Seokhwan is a smart but extremely unmotivated sixth-grader. He's also very shy. He is capbable of having conversation in English, but he has to have something he wants to say. Mostly, what he wants to say is some kind of complaint about the current situation, whatever it may be. But I've noticed he's got a clever sense of humor.
Yesterday, we were taking our year-end "level test" – which will place the students in the new January classes.
Seokhwan to teacher: "I can't do this test."
Teacher to Seokhwan: "Just try."
Later, Seokhwan to teacher: "Really, I can't do this test."
Teacher to Seokhwan: "Try."
Still later, Seokhwan to teacher: "This test is too hard."
Teacher to Seokhwan: "Try."
After the test, looking at the test paper… teacher to Seokhwan: "What did you do? I can't even read your writing."
The latest incarnation of my whiteboard-dwelling tribe of cartoon alligators is feeling cold. We're having cold weather, lately, here in Goyang (highs around -5 C, and -10 or -15 at night). So I made the snowgator.
Carrie Underwood, "Blown Away." This is one of my recent selections for my CC listening/dictation class. I like it for the lower-ability students for several reasons: 1) she sings quite clearly; 2) the theme is a bit sad and "deep," but it's accessible to children – tornados are always popular; 3) the video "parallels" the lyrics well – which is to say, you can get cues as to the what the lyrics are about by watching the video.
Lyrics.
Dry lightning cracks across the skies Those storm clouds gather in her eyes Daddy was mean a old mister Mama was an angel in the ground The weather man called for a twister She prayed blow it down
There's not enough rain in Oklahoma To wash the sins out of that house There's not enough wind in Oklahoma To rip the nails out of the past
Shatter every window till it's all blown away, Every brick, every board, every slamming door blown away Till there's nothing left standing, Nothing left of yesterday Every tear-soaked whiskey memory blown away, blown away
She heard those sirens screaming out Her daddy laid there passed out on the couch She locked herself in the cellar Listened to the screaming of the wind Some people called it taking shelter She called it sweet revenge
Shatter every window till it's all blown away, Every brick, every board, every slamming door blown away Till there's nothing left standing, Nothing left of yesterday Every tear-soaked whiskey memory blown away, blown away
There's not enough rain in Oklahoma To wash the sins out of that house There's not enough wind in Oklahoma To rip the nails out of the past
Shatter every window till it's all blown away, (Blown away) Every brick, every board, every slamming door blown away (blown away) Till there's nothing left standing, Nothing left of yesterday Every tear-soaked whiskey memory blown away, Blown away, blown away, blown away, blown away
My students, at ALL levels, have a very common habit of simply answering "No" when asked "What?" by a teacher.
For example, the student will raise her hand, and the teacher will say, "Yes, Gayeong?" and the student will simply reply "No." This is just a direct translation of how Koreans express the concept expressed more colloquially in English with responses like "Nevermind" or "Nothing" or "I forgot what I was gonna say."
I try very hard to convince the students that just saying "No" in English in this pragmatic context doesn't work. It comes across as incoherent at best and rude at worst. I don't know why this is – it's just the way English pragmatics works, I guess.
So I felt a huge victory last night when Gayeong raised her hand and yelled out, "Teacher!" as students do, in Korea (another mismatch on pragmatics, but that's a different battle). I said to her, "What?" and without missing a beat, and with perfect intonation and grammar, she said, "Oh. I forgot what I was gonna say."
I was so impressed. It's been at least a year with that class, since I first said, please don't just say "No" when you don't want to answer my question "What?"
Saturday, after work, I took the subway into the Myeongdong neighborhood in Seoul. My former coworker Razel (a naturalized Korean of Philippine origin) had invited me to a Philippine-Korean community Christmas event. It was quite interesting, from a cultural perspective. A well-integrated immigrant community, with diverse admixtures of Koreans and other foreigners, too. And a kind of mirror image of a US-style immigrant community: in the US, the adults speak whatever language they brought from their country-of-origin, and all the kids speak English; here, all the adults were speaking English (the Philippine lingua franca, after all) and Tagalog, while the kids were all speaking Korean.
There were activities, games for kids, some karaoke and Christmas carol singing (I even participated – go figure). There was an interesting "secret Santa" gift exchange, which I didn't participate because I was too disorganized to have brought a gift for the pool.
Although I never studied it, I find Tagalog weirdly "on the edge of understandable" because of its substantial English and Spanish borrowings in terms of vocabulary.
Sorrow like a ceaseless rain Beats upon my heart. People twist and scream in pain,— Dawn will find them still again; This has neither wax nor wane, Neither stop nor start.
People dress and go to town; I sit in my chair. All my thoughts are slow and brown: Standing up or sitting down Little matters, or what gown Or what shoes I wear.
– Edna St. Vincent Millay (American poet, 1892-1950)
sounds
that fail
to form words,
but just spill out
like torrential rain -
at some moments quiet
incoherent murmurings,
but then drumming against the walls,
aggressive, challenging all meanings
I learned this aphorism from my book of aphorisms.
시루에 물길어 붓기
si.ru.e mul.gil.eo but.gi
rice-cake-steamer-INTO water-fill-INF pour-GER
[Like] pouring water trying to fill a rice cake steamer.
A rice cake steamer (“shiru”) is a perforated ceramic pot. So you can’t fill it – it has holes. So this aphorism means any fruitless task.
That’s somewhat like teaching my HS1-T cohort. [daily log: walking, 7km]
So I left my home to walk to work,
saw wayward puffs of snow, spinning
and dancing in the strong wind.
A gray sky added rain.
The rain turned to snow
then turned to rain
turned to snow
turned to
rain.
In my HS1-M cohort, the other day, we were practicing TOEFL speaking prompts for type 1 questions. These are just personal opinions. During practice, I let the students write out their intended responses, before speaking, so that they feel more in control of their grammar and vocabulary and don't "freeze" in trying to speak.
The prompt was:
In which kind of natural environment (mountains, sea, desert, etc.) would you like to live? Please include specific examples and details in your explanation.
Jiwon, a shy girl who occasionally surprises me, wrote (and then said, more or less effectively), the following (transcribed with grammar and spelling, etc., sic):
I would like to live in a cave. because cave is cool and cover from the light. If I live in a cave, I can greet bears and bats. Sometimes I can meet people. On the other hand, I would like to live in the desert. because In winter, cave is too cold. So I want to build in the desert. Finally, I would like to live in a cave in summer and I would like to live in the desert in winter.
I asked if she was a tropical vampire, or some kind of wild animal.
She grinned, and shrugged. With a mysterious tone, she said, "Maybe."
Although it's not that well-written (mostly due to the author not being a native English speaker), I found an interesting blog article by someone who goes by the online name giant_cheng (aka the profanely titled "Old Man and the Shit陈男旧屎"). It was compelling in its argument, for which he provides excellent evidence.
To wit, the USSR in 1950 wanted the US to intervene in Korea. The idea was to bog down both the US and China in the Peninsula. In this, it succeeded masterfully.
If you're interested in 20th century Korean history, I highly recommend it: link.
[UPDATE 2017-12-08:] My friend David in Germany, a former college roommate who sometimes reads this blog, notes that the Filippov letter that giant_cheng quotes is referenced on this page at the Wilson Center. This is a much more professional take on the same question.
Normally, I try not to post the same type of blog post two days in a row. And yesterday, I did one of my "what I'm listening to right now" posts, which is for when I'm lacking anything more interesting to say and happen to notice I'm listening to something worth posting.
Well, but I had a pretty braindead weekend. And I've got to go to work and I've got nothing to say. And I happen to be listening to this song I like. So apologies for the unimaginative repetition of post style.
What I'm listening to right now.
Cake, "I Will Survive." This is a cover of the song originally written by Perren and Fekaris, and made famous in the disco hit by Gloria Gaynor in the 1970s. To be honest, I like this version better – I probably like the Gen X cynicism of its tone.
Lyrics.
At first I was afraid. I was petrified. I kept thinking I could never live Without you by my side. But then I spent so many nights Just thinking how you'd done me wrong. I grew strong. I learned how to get along. And so you're back from outer space. I just walked in to find you here Without that look upon your face. I should have changed my fucking lock. I would have made you leave your key If I'd have known for just one second You'd be back to bother me.
Oh now go. Walk out the door. Just turn around now. You're not welcome anymore. Weren't you the one Who tried to break me with desire? Did you think I'd crumble? Did you think I'd lay down and die? Oh not I.
I will survive. As long as I know how to love I know I'll be alive. I've got all my life to live. I've got all my love to give. I will survive. I will survive.
It took all the strength I had Just not to fall apart. I'm trying hard to mend The pieces of my broken heart. And I spent oh so many nights Just feeling sorry for myself. I used to cry. But now I hold my head up high.
And you'll see me with somebody new. I'm not that stupid little person Still in love with you. And so you thought you'd just drop by, And you expect me to be free. But now I'm saving all my lovin' For someone who's lovin' me.
Oh now go. Walk out the door. Just turn around now. You're not welcome anymore. Weren't you the one Who tried to break me with desire? Did you think I'd crumble? Did you think I'd lay down and die? Oh not I.
I will survive. As long as I know how to love I know I'll be alive. I've got all my life to live. I've got all my love to give. I will survive. I will survive.
Around me, the world unfurls itself.
I watch with curiosity:
Colors are bright and sublime,
people speak streams of words,
always new meanings.
But when I eat,
it's so sad:
food is
bland.
EXID, “덜덜덜.” 가사 알아먹게 Talk 해 다리 떨지 말고 왜 아무 말이나 해 그건 어디 말이니
(어버버)
Uh 어버버버버버(어버버) 떨리는 동공 더더더덜 머리 굴리는 소리 안 나게 좀 해봐 다 티가 나 기가 차 뭐가 그리 찔리나 지금 웃음이 나와? 아 짜증나게 내가 뭘 했다고 네 머리 다리 팔이 떨려 덜덜덜
Yeah 도둑마냥 제 발 저렸지 막 쥐 잡듯이 잡아주지 난
What you what you
Wanna do right now
How stupid little dumb
Dumb stop now 거짓말 다 네가 속인거래 한번 하면 또 한대 버릇돼서 결국 끝난대 옆에선 다 내가 미친 거래 너만 속아주고 다 주고 다 주고 하지마 자꾸만 나를 더 미치게 만들지마 그렇게 깊게 가지마 더이상 밀어내기 싫다면
Why don’t you 쉿 ma baby
Why don’t you 쉿 ma baby
Why don’t you 쉿 ma baby 이게 진짜 마지막이야 말해봐 미안하다면서 뭐가 미안한데? 미안하다매 다 네 탓이었다매 똑같네 그냥 그동안 네가 한 모든 사과 기분 참 뭐 같네 그럼 난 뭐가 돼 아 참내 이제 난 힘들어 그만할래 내가 어쩌길 바래 나한테 정말 이럼 안돼 앞에선 내가 못되게 해도 결국 속아주고 다 주고 다 주고 하지마 자꾸만 나를 더 미치게 만들지마 그렇게 깊게 가지마 더이상 밀어내기 싫다면
Why don’t you 쉿 ma baby
Your Lips (덜덜덜덜)
Your Eyes (덜덜덜덜) 네 머리 허리 다리 모두 다
Your Lips (덜덜덜덜)
Your Eyes (덜덜덜덜) 네 머리 허리 다리 모두 다 하지마 자꾸만 나를 더 미치게 만들지마 그렇게 깊게 가지마 더이상 밀어내기 싫다면
Why don’t you 쉿 ma baby
[daily log: walking, 1km]
