Is it really Korea?

Today was my first Asian Karaoke experience and the way they do it here is by renting little rooms and about 10 friends go into one room for an hour and sing it up! It is a really big thing here and I am told that I will be doing this as a bonding ritual with my teachers in my school.

I found out today I will be in the city of Gumi (그 미) and it is a possibility that I will be teaching all boys! I am so afraid. All my friends said that of all of us who could handle all boys it would be me. They think I'm a lot tougher than I am, but I will make it work. Now just how to make a lesson plan to accommodate my student base. I learned a lot of good games to play with them in class and I am sure that I will get a good idea of what to do from my Co-Teacher.

That brings me to my job description. My official job title is Native English Speaker. My job is to teach Conversational English in a Team Teaching or Co-Teaching environment. Co-Teaching is when two teachers (one from Korea and the NES) come together in one classroom to teach one common subject. In orientation we have been getting more information about that style and teaching. More teachers are worried because we are told that our Co-Teachers are like our life line and that we want to have a great relationship with them or we can forget about a good life in our city.

But see that's just the thing. I think that the comfort of Orientation has allowed a lot of teachers to be in denial about the fact that they are in a country where they know very little of the language. Some will be fine because they speak a little Korean or even have taught here before, but for those of us who are new, going to the bar every night and getting drunk with the locals is only going to bring a greater form of culture shock when they are all alone in their cities some rural without Internet or a phone for a couple weeks. Traveling to a Folk Village and listening to traditional music does not emerge one in a culture especially in the comfort of the dorm with 3 square meals a day. I have been here for a week but I wonder, is this really Korea?