This is my school, TOP Edupia or TOP Language School www.topedupia.com
My branch, Hyoja School, is in Hyoja dong, an area of Jeonju City. Because addresses are a total mystery, you have to describe the location of almost anything. Consequently, when I tried to tell someone how to find the second-hand man who has a shop by the school, it was a hard task. Fortunately, the person knew Hyoja dong, so all I had to say is that the school is across from the police station, and EUREKA!! the guy knew just where to go. Such is life in Jeonju.
Nearly all private language school in Jeonju look like our building. Unlike the United States, most buildings go up instead of out. The only "real" school looking buildings are the actual public schools, which are huge. One thing that I have learned really quickly is that building maintenance is pretty much unknown here. The other Foreign teacher, Trudi, made me guess how old our building was. I suspected about 30 years old. Instead it is only 10. The theory is that buildings are not maintained and once uninhabitable, they are torn down and rebuilt. We have no janitor, so the staff cleans their own rooms, etc and we only occupy the second floor. There are window air conditioners and fans in each room also.
Foreigners - Anyone not from Korea. There are over 30 foreign teachers at TOP overall, most being from the US, Canada, England, and Australia. My school just has Trudi and myself. There are 3 Korean teachers there who teach English grammar, which is common at TOP also. We get Korean holidays off, like today (Korean Constitution Day)which usually occur at least once per month. I have 2 weeks of vacation to take over the year. Right now, I have no plans, except to visit Jeju Island and the DMZ over long weekends, hopefully without using vacation days.
Kids - Anyone who is a student. The kids overall, compared to other schools, I am told, are really good. As I have said to some of you, the parents pay alot of money by Korean standards for their kids to go to TOP or any private academy. The idea is to supplement their child's education with hopes of getting into a university, get a better job or made a better marriage. I have spoken to many high school students who can spend up to 12 hours a day at their school. However, it is a way of life here. Education is a priority and their lives reflect that.
and a last little bit for today.......
Sports/Golf - The game of golf is an obsession here, but very expensive!! The television has a Korean tournament every weekend, as well as whatever the men's and women's tournaments are in the United States for that weekend as well. I love to watch, but am totally unable to follow the commentary. Thank goodness that golf is visual. If you know the players, and their names aren't on the screen in English, you are still OK. In addition to tournaments, there are golf shows, I would say, on at least 10 channels. Those shows are mostly re-tuns of tournaments or golf lesson shows. You can see golf ranges everywhere here. You know them by the lights and the green netting that surrounds the range, literally in the city.
Otherwise, there are tons of soccer, volleyball, and baseball games. Jeonju has a pro baseball and basketball teams that I will see. Everyone seems to support the hometown teams. Can't wait to see firsthand!!
