Training Center In Anseong

I am back in Anseong for a few days to attend an orientation and training course.  It's nice to have a change of scenery, because a lot of Korea looks the same.  Also my co-teacher and I had some conflicts due to our teaching styles and age difference, but this kind of thing is pretty common when you have two teachers. 

Also some of the people at my school have confirmed that she has a long history of getting angry at work, so I am not taking it too personally.  It was a little tough at first, because she is a fun person to be around outside of work, but inside she can turn into a monster. 

However, we talked it out and I found out that she is used to being treated in a formal way due to her position and her age (she is at least 32) and that she expects a lot out of me.  Surprisingly, she admitted that part of the reason why she lost her temper was because at that moment, she saw me having coffee with a guy whom she did not like.  So I really appreciated her honesty and determination to gain a mutual understanding. 

Also I realized how difficult it can be to work with women in her age group.  But we are back on good terms now, and trying to get back to having a positive attitude about working together.  I still think she is fun to be around, but now I know that she has some kind of problems.  I think there must have been something else going on in her life that was making her upset, like maybe having the education and career, (teacher's are prime targets for many bachelor's in Korea due to their child friendly working hours), but no husband.

So I am finally here at the orientation meeting after being here for almost two months.  There is a great atmosphere with a lot of young professionals, who are far away from home,  learning a lot of stuff, and partying at night.  For many of us it feels like college.  Yesterday I was able to see a workshop hosted by Simon and Martina from eatyourkimchi.com and they had a good lesson about using K-Pop with the students as well as other tips.  I'm really glad I am living in the same city as them and can meet up with them sometimes.  They are super funny and can explain things in ways that make you want to listen.  Like Simon said one time he was at the bus stop and he saw one of his students just walking towards him and swearing to himself in Korean, and he asked the student what was wrong, and the kid told him that his mom didn't give him any money for the bus.  So Simon gave him the best 1,000 won (less than a dollar) that he had ever spent in his life.  From that day on he became Simon's friend, and if any student was acting up in class, then he would be the first guy who wanted to "rip the other students head off".  I really admire his ability to give presentations.  In about half an hour I will give my own presentation in a training exercise along with another trainee.  I came up with the main idea, and he helped to make the powerpoint look good.