Traveling with the Kiddos

This weekend I had the wonderful opportunity to travel overnight with a few of my students. The school district I teach in organized a program where foreign teachers travel with students from all of the elementary and middle schools to all different parts of South Korea. This weekend 10 foreign teachers, 4 from Fulbright and 6 from the EPIK Program, and 25 students went to Paju, which is North of Seoul and very close to the DMZ. The students come from schools all over Hwacheon and the surrounding villages. Fortunately, two of my fifth grade students and two of my sixth grade students attended the trip. I would have been pretty bummed if I didn't have the chance to bond with students I actually taught.

We left Hwacheon early Saturday morning and drove to Paju. Paju is a really interesting city because it is probably the biggest city that is located so close to the DMZ. Therefore, it has many military bases nearby and many military families live there. Yet, the city is also a haven for artists. The city has two sub-sections called Paju Book City and Hey-Ri. Paju Book City is where I visited during the DMZ Documentary Film Festival and is home to numerous book shops and publishing companies. Hey Ri is also called the Art Valley and is home to numerous museums, galleries, studios, work rooms, coffee shops and several residences. There are already over 40 museums in a very small space. Hey-Ri has many building regulations too. The buildings are constructed to blend in with their natural surroundings so none of them are over 3 stories tall and they all have unpainted exteriors. While in Paju we went a World Instruments Museum, a recent Korean history museum, a currency museum, a trick- eye museum and a puzzle museum. The puzzle museum had to take the cake for the most Korean museum because it was actually just a museum of framed, completed puzzles. Luckily, there was a puzzle room where you could work on puzzles and I really, really enjoyed puzzling with my students. The Korean History Museum was the most engaging of all of the museums. The entire museum was constructed to look like South Korea in the 1950s, 60s, 70s and 80s. You were able to walk through the various villages to learn what life was like in Korea during that time. It was really neat and forced me to really comprehend how unbelievably fast Korea modernized. My students favorite museum was obviously the trick-eye museum, which was also particularly Korean. The kids loved taking funny photos and just liked being able to touch everything.

Korea in the 1960s

Na Yeon at a Korean School from the 1970s

The Trick Eye Museum

Besides checking out the museums in Paju, we also went to one of the many craft studios that are intended for visitors to create art. We went to a chalk are studio and had the opportunity to make door signs for our rooms. It was a really fun project, although I learned that Chalk Art is suprisingly tricky. We also rented out a room in a coffee house and watched the movie Flipped.

Na Yeon and I show off our signs

Today, we woke up bright and early and drove from our love motel in Paju to the DMZ, directly north of Paju. It was really interesting to see a different part of the De-Militarized Zone between North and South Korea. We walked around a little and were able to see Peace Bridge, a fully functional (albeit not used) bridge between North and South Korea. We also saw an old train car that had bullet holes all over it from the Korean war. There still is a train line that runs from South Korea all the way to Europe but because of North Korea, it is no longer in use. Another neat display was rocks from countries all over the world. The rocks all came from countries who had unification troubles or civil wars, similar to Korea. 

The DMZ in Paju

Peace Ribbons

A train from the Korean War

The Peace Bridge

That's North Korea on the other side of the river!

After walking around the South Korean side of the DMZ we boarded our bus and actually entered the 2 kilometer wide De-Militarized Zone. To enter this area you need to show your passport and a Korean soldier must inspect the bus. While in the actual DMZ we visited Dorean Station and the Third Tunnel, both of which I visited in August. It was neat to see the places again though. No one else (Koreans and foreigners included) had been to any of these areas and I really enjoyed listening to the varied reactions.   I'm still grappling with the complexity of the North Korean issue myself. Ultimately, reunification would be wonderful but the extreme differences between the countries make reunification extremely hard, particularly economically. South Korea's economy would suffer tremendously, even if other countries helped shoulder the cost of reunification. This seems extremely unfair to South Korea, who was not responsible for it's divisions and yet, how responsible is any country for the actions of its past leaders. There is also the issue of North Koreans adjusting to South Korean culture and society. This is one of the biggest challenges for defectors and is one of the primary reasons North Korean Defectors leave South Korea. Many of the Fulbright Junior Researchers are studying North Korea- South Korea relations and North Korean Defectors so hopefully I can gain more insight into these issues during the rest of my year.

Hidden Talents

I have talked a lot about how the Korean school system does not give students a big opportunity to extra-curriculars or the arts. Many times they aren't even able to express creativity within the classroom because the teaching method is lectures and kids are expected to just memorize their textbooks for exams. This is why these past two days at my school were so special. On Wednesday and Thursday of this week my school had an art festival. Many students artworks were on display in the hallways and the artwork varied from painting to poetry to needlepoint to sewing. It was really amazing to see that so many of my students are so gifted. They also were incredibly proud of their artwork and I frequently heard cries of "Kate Teacher! Mine, mine!" 

 

I wish I took a few more pictures but this should give you some understanding of what I was able to see. In addition to the artworks on display, there were two big performances. On Wednesday the 2nd, 4th and 5th grades performed and on Thursday 1st, 3rd and 6th performed. Each class prepared a song, dance, musical ensemble or play and performed it for the entire school and their parents. It was amazing- some of the students are such unbelievable musicians. The class dances were really amusing, as well. The gymnastics team and jump-roping squad performed both days and were unbelievable! Our school has the number one female gymnast in our entire province!

I also taught ordinal numbers and directions to my club class this week. The lesson culminated with the students following directions to make peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Since peanut butter is so expensive and uncommon here many of the students had never tried this American staple. They absolutely loved it! I actually had to take away the tub of peanut butter because the kids were just eating it and not making sandwiches. I really love teaching my 3rd and 4th grade class because I get to work with different students and I am able to do more creative lessons. Next week our class meets on Halloween and I'm really excited to teach them about adjectives and then have them compare American and Korean candy. There is one store in town that carries M&Ms and Skittles so I will need to buy my supplies there.

This weekend I am traveling overnight with Hwacheon elementary, middle and high school students and several other foreign teachers. It's a neat program the town runs to help the students learn English from native speakers. I am really excited to spend a full two days with some kiddos.

Experiencing Korean Family Life

One of the really unique aspects of my time in Korea is my home stay. Living with a Korean family gives me a greater understanding of Korean culture and my students. Like in America though Korean families are not all alike. This weekend I had a lot of fun getting to know two different Korean families a lot better.

On Friday I had the chance to eat dinner with my co-teacher, Soo Jin's family. Soo Jin has been such a close friend during my time in Hwacheon and I was so eager to meet her family. Soo Jin's oldest daughter is in second grade at our elementary school and I play with her daily but I had never met Soo Jin's husband or younger daughter. Soo Jin decided to take Amy, the other English teacher, and I to a buffet restaurant, which is pretty upscale and ritzy in Korea, unlike in America. The buffet was an interesting blend of Korean and American cuisine. For example, there was pizza but it was sweet potato pizza. The food was delicious though and it was great to be able to see a different Korean family. Soo Jin is much more relaxed with her daughters than my family is with her students. Soo Jin and her husband spoke candidly about how they disliked the intensity of the Korean education system and are afraid for their two daughters. They do not want to have to force their daughters to study like so many parents do. Sadly, I fear that they will have to be just as strict with their daughters if they want their daughters to have the same opportunities as they have. Education is the key to success in Korea to a much greater extent than in America. Therefore, if you do not push your children to the extremes you actually are doing them a disservice. I think this is why the problems with the education system are so hard to fix- they are very systemic and can't really be changed by individuals refusing to participate in the competitive education system. Luckily, the girls are still young enough where this isn't too big a worry yet. It was very fun and refreshing to be around the young girls. They ran around like crazy, ate off everyone's plates and did plenty of silly things to make the four of us laugh. The girls were also very excited to have Amy and I eat with them. Hwan Hi, the younger daughter, even memorized a speech in English thanking Amy and I for coming. We couldn't really understand her speech but it was still precious. I really, really enjoyed my time with Soo Jin and her family and am so excited for my Chuncheon tour with them in December.

Amy and I with Hwan Hi (left) and So Hi. 

My co-teacher, Soo Jin

Amy and I with Soo Jin's family

All of us but So Hi

On Saturday I headed to Seoul to teach English to North Korean Defectors. As always it was extremely fun and rewarding. Afterwards, I had my second extended interaction with a different Korean family. My Korean-American friend has an aunt in Seoul who invited the two of us to stay at her apartment. Rachel's aunt lives with her husband and daughter in Gangnam, which is an extremely wealthy neighborhood in Seoul. Therefore, this family was very different than my home stay family and Soo Jin's family. Rachel's cousin, Min Young, is actually enrolled at SUNY Fredonia, but is currently taking classes at their Korean campus. She will go to America in January and complete the last 3 and 1/2 years of college at SUNY Fredonia. Being able to be enrolled in this program is extremely prestigious and shows the emphasis Min Young's parents put on education but it also reveals the opportunities that are available to students in Seoul. My sister would never be qualified for this program simply because she comes from the countryside. I actually had a milkshake and fries with my sister tonight and talked about how disadvantaged students from the countryside are when applying  to University. Rachel's family was so hospitable though and were so generous to open up their home to me. When we first arrived on Saturday night the mother quickly prepared smoothies for us and we all sat in the living room and talked. Neither of Min Young's parents speak English so Rachel and Min Young both did some translating to help the conversation flow. While speaking with her family I was consistently humored by some of the questions I received. I always forget how little diversity Koreans are exposed to and how even the most educated Koreans can have severe misconceptions due to a lack of exposure to people different than them. For example, the mom and Min Young very seriously asked me if white people's hair turns gray or if it just turns black as they age. They explained that Asian hair goes from black to white as they age so they believe white people's hair does the opposite. Min Young also firmly believes that studying in America will physically cause her face to change and become more Western despite Rachel and I explaining that your location in the world can't cause your bones to suddenly shift. This is not to say that all of their questions were so humorous though. Her family was very accomplished, generous and kind-hearted. They showed me a great time on Sunday by taking me to the 1988 Olympic Park across the street from their apartment complex. The family's apartment complex was actually built to house athletes during the games.

The Olympic Flame

I am very grateful to have had the opportunity to interact with such diverse families this weekend. All three families live in very different areas and therefore embody very different aspects of Korean culture and yet there are similarities amongst the families. The biggest similarity probably has to be each family's desire to take care of me (or any guest) and really make them feel comfortable. This is mainly shown through the families feeding my excessively but you can also feel their concern in the questions they ask and their strong desire to show you what they consider the best parts of Korea and Korean culture. The number of Koreans who have opened their hearts, homes and lives to me has been amazing and really helps me feel at home in Korea.

Reaching My Goals

This past week bore several mile markers of my time in Korea. First, I survived my 100th day in Korea and secondly, I attended our first Fulbright Conference of the year in Gyeongju. Both of these events highlighted just how quickly my year is progressing. While listening to music on my ride home, I reflected on the lyrics of Modest Mouse "the years go fast and the days go so slow". This line is very fitting for my time in South Korea. Every day is very enjoyable and full of surprises but my days are still routine and therefore never seem to be flying by. Yet, when I reflect on my time in Korea as a whole it seems like my plan landed only a week ago.

These milestones really awoke me to the brevity of my time in Hwacheon and South Korea. It really forced me to consider whether or not I was meeting my goals for my year in South Korea. I can honestly say I am pleased with my ability to travel and feel like I have seen a lot of South Korea, although there is always more to see. Luckily, I have numerous more trips planned for this semester and for my winter break.

One of the areas that I feel like I still need to focus on is developing relationships with the people around me, particularly my co-workers. I really want to leave South Korea feeling like I impacted people here and feeling like I have strong friendships with several Koreans. Obviously, language is the main impediment to me reaching this goal. On my bus ride I was reflecting on what further efforts I could make to reach out to my Korean co-workers and was gearing up to make some changes on Tuesday. Oddly enough on Tuesday I made a lot of progress towards my goal through no effort of my own. After classes I was walking to the cafeteria to make some tea when two of the special education teachers spotted me and called for me to enter their room. Neither of the teachers spoke any English besides "Hi, my name is..." but I understood their request for me to sit. I then sat on the floor and talked to their student while the two teachers giggled a lot in Korea and continued cooking 해물파전 (seafood pancakes/pajeon) on a hot plate on the floor. They then urged me to sit at the table and served me two huge pieces of pajeon. The women sat with me and we drank tea and talked in broken Korean while I ate. One of the teachers then mentioned that she had a daughter who was also 22 and immediately proceeded to call her daughter. I then spoke to her daughter on the phone and discovered that her mom had been excited to meet me for a long time but was scared to approach me since she does not speak English. This comment really made me reflect on how my co-workers and I are facing the same battle.

My co-workers have always been so friendly towards me and genuinely express concern for my well-being, mainly through my co-teacher Soo Jin. I also really care about my co-workers and share their same desire to get to know each other on a deeper level. While eating pajeon and drinking tea with my two co-workers I realized how meaningful it is to just be present. During the hour and a half I chatted and sat with these two teachers there were numerous times we all just had to laugh because we were unable to communicate through language. Yet, that laughter was just a different form of communication and I truly feel closer to these teachers. Additionally, I engaged with two other teachers who speak very little English but dropped by the room because I was in there. I then made separate plans with both teachers to meet later in the week to talk more in English. They promised to teach me some Korean in return. One of the two teachers actually came by my classroom today and helped me hang up my student's work while I taught him what the students were working on. We hung up my students' dream meals, while naming all the different foods in Korean and English. It was a really special bonding moment despite the language barrier.

With renewed drive from the Gyeongju Conference, I am eager to continue to pursue my goal of forming lasting relationships with my co-workers and this week taught me an important lesson on how that can be done. I realized I should stop worrying about not being able to speak to my co-teachers because just being in their presence can form bonds and facilitate a different type of communication.

And a blog post is not complete without some pictures so here are some of the sights I saw in Gyeongju.

I tried silkworms at the bar!

Bulguksa Temple

Cairns at Bulguksa Temple. The stones represent wishes.

The oldest astronomical observatory in Asia

Exploring the Coast

These past two weekends I have spent time on the East Coast of South Korea. Two weekends ago South Koreans celebrated Chuseok, which is similar to American Thanksgiving, and I therefore had a five day weekend. Two friends I headed to Sokcho, Seoraksan National Park, and Gangneung for the five days and it was wonderful. Sokcho is a small fishing town on the coast of Gangwando. When we arrived we explored the town by foot and bike. There were lots of scenic oceanside and marina side path. I really loved looking at all of the old boats. There also was a really lively fish market that had huge octopi, squid, sea cucumbers and many, many other things right out in the street. At many stands there were tanks and you could choose what seafood you wanted and the owner would kill the fish right then. For dinner we indulged in some delicious and fresh fish, that was grilled at our table. Rachel and Andrew and I also tried Sokcho's version of sundae. Sundae is Korean blood sausage and is generally pretty gross. When I was served it at lunch I could barely manage one bite. But, Sokcho is famous for a special type of sundae. The casing is made of a giant squid instead of intestines and the inside is fish, squid, noodles and other seafood bits. The seafood sundae turned out to be quite delicious.

The market 

Our dinner

Our seafood sundae

The next day we went to one of South Korea's most famous National Parks, Seoraksan. The three of us went on a great hike and enjoyed the scenery. The park was packed though and as I mentioned before South Koreans also have a different understanding of National Parks then Americans do. A lot of the hike had man made stairs, platforms and walkways. There were also several restaurants along the hike and at the peak there was a stand where you could buy coffee, a medal, or a photo of you at the top. It was a little cheesy but the views were phenomenal. I am coming back to Seoraksan in two weeks with my host family and it should be even prettier because the leaves will be changing.

The next day we headed to Gangneung, but not before we made a stop at Namsan Temple, which is a beautiful temple on a cliff overlooking the East Sea. It was beautiful and I imagine would have been an amazing place to be a monk back in the day. In Gangneung we met up with our Korean friend, Caden. He was our RA during Orientation and is in Gangneung working for a semester before returning to his studies at Jungwon Univeristy. Caden was a great host and showed us the beach, the lake, a temple, and a traditional village. It was a great two days and it was also really nice to see a friend along our travels. Rachel and I then headed back to Hwacheon on Wednesday but not before indulging in an American feast at VIPS in Chuncheon. VIPS is an all-you-can-eat American buffet that's a little pricey but well worth the money every now and then. It's really comforting to just have a salad, soup, french fries, vegetables, pasta, etc. every now and then. I really do enjoy Korean food but I sometimes just miss the comforts of home.

Last weekend I went to Busan for the Busan International Film Festival. It is the largest film festival in Asia and therefore was star-studded even though I didn't have any luck spot any American celebrities. My friends and I woke up at 4:45AM on Saturday and headed to the ticket office where we sat in line until the box office opened at 8:30AM. It was quite an experience but our early morning paid off because we got tickets to every movie we wanted to see except for one. I ended up seeing a Kenyan film called A Nairobi Half-Life, Argo, and a French film called The Man Who Laughs. The films were all good but Argo was by far my favorite and the same holds true for my friends. The festival was really neat though with lots of free talks, meet and greets, contests and giveaways. Busan is also an awesome city. It is right on the Southern Coast and is the second largest city in Korea.

The line

The schedule board where they crossed out the films as they sold out.

Sorry, if this was a little less thoughtful and reflective but I wanted to get all my travels in without making the entry way too long.