Office goodbye party & last choir performance

Wednesday, June 27, was my final day at work in the textbook office and Jonathan's last day of teaching. In the early afternoon a couple of my coworkers walked into the office with a Paris Baguette (a pastry/bakery chain store) cake box and suddenly all the rest of my coworkers got up and congregated at the small table in the corner of the room. "Ali, come on, we're going to have a party for you," Robin told me as she rose from her chair. I was surprised, since my office had gone out for a goodbye dinner the week before, but I quickly finished what I was doing and joined the rest of my office at the table. They made me sit in the seat of honor while everyone else stood, and presented me with a blueberry cake and two presents. "You have to open the presents first," they commanded and I'm sure I turned red with all the attention as they watched me open the card first and read all the sweet thoughts and good wishes they had written. Then I carefully unwrapped the first present and found a white modern-looking, but older-style alarm clock. In Sun explained, "When someone is leaving, it's a custom to give them a clock, so that when they look at it later, they will remember all the time they spent with us." I was so touched and I know I will always remember the amazing people in the textbook office whenever I see my new alarm clock! They were all quite pleased that I liked the gift. Then I opened the second gift and found a small handmade wooden fan. It was from a lady named Kyeong. She told me, "I am so thankful for all the work you did to help me with the project I was working on. The fan is a thank-you for your help and the good work you did on that project. Also, it's because we were in the church choir together." I was so surprised she had given me something special since helping her with the project was just another part of my job and I hadn't even spent extra hours on it. What a sweet gesture! Then everyone wanted me to cut the cake so we could eat it. Someone suggested that Robin come and cut the cake with me (haha, like at a wedding) and then they told me that she called me her baby and called herself my Korean mama. I had had no idea! They told me all kinds of other stories, too, and it was such a nice time of sharing and reminiscing over the past six months of me working in the textbook office. We chatted and ate cake with chopsticks (the only utensil stocked in the office) until someone, probably our director, Dr. Yoon, said we should probably get back to work.

My goodbye blueberry cake

My Korean mama, Robin, and I cutting the cake, wedding style

Robin, Ann, Jewel, and Coco eating the cake Korean style

It was hard to go back to work and try to finish up the last project I would be working on in Korea, but it was even harder to go through the office and say goodbye to everyone when 6 p.m. rolled around. We promised to keep in contact, to write or send pictures, but of course that's never the same as actually being together, working in the same office, sharing our lives with each other. I had wanted to back-up all my work files onto my thumb drive, but hadn't been able to fit them all on, so I promised everyone, "I'll be back tomorrow to get the rest of my files. I'll say my real goodbyes then." So I gathered up all my personal items - my thumb drive, a chap stick, a small bottle of lotion, the "well-being" metal mug that June had given me back in our old office in January - and headed out the door accompanied by goodbye calls and waves.

The next morning I was back at the office, bringing my mum, who had arrived the night before, along with me. I wanted her to take some pictures of me together with some of my favourite people in Korea. After I saved all of my files onto my external hard drive, she did quite a photo shoot of me in my office with my coworkers. I will cherish these pictures of my special Korean people forever! (To see many more pictures, look at my mum's blog post.)

The steps leading up to my office feature many of the fruits of the spirit
~ Photo by Glenda Quiring

In my office ~ Photo by Glenda Quiring

Textbooks I helped create for my first project at the office ~ Photo by Glenda Quiring

With three of my coworkers: Coco, Chili, and Kyeong ~ Photo by Glenda Quiring

More of my coworkers in a meeting downstairs: Hee Young, me, Dr. Yoon, Jewel, Robin & In Sun ~ Photo by Glenda Quiring

Jewel, Robin, In Sun, Ann, Michelle & Jin waving goodbye to me ~ Photo by Glenda Quiring

Then there was another goodbye at church on Sabbath. It was mine and Jonathan's last time to sing with the church choir. We had told everyone the week before that the next week would be our last week at church, but they were still surprised when we told them again that morning that it would be our last time singing with them. It was special to sing that last choir song in Korean with my parents and brother sitting in the congregation. And after the service was finished, my family came up front and I introduced them to the choir and we had a flurry of photos taken with the whole group and with certain special individuals. It was a bittersweet time. I was happy to have my family there, excited about the traveling we would be doing soon, and looking forward to being home again, but sad to be leaving this country, and more importantly, these people who had become special to me.

Going over the Korean lyrics during our practice before church
~ Photo by Glenda Quiring

Special music by the choir and orchestra
~ Photo by Glenda Quiring

After-church pictures with the choir and my family
~ Photo by Glenda Quiring's camera

I guess that's why life on this earth is disappointing and heartbreaking. We make friends, but sometimes we have to leave them, sometimes we have to say goodbye. I can't wait for the great reunion in heaven where we will never have to say goodbye to those we love and cherish ever again!

Farewell supper at VIPS

A couple weeks before the end of June, Dr. Yoon, the director of my office, told me that our whole office would be going out to eat on June 19. The next week, while walking to work with In Sun, the assistant director, I found out that we were going out to eat as a goodbye meal for me. When June 19 came, we all left the office right at 6 p.m. (something that pretty much never happens since most workers stay to work overtime) and walked together to the main road where we caught several taxis. A few minutes later, once over the stream and into the shopping and restaurant section of our part of Seoul, we hopped back out of the taxis. Then we quickly crossed the road, and headed into VIPS Restaurant on the second floor of a glass-fronted building. Our group included 16 people and we had to sit at two tables, which was unfortunate since we couldn't all socialize together that way. But the table I was at was lovely to visit with and the buffet and salad bar was great! It was a nice evening spending time with each other and I am so thankful that we got to enjoy this special time together as an office before I left.

My placemat - what I never needed to know...

Table 1 (L-R): In Sun, Chilli, Hee Young, Coco, Coco's husband, Dr. Yoon & In Sun's son Daniel

Table 2 (L-R): Ali, Pat, Kyung, Jewel, a lady who works in a co-office, Michelle, Ann, Robin (AKA my Korean mama) & Leeza
(Unfortunately, Jin must have been gone to get more food when this picture was taken...)

Bewildering sentence...

Today's bewildering sentence is:

"Out of an accumulation of discontented moments, John burst into flame."

Yes, that's the sentence I encountered this morning as I was making mobile phone lessons for the Wise Master Intermediate books. Want visual proof? Here you go:

Look at #3 b

I was quite flabbergasted when I read that sentence. First, because I had absolutely no idea what it was supposed to mean. Even if this sentence was talking about spontaneous combustion, I'm not sure why the accumulation of discontented moments in John's life would have anything to do with it. And second, because these books have already been printed and are being used to teach Koreans English in another institute (not SDA) somewhere in Seoul for who knows how many years now. Anyway, I'm pretty sure the sentence's original writer meant that John burst into tears, but I have no idea how the word flame got in there. It is quite the mystery. So there's just a tidbit from my work today. Things are always interesting up in the textbook office! :)

*From the Wise Master Intermediate Book 11, Unit 3, p.86

Written into a dialogue

Today my coworker, Robin, asked me to edit a dialogue she had written. I took the sheet of paper from her and immediately smiled as I looked at the text; she had used mine and Jonathan's names for the speakers. And after reading it through, I giggled. I find it quite humorous and especially think the last two lines are amusing. Robin told me that a Seoul newspaper has asked our textbook office to create some English dialogues and grammar exercises for their language-learning section. So if you happen to pick up that particular newspaper and see mine and Jonathan's names in it, now you'll know why. Without further ado, here's what Robin wrote:

Setting: Alison is looking through pictures to choose one for her resume. She asks Jonathan to help her pick one.

A: Which picture do you think is better? I should choose one for my resume.
J: They all look the same to me.
A: They are very different. Look at them carefully.
J: OK. Mmm. I like this one because you look more natural. I think it looks just like you.
A: What do you mean it looks like me?
J: You don't have that heavy makeup on in it. So it looks more natural.
A: But don't you think this picture looks more professional and charming?
J: You should use this one so interviewers can recognize you.
A: What? I think I'll quit wearing makeup and try to look natural like a primitive person.
J: Let's not take it that far.

I've never told Robin that I don't wear makeup, but I'm pretty sure she's figured it out on her own. I've never been referred to as a primitive person before, but I suppose I must be since I don't wear any makeup. :)

Note: For any of you current or former SDALI teachers who find this dialogue semi-familiar, it was improvised from the dialogue between Jamal and Ally on p. 140 of the You Too Can Speak English Book 4 textbook.

Printed textbooks!!

Yesterday afternoon Dr. Yoon, the head of our new Department for Content Research and Development (or something like that), walked into our office with a bunch of textbooks. I thought nothing of it and continued to edit the printed-out pages in front of me. But Dr. Yoon called Robin, one of my Adult Textbook Office coworkers, over to the table in the corner where they talked for a few minutes. Then Robin came to get me and showed me the books laying in four neat piles on the table: the first-print copies of our Jeju Project! Robin was excited and she's seen textbooks she's helped create in print before. To say that I was excited was an understatement. I've only ever seen my writing in print in the Insight Magazine a couple times and on the news pages of the Southern Accent. And this is a little bit more official. I was kicking myself yesterday for not always carrying my camera around with me, but I brought it today and snapped a few pictures at my desk. I especially want to share them with Renee, my friend whose job I inherited when she left back to the U.S. in December. She helped the ATO with content for all three textbooks, two of the three workbooks, and did all the Jeju Island teacher's training. So without further ado, here you go, people. This is what our Jeju Project textbooks and auxiliary materials look like!

Aren't they pretty! So I was planning to also use this blog post as a way to announce that we're officially finished the Jeju Project. This afternoon MJ, the manager of my section of the office, and Dr. Yoon went to a presentation to show the government the books. They came back happy with how it went, but MJ told Robin and me later that the government officials asked for one more addition (just the latest in a long line of additions they've requested...let's not forget this project was supposed to be done at the end of December when they suddenly asked for reading passages [featured above] to be added to the textbooks and workbooks, and teacher's manuals and student guides to be created for each of the three levels). So we're not done yet. Tomorrow we'll start the (hopefully) last part of the project, adding word lists to the back of all three textbooks. Maybe by next week we'll be done. But for now, I'm just happy to see the nearly finished products in print!

The big office move

Well, the day has finally arrived. It's moving day for our Adult Textbook Office, as well as for the other two textbook offices on campus. We first hear about a possible move back around the end of January. A man came into our office one afternoon and talked to my Korean coworkers. When he left they told me that we might have to move because Kinderest (the preschool/kindergarten program in the building next door to ours) was needing more space and wanted to expand into our building. At that time the man said that either our office or the one below us, the Junior Textbook Office, might be moving to give Kinderest more space. A week or two later it was confirmed that one of the two offices would indeed be moving. And another week or two down the road it was decided that both our office and the junior office would be moving out of our building and into a new one together. Finally we heard that all three textbook offices, Adult, Junior and WinPlan (for high school students getting ready for school tests and entrance exams), would be moving and merging into one conglomerate office. Needless to say, none of us in the ATO liked this news. We all love our small third-floor office with it's floor-to-ceiling sliding glass doors facing the southwest. We love the closeness we feel when we're all working together in the same room. We love the view. We love our worship times where we feel safe to share our thoughts, concerns and problems with each other. We love the quiet and solitude of working in a four-person office.

The Adult Textbook Office 

My cozy little cubicle, inherited from my friend Renee

The view from our office looking toward the hospital

The view from our office looking toward the Academic Office/church and the Language Institute

But, no matter how much we love our little office, the final say was made by someone who didn't ask our opinions in the matter. So on Monday and Tuesday we began packing up our many textbooks, deciding which ones to keep and move with us and which ones to recycle. Honestly, the past two days were the worst ones I've experienced in that office, mostly because of the numerous people popping in and out, all talking as loudly as they wanted and not realizing that some people (me) need a nice quiet atmosphere in which to work. Yesterday morning I was the first person in the office and snapped a few pictures of the mess so far. I was also the last person to leave at night and I took a few more, the final pictures I'll ever take in that office.

Packed boxes everywhere

Stacks of things to be recycled or thrown out

Empty bookshelves

My poor cleaned-out cubicle and desk

Our office has a very major deadline for a project that was initially supposed to be completed at the end of December, then got pushed back to the end of February and now is staring us in the face at mid-March. My two other coworkers (the third one finished working at our office at the end of February) helped to move the office today, but I'm working at home, desperately trying to finish the Teacher's Manual for the Elementary Level of the Jeju Project. I heard the moving trucks start up this morning, but didn't make it outside in time to snap any pictures, but I did take a break around 2 p.m. and walked up behind the Korean church to find our new office. What a shock! It's bigger than our old office, but not by very much. I have no idea how three offices and 20 workers will ever fit in there! I'm sure it'll work somehow, but it sure wasn't in working order this afternoon.

Our new building (we occupy the top floor, while there are guest rooms beneath us)

Our tiny new office

The ATO area of our new office (front three desks)

MJ, the head of the ATO, in good spirits despite a hectic move

So there you have it, our move as documented as I could achieve. I'm really sad to leave our old office, not only because of the coziness and comfort, but because of the memories and the wonderful worship time we had there. I'm wary about trying to work in an overcrowded and potentially noisy office like the one we've moved in to, but I'll make the best of it. Maybe I'll even make new good memories there! Even so, I'll miss you, old third-floor office. Thanks for all the good times you gave me during these past two months!

Farewell lunch at Mr. Pizza

Today both of us went out to eat as a sort of "farewell" outing - I with my 10 and 11am classes, and Ali with her coworkers. Out of pure coincidence, we ended up going to the exact same pizza restaurant! Mr. Pizza has some pretty good pizza as well as a salad bar and yogurt bar. After Ali finished eating with her coworkers, and they left, she came and joined our table while we ate.
I also presented awards at that time - for each class we give out an award for the top student based on grades, also if someone has perfect attendance, they get an award. The top student receives a free textbook for the next level of class, and for perfect attendance a 20,000 won voucher is awarded toward the next level tuition (about $20).
In my 10 am class, Jennifer got both awards, and in my 11 am class Daisy was the top student, with no one achieving perfect attendance. Of course, they were duly excited; in fact, Daisy was actually surprised she had passed!

All in all it was a fun time, even though a pretty small percentage of my students showed up that day.

Ali and her coworkers: Christie - the Adult Textbook Office Manager, Robin and MJ (June was sick and couldn't make it)

Jennifer with her two awards

Daisy with her award - I think she was too surprised to smile!

The whole group, after Ali joined us. L-R: Ali, Amy, me, Randy, Jennifer, Rudith, Michelle, and Daisy

Jennifer insisted on getting a picture with me

And of course, after that, Daisy had to, too

We had never seen an intersection with so many crosswalks before, so Ali took a picture of it. It has all the usual ones across each street, as well as two diagonal ones that cut right across the middle of the intersection. Traffic comes to a complete standstill for the use of these walks.

Daisy and Michelle found a cute puppy to pet just before we got back to the institute