My First Week of Teaching

As of today I've been in Hwacheon for exactly one week. Last week I first visited the school and met my students on Thursday but I didn't really teach until Monday. I teach five 5th grade classes and five 6th grade classes and meet each class twice a week. Unlike other ETAs, I am fortunate to teach all 20 classes a week with the same co-teacher, the wonderful Soo Jin. This allows me to hopefully be more effective because we will both get to know each other's expectations and teaching personas. For now I am mainly teaching the pronunciation parts of the lessons and orchestrating the games while Soo Jin covers the grammar and vocabulary because normally Korean is required in these parts of the lesson. I am still definitely settling into what Soo Jin wants from me but my lessons have gone really well so far. Today we played a fly swatter game at the end of the class where the students had to decide which picture of me best matched the sentence. They loved it- especially the Face in the Hole pictures I made!

One of the projects I am most excited for this year is a letter writing project I am starting with all of my students. Every week I will give all of my fifth and sixth grade students a letter topic and they will be expected to respond and put the letter in my mailbox. The first letter is just introducing themselves and I've already received a few back. The responses have been so heartwarming but also humorous. One girl addressed me as 'New York's Angel' and told me 'she wants to know me deeply'. Another student invited me to her house to learn to cook Korean food with her mother. Since I have nearly 300 students I can't respond to each letter but I'm planning on responding to each student after they write three letters. They will also receive a prize for writing 10 letters. Sadly, I will need to use incentives for almost everything I assign, including homework because the students are so overworked and pressured to achieve. The students know English Class is not graded and they therefore slack off in my class first. As frustrating as it may get I am striving to not take the lack of participation as a lack of interest because my home stay brother is a sixth grader and I witness how much his parents pressure him every single day. My brother frequently stays up until 11 or so studying and he remains at the library after school everyday until 7 studying. It is unbelievable how nervous he already is about gaining acceptance to a top University.

I am very excited to see how my first few weeks continue to shape up. Tomorrow is my first 회식, or teachers' dinner. We are going to a restaurant in Chuncheon to say goodbye to teachers who are transferring schools. In Korea it is normal for a large number of teachers to leave at the start of every semester because the teachers are mandated to rotate schools every few years. I am excited to be able to interact with my teachers in a more casual setting but most likely the conversation will only be in English to humor Amy and I for a total of five minutes, if that.

Anways, I also attached a page with my address here in South Korea. The address I posted will be good until I return home next July.

Cross-Cultural Dilemmas in the Home Stay

I arrived at my home stay on Wednesday night and was warmly greeted by my host mother and younger brother, Eun Chan. My father was at work but later came home to greet me before returning to the office. My host sister is the equivalent to an American junior in high school and attends an elite academy, which means that she boards at school and only comes home on Sundays. The family has been so welcoming and have showered me with attention, support and kindness. They have taken me on family walks, on a trip to a nearby lotus village, on long bike rides through town and to a traditional music concert. The experience has been absolutely wonderful so far and yet I have encountered more ethical and moral dilemmas in these past few days than my previous eight weeks in Korea. Cultural differences had obviously been apparent to me upon arrival but it is amazing how much more you experience these cultural divides when you are living with a family.

My walk over the bridge to school

View from the bridge

My brother and I

A lotus

My host father wanted a picture of me with a lotus hat

My brother and I

My brother after our bike ride along the river

Originally I thought that some of my inner conflicts were due to communication lapses since my host parents speak as much English as I speak Korean, perhaps even less, and my host brother frequently translates for us when either party can't express something. The only problem with this system is that Eun Chan is a sixth grade boy and often does not feel like translating and therefore just doesn't and my parents and I are left in a state of half understanding.

One of the first times this happened was at the dinner table and sparked my first major moral qualm. My host father is extremely excited that I went to Duke and finds a way to discuss my time at Duke, my intelligence or my study habits in every interaction. Although his belief that I must be a genius is very flattering he tends to paint an unrealistic picture of me that makes me rather uncomfortable. My host father continually asks if I had a television in my house, if I was allowed to watch movies, etc. in an attempt to discover just how hard my parents had to push me to get me to go to Duke. The only problem is that my parents didn't push me to go to Duke- they would have been supportive of me regardless. He also frequently asks how many hours a day I would study in high school and if I worked harder than Korean students. Korean high school students are in school until 9 PM and then most study independently until midnight or later. Many Fulbright ETAs have students tell them it's a good night when they stop studying prior to 2AM. So no, I did not work harder than Korean students- not even close! He also asks if I went to a co-ed high school, wore a uniform, dormed at my high school, etc. in an attempt to figure out what was the key to my success that he can then give to his daughter and son.

Although these conversations make me uncomfortable because my brother in elementary school currently studies more than I ever had in my entire life they are something I am hoping will fade with time. I also hope I can slowly but surely assuage my father's fervent convictions that studying for 18 hours a day is the key to success and happiness in life. In the United States there is a belief that going to a great college can bring you success but every child is also instilled with a deep belief in themselves and we are all told that if we continually try to succeed we will regardless of our grades, SAT scores, etc. In fact, every child is continually reminded that even Albert Einstein received C's. In Korea, grades and rankings are everything. My younger brother has already told me numerous times that one must be among the top students in elementary school or one already loses their chance at a good job and decent wage. Because of this kids don't participate in any extracurriculars, even musical or artistic endeavors. These beliefs and values greatly clash with my views of the purpose of education and my views on how one should spend their life. I simply can't see why a society would choose to have it's children spend hours in a library rather than running around, playing with friends, creating art or otherwise enjoying themselves. My interactions with Korean students have also reinforced my belief that this life is not one that children enjoy.

This clash in values has come to a head because my host father has requested that I give a one hour talk on Duke to the academy students at my sister's academy. (An academy is an exclusive after-school school where you go to dorm and study after school ends. Tests are administered periodically and if you don't perform you are asked to leave the academy) I know he wants me to urge the students to study until 2AM every night because he believes that will bring them success but I am not quite sure I can say that to the students. It simply is not true in my mind and yet, Koreans don't understand why a college would value someone being well-rounded. For Koreans, grades and rank are the most important factor in determining your value. There is no benefit to being exceptionally gifted at an instrument or sport, etc. I agreed to give the talk mainly because I wasn't initially sure what I was agreeing to because the conversation was in Korean. Now, as I begin to plan how I want to spend my hour with the students I am forced to discern how to not betray my beliefs while not disappointing my father and not glossing over the fact that it is much harder for an Asian International Applicant to gain acceptance to Duke than it was for me and therefore they are facing an uphill battle. I will let you know how it all turns out as the presentation dates approaches.

This post also ended up being much longer than I expected so I will write more about my dilemmas concerning race, violence and beliefs about Americans in a later post!

Exploring Seoul

This past weekend the Fulbright Program sponsored a trip to Seoul for all of the new ETAs. We left for Seoul at 3:15 AM on Friday morning. When we arrived in Seoul we briefly stopped at our hotel but then quickly departed for the DMZ because we had a 9AM tour. Being able to visit the Demilitarized Zone was an unbelievable opportunity. Our tour began by visiting the Joint Security Area, which is a part of the DMZ that is jointly inhabited by North Korean, South Korean and US soldiers as well as Swiss and Swedish delegates who help with negotiations between the North and South. While here we had to follow a very strict dress code, walk in two straight lines and we couldn't make any gestures or show too much expression. The American soldiers were very serious about this. We were able to take pictures of the visible North Korean soldiers (who also took photos of us to potentially use as propaganda). We also entered the building where talks occur between the two parties and within that building we were able to cross into North Korea. It was unbelievable but I'm happy I can now say I've been to North Korea.

South Korean soldiers facing a North Korean building

North Korea

A train that used to run between North and South Korea. This is the current last stop since you can't travel into North Korea.

The other particuarly memorable part of the DMZ tour was visiting the third tunnel. The third tunnel is a tunnel that North Koreans dug to try to attack South Korea. This tunnel is the third of five found but North Korean defectors say there are over 20 tunnels which is frankly very alarming. It was neat to walk down into the tunnel especially since you could see black smears on the walls because North Korea claimed the tunnel was for mining coal even though there is no coal in the area- they painted the black smears!

Besides the DMZ the highlight of my Seoul trip was definitely the food. It was so satisfying to eat Western food for the first time in months! My friends and I even found a taco placed own by an ex- New Yorker. He used to live in Downtown Brooklyn and worked on Wall Street. It was really nice to talk to someone who knew Breezy Point, Poly Prep and all my favorite places to eat in Downtown Brooklyn.

American breakfast in the foreigner district- even the bathroom sign was in English!

A temple in Seoul

Rice growing on a street in Seoul to raise citizens' environmental consciousness

Amber, Rachel and I outside a temple

A man- made river in downtown Seoul

Another highlight was graduating from my Korean language course although it was very hard to say goodbye to my teachers. They have been unbelievably loving, supportive and encouraging. I'm pretty nervous about my Korean acquisition without them by my side. Speaking of which, I am now in Hwacheon and have just finished my second day of teaching! It has been quite a whirlwind adventure full of love, support and many, many miscommunications. I will write more about my school, my co-teacher and my family very, very soon!

Learning to Cook

Today I went to a Korean Cooking Class with about twenty other ETAs an hour away in Cheongju. It was amazing. We made kimbap and bulkogi, which I may have spelled wrong because I'm much more used to writing and reading these foods in Korean. One of the OCs came with us to translate but it was also pretty easy to just watch the teacher and then imitate the steps. We first marinated the meat then made the kimbap. Kimbap is basically Korean sushi. Instead of containing raw fish kimbap generally has cooked meats, vegetables and sometimes even cheese! Ours had pickled radish (which is quickly becoming my favorite vegetable), carrot, cucumber, egg, fish, carrot, ham, and imitation crab meat. I was nervous about rolling the wraps but I managed to do a good job. After we made the kimbap we cooked the meat and added in some mushrooms and noodles. After nearly two hours we were ready to eat so the teacher brought out watermelon and kimchi and we ate at our tables. No meal is complete without kimchi in Korea! I cooked with our RA Rachel and my friend Tracey. Rachel is Korean and she actually has her cooking license because she went to a cooking hagwon and then took a written test and completed a practical to get her license. In Korea it is very common to have various licenses for different skills you possess even though the licenses don't really grant you any privileges. For example, Rachel can't even work at a restaurant with just a cooking license.

Our teacher

Our complete meal

Rachel, Tracey and I with our meal

The rest of the weekend I've just been hanging out with friends and studying Korean. The beginner classes all have to give a five minute speech on Monday, which is very daunting. We also have a four hour final exam on Wednesday and then have a class presentation to prepare for our graduation ceremony next weekend. Therefore, I am going to be very busy these next few days and may not be able to write until after we get back from Seoul early next week. After Seoul, we are only in Goesan for a day before we have the big ceremony where we meet our co-teachers and they then take us to our placements. I can't believe I will be in Hwacheon so soon!

The End of Activities

This week is the final week of our extracurriculars since we are only in Goesan for 10 more days. Then we will travel to Seoul for a few days. When we return to Goesan from Seoul we only have one day before we depart for our homestays! On Monday we had our final Taekwondo class. This class was very special because we were able to spar for the first time! We practiced our footwork before our Master let us loose on each other. I was scheduled to spar with my friend Kristin. Each pair fought one two minute set, which was remarkably tiring. Actual taekwondo matches are three rounds of three minutes each. In order to score you must have a clean hit with enough power to make a loud sound. Therefore, many matches, including mine, were scoreless. When the matches are a tie the more aggressive participant is awarded the win. In my match Kristin and I were pretty equal so we actually tied. At the end of class we presented our master with a photo of everyone and a card we all signed. He was very happy. Gift-giving is a huge part of the Korean culture and I will have to get used to giving my host family and co-teachers gifts on almost a weekly basis. They do not have to be grand gifts- it is more about the gesture. 

Kristin is in blue and I am in red.

Today was the last day of Glee Club and we had a pizza party! The pizza isn't great here but it's a nice reminder of home. We also had broccoli for dinner so it was a pretty great day for food! While eating pizza and chatting we watched MAD TV skits and then a spoof on a Korean drama. I  didn't really understand the Korean spoof but I am currently watching a Korean drama with my friend Amber. She has watched a lot of them and recommended a good one called Coffee Prince. I'm hoping it will help me with my Korean also.

Today all of the ETAs also got access to the Town and City Guide, which has a lot of information on our placements from past ETAs. I was able to learn a lot more about Hwacheon. For, example I found out my town actually only has 8,000 people and the downtown consists of two streets. There is one Western Bar in the town and they apparently love the ETAs and allow you to DJ. There are also three coffee shops with friendly owners who like foreigners. The area sounds beautiful though. There is a nice bike path along the river and there is an island in the middle of the river that you can zipline to. You then can picnic, rent bikes, rent kayaks or explore the numerous running trails. We also are lucky enough to have a two pensions, a hotel and a love motel. The guide made me pretty excited for my upcoming year!

Hwacheon, Here I Come!

This past Friday was our Placement Ceremony and all 80 of us found out where we are going to teach and live for the next year. Needless to say everyone was extremely jittery leading up to the ceremony at 7PM especially since we fill out a 4 page Preference Form but many times all of your needs cannot be met. The ceremony was held in the auditorium on the 11th floor, which was funny because the room is huge but only Mrs. Shim, some office staff and our Korean language teachers were in attendance so the room was very empty. Despite the small number in attendance, the ceremony was quite formal. Everyone wore business professional clothes and we all stood in an arc in front of the ceremony. The OCs then named a province and read the names of each of the ETAs who were placed in that province. The ETAs then come to the stage one by one to receive the name of the school they will teach at and to place their marker on the map of South Korea. The ceremony becomes more nerve-racking as more and more ETAs are placed and fewer people remain standing in the arc in front of the stage. 

About halfway through the ceremony my name was finally called and I discovered I would be teaching in Hwacheon in the Gangwon Province! I am very excited about my placement because two of my closest friends are also in Gangwon. My roommate will be teaching middle school in Hwacheon and her school is about a ten minute walk from my elementary school. My other friend, Maggie, will be teaching at an elementary school in Yucheon, which is a small town about 45 minutes away from Hwacheon. I also have the only placement in which two ETAs are in the same school so another ETA, Amy, will be working with me! Hwacheon is extremely rural and there are only 300 kids in the entire elementary school- although that is more than in my friend Maggie's school. Maggie has about 50 kids in her entire school! The only placement more rural than Hwacheon is Maggie's placement in Yucheon! I am very excited to have a chance to really work on learning Korean and I think it will be really neat to experience a more traditional Korean town. The town itself is beautiful as well. It is nestled in between numerous mountains and two rivers cut right through the town. Since Hwacheon is one of the coldest cities in Korea there is a huge ice fishing festival in the winter that attracts nearly 1 million visitors! The town is also only 6 miles from the North Korean border and there are lots of great viewpoints of the border that are not often seen by Koreans. We are also only 40 minutes from a larger city, Chuncheon, and an hour and a half from Seoul, which obviously is a massive city! For more information on Hwacheon you can read the wikipedia entry here.

The map with everyone's placements. My friends and I are the four red dots wayyyyyy up North.

After the Placement Ceremony many of us went out to our favorite HoF B&B. Celebrating everyone's placements was a lot of fun and the Orientation Counselors came out with us, which they don't often do. Around midnight our Korean teachers also arrived at the bar! Everyone started cheering for them as they walked in. It was so fun to celebrate with them especially since they care about us an unbelievable amount. Both of my teachers gave me hugs and invited me to stay with them in Seoul since they are concerned with how small Hwacheon is and know that I am near Seoul. They really are such caring individuals and I hope I can meet up with my teachers during the year to show them my improvement. Since I have such a rural placement it is unlikely that my family will speak any English so I will have the opportunity to really learn Korean.

My first Korean teacher

My second Korean teacher and two of my classmates

This weekend we also went on an awesome hike in Songnisan National Park and stayed overnight in a Pension. The hike took about two hours but it was beautiful. Also, unlike in the United States, there are several mountain restaurants along the hike- it's pretty funny. Koreans really love to hike but they approach it much differently than Americans. They almost always are decked out in the newest hiking gear and they also completely cover their bodies because Koreans have a fear of becoming tan. Some women even wear face masks that only reveal their eyes in order to cover themselves and there are sleeves you can slip on your arms if you are wearing a short sleeve shirt but need more sun protection. Therefore, us Americans really stuck out. At the top of the mountain was a monstrous rock that you can climb on and we all hung out on top of the rock for about two hours before heading down.

My friend Maggie and I at the top.

Ascending the final stairs to the top of the rock.

Some friends and I on top of the big rock.

The End of Camp Fulbright

These past two weeks have been a lot of fun but were pretty unique due to Camp Fulbright. I have had a lot more free time and therefore have spent more time away from Jungwon. This past weekend I went on an overnight trip with the GLEE (Global Language Education Exchange) Club I joined. We stayed in a pension, which is basically a rental condo with three rooms where everyone sleeps on the floor, about 30 minutes away from the University. The group that stayed the night included Korean and American students and was run by two of the Orientation Counselors who participated in the excursion last year. When we arrived we cooked ssambap, which is Korean bbq. Basically, you grill thicker bacon strips and then put them on a piece of lettuce with rice, grilled mushrooms, grilled onions and a sauce and then roll the wrap up and eat it. The wraps were delicious and we had kimchi pancakes as a side, which are becoming one of my favorite side dishes in Korea. I was even able to man the grill for a little bit. The entire overnight trip was a nice break and was definitely a lot of fun.

I have also been able to do a little more hiking with my free time, which has been really enjoyable. On Sunday afternoon three friends and I scaled a mountain in Downtown Goesan. The hike had a little veranda-esque thing at the top and we had an incredible 360 degree view of Goesan. This weekend I also am going on an overnight trip to a National Park to hike.

And this city is about as rural as Korea gets...

My friends and I at the top!

Teaching has also been very enjoyable and yesterday I taught a lesson on voice and first person writing. My student's then wrote diary entries from the perspective of a famous person in Korean history. It was a great way for me to learn more about Korean culture and they loved teaching me about their idols.

I couldn't figure out how to flip this but it's one of my students ' diary entry

The most exciting news that has occurred the past few days and coincides with the end of Camp Fulbright relates to my placement. We found out yesterday that Friday will be Placement Day! That means Ms. Shim and other members of the Fulbright-KAEC Office will be coming to Jungwon to reveal where each of us will be living for the next year. Everyone is really giddy and excited to learn about their placement and to learn which ETAs will be located near them. I will be sure to let you all know where I will be living once I find out!