Kyoto, Japan

Hi everyone! This is the second post in my travel blog series about my solo trip to Japan during my winter vacation. This post will focus on my experiences in Kyoto, famous for its beautiful and historic gardens, temples, and shrines, among many other things. If you missed my post about Tokyo, check that out first. Let's dive in!

After my busy first three days in Tokyo, I headed out to one of Japan's more nature-y cities, Kyoto. Unfortunately, I was only there for two and a half days, which wasn't nearly enough time, so I hope to go back again when I get the chance.

Hanging out along the river in Kyoto

I woke up and took the express train (Sinkansen) from Tokyo to Kyoto, which was an expensive ticket, but worth it. Instead of heading straight to my hostel upon arrival, I decided to do some exploring near the train station. I visited a few parks and temples along my way towards the guesthouse, and the weather was beautiful! After dropping my bags off, I grabbed a beer and some snacks, walked along a river, and sat down on some rocks and enjoyed the sunset.

The encouraging worker and my Pikachu plush!

Later that night, I went towards the shopping market area, ate street food, and tried my luck at Japanese crane games, at which I failed horribly. I got sucked into one game because of a friendly, young worker who kept encouraging me and gave me free chances to play every now and then. I still ended up blowing about $35 and walked away with nothing... or so I thought! The worker must have felt really bad for me because she walked to the back of the store and whipped out a special edition Pikachu plush doll that I had been trying to win the entire time (about 30-40 minutes). I was so happy that I gave her a hug and made her take a picture with me, haha! A memory that I'll always remember.

The Golden Pavilion

The next day, I visited Kinkaku-ji (Golden Pavilion), a zen garden, a historic castle, and a lot of shrines. There is so much sightseeing to do in Kyoto! Even though the weather was horribly cold and rainy all day, I still had fun learning about Japan's "old capital". I'll let the pictures do the talking!

Naji Castle

That evening, I met up with another Fulbrighter (Brittany!) and her boyfriend, who were also visiting Kyoto at the same time. We went to a revolving sushi bar, explored Japan's "one dollar" stores, and discussed anime and manga for a looooong time, haha! It was a blast and I was happy to have some company for once during my trip.

Revolving sushi... we did some damage

As I mentioned earlier, I didn't spend nearly enough time in Kyoto as I should have. It's on my bucket list to return again in the future! Stay tuned for my next post about Osaka.

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Tokyo, Japan

Senso-ji Temple

Hi everyone! I know it's been long since my last update, and I am finally getting around to writing about my winter break trip to Japan (back in February).

This is the first of three posts about my solo trip to Japan during my winter vacation. This post will focus on my first leg of the trip, where I spent three days in the nation's capital, Tokyo. It was unbelievably different than what I expected (in a positive way), and I am looking forward to going back one day.

           

On my first day of the trip, I arrived in Tokyo, purchased a subway ticket for my stay, and headed out to my hostel. Transportation was by far the most expensive thing in all of Japan! Traveling from place to place ate up the majority of my expenses during my one-week trip. I checked in, set my bags down, and just started wandering around the area. I stumbled into the Asakusa area, where I explored Senso-ji Temple, which is Tokyo's oldest. There was plenty of shopping and street food to be eaten, so I dove right in. I tried Japanese style ice cream, takoyaki (savory ball-shaped pancakes with octopus at the center topped with mayonnaise, ginger pickles and fermented fish flakes), and ikayaki (grilled squid). All were extremely delicious! I wound down the day by sitting in Ueno Park, reading a book, and drinking Japanese beer. Great first day!

          

The second day, I met my Japanese friend whom I met during my study abroad in Spain! Ayano and I took some of the same classes at Universidad de Granada, and we have stayed in contact for five years. I can't believe it had been that long since we last met. Ayano took me to Meiji Shrine, Harajuku, and Shibuya Crossing. We caught up, got our fortunes for 2017 read to us, ate sushi off of a revolving cart, and consumed way too many sweets. No regrets! We also went to a CD store where we recommended music to each other and bought CDs in commemoration of our awesome day together. Thanks for your hospitality, Ayano! Nos vemos otra vez muy pronto!

          

On the third day in Tokyo, I took a day trip to Hakone, where I saw marvelous sights of Mt. Fuji and Japan's natural beauty. It was an early start, where I took a "romance car" to the outskirts of Hakone, explored a few gardens, and took a cable car up to the base of Fuji. While at the base, I ate Japanese pork cutlet and enjoyed the view. It was so beautiful that I made it my future goal to hike to the top of Mt. Fuji one day! From there, I took a ropeway back to ground level, and then finished the tour with an exploratory cruise around the Hakone area with various sights of Mt. Fuji. In the evening, I met another friend, Arisa, who I first met in Korea through a mutual friend. She took me out for Japanese style ramen, which was absolutely AMAZING! We finished the night with a few beers and I headed back to my hostel.

          

I'll let the pictures do the rest of the talking - it was a full three days, and wish I had a bit more leisure time, but now I know I'll just have to come back in the future.

          

Next leg of the trip, Kyoto - stay tuned!

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A Glimpse Inside Korean Educational Administration

A Native English Teacher's Experience Interviewing Selected Candidates for Hire at a Korean High School

I had the opportunity to be a part of the interviewing process for hiring new teachers at a Korean high school in Seoul. It is a unique experience that the majority of other Native English Teachers in the country are not usually a part of, for various reasons (I'll let you ponder those on your own). Following the day of interviews, I took some time to reflect upon the experience and thought I would share with you all a brief overview. I've refrained from posting personal comments [on this blog] on the matter, but those interested in learning more, feel free to contact me. Although I have had this post written and saved for a few months now, I am choosing to post it now because the official interviewing process has concluded, and the new school year has safely started. Even though the likelihood of this post having any effect on the entire process, I did not want to take any chances by posting this publicly ahead of time. For privacy concerns, I've refrained from including any names of candidates, interviewers (besides myself), and the school.

Where:

• A private, vocational, co-educational high school in Seoul, South Korea
• Inside of a large conference room; the four interviewers seated on one side of a table, the solo interviewee seated opposite

When:

• Tuesday, January 24, 2017, 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.

Why:

• The final process in selecting and hiring new teachers for the 2017-18 academic school year
• The school already conducted sample lessons with a larger group and narrowed down the selection to the top candidates in each subject

Interviewers:

• School Principal
• School Vice Principal (VP)
• Retired Korean Supreme Court Justice (SCJ)
• English Native Teacher (ENT)

Interviewees:

• 3 English Teacher Candidates
• 3 Math Teacher Candidates
• 6 Business/Commercial Teacher Candidates
• Breakdown: 2 Male, 10 Female Candidates

Format:

• 30-minute structured interviews
• 4-panel interviewers seated across from the candidate
• 5 minutes: Ice-breaker and Resume-related questions asked by SCJ
• 10 minutes: School/Teaching-related questions asked by VP
• 10 minutes: Potpourri/Trivia-esque questions asked by Principal
• 5 minutes: Test of English Proficiency conducted by ENT

Types of Questions and Statements:

• (In Korean): How well can you hold your alcohol? How will that affect your teaching? 
• School dinners/outings are a common occurrence in Korea, often including large amounts of alcohol. These types of questions were regarded towards the male candidates.
• (In Korean): You're so young... when do you expect to get married (/ have a baby)? Why aren't you married yet? 
• These types of questions were regarded towards the female candidates.
• (In Korean): You look so ________ (young, old, nervous, timid, insert numerous other adjectives here). 
• (In Korean): Why haven't you been considered as a permanent candidate before now? What caused a delay between ______ and ______? 
• In Korea, many professions contract their employees on a year-by-year basis. It is difficult to obtain a permanent position within a school system.
• (In Korean): How well do you know Greek and Roman mythology? Who is Pythagorus? What can you tell me about ____________ (time period)? 
• These questions were asked regardless of the subject content they were being interviewed for.
• (In Korean): Questions related to education and prior work experience; Why was your GPA ____? What factors accounted for that? How does your experience at ______ relate to the position for consideration?
• (In English): Tell me about your classroom management strategies. How do you prevent students from sleeping in your class? 
• (In English): What has been the most rewarding/challenging aspect in your teaching career thus far?
• (In English): What makes you stand out from the rest of the candidates today?
• (In English): Please read the first two paragraphs from the article laid beside you.
• The article was written in English.

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