Site Placements

In addition to language school, being a part of University Church, Bible studies, and eating, Thomas, Anna, and I work in after school programs and at a feeding center. A few weeks ago, we visited each site to discern and decide where we to serve for the coming year.

Thomas is teaching English classes at 새움 [sey-oom] children's center. It is the furthest bus ride away but happens to have a drum set, so he can jam...and maybe even teach some drumming too!!

with the violin and flute teachers at 새움

Anna is teaching and helping in the kitchen at 법동 [bop-dong] children's center.

  

 with Rev. Kim [the head honcho] and her daughter

the main classroom at 법동

I am working at 새나루 [seh-na-ru], a feeding center with an after school program/children's center upstairs. I am washing dishes and helping serve food to people who are homeless or cannot provide for themselves. Everyday the center serves at least 150 people dinner and delivers to about 50 people who are home-bound. Also, a nearby Lutheran church serves breakfast, and a Catholic church serves lunch! It is a really neat set up, and the food is pretty good too.

The delivery food is sent out in zip-lock-esque plastic containers in fabric bags - a system that makes quite a few dishes to wash but is much more sensible than sending out hundreds styrofoam boxes in plastic bags each week! And, washing dishes is something I actually can do to be helpful! If you're worried about the about the amount of water it takes to wash 200ish plastic containers, there is a very specific method to washing dishes and cleaning up that uses every drop of water as efficiently as possible, so don't fret.
 

Rice is scooped, soup is poured, and everyone gets a tray!  

I think I am starting to get the hang of the way things roll in the kitchen at 새나루 and now know where all most of the clean dishes go. The people in the kitchen are so nice and have been so patient with me. Being with them twice a week makes me really want to learn Korean. After washing dishes, scooping rice, and trying very hard not to get in the way, I go upstairs and eat dinner with children's center folks. Then I head up some more stairs to work with elementary and middle schoolers with English. Anna and Thomas also tag along once a week and help out in the feeding center.

introducing myself to the elementary schoolers

Also, Anna and I alternate going to 안산 [An-san] Library on Thursdays. We lead a "class" that started last year as sort of a 'YAVs read in English to Korean children' deal but has become a 'YAVs read in English with Korean women [and men] and then, in English, discuss current issues' deal. I seems like the moms got more into it than the children did last year and want to continue meeting to read and work on their conversational English. We met for the first time this past Thursday, and they were so so sooo nice! A few even brought their [super cute] kiddos! 

 안산 Library

 

HARRY POTTER IN KOREAN...somehow I doubt I will make it to that reading level, but I was still pumped to see my good buddy Harry!