The Annual Faculty Retreat at MGM Grand Hotel in Macau

A photo of all new and returning faculty at the ELC.

 Last week after helping all the new teachers arrive over the weekend, we had our first faculty meetings and annual retreat. Below is an article about Day 1 of the retreat that was held at the MGM Grade Hotel in Macau. We were lucky to have a delicious 3 course meal and plenty of coffee, tea, and snacks throughout the day. They even had the sweet, sugar and cinnamon dusted churros which I used to sell on the local beach amusement park when I was in high school.  After a little research, I interestingly discovered that churros have a Chinese history.

To sum up the faculty retreat see a reflective article that my co-worker and I wrote up for the campus wide e-news bulletin about some of the events from the day. The semester does not start until September 16th, but we have been very busy with professional development workshops, course meetings, research planning, and event planning. Teaching and preparing our lessons is definitely not the only thing on our schedules!


Dear Colleagues and students, 

The English Language Center (ELC) kicked off the 2013-2014 semester with its Annual Faculty Retreat at the MGM Grand hotel on August 20, 2013. As the new semester approaches the ELC faculty may all agree on one thing; the nerves never go away before a new semester begins and we often find ourselves feeling exactly like our students with butterflies in our stomachs or like a child on Christmas morning not knowing what to expect from Santa Clause. With 8 new Faculty members joining the ELC concurrent with the expansion of the University, the retreat was a great way to get new and old teachers bonding as a team and familiarizing everyone with new ELC and University wide policies and expectations. New teachers Marie Webb and Azita Kuok reflect on the day spent getting to know one another under the sea at the MGM. 

A Handshake Game was used to reduce the tension and to get the group into a collaborative mood. Teams had to generate creative handshakes which incorporated both movement and sound, at each round increasing the number of movements as teams got bigger throughout the activity.
 

One of the more serious activities during the retreat was a group discussion on the ELC policy. Each group was formed with new and old staff members to discuss 3 questions related to the ELC policy. The questions covered all aspects, such as professional development opportunities, rights and duties, personnel rights and obligations, and support and funding for doing research. 

“We’ll take Important Dates and Numbers for 400 please,” a team shouted out during the American quiz show game Jeopardy. The Jeopardy game was used to revisit the policy discussion later in the day and served as a good review activity. “September 16?”, Subject Convenor at the ELC Barbara Weissmann asked, and team number 1 eagerly replied, ”When is the first day of class?” A team Jeopardy game served as an activity for teachers to review questions about policy and important days of the academic year. Of course the most important day, the first day of classes was highly deserving of 400 points. Personally, as new fellows in the program we both felt that the Jeopardy game was a great way to get all of the faculty thinking about exciting activities to integrate into their class lessons. But, we won’t deny the fact that the chocolate bar rewards also helped with our extrinsic motivation.


In addition to exciting activities such as the Jeopardy game, all level head teachers and new teachers participated in a poster session in which we shared teaching ideas for our classrooms with one another. This activity reminds us that as educators collaboration is what helps us to stay open minded and up to date in our classrooms. Sharing our insights into successful lessons or activities is not simply just a retreat team building activity, but a lifelong process in which teachers are involved in a community of sharing knowledge. 



On the note of community building, teachers were expected to build a unique structure out of materials such as spaghetti and marshmallows in another activity. ELC courses are creative and innovative and this tower building activity demonstrated the characteristics of ELC staff members. Each group had to build a tower with 20 pieces of spaghetti, a yard of string, a yard of tape and one marshmallow. The group which could build the tallest tower in 15 minutes would be the winner. We were so engaged in this activity that no one wanted to stop when time was up. We learned the personalities and talents of each group member and it was challenging to collaborate in such a short period of time. As a result many of the marshmallow towers collapsed to their death after the timer rang. It was inspiring for us to reflect about ways to work with each other and having opportunities to show our strengths. The best part of this game was that Barbara, Joan, Kevin and Azita won this challenge! 



Overall we are excited about working in the ELC and truly feel that the Faculty Retreat day one set the tone for a wonderful and bright semester filled with new relationships and friendships. We are looking forward to getting to know the ELC teachers and staff more and would like to see if round two of the spaghetti marshmallow building competition improves in quality after we have known each other for more time. Let’s all take time to reflect on the things we learned and thank one another for a successful day.



Also, check out the ELC's webpage (http://www.umac.mo/elc/) for more information and photos. Thank you very much for your participation in ELC activities and for your support of our University's English Language Centre. 

English Language Centre (ELC)
University of Macau (UM)

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The move in process in Macau for off-campus faculty housing in 2013

     

Some purchased items to fill up my white, empty apartment in Macau.

        As I am working for the University of Macau, I was placed into housing as a language fellow (visiting instructor position). The cost of rent is extremely cheap for us because we are not hired directly by the University and are working for the English Language Center itself. For the 4 fellows our rent is only $104 per month to stay in off-campus housing through the university. During my 5th week here, 8 new senior instructors arrived to teach in the ELC and all were placed in temporary housing as well. Because of the move to the New University Campus in January, we are in a state of housing limbo.
        After providing much help to my new co-workers on the move in  process such as setting up gas, applying for internet, obtaining water, fixing wrong keys, broken air conditioners, securing couch covers  for peeling couches, etc., the management of the ELC sent out an e-mail requesting that all teachers reply to the housing office with requests for improvement and suggestions on the moving process. Each new teacher replied to my first e-mail that was sent and added more information. Some of the information added included the teachers that were placed in the Best Western Hotel in Taipa with no Wi-fi access or kitchens. For a week or two this is ok, but the University is not paying for their Wi-fi access which comes at an unreasonable cost as well as the fact that those teachers must eat out every meal at additional costs for a period of 1-4 months since the move to new apartments on campus is uncertain.

          Here are some of the items of complaint:

Hi Carol!

Here are a few:

1. White mold present in each rooms furniture. Mainly the desk, inside the desk drawers, under, all sides of the drawers insides, behind desk. Suggestion: Proper cleaning of all furniture prior to arrival.

2. Paint peeling from couches, you cannot even sit on the couches without being covered in black specks of paint. This is especially dangerous for the families with children whom often ingest the paint. Suggestion: new furniture or proper couch covers.

3. No gas upon arrival to cook or take hot showers. Suggestion: the school buys the first tank and removes the charge from our paycheck.

4. Basics upon arrival such as a roll of toilet paper, at least one cup, dish, bowl,one cooking pan, fork, spoon, and knife. Suggestion: In the past when I have moved abroad for teaching jobs there was a basic care package either sent the same day as arrival by delivery or provided in the apartment. All materials in this package were cheap and meant for basic needs upon arrival. We could leave only the initial items provided in the care box upon leaving so they could be used again, or dispose of them.

5. Proper pillows because mine was literally falling apart. The entire pillow was shredded into small pieces and then stuffed into a pillow case. Suggestion: new pillow upon arrival.

6. Check to make sure all keys work. My roommates key was the entirely wrong key and she was locked out. Suggestion: The school checks each key to make sure it functions correctly.

7. A second set of keys for guests. Many times we arrive with someone to help us with our adjustment and it is hard to get in and out of the apartment with only one set of keys. Suggestion: Each teacher be provided with 2 sets of keys.

8. Proper cleaning of apartment. I think all of us can agree that in the Western World we have different ideas about what is  "move in clean." For example, I spent 2 days scrubbing and bleaching the black mold and grime between the bathroom and kitchen tiles. This is something that no one wants to do when they arrive to a new country. A brief cleaning is not acceptable. Suggestion: A thorough clean of the floors, walls, and furniture.

Best,

Marie



     Although it seems as there are alot of complaints about the housing, this is due to the fact that the University is in a state of flux right now during the moving process. However, one teacher did reply to the e-mail noting that the University considers itself as one of the leading schools in Macau and in China and if they claim to do so they would probably have considered the moving process for it's international teachers with more care. There were obvious signs to all of the new teachers that the University took no care regarding their move to Macau. Especially when basic items such as air conditioners were not functioning or keys did not match the doors.
     With all of the complaints noted, The off-campus apartments are of wonderful size and in a great location of Macau. It is extremely hard to find this much space anywhere in Macau and for such a great price from the University subsidizing most of the cost. However, most teachers do not want to share rooms and need more than just a peeling old couch when arriving with a family that has children. I am sure this is the last time that most teachers for the University will experience this kind of setting as the new campus will have plenty of housing for faculty. However, for faculty that does not receive on-campus housing from the beginning of their move, the University definitely needs to raise their quality of service for new arrivals. Much of the faculty from the ELC has taught in the Middle East which dominates in the relocation department. Some faculty report being handed thousands of dollars to buy new furniture and being provided with a private car upon arrival until they were more fully settled. Moving to a new country is a huge adjustment and providing professionals with a professional moving experience should not be understated. As of now, there are 3 of us living in this apartment. I am under the understanding that I would not be receiving on-campus housing and that I will be staying here for the year. My roommates are under the impression that this is temporary housing and that they will be moving in to the new apartments on campus once the construction is finished. Check back for a later post on a live video tour of my apartment in Macau.

If you have any questions or comments about "The move in process in Macau for off-campus faculty housing 2013" please leave them in the comment box below

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Can I raise my hand?:Teaching at The Summer Bridge Program at University of Macau

   

Students enjoying the end of the summer bridge program during our class party.

     Three weeks have flown by since I started teaching at the Summer Bridge program and my students will be happy to part with me for their summer vacation before Fall classes tomorrow, while I will be wishing we had more time to really get down to work! I have been in Macau for almost 1 month now and this 3 week summer program at the University has been a great introduction to the English Language Center that I am working at this year. The students in the Summer Bridge Program are all recent High School graduates and it is their first time taking any University affiliated course. Most of them were accepted into the program with the understanding that they pass this summer course in order to enroll into classes in the Fall. With a lower English level, these students need a brush up on their basic English skills as they have been taught English in Chinese for the past 6 years. And even more exciting, they need a crash course in Western teaching philosophy that requires class discussion and group work where their ideas are appreciated and heard.

         "I can raise my hand?" a student asked me during the first week of class. I was shocked as I watched my students struggle with the adjustment of being told what to do instead of deciding what to do. I realized quickly that my students have never had to think for themselves and were used to an environment where they simply filled in the blanks and did extremely rote activities to reinforce concepts, rather than using the language in a more natural way. This is when a team game was introduced to the class in which the students had to match sentence strips under the category of Western Teaching Philosophy or Eastern Teaching Philosophy. Then after a discussion, the students were able to write on the topic and state the pros and cons of each philosophy and/or which one they preferred. 

            To my surprise, all of the students chose Western teaching philosophy even though I explained to them that I would mix both styles of teaching in my classroom. They stated that they liked not focusing on a book and actually being creative because they felt they could contribute more to their society. Their words were very powerful to those that understand the lack of creativity that they were previously allowed in their learning experiences. 

            There is alot to say about this 3 week program, but overall my opinion is that it is too short to accomplish any deep learning. I tried my best to thoroughly cover all of the most important information while teaching them basic skills to survive in a University setting. A majority of my class didn't even know how to organize a notebook and I quickly realized that I needed to make that a part of the class grade to get them to pay full attention to staying organized. They actually showed up to class with mini mouse notepads and some of them without lined paper or pens and pencils. This seems almost non-nonsensical to most American teachers as these skills are reinforced at a young age, but my Chinese co-worker reminded me that the students are known for being "spoon-fed" and catered to their entire lives even during their schooling. This is a much bigger problem than I thought it would be. I have taught in Asia before in Korea and Japan, but never have I experienced the "spoon-feeding" non creative mindset with such full force. Here in China, even in a more free environment in the Special Administrative Region of Macau, students are not taught to think for themselves at a young age. This is something that I truly think hinders them as they begin their college careers, where most of them will be thrown into all English classes with Western teachers who will be shocked at their lack of discussion skills. 

              As the 3 week period wraps up tomorrow, my class will enjoy a relaxing day of playing English games and watching Ice Age 3 over lunch together. This is something that I look forward to at the end of my classes where the students can get to know me on a more personal level and reflect on the time that we had together.

A view of Macau from the University of Macau on Taipa Island.

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My New Portuguese Lifestyle in Macau

Calsada streets around old Macau in my neighborhood.

       Well I have officially been adopted by my Portuguese roommate and I am living a European lifestyle here in Macau eating dinner at 9 and 10 at night and getting fresh vegetables from the markets only steps from my home. Walking around the old Portuguese cobble stone streets or as Ana my flat-mate would say “calcada” I have learned more about Macau’s old Portuguese history than many might learn in a lifetime in just 3 days in Macau. Ana is born and raised in Lisbon, Portugal and teaches Chinese to Portuguese translation at The University of Macau. Since she found out she is exactly twice my age, Ana has taken me under her wing and has shown me all the best places around our neighborhood. I was very sick with a terrible head cold when I first arrived and so my first two nights she cooked us a lovely dinner and we chatted all night long with Frank Sinatra and Beethoven playing in the background. The first dinner was a mix of broccoli and red vinegar as a side dish and green tea pasta with mussels, shallots, tomatoes, Chinese peppers,some other spicy Chinese oil, and other veggies that gave great flavor to the dish. We chatted about our families and our lives and I found out that she is the daughter of 2 university teachers and grew up learning English, French, and of course Portuguese and took on learning Chinese when she was 29. “Oh good! There is still hope for my Chinese!” I remarked to such a talented peer.

               

One of the churches I stumbled upon walking around my first day.

Ana calls herself a philosopher and I think she is just that. She has a Ph.D in East Asian Studies from Lisbon University in Portugal and loves chatting with me about the secret of life and the relationships between men and women. Though she has one daughter and granddaughter she is unmarried and explains that she leads a lonely life, but that it is one of joy and happiness with her research and family. She often brings up the topic of love, and says that she encourages me to get married and to make sure that if I date any men in Macau they must be tested first because people in Macau have too much money and they can’t be trusted as good men. Because people have so much money in Macau she believes that with money comes problems.

               

The dinner Ana cooked on my first night in Macau.

“Aaaaaah” I think to myself. “I have noticed a lot of BMW’s, Lamborghinis, and Maseratis, being driven around the town.” Actually, all I have seen is beautiful luxury cars all over this city! I think that Ana and I are going to get along very well. Who knows how long she will be living here with me since tenured University Faculty are very high on the list for housing at the new University Campus. She will be going on vacation for about a month in a few weeks and then I will have the apartment all to myself. We both admitted to each other that we prefer to live alone and have our own space. But, off-campus faculty housing from the University always has apartments with 2 rooms for the time being. If she moves out, I will have the place to myself unless another faculty member is hired from out of the country and chooses to live through the University housing system. I do have my fingers crossed though that I end up having a 2 bedroom apartment to myself! Mainly because this is great when friends come and visit from out of states and Hong Kong. But until then, I am really enjoying Ana’s company and friendly advice and attitude about life.

               

The street names in Portuguese and Chinese around the city.

Ana really reminds me of my old Canadian co-worker in Korea, Joan who was also twice my age, became a very good friend and mentor to me during my time there in 2010-2011. Joan and I were more alike as she was a shopper and an eater and of course much more of a people person than Ana seems to be. But, I can see what the life of a true researcher and professor is like that is so dedicated to contributing learning in this world.

                On the topic of teaching, I have my first meeting tomorrow for the summer session here and I’ll be writing more about the University and the city as my Wi-Fi capabilities allow. Next Wednesday I am getting Wi-Fi installed in my apartment and then I’ll be updating more regularly about life and work in Macau. 

If you have any questions or comments about "My New Portuguese Lifestyle in Macau" please leave them in the comment box below

or email them to goneseoulsearching@gmail.com 

    Gone Seoul Searching by Marie Webb is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License. Permissions beyond the scope of this license may be available at goneseoulsearching@gmail.com.

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An update from row 45 of Singapore Airlines on my flight to Hong Kong

I lucked out with my own row of seats!

Dear friends and family!

After a wonderful send off in California I have started my long journey to Macau. I had a 4^th of July party and dinner on the 5^th and feel so supported and loved by everyone as I begin my next 11 month journey abroad. I flew out of San Diego at 7:35 with a lovely free upgrade to first class seating on United Airlines, and enjoyed a beautiful, golden sunset over the coast of California as I touched down in San Francisco Airport. My Hong-Konger shopping instincts might have already kicked in again as I picked up some dark chocolate raspberry Ghiradelli chocolate for my friends and co-workers that are helping me upon my arrival. I also picked up a tiny charger that gives an extra 17-20 hours of battery life on your I-phone and talked to some helpful clerks about the pre-paid airport chips found in the vending machines in Hong Kong Airport.

A beautiful sunset over San Francisco.

 As I waited to board my flight on Singapore Airlines leaving at 1 a.m., I Skyped and Facetimed two of my best friends for 2 hours and then my mother for another hour. They gave me a lot of pep talks and we gabbed about how exciting and lucky my life as a teacher can be. This is my third time going abroad to teach and I am so lucky to have been accepted for a position at the University of Macau.

Right now it is 11:48 a.m. in San Diego and 2:49 a.m. in Macau and there is about 3 hours left on my flight. I don’t know why I end up being so lucky on flights with my legs stretched out over an entire row of chairs and three pillows behind my back, neck, and feet! This has actually happened to me on 3 flights in the past year, one home from Chicago back in November, one from Thailand to Vietnam, and another from China back to Japan where I was teaching last summer of 2012. So with an upgrade to first class on my commuter flight and an entire row to myself on Singapore Airlines for the 13 hour flight, I’d say my trip has started off nicely

Flying into Hong Kong Airport.

Melanie and Laurent, two of my best friends from Korea in 2010-2011 have relocated his company and her teaching skills to Hong Kong and will be graciously picking me up at 6:30 am at the Hong Kong Airport after I go through customs. I am beyond excited as I get to see their sparkling faces on my first day back in Asia! They will help me with my bags and we will then hop in a cab over to the Hong Kong Ferry Terminal so I can get on an earlier Turbojet boat over to the island of Macau. The ferries leave every 15 minutes from the terminal but less regularly out of the airport terminal so this is why I have decided to just go through Hong Kong customs and leave the airport. Then we will part ways and Carol, one of the administrators at the University will be picking me up at the Macau ferry terminal after I go through Macau customs and we will head straight over to my apartment which is only about a 15 minute journey from there.

Watching Gangster Squad as Lauren requested!

I have quite a sneezing fit going on right now on the airplane ever since I sat down. But after sleeping the past 7 hours sprawled across three seats with my funny green eyed eye mask and giant earplugs, I am now feeling much better and sipping on a nice hot cup of tea. I also gargled down some dissolved Advil in a cup of warm water, a trick of the trade that my old British co-worker Kate taught me in Japan to cure a sore throat instantly. I am thinking about how wonderful my day was yesterday and as I looked back to my waving friends and family into their teary eyes I knew that I would feel down for about an hour or two and then I would be back in the international section of the airport which is a place I have come to feel very familiar and comfortable in. My sadness about leaving the people I love most is already almost completely gone. If I had to put it on a meter I’d say I feel about 10% sad about leaving and 90% excited and ready for another teaching contract abroad.

In a couple of hours I’ll be putting on my Rainbows and heading off to meet my friends in Hong Kong! I am always surprised by how small the world seems to be and my studies about globalization at USD have really come full circle since I completed my Masters. I will be constantly re-designing some of the pages on my website to make the sections more clear and will add all new posts about Macau to the Macau, China page as I continue to update regularly. I invite you to follow along throughout the year and hope I can stay in touch with many and inspire others!

If you have any questions or comments about "An update from row 45 of Singapore Airlines on my flight to Hong Kong" please leave them in the comment box below

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Gone Seoul Searching in Macau: Takes on the Las Vegas of Asia in Macau, China

Hello Readers!

After a few months of relaxing from the blogging world, finishing my Master's degree in TESOL, and a crazy teaching schedule in San Diego I have returned to the blogger world! I am excited to take on yet another contract teaching abroad on the tiny tropical island of Macau, China. Here I come Las Vegas of Asia!
I was recently hired as a visiting instructor at The University of Macau where I will be teaching ESL full time and conducting research within the English Language Centre. For those of you who are not familiar with Macau, it is a small island of about 12 square miles in the South of China. Many people may know the nearby island of Hong Kong which is an ex British colony and Special Administrative Region of China with its own rules and governing system. Macau is the same scenario as Hong Kong with its own rules as it was returned to China from the Portuguese in 1999.

I have had some readers contact me asking why I haven't returned to teach in Korea or Japan and my reasoning is because I like to have as many experiences as possible. I am one of those people who can make a home very easily in almost any place, thus I like to keep forcing myself outside of my comfort zone and learning how to better serve my diverse populations of students. There is no better way to do so than by living in their countries and learning their cultural nuances and language tendencies first hand. Through my masters program I discovered a passion for research in ESL and The University of Macau seemed like a great fit for my future goals. I will be updating about Macau regularly and invite you to follow along!

About Page:

Gone Seoul Searching began in Seoul, South Korea in 2010 where I began teaching adult ESL at YBM in Jongno and continued with updates from Tokyo, Japan in 2011 where I wrote about my time in the Westgate University Program. Since 2010, I have worked at 5 ESL schools and have traveled to 10 countries including Korea, China, Taiwan, Japan, Indonesia, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Australia, and Mexico. I have also completed a Masters Degree in TESOL at the University of San Diego. My posts are focused on my travels and experiences teaching ESL abroad and within the U.S. with hopes that my readers can learn and connect in our globalized society.

Gone Seoul Searching is currently living and working in Macau, China.

If you have any questions or comments about "Gone Seoul Searching Takes on the Las Vegas of Asia in Macau, China" please leave them in the comment box below

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Gone Seoul Searching in Japan: Staying in the Fuji-Hakone Guest House

The Fuji-Hakone Guest House is a wonderful place to stay while visiting Hakone or Mt. Fuji and trying onsen.

Our private room slept 4 people.

Staying at the Fuji-Hakone Guest House was an amazing breath of fresh air from the crowded streets of Tokyo. After taking an hour and 30 minute train to Hakone and walking around a bit, my friends and I hopped on the bus to the guest house. The ride was windy and could easily make someone with a light stomache sick, but was a beautiful experience as we cut our way through the mountainsides.

The guest house is right off the main road in a nice location close to a few shops and restaurants. Everything closes pretty early on the mountain as it is mostly a day time place for tourists and those vacationing. There is no bumping night life or club nearby, so if you're looking for a party this is not the place. The area around the guest house is lush with trees and beautiful views of the mountains.

The indoor onsen, we opened the window at night to cool down!

When we arrived we were greeted by the owner who explained the guest house rules and gave us a ton of information about the area. One of the nice things about this guest house is that there are two onsen. The indoor onsen is free of charge and you can simply put your name up on the sign in sheet outside of the door for your private 30 minute slot. My friends and I signed up for 1 hour together and when we came home after a long day of sightseeing and travel we hopped in and were bad foreigners eating ice cream and having some drinks. This is a truly private onsen experience, which is great if you are one of those people who are afraid to be in a room with other naked people.

The guest house breakfast is nice but you can also cook in the kitchen.

The curfew at this guest house is 10pm. It seems strange to have a curfew, but in all reality because everything closes so early in the area its no problem. Just visit the  Lawson's convenience store down the street and stock up on some food and drinks if you want to hang out in your room with your friends all night.

Inside the common area at Fuji-Hakone Guest house.

The guest house serves an optional breakfast in the morning. The food looked delicious, but we decided to save a little money and cook ourselves. There is a full kitchen with all of the supplies that you need to do any cooking. I got up first and made my friends banana pancakes and eggs and we all ate breakfast on the floor in our traditional Japanese room listening to Jack Johnson's famous song Banana Pancakes and sung along to the main chorus line "make you banana pancakes pretend like its the weekend now we could pretend it all the time."

I highly recommend buying the Hakone Fuji Day pass and staying at this guest house. The price is very reasonable for what you get and it is comfortable and easy. Sharing the room with 3 or 4 other people can help you cut down on your costs and will give you a traditional Japanese experience. For a lower price they have dormitory rooms, however these were fully booked when we called. Make sure to call ahead of time and make a reservation. They will take your credit card information to hold the room, but there is no room charge for canceling or changing. They are quite flexible and have wonderful service!

Our breakfast that we cooked in the kitchen. All ingredients came from the Lawson's convenience store!

The front entrance sign to the Fuji-Hakone Guest House.

My friends and I messing around after the 10 pm curfew. 

The beautiful main rod which will take you to nearby restaurants and museums.

If you have any questions or comments about " Staying in the Fuji-Hakone Guest House" 

please leave them in the comment box below or email them to

 goneseoulsearching@gmail.com 

    Gone Seoul Searching by Marie Webb is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License. Permissions beyond the scope of this license may be available at goneseoulsearching@gmail.com.

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A Valentine's Day ESL Lesson: adjective clauses

Integrating holidays into your ESL lessons is a wonderful way to teach culture, reading, writing, and grammar at the same time. This is an example of an advanced ESL lesson integrating grammar with adjective clauses and the topic of Valentine's  Day. Students will always come up with unique stories and funny ideas with this activity. This is great to get your students working on creative writing and sparks spontaneity within your classroom. Many students are surprised to find out that with a little help from their classmates, they can come up with great stories in no time! Obviously more discussion can take place, I had only 20 minutes to teach this demo lesson, so on slide 2 you can extend the time to 5-10 minutes.

If you have any questions or comments about "A Valentine's Day ESL Lesson: adjective clauses" please leave them in the comment box below or email them to goneseoulsearching@gmail.com 

    Gone Seoul Searching by Marie Webb is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License. Permissions beyond the scope of this license may be available at goneseoulsearching@gmail.com.

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Gone Seoul Searching in Japan: Show and Tell Presentations with my ESL students

Some of my funniest students goofing around with role playing costumes during the break.

There were many giggles, mistakes, and smiles today in my classroom as my students did a wonderful job giving a Show and Tell presentation. For many of them, this was their first presentation ever and they were extremely nervous in the days leading up to the presentations. I cannot imagine what it must feel like to give your first presentation at the age of 18 or 19 and to give it in a foreign language!

To be honest, I was quite surprised that many of them had never given a presentation before. In America, most students take a speech class in high school that is devoted to learning the art of giving a good presentation. Not all of the students were first timers, some of them had given presentations in their other English class a week prior and many of them had given presentations in Japanese in their classes in University or High School. But for the students that had never given a presentation ever, I was extremely overjoyed and impressed by their work.

They all chose an item that had some kind of meaning for them or significance in their lives. For example, a baby ring, a lion statue, a picture frame, a special letter, and even a famous soccer players jersey. They were given 3 class periods leading up to the presentation day to learn about what a Show and Tell Presentation is about, and to work on their speaking skills.

Two weeks before the presentations I devoted one class towards getting the girls comfortable speaking in front of others. This specific class required the girls to time each other talking about a specific topic for 1 minute. There was a lot of group work and we talked about what things were good for a presentation such as eye contact, posture, smiling, speaking slowly and clearly. I gave a sample show and tell presentation that day with a magic towel my friend bought me in Hakone. The presentation seemed to catch their attention and they loved seeing the video of the old man with a blow dryer as the hot and cold air magically removed a geisha's clothing and putting them back on again.

The two days before the presentation day were devoted to the show and tell writing and practice. I had them choose an item the week of and on the Wednesday before they had to talk about their item with a partner and then I gave time in class to write out their presentations. I also threatened them a little saying if you don't come to my class on Friday for the presentation day then you will present on the next class on Tuesday! This seemed to work as all of my students that have been coming to class regularly showed up for the presentations. On the Thursday before, I let the students finish their writing and practice their presentation skills with a partner. I strongly encouraged gestures and movement as I made funny faces and walked around the room coaching them.

I am so proud of my students. They have come so far with their speaking skills in such a short amount of time. I really do believe that the Westgate program provides a good short term English program. 40 minutes everyday is great as the girls get to speak English throughout the week which is key for developing fluency in any language. The chosen class goals are great and serve as a review for the students. They have all had English in high school and middle school for 6 years before entering university,but most of them have not had the opportunity to actually use it within a speaking context. On the first day of class, all of my students were shy, awkward  and nervous to say the least. They could barely utter a word of English and many of them freaked out when I simply asked them "how are you?" Now, they can give a 3-4 minute presentation entirely in English and have the ability to talk in English for up to 10-20 minutes straight without there being a giant lull in the conversation. They are asking each other questions, asking me questions,explaining answers, and teaching each other useful vocabulary and grammar.

If you have any questions or comments about "Gone Seoul Searching in Japan: Show and Tell Presentations with my ESL students" please leave them in the comment box below or email them to goneseoulsearching@gmail.com 

    Gone Seoul Searching by Marie Webb is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License. Permissions beyond the scope of this license may be available at goneseoulsearching@gmail.com.

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Gone Seoul Searching in Japan: Teaching for Westgate Corporation at the University Program

Orientation day for the Westgate University Program takes place in central Tokyo with all employees present.

Robyn and I on our first day of orientation.

   My experience working for the Westgate University Program was to put it bluntly and keep it short, nothing short of amazing. Westgate is a private corporation in Japan that contracts to Universities and schools and provides Native English Speaking ESL teachers to work at those schools. If you have been teaching in South American Countries or Europe, you will be shocked to learn that Westgate employees earn    quadruple what you are used to making within a very high standard of living. You can save upwards of $1500 per month while traveling and seeing some great places. (Yes I know Japan is expensive, but its not as bad as everyone says it is if you are eating in the school cafeteria every day for lunch which is delicious and buying Japanese groceries for breakfast and dinner, if you eat out every meal like a dummy then yes, you will blow your paychecks).There are two terms, Spring and Fall and each term is a short term 3-4 month contract. The company will sponsor your work visa, reimburse you for a $1200 plane ticket, provide you with housing (deducted from you monthly paycheck), a rail pass to get to and from work everyday, and give you a work cell phone to be used for Westgate purposes only.
    During my Spring term I arrived the end of April and finished mid July. Such a short term contract is great for those that are not looking to commit to living in Japan long term, or can use this as a summer job between  semesters at home. If you haven't seen the tour of my apartment in Japan, click the link for a live tour.

There are so many great things I could say about Westgate. Here are some of them:

Some of my students with their daily planners.

1. The company is extremely organized. You will receive all of the contracts by express air mail. The visa process is a piece of cake. And you will receive detailed directions about your arrival, a detailed online training, a detailed plane ticket process, etc. EVERYTHING IS VERY DETAILED. You are moving to Japan. They are the home of organization, so get used to it.

2. The pay is great. All of the details are of course right on their website. Beware that your first 2 weeks of teaching and training are prorated as you have a few days to adjust to the country. Though your contract says $275,000 yen per month, you will not get that until after your first full month of teaching. The first 2 weeks are prorated for training and actual days spent teaching.

3. They provide you with a small welcome package. A pot, fork, spoon, etc is all in the box. Its a nice treat to get for moving into a new apartment and living there short term. The company really does make you feel like you are important and likes you to at least have basic living necessities upon arrival.

4. Your Japanese students will be among your favorite in your life time. They are the most hardworking students I have ever known, yes even more than my Korean students. They are always upbeat, positive, outgoing, and smiling. The first class expect them to be very shy and quiet, but they will open up quickly if you bring it out in them and show them who you really are. Since there is no homework in the program, nor grades, the classes are easy going and fun. There is little stress except for the end of the semester presentations that each student is required to give. If you would like to see what the students are like take a look at some of the videos from my students final show and tell presentations to gauge an idea of their level and personalities. I taught the basic-high level, or B class at my university.

5. You will most likely have a high tech toilet and fill up that tiny bathtub! Its amazing!

Delicious lunches everyday in the cafeteria!

There are some things that weary ESL professionals should be aware of before committing: 


1. You can find a cheaper apartment, a much cheaper apartment, than the ones Westgate recommends that you live in. Rumors are that the Leo Palace chains that all Westgate employees live in are owned by the company or that Westgate gets a kickback for housing so many employees. Yes, they are making money off of you through the housing 81,000 JPY a month is quite a bit to pay, but your apartment will be nice and you can rest assured it will be in a good neighborhood. But, it is super easy to go along with it because everything is arranged. You will also be living with other Westgate employees in the same building. In my building there were 9 of us which was nice because I never felt lonely and made great friends with many of them. While other Westgate employees told me there were only 1 or 2 other employees in their apartment complex.

2. You may feel that your PC or the company in general doesn't trust you. He or she will come once or more times per week and just hang around for hours to see how you are doing. This doesn't seem so bad, but my PC actually just sat in the lobby outside our classrooms and was either just hanging out or peeking in to see what we were doing. She was usually doing this for about 3-4 hours at a time. This made the other two teachers and myself feel like we were being watched for no reason. However, cultural norms in Japan are different. The point of the PC is to check up on you and to keep everyone connected as work partners are seen as a community rather than as individuals. Get used to your PC just hanging around, and don't let it bother you too much. They are mostly just there to be friendly. You will only actually be observed one time to make sure you are doing ok with the programs teaching methods and daily lesson plans.

3. If you are used to using technology in your classroom say goodbye. There are no computers, projectors, and in some cases no computers in your classrooms. The computers are very old and are only to be used for recording attendance. This was very difficult for me as I learned about a ton of ways to integrate technology into my classes, but the Westgate program does not utilize any technology as part of their lessons. If you bring in your own laptop you may be able to show video clips or pictures, but you will most likely not have wireless internet to connect too. Don't ask the staff about this, it will cause problems. If you don't have it, don't bother. Westgate is strict about their agreements with the Universities and they don't even want their employees bringing in zip drives or flash drives to print out materials.

4. You have a very, extremely, tiny, sized copy budget and in most cases no access to a printer hooked up to a computer. Yes, that means you must use mostly all of the Westgate materials provided to you. If you want to use your own materials, you must print them out from a manga cafe somewhere which means you need to pay by time to use the computer and to print things. Printing in Japan is a weird thing. They don't like it and don't do it. At least that's how it was at my University. They want to be very green and support the environment, I get that, but its a little inconvenient sometimes as a teacher. The program encourages your students to copy down the white board into their own notebooks so that they have notes from each class. This can be a huge waste of time, so I just allowed my students to take pictures with their smart phones. They seemed to like that strategy better than copying down things. I also used clear plastic folders and pens so that the students could write on activities and then erase them when they were finished and I could use them for the next class. That way, I would only have to make 6 copies of the handout for the entire day. The copy budget was $20 for the entire 3 months and it was 10 Cents a copy. You must use your own money for copies and then get reimbursed at the end of the program.

5. You will be assigned a book to use for your class and will have a daily lesson planner with each days lesson to teach. There are so many ways that you can adapt the lessons that you will have total creativity in your lessons. All of the classes are 50 minutes in length and most teachers will teach the same class all day. Yes, that means you might teach the same lessons 6 times in a day. You will also have English Challenge lessons in which you may do whatever you want with the students at that time. You have free reign in those lessons to focus on anything you or the students think they need to work on. Those classes are optional, so if students don't show up, you have an extra break.

6. You will most likely be commuting 1 hour on the train to work every day. Follow some of my tips about the daily commute on my article about surviving the daily commute in Japan. They will help you greatly. Also be ready to feel exhausted 5 days a week. The schedule is long and often times employees leave at 7am and return home by 8 or 9 completely wiped out. By the end of the program most teachers are talking about how tired they are to each other and how much work the program really is. So don't expect a walk in the park if this is your first time working at Westgate!

My daily schedule at Westgate. 

I hope you enjoyed my review of Westgate. If you have any questions don't hesitate to leave a comment below!

If you have any questions or comments about "Gone Seoul Searching in Japan: Teaching for Westgate Corporation at the University Program" please leave them in the comment box below or email them to goneseoulsearching@gmail.com 

    Gone Seoul Searching by Marie Webb is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License. Permissions beyond the scope of this license may be available at goneseoulsearching@gmail.com.

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