Term One in Review

I am officially halfway through my first year of teaching. In all honestly it isn’t the first term I imagined I’d have. I always imagined I would somehow find work in the Northwest and spend my first year teaching literary classics, various grammar points, and the occasional modern novel or two. Instead, I moved to Korea where I teach English conversation, the occasional pop song, and I run vocabulary building exercises. It may not be the Language Arts position I was initially hoping for, but some of the things I have learned here, at Dae-Sung Girls Middle School, are things that I would never have learned in Oregon:

1. Being the minority. Being the only native English speaker at my school (accompanied by a total of 5 Korean teachers who can converse with me in English) I have learned first-hand what it means to be a minority. This statistic often means I can be overlooked, not included in plans, and ostracized. I rely on the good will of my English speaking co-workers to relay information to me. Being the only Native English speaker in my school means everyone notices everything I do, so I work my butt off to do things right the first time.
2. The importance of speech. When I walk into a classroom here, I cannot simply just talk and have my students learn. I have to perform: talking slowly and clearly, using simple diction with dramatic intonation. I must perform every lesson. This is the only way my students will understand my lesson. They need to experience it with their eyes and their ears. I may look like I am leading some strange dance class, but it keeps my students engaged and confident.
3. School Politics. Similar to American schools, there is a level of command which must be accepted and followed. Here the hierarchy is as follows: Principal, Vice Principle, Department Heads, teachers (in order of years of experience), and me. I am the newbie, thus I am asked (when I say asked, I mean I don’t always have a choice) to take on the extra class, hold a summer camp, etc. I should just smile and nod. Everyone has to pay their dues, when the next newbie comes along (unlikely in my situation), the tasks will no longer fall on me.
4. Myself. This experience has taken both Eric and I to the edge and back. During the last six months here we have experienced nervousness, joy, sadness, frustration, elation, triumph, isolation, and success many times over. Moving to Korea proved to be the most difficult and inspiring decision I have ever made. Living here on my own, removed from everything familiar has shown me that when push comes to shove, I have what it takes to make it work…even if that means dropping everything I know for a new life.

Lastly, I am most excited about the progress my students have made over the course of our first semester together. They have gone from repeating the phrase “I am fine thank you, and you?” after I ask them how they are, to coming up with new adjectives which fit their mood for that day. This may seem small to you, but it was hard work trying to undo the 4-7 years of conditioning they had for that particular phrase. I am also most proud of my shy students. While they still don’t always volunteer to participate, they will speak in front of their classmates if asked politely. I know this is especially hard for them, but I am proud and grateful they are willing to try. Who knows, maybe by year’s end they will become my leading volunteers; there’s no telling what next semester has in store.

Keeping it Local

June flew by in a flash and how could it not? Every weekend Eric and I found ourselves exploring new sights and taking full advantage of summertime festivities aka World Cup viewing parties. In lieu of our on-the-go weekends, Eric and I decided to keep things local for a Saturday afternoon; deciding to explore a new area of Gwangju.



Our hunt for the new and never-before-seen brought us to Chosun University. Chosun University is just one of the four large universities in Gwangju. CU, established in the 1940s, is known for its landscaping, boasting the city’s largest rose garden. Set on a hill, one enters university grounds at street level and has to climb up to make it to academic buildings and living halls. Walking on to campus, we were greeted by a large pond filled with large koi fish and an impressive display of blooming water lilies. From the pond we made our way to the rose garden. Much like Washington Park, there were rows upon rows of roses, each row offering a different breed of flower. It had rained the night before so aroma of the roses filled the air. The roses are in full bloom here, so every plant had multiple flowers and buds to offer.



After winding our way through each and every row, we decided to explore the campus. We climbed up a large number of stairs to reach the library, main academic hall, and other buildings on campus. All the while the grounds stayed well maintained and a variety of flowers and trees lined our entire walk. After exploring what the campus had to offer, we decided to head to the back gate area, the grouping of restaurants and bars next to the university. We wanted to see what night time outings this area could offer for the future. However, along the way we stumbled upon a sandwich shop called “Tospia” and much to our surprise Tospia offered paninis! Eric and I have not had real sandwiches, let alone grilled sandwiches, since we left the states. We knew when we saw this place that we had to eat there. Eric ordered the grilled Bulgogi (teriyaki beef) and I had a pizza one (filled with ham, cheese, onion, and tomato sauce). We ended up splitting our sandwiches, because once we saw what the other ordered we knew we wouldn’t be satisfied just eating on kind of sandwich. Then we washed our lunch down with fruit smoothies. All in all it was a great day; nothing extravagant, but it was the relaxing adventure we needed. I can’t wait to go back for more sandwiches. Next time I think I will need to get two for myself!

Paying Buddha a Visit

Located an hour outside of Gwangju is Songgwansa Temple. Nestled against Korea’s rolling green hills, Songgwansa is isolated from the rest of Korea’s ‘plugged in’ population. To reach the temple, you take a bus to the neighboring village. From which, you walk for 15-20 minutes into the hills. Out of the tree-filled hillsides emerges a grouping of small buildings, all painted in traditional Korean colors of red, blue, green and white.

Songgwansa was built towards the end of the Shilla Dynasty( 57bc-935ad) and this age is visible in the severely faded facades of some of the temple’s prayer houses. The main Buddha hall, the most important building, is front and center. The size of this hall exceeds that of its neighboring buildings. The outside of the main Buddha hall is ornate, boasting carved windows, carved moldings, and hand painted walls, doors, and rooftops. Mirroring the hall’s outside façade, the inside is filled with intricate painted walls, carved pillars and a stunning altar. The large altar is front and center housing three large, gold Buddhas. At the Buddhas’ feet are numerous lit candles and incense; creating a somber mood for the ongoing prayer service. The room is filled with both monks and visitors. Anyone is welcome to crouch down and join the prayer service.


Branching out from the Main Buddha hall are other smaller prayer houses and the monks living quarters. All of the prayer rooms house ornate Buddha altars and intricately painted walls. Here people can come pray and mediate on their own time. All of these prayer house are also open to anyone to use. Surrounding all of the buildings of Songgwansa are meticulously kept grounds. No leaf, blade of grass, or gravel stone is out of place. It is clear that the same amount of focus which is put into mediation is also directed towards the upkeep of the Temple houses and grounds. Songgwansa is a fully functioning temple. Here, monks live and devote themselves to their faith, expanding their knowledge of Buddhism, and to the upkeep of the temple grounds.


If I had to wrap up our visit to Songwansa in one word, I would say: quiet. Our time at the temple was the first time, in a long time, when our ears weren’t filled with city noises. Rather, we were able to hear the prayers of the monks, the chirping of birds, and the rustling of leaves; all of these things which happen far too infrequently in our daily lives.

One Night in Boseong

Every now and again EPIK (English Program in Korea) will call us away from our daily classes for different workshops and trainings. Last week, Eric and I, along with 160 other Native English teachers, were whisked away to Boseong, a seaside resort, to partake in a two day workshop to hone our skills of classroom management, lesson planning, and to share successful classroom activities. We arrived in Boseong around 11:30 am on Thursday and after checking in and going over the schedule we jumped right into the variety of lectures that had been organized for that day. I attended four session: icebreakers, useful classroom activities, an lesson plan sharing session, and classroom management/discipline. By far my favorite lecture was the one on classroom management. Since my students do not have the strongest command of English, I have learned that trying to control a classroom of 42 middle school girls can prove challenging. What I especially liked about the techniques discussed at the workshop was most of them were non-verbal, relaying a lot on eye contact, desk tapping, and a constant patrolling around the classroom. These things are understood across the language barrier my students and I sometimes come across.

After the lectures were over, the night was ours and everyone split up into their assigned rooms. Since it is only customary that married couples room together, Eric and I were split up. I roomed with some girlfriends I’ve made since living here. For all of us girls, this was the first night in a long time that we got to ourselves, no boy in sight. So we decided to bring a couple bottles of wine (don’t worry there were four of us), indulge in some sweets, and wear the most comfortable, elastic-band wasted pants we owned; it was glorious. By night’s end the wine bottles were emptied and candy wrappers were strewn all over the coffee table. Despite our room being Korean style, meaning no beds, it was the first night for all four of us that we didn’t have to share a twin sized bed with someone. We were happy to stretch out our legs and arms and use as much, if not all, of the blanket we wanted. The funny thing is, despite having a lot of extra space we never used it. We all opted to sleep in the same room, laying four across. We all managed to get a little more room than normal, but I guess once you become accustomed to small spaces, large ones just seem unnecessary.

Red Devils

On my way to work today I was surrounded by a sea of red t-shirts. This can only mean one thing: game day. We are one week into the 2010 World Cup and tonight is game two for Korea. After a great win against Greece, the people of Korea are ready for the national team’s second match against the favored Argentinean team. Here, Korea’s matches are national events. The public stops what they are doing in order to watch their team play. Big screens are erected in parks and on college campuses all over the city so everyone has an opportunity to watch the games. In said locations one is surrounded by shouting fans, waving flags, and clashing thunder sticks. What makes this experience different from viewing parties in America is it is not for a handful of supporters. Nearly the entire nation’s population comes out to support their national team. The World Cup proves to be a stage for Korean soccer, but also for Korean pride as well.

As an example of this collective excitement my school decided to order in lunch of soda, pizza, and fried chicken. I was told it was in celebration of the upcoming game. All through lunch people were discussing where they would watch the game, what meetings they had to move around to be able to watch the game, and what they would do after should Korea win. I was also told that tomorrow, should Korea do well, we would all be treated to a Chinese food lunch. In addition to the buzz floating around the teacher’s room, my students are feeling the excitement as well. Every class today has started with a popular Korean soccer cheer. Furthermore, my students decided to declare me a Korean Patriot when they saw me wearing a Korean Jersey to school. They said, “you are from America, but you are Korean now too!” My acceptance of this statement was followed by cheers of “Korea Fighting” and “Dae Han Min Guk!”

I guess all any of us can do at this point is watch the clock and count the hours until we can watch the game!

Surrounded by the Sea

I don’t know what it is about small ocean-side towns, but I love them. These small towns are usually comprised of a small population, family owned businesses, and rustic charm. Cheongsan Island, located 19km off the Korean coast, is no exception. Home to a small population of farmers and fishermen, Cheongsan Island is able to combine a small town feel with gorgeous beaches and wharfs. Cheongsan’s terrain is mountainous and is mostly used for harvesting garlic and rice. However, amongst the paddies and crop fields are narrow roads used for hiking by both locals and visitors alike. Walking up and down these roads, Eric, a colleague, her family, and I were able to take in views of land and sea. Looking inland, we could see a tall green mountain towering over the small town at its base. In the other direction we could see coves of crisp blue water being used as fishing grounds by the local inhabitants.

After finishing our walk, we made our way back to the main harbor for lunch. The harbor is littered with wooden boats, fishing nets, and Styrofoam buoys. There, lunch was comprised of spicy fish soup, kimchi, rice, dried anchovies, seaweed, and a few other side dishes. From lunch we made our way to the other side of the island so we could take in the various beaches the Cheongsan had to offer. The first beach we stopped at was a rock beach. Its ‘sand’ was completely composed of smooth black and gray rocks. Reaching the water’s edge proved to be a bit tricky, but once we were there the views and sounds were amazing. As the waves rolled in and out they moved the rocks back and forth, creating a sound similar to a rain stick. The water was moderate in temperature and was welcomed after our warm walk earlier. After spending some time playing in the water and sunning on the rocks we made our way to a flatter, sandier beach.



What makes the other beach so unique is it only a beach during low tide. When the tide is out, a quarter-mile stretch of sand is left behind for people to enjoy. When one finally reaches the water’s edge, they are greeted by calm waves and warm water. Furthermore, small tide pools are left spontaneously behind throughout the cove and prove to be a good opportunity to explore for small aquatic life. We stumbled across numerous hermit crabs and small fish.


After watching the tide come back in we decided to return to the mainland. After our thirty minute ferry ride we found ourselves back in the port city of Wando. By the day’s end I left with a sunburned face, a bag a garlic and a stomach full of fish. It was a great day.

Summer Afternoons

Summer has officially arrived in Gwangju. Each day is consistently warm and the sun greets me earlier and earlier each morning. However, the arrival of summer also means the arrival of humid weather. As the day progresses the humidity level continues to climb. The humidity rises so high by late afternoon that an afternoon thunderstorm is produced.

While I am not particularly a fan of the build-up to the storm, I find all of my feelings of discomfort and annoyance are washed away when the downpour begins. I find the smell of the rain here rejuvenating and relaxing. It is almost as if, everyday around 5:30, the day resets and I get to start from scratch. By the time the storm is over things start to cool down, the humidity begins to decline, and I can begin looking forward to tomorrow.

Behind teaching, afternoon thunderstorms are my favorite part about living in South Korea.