I was. Apparently here in Korea, they use blood type as a horoscope for your personality. Sort of like the Chinese zodiac. It appears to be a remnant of the Japanese occupation of Korea for several decades at the beginning of the 20th century.
Wednesdays here are going to be fun. My school closes down early and all of the teachers get together to play a game. Not all teacher's participate but they at the very least show up and watch. I didn't have anything to play in, so I was a spectator this time around, but it looks like it could be good fun. The event was also used as a means of introducing myself to the teaching staff of the school; unbeknownst to me. After all of the teachers had gathered in the schools court yard / play area, I was told to go stand in front of everyone and say hello. Great. So I go up and do a deep bow (better to be too respectful I figure) and say anyeung hasayo (hello). The vice-principal said something and all of the teachers applauded. I was then asked, of course, how old I was and whether or not I was married. Oh, your not married? How about a girlfriend? No, no girlfriend. This brought about some giggles from the women. I was then told I could resume my spot in line.
The teachers who were participating then went a played a game of kick-baseball. It all looked like a lot of fun. There were about 12 teachers a side, both men and women. The men were to kick with their left foot, the women could kick with their right. There were a couple of men that were competitive about the whole thing but overall it looked like they were there just having some fun together. After the game they went and played some volleyball. They all look pretty good, far better than me at the very least.
It was at this point that some of the cultural gender/age roles started to come through quite clearly. Any time the ball got away from them it was always the youngest male teacher that ran after it. The first time it got away, the closest man started to go after it, but the younger man told him that he would go get it and ran after it. After that point there was no question. It wasn't until the second game, and they were tired of losing the ball that the VP told the youngest female teacher Hyun-Jin (one of my co-teachers) to simply stand at the end of the court and stop any more balls from escaping. She dutifully ran over to her post without a word.
Towards the end of the third game, many of the women who weren't playing told me to come with them as there was food inside for us to eat. I was ushered in, given a prime location and all of the food was offered first to me. I don't want to paint the picture of them waiting on me, they weren't, but it was obvious that they were making sure I was taken care of. So we sat at a few tables and ate. Had some orange juice. I had noticed at a couple of other tables that there was some soju. When they seen me looking at it, they asked if I wanted some. I said sure. So of course they got it for me and poured me a glass (one never fills their own cup here in Korea). I offered to pour for them, but they all refused. I mixed my soju with orange juice (so good) but they frowned and said no. Shortly after the volleyball players joined us.
All of the men sat at the tables with soju, the women were at tables without soju. Once the men were situated the VP began talking. Apparently he was talking about me, and then everyone raised their glasses and cheered my name. Pretty neat moment to be sure. As soon as this was over I was ushered over to the principals table by the women. Men and women are seperated socially at such functions I'm told. So then the Principal, whom I'm told likes me (can't be a bad thing that is for sure, these guys rule everything concerning the school), offers me some soju, which I of course accept. I now figure that I'm to drink it straight, so I sip it down. Of course as soon as it's empty another male teacher comes and fills it up. Finish that one and it's filled yet again. Oh, your cup is too small, here is a bigger cup, filled with soju of course. After a few I managed to excuse myself, but overall it was a positive experience.
My schedule is pretty good. My contract calls for 22 'hours' of teaching. In reality this means 22 classes, which are only 40 minutes long. On Monday I teach 4 classes, Tuesday 5, Wednesday 4, Thursday 4, and Friday 2; 19 in total. All of the classes are in the morning and only on Tuesday do I teach a class after lunch; directly after lunch. On Friday's I will be hosting a teacher's workshop at three in the afternoon. Hopefully these will go over well.
As for the two schools, I was told that I was going to have a country school and a city school. In fact I have two city schools. One is in the north end of the city near Suncheon University, while the other is near the downtown. The M-T school is quite new, air conditioned classroom and I will be teaching grades 3-6. At my W-F school I'll only be teaching grades 5-6 but it is an older school, so there is no AC. I dread next summer.
Lunches here will be interesting. All of the teachers eat with the students in the cafeteria. You file in, grab a tray and they serve up the day's meal. Each meal includes soup. Usually made from fish and has chunks of tofu floating in it. Rice comes with every meal, along with a meat dish, a vegetable dish and something else. These are all dished out for you, so you get a limited amount. Of course the kimchi is left at an entirely different table so that you can take as much as you want. So far I've eaten squid, anchioves, curry, fish soup, kimchi, lots of rice, spicy beef, chicken, pork, grapes, an orange, and a potatoe (which you break open and peal yourself). I'm trying to make a point of trying everything at the very least. This seems to satisfy them. I also think that I've come up with a plan for eating successfully. Eat the stuff I don't like first, with lots of rice so that the meal finishes with what I do like. So far so good.
One odd thing about the schools here is that the students clean them. There are no custodians, just the students. I was a little surprised the first time two little girls came into my classroom and started wiping down all the tables and sweeping the floor. This takes place all over the school. But, despite what you've probably heard about how strict Korean schools are, or how disciplined the students are, one can imagine what a school cleaned by a bunch of first to sixth graders looks like.
Then there are the students themselves. The boys are incredibly violent. Is another boy sitting in your desired chair? Why not go over and punch him in the head or grab him by the throat? That should get him to move. Of course all of this happens in front of the teacher, who doesn't bat an eye lash. That brings us to the times when the teachers do step in. I've seen mild things like having students stand at the front of the class facing the wall, or having to hold their hands in the air. Then there are the times that the teacher gives them a pinch or a flick. Which escalates to a rap on the head or a punch on the shoulder. Nothing of course to the time I watched my co-teacher punch a kid in the stomach or give one a rap on the head with a stick. All of this in just one week. I have a feeling this could make the year a bit long.
Everyone has been extremely nice. My co-teachers helped me to open a bank account, exchange travlers cheques, get a bus pass, arrange an appointment with the gas man, find a ride to school, in addition to constantly translating for me everywhere we go. All three of them are extremely nice, helpful women. I look forward to working with them this year.
Sunday, August 31, 2008
Penny for my thoughts?
Recently McCain anounced his choice for a running mate: Sarah Palin. I obviously don't know her and until now hadn't even heard of her. I'm sure I'm not alone in this though, even among Americans who will actually be asked to elect her.
Personally, and I know this matters nothing, but I think she was a mistake. One of McCain's supposed strengths is that he doesn't play the political game, yet that is exactly what this is. The sad thing is that the Reps don't have any women in the party prominent enough to nominate over this relative political neophyte.
So not only is McCain playing at politics with the selection, he cut off at the knees his main attack on Obama; his lack of experience. McCain, if elected, will be the oldest person ever elected president. One heart beat from the big chair is a person with zero national political or foreign policy experience. At least Obama has a couple of years in Washington under his belt.
This will be hammered home time and time again and rightfully so. McCain is a heart attack waiting to happen and putting this woman in position to run the country is foolish and again goes against what McCain argues he is about. He says that he wants to change the mentality of 'me first and country second' but in making this selection has done exactly that. By pandering to female voters (any of whom vote for McCain simply because he chose a female VP candidate is a moron) he has put himself and his political aspirations ahead of the well being of the country.
McCain, should have done what he argues that he does; put country first. If that meant picking Romney, then pick him and stand your ground on the principle of doing what is best for the country, taking the high road and not pandering and playing the political game.
But, nope, McCain in one action has proven that much of what he has been saying for many years is little more than hot air.
Foolish, foolish choice.
***
On a completely different note, I was wondering:
If you are offered only a penny for your thoughts, why is that we give our two cents worth?
Just curious.
Personally, and I know this matters nothing, but I think she was a mistake. One of McCain's supposed strengths is that he doesn't play the political game, yet that is exactly what this is. The sad thing is that the Reps don't have any women in the party prominent enough to nominate over this relative political neophyte.
So not only is McCain playing at politics with the selection, he cut off at the knees his main attack on Obama; his lack of experience. McCain, if elected, will be the oldest person ever elected president. One heart beat from the big chair is a person with zero national political or foreign policy experience. At least Obama has a couple of years in Washington under his belt.
This will be hammered home time and time again and rightfully so. McCain is a heart attack waiting to happen and putting this woman in position to run the country is foolish and again goes against what McCain argues he is about. He says that he wants to change the mentality of 'me first and country second' but in making this selection has done exactly that. By pandering to female voters (any of whom vote for McCain simply because he chose a female VP candidate is a moron) he has put himself and his political aspirations ahead of the well being of the country.
McCain, should have done what he argues that he does; put country first. If that meant picking Romney, then pick him and stand your ground on the principle of doing what is best for the country, taking the high road and not pandering and playing the political game.
But, nope, McCain in one action has proven that much of what he has been saying for many years is little more than hot air.
Foolish, foolish choice.
***
On a completely different note, I was wondering:
If you are offered only a penny for your thoughts, why is that we give our two cents worth?
Just curious.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)