The Great Myth and Mystery of Peruvian Civilization...in Korea!

From December 11th, 2009 to March 28th, 2010, a special exhibition calls the National Museum of Korea in Seoul its temporary home. The organizers of the exhibition felt proud to host this particular exhibit and to help Koreans expand their knowledge of the ancient civilization that existed approximately a thousand years ago.The exhibit takes its course among multiple rooms within the museum. It continues in mostly chronological order. Artifacts from the period include battle wear, pottery, jewelry, and the most popular relics...the mummies! The mummy portion of the exhibit includes mummified people and animals. Not for the faint of heart!Unfortunately, pictures weren't allowed. However, I got a few in at the exit with an interesting backdrop that was supposed to be a bit like those 3d paintings that you can appear to be a part of. Another downside is that not much of the exhibit is in English. There's a few captions here and there with some details in English, but not so much that it's easy to navigate and know what you're looking at. Nonetheless, the artifacts themselves are a sight to see!
To get to the National Museum of Korea in Seoul, take the subway to Ichon station (light blue line 4) and take exit 2. Continue out of exit 2 until you see signs for the museum and the museum itself on your left.

Apgujeong and Dosan Park

Nestled in the hidden alleyways of Apgujeong lies Dosan Park. As you walk through the maze of side streets lined with cutesy cafes, rustic restaurants and bourgeois boutiques, you'll more than likely stumble upon Dosan Park. This small, clean, and well-kept park is located just a bit north of the Onjuro and Dosandaero intersection.

Dosan Park was created in memory of An Chang-ho, a prominent Korean independence advocate in the early 20th century. His pseudoname was "Dosan," Hence the park's appellation. He fought for the freedom of Koreans from the oppressive Japanese colonization and endured many hardships in doing so. In the park, you can see a large statue to commemorate An's monumental role in the philosophical movements of the beginning half of the 1900s.

To get to Dosan Park, take the orange subway line #3 to Apgujeong station. Exit through gate 3 and hop on the green bus #3422 to the Dosan Park bus stop. The park's entrance is near the Maison Hermès. Entrance is free, but the park is closed on Sundays.

Classroom Ideas -- Supplement/Review : Baseball

This is a new series of entries within the HandS Korea blog that is designed to help you come up with ideas for the classroom ranging from effective grading, homework assignments, supplementary activities and discipline. If you have any suggestions and/or questions, please leave a comment!

Supplementary activities can be vital, especially if you're ahead in the curriculum or have a particularly bright group of students who tend to move quickly through material. Coming up with those supplementary activities often requires some work and often materials to which you may not have access. Within this entry there a supplement that is educational and requires very few materials as well as very little prep time! Enjoy!

Baseball
Baseball is a review activity, but it can also be used as a way to test your students' retention of things like vocabulary, grammar, and comprehension of texts read. It follows the same format and rules of an actual baseball game.

Materials : A white- or blackboard and dry erase markers or chalk.

Preparation : Choose vocabulary from a past unit, potential test questions, grammar rules and examples, anything related to the topics at hand that have been studied in class.

Before the game : Draw a baseball diamond on the floor and label the bases. Also draw a scoreboard and include the 9 innings (or less depending on how much time you have) as well as a space for strikes and outs. Divide students into 2 teams and allow them 1-2 minutes to select a team name. Otherwise, you can choose silly team names for them, especially for younger ages. The instructor should choose the "batting" line up. Write the line up for each team on the board, so students can remember the order and when it's their turn.

Directions : The students remain in their seats on their respective team's side. The instructor should ask the first student "up to bat" a question. (It might be wise to keep the questions relatively simple the first time through each team's line up and to progressively make the questions more challenging.) It's up to you, the instructor whether or not each student can consult his/her teammates for help. If the student gets the correct answer, then his/her team advances to the next base. (I mark each team's place on the bases with a different color marker or a particular shape.) If the student answers incorrectly, then it is a strike. Either way, after one student has answered, it's the other team's turn. Continue like this as time allows. Every so often I like to throw in a "bonus" question that tends to be a little more difficult and I like to allow the teams to consult each other first for the answer and the first team to raise their hand and respond correctly gets the "bonus". It can be a double, a triple, a home run, a grand slam, depending on the difficulty of the question.

Notes : You might want to consider the dynamic of your class before deciding whether or not to allow students to consult their teammates. Some classes get along well together and don't give each other a hard time. Others...do not. To avoid classroom drams, think about this before you decide to implement this activity. Also, as a reward to the winning team, as opposed to a treat or something of that effect, I like to take away a small portion of the homework (maybe a couple of questions less) for the winning team. Finally, to make this baseball game more authentic and exciting, try to be the umpire as you would see one in a real baseball game. For example when a student gets a home run, in a loud announcer-like voice, call out "Hoooommmme runnnn!" Try not to focus on the negatives like "Strike" and "You're out."

* Did you try this activity and it turned out to be a success? Please tell us! Also, if you have any pointers or tips to make it better, let us know this as well!

A Korean Winter Wonderland

This winter has been particularly snowy and cold. While some of us may hail from places where this is not the norm, for others of us, that wintry weather makes us feel like we're right at home. Whether you're from the tropics or the arctic circle, Korea's winter season has come upon us and stayed for longer than some of us would care for.

As this holiday season is approaching us, more and more decorations and Christmas feelings are beginning to peep their heads. Below are random pictures of Korea's holiday season. They include Posco sageori/tower holiday lights, Seoul's first snow of the year, and festive holiday decorations. Enjoy! Here's hoping that your holidays are filled with joy and happiness!

A breakdown of notarizations

A notarization from a notary public means that the document in question's legality has been authenticated by a notary public appointed by the government (regional or federal.) A notarization is also often referred to as a verification or authentication in some places in the world. This term is very important for E2 visa applicants wishing to come to Korea as a couple of the documents require a notarization prior to another authentication called an Apostille which is also required by Korean Immigration to obtain approval for obtaining an E2 visa.

Obtaining a notarization from a notary public is not such a difficult task in most places. The easiest way to find a public notary closest to you is to check out your local phone book's yellow pages. In almost all cases, you will have to be physically present to have the document notarized if it is for your own personal or professional use. In the case that you cannot be physically present to do so, then it is usually possible to have a Power or Attorney do it for you. Most documents also require your signature somewhere as well. If you are not in your home country to obtain a notarization for a document originating from your home country, then it would be a good idea to get a hold of a consulate or embassy official in your current location to see if they offer notary public services. (They usually do!)

In some countries, there are some notary publics require an appointment to be scheduled and the time it takes to return the notarized document varies from person to person. It is a wise idea to contact the notary public whose services you would like to use prior to going to see him/her to get a better idea of costs, times, appointments, etc.

Notarizations may seem like a tedious step on the way to obtaining your required E2 visa documents, but they are usually relatively easy and quick to get!

HSK Restaurant Review--Le Saint Ex

As you've probably already noticed from previous blogs, despite Korea's separation from many other cultures by bodies of water, it still has quite a wide variety international cuisine. Often times you may find that the cuisine is catered to Korean taste buds and somewhat lacking in authenticity. However, once in a while, you'll come across an establishment that offers a bona fide cultural cuisine alongside a tranquil ambiance. A few friends and I were able to find this experience in the French restaurant named Le Saint Ex in Itaewon.

Tucked away in the backstreets of Itaewon behind the Hamilton Hotel, Le Saint Ex is a dimly lit small restaurant with a menu to impress. A plat du jour is offered and at medium-ranged prices, they offer hearty dishes and are not at all stingy when it comes to portions! French baguette comes before the meal and the servers are more than happy to refill your bread basket once empty. HSK and friends opted for a cream-based beef and tomato soup and a toasted brie salad as a starter. As as main dish we tried the plat du jour, which was a braised pork cutlet with roasted veggies on the side. Others selected salmon paté salad and a lamb dish.
Our overall dining experience was pleasant and filled with good conversation, always a great accompaniement to a delicious meal!
** Attention : The menus are in French or Korean. If you are not familiar with French cuisine or language and/or unable to read Korean menus, you might want to consider this before paying a visit to our friends at Le Saint Ex. However, the staff is very friendly and eager to explain the menu in English and Korean!

Happy New Year!!!

Greetings from South Korea! Everyone at the HandS Korea office would like to wish you and yours a VERY Happy New Year! We hope that 2010 brings you success, happiness and everything you wish to achieve! Thank you all for your support and consideration!

~ The HandS Korea team

* Our office will be closed Friday January 1, Saturday January 2, and Sunday January 3. See you all next year!