EPIK Experiences: Vacation Days and English Camp

Heeeeyyy, been a while, huh?

Or, as my students would say, "Long time no see! Nice to meet you again!"

(For some reason, they avoid saying 'Nice to see you again' no matter how many times I explain it.)

Anyway, it's been so long that the (few) who regularly check this blog have probably wondered if I'd jumped ship on Korea or something. But no, I haven't pulled a Midnight Run. The reality is that, because it was my first Christmas away from home, I made sure to stay busy. I prepared not only for a Christmas Cookie Gathering at my place, but for my brother's visit. He'd arrived in Korea the weekend before Christmas, and I wanted to show him Seoul. Then, just before New Year's, we hopped on a plane to Japan for some snow. (A trip I'll share more about in another post.)

Between Seoul and Japan I had a week of lessons to teach. To be fair--I'd breezed through them. Even if I had to teach Christmas Eve/the day after Christmas, I just played Holiday themed English speaking games with my students for weeks on end. (They had finished their final exams sometime at the end of November, and my co-teachers wanted me to do more cultural lessons anyway.) By the start of New Year's Weekend, I packed my bags and rounded off my brother's Korea trip with my favorite hike in Busan. 

Though I'm sure you're wondering how the planning of that all went--after all, I haven't talked about EPIK vacation dates yet.

---

EPIK Vacation Days

I'll tell you from now, full disclaimer and everything...

...your vacation dates depend entirely on your city, contract, school, and co-teacher. Yeah--even your co-teacher.

For Busan, this year's winter break came the  weekend before New Year's and ends around January 28th. Students come back for about a week on the 28th, we all have four days off for Lunar New Year in February, and then a half a week of graduation. Mid-way through February, the school year officially comes to an end and students have time off again before starting the new school year around the beginning of March. 

Some time in all this--when students aren't in school--you can take your vacation. Contractually, you're given 9-10 days off (though there are rumors of this increasing) and it's up to you whether you take one large holiday or sporadic days off. At my school, all teachers are required to be at work for most of February so as to plan the new school year. Because of this stipulation, I had to take my vacation days in January. 

Thanks to my co-teacher, I managed to plan my vacation for exactly when I wanted. I get along well with my co-teachers (I think). As a result, they're more than happy to help me out if I ask. Some people aren't so lucky--maybe there's construction at their school(s) causing complications, maybe they absolutely must have camp on certain, specific dates, maybe the co-teacher from hell has a vendetta and inputs you paperwork wrong.

This is what I meant by your vacation dates as conditional and/or contingent upon city, contract, school, and co-teacher.

---

EPIK Winter Camp and DeskWarming

To be perfectly honest, Winter Camp isn't anything to write home about. The stress, the materials, the hours. You won't be teaching for more than 3 classes -- at least if you're in middle school -- and then the rest of the day is desk-warming. So far, I've studied Korean, skimmed 100 pages of my novel for last minute touch ups, researched literary agents, chosen MA degrees, and replayed a few K-Pop music videos a couple dozen times.
                 >>> 👀 >>> (*coughcough*no shame *coughcough*)

Really, I've only got a single piece of advice: make sure you enjoy your theme.

Whatever you choose to do, be it travel-themed or movie or museum, you'll spend a lot of your time either modifying or making materials from scratch. If you enjoy the theme, it'll be easier to plan. Games and activities will feel like they appear suddenly, and chances are your kids will have fun, too. The whole goal of camp is for the kids to learn a little English and enjoy themselves. I found it even easier if I constructed my camp around a final project of sorts. For example, my winter camp project is a team video that we'll be filming tomorrow with my camera. (Update From The Aforementioned 'Tomorrow': Editing's a bitch).

I am thinking WAY ahead, but when I start planning for summer camp I know I want to have a mock "museum day."

Have fun and don't be afraid to introduce your hobbies and specialties as a theme! Some friends I know are doing an Art Camp, Adventure Camp, etc. So have at it! Who knows--maybe after all is said and done here in Korea I'll post my camp materials/plan for you guys ;) 

Non-Teaching New Year's Resolutions

So I bet you're all expecting my first New Year's Resolution to be something about regularly posting, right? Weekly updates and an Instagram photo every Tuesday and Thursday, right?

Well you're wrong because I know myself, and that wouldn't last very long at all. Usually, I reflect on last year's resolutions and create new ones on Tumblr, but hey--I'll share 'em here.

Last Year's Resolutions:

1. Make Art again, develop my style
   -try to do 5-6 2minute studies everyday; two full-scale portraits per month; one larger drawing per week
              I managed the 2 minute studies for a solid 2 months before they pattered out. Those full-scale portraits lasted exactly one (1) month. Yikes.
                I am happy to say I feel like I've noticed some key details in my art style, though.
   
   
2. Photography
   -take photos once a week and ASSTHETICS WITH PALS
               YA'LL I DID THIS!! I got back into photography and made an effort to work on the hobby as often as possible! YES! Even the "assthetics" with the pals happened--we dressed up and just went to take some fun pictures for shits and giggles.
   
   
3. Marry the Moon, Begin Query Agents by April 5th
   -1400 word revision every weekday + reader feedback edits on Fridays.
           I didn't start the query agents by April (actually working on that now), but I worked so diligently on my novel that I feel like I'd given a special piece of myself to the work. All in the best way, of course. I'd say this was a success, then.
   
   
4. Develop my formal blog
   -sections on comics, travel, language. Post every other week.
            Definitely wrote a lot for this blog, though once November hit it was hard to keep up with all my travel plans and adventures.
   
   
5. Master Elementary Korean before going abroad
   -in order to not be lost if I teach in Korea *crosses fingers*
   -Weekly vocab during personal studying + class. And maybe ask my friends from TKD to speak basic simple convo practice
                    Okay so I mastered Elementary Korean, but I'm still a baby when it comes to speaking. I'll do it when I get comfortable, but I stutter so much. Granted, some dating experiences here in Busan actually gave me a lot of practice.
   
   
6. I mean..hopefully be accepted to teach abroad in Korea.
             YA'LL I DID IT
   
   
7. Supplement my TKD training (3days) with at least 1 long run or cross training per week
             Check :)
   
   
8. CLIMB??? GO A LIL MORE OFTEN???PLEASE THIS CAN SOMETIMES BE THE CROSS TRAINING
           Check :)
9. Stay awake after tutoring in the early morning so I can jump start my day.
          Check again! Oh my God...
   
   
10. Don’t listen to music on subway rides. Always bring a book so you can continue making time for your favorite hobby now that you’re bringing back a lot of your other hobbies.
          Admittedly, this has been easier in Korea. I've read five books since arriving in August--so about a book a month--and that's because of my commute to the climbing gym.​​
    

This Year:
I think my resolutions will be a bit more general this year. Only a bit... I'm proud of my accomplishments, but I focused so much on doing everything that it was overwhelming, that I sometimes didn't find a lot of enjoyment out these things I loved.

-Reading Challenge
       Pretty self-explanatory. My friend shared one with me, and I figured I'd enjoy this resolution anyway. This just means more books on more commutes to more climbing wall workouts.

-Create Art For Myself
         As any creative will tell you, it's daunting to post our work in a public forum of any kind. Even more so when we don't  get responses and feel antsy about our skill level. Essentially, though, I want to return to creating art for the sake of art.  Art for myself, and finding value in that.

-Learning Through Your Own Means
        Honestly, I don't mean learning through life. I mean seeking out collections of literary criticism, challenging myself to a week of math problems so I don't forget simple algebra after working so hard in calculus back in high school, studying Korean even when I leave Korea.

-Pursue Love
          Romantic. Platonic. Whatever other kind the Ancient Greeks mentioned... I want to do things with love. I'm a pretty abrasive person in real life, and I know I need to show the people around me more kindness, affection, and agape.

-Accept My Creative Future With Peace
           Like any other twenty-something year old with anxiety, I've been a nervous wreck over my future. I doubt my skills sometimes, wonder how I can merge all the fields I'm interested in, panic over financial considerations. But I also know I'm driven, passionate, and surrounded by a network of support. I don't want to worry about my future anymore. I want to trust in it.

While last year's resolutions had been specific, outlining exactly how I would accomplish them, I wanted this year's to offer me more flexibility and opportunity to grow emotionally. Last year had been a year of healing from 2017. I often view healing as a return to what you love, so I tried to pack in as much of everything that I could. This year, I'd like to focus more inward than on tangible or material success. That's not to say I don't have set goals with specific dates, but I also know those aren't my resolutions so much as work I'd like to accomplish.

---

Anyway, that's the end of this spiel, and I hope you found some of the content helpful! If you've got any resolutions you'd like to share, I'd love to hear 'em! Send them over either through the comments, or on my Instagram!