Four months ago I sat as a college graduate, in a Starbucks with my mom, stressing over what I was going to now do with my life. After many phone interviews with teaching positions in North Carolina and countless turn downs. After surpassing the registration deadlines with three grad schools I was accepted into... I made a life-changing decision. I was going to teach English in South Korea.
Well here I am... about four weeks away from moving my life to another country for an entire year... so I certainly have some things I'm a little worried about. I figured this would be the perfect first entry.
1. Teaching:
Well the reason I am in Korea in the first place is to teach, so this would undoubtedly be one of my biggest concerns. I know how to teach a class of 20-25 students here in the States. I'm good at it. I've gone to school for it and have had various amounts of experience. But in Korea.. totally different game. I will most likely have a class of 30-70 students, most of who do not fully understand the English language. Being a certified teacher, I know I have an advantage to other teachers doing this who have no teaching experience what so ever, but I still feel for lack of a better word... lost. Korean culture is so much different than ours.. which I will get into in my Collectivism rant. And we all know culture follows us into the classroom. I am going to learn that I can't just call out a student in the class for something they did wrong or right, like I would in the States. If one of my students here was doing something worth mentioning, I would praise them in front of the entire class.. that is considered culturally acceptable here, and children live for that stuff. But in Korea... if I were to do that, in most cases, the student would feel humiliated and become withdrawn, because Koreans feel they are not supposed to be singled out (even if it is for something positive.) I am really going to have to pay attention to the teaching techniques I use here that have almost become second nature, and think about which ones will work in my Korean classroom and which ones will not be acceptable or appropriate. These are things that I will surely make mistakes with and become frustrated with. I will need to quickly become accustomed to Korean culture and their values in and out of the classroom, so that I can accommodate my teaching and my lessons so that every one of my students is successful.
2. Collectivism:
Individualism has always been, for as long as I can remember, a part of my core beliefs. In my pre-teen years, I quickly realized that I never wanted to be like all the other girls trying to fit in with everyone else. It was not who I was and is not who I am. It took a while for me to fully figure out who I am, but when I did, my life, my attitude, and my relationships became that much stronger and positive. In the United States and most other western countries, individualism is the way of life. We are taught that we should be our own person, and not try to fit into anyone else's shoes. We walk our own path, and we make our own decisions. We wear clothes we personally like, and wear our hair in a style we like. We express our own opinions even if we know others may disagree with them. Of course all this comes with time and age, but inevitably most of our culture follows the ideology of individualism. In Korea, it is a known fact that most Koreans follow collectivism. They do most things in groups. They travel in groups and make decisions as groups. Whatever the most popular fashion is that week, you will most likely see every person wearing it. They are considered more "followers" than "leaders." Now all this information comes from what I have read in Korean books, what I have been told by interviewers and what I have researched. Of course I won't completely understand until I am there witnessing this, but at least I have some knowledge as to their collective culture. This will definitely be one of the most difficult things I will have to deal with. It is in my nature to encourage individualism in my students, so letting my Korean students often work together in groups rather than individually and not questioning why they will hesitate from expressing their own opinion is going to be a huge learning experience for me. I will without a doubt respect Korean culture, but as a GET (Guest English Teacher), part of my job will be to educate my students on American culture, and since we are an individualistic society, that will of course become a part of my teaching in some shape or form... but the extent of what I teach, is what I will have to pay attention to.
3. North Korea
Naturally, this would be somewhat of a concern. Probably more to my mother than myself, but nonetheless gives me some anxiety. Nothing has happened between the North and South for years and years, but the threats that often pronounce themselves are worrisome. North Korea is the only totalitarian nation left in the world with a major hold of nuclear power. God forbid something is to happen, the fact that I am so far away from the people I love most is a new and beyond-frightening feeling. But, I truly do feel that there is absolutely nothing to worry about. South Korea is a beautiful, safe, wonderful place to live and I am unbelievably lucky to make it my home for the next year.
4. Food
Spicy, spicy, SPICY. Rice, rice, RICE. That's right. Most of Korean food is abundantly spicy. I love my Indian and Mexican food but Korean spice is going to be on a whole new level. I've heard that it's not too easy to get around it either. Of course I am going to try anything and everything, but I am a little worried that I won't be able to get used to the spice factor day after day. Also, I know I will love the rice in the beginning, but we all know rice is a big starch and consuming a lot of that will for sure screw with your body. I am planning on taking up hiking for my main exercise in an attempt to experience South Korean's culture to the fullest. Koreans LOVE their hiking. So hopefully all the rice I will be consuming will not affect me so much. This experience is so much different than being on a 10 day vacation. I am LIVING in South Korea, so I am sure like anything, I will be eating like I am on vacation in the first few weeks. But I will have to soon realize that my life is now here in South Korea and I need to eat accordingly. Especially because all western imported foods are highly expensive, I am going to resort to solely Korean foods... which I am completely okay with! I am immersing myself in South Korean culture, therefore I want to eat, live, and breath South Korea. Despite the concerns about the new foods, I am beyond excited to completely change my diet and try this country's delicious dining!
5. Transportation
Getting around South Korea, without fully understanding Hangul is a daunting aspect of my time there. I won't know specifics until I arrive in Gyeongbuk, but I have been told that the bus system anywhere in Korea is difficult, sometimes for even Koreans to understand. Being a foreigner, I can only imagine how difficult it will first be to learn the bus and subway routes. But that's all in the fun isn't it?! It will definitely be a roller coaster, but in the end.. I'm sure I'll laugh about it, when I can finally say that I know how to get to work and back... on time.
Despite my concerns, I can't even begin to express how anxious, how excited I am to begin this journey of my life. After volunteering in New Zealand two summers ago, my travel fever has been cooped up for way too long. I am ready. I HAVE been ready to make this leap. I will consume myself in South Korean culture, and live and cherish every moment of my time there.
