Observation day

Today I am being observed again. Every year we have two observations from our real boss, a Westerner who evaluates teaching staff, handles curriculum, deals with teaching questions and also has a significant say on contract extensions.

This is my third manager and I have to say the previous one was great at her job. I think I am biased because she gave me some good marks on the evaluations especially my last one which I do not think is possible for me to beat. I don't know the new manager well so it's a bit of a step into the unknown. The mantra that she is looking for though is repeat, repeat repeat. I can do that.

Half of me feels that I shouldn't be observed because I've been here a long time and am leaving in five months so there is no carrot of a contract being dangled before me. But being observed from time to time is a good thing. All teachers are prone to fall into habits whilst teaching and some of these can be bad. I know that I do some things that head office doesn't necessarily want me to so it's healthy to get back to basics and spend more time preparing.

I didn't sleep too well last night. I'm a little nervous and I know that doesn't make sense. Perhaps nervous is not quite the right word. There's a little bit of apprehension and excitement which I hope will give me the energy to do well. I've built up enough credit to last me for my remaining time here but I do want to show what I can do. Who wants to look bad in front of their boss? Also, as I've got the most experience at my academy shouldn't I be the one who can do this easily?

I don't like being watched though. I'm not the same person when someone from 'outside' is in the classroom. Neither are the students. I like to joke around in class, have fun with students, tease some and in general like to make the kids feel so relaxed that they can express themselves without being nervous. I don't think that will be possible today.

My previous manager would ask what class I would like to have observed but that's not the case today. I know it's one of the first four but more likely not my first class. Over those four periods I teach two lessons twice so preparation is not an issue. Classes one, two and four - no problem, great kids, enthusiastic and fun. Class three, oh dear. There is one boy who is considered to be the worst student at my academy and though I like him, he causes trouble, distracts others and worst of all speaks Korean a lot.

At least there is no pressure on me so this should make me feel relaxed when the time comes. As long as I try my best, prepare and don't make any big mistakes things should be fine and whatever will be will be. I'll be glad when it's out of the way and can move on with my remaining five months. However, we have a new manager at my branch and it's a certainty that she'll be watching everyone's classes over the next few weeks too.

On a side note I won't be going to the big Christmas party that my academy is holding. A few months ago It was suggested that it would be mandatory but in the end that didn't turn out to be true. After some thinking on the matter I decided that going would be OK and maybe fun so I asked if my wife could go with me, as did a lot of other teachers at other branches. On Saturday we got an email telling us that nobody is able to bring a partner.

I understand that and accept it after all my wife doesn't work at the same company as I do so why should she get a free lunch etc, etc but letting everyone know just one week before Christmas is poor. It would have been nice to have gone with my wife because she knows a few of my co-workers and some staff at other branches but it's not to be. Now we're going to have a nice Christmas at home with me cooking and I think we're going to have a great day of eating and drinking.

Christmas not cancelled

My Christmas fears have been assuaged. I've received an email from work about the recent rumours. It appears that there has been a bit of miscommunication, misunderstanding and something has been lost in translation. For us, the foreign teachers attendance at the Christmas Day party is not mandatory. Encouraged but not mandatory.

That's a weight off my mind. Christmas is sacrosanct for many a Westerner (as the most important day of the year), especially those living away from their family and these days I treasure my weekends away from the workplace. Who knows I may even go but I really doubt it. I want to spend the day with my wife with nothing work related in my mind. I bet the Korean staff still have to go though.

Christmas with the devil

Yesterday we got proof in writing. When I say we, I mean the Koreans and not the 'foreign' teachers at my academy. And it was in Korean and not English so us foreigners do not totally know what is going on. Proof of what? Well there has been a rumour going around for some time that my academy is having a Christmas Day party and that all employees must attend - my academy has several branches and employs many people. Oh, and Christmas Day is on a Saturday this year. I'm told that people going stand to be in the running for various prizes, cash I think.

As of yet 'we' have received no letter or email so talk of going being mandatory is presumptuous so I don't want to jump the gun with my views but some of my Korean co-workers have been told they have to go and they believe that everyone else is going too. I feel this is of course totally and utterly unworkable, unreasonable and unenforceable. I just don't know how they would expect to pull it off. If the owner tried to pull a stunt like this at Chuseok or Korean New Year and said everyone had to attend then there is no way people would put up with it.

The only way round it, in my opinion would be to give everyone Christmas Eve off (Friday) and say, OK, we're giving you this day off but please come to the party and we can celebrate together. I think most people would attend and try to have a good time. It wouldn't be impinging on our most important holiday or even our weekend time, where we are not contracted to work. I am very interested in the wording of any email I get on this matter.

I cast my mind back to 2007 and the Christmas party that people 'had to go to'. Again, this was on a Saturday though not Christmas Day. We had to first watch our owner play football for about sixty minutes. Then we went to some place were we watched various branches perform acts of varying degrees of mediocrity. I refused to participate in any performance related matters and wasn't alone. Then we were treated to a lot of talking (90% in Korean) and prize giving - mostly to branch managers and not teachers. We were told that those who did not attend and won a prize forfeited their prize. Bah humbug!

There was no Christmas food, a key component of what makes Christmas Christmas. It could have been any given day of the year. Oh, and by the way the free pitchers of beer given to every table were open when we arrived and had been obviously spiked with something I presume to have been soju.

I know Christmas is not massively important here and don't expect Korea to bend to my point of view but, as this day is a public holiday here, to be able to be free to choose what I do then. I like my academy, I like working there and the people too. I have no issues with who I work for as they've always been fair, but please don't tell people what they have to do at Christmas. I look forward to getting an email some time soon.

Christmas Day: Eating till I burst

Last years Christmas Day meal was a real let down so this year we were hoping for a relaxing time spent eating some good quality food while enjoying our own company. We certainly got that. Our choices were eating with co-workers, cooking for ourselves or going to a buffet in downtown Daegu. We opted for the latter at the Novotel hotel where we had three hours to eat as little or as much as we wanted. The price was 40,000won each (£20) so if the meal was poor then we'd feel a bit cheated but thankfully the meal was really good. I ate a lot that's for sure. I can't wait for next year and my Mother's home cooking because you can't beat home cooking.

Checking the wine menu

Wow. Pork, chicken, duck and salmon. All as good as it looks.

Our first Christmas together as a married couple. I'm so lucky.

More chicken as well as turkey, mashed potatoes and gravy.

My wife enjoying her seafood.

Don't want to waste any of the food!

Dessert. By this time I was feeling very full up. But must press on!

Grey skies on Christmas Day. Not a real snowflake in sight.

Two Father Christmas'?

She must have been a good girl this year.

We won a bottle of red wine in the after-meal raffle.

Up on one of the hotels balconies.

I was happier than I looked. Trust me!

Mrs Father Christmas apparently plays the electric violin.

No rest for the wicked. All the shops were open. Business as usual for these phone vendors.

Student Christmas messages

Two of my favourite students gave me Christmas cards this week. Here are the messages inside. They may have errors in them but the sentiments were genuine I think. It's the thought that counts isn't it? I'll have to try harder to help their English improve. I hope they had as good a Christmas as I did.

Korean Christmas sentiments

Interesting excuses

I'm just back from eating Christmas dinner downtown. Before the meal I was explaining the concept of Hit & Miss to my girlfriend and how the food in the place we were going is either very good or very average. This was most definitely a miss for the both of us. The meal was plentiful. I ate all of mine and some of my girlfriends too, but this was because I had paid for them, not because they were particularly good. I noticed that almost everyone else in the room didn't finish their meal either. Excuses heard included "I've been sick recently", "I'm full already", "Wow there's so much" (that's a lie) and my personal favourite "I'm not hungry". People kept saying it was great but the same people wouldn't finish their food. Maybe I am being simple but if my food is great then I don't leave it sitting on the plate. Nobody had the guts to say out loud that most of it wasn't very good. It wasn't very bad just a let down considering it was Christmas etc etc. It's always nice to eat out and I don't always fancy cooking but this time maybe I should have made dinner myself.

I have to say that my girlfriend loves the shrimp salad they make and I really like the chicken souvlaki so it's certainly not a bad place to eat but I have noticed that a lot of people go on about this particular restaurant as if its the best place to eat in Daegu but its not. It is run by a Westerner who seems nice enough but if it was run by a Korean then I am certain people wouldn't praise it that much. People seem desperate to cling to things from home, especially food and anything resembling Western cuisine instantly becomes good. Is it any coincidence that most teachers here happen to be Canadian and very few people seem inclined to criticise the restaurant or the owner who happens to be Canadian? It's a case of the Emperors New Clothes or new kimchi.

One interesting thing I have noticed since coming to Korea is how different Christmas is to people and how different Christmas meals are. I would usually have lots of turkey, mashed and roast potatoes, cauliflower, carrots, bread and gravy with sometimes stuffing or Yorkshire puddings. Things I ate here include cranberry sauce, pork tenderloin and pumpkin soup. All very different to my upbringing but interesting to try at least once. Perhaps my usual Christmas meal is boring to others or unimaginative but it is certainly better in my opinion. The moral of this story is that their is no substitute for home cooking. I already cannot wait for my Mum's Christmas meal of 2009. After four Christmas' in Korea that will be priceless for me.