As I'm splitting time between two schools, the directors (i.e. the owners) drive me back & forth twice a week, so I've been privy to some fantastic front row experiences on the mean streets in and around Gumi.
The mental image I know we've probably all got tucked away somewhere of Asians behind the wheel - carefree, a little loosey goosey & the slightest hint of danger in their eyes could be quite entertaining if there wasn't some actual truth behind it.
I have yet to see a STOP sign, it's wild....everybody just takes turns & makes their way into traffic. Of course there are lights at major intersections but even that makes up a very small percentage of the total number of intersections.
It is baffling how tight many of the streets are & parking seems to be a free for all - everyone parks where it seems suitable; I can imagine maneuvering a car through the roadways is likely quite an adventure but regardless, I have yet to see an accident, fender bender or the slightest semblance of even a possible collision. Absolutely amazing! Throw in your typical 21st century pedestrians, preoccupied with various gadgets, conversations or simple daydreaming & again, nothing but the occasional blare of a horn, unfathomable!
I guess if you spend your whole life driving where you know you've got to be aggressive & intelligent at the same time, while assuming your fellow road hogs are going to be aggressively considerate & attentive, you roll with the punches & make it work.
Seriously, though, NO STOP SIGNS....cruise up to an intersection, ease your way far enough around the sporadically parked cars, eye the tin cans barreling in both directions, let said tin can barrels past & go for it!
I saw a huge red, shiny, new Dodge Ram Pickup (mostly Hyundai, KIA & Daewoo) the other day attempting to make it's way through the narrow side streets & it seemed he was having quite the trouble to keep from scraping various automobiles, poles, buildings and the like as he maneuvered in and out of the parking fiasco called streets.
So there you have it, first hand, visual accounts of what might factor into the 'Asians are terrible drivers' stereotype....or maybe they're not used to being told to STOP, simply an instinctively aggressive lot due to traditional techniques & methods that seem to suffice on their home turf.
Who knows, maybe we're the lousy drivers................
February 28, 2011
February 27, 2011
Why Korea?
As I contemplated my next adventure in teaching (having worked at both an affluent & inner city high school as well as a middle class middle school), I pondered various options but always felt the draw of an overseas gig as something relevant and attainable but the decision of where was something I struggled with.
As is often the case, people & information began showing themselves as I dug deeper into possible destinations & continued to research where the jumping off spot could be. As some of you know, I’ve got a solid grasp & ability to speak Spanish, so that seemed to be a real possibility plus I really have an affinity for the Spanish culture, food, music, etc; it just seemed like the ‘safe’ move & I wasn’t sure that’s what I wanted just yet. I likely would have been living a very simple existence (which isn't necessarily anything new) had I strolled off to Central or South America. Not to mention things seem a bit unstable in parts of that world so kept it in my thoughts but continued exploring options.
Then there was the popular European route. Offering a wide array of cultures, ethnicities, diversity & opportunities all within close proximity to one another yet each able to maintain its inherent uniqueness. Again, it seemed too safe & overdone. I loved the time spent there with the family in ’09 & am anxious to get back (I met a school director at the airport in MNPLS who gave me her card and wanted me to email my resume as she’s at an American School in Madrid Spain) but really wasn’t sure if that’s where my first adventure should take me. Still too comfortable; need the unknown & truly different.
I've always had a distinct intrigue towards Eastern culture & philosophy. Plus, my spiritual path over the past decade has been more in line with the Buddhist mentality, which did little to quell the interest I’ve had in delving deeper into immersing myself into ‘the other side of the world.’
Over the past 20 years there has been a real emphasis to recruit native English speakers into the schools & academies throughout Asia & the more I though about it, it made sense. There is hardly a strong contingency of people speaking Korean, Vietnamese, Cambodian, Thai, etc outside of those countries themselves & with the emerging technology production throughout the region, the ability to have their citizens learn the English language was becoming a necessity. That was certainly a market to look into while the opportunity for first hand immersion still held strongly & the countries I was looking at were 'relatively' stable.
I gave serious thought to the Middle East as, again, native English speaking teachers are in seriously high demand & the pay is ridiculous. Not one who pays a tremendous amount of attention to the turmoil throughout the world but being smart enough to understand the region is terribly unstable, I opted to put the Middle East on the back burner & see how the other opportunities played out. I’ve never really cared much for making a ton of money, so fortunately that didn’t have to be a determining factor with this one, although heading home w/$100k in the bank after a year would have definitely been sweet!
So it was back to the Far East, Southeast Asia or Central America. There were so many great destinations but realistically, the timing had to be perfect & the situation/school needed to be what I was looking for, as there are plenty of horror stories out there about teachers getting screwed over pretty good, left hanging out in the cold, so to speak with little to no pay, terrible accommodations (if any at all) and no way home. I continued my research & as talked to people who'd been through it; more often than not, China, Japan & Korean were pretty much the best bets for stability, opportunity & a great experience. As I continued the process, I was surprised at how many people I came across who had taught overseas or had good friends who’d done it....such a small world but a pleasant surprise to see plenty who'd gone before me & survived while having good things to say about their experiences.
Something just didn’t jive as I looked into Japan & China, both offer tremendous opportunities but I just wasn’t feeling the draw – sure, I’d still love to visit the countries & may end up spending time in both of them but they simply didn’t jump off the page at me the way Korea & Thailand did.
With all the great countries I’d looked into, I chose possibly the least sexy of all of them but there was still something intriguing about Korea. A country legitimately torn in two, eerily similar to Germany a few decades ago, with two vastly different end results. The South has become a justifiable player on the world in a number of areas of commerce & industry; within merely a half century transforming themselves from a genuinely agrarian society (almost third world conditions) to one of contemporary genius as they continue to, almost single-handedly, revolutionize many facets of technology. Below is South Korea's GDP over the past century....pretty amazing how it went from nearly nothing through the roof in a few decades!
The North, comparatively, seems to be falling further behind their brethren to the South in nearly every imaginable category, whilst burning bridges globally, alienating their citizens & existing (from my perspective, anyway) in a sort of la-la land, unaware or unaccepting of their imminent demise.
Over the years, education has been thrust to the forefront of importance in a country similar in size to Florida. The understanding that investing in future generations by enabling them to gain the necessary knowledge & skills to be truly competitive in a globally vicious economy certainly was something of interest to me, as an educator in America, which was once the gold standard by which countries throughout the world strove to attain equality (yet has now slid rather unceremoniously into mediocrity, at best).
As I learned more about Korea, I was anxious to see the importance the familial unit has maintained throughout Korean society, even considering outrageous growth, domestication, rampant capitalism & a solid presence on the world stage. I see no serious issue with crime & it’s eerily reminiscent to the days on the farm when you simply trusted your neighbors & towns folk, knowing there was a mutual respect for one another & nothing harmful or deceitful would be done to the other.
Then there was the chance to explore the various parts of the country & not feel like as much of a tourist as I did it. Korea is a fairly mountainous country but nothing all that breathtaking or mammoth in comparison to the Rockies but yet a distinctive terrain & countryside relatively unexplored by either natives or foreigners. The population is typical of Asia with large masses of people crammed into urban areas, literally on top of one another while beautiful, yet mostly developmentally untouched rural regions beckon.
So, Korea wasn't necessarily some dream destination or the 'easy choice' but to me it seemed like the right opportunity to challenge myself in new ways while having the experiencing something uniquely different and having (what I hope to be) a positive & enlightening impact on a group of students who will hopefully see the world they live in as a better place after spending a year getting to know me, having some fun, learning some English & probably teaching me something in return.
I feel extremely fortunate to have the ability to be a teacher in a variety of environments & that this 'career' is able to take me to parts of the world I really never even knew existed, let alone considered as a possible residence when I was growing up on that little farm back in Central Iowa way back in the 80's.
So there it is, hopefully a bit of an explanation into the thought process I went through as I decided where, exactly, I would spend some time teaching. Not to worry, I certainly would like to hit up a few of the more 'tropical' locales I'd considered as my thin Florida blood is getting a nice winter wake-up call but I wouldn't have it any other way....besides, it's the journey, right?
As is often the case, people & information began showing themselves as I dug deeper into possible destinations & continued to research where the jumping off spot could be. As some of you know, I’ve got a solid grasp & ability to speak Spanish, so that seemed to be a real possibility plus I really have an affinity for the Spanish culture, food, music, etc; it just seemed like the ‘safe’ move & I wasn’t sure that’s what I wanted just yet. I likely would have been living a very simple existence (which isn't necessarily anything new) had I strolled off to Central or South America. Not to mention things seem a bit unstable in parts of that world so kept it in my thoughts but continued exploring options.
Then there was the popular European route. Offering a wide array of cultures, ethnicities, diversity & opportunities all within close proximity to one another yet each able to maintain its inherent uniqueness. Again, it seemed too safe & overdone. I loved the time spent there with the family in ’09 & am anxious to get back (I met a school director at the airport in MNPLS who gave me her card and wanted me to email my resume as she’s at an American School in Madrid Spain) but really wasn’t sure if that’s where my first adventure should take me. Still too comfortable; need the unknown & truly different.
I've always had a distinct intrigue towards Eastern culture & philosophy. Plus, my spiritual path over the past decade has been more in line with the Buddhist mentality, which did little to quell the interest I’ve had in delving deeper into immersing myself into ‘the other side of the world.’
Over the past 20 years there has been a real emphasis to recruit native English speakers into the schools & academies throughout Asia & the more I though about it, it made sense. There is hardly a strong contingency of people speaking Korean, Vietnamese, Cambodian, Thai, etc outside of those countries themselves & with the emerging technology production throughout the region, the ability to have their citizens learn the English language was becoming a necessity. That was certainly a market to look into while the opportunity for first hand immersion still held strongly & the countries I was looking at were 'relatively' stable.
I gave serious thought to the Middle East as, again, native English speaking teachers are in seriously high demand & the pay is ridiculous. Not one who pays a tremendous amount of attention to the turmoil throughout the world but being smart enough to understand the region is terribly unstable, I opted to put the Middle East on the back burner & see how the other opportunities played out. I’ve never really cared much for making a ton of money, so fortunately that didn’t have to be a determining factor with this one, although heading home w/$100k in the bank after a year would have definitely been sweet!
So it was back to the Far East, Southeast Asia or Central America. There were so many great destinations but realistically, the timing had to be perfect & the situation/school needed to be what I was looking for, as there are plenty of horror stories out there about teachers getting screwed over pretty good, left hanging out in the cold, so to speak with little to no pay, terrible accommodations (if any at all) and no way home. I continued my research & as talked to people who'd been through it; more often than not, China, Japan & Korean were pretty much the best bets for stability, opportunity & a great experience. As I continued the process, I was surprised at how many people I came across who had taught overseas or had good friends who’d done it....such a small world but a pleasant surprise to see plenty who'd gone before me & survived while having good things to say about their experiences.
Something just didn’t jive as I looked into Japan & China, both offer tremendous opportunities but I just wasn’t feeling the draw – sure, I’d still love to visit the countries & may end up spending time in both of them but they simply didn’t jump off the page at me the way Korea & Thailand did.
With all the great countries I’d looked into, I chose possibly the least sexy of all of them but there was still something intriguing about Korea. A country legitimately torn in two, eerily similar to Germany a few decades ago, with two vastly different end results. The South has become a justifiable player on the world in a number of areas of commerce & industry; within merely a half century transforming themselves from a genuinely agrarian society (almost third world conditions) to one of contemporary genius as they continue to, almost single-handedly, revolutionize many facets of technology. Below is South Korea's GDP over the past century....pretty amazing how it went from nearly nothing through the roof in a few decades!
The North, comparatively, seems to be falling further behind their brethren to the South in nearly every imaginable category, whilst burning bridges globally, alienating their citizens & existing (from my perspective, anyway) in a sort of la-la land, unaware or unaccepting of their imminent demise.
Over the years, education has been thrust to the forefront of importance in a country similar in size to Florida. The understanding that investing in future generations by enabling them to gain the necessary knowledge & skills to be truly competitive in a globally vicious economy certainly was something of interest to me, as an educator in America, which was once the gold standard by which countries throughout the world strove to attain equality (yet has now slid rather unceremoniously into mediocrity, at best).
As I learned more about Korea, I was anxious to see the importance the familial unit has maintained throughout Korean society, even considering outrageous growth, domestication, rampant capitalism & a solid presence on the world stage. I see no serious issue with crime & it’s eerily reminiscent to the days on the farm when you simply trusted your neighbors & towns folk, knowing there was a mutual respect for one another & nothing harmful or deceitful would be done to the other.
Then there was the chance to explore the various parts of the country & not feel like as much of a tourist as I did it. Korea is a fairly mountainous country but nothing all that breathtaking or mammoth in comparison to the Rockies but yet a distinctive terrain & countryside relatively unexplored by either natives or foreigners. The population is typical of Asia with large masses of people crammed into urban areas, literally on top of one another while beautiful, yet mostly developmentally untouched rural regions beckon.
So, Korea wasn't necessarily some dream destination or the 'easy choice' but to me it seemed like the right opportunity to challenge myself in new ways while having the experiencing something uniquely different and having (what I hope to be) a positive & enlightening impact on a group of students who will hopefully see the world they live in as a better place after spending a year getting to know me, having some fun, learning some English & probably teaching me something in return.
I feel extremely fortunate to have the ability to be a teacher in a variety of environments & that this 'career' is able to take me to parts of the world I really never even knew existed, let alone considered as a possible residence when I was growing up on that little farm back in Central Iowa way back in the 80's.
So there it is, hopefully a bit of an explanation into the thought process I went through as I decided where, exactly, I would spend some time teaching. Not to worry, I certainly would like to hit up a few of the more 'tropical' locales I'd considered as my thin Florida blood is getting a nice winter wake-up call but I wouldn't have it any other way....besides, it's the journey, right?
February 20, 2011
Seaweed & Soy Soap
Waking up on Valentines Day to a fresh powdering of light, fluffy white stuff got me thinking about the newness a snowfall & a New Year can bring....it's a new start, the slate is wiped clean, everything is pure, simple & back to zero, if you will. Anyway, as some of you know, the Lunar New Year was a couple weeks ago (officially Feb 3rd) & it is the biggest holiday of the year here, which offered me yet another opportunity to ponder what the coming year had in store & how I could make the most of the opportunities ahead of me. Plus, it's kinda like a re-do in case you've already messed up your resolutions from Jan 1st!
So, most everything shuts down for at least a couple days at least (so much for immediate opportunities), while some can be closed for up to five days. Nothing really happens but spending time with family and lots of traveling to and from familial locales across the country. Family is a very important aspect in Korean culture and is something not to be taken lightly. I often get the thought of the 'it takes a village' theory in my mind as I make my way around in a foreign country that has pretty much welcomed me with open arms.
The genuine sincerity, courteousness and friendly demeanor I've experienced over the past couple months has certainly been unexpected but I obviously welcome it & do the best to reciprocate whenever possible but I'm kinda stuck on this one & I may just let it slide (seeing how I've been letting it slide for a couple weeks & I'm pretty sure my 'window' has already passed). But anyway, I feel like part of the 'village' due to the verbal acknowledgements and the few gifts I have been given throughout my time here thus far.
For the Lunar New Year, James (my school director) stopped by my apartment on a Tuesday morning bearing a couple presents. Apparently customary to offer gifts to family & close friends. The gesture was completely unexpected; one from him and the other from a parent of a students. I kindly thanked James for the gifts and went back to enjoying a bountiful breakfast of eggs, toast & juice. As my curiosity was well enough peeked, I decided to open the presents and see what constitutes a New Years gesture....low and behold, I received two very large boxes of seaweed!! Oh, if only there was room enough in my apartment to do backflips....I opted to celebrate this delightful occasion by settling for extra jam on my toast instead.
Seaweed is a common staple in the Korean diet and is often used to roll vegetables or rice in. I've actually had it a couple of times as I've eaten with my colleagues on occasion but it isn't necessarily something I have felt the need to run out and purchase at the market, not to mention, there was plenty left in the fridge by the previous teacher (which is starting to make quite a bit of sense). Later that day, as the director of the other school I'm working at dropped me off from a day of educating, she handed me a decent sized red bag, stumbled through her best attempt at English pleasantries & wished me a Happy New Year.
As I strolled home, I was curious to see if I would have the opportunity to figure out what to do with even more seaweed. When I got to my apartment and opened the bag, it contained a large, red, rectangular box which opened quite easily. Inside, I discovered a myriad of personal hygiene products, mostly made of soy & mostly indistinguishable as they were all Korean products but I was able to surmise that it was a combination of bar soaps, hair loss prevention shampoos, hair loss rinses (I can assume is like conditioner) and toothpaste. This got me thinking, alright, I've never been the 'smelly kid' & I know I'm not the typical 'overweight' American but were they trying to tell me something? Maybe I was beginning to resemble Tom Hanks in the movie Philadelphia & they thought I needed to be eating more & what better way to tempt my taste buds than with some delicious (it's really not bad) seaweed. I could also only conclude that maybe I was becoming the smelly kid & the soap ensemble was a subtle way of saying, 'Hey, you stink, tighten up you hygiene habits, man!'
Well, a few weeks have passed & nothing has been said about whether or not I am enjoying the gifts but I suppose they will be kind enough to let me know if I'm beginning to look malnourished or am giving off a putrid odor that needs to be seriously dealt with immediately.
The kids are all pretty giving, too. Since most of them spend two-thirds of their day doing something academically relevant, they usually come rolling into the academy with some sort of little snack or food item & are usually pretty generous in offering me a piece of their assorted food, candy or chocolate. There is one girl who was in my special January Discussion class (the entire month of January is a vacation for students but they still go to their academies) gave me a cool, mulberry colored round bar of soap with a decorative flower set into the center of it. Apparently her mom makes soap and she had helped her mom make this one for me as a way to thank me for the job I was doing as well as the time I take to read her journal, make corrections and give her feedback.
It really is quite flattering to feel accepted and appreciated by students, parents and the directors. I know I received these things in varying degrees back in Florida, too but it's a different feeling. I guess it's like James has mentioned a couple times, I'm part of their family for a year & they really appreciate that. Good stuff!
As for the seaweed & soy soaps, let me know if anyone has a hankering - happy to ship it to ya....
Keep bein' awesome, people!
So, most everything shuts down for at least a couple days at least (so much for immediate opportunities), while some can be closed for up to five days. Nothing really happens but spending time with family and lots of traveling to and from familial locales across the country. Family is a very important aspect in Korean culture and is something not to be taken lightly. I often get the thought of the 'it takes a village' theory in my mind as I make my way around in a foreign country that has pretty much welcomed me with open arms.
The genuine sincerity, courteousness and friendly demeanor I've experienced over the past couple months has certainly been unexpected but I obviously welcome it & do the best to reciprocate whenever possible but I'm kinda stuck on this one & I may just let it slide (seeing how I've been letting it slide for a couple weeks & I'm pretty sure my 'window' has already passed). But anyway, I feel like part of the 'village' due to the verbal acknowledgements and the few gifts I have been given throughout my time here thus far.
For the Lunar New Year, James (my school director) stopped by my apartment on a Tuesday morning bearing a couple presents. Apparently customary to offer gifts to family & close friends. The gesture was completely unexpected; one from him and the other from a parent of a students. I kindly thanked James for the gifts and went back to enjoying a bountiful breakfast of eggs, toast & juice. As my curiosity was well enough peeked, I decided to open the presents and see what constitutes a New Years gesture....low and behold, I received two very large boxes of seaweed!! Oh, if only there was room enough in my apartment to do backflips....I opted to celebrate this delightful occasion by settling for extra jam on my toast instead.
Seaweed is a common staple in the Korean diet and is often used to roll vegetables or rice in. I've actually had it a couple of times as I've eaten with my colleagues on occasion but it isn't necessarily something I have felt the need to run out and purchase at the market, not to mention, there was plenty left in the fridge by the previous teacher (which is starting to make quite a bit of sense). Later that day, as the director of the other school I'm working at dropped me off from a day of educating, she handed me a decent sized red bag, stumbled through her best attempt at English pleasantries & wished me a Happy New Year.
As I strolled home, I was curious to see if I would have the opportunity to figure out what to do with even more seaweed. When I got to my apartment and opened the bag, it contained a large, red, rectangular box which opened quite easily. Inside, I discovered a myriad of personal hygiene products, mostly made of soy & mostly indistinguishable as they were all Korean products but I was able to surmise that it was a combination of bar soaps, hair loss prevention shampoos, hair loss rinses (I can assume is like conditioner) and toothpaste. This got me thinking, alright, I've never been the 'smelly kid' & I know I'm not the typical 'overweight' American but were they trying to tell me something? Maybe I was beginning to resemble Tom Hanks in the movie Philadelphia & they thought I needed to be eating more & what better way to tempt my taste buds than with some delicious (it's really not bad) seaweed. I could also only conclude that maybe I was becoming the smelly kid & the soap ensemble was a subtle way of saying, 'Hey, you stink, tighten up you hygiene habits, man!'
Well, a few weeks have passed & nothing has been said about whether or not I am enjoying the gifts but I suppose they will be kind enough to let me know if I'm beginning to look malnourished or am giving off a putrid odor that needs to be seriously dealt with immediately.
 |
| Seaweed! |
 |
| More Seaweed! |
 |
| Soy Soap Smorgasbord!! |
The kids are all pretty giving, too. Since most of them spend two-thirds of their day doing something academically relevant, they usually come rolling into the academy with some sort of little snack or food item & are usually pretty generous in offering me a piece of their assorted food, candy or chocolate. There is one girl who was in my special January Discussion class (the entire month of January is a vacation for students but they still go to their academies) gave me a cool, mulberry colored round bar of soap with a decorative flower set into the center of it. Apparently her mom makes soap and she had helped her mom make this one for me as a way to thank me for the job I was doing as well as the time I take to read her journal, make corrections and give her feedback.
 |
| More Soap, homemade this time! |
It really is quite flattering to feel accepted and appreciated by students, parents and the directors. I know I received these things in varying degrees back in Florida, too but it's a different feeling. I guess it's like James has mentioned a couple times, I'm part of their family for a year & they really appreciate that. Good stuff!
As for the seaweed & soy soaps, let me know if anyone has a hankering - happy to ship it to ya....
Keep bein' awesome, people!
Handsome Man
The inability to inconspicuously blend into the masses certainly has it's drawbacks but it is really quite funny at the same time. All the little villages/neighborhoods over here are fairly self sustaining in many respects & the people who live in theses seem to mostly recognize & put on a pleasant air of civility towards everyone they see....like I said, it seems as though most Koreans I've met are pretty friendly and helpful. Anyway, back to the point, sticking out like a white guy in a room full of Asians!
It's pretty common in modern day Korea for 'Native Teachers' to be seen wandering around nearly every major town or city in the country and, for the most part, Koreans don't necessarily give more than a second glance at the sight of us but for the young ones, school kids, mostly, the excitement and curiosity is still fairly obvious. I spent some time this afternoon hiking around one of the Forest Service parks and as I was walking back to the apartment, I strolled by a park & there were kids all over. Some playing soccer, some playing baseball & some just being kids running all over, finding hours of entertainment from things as simple as sticks and dirt. Anyway, I decided to take a breather on one of the benches for a few minutes and in no time, kids come up to me and start asking me questions, very simple stuff but still impressive that at the age of 6, 7, or 8 years old they are confident enough in their English to approach a total stranger (albeit an English teacher) and start talking to them.
I was at the store a couple weeks ago and was pricing out the steak at the meat counter & the three young guys working there all came over pretty quickly and one of them was very anxious to speak English (although he was quite a persistent salesman with what appeared to be some sort of animal innards stew at half off - not getting this farm boy, I've eaten enough cow tongue sandwiches & hot dogs to last a lifetime). As it were, I stuck around for maybe 10 minutes talking to these three guys as I know they don't often have the opportunity to practice their English. One of them mentioned he was planning to take his girlfriend to USA, Times Square, like that's an actual address but the more I interact with non-students, it sounds like that's one of the top foreign destinations for Koreans....to simply stand in Times Square & soak it all in, enjoying the lights, sounds & chaos of it all.
As I was getting ready to take off, I noticed there was a little crowd gathered behind me, listening intently to the crazy yellow haired man refusing the guts of animals at half off. I turned, gave a polite hello, a good natured wave & pretended like I had suddenly eyed something across the store I desperately needed and began my meandering towards the escalator. Just as I thought I was home free, the overly confident of the three salesmen mentions he thinks I am a very handsome man. The other two immediately concur and a few of the gathered 'watchers' kinda nod their heads in approval of his wondrous observation. He continues by mentioning that I must have a very beautiful wife....sorry mom, still not yet....and she must feel very lucky. The point of this nonsensical rambling has less to do with how ridiculously good looking I am or am not but more as a comparison to just a few days later, in class one of the girls called me horse face, making the observation that my face was long, like a horse. I guess it makes sense since the genetic physical appearance of native Koreans is more of a rounded, flat face but I thought it was kinda funny, the two observations & how very different but possibly accurate they might actually be.
Not to be outdone, however, the old horse face comment was followed up a scant two days later by a pair of girls at my Tues/Thurs school who felt very strongly that I looked like a girl. That one really blew me away; so I'm a handsome, horse-faced, guy who might have an effeminate, female look to him....well now I just don't know what to think but ya gotta love kids and their unbridled honesty. I did find it quite interesting how I had a class a couple hours before the 'lady looker' fiasco who were so excited that I had a little stubble on my face & my soul patch was getting a little shaggy. There tends to be enough blond scattered in to warrant the students attention and as they so diligently worked into my personal space to touch the stubble and soul patch (although one girl who's new to class started giving my shoulders a massage - I know it's not FL but it made me wonder, am I getting fired today?), they then noticed the hair on my arms protruding from my shirt sleeve (it was surprisingly warm, maybe 50 degrees that day, so I was able to shed a couple layers). In their peculiar & curious little endeavor to solve the mystery of the golden haired, fuzzy faced one, they were nice enough to teach me how to say the word gold - geum (pronounced, keoom).
So, as I always do in these situations, I blame it on genetics, thank my parents and chuckle to myself as nobody understands what I'm saying & proceed to berate me with a ridiculous amount of what I can only assume are statements and questions in Korean, to which I simply shake my head and respond with a questionable but unceremoniously sincere 'Sure, now let's look at page 11.' Surprisingly, most of them get back on task right away & their interest in my hair subsides for another day.
There are a few new videos on my YouTube channel but I've also put a couple at the bottom of the page, too. There is some footage of the city scape, part of a hike I went on recently and a few of my students from a couple different classes. These kids are so funny, it's been such a great time so far. Hard to believe it's almost been three months already!
http://www.youtube.com/user/skibum4cy?feature=mhum
It's pretty common in modern day Korea for 'Native Teachers' to be seen wandering around nearly every major town or city in the country and, for the most part, Koreans don't necessarily give more than a second glance at the sight of us but for the young ones, school kids, mostly, the excitement and curiosity is still fairly obvious. I spent some time this afternoon hiking around one of the Forest Service parks and as I was walking back to the apartment, I strolled by a park & there were kids all over. Some playing soccer, some playing baseball & some just being kids running all over, finding hours of entertainment from things as simple as sticks and dirt. Anyway, I decided to take a breather on one of the benches for a few minutes and in no time, kids come up to me and start asking me questions, very simple stuff but still impressive that at the age of 6, 7, or 8 years old they are confident enough in their English to approach a total stranger (albeit an English teacher) and start talking to them.
 |
| I have no idea what you're saying & this sign tells me nothing! |
I was at the store a couple weeks ago and was pricing out the steak at the meat counter & the three young guys working there all came over pretty quickly and one of them was very anxious to speak English (although he was quite a persistent salesman with what appeared to be some sort of animal innards stew at half off - not getting this farm boy, I've eaten enough cow tongue sandwiches & hot dogs to last a lifetime). As it were, I stuck around for maybe 10 minutes talking to these three guys as I know they don't often have the opportunity to practice their English. One of them mentioned he was planning to take his girlfriend to USA, Times Square, like that's an actual address but the more I interact with non-students, it sounds like that's one of the top foreign destinations for Koreans....to simply stand in Times Square & soak it all in, enjoying the lights, sounds & chaos of it all.
As I was getting ready to take off, I noticed there was a little crowd gathered behind me, listening intently to the crazy yellow haired man refusing the guts of animals at half off. I turned, gave a polite hello, a good natured wave & pretended like I had suddenly eyed something across the store I desperately needed and began my meandering towards the escalator. Just as I thought I was home free, the overly confident of the three salesmen mentions he thinks I am a very handsome man. The other two immediately concur and a few of the gathered 'watchers' kinda nod their heads in approval of his wondrous observation. He continues by mentioning that I must have a very beautiful wife....sorry mom, still not yet....and she must feel very lucky. The point of this nonsensical rambling has less to do with how ridiculously good looking I am or am not but more as a comparison to just a few days later, in class one of the girls called me horse face, making the observation that my face was long, like a horse. I guess it makes sense since the genetic physical appearance of native Koreans is more of a rounded, flat face but I thought it was kinda funny, the two observations & how very different but possibly accurate they might actually be.
Not to be outdone, however, the old horse face comment was followed up a scant two days later by a pair of girls at my Tues/Thurs school who felt very strongly that I looked like a girl. That one really blew me away; so I'm a handsome, horse-faced, guy who might have an effeminate, female look to him....well now I just don't know what to think but ya gotta love kids and their unbridled honesty. I did find it quite interesting how I had a class a couple hours before the 'lady looker' fiasco who were so excited that I had a little stubble on my face & my soul patch was getting a little shaggy. There tends to be enough blond scattered in to warrant the students attention and as they so diligently worked into my personal space to touch the stubble and soul patch (although one girl who's new to class started giving my shoulders a massage - I know it's not FL but it made me wonder, am I getting fired today?), they then noticed the hair on my arms protruding from my shirt sleeve (it was surprisingly warm, maybe 50 degrees that day, so I was able to shed a couple layers). In their peculiar & curious little endeavor to solve the mystery of the golden haired, fuzzy faced one, they were nice enough to teach me how to say the word gold - geum (pronounced, keoom).
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| Horse-face? Lady-like? Handsome? I have no idea! |
So, as I always do in these situations, I blame it on genetics, thank my parents and chuckle to myself as nobody understands what I'm saying & proceed to berate me with a ridiculous amount of what I can only assume are statements and questions in Korean, to which I simply shake my head and respond with a questionable but unceremoniously sincere 'Sure, now let's look at page 11.' Surprisingly, most of them get back on task right away & their interest in my hair subsides for another day.
There are a few new videos on my YouTube channel but I've also put a couple at the bottom of the page, too. There is some footage of the city scape, part of a hike I went on recently and a few of my students from a couple different classes. These kids are so funny, it's been such a great time so far. Hard to believe it's almost been three months already!
http://www.youtube.com/user/skibum4cy?feature=mhum
February 6, 2011
School Ain't No Joke!
In case any of you guys missed it, PBS did a segment on education in Korea & how it is taken very seriously, almost to the point of overkill but you gotta admit, they might be on to something, eh? Students are focused on their futures and the ability to be fun loving kids, get into trouble & maybe learn something important about appreciating the little things along the way kind of get lost in the shuffle.
The video's 8 minutes and change but it's really a pretty interesting glimpse into the pressures & priorities over here. I suppose spending 18 hours of your day focused on school & you're destined to failure & shaming your family if you don't succeed, I can imagine there isn't a lot of time for anything else. I do find it interesting that stat about the percentage of college/university graduates who are unable to find a job in their field....over-saturation of the market?
It makes more sense as to why my kids talk about wanting to play sports or do other things they are interested in but there simply isn't enough time in the day. Amazingly, 60 years ago, the Korean Peninsula was mostly an agrarian society living simple lives while being ravaged by war & in no shape or capacity did it resemble the world power it has become today. Makes you really think about the way the US must have been at that same time & how they have emulated American culture while maintaining the uniquely Korean way of life. At times, it reminds me of what the US was probably like, in some respects 20 or 30 years ago. No hypersensitivity or political correctness to speak of but people certainly knew their role in society as well as in the family & you DO NOT bring shame upon the family unless you are looking to be ostracized & rejected by said family for the rest of your life....which has a large role in the low instances of crime here.
Here's a link to a video about the South Korean home of the future (i.e. 4 years away)....crazy high tech!
On Monday night, the director of my school took the staff to dinner & I was able to have a pretty insightful conversation with James regarding some topics on Korea....I'll get into that in the next blog; I'm hoping to do a couple of them this week but I'm wiped from the past few days hiking around the nearby mountains; I don't think I'm out of shape but man it's a great workout & I forgot how much fun the old 'jog & slide' down a mountain can be when the conditions are just right (plus it took about 1/3 of the time as hiking up)! I really wanted to get some video of it but the battery was nearly dead - there will be a next time, though, not to worry!
Be well, everyone & Happy Lunar New Year!
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