Students... kids!

Elementary level students are adorable and horrible at the same time. Any native teacher in Korea (or possibly the world) will agree with me. When you look at them, their little rosy cheeks and angelic smiles almost fool you into believing that they aren't tiny devils in disguise... almost... ;)

This morning walking to school I was thinking about the day ahead and dreading the horrible after school classes that always take SOOO much energy and patience out of me. when I happened upon a kid... who is in said after school class... and probably the worst one at that.He was riding his little pink plastic Winnie the Pooh scooter to school. It seems he had seen me walking behind him, and had slowed down in intervals so I could catch up. When i got near to him he stopped and smiled back at me, waving his hand furiously, his little eyes shining sweetly. Since we don't have much ability to communicate with each other he pointed to me, and then the scooter, motioning me to take the handlebars (which are at about waist level). i started laughing at how hilarious this situation would be.... i thought. why not? grabbed the scooter and scooted a few feet ahead... the kid running right behind me laughing and shouting WOOO HOOO!! this was seriously the best start to the day I have ever had. I stopped a few meters down the road and gave him his scooter back. he took it with a huge smile and rode slowly beside me the rest of the way to school. he stopped when we came to an intersection and didn't go until i said it was okay... so cute! we parted ways when we got close to school and he went to show off his scooter to his friends and let them have a whirl.

however, this afternoon was a completely different story. said child comes rampaging into my classroom, screaming his head off... and throwing things all over the place, hitting the other kids and tackling them to the ground (this is a common Korean child pastime I have found- nothing to be too worried about) I sighed and thought about the great one-on-one morning experience i had with this little one... how did his bright shining eyes turn so red all of a sudden? and where did those horns come from? I certainly didn't see them there before. The class continued and he never seemed to settle down. causing disturbances and not listening to a word i or anyone else said. I tried to hold on to that feeling i got this morning,  but it was slowly fading away into the abyss of my memory.

After the class ended and I plopped down in my chair, completely exhausted, the same student came over to me and held out his hand. in it was a tiny chocolate, and said to me "happy teacher? for you" I smiled and melted back into his cute little face. as i took the partially unwrapped chocolate from his hands he smiled at me and walked calmly away...

Its these moments that we must remember when we are looking for the patience to get through the hard times... like every Friday afternoon for me.and they are little angels.. just young and all they want to do is have fun, instead they are stuck in a classroom 6 days a week, 8+ hours a day reading/writing/and arithmetic! TGIF



side note... as i was editing this post- a little grade 1 student (about 5 years old) just came in and gave me a pen with a little handmade flower on top of it..... i suppose its for teachers day tomorrow..he is literally one of the students i talk about when I say they are soo cute! his mother has given him a perm, highlights and he wears the most fashionable clothes... haha. anyways, what a great way to end my Friday.

#78 Why Korea Sucks: It doesnt....

So when i think about leaving Korea I am filled with a total sense of joy and happiness. going back to my familiar town, living near to my family and friends; these ideas fill me with happiness and a desire to leave as soon as possible. But then i think about the things that ill miss when I am gone, and how being in Korea isn't really that bad at all, and that thought is kind of scary. I am immersed in a completely different culture, and i have allowed myself to get swept away into some of the more beautiful habits that this country holds. 

first: Food- A lot of foreigners complain about the food here in Korea, and wish it to be more like American food. Usually the complaints are about the fish based meals; I can understand if you don't have an affinity for fish how this would cause a problem. But living in Korea, I expected to eat Korean food, not western food. Now, I know I sometimes crave familiar foods- but its just that... I crave something familiar, and food just seems to be the easiest thing to rag on- it wont talk back.

It seems to me that a lot of people have dissociated themselves with that fact and just completely given up on even trying to accept and eat Korean food, and thus adapt to the place that they are living. They are trying to create their old world in this new place they have landed. This is a perfectly natural thing to do, to an extent. It feels to me that when we choose to live in a foreign country that we must take the good and the bad, and rather than simply refusing to try something; give it a try, you never know what will happen. In accordance with food.. think of all of the things you loved when you were a child- i can guarantee your palate has changed quite a bit since then; just as it can change with you acclimatise your palate to these new flavors- it might not like it at first- but after a while your taste-buds will settle in, and you can enjoy a truly authentic experience.

"Korean food is delicious and nutritious." We hear it all the time from our co teachers and friends; but have we ever taken the time to stop and listen? To wonder how this could possibly be? Most of the food here is fresh! so fresh in fact that sometimes its still moving on your plate. I know its not always the most appetizing thing to think of eating every part of an animal (including the bladder, blood, feet brains and tounge) but every part that they eat has a 'reason' behind it. there is a nutrient found in these foods that helps you maintain health. Im sure not ALL of these statements made are true.. but some of them must be; and I cant see why they wouldn't. I am served fresh fruits and veggies at every lunch hour, and a soup that couldn't possibly come from a package  or a bag (like most soups would back home in our school caf's)

I am a veggie, so i don't have to deal with a lot of the gross meat related food here, which may make me an hypocritical observer. But I find that there is such a backlash against the food in Korea from the foreigners that it begins to bother me. I almost WANT to try these foods to see what all the fuss and muss is about. Every day I am served a large plateful of fresh veggies (usually in some strange sauce of sorts) and often i find myself thinking about why they prepare these dishes in the way that they do. I look over to my co workers trays and notice huge hunks of meat and fish baked to perfection, bones still in. I look at their shiny hair and great complexions and seemingly healthy disposition and can begin to understand where it might come from. Its not very often you see an obese Korean... whereas in America the obesity rates have risen to such a high level that the centers for disease control estimate that at least "110,000 people die per year due to obesity and 1/3 of all cancer deaths are directly related to it."

"Former Surgeon General Richard Carmona remarked that obesity is a more pressing issue than terrorism, 'Obesity is a terror within. It's destroying our society from within and unless we do something about it, the magnitude of the dilemma will dwarf 9/11 or any other terrorist event that you can point out...'" (killeratlarge.com) [those interested in learning more about this epidemic can go here obesity in America]
I know this is an entirely different issue here but it is a pressing one. and one that i think about when i am deciding whether i want to eat the north American option or the Korean one. I feel that Korean people are more aware of what they are putting into their bodies (a mass generalization i know) and i want to be too.


The food is healthy here and i will surely miss it... (even when I'm eating my delicious poutine... haha)


brings me to my next topic.


Price: The cost of going out to eat here is EXPONENTIALLY less than at home (provided you are going for the non-American option of the yummy Korean food). Tell me a place in North America where you can get a bowl full of veggies and rice, a healthy and filling meal, with all the soup you could ask for, and several side dishes including kimchi, beans, radish, green garlic etc etc. and perhaps even a bowl of hot spicy soup with tofu for under 5$... I dare you to tell me where this exists in America. It simply doesn't! the cheap options include ... fast food, fast food, and more fast food. To go out and get a salad outside of the home costs about the same as it would for 3 people to eat out in Korea.  This is something my wallet and I will dearly miss when we depart.


These are some superficial things ill miss about Korea. within these ideas there are a few other things about the culture that come to mind that will be a happy memory to look back at. the fact that everything is "healthy." the funny little sayings that even the most inexperienced English speakers can say. Ill keep thinking of things as time goes on... but hey, I've still got another year left ;)

Higher Learning

It's Friday, and every Friday is greeted with a very big TGIF! This Friday in particular is a welcome one. This week has been full of ups and downs.

The sun has come out a few times, and I have allowed myself to travel down memory lane as I take my 35 minute walk to and from school each day. For a semester in University a friend and i dedicated our lives to seeing as many Sam Roberts shows as humanly possible. - I think in the end the count for me was 12 in two months? total tally now is about 30... (loser. haha)-  anyways, i dusted off the old MP3 that hasn't been played for a while and found comfort in his lyrics, and happiness in the memories that came along with each word that he said.  On one particularly horrible afternoon, I walked away from the school with a heavy heart and dawdled my feet in the dusty playground gravel towards the gate of the school. As I approached the gate I stopped to lean on the brick block and grab my iPod from my pocket, and watched as the other teachers zoomed past me in their cars; splashing the remnants of the leftover rain onto my coat. As I started my journey home I brightened up as Sam began crooning in my ears. Within moments I was smiling and enjoying the beauty around me. But there was something different, something in the way his words hit me this day brought a completely different meaning to me:  "mass appeal with a solitude spin."   Now having been obsessed with this first album, I have listened to it many times- but never did this particular lyric hit me as hard as it did this day. this is EXACTLY what its like to be an expat in Korea- especially if you live in a small town. But also if you live in a city- I live in a small town so im going to talk about it from this viewpoint a bit more implicitly- but im sure it could effect everyone equally.

Lets look at the first part "mass appeal..."
When you enter your school for the first time, the children treat you as a celebrity. or so I've heard.... this wasn't the case for me in the beginning- i found my students were bored, and even frightened of me. Most of them bowing in respect to me as I walked down the hallway to lunch  but generally cowering out of my way. This has recently changed for me- my students now all high-five me, chase me down the street after school, follow me into stores and buy me chocolates. It's all really nice, and it makes me smile. One of the charms of living in a small town is that the ONLY children i see- are the ones that i teach- and since i teach all of the grades at all of the schools- ALL of them know me. Its a pretty interesting feeling; and sometimes I find myself smiling the whole way home when this happens. I stand out to them as someone they admire- simply because I come from another country- its this standing out that creates the confusion between the two worlds...
The other type of appeal comes from the very basic idea that when you move to korea you will be adopting a new culture, a new life, and making pretty good money while doing it. The appeal to come to Korea, in the beginning was just that; a place to make money to pay off my loans- and have a cultural experience, all in the while living abroad. Which lets face it, a lot of people would like to do, and i have heard it countless times- the idea of living abroad is so fantastic, you would have a hard time finding someone who doesn't enjoy at least the thought of doing it. 

on the other hand "... with a solitude spin" is really where the largest amount of emphasis can be placed.
Being in a foreign country, away from your family, and loved ones and immersed in a completely different culture can be really difficult. Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining- I'm the one who choose to come to Korea- and I really enjoy getting to know different cultures, meet new people and travel- its my passion. But being an expat makes you stand out- and this, as they say, can be really lonely. I don't like the compare myself to that of a celebrity- but here you go. You know how they say "its lonely at the top" I now totally, and completely understand this. I am surrounded by people wanting to talk to me, wanting to look at me, and say hello- but at the end of the day- I go home to an empty apartment and wonder- "where have all the good people gone." (ha-sorry another Sam Roberts tune) As I continue my time here as an expat I am constantly considering this, and how it effects the lives of myself and others.

Right now, I am unable to communicate on a deeper level than basic necessity to anyone around me. There is no deeper meaning behind our communication but what we must say to get by. I will fade in and out of their lives as a fond memory- much like Sam Roberts himself will be one day for me- a good story: "remember when we saw that foreign girl..." Indulging in small talk so that they can get their fill of the celebrity; "the solitude spin." I recently had a brief chat about the importance of deep conversation in a persons life (ironic I know)- and how this related to happiness- as opposed to brief encounters. The study showed that on average people who engage in deep conversation more often than simple small talk, generally had a better disposition and were less apt to be depressed than those who rarely to never had deep conversations.

When all you get are brief encounters, things can begin to get a little slippery, but when we allow ourselves to see the beauty of this and relish in its importance in our lives,  I can begin to understand just a little bit more- how we can change the feelings of loneliness into feelings of solitude and peace. For happiness is not something that finds you, its the consequence of a great personal effort.

"time is a slippery fish... but we will rise like a phoenix from the ashes"

But why....

So, i have been trying to keep this blog lighthearted and kind. however, i think the time has come when we need to lay out some truths about Korea. i have had enough inconsiderate mindless people ruining my day, and this is the time to air those grievances.

i have been given an amazing opportunity by coming here. i am truly blessed to be able to have experienced a different culture first hand not once, but three times in my life. These are invaluable experiences that i will cherish forever, and i am sure some of the people i meet here will be with me forever. i know my time spent in Holland changed the way that i did some things and am able to still keep those some important ideals and habits that i learned while i was there. 
however, there doesn't seem to be many ideals or behaviors that i would want or need to pick up from Koreans.
this past week i was victim to one of their many self serving behaviors that really don't compute to the average person. I have a hard time fitting in in my elementary school. its not for lack of trying. the teachers just dont seem to enjoy being around me. yes they are polite and will ask what my plans are for the weekend. the gr 6 teacher even smiles and waves at me when i enter the school. i thought i had made some headway when she started to try to speak a little english to me and ask me how she can get better so we can talk. however, all of this was dashed last week Friday. it was a regular day, no one pays attention to the white girl sitting in the English room. the room was getting a little stuffy and the sun was shining so i stood up to go and stand by the window that i had opened a crack and get some sunshine on my face. Much to my surprise i see the gr 6 class (that i was supposed to be teaching at that moment, but failed to show up) and all of the teachers standing outside getting their pictures taken. since its yearbook/graduation time i figured thats what it was for. I have to admit i was a bit surprised when i saw this, b.c. all of the teachers were involved, yet... no one had bothered to come and get me. am i not a teacher? do i not belong? so i walked downstairs only slightly bothered by this notion to get a coffee. as i passed by the door all of the teachers had lined up in front of it. one of the teachers turned around and offered a friendly "hi bryn" to me. i waved at her. it was then that another teacher turned around and said "teacher photo for yearbook, go away"  i stood there astonished for a moment. unsure if i should run away crying or lunge at the throat of said teacher. then all of them turned around and looked at me and shooed me away on me saying "you are in way" i retired to my room, completely forgetting about the coffee and allowed myself to give into the sorrow of this situation. 
It was s ad dark day for me and one i wont forget. how could they be so thoughtless? do they not realize that i am in a foreign country here, and if they were in my country i feel certain that i would do my best to include them in things even to the point of being annoying, not try to ignore them and make them feel unwanted. i wonder if they realize what its like being from somewhere else in this horrid little town; away from the people i know, away from my family, my friends... and i may need a little bit of kindness...  everyday i struggle with this thought. 
so. that being said. things here aren't always peachy, in fact sometimes they down right suck. but when you look at life, its not going to be the negative things to remember, it will be the positive experiences you gain from these emotional breakdowns. the positive people that enter your life and bring a huge change. I am excited everyday as well. excited for the new adventure that this country will bring me. and how the things that are happening now are really minute in the journey towards my superlative goals! 
So i will continue to tolerate this behavior, if not trying to teach them a more considerate way of living. sometimes i observe these people and understand the differences and sometimes its more difficult. today was one of these days....