read it/beat it

ive been working for cdi/cdl since i came to korea in feb 2007. overall i like it. this video is from a former fellow cdi-er. he made a video with the kids doing a parody of  mj's "beat it." i ABSOLUTELY LOVE this video, im sure you will too. if you teach in korea, you'll get the jokes in it and love it just as much as i do. 

graduate schools with diversity scholarships

one of these days, im going for the masters in linguistics or esl. This wasnt my plan, but i have fallen in love with esl. i want to learn all i can and be the best i can in this field and in the classroom. So, here is a list of links for schools that offer nearly free grad school for students of color.

---------------------------------------------------------

info pulled from old discussion board

http://www.facebook.com/topic.php?uid=25747883752&topic=11951

university of North Dakota

i met a brotha this weekend who got his masters without paying any tuition at teh university of north dakota. it's the cultural diversity tuition waiver. he also got free housing and a living

 stipend.  http://www.graduateschool.und.edu/html/CulturalDiversity.html

illinois state university

has diversity tuition waiver too, but i dont know any first hand info about it:  http://www.grad.ilstu.edu/financial/applications_for_assistance.shtml

unversity of minnesota

has diversity tuition waiver called DOVE (again, i know nothing about it):

http://www.grad.umn.edu/outreach/finances/fellowships.html

iowa state university

has a Graduate Minority Assistantship Program (GMAP):

http://www.grad-college.iastate.edu/finance/gmap.html

university of new orleans:

http://grad.uno.edu/Scholarships/about.awards.cfm

Newark and Montclair State University.

http://jerseyshore.craigslist.org/edu/1889163585.html

IGSE (in korea)

Full scholarships to all students that are accepted. 

http://english.igse.ac.kr/_Board/Index.asp?n=206&m=View&s=QNA&p=1

John Brown University

https://www.jbu.edu/grad/financial_aid/graduate_diversity_scholarships/

marquette university

http://www.marquette.edu/grad/finaid_diversityfellowship.shtml

celta and celtyl

if like me, you have decided esl is your career, you may want to get certifications in celta and celtyl. They are not a requirements in south korea, but will definitely assist in getting a university job and i very confidently say they WILL make you a better teacher. Though not crucial for jobs in soko, they ARE for teaching esl anywhere else in the world.

celta is certification for english language teaching to adults. it teaches practical teaching approaches for the classroom, aimed toward learners age 16 and up. you can do it in seoul. i paid about 2.5 million korean won for the course and did it at igse. there are two places to do celta in seoul.
Cheaper one:
http://edulife.igse.ac.kr/curriculum/curriculum_3.asp?bcd=C01#FaqArea6

Other one:
http://www.britishcouncil.org/korea-teacher-development-courses-celta.htm 
celtyl is certification for english language teaching to young learners, aimed toward learners aged 5 to 13. it's not offered in south korea as im writing this post. i did mine in vietnam at ila. i paid about 900USD for the course, and i paid for my flight, accommodation, etc. Info on the celtyl in vietnam here:
http://www.discovereltvietnam.com/page.php?p=364

btw, i very quickly and easily got my visa vietnam online here: http://www.vietnam-visa.com/

bssk sexies

a couple of the brothers from bssk started a new group "bssk sexies," to discuss love, sex, and dating in korea. check it out here. Even cooler than that is they have started a project, doing interviews with brothers and sisters is soko. how very fantastic! listen online at http://www.bsskradio.com/

getting a credit card

with thanks to sister Janeen and Kish from bssk:
In looking through the documents sections, I didn't find any regarding Finances or the sort. I wanted to provide anyone who wanted the info for a credit card. If you are interested, I have a friend, Carl, who works for Shinhan Bank and is really helpful ( I still call him with questions) and I think he works on commission so he asked me to put the word out.his phone number is:   010-2971-6907 email is: carlrhee@naver.com

my friend runs H&J Recruiting
031-388-8807, doublehh@ymail.com.
 the guy's name is derrick. 
please use them. 
that is all. 

here is a great blog post about where to buy halloween costumes in seoul.

if you have Masters with focus in TESL/TEFL

i got this email from woman at georgetown u who ran across my blog. wanted to share the info. link and more info here: 

 http://elf.georgetown.edu/

I'd like to spread the word about this great opportunity for ESL teachers, especially those of color.  I work in recruitment and selection for this U.S. Department of State-sponsored program in the EL Fellow Program.

Eligibility requirements include:

• U.S. citizenship
• Master’s degree with focus in TESL/TEFL (TESOL Certificate with a related Master's degree)
• Fellows must have minimum two years professional TESL/TEFL experience; teacher training and curriculum/material development are helpful.
• Senior Fellows must have minimum four years teacher training/teacher development experience; overseas TEFL experience is helpful.

Benefits:

• Stipend: Fellows - $25,000; Senior Fellows - $35,000
• Living allowance covering the cost of reasonable, safe and comfortable housing (comparable to the standard of living in the country of assignment), food, utilities, and local transportation.
• International round trip transportation from the Fellow’s U.S. residence to the host country.
• Supplemental health benefit plan while abroad (not to replace any health insurance held by the Fellow).
• Miscellaneous allowances (shipping, educational materials, in-country program activities, and pre-departure expenses).

We are currently accepting applications for placements beginning fall 2011 and early 2012. 

Faith Jarmon 

Project Officer 

Georgetown University 

Center for Intercultural Education and Development 

Tel: 202-687-2608 

Fax. 202-687-2555

Email: elf@georgetown.edu 

http://elf.georgetown.edu

hair care

photo source here.
lots of sisters wonde what they're going to do with their hair when they come to south korea. my friend zakiyyah who is fabulously natural uses aloe gel for her twist outs. you can buy it and a huge variety of other products from iherb.com. they ship to korea for like $8 or so. for other hair advice, please click here for the bssk doc about hair places in soko. and click here for more useful bssk hair info. and unrelated, but i totally want to try this shealoe.  also please check the soko black hair group, "natural beauty in south korea" for advice or where to buy products and different stylists for however you wear your hair.

sn: if your looking for pure shae butter,  remember that pure shea butter should be thick and crumbly. anything smoother has already been cut with another product, so you shouldnt be paying "pure" price..

call home

call the united states from your cell phone and get charged local rates. ive been using this number for years and it's not failed me yet. thanks,eslcafe. i dont know how/if it works for other countries, but if you have a k-friend, check out their website
http://www.1688-5959.co.kr/2.htm


from your cell phone, dial 1688-4949. After you dial the number and hear the recording start, you want to dial like this:

1 - *** - *** - **** - #
e.g. 1 - 718 - 924 - 6583 - # 

Where I Come From

with thanks to steve for the links.

a story about a Korean man raised by a Black family in LA. http://iamkoream.com/where-i-come-from/

http://iamkoream.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/F-Emile-0211-PP-Dad.jpg