Time flies when you're having fun. Time moves at a snail's pace when you're in front of a classroom full of Korean high school students who have absolutely no idea what you are talking about. Good thing it's usually not the latter.
It feels like it's been more than a while since I have written a substantial blog. As I have become more comfortable in my school, at my home-stay, in Hwasun, and with Korea as a whole, I have become more busy ... which I deem to be a pretty good thing. This also makes me much more tired ... who knew that working 9 hour days would be so exhausting? Hello grown up world.
So instead of recanting the past two (or so) glorious weeks in a lengthy story complete with interwoven plot lines, twists, turns, and exaggerated metaphors, I will instead compile the interesting happenings of my life into a bulleted (is that a word?) list. Please forgive me, tonight I am too tired to write transition sentences.
But first, an Internet shout-out to my two lovely g-mas (that's Internet slang meaning grandma, for you ... Betty Lou and Irene). Your lovely letters, birthday gifts, prayers, and thoughts (even if they are directed towards a horribly outdated poster) are very much appreciated.
And now on to the bullets ...
I'm sad to report that my host-sister, Eun Su, lost her school election. However, I was told it was super close (I think she lost by only 14 votes), but she wasn't playing horseshoes, so she was still a little sad. My host-mother was by far the most upset. She explained to me, in a gloriously gratuitous flailing of hand-gestures one morning over breakfast, that one of the students Eun-Su was running against was the self-proclaimed bully of the first grade class. Apparently he was forcing students to vote for his team using only his bully powers. This, was enough to cause Eun-Su to lose the election, so I guess his strategy was pretty effective. But when I found out who this bully was, I was pretty surprised. He is actually one of my students, and one I definitely put in the "kind of weird" pile.
(Yes, I categorize my students - at least the more animated/loud/strange ones- - into distinct piles.) So I guess I put him in the wrong pile.
So Eun-Su is now back to studying forever, and not running the school. It would have been kind of nice if she won. I could then say I'm living with "the president" (yet one more thing I have in common with Michelle) whenever anyone asks where I'm staying in Korea.
Last week, after the election Eun-Su's opponent (the new president of the school) who I liked and put into the "hey, I like you" pile, gave me and some of the other teachers at school who helped with her campaign our own individual buckets of fried chicken. No joke. I wasn't completely sure if she knew that I am living with Eun-Su and that if anything I was working against her (that sounds pretty intense), but maybe she did and thus the bucket of chicken and not bananas. Koreans are sneaky.
So I passed off the bucket of chicken to the teacher I sit next to and he gladly accepted. Earlier in the day he told me I looked like an "Indian", so I guess this was my peace offering.
I have no idea why he would think I look anything like Pocahontas, but I figured it could be worse. Oh how tempted I was to start singing "Colors of the Wind".
I have started an English speaking club at school. Not too fancy ... me and a group of 8 or so students every Wednesday and Friday morning to come to school early and sit around and speak in English for about an hour.
What? ... you thought we spoke French?
Each week they pick a topic or two and I prepare my Americanized version, while they prepare their Korean version. Our most recent topic was food and the differing food cultures of the states and Korea. So I basically had to defend the glorious nation of America, "No we don't only eat fried twinkies, although that is an option." and try to make them understand that not all Americans eat 75% of their meals on a stick, while they explain to me just how different all the 5,000 types of kimchi are.
It is really nice to spend time with Korean students who are really interested in learning English and have come to find it somewhat fun ... something kind of difficult when they have English text books shoved down their throat since elementary school. Anyways, next week we are discussing American vs. Korean television.
I'm expecting a good presentation on the 50 or so Korean dramas that are on TV each night. (It seems like when Koreans find something they like (i.e. kimchi, dramas, boy bands, etc) they produce it in mass quantities. No joke. The largest boy band is none other than Korea's own "Super Junior" with 13 members. They're legit.
I'm more than likely going to talk about the Office and maybe Jeopardy. Show them the good stuff.
Yesterday an ajumma (an old, crazy Korean woman, who I suspect exists only to transport various sized loads of used cardboard around Hwasun with a cart) approached me while I was waiting for the bus. After staring at me intensely for a good 30 seconds she said some stuff in Korean and then proceeded to give me a hand massage for about a minute. Then she walked away. That cardboard has places to be.
I recently joined the Hwasun High School "Sports Dance" club out of curiosity and the fact that I believe there is nothing Tom Delay can do that I can't. So far I'm right.
As of now I have attended two classes/meetings/gatherings in the school's gymnasium, where I have learned the very basic steps of the paso doble.
The club consists of me, two other female teachers (who are actually pretty good at dancing, and who's fancy stilettos totally outshine my Nikes) one male teacher (who comes about 30 minutes late and then proceeds to do his own dances in the back of the room) and around 20 or so students. I believe some are there solely to escape the classroom, others genuinely want to learn to dance, and a small percentage come to watch me and the other not-so-advanced students flail around.
I'm having a good time so far ... it is definitely interesting to be a part of an instructional club that is taught in a language that you don't understand. But luckily for me, my body speaks the language of dance.
My host-mom has started to act more freely around me. This new sense of comfortableness has materialized (or dematerialized) in her no longer wearing pants around the house. She now deems large shirts acceptable house attire. I don't really have a problem with it ... it just strikes me as odd. At orientation we were practically forced to believe that all Koreans are extremely modest and showing any bit of skin that isn't below the knee or above the chin is the 8th deadliest sin.
Regardless, I am still afraid to wear anything that reveals my very sexy shoulders. My host-mom, however does not seem to have a problem with that.
On a similar note, my host-mother's birthday was this past weekend. I stayed home with the family and celebrated. This celebration took the form of a family dinner on Friday night and a dinner with me and her friends on Sunday.
The family dinner was extremely pleasant. I finally was able to weasel my way into the kitchen to do something besides eat. I made a giant plate of spaghetti and some garlic bread for dinner, while my host-sisters made a salad and got a cake from a local bakery. My host-mom ate it up (literally). She absolutely loved it.
I have to admit that it was probably the worst food I have ever made ... in that there was little to no flavor (Korean groceries sell nothing but hot sauce, hotter sauce, and why would you ever want to put this in your mouth sauce), and the bread tasted like something that came out about 20 minutes too late of your Easy Bake oven. But my host-family (save for the dad, who requested rice about 30 seconds into the meal) thoroughly enjoyed it and felt really fancy eating "authentic" Western food. Oh, the culture I bring.
On Sunday night I went to dinner with my host-mom and two of her friends at a local restaurant in Hwasun, to continue the birthday celebration. And the meal was, I have to admit, pretty disgusting. It was filled with various types of octopus, shrimp, and other things that should serve only as Ariel's best friend. But I sat through all of dinner (which ended up lasting about 2 and a half hours) with a goofy smile on my face and some mushrooms in my stomach as they spoke about God knows what in Korean. Well, actually God and pretty much every Korean knows what.
The highlight of the dinner, however, was my host-mother's choice of clothing. There are no words to describe the insanity of the things that she decided to wear for dinner. She did wear pants though. Always a start.
Somewhere on this tiny peninsula she managed to find and buy a pair of jeans that could only be described as the Korean version of "JNCO" ... super baggy, covered with faux patches or various materials, and pockets that came down to her knees. (I think the last might be due to the fact that she's really only 3 feet tall). Along with her glorious jeans she wore rain boots, a red scarf, and a gray skull cap. When we walked out the door to leave I questioned if we were really going out to eat, or if she was taking me to some type of underground hip hop club or rap battle. (Is that what people who still wear JNCO jeans do these days?)
Monday, September 28, 2009
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Will J. Clinton has nothing on me.
I thought all you out there in blogger land might like to know what exactly I do over here in Korea in terms of "cultural ambassadorship". Fulbright stresses (I'm pretty sure they bold the words "cultural ambassadorship" whenever it is in writing) this term like it's their job. I'm in Korea to teach children English, eat kimchi, and be a "cultural ambassador" (I'm much more fond of quotation marks to draw attention to certain words).
I'm not really keeping a checklist of all the fancy pants ambassador-y things I've been doing ... in all honesty I'm not exactly sure what this loaded term entails. Am I supposed to hand out American flags to Asians I meet on the street? Should I bring in some hot dogs for my co-teachers to snack on? Is my job to free lady journalists from years of forced labor by having a heart-to-heart with the leader of an Asian dictatorship?
So far I'm 0 for 3.
But I have been teaching my students about Michael Jackson and showing my host-family the wonders of peanut butter.
In all honesty, I have been taking my responsibilities of American citizen pretty seriously. When you're the go-to-person for all things 'Merican, you have to be on top of things. This is why my morning ritual (at school, when all the teachers have an hour of homeroom class) is to read a few Times articles and watch the Daily Show). In doing so, I stay fairly connected to American news and am aware of what celebrity died this week. RIP Patrick Swayze.
Anyways, I've been fielding questions about American culture, eating habits, government, etc. left and right. I'm pretty much the Sammy Sosa of cultural ambassadorship. (I'm not ashamed to say that Sammy Sosa is the only name that came to mind as I was attempting to think of famous MLB outfielders. Hello 2000.)
Early last week one of the physics teachers at Hwasun High School sent me an e-mail regarding the current situation of American health care, Michael Moore's documentary "Sicko" (which I have seen), and Obama's most recent address to Congress about health care reform. I was going to post this after I had had a chance to sit down and talk with Moon (I know, what a great name), but he has yet to find me, after I requested he do so when he was free to talk. Maybe he's a little scared that I might yell a hearty "You lie!" as he is attempting to argue his point.
Admittedly, I am posting this without Moon's consent ... although I'm sure he wouldn't mind me doing so.
Disclaimer: He is a self-proclaimed English beginner, although his vocabulary and sentence structure are not too shabby for someone who studied English only at the high school level about 20 years ago.
What follows is his e-mail to me, and his request for some cultural learnin'.
"Hi Lauren!
I am very happy because I work with you at Hwasun Highschool.
I want to know your country medical insurance system.
I have seen a movie 'sicko'
It was doccumentary flim about your country medical insurance system.
In 'sicko' Your country medical insurance system was very expencive and serious for the poor
Today's newspaper, Your President Mr. Obama address at congress about medical insurance system reform.
But Many Republican congressman opposed to Obama.
What is problem?
Please explain your country medical insurance system and reform next week.
Have a nice weekend!
From Moon"
So ... my job is to now explain to Moon our current American health care system, why it is so unjust and expensive, Michael Moore's place in the fringes of American society, and why Congress seemingly refuses to work toward a solution with President Obama. All, mind you, in very simple English.
Touche, Fulbright, touche.
I'll keep you posted if/when our conversation ever takes place.
I'm not really keeping a checklist of all the fancy pants ambassador-y things I've been doing ... in all honesty I'm not exactly sure what this loaded term entails. Am I supposed to hand out American flags to Asians I meet on the street? Should I bring in some hot dogs for my co-teachers to snack on? Is my job to free lady journalists from years of forced labor by having a heart-to-heart with the leader of an Asian dictatorship?
So far I'm 0 for 3.
But I have been teaching my students about Michael Jackson and showing my host-family the wonders of peanut butter.
In all honesty, I have been taking my responsibilities of American citizen pretty seriously. When you're the go-to-person for all things 'Merican, you have to be on top of things. This is why my morning ritual (at school, when all the teachers have an hour of homeroom class) is to read a few Times articles and watch the Daily Show). In doing so, I stay fairly connected to American news and am aware of what celebrity died this week. RIP Patrick Swayze.
Anyways, I've been fielding questions about American culture, eating habits, government, etc. left and right. I'm pretty much the Sammy Sosa of cultural ambassadorship. (I'm not ashamed to say that Sammy Sosa is the only name that came to mind as I was attempting to think of famous MLB outfielders. Hello 2000.)
Early last week one of the physics teachers at Hwasun High School sent me an e-mail regarding the current situation of American health care, Michael Moore's documentary "Sicko" (which I have seen), and Obama's most recent address to Congress about health care reform. I was going to post this after I had had a chance to sit down and talk with Moon (I know, what a great name), but he has yet to find me, after I requested he do so when he was free to talk. Maybe he's a little scared that I might yell a hearty "You lie!" as he is attempting to argue his point.
Admittedly, I am posting this without Moon's consent ... although I'm sure he wouldn't mind me doing so.
Disclaimer: He is a self-proclaimed English beginner, although his vocabulary and sentence structure are not too shabby for someone who studied English only at the high school level about 20 years ago.
What follows is his e-mail to me, and his request for some cultural learnin'.
"Hi Lauren!
I am very happy because I work with you at Hwasun Highschool.
I want to know your country medical insurance system.
I have seen a movie 'sicko'
It was doccumentary flim about your country medical insurance system.
In 'sicko' Your country medical insurance system was very expencive and serious for the poor
Today's newspaper, Your President Mr. Obama address at congress about medical insurance system reform.
But Many Republican congressman opposed to Obama.
What is problem?
Please explain your country medical insurance system and reform next week.
Have a nice weekend!
From Moon"
So ... my job is to now explain to Moon our current American health care system, why it is so unjust and expensive, Michael Moore's place in the fringes of American society, and why Congress seemingly refuses to work toward a solution with President Obama. All, mind you, in very simple English.
Touche, Fulbright, touche.
I'll keep you posted if/when our conversation ever takes place.
Monday, September 14, 2009
Beyonce had one of the best blogs of all time.
I am not too far removed from American pop culture to make a good Kanye reference whenever an opportunity presents itself. Which is pretty often, seeing that he never seems to stop talking. But how can you blame him? If I was the self-appointed "voice of our generation" I guess I would take full advantage of it too.
This week at school I am actually teaching the little Asian children all about American pop culture, particularly pop music and it's origins with the Jackson 5. I don't know exactly how accurate it is to say the Jackson 5 began the American pop music movement, but if I (the native, American - not Native American - English teacher says it, it's as true if it was written in the Holy Book by God himself). Anyways, this week my lesson is actually crafted around the ever changing face of Michael Jackson and his impact on the American pop culture music scene. After a perry glorious slide show depicting the evolution of his face, in which students point out that he is "No more black! White woman now!", I explain the trajectory of his life, omitting a few hairy details. Students are then left to unscramble a list of 17 English sentences about his life and put them in chronological order.
I pretty much have free range over what I teach my students. I have no text book to guide me, and my co-teacher and the other English teachers at my school have absolutely no care as to what I am teaching. I have yet to be evaluated, or even watched for more than 2 minutes. For all they know I could be informing all the students how to make bombs or the best way to build a sand castle.
Next week. Next week.
This past Saturday I had the pleasure to travel down to the coastal city of Mokpo ... a port city (I think that's true) on the very southwest corner of the Korean peninsula. I had a fabulous time exploring the city with other ETA friends, it was great to get away from Hwasun for a day. I met up with a friend in Gwangju ... the closest and largest city in my province, and from there we took a 50 minute bus ride to Mokpo. South Korean public transportation is insanely amazing (besides the fact that it is all in Korean - that has proven to be a little difficult to maneuver around). It is so readily available and can take you pretty much anywhere you want to go, within South Korea of course. Sadly, no day trips to Russia. My friend and I did, however, once again get reprimanded by an old Korean lady for speaking too much English on the bus. We first considered holding our conversation in either Arabic or Swahili, but soon realized that neither of us spoke those languages. So we went with English, our third choice. It is definitely not the first time I have been somewhat shunned for speaking English, and it probably won't be the last.
Anyways, Saturday afternoon was spent enjoying the company of other American friends, walking up and down the boardwalk (I'm not exactly sure if that's what you call it in Korea, but it was a walk-way made of boards, so boardwalk it is), renting and riding a 4 person bicycle, "eye shopping", and gorging ourselves at an all-you-can-eat American style buffet. By far the most money I have spent on a meal in probably the last 2 years, but absolutely worth it. I was seriously considering trying to shove 3 or 4 pieces of cheesecake and a bowl full of guacamole in my backpack. Next time: Tupperware.
Mokpo was a delightful city, very open, easily accessible, clean, and had many options for fun. (Not that the local Hwasun toilet shop isn't a barrel of excitement) I must admit that I developed a little jealousy as I saw many other of my ETA friends in Mokpo, surrounded by other ETAs and in such a nice, accommodating city. The grass does always seem greener on the other side of the Korean sidewalk.
I arrived back in Hwasun late Saturday night to find my youngest host-sister, Eun Su, preparing for the upcoming school elections. I don't exactly remember if I have mentioned in this blog that she is running for school president (and I'm too lazy to go back and read my posts again), so I'm mentioning it again. My youngest host-sister, Eun Su, is running for school president. A fairly big deal - it's pretty much the most important and exciting thing a second grade student at Hwasun High School can do next Saturday morning at 9:00 am. I'm just saying.
Well, I'm now living in campaign head quarters, surrounded by politically active women - just one more thing Bill Clinton and I have in common. (I'm secretly hoping for a large, campaign bus to roll up in the driveway with some catchy slogan like "CHANGE" or "HOPE" painted on the side, so we can finally start meeting the good folks of Hwasun and encourage them to get out and vote."
Anyways, the Hwasun school election is no little thing. My host-mom and Eun Su have been prepping for this for the past 2 weeks - going over her speech, making up cheers, and designing posters. A couple days ago Eun Su asked me why Obama won our presidential election. Confused, I answered, "Because he had the most votes, duh." Not exactly what she was looking for, Eun Su asked what his famous campaign slogan was that won him so many votes. I told her "Yes, We Can" was fairly popular, and what do you know - I wake up Sunday morning to find about 50 fancy posters splattered with "Yes, We Cans" all over. I guess if you're going to take campaigning advice from a politician, it might as well be a successful one.
So in addition to hanging her posters all throughout school, Eun Su has started to go to school an hour early and stand at the school's gate to yell her campaign cheers and slogans as all the students walk in for the day. It is absolutely adorable and I can tell she really wants to be president of her school. As a teacher (wow, that sounds weird) I am to remain impartial, and am not allowed to vote. I actually have her one and only opponent in one of my classes as well.
The election is this Saturday ... I'll make sure to keep you posted on "Election 09: Hwasun High School".
Today, I signed up for my high school's new Sports Dance club. (actually pronounced, in Korean, sports-uh dance-uh club-uh ... although to be fair, dance is actually spelled "danse". I am starting classes next week every Tuesday and Thursday evening, for one hour. I have absolutely no idea what this entails, but I was told to wear sneakers and be prepared for some sporty dancing with my fellow teachers and some students.
In an effort to fully embrace Hwasun and Korea, I considered joining the local gym (yes, a gym) only to take an ajumma (old Korean lady) jazzercize class. When I learned that this would most likely cause me to pay a fairly expensive membership fee - only to be able to wear a leotard and dance to what I hoped to be once popular Korean 80s songs - I decided to choose the cheaper option (yup ... still cheap ... even in Korea) and sports-uh danse-uh at my high school.
Although I'm assuming it will be me, about 3 students, and a room full of my 40+ fellow teachers, I'm hoping its enjoyable and gives me another way to better connect with my students and teachers. I'm fairly fluent in the language of dance, so communication shouldn't be a problem.
Side note: I learned last week that my high school (like most others, I believe) has an annual talent show in November. Without asking, two of my fellow teachers assumed I would be dancing (why then think this, I have absolutely no idea) for everyone. Upon informing me of the talent show, they asked me what type of dancing I would be doing. I hope interpretative ribbon is acceptable.
Maybe it's because of my sweet dance moves, but since being in Hwasun I have been proposed to twice already. Fairly flattering, kind of creepy ... and both from male students under the age of 16. After some serious consideration, I have decided to turn them both down. Our future goals and plans seem to differ too much. Them with their hopes of owning their own Play Station, and my goal of not being a creep. It is, however, nice to know that my options are always open.
In addition to the sidewalk proposals, I have noticed how incredibly common it is for Koreans (of all ages) to hold hands with one another. In a country that is somewhat of a "step behind" the modern concept of dating and individual freedom, public affection among members of the same sex is extremely popular. It is considered almost taboo to have a boyfriend or girlfriend while in high school - some schools don't even allow it. Interaction between members of the opposite sex is almost nonexistent, at least at Hwasun high school. The boys and girls are almost always segregated (by their own doing) in the classroom (girls hardly ever sit by boys), in the cafeteria (always all girl or all boy lunch tables) and during free time (girls always huddled together, boys always hitting each other in a circle) ... though same sex affection is extremely prominent. It's kind of nice to see a pair of 12 year old boys walking down the sidewalk, holding hands and thinking absolutely nothing of it ... or a mother and her older daughter walking hand in hand down the street. Where I would normally consider holding hands to be something done with a member of the opposite sex to whom you are attracted, not so much over here. Touche Korea.
That's all the 411 in Korea right now. Or should I say 114 - everything is upside down, it seems.
This week at school I am actually teaching the little Asian children all about American pop culture, particularly pop music and it's origins with the Jackson 5. I don't know exactly how accurate it is to say the Jackson 5 began the American pop music movement, but if I (the native, American - not Native American - English teacher says it, it's as true if it was written in the Holy Book by God himself). Anyways, this week my lesson is actually crafted around the ever changing face of Michael Jackson and his impact on the American pop culture music scene. After a perry glorious slide show depicting the evolution of his face, in which students point out that he is "No more black! White woman now!", I explain the trajectory of his life, omitting a few hairy details. Students are then left to unscramble a list of 17 English sentences about his life and put them in chronological order.
I pretty much have free range over what I teach my students. I have no text book to guide me, and my co-teacher and the other English teachers at my school have absolutely no care as to what I am teaching. I have yet to be evaluated, or even watched for more than 2 minutes. For all they know I could be informing all the students how to make bombs or the best way to build a sand castle.
Next week. Next week.
This past Saturday I had the pleasure to travel down to the coastal city of Mokpo ... a port city (I think that's true) on the very southwest corner of the Korean peninsula. I had a fabulous time exploring the city with other ETA friends, it was great to get away from Hwasun for a day. I met up with a friend in Gwangju ... the closest and largest city in my province, and from there we took a 50 minute bus ride to Mokpo. South Korean public transportation is insanely amazing (besides the fact that it is all in Korean - that has proven to be a little difficult to maneuver around). It is so readily available and can take you pretty much anywhere you want to go, within South Korea of course. Sadly, no day trips to Russia. My friend and I did, however, once again get reprimanded by an old Korean lady for speaking too much English on the bus. We first considered holding our conversation in either Arabic or Swahili, but soon realized that neither of us spoke those languages. So we went with English, our third choice. It is definitely not the first time I have been somewhat shunned for speaking English, and it probably won't be the last.
Anyways, Saturday afternoon was spent enjoying the company of other American friends, walking up and down the boardwalk (I'm not exactly sure if that's what you call it in Korea, but it was a walk-way made of boards, so boardwalk it is), renting and riding a 4 person bicycle, "eye shopping", and gorging ourselves at an all-you-can-eat American style buffet. By far the most money I have spent on a meal in probably the last 2 years, but absolutely worth it. I was seriously considering trying to shove 3 or 4 pieces of cheesecake and a bowl full of guacamole in my backpack. Next time: Tupperware.
Mokpo was a delightful city, very open, easily accessible, clean, and had many options for fun. (Not that the local Hwasun toilet shop isn't a barrel of excitement) I must admit that I developed a little jealousy as I saw many other of my ETA friends in Mokpo, surrounded by other ETAs and in such a nice, accommodating city. The grass does always seem greener on the other side of the Korean sidewalk.
I arrived back in Hwasun late Saturday night to find my youngest host-sister, Eun Su, preparing for the upcoming school elections. I don't exactly remember if I have mentioned in this blog that she is running for school president (and I'm too lazy to go back and read my posts again), so I'm mentioning it again. My youngest host-sister, Eun Su, is running for school president. A fairly big deal - it's pretty much the most important and exciting thing a second grade student at Hwasun High School can do next Saturday morning at 9:00 am. I'm just saying.
Well, I'm now living in campaign head quarters, surrounded by politically active women - just one more thing Bill Clinton and I have in common. (I'm secretly hoping for a large, campaign bus to roll up in the driveway with some catchy slogan like "CHANGE" or "HOPE" painted on the side, so we can finally start meeting the good folks of Hwasun and encourage them to get out and vote."
Anyways, the Hwasun school election is no little thing. My host-mom and Eun Su have been prepping for this for the past 2 weeks - going over her speech, making up cheers, and designing posters. A couple days ago Eun Su asked me why Obama won our presidential election. Confused, I answered, "Because he had the most votes, duh." Not exactly what she was looking for, Eun Su asked what his famous campaign slogan was that won him so many votes. I told her "Yes, We Can" was fairly popular, and what do you know - I wake up Sunday morning to find about 50 fancy posters splattered with "Yes, We Cans" all over. I guess if you're going to take campaigning advice from a politician, it might as well be a successful one.
So in addition to hanging her posters all throughout school, Eun Su has started to go to school an hour early and stand at the school's gate to yell her campaign cheers and slogans as all the students walk in for the day. It is absolutely adorable and I can tell she really wants to be president of her school. As a teacher (wow, that sounds weird) I am to remain impartial, and am not allowed to vote. I actually have her one and only opponent in one of my classes as well.
The election is this Saturday ... I'll make sure to keep you posted on "Election 09: Hwasun High School".
Today, I signed up for my high school's new Sports Dance club. (actually pronounced, in Korean, sports-uh dance-uh club-uh ... although to be fair, dance is actually spelled "danse". I am starting classes next week every Tuesday and Thursday evening, for one hour. I have absolutely no idea what this entails, but I was told to wear sneakers and be prepared for some sporty dancing with my fellow teachers and some students.
In an effort to fully embrace Hwasun and Korea, I considered joining the local gym (yes, a gym) only to take an ajumma (old Korean lady) jazzercize class. When I learned that this would most likely cause me to pay a fairly expensive membership fee - only to be able to wear a leotard and dance to what I hoped to be once popular Korean 80s songs - I decided to choose the cheaper option (yup ... still cheap ... even in Korea) and sports-uh danse-uh at my high school.
Although I'm assuming it will be me, about 3 students, and a room full of my 40+ fellow teachers, I'm hoping its enjoyable and gives me another way to better connect with my students and teachers. I'm fairly fluent in the language of dance, so communication shouldn't be a problem.
Side note: I learned last week that my high school (like most others, I believe) has an annual talent show in November. Without asking, two of my fellow teachers assumed I would be dancing (why then think this, I have absolutely no idea) for everyone. Upon informing me of the talent show, they asked me what type of dancing I would be doing. I hope interpretative ribbon is acceptable.
Maybe it's because of my sweet dance moves, but since being in Hwasun I have been proposed to twice already. Fairly flattering, kind of creepy ... and both from male students under the age of 16. After some serious consideration, I have decided to turn them both down. Our future goals and plans seem to differ too much. Them with their hopes of owning their own Play Station, and my goal of not being a creep. It is, however, nice to know that my options are always open.
In addition to the sidewalk proposals, I have noticed how incredibly common it is for Koreans (of all ages) to hold hands with one another. In a country that is somewhat of a "step behind" the modern concept of dating and individual freedom, public affection among members of the same sex is extremely popular. It is considered almost taboo to have a boyfriend or girlfriend while in high school - some schools don't even allow it. Interaction between members of the opposite sex is almost nonexistent, at least at Hwasun high school. The boys and girls are almost always segregated (by their own doing) in the classroom (girls hardly ever sit by boys), in the cafeteria (always all girl or all boy lunch tables) and during free time (girls always huddled together, boys always hitting each other in a circle) ... though same sex affection is extremely prominent. It's kind of nice to see a pair of 12 year old boys walking down the sidewalk, holding hands and thinking absolutely nothing of it ... or a mother and her older daughter walking hand in hand down the street. Where I would normally consider holding hands to be something done with a member of the opposite sex to whom you are attracted, not so much over here. Touche Korea.
That's all the 411 in Korea right now. Or should I say 114 - everything is upside down, it seems.
Thursday, September 3, 2009
Elvis: Pinhead or Patriot?
It's now time for either Kelly Clarkson or Destiny's Child to write a song about me. That's right. I finally feel like somewhat of a grown up. I rode the bus ... alone ... in Korea ... for the first time today. Granted, it was about a 10 ride home from school, but exhilarating, nonetheless. It's amazing what 80 cents a day can do to increase both your independence and overall mood. And from what I hear for 80 cents a day you can also feed children in Africa, but that's a different story. I am now equipped with a fully loaded bus card and a new bicycle, so look out Korea ... I'm coming to a city near you. (well not really near you, if you are reading this back home)
This past weekend was quite delightful. In addition to touring Hwasun's local bus stops with my host-brother, San Che, my host-family took me to their vacation house in Boesong - about an hours drive from Hwasun. Again, I'm not exactly sure what I was expecting when I heard the phrase "vacation house". In the 3 weeks or so that I've been here, I've learned not to try to anticipate or expect any things, as my initial guess is almost always wrong.
Exercise - not taking a run, but instead repeatedly hitting yourself in the stomach after dinner
Vegetarian soup - please don't mind the floating fish heads
Anyways, my entire host family and I traveled to their vacation house last Sunday afternoon after my my oldest host-sister and I attended church, and my youngest host-sister took the TAPS English test.
(TAPS - super difficult English as a second language test only the more advanced high school students take, so as to hopefully be accepted into a legit Korean university. I don't know how well she did ... she said "it was difficult", but she is to studying how Tom Cruise is to Scientology - crazy obsessed - so I'm going to assume she did fairly well.)
So after church and TAPS, we arrived at the vacation house and met some of my host-parent's friends. It was then I was put somewhat on show for the guests: "This is Roren! She is America! Say some stuff in Korean Roren!" It's absolutely adorable, because I can tell my host-family is really proud to have me living with them. Never before have I felt so exotic. The color of my hair can alone causes many Koreans to "Ooooh" and "Ahhhh".
After the awkward introductions were over I was given a tour of the grounds by my host siblings. The father built/designed (I'm not quite sure which) their vacation house ... in the middle of nowhere. It is literally in the middle of no where. We drove for about 45 minutes and then all of a sudden my host-brother's GPS decided we weren't on roads anymore so we existed for a good 15 minutes as a mysterious blue dot on the GPS machine.
The house is really nice - I've got a pretty solid feeling that my host-family is really well off - fully equipped (that sounds like a description for a car, but oh well) and completely livable. When I asked what they usually do at their vacation house my host-sister replied we eat and sing karaoke. Duh, as if I should have known that. Apparently their first house is not conducive to karaoke.
However, the grounds on which the house was built are pretty rough - very hilly and difficult to walk/hike. But my host-family is not the one for hiking ... their version includes driving to the top of a mountain/big hill, getting out of the car for about 15 minutes, looking around, and driving back down. More the karaoke and eating type. We were able to walk around a bit, though, and check out a really sweet swamp, some sewage pipes, and two caged rabbits. (I have pretty much started to accept that in Korea I will never fully be able to anticipate or understand the random grouping of things.)
Yes, a bowl of rice and 2 pieces of toast is a great dinner!
Sure, I would love to see your sewage pipes and baby rabbits!
Of course it is more than acceptable to wear sweat pants and heels to the grocery store!
The afternoon was nice to be around my entire host-family and some of their friends, and allowed for some great bonding time with my oldest host-sister and my host-brother whom I don't get to see very often.
(I have updated my picture site ... which you all should check out (or Facebook) ... because during our weekend excursion my host-sisters decided that it would be a perfect time for a photo shoot. The pictures are absolutely adorable.)
This week at school so far has been the most difficult of all. I'm not exactly sure why ... but all my students are either like zombies from lack of sleep, or like tightly compacted balls of energy - like they downed a barrel of pixie sticks before class. Anyways, this week I have started teaching a month long unit about American music and its transformation throughout the decades. This week - the 1950s and Elvis - a natural choice. Why would I not want to teach the children about such an American beef cake? I have, however, left out the not so glorious stage of his life when he gained about 500 pounds and died on the toilet. The last stage of his life, I guess. For all they know, Elvis was always and has always existed as he did in 1957, as he shook his hips to "Jailhouse Rock".
I introduced this week's lesson last week by telling my students we would be learning about American music. This was filled with great cheers and "Ohmygods!" ... but I have found that when I begin my super important slide show on Elvis and old school rock and roll I am met with a chorus of "But where's Lady Gaga?"
Barf. Never will I teach anything that is in anyway connected to Lady Gaga and her ambiguous "disco stick". But all in all, I think my students are enjoying my lesson about Elvis, especially being able to watch his video for "Jailhouse rock", as they delight in what I call his "sexy dancing". Afterward the students are usually a little confused, stating how un-sexy and silly looking he is. Oh, how the times have changed. (I don't know if I am allowed to say that, as I never lived in the late 1950s, but I'm pretty sure I'm right on this one).
Last week I discovered my co-teachers keep a fair amount of beer in the communal refrigerator. I have yet to ask about the particulars regarding alcohol in the school, but I have heard they are known to bust it out during field trips. But I guess in a school system where students are allowed to have box cutters at their ready, and teachers are able to physically hit any unruly students (Yes, this is true ... and yes, I have witnessed it. And by witnessed, I mean sat awkwardly at my desk with a "OhmygoshIcan'tbelievethisishappeningrightinfrontofme" face) beer is second nature. We will see.
This weekend, my host-father, in an attempt to communicate with me in English, became flustered and stuck his tongue out at me and walked away. Not too sure what this means. My host-mother reassured me that he is "always joker man!" ... so I shouldn't be too offended ... happy, if anything that he would do such a thing. This was, also a couple days after he repeatedly called the house phone from his cell phone, only to watch his wife frantically jump to her feet and run to answer the phone every time it rang. After he called and hung up (about 7 times in a row), my host-mother finally caught on and exclaimed "daddy joker man!". Absolutely hilarious.
I've been eating at the school's cafeteria for lunch the past 3 weeks.
Where else would you expect me to eat during the afternoons?
To be honest, it's been pretty dismal. Today they actually had whole, fried fish - one fish for each individual. The teacher I sat next to today at lunch happened to pick the fish who's mouth was in a perfect "O", staring directly at me. It was as if he was in the middle of singing opera or something before he got caught. Anyways, I each day the cafeteria staff graciously gives me a salad bowl they prepare ... full of fresh veggies. Delicious. They also give me a bowl of mayonnaise to do God knows what with. I've come to find that mayonnaise is an acceptable side dish to almost anything. When I don't eat my entire bowl of mayonnaise (which is everyday) I give it to my fellow teachers and they dip everything in it. Everything. One teacher coated an entire orange in the stuff and happily popped it into her mouth.
In a country so concerned with diet, exercise, and appearing "healthy" ... you think they would have gotten the mayo memo ...
This weekend I discovered that my host-family was once a “model” family for an issue of Korea’s "Parents" magazine. At the lunch table one afternoon I asked my host-mom what her hobbies were (I just learned how to say “hobby” in Korean … the chapters of my textbook seem to guide my conversations for the week … go figure) and she excitedly showed me many articles that she had written for the local Hwasun newspaper. I have absolutely no idea what they were about, as they were in Korean, duh, but she was super proud of them and kept shaking them in my face. It was precious. She then found a copy of a magazine article from the early 2000s where she and her family posed for pictures in "Parents" magazine. I only wish I was able to snag some of those pictures and show them with the world (outside of Hwasun that is).
Think American Ralph Lauren meets Asia meets kittens and puppy dogs. They were all very well dressed with sweater vests and everything. One picture was of my entire host-family conveniently lounging by a large shade tree in a gorgeous park listening as my youngest host-sister played a clarinet. Priceless.
“Oh wow! Look where we’ve found ourselves ... and we are all dressed so well! Eun Su ... please play us some beautiful clarinet music as we awkwardly sit in poses that best accentuate our spiffy clothes!”
I’m not sure how regular of an occurrence family clarinet concerts are in Korea, but I’m going to take a guess and figure not that often. Regardless, my host-mom was absolutely thrilled to show me these pictures, as my host-siblings looked on in embarrassment.
I have lost my favorite pair of socks. Well, actually not lost … I know exactly where they are, I just can’t get to them. So I did my laundry (all by myself, like a grown up) last week and hung all my clothes out to dry on the communal drying rack. I was later searching for my favorite pair of socks (pink and purple argyle ones – pretty girly), but could find them no where. One place I forgot to look – my host-brother’s feet. For the past couple days he has been walking around the house in my pink and purple socks, as manly as ever. This again, illustrates the complexity of gender roles in Korea. While it is generally understood that men are somewhat superior and hold a ton more societal power (come on, Korea) a man is not given a second look when he wears girly socks, Capri pants, or is the owner of many bright pink Hello Kitty items (like one of my fellow male teachers is here at Hwasun High School).
A plan is now in the works to steal back my socks … I’m thinking of trying to lure my host-brother in with a Bratz doll or something to distract him, then snatch them back.
As I mentioned earlier, my youngest host-sister just took the TAPS English exam this past weekend, and she is now currently studying and preparing for meeting with a college recruiter/professor/I don’t know, but some important person who is associated with Keist University – a super impressive science university that is taught solely in English. My host-sister has really high hopes of being admitted there after she graduates high school (in about 1.5 years). Anyways, she is planning to meet with the Keist representative soon and has been preparing by studying English like it’s her job, running for school president (pretty legit, I know), and “exercising” so as to appear trim and healthy. (It should be noted that she constantly stresses how much she needs to “exercise and be thin” – and this has resulted in her eating a perfectly normal amount of nutritious food and then hitting herself in the stomach to make the food avoid going there) She remains pencil thin, but is super concerned about her appearance. In Korea, even more so than in America, appearance is pretty much everything. If you aren’t thin or healthy, you are generally lumped into the category of “nice, but a fatty”. In a country where high school students sacrifice so much of their life and personal freedom to study and pass multiple exams so as to advance to a solid university, appearance and weight is (pardon the pun … actually, don’t pardon it, it’s pretty valid) “given a lot of weight”.
You get a perfect score on every test, can speak English better than former President Bush (well, that’s not too difficult) and are the smartest and most dedicated Korean high school student alive … well you are still looked at much, much differently if you ate that Tootsie Roll yesterday afternoon. Korea is a deeply superficial society.
In addition to trying to be very thin and imply intelligence, many Koreans are fascinated with looking "Western". One of my fellow teachers, with whom I share space with in the teacher's lounge approached me a few days ago and simply asked me:
"How American do I look?"
My answer: "Um ... not at all?" (hoping this is what he was looking for)
My co-teacher found this absolutely hilarious and then explained to me that this particular teacher (we will call him "Charles" only because he looks somewhat like the Asian version of Scott Baio. Just as I thought Scott Baio couldn't get anymore handsome ...) desperately tries to convince people that his father was American so he is then 1/2 Western.
Western in Korea. So hot right now.
Today I was at the Gwangju library and saw the most fabulous Engrish t-shirt.
(I went to a meeting/open house to learn more about the "American Corner" - yes, that's really what they call it, even though it's more like the "American room" - a space dedicated to all things American. Pretty glorious - I ate some hotdogs and fired a few rounds of my handgun.
I am actually going to start volunteering there about 2 or 3 times a month - reading books to children and putting on sock puppet plays most likely.
Anyways ... as I was walking out, I spotted a girl with a shirt that read:
"I asked fate for Dong"
I'm not really sure what she meant by that, I can only hope that fate granted her wishes.
"Sure. Here's your Dong."
This past weekend was quite delightful. In addition to touring Hwasun's local bus stops with my host-brother, San Che, my host-family took me to their vacation house in Boesong - about an hours drive from Hwasun. Again, I'm not exactly sure what I was expecting when I heard the phrase "vacation house". In the 3 weeks or so that I've been here, I've learned not to try to anticipate or expect any things, as my initial guess is almost always wrong.
Exercise - not taking a run, but instead repeatedly hitting yourself in the stomach after dinner
Vegetarian soup - please don't mind the floating fish heads
Anyways, my entire host family and I traveled to their vacation house last Sunday afternoon after my my oldest host-sister and I attended church, and my youngest host-sister took the TAPS English test.
(TAPS - super difficult English as a second language test only the more advanced high school students take, so as to hopefully be accepted into a legit Korean university. I don't know how well she did ... she said "it was difficult", but she is to studying how Tom Cruise is to Scientology - crazy obsessed - so I'm going to assume she did fairly well.)
So after church and TAPS, we arrived at the vacation house and met some of my host-parent's friends. It was then I was put somewhat on show for the guests: "This is Roren! She is America! Say some stuff in Korean Roren!" It's absolutely adorable, because I can tell my host-family is really proud to have me living with them. Never before have I felt so exotic. The color of my hair can alone causes many Koreans to "Ooooh" and "Ahhhh".
After the awkward introductions were over I was given a tour of the grounds by my host siblings. The father built/designed (I'm not quite sure which) their vacation house ... in the middle of nowhere. It is literally in the middle of no where. We drove for about 45 minutes and then all of a sudden my host-brother's GPS decided we weren't on roads anymore so we existed for a good 15 minutes as a mysterious blue dot on the GPS machine.
The house is really nice - I've got a pretty solid feeling that my host-family is really well off - fully equipped (that sounds like a description for a car, but oh well) and completely livable. When I asked what they usually do at their vacation house my host-sister replied we eat and sing karaoke. Duh, as if I should have known that. Apparently their first house is not conducive to karaoke.
However, the grounds on which the house was built are pretty rough - very hilly and difficult to walk/hike. But my host-family is not the one for hiking ... their version includes driving to the top of a mountain/big hill, getting out of the car for about 15 minutes, looking around, and driving back down. More the karaoke and eating type. We were able to walk around a bit, though, and check out a really sweet swamp, some sewage pipes, and two caged rabbits. (I have pretty much started to accept that in Korea I will never fully be able to anticipate or understand the random grouping of things.)
Yes, a bowl of rice and 2 pieces of toast is a great dinner!
Sure, I would love to see your sewage pipes and baby rabbits!
Of course it is more than acceptable to wear sweat pants and heels to the grocery store!
The afternoon was nice to be around my entire host-family and some of their friends, and allowed for some great bonding time with my oldest host-sister and my host-brother whom I don't get to see very often.
(I have updated my picture site ... which you all should check out (or Facebook) ... because during our weekend excursion my host-sisters decided that it would be a perfect time for a photo shoot. The pictures are absolutely adorable.)
This week at school so far has been the most difficult of all. I'm not exactly sure why ... but all my students are either like zombies from lack of sleep, or like tightly compacted balls of energy - like they downed a barrel of pixie sticks before class. Anyways, this week I have started teaching a month long unit about American music and its transformation throughout the decades. This week - the 1950s and Elvis - a natural choice. Why would I not want to teach the children about such an American beef cake? I have, however, left out the not so glorious stage of his life when he gained about 500 pounds and died on the toilet. The last stage of his life, I guess. For all they know, Elvis was always and has always existed as he did in 1957, as he shook his hips to "Jailhouse Rock".
I introduced this week's lesson last week by telling my students we would be learning about American music. This was filled with great cheers and "Ohmygods!" ... but I have found that when I begin my super important slide show on Elvis and old school rock and roll I am met with a chorus of "But where's Lady Gaga?"
Barf. Never will I teach anything that is in anyway connected to Lady Gaga and her ambiguous "disco stick". But all in all, I think my students are enjoying my lesson about Elvis, especially being able to watch his video for "Jailhouse rock", as they delight in what I call his "sexy dancing". Afterward the students are usually a little confused, stating how un-sexy and silly looking he is. Oh, how the times have changed. (I don't know if I am allowed to say that, as I never lived in the late 1950s, but I'm pretty sure I'm right on this one).
Last week I discovered my co-teachers keep a fair amount of beer in the communal refrigerator. I have yet to ask about the particulars regarding alcohol in the school, but I have heard they are known to bust it out during field trips. But I guess in a school system where students are allowed to have box cutters at their ready, and teachers are able to physically hit any unruly students (Yes, this is true ... and yes, I have witnessed it. And by witnessed, I mean sat awkwardly at my desk with a "OhmygoshIcan'tbelievethisishappeningrightinfrontofme" face) beer is second nature. We will see.
This weekend, my host-father, in an attempt to communicate with me in English, became flustered and stuck his tongue out at me and walked away. Not too sure what this means. My host-mother reassured me that he is "always joker man!" ... so I shouldn't be too offended ... happy, if anything that he would do such a thing. This was, also a couple days after he repeatedly called the house phone from his cell phone, only to watch his wife frantically jump to her feet and run to answer the phone every time it rang. After he called and hung up (about 7 times in a row), my host-mother finally caught on and exclaimed "daddy joker man!". Absolutely hilarious.
I've been eating at the school's cafeteria for lunch the past 3 weeks.
Where else would you expect me to eat during the afternoons?
To be honest, it's been pretty dismal. Today they actually had whole, fried fish - one fish for each individual. The teacher I sat next to today at lunch happened to pick the fish who's mouth was in a perfect "O", staring directly at me. It was as if he was in the middle of singing opera or something before he got caught. Anyways, I each day the cafeteria staff graciously gives me a salad bowl they prepare ... full of fresh veggies. Delicious. They also give me a bowl of mayonnaise to do God knows what with. I've come to find that mayonnaise is an acceptable side dish to almost anything. When I don't eat my entire bowl of mayonnaise (which is everyday) I give it to my fellow teachers and they dip everything in it. Everything. One teacher coated an entire orange in the stuff and happily popped it into her mouth.
In a country so concerned with diet, exercise, and appearing "healthy" ... you think they would have gotten the mayo memo ...
This weekend I discovered that my host-family was once a “model” family for an issue of Korea’s "Parents" magazine. At the lunch table one afternoon I asked my host-mom what her hobbies were (I just learned how to say “hobby” in Korean … the chapters of my textbook seem to guide my conversations for the week … go figure) and she excitedly showed me many articles that she had written for the local Hwasun newspaper. I have absolutely no idea what they were about, as they were in Korean, duh, but she was super proud of them and kept shaking them in my face. It was precious. She then found a copy of a magazine article from the early 2000s where she and her family posed for pictures in "Parents" magazine. I only wish I was able to snag some of those pictures and show them with the world (outside of Hwasun that is).
Think American Ralph Lauren meets Asia meets kittens and puppy dogs. They were all very well dressed with sweater vests and everything. One picture was of my entire host-family conveniently lounging by a large shade tree in a gorgeous park listening as my youngest host-sister played a clarinet. Priceless.
“Oh wow! Look where we’ve found ourselves ... and we are all dressed so well! Eun Su ... please play us some beautiful clarinet music as we awkwardly sit in poses that best accentuate our spiffy clothes!”
I’m not sure how regular of an occurrence family clarinet concerts are in Korea, but I’m going to take a guess and figure not that often. Regardless, my host-mom was absolutely thrilled to show me these pictures, as my host-siblings looked on in embarrassment.
I have lost my favorite pair of socks. Well, actually not lost … I know exactly where they are, I just can’t get to them. So I did my laundry (all by myself, like a grown up) last week and hung all my clothes out to dry on the communal drying rack. I was later searching for my favorite pair of socks (pink and purple argyle ones – pretty girly), but could find them no where. One place I forgot to look – my host-brother’s feet. For the past couple days he has been walking around the house in my pink and purple socks, as manly as ever. This again, illustrates the complexity of gender roles in Korea. While it is generally understood that men are somewhat superior and hold a ton more societal power (come on, Korea) a man is not given a second look when he wears girly socks, Capri pants, or is the owner of many bright pink Hello Kitty items (like one of my fellow male teachers is here at Hwasun High School).
A plan is now in the works to steal back my socks … I’m thinking of trying to lure my host-brother in with a Bratz doll or something to distract him, then snatch them back.
As I mentioned earlier, my youngest host-sister just took the TAPS English exam this past weekend, and she is now currently studying and preparing for meeting with a college recruiter/professor/I don’t know, but some important person who is associated with Keist University – a super impressive science university that is taught solely in English. My host-sister has really high hopes of being admitted there after she graduates high school (in about 1.5 years). Anyways, she is planning to meet with the Keist representative soon and has been preparing by studying English like it’s her job, running for school president (pretty legit, I know), and “exercising” so as to appear trim and healthy. (It should be noted that she constantly stresses how much she needs to “exercise and be thin” – and this has resulted in her eating a perfectly normal amount of nutritious food and then hitting herself in the stomach to make the food avoid going there) She remains pencil thin, but is super concerned about her appearance. In Korea, even more so than in America, appearance is pretty much everything. If you aren’t thin or healthy, you are generally lumped into the category of “nice, but a fatty”. In a country where high school students sacrifice so much of their life and personal freedom to study and pass multiple exams so as to advance to a solid university, appearance and weight is (pardon the pun … actually, don’t pardon it, it’s pretty valid) “given a lot of weight”.
You get a perfect score on every test, can speak English better than former President Bush (well, that’s not too difficult) and are the smartest and most dedicated Korean high school student alive … well you are still looked at much, much differently if you ate that Tootsie Roll yesterday afternoon. Korea is a deeply superficial society.
In addition to trying to be very thin and imply intelligence, many Koreans are fascinated with looking "Western". One of my fellow teachers, with whom I share space with in the teacher's lounge approached me a few days ago and simply asked me:
"How American do I look?"
My answer: "Um ... not at all?" (hoping this is what he was looking for)
My co-teacher found this absolutely hilarious and then explained to me that this particular teacher (we will call him "Charles" only because he looks somewhat like the Asian version of Scott Baio. Just as I thought Scott Baio couldn't get anymore handsome ...) desperately tries to convince people that his father was American so he is then 1/2 Western.
Western in Korea. So hot right now.
Today I was at the Gwangju library and saw the most fabulous Engrish t-shirt.
(I went to a meeting/open house to learn more about the "American Corner" - yes, that's really what they call it, even though it's more like the "American room" - a space dedicated to all things American. Pretty glorious - I ate some hotdogs and fired a few rounds of my handgun.
I am actually going to start volunteering there about 2 or 3 times a month - reading books to children and putting on sock puppet plays most likely.
Anyways ... as I was walking out, I spotted a girl with a shirt that read:
"I asked fate for Dong"
I'm not really sure what she meant by that, I can only hope that fate granted her wishes.
"Sure. Here's your Dong."
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
LANGUAGE: n. The music with which we charm the serpents guarding another's treasure
Ambrose Bierce got it right.
I wouldn't necessarily call Koreans "serpents", however they do have a treasure for which I definitely long ... the ability to speak Korean.
I often tell my students that during my time in Korea I am attempting to learn the language, but it is very difficult for me. They then usually give me a goofy smile and say, "Teacher! Korean so easy! You crazy." Well for you ... duh. Korean was not the language I grew up with. My parents don't speak Korean (thanks a lot Mom and Dad) and it thus does not come naturally to me.
My students then complain that English is extremely difficult and not fun to learn. I then find myself (without thinking) reply, "No it's not! It's really easy and tons of fun!" It is only after this falls out of my mouth that I actually take a step back and evaluate what I just said.
During my short time in Korea, I have been brought me to seriously consider both the power of language and its limitations. How jealous I am of Korean's ability to speak Korean! I often find myself thinking how lucky they are to be able to effectively get their point across and reach a mutual understanding with pretty much everyone they come into contact with. However good my Korean (let's face it, it will never be awesome), or however good their English, I have yet to be (and probably will never be) completely satisfied with any conversation I've had (or will have) with a non-native English speaker.
Oh how extremely valuable is the ability to express oneself through language.
My inability to speak Korean, which leads to the suppression of many of my daily thoughts and feelings, has drastically changed the way I think and interact with others. I consider myself somewhat of a humorous and sarcastic person, one who definitely relies on the a listener's ability to understand and fully comprehend both the context and underlying meaning of my speech. However, in Korea THIS DOES NOT TRANSLATE AT ALL. Humor is completely thrown out the window, from 15 stories high, and is splattered on the pavement, dead as death. (and you can't get much dead-er than that).
While teaching I have had to drastically change both my vocabulary, sentence structure, and pace at which I speak. I repeat everything. EVERYTHING. In only two weeks time I have found myself even thinking in much simpler, non-complex sentences. I do not like this.
I have never before realized my complete and utter dependence upon the English language. What I wouldn't give to be able to speak freely and have it be completely understood to my fellow teachers, home stay family, and students. Not even to my host-sister or my co-teacher (the two individuals who I interact with most ... and who are semi-fluent in English) can I fully or easily express my thoughts and desires.
When I have previously worked with (English speaking) children in either an academic or summer camp environment I have very much relied on my humor to relate to and form friendships with my students and campers. This does not work in Korea. At all. Crack a joke in front of a classroom of 30+ Korean high school students and they all look at you as if you are an alien (many of whom probably already think you are).
I have come to face the fact that this is pretty much what the rest of my year will be like. It's not awful, I've just yet to fully adapt to this situation ... and it will definitely be a challenge.
Oh well. So it goes. (I've been reading a lot of Vonnegut lately)
On the bright side, this language gap has proven to elicit some pretty hilarious situations.
Yesterday I was able to successfully explain to one of my students that the word "poop" can be used as both a verb and a noun. After an extensive array of hand gestures and sounds, we arrived at the word "poop". When writing her daily schedule, she (my student) wanted to make known the exact time she schedules her morning bowel movements.
"7:30 am - I make poop." The most detailed schedule a student of mine has written thus far.
It is also comforting to know that I am not the only one who is dealing with the difficulties of communication. As I speak little to no Korean in the classroom, my students must acclimate themselves to hearing a native speaker, which at times confuses them because of my pronunciation (I differentiate my "L" sounds from my "R" sounds) and my emphasis on certain words in each sentence. It is a struggle for all in that which I call my classroom. But it is something that I am learning to adjust to, and hopefully will be more comfortable with as the semester progresses.
Roren
How one of my students spelled my name today.
"3:00 pm - English time with Roren!"
I wouldn't necessarily call Koreans "serpents", however they do have a treasure for which I definitely long ... the ability to speak Korean.
I often tell my students that during my time in Korea I am attempting to learn the language, but it is very difficult for me. They then usually give me a goofy smile and say, "Teacher! Korean so easy! You crazy." Well for you ... duh. Korean was not the language I grew up with. My parents don't speak Korean (thanks a lot Mom and Dad) and it thus does not come naturally to me.
My students then complain that English is extremely difficult and not fun to learn. I then find myself (without thinking) reply, "No it's not! It's really easy and tons of fun!" It is only after this falls out of my mouth that I actually take a step back and evaluate what I just said.
During my short time in Korea, I have been brought me to seriously consider both the power of language and its limitations. How jealous I am of Korean's ability to speak Korean! I often find myself thinking how lucky they are to be able to effectively get their point across and reach a mutual understanding with pretty much everyone they come into contact with. However good my Korean (let's face it, it will never be awesome), or however good their English, I have yet to be (and probably will never be) completely satisfied with any conversation I've had (or will have) with a non-native English speaker.
Oh how extremely valuable is the ability to express oneself through language.
My inability to speak Korean, which leads to the suppression of many of my daily thoughts and feelings, has drastically changed the way I think and interact with others. I consider myself somewhat of a humorous and sarcastic person, one who definitely relies on the a listener's ability to understand and fully comprehend both the context and underlying meaning of my speech. However, in Korea THIS DOES NOT TRANSLATE AT ALL. Humor is completely thrown out the window, from 15 stories high, and is splattered on the pavement, dead as death. (and you can't get much dead-er than that).
While teaching I have had to drastically change both my vocabulary, sentence structure, and pace at which I speak. I repeat everything. EVERYTHING. In only two weeks time I have found myself even thinking in much simpler, non-complex sentences. I do not like this.
I have never before realized my complete and utter dependence upon the English language. What I wouldn't give to be able to speak freely and have it be completely understood to my fellow teachers, home stay family, and students. Not even to my host-sister or my co-teacher (the two individuals who I interact with most ... and who are semi-fluent in English) can I fully or easily express my thoughts and desires.
When I have previously worked with (English speaking) children in either an academic or summer camp environment I have very much relied on my humor to relate to and form friendships with my students and campers. This does not work in Korea. At all. Crack a joke in front of a classroom of 30+ Korean high school students and they all look at you as if you are an alien (many of whom probably already think you are).
I have come to face the fact that this is pretty much what the rest of my year will be like. It's not awful, I've just yet to fully adapt to this situation ... and it will definitely be a challenge.
Oh well. So it goes. (I've been reading a lot of Vonnegut lately)
On the bright side, this language gap has proven to elicit some pretty hilarious situations.
Yesterday I was able to successfully explain to one of my students that the word "poop" can be used as both a verb and a noun. After an extensive array of hand gestures and sounds, we arrived at the word "poop". When writing her daily schedule, she (my student) wanted to make known the exact time she schedules her morning bowel movements.
"7:30 am - I make poop." The most detailed schedule a student of mine has written thus far.
It is also comforting to know that I am not the only one who is dealing with the difficulties of communication. As I speak little to no Korean in the classroom, my students must acclimate themselves to hearing a native speaker, which at times confuses them because of my pronunciation (I differentiate my "L" sounds from my "R" sounds) and my emphasis on certain words in each sentence. It is a struggle for all in that which I call my classroom. But it is something that I am learning to adjust to, and hopefully will be more comfortable with as the semester progresses.
Roren
How one of my students spelled my name today.
"3:00 pm - English time with Roren!"
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