A New Perspective on the Korean Education System

I've been feeling a little bad about not blogging much this month especially after my January hiatus but my life in Chuncheon has been pretty mundane. It's been wonderful to take it easy this month but it's also not really resulted in blog-worthy events. Therefore, today I decided to just blog about something that's been on my mind. This post may become a little incoherent as some points because I'm still figuring out what I think about everything so bear with me.

This month I've been reflecting a lot on my teaching this past semester in an effort to improve. The beginning of last semester was a bit rough because I was learning how to adapt my teaching style to work in a Korean classroom. The Korean education system is incredibly, unbelievably different than our own education system and is largely lecture and textbook based. This really bothered me at times because I felt like many students were studying simply to get the best test scores and teachers were completely okay with this. In fact, they supported it. You never see teachers pushing kids to explore their interests, to ask questions, to think creatively or anything and for me these are the things that make kids life-long learners, which I believe should be an end goal of education. I believe instilling a love of learning in a child will not only bring more enjoyment and fulfillment to the child's life but it will also make them more flexible and adaptable, which will set them up to be more successful in life. A person who enjoys learning new skills and challenging themselves will be successful in virtually any field. Since the Korean education system clashed with my beliefs and teaching styles in many ways I began to think about why this was. Education is largely a reflection of a country's culture so I have been trying to think more critically about what aspects of Korean culture contribute to the test-laden education system.

I recently remembered a conversation I had with my host dad and brother on our way to school one morning. In the fall, the three of us would walk the half an hour to school together and had largely mundane conversations since the dad doesn't speak English and I speak very little Korean, but this day was different. I think the dad just wanted to force his son to practice English by making him translate our conversation but regardless of the reason for the conversation I appreciated the break in routine. On the walk my host father asked me to tell him an American folk tale or fable or any story that all parents use to teach their kids a lesson. I pretty much immediately went blank and couldn't think of anything that I felt was truly 'American'. I felt like all the really old stories I could think of were from other countries. After an awkward two minutes of silence I felt like I had to say something and for some reason the only thing I could think of was Hansel and Gretel so I quickly told the story. My father than told me a Korean folk tale about two brothers and in the end of the story one of the brothers becomes very rich. I told him it was a great story, even though it struck me as odd. There was something about the story and it's moral that just didn't fully sit right with me. It was almost as if my host father was reading my mind because he then said commented on how funny it is that in America a good ending to a story is everyone ending up happy and in Korea it's everyone ending up rich. Immediately after he said that I realized that what I found off-putting about the story was that the brothers became estranged and only one of them wound up with money. I didn't really think more about this conversation until more recently- probably because I have lots of time on my hands.

Anyways, I have come to realize that there is a huge difference in values between Koreans and Americans when it comes to money and happiness. Now, don't get me wrong I believe both cultures value both money and happiness very highly but I believe Americans ultimately value happiness over money, whereas Koreans value money over happiness. Yes, in America many parents want their kids to be financially secure and will push them towards careers that will ensure that but there's also a genuine belief that one can be happy without being rich. Children and young adults grow up believing that if they find something they love doing and makes them happy they will find a way to make a living off of it. And we are led to believe that even if that salary doesn't make you rich as long as your needs are met and you are happy that is enough. Money is often viewed as contributing to happiness but I believe in the American mindset money isn't a necessary component of happiness. Ultimately, we believe one can be happy without being rich. Unfortunately, I don't think I can honestly say the same about Koreans. Don't get me wrong, I think they value happiness a lot but, I think money is more important. I believe Koreans just can't fathom that someone could be truly happy without money. I'm not really sure if this is because the culture is more materialistic or if it's because of how quickly Korea modernized (and ultimately, how recently, it was very impoverished) or if it's something else altogether. All I know is that from my own observations and interactions with a wide number of Koreans this is the conclusion I have come to and I believe it's true regardless of the family's economic circumstances.

Now, I suppose you're wondering how this relates to the Korean education system, which is a good question. For me, understanding this difference in values helps me understand why Koreans approach education the way they do. I understand why parents make their children stay up until 3AM to study and I understand why the students do it even though many times they are aware that excessive studying is depriving them of their childhood. They do it because the tests they take in their eyes determine their future. Tests ultimately determine what job you will get. In Korea interviews, personal qualities, special accomplishments and extra-curriculars are of minimal importance when it comes time to get accepted to University or get a job. You take a test for nearly every job and the top scorers will get the job regardless of other credentials. Whenever I previously looked at the education system I always ended up asking myself the same question. What's the point? What's the point of going to a top university if you have to be miserable for 12 years of your life to get there? What's the point in taking a test for a job you don't want? I just never got it because for me my unhappiness would never be worth money. Yet, the difference is I could still see a happy future for myself no matter what my salary was. Koreans on the other hand, largely see money as part of happiness and therefore they view their misery during school as simply a price they must pay to ensure they are not miserable forever. Although I still don't agree with these beliefs, understanding why Koreans study they way they do makes me better able to accept their education system. I will still cringe a little when my 12 year old brother stays up until 1AM studying only to wake up the next morning at 6AM to continue studying, but at least now I understand why my host parent's force him to do this. I can see how they are able to witness and partially cause their son's misery and yet still love him.

I realize some people may disagree with the conclusions I've drawn but these are my beliefs based on my own experience in Korea. For me, looking at the Korean and American education systems through this lens helps explain the vast differences that exist between the two systems.

Experiencing Korea's Healthcare System

So this week I was stuck in bed for two days with norovirus, which was pretty miserable. But, this also gave me a chance to visit a Korean doctor for the first time and I was amazed by how easy everything was. Korea doesn't really seem to have regular general practitioners like we do in the states. It seems like people only really go to the hospital. Therefore, when I became sick at school my co-teacher drove me back to Chuncheon to a hospital near my apartment. She had called and told them a foreigner was coming and they assured her an English-speaking physician was present. When we arrived I was amazed that there was absolutely no waiting. I simply filled out a sheet of paper with my name, phone number and alien identification number and they already had a thermometer in my ear. It was ridiculous.

Immediately, after they took my vitals I was led into a backroom and saw the doctor. He quickly diagnosed me and I was out the door in five minutes. But not before getting a shot in my butt (they don't really ever give shots in the arm here) and getting a prescription for some medicine. Before leaving I obviously had to pay and my co-teacher began apologizing profusely as we approached the desk to pay. She kept saying how expensive it was being while assuring me that I could file to be reimbursed through Fulbright. I was therefore expecting the worst when I handed over my credit card and was shocked to find out it was $14. Yes, only $14! My teacher seeing this began to apologize once more. I don't think Koreans have a good understanding of how expensive healthcare is in the states. I was also relieved that my medicine was less than $10. It's not even worth the hassle of filing for a reimbursement.

Spending the next two days at home in bed was interesting. Despite me explaining norovirus to my host mom a few times and even giving her the doctors Korean explanation she didn't really get that I wasn't supposed to eat a lot. She therefore prepared a few different dishes that Koreans eat when they are sick. I tried my best to eat some of the meals but my inflamed bowels plus, the fact that the special meals were all basically watery, boiled white rice made that a little difficult. Luckily, my host mom understood although she was still pretty insistent that kimchi would cure me. I eventually got out the doctor's sheet one last time and showed her where it said only cooked vegetables and no spicy food in Korean but she just thought it was nonsense. Koreans are convinced kimchi cures everything!

Although I'm hoping I don't get sick again I was relieved it was so stress-free to see a doctor. And I was amazed by how cheap everything was- if only healthcare back home was so efficient and cheap!

Becoming Family

For the first time since I've been in Korea I really, truly feel like I am part of a family. My new host family in Chuncheon does an amazing job fully integrating me into their lives. I've never felt so at home and comfortable with a Korean family before. I really feel like a 경 and it's nice to know that I'll always have family in Korea, even after I return to America.

This week my brother, unni and I went with friends to a cookie-making shop in Chuncheon. My brother's friend's mom works at the shop and she invited my family and another family to come and make cookies. It was really fun but much different than I expected. The biggest surprise was that really all we were doing was cutting the dough into shapes. I was expecting to make the dough and make all sorts of cookies. Maybe I was just overly excited though. Since Koreans don't have ovens baking is super rare and is something I've missed. Another surprise came when we tasted the cookies. I don't know what kind of dough was used but the 'cookies' were basically those hard biscuit things you are sometimes served at fancy coffee shops. I later found out that no butter is called for in the recipe- no wonder they were so hard and dry! But the whole experience was really fun. I liked meeting more of my unni's friends and I could tell the moms were are thrilled to have me talk to their children. 

That same night our family went out to dinner with three other families. The parents of all the families went to University with my parents and they have been friends for over 20 years. The dinner was a lot of fun and their friends were so nice. I felt so welcomed. It was pretty funny though because in the beginning they would only talk to me in Korean but then as they drank more alcohol they began to try to speak to me in English. It was fun trying to talk to them in English, but talking in Korean was definitely more efficient. The dinner also reminded me a lot of Breezy. After dinner the four families went to a bar with all the children in tow. The children loved it because they were able to stay up late and play with friends and the parents loved drinking and catching up. It seemed exactly like something that would happen anywhere in Breezy and actually made me a little homesick. Luckily, it's hard to feel homesick when I am surrounded by wonderful people who I know really care about me. 

I'm Now a Korean TV Star!

Yesterday SBS News did a live segment exposing Korea 재키스피닝 , my spin studio. The news show wanted to show what a class is like and interview the instructor plus a few students. Obviously, my spin teachers asked if I would be willing to be interviewed. They are really, really proud that a foreigner comes to their spin class and they know that more Koreans will want to join the studio if they see that foreigners attend. I told my teachers I would participate and they couldn't have been happier. I was reminded about the interview everyday for about a week. The morning of the interview I received the two questions I would be asked in Korean and began rehearsing my answers with my unni. I was really, really nervous about having to answer on Live TV in Korean, especially since one of the questions was rather difficult. Luckily, when I showed up and the TV crew met me they told me it would be best if I spoke in English. They also changed the questions that I would be answering because they thought it was amazing that I had never attended a spin dance class like this in America. The taping for the TV show was really fun. Various members from all five classes attended and we did two of our dances while the anchor walked around and interviewed people. We did a few trial runs before we were filmed Live and I actually thought we were still rehearsing when we were being filmed. I guess I wasn't paying attention when they announced that we were being filmed. I'm still working on procuring a copy of the video and will post it when I do!

My spin class is probably one of my favorite parts of living in Chuncheon this month. It has been an awesome way to bond with my unni and I have met so many nice people through the class. I have met several of my unni's close friends but also have met a few people my own age. I've also loved how much the other class participants support me and check how I'm doing everyday. It's so nice to be able to bond with people even when you don't speak the same language. For example, every class one of the spin instructors will come up to me and grab my hand, smile and speak rapidly in Korean. I only understand what she is saying about 50% of the time but I always understand her gesture of friendship. Today the 9:30 and 10:30 had a 회식, which basically means we all went out for lunch together. Since my unni doesn't have a car we caught a ride with the two instructors who live in the apartment across from us. Lunch was so fun and was another great opportunity for me to bond with my classmates in a more natural setting. I was also really touched when multiple people expressed how upset they were that I would have to move back to Hwacheon in March. Although I'm excited to teach again, I will really miss living in Chuncheon and the friends I have made here.

Lunch with my spin class

새해 복 많이 받으세요!

or HAPPY NEW YEAR! Today is 설날 (Seollal) or Lunar New Year. This, along with Chuseok, is the biggest Korean holiday and is a time all Koreans spend with their extended families. I was lucky enough to be invited to spend the holiday with the Korean family I am living with. The four of us traveled to Seoul to spend the day at my host father's sisters house with all of his brothers and sister and their families. Relatives were also going to be hosting me overnight so my KyuYeon, my host brother, and I decided to make a dessert to bring to the gathering. My host family does not have an oven, like most Korean families, so I had to be creative in my search for a good recipe. Finally my host brother and I decided on walnut and craisin bark. Unfortunately, the recipe was not in metric units so I had to guess the amounts of the different ingredients. Chocolate is also hard to come by in Korea since there's very little baking so I had to just buy unlabeled chocolate chips and hope they were bittersweet like the recipe called for. Luckily, the bark came out perfectly and my brother and I had lots of fun making it.

On Friday, the day we arrived in Seoul, I spent a lot of time getting to know the extended family. They were unbelievably kind and even took me out to get coffee at a really fancy restaurant floating on the Han River. We also played the traditional Korean New Years game called Yunnori. The game is a kind of board game but instead of rolling dice you throw sticks to decide how many spaces to move. The next day I was able to observe and take part in some of the more formal traditions. We woke up at 6AM to start preparing the house for the bowing ritual. The family first prepared a table with lots of food to offer to their dead ancestors. The quantity of each type of food must be an odd number, although I never figured out why. The family then performs sebae, which is the most formal bow, to pay respect to their ancestors and to bring them luck in the coming year. The family then opens the door to the home so that the spirits of their ancestors can come in and eat with them. After the family bows to the ancestors they bow to each other. First everyone bows to the oldest member of the family, who was the grandfather. He then gives sebaedon, or some pocket money, to thank them for their blessing and to bring them good luck. This is then repeated with all of the younger members of the family bowing to those older than them. Since I participated in sebae I don't have any pictures of the bowing ritual.

After the rituals we then ate breakfast, which was the food we placed on the table as an offering. We then all piled into cars and drove to Chuncheon, where the family's grandmother and uncle are buried. When we first arrived in Chuncheon we paid a quick visit to other relatives and performed sebae. We then all drove to the graves and performed sebae in front of the graves. It was really special to partake in the ceremony. I was also taken by how beautiful the grave sites were. The graves were buried in a mountainside and it kind of seemed like you could just bury people anywhere you wanted near there. There were other graves but it was by no means a cemetery. Everything was very open and scenic. It actually reminded me of my time in Copenhagen, when I learned that Danish cemeteries are often designed to double as a public park. After we visited the graves we ate lunch and then said our goodbyes. Most of the family returned to Seoul but my family stayed in Chuncheon because tomorrow we will spend time with the mother's side of the family for her father's birthday.

The mountainside graves

The family performing sebae

Graduation

Yesterday was graduation for the 6th graders at my school in Hwacheon. I went back to Hwacheon in the morning for the ceremony and although I could not follow everything that was happening I was glad I was there. All of the 5th graders also attended the ceremony so it was a great chance to see all the students I taught last semester. The ceremony was really sweet and included a video montage of all my students. It made me realize how much I'll miss having them around. Luckily, I'll be able to work with a few of them again through my FKAK Grant.

Eunchan receiving his diploma. Did I mention kids don't dress up for this. Many students wear wearing sweats.

The ceremony was particularly important because my host brother, Eunchan, was graduating. I really enjoyed being able to watch and celebrate with his family. In true Korean fashion, celebrating consisted mainly of eating. We went out to eat with his grandparents immediately following the ceremony and then went out to eat with just the family for dinner. It was a nice opportunity to bond with my host family since I am not living with them this month.

My brother and sister at dinner.

One of the things I learned when talking to my host brother and sister about graduation is that the kids aren't excited about it at all. In fact, no matter what year they are in school they most likely aren't excited to advance to the next grade. This is because every year you are expected to study even more. My host brother is dreading starting middle school because he already studies every night until 10 or 11 and now he will be expected to study even later than this. My sister is also starting her final year in high school and is absolutely dreading it. My parents actually very seriously considered not letting her come to dinner with us to celebrate Eunchan's graduation because they believe she should be studying. She's not even in school currently- she's on vacation! (Although I guess she is still kind of in school because she still lives and boards at the Academy and takes classes there.) I'm not sure I'll ever feel 100% comfortable with the Korean Education System, it just seems too tough on kids.

Bonding through Exercise

This past Saturday I moved in with a new host family in Chuncheon. I will be living them for the month of February and will be helping their son learn some English, while enjoying life in a slightly bigger city. The family has been absolutely wonderful so far and I've really loved getting to know them. One of the ways that we have been bonding is through exercise. Although, the parents speak English fairly well it is still always easier to establish strong relationships by doing things together. Since they are an active family I was able to simply join right in!

On Sunday, after a massive lunch with the father's family, the four of us headed to the gym together. The mom and I hit the pool while the son and father went to the actual gym. Unlike at pools in America where showering beforehand is a rule that no one follows, here in Korea you must shower beforehand. And you must do so completely nude in a communal shower. Therefore, I had to shower naked with my unni after having known her for less than 24 hours. I, of course, felt a little awkward but Koreans tend to be much more comfortable with nudity and she thought nothing of it. I guess it can only make us closer.

Today, my unni invited me to go to spin class with her. I have always enjoyed spin classes in America so I decided to check it out. I figured it would be interesting to see how it compared to spin in America because Koreans tend to exercise very differently than Americans. My unni goes every morning at 9:30 so at 9:10 she called me over and told me I could watch a video of the class before we left to decide if I really wanted to go. This is what she showed me. I obviously was even more eager to go.

When I arrived at the spin class I was welcomed warmly, albeit with lots of giggling, whispering and pointing. Despite the number of foreigners living in Korea, Koreans still always seem surprised to see foreigners doing normal, everyday things like them. The class was so much fun! Today, we learned a new dance so it was a little bit slow at times as we practiced the choreography but fun nonetheless. At the end of the class I decided to sign up for a ten-day pass and will go every morning with my unni. She was extremely pleased that I liked the class as were the instructors.

The class was very different than spin classes in America though. Like I initially expected, the class was less physically demanding than the spin classes I took during college. We took more breaks and surprisingly you couldn't add resistance to the bike. This meant the entire time you're peddling and dancing your legs are almost in free spin. It actually scared me quite a bit when you had to let go of the handlebars because it was hard to balance with no resistance pushing against your legs. Also, this spin class involved way more cutesy peace signs in typical Korean fashion. Humorously, the song we danced to was all about couples falling in love. I was not surprised at all given that you are almost a social pariah if you are over 18 and don't have a boyfriend. Korea is a couple-oriented country in every sense of the world. There are many couple holidays and many businesses cater to couples. For example, movie theaters have special couple seats. LotteWorld, an amusement park, has special couple discounts and free gifts. Even more shockingly, the bike rental place near my house only rents bikes that are built for two people! It's really interesting to see since many Americans take pride in being single and independent.

Anyways, I'm glad I have had such great opportunities to get close to my new family and I'm looking forward to cycling with my unni every morning. Hopefully next time we can both star in the 재키스피닝 (Jackie Spinning) promotional video!