So the Fall 2007 Semester has officially ended, and my first full teaching year is done...yes. Yes! About diddily time! For serious, it was really a long semester, with some challenges in learning how to be a better teacher while fighting/working with the Korean education system.
Its been an interesting ride of growth, learning to work inter-culturally with my Korean co-workers, while mentally and spiritually challenging myself to be more stronger. This past Fall was also a season of beauty in Korea, and I remember some of the best of moments of my tenure in Korea were my two trips to Busan and a trip to the Yangjae Citizen Forest, which boasted some of the best in Korean natural beauty.
To be more concrete, 2007 has brought some great victories. I am blessed by God to see where I'm at now, and I still marvel at God's Power and how He works.
Some things that I have accomplished that I give credit to the One that is due:
1. My Korean skills have vastly improved - I was so shocked by this one myself to this day. In 10 months, my Korean speaking and listening skills have grown very surprisingly. I credit this to pain. Yes, no one likes pain, but that's how I gained. And I'm talking about how to really learn a language: to mess up, to learn from it, to slow down, and keep practicing. Ironically, I am here to teach kids how to speak the English language, but I have progressed on how to speak Korean in a variety of situations in 10 months than most of my kids have learned how to speak English in 6 years. That's a shame, because my kids know all the grammar and vocabulary, but they never use it. So I would like to take this moment to brag because I stumbled, got frustrated with Korean, but God used it to humble me while I slowly grow in the language sphere. And I got still lots more to learn...more pain anyone?
2. I got to know my relatives better - That was one reason I came...to meet my relatives against and get to know their lives. Its been a real blessing to spend time with my mom's side of the family and gain insight on how their lives have been working out. I hope to continue to grow in Korean language so I can share my life with them, and learn about theirs.
3. I am slowly getting a grip on how to teach - but I am nowhere near good still! I just came to realize a simple formula for teaching ESL - warm-up, game, concept, visual, and cool down. "Keep it simple," Bobby said, "and they should be okay." Bobby was an experienced teacher from Ohio who knows his stuff, and he taught me to simply keep my lessons focused and don't focus on details. Learning a foreign language is tough as it is, but Korean kids, they can only handle so much info. Also, I learned to be creative and find topics that they want to learn about it, and not just conventional book stuff.
4. Travelling Skills - I am proud of the fact that I figured out how to use the subway and bus systems in due time, and more recently, how to use the KTX and other long-distance trains. It will be useful in my upcoming year to travel around my mother's homeland and see more of natural Korea.
5. Fellowship of the King - a play-on words about the famous film, I have to give props to my friends Trey and Becky for giving me a strong Fellowship of the King, or Jesus Christ. There are many Christians who say they are Christians, but they don't really take it seriously and just use it as a crutch. These two missionaries have been helpful in my spiritual walk and keeping me accountable as a growing young man. I hope to keep the Fellowship alive for 2008.
6. Understanding the Korean Soul - I just got back from an End of the Year Teachers' Retreat yesterday, where we went to a ski resort in Pochon, north of Seoul. This whole year has been a learning experience on "who is a Korean." I've gained many insights to Korean character, their dreams, their challenges in Korean society, and ultimately, what motivates them. I'm still not done though. During the trip, I got to see these Koreans at their most vulnerable and more real side to them: caring, fun-loving, passionate, and hearty people.
7. Becoming a Man - means I had to face issues on my own without the help of my parents, brother, or my friends from home. Even though I had the Fellowship of the King, I had to face these problems on my own. It was cool to see how I had face them and become a little more humble in the process.
So what is my goal for 2008? I'll let you know soon.
Life keeps going, despite the crazy issues in the world such as former Pakistan prime minister Benazir Bhutto's assassination, the war in Iraq, the 2008 Election in the US, global warming, breakdown of morals and truth in society, and the list goes on.
2007 closes, a new chapter begins, this time in a foreign land.
We shall see what new adventures Mr. Soni will land in next.
Sunday, December 30, 2007
Friday, December 21, 2007
For Foreigners In Korea...Life Takes A New Visa
There's been uproar in the online community here in South Korea...particularly for the expats who teach English in this country.
Not too long ago, a Canadian named Christopher Paul Neil was arrested in Thailand last October on child molestation charges. This guy also taught in Korea for a while too, but this guy would make trips to SE Asia and do some very wicked things to people, and adding insult to injury he would put it on the Net. Soon, cops were his tail like white on rice, and soon enough, they busted his tail and hauled him off. Case closed.
However, slowly and slowly, the news trickled back to Korea that this guy who got arrested revealed that he was a former teacher in Jeollanam-do Province, which is on the southwest edge of this nation. The media fallout that followed this arrest had some really tough reprocussions.
Keep in mind foreigners are not viewed with the best of intentions in this country. Whether they are here to fill dirty jobs that Koreans will not work (many migrant workers from South or Southeast Asia), or to teach the wonderful language of English in the many private academies (hagwons) or public schools, foreigners are welcomed, but are perceived with stereotypes and misunderstandings. Of course, this problems is in every country that receives foreigners, especially my own, where stereotypes remain supreme based on class and race, especially outsiders.
Long story short, the Korean government made some new reforms of how the Korean schools recruit foreigners for English programs. The Visa that most foreigners get today is called an E-2, or language instruction visa. In the past, many programs and schools recruited people from the major six nations that are deemed major English speaking nations: the USA, Canada, the UK, South Africa, Australia, and New Zealand. The process depended on each school, but being in the public school program, I had to submit a local criminal check to let them know I'm not a hoodlum out to drop bows on my students. I also did a health checkup to verify that I'm kicking it and not kicking buckets, and I submitted a verified copy of my diploma so they know I'm legit and not forging it.
The Korean government is now trying to track down those who come and go out of this country illegally, and trying to reform a system of just bringing English-speaking goofs who "cause social turmoil" in this nation, which is the charge in the new legislation.
In many ways, I think reform is necessary. There is an adverse selection problem when it comes to recruiting some teachers: some schools, especially the private academies, sometimes recruit socially or culturally insensitive people who are here just to make a buck but have no interest in Korean people and their culture. They just binge drink and keep to themselves without making efforts to make their experience more worth it.
But the way the Korean government wants to reform is just wrong. They are now requiring teachers to get criminal background checks at the central government level, and America simply does not do that, because most checks are done at a state level. If you want an FBI background check, it will require a good 6 months to get down and dirty on a person, but the job seeker and recruiter alike don't have that time to do that, neither does the school. Korea's demand to globalize and learn English cannot simply put up with a new bureacratic nightmare that faces the applicant when he or she has to rock several state criminal checks just to show they are legit.
Many expats in this country call these policies racist, and in many ways, they already dampen the worse reputation foreigners have to put up with in this nation. What reputation? Foreigners are portrayed in the media as money grubbing, womanizing, and ill-qualified teachers. Yet for the reforms, to me the major issue is what is Korea doing now to improve itself to be a major world player, a globalized nation ready to receive more visitors? This is not the way to do it.
Policies like this will make expats here have more to put up with...as Korean people might see from the fallout of the Canadian pedophile's case to stereotype the many who are doing the right thing here in this country and trying to earn a decent living while trying to enjoy life in East Asia.
So, foreigners have to get the same visa to keep teaching, but now in tougher circumstances. Its going to be a difficult pill for many to swallow, but I think the losers on this one is the Korean community. The more they view foreigners as just commodities (for English-speaking skills or cheap labor), and the more the Korean government discourages the labor pool by putting policies that restrict applicants, it could be just another wide turn towards more ignorance.
Its reality though, and I think it will give more foreigners a fresh new challenge to overcome before Korean society realizes how much they need us for a mutual friendship, and not just for each other's benefit.
Not too long ago, a Canadian named Christopher Paul Neil was arrested in Thailand last October on child molestation charges. This guy also taught in Korea for a while too, but this guy would make trips to SE Asia and do some very wicked things to people, and adding insult to injury he would put it on the Net. Soon, cops were his tail like white on rice, and soon enough, they busted his tail and hauled him off. Case closed.
However, slowly and slowly, the news trickled back to Korea that this guy who got arrested revealed that he was a former teacher in Jeollanam-do Province, which is on the southwest edge of this nation. The media fallout that followed this arrest had some really tough reprocussions.
Keep in mind foreigners are not viewed with the best of intentions in this country. Whether they are here to fill dirty jobs that Koreans will not work (many migrant workers from South or Southeast Asia), or to teach the wonderful language of English in the many private academies (hagwons) or public schools, foreigners are welcomed, but are perceived with stereotypes and misunderstandings. Of course, this problems is in every country that receives foreigners, especially my own, where stereotypes remain supreme based on class and race, especially outsiders.
Long story short, the Korean government made some new reforms of how the Korean schools recruit foreigners for English programs. The Visa that most foreigners get today is called an E-2, or language instruction visa. In the past, many programs and schools recruited people from the major six nations that are deemed major English speaking nations: the USA, Canada, the UK, South Africa, Australia, and New Zealand. The process depended on each school, but being in the public school program, I had to submit a local criminal check to let them know I'm not a hoodlum out to drop bows on my students. I also did a health checkup to verify that I'm kicking it and not kicking buckets, and I submitted a verified copy of my diploma so they know I'm legit and not forging it.
The Korean government is now trying to track down those who come and go out of this country illegally, and trying to reform a system of just bringing English-speaking goofs who "cause social turmoil" in this nation, which is the charge in the new legislation.
In many ways, I think reform is necessary. There is an adverse selection problem when it comes to recruiting some teachers: some schools, especially the private academies, sometimes recruit socially or culturally insensitive people who are here just to make a buck but have no interest in Korean people and their culture. They just binge drink and keep to themselves without making efforts to make their experience more worth it.
But the way the Korean government wants to reform is just wrong. They are now requiring teachers to get criminal background checks at the central government level, and America simply does not do that, because most checks are done at a state level. If you want an FBI background check, it will require a good 6 months to get down and dirty on a person, but the job seeker and recruiter alike don't have that time to do that, neither does the school. Korea's demand to globalize and learn English cannot simply put up with a new bureacratic nightmare that faces the applicant when he or she has to rock several state criminal checks just to show they are legit.
Many expats in this country call these policies racist, and in many ways, they already dampen the worse reputation foreigners have to put up with in this nation. What reputation? Foreigners are portrayed in the media as money grubbing, womanizing, and ill-qualified teachers. Yet for the reforms, to me the major issue is what is Korea doing now to improve itself to be a major world player, a globalized nation ready to receive more visitors? This is not the way to do it.
Policies like this will make expats here have more to put up with...as Korean people might see from the fallout of the Canadian pedophile's case to stereotype the many who are doing the right thing here in this country and trying to earn a decent living while trying to enjoy life in East Asia.
So, foreigners have to get the same visa to keep teaching, but now in tougher circumstances. Its going to be a difficult pill for many to swallow, but I think the losers on this one is the Korean community. The more they view foreigners as just commodities (for English-speaking skills or cheap labor), and the more the Korean government discourages the labor pool by putting policies that restrict applicants, it could be just another wide turn towards more ignorance.
Its reality though, and I think it will give more foreigners a fresh new challenge to overcome before Korean society realizes how much they need us for a mutual friendship, and not just for each other's benefit.
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
Movements in Korea
So there was a big election today. Unless some major fiasco hits, the winner will be a conservative candidate by the name of Lee Myeong-bak, a former mayor of Seoul. His whole platform is to transform the South Korean economy to become the 7th biggest in the world. Right.
Thanks to Election Day, it was a day off for the majority of the country, including myself, so I went to COEX Mall in Seoul for some shopping. After a few hours loafing around there (and not buying anything), I found myslf fighting a sea of people. It was a day off, and with Christmas right around the corner, I'm here in an exodus of materialistic eye-shoppers storming the gates. They just kept coming in waves and waves, so I essentially had it with the density and rushed back home. I was like, "I'm out yo!"
Home sweet home. Its kinda funny even though Korea is not my permanent home, my apartment is sort of my refuge. That's what a home is, even though I'm not a family man yet, a home is a place where you are more than welcome and there is peace. You can be yourself and God makes my home. I like that concept of "home." I hope to build a home with God in the center one day me-self.
In other news concerning my contract situation, I've decided to re-sign for one more year in the school program. However, the biggest development in my free agency is that I requested a "trade," or asked for a transfer to go to another school.
I told my VP this past week about my decision, and if things go well, I'll be looking at a new school next year.
It was really a tough decision, something I have been mulling over for months, literally. I almost wanted to opt out and pursue Korean language learning at an accredited university, but with grad school plans in the works, saving cash money and travelling is a better pursuit for now. The Lord might open new doors in the future here in South Korea, but I feel confident in this decision.
In the end it came down to experience. I know my time in East Asia will not be forever, so I had to think about priorities and my effectiveness as a teacher. Staying at this high school has so many advantages: I know the staff, the teachers, and the students, and I know what the program is like. I have my apartment. I know the area.
However, moving to another school means a risk. A risk of going into a less-supported English program, not-so-supportive staff, or a student body that is generally not English-tuned. I have to start over at a whole new place. But risk is always a part of life, and as a born-again Christian, "all things work together for those who love God." (Romans 8:28)
I'm not worried about the future as I'm moving on. I still have 2 months left to finish up at this school, so there is plenty of time to improve my skills as a teacher, to prepare for future plans, and to continue to learn Korean language and culture. Ultimately, two months where God can still use me a vessel of light to the people I encounter at my school.
In other cool news, I won a small second place prize for an essay contest for English teachers. It was a contest about English Education in Korea, so it was nice to see my writing skills pay off.
Have a great week.
Thanks to Election Day, it was a day off for the majority of the country, including myself, so I went to COEX Mall in Seoul for some shopping. After a few hours loafing around there (and not buying anything), I found myslf fighting a sea of people. It was a day off, and with Christmas right around the corner, I'm here in an exodus of materialistic eye-shoppers storming the gates. They just kept coming in waves and waves, so I essentially had it with the density and rushed back home. I was like, "I'm out yo!"
Home sweet home. Its kinda funny even though Korea is not my permanent home, my apartment is sort of my refuge. That's what a home is, even though I'm not a family man yet, a home is a place where you are more than welcome and there is peace. You can be yourself and God makes my home. I like that concept of "home." I hope to build a home with God in the center one day me-self.
In other news concerning my contract situation, I've decided to re-sign for one more year in the school program. However, the biggest development in my free agency is that I requested a "trade," or asked for a transfer to go to another school.
I told my VP this past week about my decision, and if things go well, I'll be looking at a new school next year.
It was really a tough decision, something I have been mulling over for months, literally. I almost wanted to opt out and pursue Korean language learning at an accredited university, but with grad school plans in the works, saving cash money and travelling is a better pursuit for now. The Lord might open new doors in the future here in South Korea, but I feel confident in this decision.
In the end it came down to experience. I know my time in East Asia will not be forever, so I had to think about priorities and my effectiveness as a teacher. Staying at this high school has so many advantages: I know the staff, the teachers, and the students, and I know what the program is like. I have my apartment. I know the area.
However, moving to another school means a risk. A risk of going into a less-supported English program, not-so-supportive staff, or a student body that is generally not English-tuned. I have to start over at a whole new place. But risk is always a part of life, and as a born-again Christian, "all things work together for those who love God." (Romans 8:28)
I'm not worried about the future as I'm moving on. I still have 2 months left to finish up at this school, so there is plenty of time to improve my skills as a teacher, to prepare for future plans, and to continue to learn Korean language and culture. Ultimately, two months where God can still use me a vessel of light to the people I encounter at my school.
In other cool news, I won a small second place prize for an essay contest for English teachers. It was a contest about English Education in Korea, so it was nice to see my writing skills pay off.
Have a great week.
Saturday, December 15, 2007
My Big Fat Korean Wedding
I just got back from my first Korean wedding. My cousin Hee-jung tied the knot with her new husband on December 15, 2007 in Oryu-dong, which is located in Central Seoul.
A Korean wedding is very similar to an American wedding, with the usual nice tux and gowns goinng on, but the location was such a different thing for me to experience: a wedding hall.
Wedding halls are major centers of wedding ceremonies throughout Korea. They are like businesses that cater to major weddings and their receptions. Back in America, the locations vary where people want to get married: churches, country clubs, outdoors, or even more zany locales to tie the knot. For Koreans, wedding halls here are a more convenient for wedding parties to do their thing and keep the reception close at hand.
What surprised me the most was this: when we got there for the wedding, there was a wedding already going on. Another party was doing their wedding in the same hall that Hee-jung's wedding was going to be set in, so there were just loads of people from our party and theirs inter-mingling in the lobby of the floor. There was no quiet, it was like a market...hustle and bustle while this shot-gun wedding was proceeding (just kidding).
To me, it was sort of like a legitimized Vegas wedding hall, because one party got married, and the next came in! The same pastor, just him saying different names and giving different blessings.
So Hee-jung and her fiance come in, the Moskanim ("Pastor" in Korean) did his thing, said some blessings and prayers, and a couple sang a song. 5 minutes, a kiss, and they were already did their vows...wait, I didn't even hear vows. Interesting. I think those are implicit...maybe?
Well, it was essentially THE FASTEST wedding I have ever seen. I thought Koreans were really down with ceremonies and want to draw out each moment in Korean-esque, Joseon Dynasty traditional mo-jo, last Korean warrior plus Buddhism concentration, but nope. We were out of there as fast as New York Knicks fans when they watch their team at the Garden. What was cool about this ceremony was the groom and bride bow to each of their parents in respect. I think that's really high class.
The reception was similar to an American one. Lots of food, the food was good, and Hee-jung and her new husband came out in traditional Korean duds, glad handling their guests. My cousin looked really beautiful, and her mother (my mom's youngest sister) and my aunt were dressed in beautiful "Hanboks," or traditional Korean dress. It is the equivalent of a Japanese woman's kimono, used for special ceremonies.
So, the wedding was an eclectic mix of traditional Korean and Western wedding styles, which is interesting.
The bride and groom were very happy to married, and off to their honeymoon they go.
When will I get married? When God Wills It.
A Korean wedding is very similar to an American wedding, with the usual nice tux and gowns goinng on, but the location was such a different thing for me to experience: a wedding hall.
Wedding halls are major centers of wedding ceremonies throughout Korea. They are like businesses that cater to major weddings and their receptions. Back in America, the locations vary where people want to get married: churches, country clubs, outdoors, or even more zany locales to tie the knot. For Koreans, wedding halls here are a more convenient for wedding parties to do their thing and keep the reception close at hand.
What surprised me the most was this: when we got there for the wedding, there was a wedding already going on. Another party was doing their wedding in the same hall that Hee-jung's wedding was going to be set in, so there were just loads of people from our party and theirs inter-mingling in the lobby of the floor. There was no quiet, it was like a market...hustle and bustle while this shot-gun wedding was proceeding (just kidding).
To me, it was sort of like a legitimized Vegas wedding hall, because one party got married, and the next came in! The same pastor, just him saying different names and giving different blessings.
So Hee-jung and her fiance come in, the Moskanim ("Pastor" in Korean) did his thing, said some blessings and prayers, and a couple sang a song. 5 minutes, a kiss, and they were already did their vows...wait, I didn't even hear vows. Interesting. I think those are implicit...maybe?
Well, it was essentially THE FASTEST wedding I have ever seen. I thought Koreans were really down with ceremonies and want to draw out each moment in Korean-esque, Joseon Dynasty traditional mo-jo, last Korean warrior plus Buddhism concentration, but nope. We were out of there as fast as New York Knicks fans when they watch their team at the Garden. What was cool about this ceremony was the groom and bride bow to each of their parents in respect. I think that's really high class.
The reception was similar to an American one. Lots of food, the food was good, and Hee-jung and her new husband came out in traditional Korean duds, glad handling their guests. My cousin looked really beautiful, and her mother (my mom's youngest sister) and my aunt were dressed in beautiful "Hanboks," or traditional Korean dress. It is the equivalent of a Japanese woman's kimono, used for special ceremonies.
So, the wedding was an eclectic mix of traditional Korean and Western wedding styles, which is interesting.
The bride and groom were very happy to married, and off to their honeymoon they go.
When will I get married? When God Wills It.
Saturday, December 8, 2007
M. Soni Mulling Future
By Anono J. Mus
The News Network
ESL rookie #20 Mark P. Soni, drafted straight out of the University of Maryland in 2006 into the EPIK Proram (English Program in Korea), is currently working for the premier institution Yeonsu High School in Incheon, South Korea. He is nearing the end of his first contract, which terminates next March 2008. The rising star is mulling his future options.
Soni, a 23-year old young man from the great state of Maryland, is enjoying his first experience as a rookie teacher at an all-boys high school, but he has to make the decision to re-sign or move on.
"Its definitely a tough decision. I don't want to say anything on the record, but for now I am looking at other options to see what's out there," says Soni.
Soni is a restricted free agent, which in sporting terms means that he can look at other schools and perhaps sign with a new school, but cannot be guaranteed a new contract. However, with the limited availability of new slots on schools' ESL rosters and the demand to fill in those new roster spots, as a restricted agent he could be on the same Yeonsu High School English Department next year.
"Something similar happened in the NBA this past year. Milwaukee Bucks ball player Charlie Bell was in the same situation in the summer of 2007. He wanted a change in scenery, to have a fresh start as a player, so he originally signed with the Miami Heat this past summer. But since he was a restricted free agent, his original team still retained his rights and chose to match the Heat's offer, so he ended up staying with his original team," analyzed Soni. "Basically, that means that if God wants me to stay at this school, He'll just simply shut the other doors and match the offer."
"It'll be nice to spicen up my experience and switch schools, to work with a whole new set of kids, and to become a better teacher, but ultimately, I want to use this experience of living on my own and to grow, which is why I am here."
Soni has no regrets about his experience at Yeonsu High School. Struggling early as a rookie teacher, he found out many new things about Korean education such as student learning styles, disciplining tough students, and finding teaching methods that are more effective to keep their interest.
"Regardless of what I tried, it was a take and give experience. There were some things that I would not give up as a teacher, such as teaching them about culture, even though they were not in a lick interested. But there were some things I did give up, such as forcing some kids to try English even though they have no interest or were too shy to try. I started to relax my style and started to have more fun with my boys, and that's the way to do it," reminisced Mark.
The future is not limited. Soni recently got a new kind of Visa, which grants him stay here in South Korea for two years instead of one. He will not be limited to just teaching jobs in the future.
"Right now, I'm not in a rush. God wants me to grow slowly but effectively, and I feel that if I try to jump into a new kind of job outside of teaching, it'll be too quick. The ESL field is one of the more relaxed jobs in the world with alot of benefits...I can't complain."
So which school will Mr. Soni end up next term? Depends on who he signs with, but His Agent knows for sure.
"I'm hoping and praying for a new situation. Its not that my current school stinks, because its a great school, they have some of the best students around. Yet I think it will be good for the school and for me to move on...but who knows the future?"
Yet His Agent, God, had this to say:
Romans 8:28: "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have called according to His purpose." There is no limit for our rookie.
The News Network
ESL rookie #20 Mark P. Soni, drafted straight out of the University of Maryland in 2006 into the EPIK Proram (English Program in Korea), is currently working for the premier institution Yeonsu High School in Incheon, South Korea. He is nearing the end of his first contract, which terminates next March 2008. The rising star is mulling his future options.
Soni, a 23-year old young man from the great state of Maryland, is enjoying his first experience as a rookie teacher at an all-boys high school, but he has to make the decision to re-sign or move on.
"Its definitely a tough decision. I don't want to say anything on the record, but for now I am looking at other options to see what's out there," says Soni.
Soni is a restricted free agent, which in sporting terms means that he can look at other schools and perhaps sign with a new school, but cannot be guaranteed a new contract. However, with the limited availability of new slots on schools' ESL rosters and the demand to fill in those new roster spots, as a restricted agent he could be on the same Yeonsu High School English Department next year.
"Something similar happened in the NBA this past year. Milwaukee Bucks ball player Charlie Bell was in the same situation in the summer of 2007. He wanted a change in scenery, to have a fresh start as a player, so he originally signed with the Miami Heat this past summer. But since he was a restricted free agent, his original team still retained his rights and chose to match the Heat's offer, so he ended up staying with his original team," analyzed Soni. "Basically, that means that if God wants me to stay at this school, He'll just simply shut the other doors and match the offer."
"It'll be nice to spicen up my experience and switch schools, to work with a whole new set of kids, and to become a better teacher, but ultimately, I want to use this experience of living on my own and to grow, which is why I am here."
Soni has no regrets about his experience at Yeonsu High School. Struggling early as a rookie teacher, he found out many new things about Korean education such as student learning styles, disciplining tough students, and finding teaching methods that are more effective to keep their interest.
"Regardless of what I tried, it was a take and give experience. There were some things that I would not give up as a teacher, such as teaching them about culture, even though they were not in a lick interested. But there were some things I did give up, such as forcing some kids to try English even though they have no interest or were too shy to try. I started to relax my style and started to have more fun with my boys, and that's the way to do it," reminisced Mark.
The future is not limited. Soni recently got a new kind of Visa, which grants him stay here in South Korea for two years instead of one. He will not be limited to just teaching jobs in the future.
"Right now, I'm not in a rush. God wants me to grow slowly but effectively, and I feel that if I try to jump into a new kind of job outside of teaching, it'll be too quick. The ESL field is one of the more relaxed jobs in the world with alot of benefits...I can't complain."
So which school will Mr. Soni end up next term? Depends on who he signs with, but His Agent knows for sure.
"I'm hoping and praying for a new situation. Its not that my current school stinks, because its a great school, they have some of the best students around. Yet I think it will be good for the school and for me to move on...but who knows the future?"
Yet His Agent, God, had this to say:
Romans 8:28: "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have called according to His purpose." There is no limit for our rookie.
Saturday, December 1, 2007
School House Rap
So I was forced into doing this school festival today. Three-four weeks ago, I said "no" ten times to Mr. Bae. And not just Korean "no's," or "aniyo" in Korean, but I said big, FAT, American "no's" to Mr. Bae: "no, I will not sing a duet with you in this year's school festival." I said "no" ten times. He left with a sad face, but I finally got to say "no" to something. (By the way, Koreans rarely say "no." Its just part of their culture. So, when you flat out say "no," they are shocked!)
Two weeks later:
Mr. Bae: "Hey Mark, I saw that your name is in the program for the school festival. So looks like we're going to do a duet together after all...so we must prepare something for the program. The kids are expecting to see something from you soon."
Mark: "...great." (I should have said "no" one hundred times)
But in my mind, I was like, "forget this man, if I sing, I will turn into the laughing stock of the school." My singing skills are so bad that people wonder if I am the cat on the fence doing the yowling.
So, I turned my attentions to something I'm decent at, but I have no true affinity towards: hip-hop. I am no Theory Hazit or Ohmega Watts, but I like to rap now and then. I certainly don't have the skills to go and rock a crowd, but I enjoy putting together my own rhymes and making something flow with a beat.
So I opted out of singing a duet and recruited one of my students to help me. This boy, Kim Suk-jin, from class six, volunteered to do a beatbox: making verbal hip-hop beats.
Beatboxing is an art form, technically, that is long gone now. In the 1980's, when the hip-hop revolution was growing, some of the more fun aspects of young hip-hop was breakdancing and beatboxing. Kids in America were definitely into it, I was into it when I was growing up in Germany trying to mimic the dopest techno beats. (I remember in 1992 when Germans were all into Shaquille O'Neal's first hip-hop album...which was one of the worst hip-hop albums ever)
But kids in Korea are into this beatboxing/breakdancing phase (20 years late), and they are pretty good at it. Its funny now cuz the hip-hop interests back in America are more into newer things, while the kids in Korea are picking up from the 80's.
So this kid and I practiced for around 3 days, just 3 days right before the festival. I wrote a quick rap, in English of course, and this kid and I were trying to find the perfect beat to go with it.
But in the end, I was thinking to myself: "why should I be too concerned about my lyrics? 90% of the crowd won't understand anyway!"
Then, something came over me: "Do it for God. Do it for Him."
You know, I don't have too many chances to perform all the time. Some people are called to do the music ministry, but for me, I was not that talented to do anything on stage. Maybe give a testimony or two...but to rap?
I rapped once in 2003, with my boy Amir and I doing a Thanksgiving rap for a few dozen plus at a inter-Christian organization Thanksgiving service. It went down real well, receiving a standing ovation as Amir and I traded rhymes and beatboxes.
Then comes this in 2007. I have not rapped in four years live...like I have a career in the first place! These people won't understand my lyrics, they don't understand the true essence of hip-hop in the English language...since it was Americans who started the art. So I was like, "I'll make my audience God and Heaven."
I stepped on stage with Kim Suk-jin, and I was real nervous. It was a huge audience. All the students eyes on me...the foreigner about to rock the stage.
I just started rapping, and confidence came on me...something that picked up more and more, and I started flowing. Suk-jin was doing fine on his end of the mic, but then I signaled to him after a certain rhyme to stop his beatbox so I could finish it off with this one hook where I rapped really fast.
Again, I'm not the best MC, but for some reason, God made that rhyme special. The kids were into it, and I finished it off well.
I put a lot of lyrics in their about giving glory to God, and the cool thing was one teacher, Mrs. Kim Eun-jung, a teacher at my school who is married to an American man, caught that in my rhyme. She said, "I like that idea, giving Glory to God." If I could at least touch one person's heart, my job is done. Maybe it can open the door to something new.
So, the school house rap, while no one else got it, but at least one person got the whole idea and that's great. Someone listened, and all of that backbreaking practice was productive.
Thanks God for the assist.
Two weeks later:
Mr. Bae: "Hey Mark, I saw that your name is in the program for the school festival. So looks like we're going to do a duet together after all...so we must prepare something for the program. The kids are expecting to see something from you soon."
Mark: "...great." (I should have said "no" one hundred times)
But in my mind, I was like, "forget this man, if I sing, I will turn into the laughing stock of the school." My singing skills are so bad that people wonder if I am the cat on the fence doing the yowling.
So, I turned my attentions to something I'm decent at, but I have no true affinity towards: hip-hop. I am no Theory Hazit or Ohmega Watts, but I like to rap now and then. I certainly don't have the skills to go and rock a crowd, but I enjoy putting together my own rhymes and making something flow with a beat.
So I opted out of singing a duet and recruited one of my students to help me. This boy, Kim Suk-jin, from class six, volunteered to do a beatbox: making verbal hip-hop beats.
Beatboxing is an art form, technically, that is long gone now. In the 1980's, when the hip-hop revolution was growing, some of the more fun aspects of young hip-hop was breakdancing and beatboxing. Kids in America were definitely into it, I was into it when I was growing up in Germany trying to mimic the dopest techno beats. (I remember in 1992 when Germans were all into Shaquille O'Neal's first hip-hop album...which was one of the worst hip-hop albums ever)
But kids in Korea are into this beatboxing/breakdancing phase (20 years late), and they are pretty good at it. Its funny now cuz the hip-hop interests back in America are more into newer things, while the kids in Korea are picking up from the 80's.
So this kid and I practiced for around 3 days, just 3 days right before the festival. I wrote a quick rap, in English of course, and this kid and I were trying to find the perfect beat to go with it.
But in the end, I was thinking to myself: "why should I be too concerned about my lyrics? 90% of the crowd won't understand anyway!"
Then, something came over me: "Do it for God. Do it for Him."
You know, I don't have too many chances to perform all the time. Some people are called to do the music ministry, but for me, I was not that talented to do anything on stage. Maybe give a testimony or two...but to rap?
I rapped once in 2003, with my boy Amir and I doing a Thanksgiving rap for a few dozen plus at a inter-Christian organization Thanksgiving service. It went down real well, receiving a standing ovation as Amir and I traded rhymes and beatboxes.
Then comes this in 2007. I have not rapped in four years live...like I have a career in the first place! These people won't understand my lyrics, they don't understand the true essence of hip-hop in the English language...since it was Americans who started the art. So I was like, "I'll make my audience God and Heaven."
I stepped on stage with Kim Suk-jin, and I was real nervous. It was a huge audience. All the students eyes on me...the foreigner about to rock the stage.
I just started rapping, and confidence came on me...something that picked up more and more, and I started flowing. Suk-jin was doing fine on his end of the mic, but then I signaled to him after a certain rhyme to stop his beatbox so I could finish it off with this one hook where I rapped really fast.
Again, I'm not the best MC, but for some reason, God made that rhyme special. The kids were into it, and I finished it off well.
I put a lot of lyrics in their about giving glory to God, and the cool thing was one teacher, Mrs. Kim Eun-jung, a teacher at my school who is married to an American man, caught that in my rhyme. She said, "I like that idea, giving Glory to God." If I could at least touch one person's heart, my job is done. Maybe it can open the door to something new.
So, the school house rap, while no one else got it, but at least one person got the whole idea and that's great. Someone listened, and all of that backbreaking practice was productive.
Thanks God for the assist.
Saturday, November 24, 2007
Happy Thanksgiving
By the way, my friends, Happy Thanksgiving from South Korea!
I hope you had a good Thanksgiving with your family and friends back in the States, and that you enjoy the Christmas Holidays, remembering about our Lord Jesus who makes our lives more special in what we do and say.
Thanks for reading my blog.
I hope you had a good Thanksgiving with your family and friends back in the States, and that you enjoy the Christmas Holidays, remembering about our Lord Jesus who makes our lives more special in what we do and say.
Thanks for reading my blog.
SK Wyverns: Champions of Korean Baseball
I'm very late in writing this, but the Wyverns did win the Korean Series from last month! Pictures are on my MySpace and Facebook accounts.
It was total euphoria at Munhak Stadium as the home team brought home the Korean Series title. Listening to the roar and fireworks as the Wyverns came down from a 2-0 series deficit was just total bliss. And James doubted they were going to come back. Have faith my friend!
Their impressive win earned them a ticket to the Asian Cup in Tokyo, facing an all-star team from China, the champion of the Taiwanese League, and the Chunichi Dragons for the Japanese Baseball Organization.
But this time around, our beloved Wyverns fell short of winning a second successive title, losing 6-5 in the chamionship of that series to the Dragons. Our boys just came close to conquering all of Asia!
What was so awesome about this experience is that in my first year in South Korea, I got to see a team win a championship...live. I've never had a hometown team in my life win a championship. These are stories for my kids. If I stay another year, perhaps I can watch them defend the championship.
It was total euphoria at Munhak Stadium as the home team brought home the Korean Series title. Listening to the roar and fireworks as the Wyverns came down from a 2-0 series deficit was just total bliss. And James doubted they were going to come back. Have faith my friend!
Their impressive win earned them a ticket to the Asian Cup in Tokyo, facing an all-star team from China, the champion of the Taiwanese League, and the Chunichi Dragons for the Japanese Baseball Organization.
But this time around, our beloved Wyverns fell short of winning a second successive title, losing 6-5 in the chamionship of that series to the Dragons. Our boys just came close to conquering all of Asia!
What was so awesome about this experience is that in my first year in South Korea, I got to see a team win a championship...live. I've never had a hometown team in my life win a championship. These are stories for my kids. If I stay another year, perhaps I can watch them defend the championship.
Back Again
Man, its been a while since I did this blog! Thank the Internet filter at my work! But, its good to be back again to update on what's real here in Incheon, SK.
Lately, I've been teaching a myriad of lessons via PowerPoint, talking about weather and Thanksgiving. Both lessons went down really well, despite the fact they are boys who can't sit still for a moment. I've been also teaching my evening class with the 2nd level (juniors) students, as well as my favorite ajumma class on Friday afternoons.
Outside of school I've been staying indoors, reading books, studying Korean and for fun, Japanese (just the Hiragana script), spending time with my aunt's family weekly, and hanging out with my friends Dave and James. I'm starting to establish my own routine.
My friend Bobby, famous Bobby with his goofy self, is opting out of his contract real soon to pursue a new life in...Kenya. He met his future wife in Kenya, so he will be leaving Korea real soon to take over his future brother-in-law's PC Cafe. For him, "Africa is a place where he feels the most peace." I say good luck to you, my friend.
Last week, I went to another trip to Busan, doing more sightseeing and spending time with a friend down there. I visited President Syngman Rhee's former presidential house, the Chungyeolsa (a shrine dedicated to the fallen Koreans during the invasion of Japan from 1592-1598), and the UN Cemetary. All were great pieces of history that bring out the worst and best out of the human experience.
School is going well, especially with the national SAT's finished, our senior students can breathe with some relief, even though test scores are nail-bitingly being checked to the dotted i. Also, sooner and sooner I am inching towards the end of my first contract, and I am right now in the process of making a decision towards the future. In due time, the right path will come, but there are alot of factors that will come with that decision.
The semester has not been that bad, and I'm just trying my best to improve as a teacher. One thing I'm proud that God is doing in me is my disciplining skills. When I first started this gig, I was very scared to discipline kids because I'm naturally a gentle guy, I don't like conflicts. I don't like getting angry or going out of my way to put my foot down. But sometimes, with the way kids behave, especially boys, they cry for discipline. I used to not like it when others say, "young people ask for discipline," but I'm starting to see how it works.
So, I've been putting down my authority on my students who have no interest in the class, which is fine, not all kids are going to learn English, but its the kids who try to distract others or do things that are clearly out of line. I gave "red cards" (just like soccer) this week to kids who cussed in English during class, and one to a kid who kept making a mess out of the English Zone. What intimidates them is when I talk to them after class, because I turn on my angry voice.
As one teacher taught me, "be firm, but be fair." That's how the game goes. I discipline kids with the chance for redemption. Just like how God does to us: he disciplines those he loves.
Outside of the teaching realm, I've been following my favorite sport...basketball. The NBA is in full swing, and my Wizards made a full recovery to start the season 6-6, but with Gilbert Arenas out for a few months, things are not going to look great for a while. We need him as a leader and a scorer. Thanks to the Internet, I can keep up with the pleasures of home with a touch of the mouse.
So, as fall goes into more chillier temps and the nights come closer, I continue this journey to maximize my experience in East Asia by seeking God and becoming a better man.
Lately, I've been teaching a myriad of lessons via PowerPoint, talking about weather and Thanksgiving. Both lessons went down really well, despite the fact they are boys who can't sit still for a moment. I've been also teaching my evening class with the 2nd level (juniors) students, as well as my favorite ajumma class on Friday afternoons.
Outside of school I've been staying indoors, reading books, studying Korean and for fun, Japanese (just the Hiragana script), spending time with my aunt's family weekly, and hanging out with my friends Dave and James. I'm starting to establish my own routine.
My friend Bobby, famous Bobby with his goofy self, is opting out of his contract real soon to pursue a new life in...Kenya. He met his future wife in Kenya, so he will be leaving Korea real soon to take over his future brother-in-law's PC Cafe. For him, "Africa is a place where he feels the most peace." I say good luck to you, my friend.
Last week, I went to another trip to Busan, doing more sightseeing and spending time with a friend down there. I visited President Syngman Rhee's former presidential house, the Chungyeolsa (a shrine dedicated to the fallen Koreans during the invasion of Japan from 1592-1598), and the UN Cemetary. All were great pieces of history that bring out the worst and best out of the human experience.
School is going well, especially with the national SAT's finished, our senior students can breathe with some relief, even though test scores are nail-bitingly being checked to the dotted i. Also, sooner and sooner I am inching towards the end of my first contract, and I am right now in the process of making a decision towards the future. In due time, the right path will come, but there are alot of factors that will come with that decision.
The semester has not been that bad, and I'm just trying my best to improve as a teacher. One thing I'm proud that God is doing in me is my disciplining skills. When I first started this gig, I was very scared to discipline kids because I'm naturally a gentle guy, I don't like conflicts. I don't like getting angry or going out of my way to put my foot down. But sometimes, with the way kids behave, especially boys, they cry for discipline. I used to not like it when others say, "young people ask for discipline," but I'm starting to see how it works.
So, I've been putting down my authority on my students who have no interest in the class, which is fine, not all kids are going to learn English, but its the kids who try to distract others or do things that are clearly out of line. I gave "red cards" (just like soccer) this week to kids who cussed in English during class, and one to a kid who kept making a mess out of the English Zone. What intimidates them is when I talk to them after class, because I turn on my angry voice.
As one teacher taught me, "be firm, but be fair." That's how the game goes. I discipline kids with the chance for redemption. Just like how God does to us: he disciplines those he loves.
Outside of the teaching realm, I've been following my favorite sport...basketball. The NBA is in full swing, and my Wizards made a full recovery to start the season 6-6, but with Gilbert Arenas out for a few months, things are not going to look great for a while. We need him as a leader and a scorer. Thanks to the Internet, I can keep up with the pleasures of home with a touch of the mouse.
So, as fall goes into more chillier temps and the nights come closer, I continue this journey to maximize my experience in East Asia by seeking God and becoming a better man.
Saturday, November 3, 2007
The "Sleepers"
Hi ya'll. This week has been a fun mess. This week I had to conduct oral English exams for many of the 1st level students that I teach. The goal is to accurately assess their ability to understand and respond to a series of questions in English and give them a proper score. I finished doing the 1st level students this week, and next week is a group of 2nd level students (juniors), whom I have not met or taught. Their scores go into their academic record, which could be useful when their teachers want to know their ability when it comes to English.
One of the most shocking aspects of this exam was the fact that I got to meet many "sleepers," or students whom I teach but had no clue that their English fluency was beyond what they look like. For example, there was one student from class 1-13, who always looks clueless and seems never to care what I say, reveals to me that he lived in New Zealand for 4 years and our 'oral test' turns into just a long conversation about his life in Kiwi-Land. What made me laugh about this cat was he had a New Zealand accent. It was awesome.
Other students throughout the examinations included boys who lived abroad, or at least had a grand aptitude towards language learning. Doing the exam with them was easy and fun because I did not give them the usual questions like "where are you from," but to even more interesting questions like "what do you think is wrong with the Korean education system." Some kids gave me some thoughtful answers and insights on how they perceive education in Korea. Having conversations with these kids was actually like talking to Westerners, because the level was so high. I was shocked.
Another surprising element of these tests was that the kids from class 1-13, who are notoriously ill-behaved kids (but not malciously), produced some of the best English speakers. But most of the time, these kids are always yakking in my class without a care in the world, and the reason is because of their teacher Ms. Lee, the young one. She's an awesome teacher, but she's so young so the kids think of her as their friend. And then there's me, I'm young, so these kids don't give a hoot about us because they think we can pal with them. But the crop of English-speaking peoples from this crew was amazing, and I actually lectured each one of them about the fact that they need to start performing better in class and stop misbehaving.
Unfortunately, the reason I never knew about these "sleepers" was because of the Korean classroom system, which many native English teachers and Korean teachers alike acknowledge is not adequate for language learning. Each Korean classroom at all levels has an average of 40 kids. In a college-like classroom setup, the teacher can only lecture and hope that the students absorb the information.
However, when it comes to foreign languages, a classroom setup like this is bound to fail. No one, especially the kids who do have experience and have a high level, can get individual attention or at least even feel comfortable to try because they will get teased for trying. And in this country where everyone has the same characteristics and uniforms, teasing is a major problem in the classroom. The most futile thing to do at times in a classroom size like this is to ask: "What do you think?" Teachers never ask their students what they think about a certain topic, there is no mutual learning.
With foreign languages, a students must apply what they learned readily or the material goes to waste. Unlike subjects such as history, math, and science, which can memorized and analyzed, language learning is a "trial and error" process. Take it from me, whom I have learned four languages in my lifetime (English, Spanish, Russian, and now Korean). Languages takes time, effort, joy, and depression. You must break through barriers, which means now and then you have to suck up your pride when a person corrects your speech or grammar. That's why I have a passion for languages, because I get joy when I can communicate with someone outside my culture and when I can break into a new level of communication via new grammar points, vocabulary, and sentence build-up.
But in Korea, people have this concept of "face," which I believe is a major barrier to language learning. "Face," or "kibbun" in Korean, is the concept of maintaining your dignity and integrity in front of your peers and other peoples. For example, a student must not ever outshine his teacher if he or she knows more than the teacher does when it comes to knowledge. Or, if I intricately correct an older teacher's pronunciation of English, I made him lose "face" in front of others because I, the young man, made him seem dumb in front of his peers. Its an unwritten code that is still followed by many Koreans in this society. The examples are endless.
So from this tangent, I come back to the Korean classroom. Any student who does speak out in class, especially in foreign language class and outshines his peers makes them lose face, and he also loses face for not conforming to the pack. I'm not necessarily saying that Koreans are pack-oriented, but they do have an emphasis on group unity. Kids who do speak good sentences, answer my questions, and do well get my approval, but then the other kids turn around and say, "ooooooooooooooooooohhh, he spoke good English, FREE TALKING!"
My point is that a Korean classroom setup is not well designed to cultivate language learners. Many kids are filled with grammar points, vocabulary words (some words that are even SAT Level), and sentence structure, but they cannot built a sentence on their own! So, as I did these oral exams this week, I felt joy and frustration for these students: it was awesome that I got meet and practice some higher level conversation with some talented students, but frustrated that they spend their days in a monotonous classroom regime that does not allow them to try to expand on their knowledge and experience.
Even as I learn Korean now, its humbling when your Korean friend or relative can make out what you say or understand you, but I look back in hindsight and really see it as growth. For me, its a problem because pride is such a big issue for me. But, the more humbler I get as God helps on that path, the easier I can learn anything in life. I am proud that after 2 years of learning this language, that I did learn so much, and even though I am not my goal of decent fluency in my mother tongue, I realize what I need to improve: which is a humble heart, no self-pressure (which I mistakenly did my first few months in South Korea), and diligence. I will learn this language.
As for my students, I liked how one student, Min-hwan from class 1-15, one of my fave students, talked about how in his middle school they had a "free talking club." All students who had lived abroad gathered at lunch time and they spoke only in English, no Korean. Its initiatives like this, and like my English Club at my school, that make it more joyful to work with these kids and improve their skills.
"With God, all things are possible..."
One of the most shocking aspects of this exam was the fact that I got to meet many "sleepers," or students whom I teach but had no clue that their English fluency was beyond what they look like. For example, there was one student from class 1-13, who always looks clueless and seems never to care what I say, reveals to me that he lived in New Zealand for 4 years and our 'oral test' turns into just a long conversation about his life in Kiwi-Land. What made me laugh about this cat was he had a New Zealand accent. It was awesome.
Other students throughout the examinations included boys who lived abroad, or at least had a grand aptitude towards language learning. Doing the exam with them was easy and fun because I did not give them the usual questions like "where are you from," but to even more interesting questions like "what do you think is wrong with the Korean education system." Some kids gave me some thoughtful answers and insights on how they perceive education in Korea. Having conversations with these kids was actually like talking to Westerners, because the level was so high. I was shocked.
Another surprising element of these tests was that the kids from class 1-13, who are notoriously ill-behaved kids (but not malciously), produced some of the best English speakers. But most of the time, these kids are always yakking in my class without a care in the world, and the reason is because of their teacher Ms. Lee, the young one. She's an awesome teacher, but she's so young so the kids think of her as their friend. And then there's me, I'm young, so these kids don't give a hoot about us because they think we can pal with them. But the crop of English-speaking peoples from this crew was amazing, and I actually lectured each one of them about the fact that they need to start performing better in class and stop misbehaving.
Unfortunately, the reason I never knew about these "sleepers" was because of the Korean classroom system, which many native English teachers and Korean teachers alike acknowledge is not adequate for language learning. Each Korean classroom at all levels has an average of 40 kids. In a college-like classroom setup, the teacher can only lecture and hope that the students absorb the information.
However, when it comes to foreign languages, a classroom setup like this is bound to fail. No one, especially the kids who do have experience and have a high level, can get individual attention or at least even feel comfortable to try because they will get teased for trying. And in this country where everyone has the same characteristics and uniforms, teasing is a major problem in the classroom. The most futile thing to do at times in a classroom size like this is to ask: "What do you think?" Teachers never ask their students what they think about a certain topic, there is no mutual learning.
With foreign languages, a students must apply what they learned readily or the material goes to waste. Unlike subjects such as history, math, and science, which can memorized and analyzed, language learning is a "trial and error" process. Take it from me, whom I have learned four languages in my lifetime (English, Spanish, Russian, and now Korean). Languages takes time, effort, joy, and depression. You must break through barriers, which means now and then you have to suck up your pride when a person corrects your speech or grammar. That's why I have a passion for languages, because I get joy when I can communicate with someone outside my culture and when I can break into a new level of communication via new grammar points, vocabulary, and sentence build-up.
But in Korea, people have this concept of "face," which I believe is a major barrier to language learning. "Face," or "kibbun" in Korean, is the concept of maintaining your dignity and integrity in front of your peers and other peoples. For example, a student must not ever outshine his teacher if he or she knows more than the teacher does when it comes to knowledge. Or, if I intricately correct an older teacher's pronunciation of English, I made him lose "face" in front of others because I, the young man, made him seem dumb in front of his peers. Its an unwritten code that is still followed by many Koreans in this society. The examples are endless.
So from this tangent, I come back to the Korean classroom. Any student who does speak out in class, especially in foreign language class and outshines his peers makes them lose face, and he also loses face for not conforming to the pack. I'm not necessarily saying that Koreans are pack-oriented, but they do have an emphasis on group unity. Kids who do speak good sentences, answer my questions, and do well get my approval, but then the other kids turn around and say, "ooooooooooooooooooohhh, he spoke good English, FREE TALKING!"
My point is that a Korean classroom setup is not well designed to cultivate language learners. Many kids are filled with grammar points, vocabulary words (some words that are even SAT Level), and sentence structure, but they cannot built a sentence on their own! So, as I did these oral exams this week, I felt joy and frustration for these students: it was awesome that I got meet and practice some higher level conversation with some talented students, but frustrated that they spend their days in a monotonous classroom regime that does not allow them to try to expand on their knowledge and experience.
Even as I learn Korean now, its humbling when your Korean friend or relative can make out what you say or understand you, but I look back in hindsight and really see it as growth. For me, its a problem because pride is such a big issue for me. But, the more humbler I get as God helps on that path, the easier I can learn anything in life. I am proud that after 2 years of learning this language, that I did learn so much, and even though I am not my goal of decent fluency in my mother tongue, I realize what I need to improve: which is a humble heart, no self-pressure (which I mistakenly did my first few months in South Korea), and diligence. I will learn this language.
As for my students, I liked how one student, Min-hwan from class 1-15, one of my fave students, talked about how in his middle school they had a "free talking club." All students who had lived abroad gathered at lunch time and they spoke only in English, no Korean. Its initiatives like this, and like my English Club at my school, that make it more joyful to work with these kids and improve their skills.
"With God, all things are possible..."
Sunday, October 28, 2007
Quick Update
Hey guys:
Its been a while. This blog-site is blocked at my school, so I have to swing by the local PC Cafe to finish it up when I have time.
I have been real busy: this week I have to give oral English proficiency tests all this week and through next Wednesday.
This weekend I just got back from a church-weekend retreat to Ganghwa Island. It was a good time of "getting away," spend time with God, reflect, and ask Him what I need to clean up and continue to work on.
The biggest event going on here in Incheon are the SK Wyverns: the local baseball team here in Incheon. They are currently in the Korean Series, the equivalent to America's World Series, facing Seoul's Doosan Bears. Our local team, whom my friend James and I have been supporting since we got here in Incheon earlier this year, holds a 3-2 series lead, and have a game tomorrow night at their home stadium called Munhak Baseball Stadium. After losing the first two games at home (which we both miserably watched), the Wyverns gained steam and roared to win three consecutive games at Jamshil Station (home of the bears), and now take a 3-2 advantage back to Munhak.
If they win, we will not only win the championship of Korean baseball, but they will punch a ticket to the Konami Cup, aka the Asian Series, where the Wyverns will gain the right to face the champions of the Japanese, Chinese, and Taiwanese baseball leagues. This is the first ever kind of championship series that I have ever been to, and I'm excited to hopefully see our team win a championship, and be there to experience it...
Check out my MySpace page for pictures of the series.
Other than that, life is the same, just teaching, hanging out with friends, touring Seoul, learning Korean, and spending time with family.
How's your life lately?
Its been a while. This blog-site is blocked at my school, so I have to swing by the local PC Cafe to finish it up when I have time.
I have been real busy: this week I have to give oral English proficiency tests all this week and through next Wednesday.
This weekend I just got back from a church-weekend retreat to Ganghwa Island. It was a good time of "getting away," spend time with God, reflect, and ask Him what I need to clean up and continue to work on.
The biggest event going on here in Incheon are the SK Wyverns: the local baseball team here in Incheon. They are currently in the Korean Series, the equivalent to America's World Series, facing Seoul's Doosan Bears. Our local team, whom my friend James and I have been supporting since we got here in Incheon earlier this year, holds a 3-2 series lead, and have a game tomorrow night at their home stadium called Munhak Baseball Stadium. After losing the first two games at home (which we both miserably watched), the Wyverns gained steam and roared to win three consecutive games at Jamshil Station (home of the bears), and now take a 3-2 advantage back to Munhak.
If they win, we will not only win the championship of Korean baseball, but they will punch a ticket to the Konami Cup, aka the Asian Series, where the Wyverns will gain the right to face the champions of the Japanese, Chinese, and Taiwanese baseball leagues. This is the first ever kind of championship series that I have ever been to, and I'm excited to hopefully see our team win a championship, and be there to experience it...
Check out my MySpace page for pictures of the series.
Other than that, life is the same, just teaching, hanging out with friends, touring Seoul, learning Korean, and spending time with family.
How's your life lately?
Friday, October 12, 2007
The Hair Purge
So, I'm back in town, back to school. School was great this week: no major fisticuffs with the kids, good discipline, good lesson planning, and great execution. Nothing major happened, and that's what I liked.
But recently at school, there's a funny little phenomena going: their haircuts are getting shorter. As I mentioned before, the high school has an unusual rule where the boys' haircuts has to be shorter than the ears, more like military-style cuts designed to keep the boys in line.
Its one of the most unpopular rules that is enforced at the school, all due to the principal. The principal is a wanted man for this.
What is more unusual is that other high schools are relaxing this rule, with many other boys' schools producing students with shaggy and long-haired cuts similar to the many boy bands in South Korea. Whereas our student body looks like a bunch of "fuzzy kiwi fruit heads," as one 2nd level student told me in humor the other day. Even my girl cousin's high school back in the day, she was forced to wear her hair near her ears, which made all the girls look like cute little boys...sad indeed. But today, even the girls' high schools are sporting hair that is long, frizzy, and stylistic for their needs.
So, our students are being "hunted" down by authorities to conform to the haircut law: if they do not get a haircut, then they are deducted points and punished even further until they go under the knife, errr, razor/clippers. The hair purge of the Yeonsu Regime begins.
But it brought back an interesting thought and question about this whole hair purge: why? I think its mostly conformity. As one of the top high schools in Incheon, the principal wants to make sure they conform to a high level and look neat for that purpose.
However, I disagree with this policy. I think that your hair is one major aspect that makes your individuality. I remember when I had short hair, you can't do much to it and you have to let it sit there until it grows back. So just like Samson from the Bible, these boys feel they are being robbed the last of their individuality, and their power! And they're kids too!
Its bad enough to have 40 to 1 class ratios, where no one speaks out and does "individual learning," but the whole deal with this haircut policy is questionable. I feel bad for the kids, and the kids joke with me by saying, "Nice hair, Mr. Soni." I couldn't imagine, unless in the military or for oath reasons, where someone told me to cut my hair. I cut my hair when its necessary, not because someone tells me to do it. I think the whole spiel is that they want kids to get be integrated into one system and one set of rules, and having long hair would increase the number of non-serious students. But to have a kid conform to a haircut rule...its just shaky ground to bring an old rule in a new modern era of education.
Its sorta like when someone says, "do this because its fashionable." So when trendsetters or other people who say this is cool "because everyone else does it," does not mean its always healthy. Movies, clothing-styles, expressions, secularism, whatever the crowd implicitly says that you need to feel good...its hardly good for you. People who follow pop culture to the t and conform because everyone does it...they get a hair cut.
On a cool note today, an unknown senior student randomly plopped into my classroom to ask me how to conduct an interview with a foreign professor. Nice boy had the guts to meet me. He asked me what is the most polite way to greet a professor from the West. I gave him my spiel on Western culture and the usual greetings in the "nopimal," or "high form" of speech of English, and off he went. Good luck to the kid...his future is on the line...November 15th. A day that is a day of infamy for all seniors of South Korea. Two words: national exam.
But recently at school, there's a funny little phenomena going: their haircuts are getting shorter. As I mentioned before, the high school has an unusual rule where the boys' haircuts has to be shorter than the ears, more like military-style cuts designed to keep the boys in line.
Its one of the most unpopular rules that is enforced at the school, all due to the principal. The principal is a wanted man for this.
What is more unusual is that other high schools are relaxing this rule, with many other boys' schools producing students with shaggy and long-haired cuts similar to the many boy bands in South Korea. Whereas our student body looks like a bunch of "fuzzy kiwi fruit heads," as one 2nd level student told me in humor the other day. Even my girl cousin's high school back in the day, she was forced to wear her hair near her ears, which made all the girls look like cute little boys...sad indeed. But today, even the girls' high schools are sporting hair that is long, frizzy, and stylistic for their needs.
So, our students are being "hunted" down by authorities to conform to the haircut law: if they do not get a haircut, then they are deducted points and punished even further until they go under the knife, errr, razor/clippers. The hair purge of the Yeonsu Regime begins.
But it brought back an interesting thought and question about this whole hair purge: why? I think its mostly conformity. As one of the top high schools in Incheon, the principal wants to make sure they conform to a high level and look neat for that purpose.
However, I disagree with this policy. I think that your hair is one major aspect that makes your individuality. I remember when I had short hair, you can't do much to it and you have to let it sit there until it grows back. So just like Samson from the Bible, these boys feel they are being robbed the last of their individuality, and their power! And they're kids too!
Its bad enough to have 40 to 1 class ratios, where no one speaks out and does "individual learning," but the whole deal with this haircut policy is questionable. I feel bad for the kids, and the kids joke with me by saying, "Nice hair, Mr. Soni." I couldn't imagine, unless in the military or for oath reasons, where someone told me to cut my hair. I cut my hair when its necessary, not because someone tells me to do it. I think the whole spiel is that they want kids to get be integrated into one system and one set of rules, and having long hair would increase the number of non-serious students. But to have a kid conform to a haircut rule...its just shaky ground to bring an old rule in a new modern era of education.
Its sorta like when someone says, "do this because its fashionable." So when trendsetters or other people who say this is cool "because everyone else does it," does not mean its always healthy. Movies, clothing-styles, expressions, secularism, whatever the crowd implicitly says that you need to feel good...its hardly good for you. People who follow pop culture to the t and conform because everyone does it...they get a hair cut.
On a cool note today, an unknown senior student randomly plopped into my classroom to ask me how to conduct an interview with a foreign professor. Nice boy had the guts to meet me. He asked me what is the most polite way to greet a professor from the West. I gave him my spiel on Western culture and the usual greetings in the "nopimal," or "high form" of speech of English, and off he went. Good luck to the kid...his future is on the line...November 15th. A day that is a day of infamy for all seniors of South Korea. Two words: national exam.
Wednesday, October 3, 2007
Live in Busan
I'm in the city of Busan, South Korea, as we speak. Busan is the second largest city of South Korea, and its located on the southeastern tip of the peninsula, facing its most loved rival: Japan. I've been here one day, but there's a somewhat different feel to this place compared to the cities of Seoul and Incheon.
For one thing, Busan is another major port city, like Incheon, but this place is more displaced in terms of location compared to the nation's capital. So there culture seems a little different. My Korean skills still suck diddily-uck (quoting Flanders from The Simpsons), but there's a noticeable twang to the way they speak their Korean compared to the folks back in Incheon and Seoul. Basically, its like going from Washington DC to Atlanta.
But to me, Busan is like Baltimore, a decent comparision. An important hub of East Asia, loads of cargo ready for trade and shipping comes here and goes throughout the rest of Asia, i.e. to Japan and/or Southeast Asia. Seafood is obviously the staple here, something I realized when I ate breakfast at a Korean restaurant. My soup consisted of these UFO seacreatures, I can't even remember how to describe them, but they were tough to eat. Nonetheless, the food was energizing.
So far, I rocked Busan's most famous beach, called Haeundae, went to one of the biggest bathhouses in Asia (never felt more refreshed), and visited the notorious Jagalchi Fish Market (where anything that swims becomes food, even whale meat). This is definitely different city from the capital, but similar to Incheon in some ways.
So I am doing a solo trip here in Busan, and solo trips are a fresh way to get your mind off things and try things on your own. So far, so good. The 1 and a half years of studying Korean is starting to pay dividends now as I begin to travel around this nation, like this morning I had a small conversation with a local who helped me with directions.
Meanwhile in other news around this nation, North and South Korea are having a major summit in Pyongyang, North Korea. Big news, it is being followed by every major network here in Korea, and in some other world major news networks, but most people are skeptical about the progress being made there.
Will the South concede more concessions? Will the North start to roll back some of its forms of terror and start to reform to the real world? Its all up for grabs, but for now, God's in control. Just keep in mind that North Korea is a poor nation that needs all the help it gets, and I'm talking the citizens, not KJI himself.
After touring more of the city, I'll update this solo travel later.
For one thing, Busan is another major port city, like Incheon, but this place is more displaced in terms of location compared to the nation's capital. So there culture seems a little different. My Korean skills still suck diddily-uck (quoting Flanders from The Simpsons), but there's a noticeable twang to the way they speak their Korean compared to the folks back in Incheon and Seoul. Basically, its like going from Washington DC to Atlanta.
But to me, Busan is like Baltimore, a decent comparision. An important hub of East Asia, loads of cargo ready for trade and shipping comes here and goes throughout the rest of Asia, i.e. to Japan and/or Southeast Asia. Seafood is obviously the staple here, something I realized when I ate breakfast at a Korean restaurant. My soup consisted of these UFO seacreatures, I can't even remember how to describe them, but they were tough to eat. Nonetheless, the food was energizing.
So far, I rocked Busan's most famous beach, called Haeundae, went to one of the biggest bathhouses in Asia (never felt more refreshed), and visited the notorious Jagalchi Fish Market (where anything that swims becomes food, even whale meat). This is definitely different city from the capital, but similar to Incheon in some ways.
So I am doing a solo trip here in Busan, and solo trips are a fresh way to get your mind off things and try things on your own. So far, so good. The 1 and a half years of studying Korean is starting to pay dividends now as I begin to travel around this nation, like this morning I had a small conversation with a local who helped me with directions.
Meanwhile in other news around this nation, North and South Korea are having a major summit in Pyongyang, North Korea. Big news, it is being followed by every major network here in Korea, and in some other world major news networks, but most people are skeptical about the progress being made there.
Will the South concede more concessions? Will the North start to roll back some of its forms of terror and start to reform to the real world? Its all up for grabs, but for now, God's in control. Just keep in mind that North Korea is a poor nation that needs all the help it gets, and I'm talking the citizens, not KJI himself.
After touring more of the city, I'll update this solo travel later.
Thursday, September 27, 2007
Soni Enjoying Mid-Season Break
By Anono J. Mus
The News Network
23-year old individual Mark P. Soni is enjoying his mid-season break from teaching. Spending time with his parents here in South Korea, "Little Soni" is enjoying his time relaxing, eating, sleeping, and sharing memories and experiences with his parents and family during the Korean Thanksgiving holiday.
"Its been a fun experience, taking a break from teaching classes, coming out here to my aunt's house in Anyang City, and seeing my parents all over again...its all good," said a laid-back Soni, who is in his rookie season as an ESL teacher at an all-boys' high-school in the city of Incheon, South Korea.
With his future in doubt, Soni knows that the future holds no bounds.
"Its all good man. I mean, KG (Kevin Garnett) and other free agents in the NBA go through this, when your contract is about to be up and all. Your future is always in doubt, but, I'm just trying to live out my life day to day and see where things are headed. You can't really whine or worry, because its ultimately going to come down to what is best for my future, and I trust in my Agent, God, to deal out what is best for me."
Soni is half-way through his teaching contract, meaning that his options are wide open: re-sign with the school, pursue Korean language training at a university in Seoul, or find a new school to teach at. "The sky's the limit," he adds.
Lately, the 23-year old little man has been experiencing some surprise difficulties during his mid-season mark of his teaching campaign. He was told by a senior teacher recently to not speak Korean anymore to the English teachers of the school and the students. Also, he is experiencing some communication issues with his new boss, who is also a fresh rookie out of university, and her English skills are not up to par as our rookie would like them to be.
"Just like other players in this ESL ballgame here in South Korea, communication is such a vital problem. Some English teachers in the schools are not adequately trained to handle and communicate inter-culturally with the native English teachers. Its a tough situation, but, just like any other job, I have to do my best to react and handle it like a man, and then some."
"I can't really complain. Yet at the same time I'm not going to let this issue idly remain, and let this be the status quo for the rest of the year. I'm going to make some fundamental changes on how I react to certain situations, such as when I cannot get my point across to the staff, or that I certainly get truthful feedback for my efforts."
Is Soni experiencing doubts about his job? Soni fires back: "Not one bit. God put me here in South Korea for a reason. To preach the Gospel. Paul once wrote in 1 Corinthians 9:16: '...for necessity is laid upon me; yes, woe is me if I do not preach the Gospel!" That's what I'm here for, and if I lose focus on that mission statement and goal, than this job is meaningless. So I will continue to press on regardless and do my best."
"As for co-worker issues, this is nothing different than I have experienced in the past, in other jobs that I have worked in there were some really tough issues I had to deal with, well, particulary for my life. But, I learned from all of them and I don't get too pressed about them. I can't let it get to me, because it robs the joy of teaching from me."
Soni's break continues next week as the students of Yeonsu High School Celtics take their mid-term exams.
"That's what I'm talking about! Just need some time to reflect, recharge, and write new lesson plans."
Soni is an unique individual based on the fact that he is a young born-again Christian still trying to maintain the fire of the faith. Not your typical Bible pusher, Soni is a man who is much a normal guy who enjoys a myriad of interests: from reading about foreign cultures, learning foreign languages, and watching/following the NBA, Soni's goal is to give all of his life to the Lord.
"I like it how in the Christian faith you do not need to sacrifice your interests to live a life of dull-dom. More about it, when your life is focused on Christ, your interests come second behind Him, and He takes them as an avenue to help you enjoy life more and share the Gospel more effectively with the people around you."
So for Soni, 6-months are done, 6 more to go. The Saga continues...
- Anono J. Mus is a freelance writer out of Anyang, SK, detailing about the life of ESL life for South Korean teachers, and will regulary contributes to this blog.
The News Network
23-year old individual Mark P. Soni is enjoying his mid-season break from teaching. Spending time with his parents here in South Korea, "Little Soni" is enjoying his time relaxing, eating, sleeping, and sharing memories and experiences with his parents and family during the Korean Thanksgiving holiday.
"Its been a fun experience, taking a break from teaching classes, coming out here to my aunt's house in Anyang City, and seeing my parents all over again...its all good," said a laid-back Soni, who is in his rookie season as an ESL teacher at an all-boys' high-school in the city of Incheon, South Korea.
With his future in doubt, Soni knows that the future holds no bounds.
"Its all good man. I mean, KG (Kevin Garnett) and other free agents in the NBA go through this, when your contract is about to be up and all. Your future is always in doubt, but, I'm just trying to live out my life day to day and see where things are headed. You can't really whine or worry, because its ultimately going to come down to what is best for my future, and I trust in my Agent, God, to deal out what is best for me."
Soni is half-way through his teaching contract, meaning that his options are wide open: re-sign with the school, pursue Korean language training at a university in Seoul, or find a new school to teach at. "The sky's the limit," he adds.
Lately, the 23-year old little man has been experiencing some surprise difficulties during his mid-season mark of his teaching campaign. He was told by a senior teacher recently to not speak Korean anymore to the English teachers of the school and the students. Also, he is experiencing some communication issues with his new boss, who is also a fresh rookie out of university, and her English skills are not up to par as our rookie would like them to be.
"Just like other players in this ESL ballgame here in South Korea, communication is such a vital problem. Some English teachers in the schools are not adequately trained to handle and communicate inter-culturally with the native English teachers. Its a tough situation, but, just like any other job, I have to do my best to react and handle it like a man, and then some."
"I can't really complain. Yet at the same time I'm not going to let this issue idly remain, and let this be the status quo for the rest of the year. I'm going to make some fundamental changes on how I react to certain situations, such as when I cannot get my point across to the staff, or that I certainly get truthful feedback for my efforts."
Is Soni experiencing doubts about his job? Soni fires back: "Not one bit. God put me here in South Korea for a reason. To preach the Gospel. Paul once wrote in 1 Corinthians 9:16: '...for necessity is laid upon me; yes, woe is me if I do not preach the Gospel!" That's what I'm here for, and if I lose focus on that mission statement and goal, than this job is meaningless. So I will continue to press on regardless and do my best."
"As for co-worker issues, this is nothing different than I have experienced in the past, in other jobs that I have worked in there were some really tough issues I had to deal with, well, particulary for my life. But, I learned from all of them and I don't get too pressed about them. I can't let it get to me, because it robs the joy of teaching from me."
Soni's break continues next week as the students of Yeonsu High School Celtics take their mid-term exams.
"That's what I'm talking about! Just need some time to reflect, recharge, and write new lesson plans."
Soni is an unique individual based on the fact that he is a young born-again Christian still trying to maintain the fire of the faith. Not your typical Bible pusher, Soni is a man who is much a normal guy who enjoys a myriad of interests: from reading about foreign cultures, learning foreign languages, and watching/following the NBA, Soni's goal is to give all of his life to the Lord.
"I like it how in the Christian faith you do not need to sacrifice your interests to live a life of dull-dom. More about it, when your life is focused on Christ, your interests come second behind Him, and He takes them as an avenue to help you enjoy life more and share the Gospel more effectively with the people around you."
So for Soni, 6-months are done, 6 more to go. The Saga continues...
- Anono J. Mus is a freelance writer out of Anyang, SK, detailing about the life of ESL life for South Korean teachers, and will regulary contributes to this blog.
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
Korean Thanksgiving
My parents are here, and here we are, relaxing at my aunt's house in Anyang, which is south of Seoul. Yesterday I had my first Korean Thanksgiving, aka "Chuseok," which is the harvest holiday that occurs usually near the start of the Fall season here in Korea. It is a three-day holiday where Korea is on a mass-movement escapade. Millions of families hit the roads to return to their native hometowns, gather with extended family, pay homage to their ancestors, and eat. So being in Korea, this is the first time I got to experience this holiday with my parents and with all of my Korean extended family.
It was pretty fun. We went to my uncle's house in East Seoul to get busy with food and fun. We had loads of Korean food, with all of my aunts, uncles, and cousins came, and we spent time talking and chowing down. Then, we finished the meal off with traditional rice cakes, called "song-pyong," which come in a variety of colors and sizes. It was great.
My parents are here for their third and final week. It was really awesome for them to come out and visit our family, re-see Korea together, and see what my new life is like. They spent a great deal of time visiting family and friends, and we also made frequent trips to the army base in central Seoul, where my father used to work.
Its really nice to see my parents again. They are fine and keeping strong in the faith. As parents, they are concerned for my future and want to make sure I am staying the course on my faith with Jesus Christ, as well as making the right choices in my day to day living. As a free agent coming up next March, which is a lot of time to consider the future, I am not sure if God is calling me to continue to grow, evangelize, and become a better man in this land. I have set some goals for myself, such as learning more of the Korean language and to continue to travel East Asia., and become a more stronger man that is dependent on the power of God.
But, for now, I thank God for my family. There is a song by Christian rap artists DeepSpace5 called "Truth Be Told." Their chorus runs with the main line, "when life gets old, these suits get old, let the truth be told, I thank God for my family." God gives us family to strengthen us when life gets old, and that's the truth.
Family first.
It was pretty fun. We went to my uncle's house in East Seoul to get busy with food and fun. We had loads of Korean food, with all of my aunts, uncles, and cousins came, and we spent time talking and chowing down. Then, we finished the meal off with traditional rice cakes, called "song-pyong," which come in a variety of colors and sizes. It was great.
My parents are here for their third and final week. It was really awesome for them to come out and visit our family, re-see Korea together, and see what my new life is like. They spent a great deal of time visiting family and friends, and we also made frequent trips to the army base in central Seoul, where my father used to work.
Its really nice to see my parents again. They are fine and keeping strong in the faith. As parents, they are concerned for my future and want to make sure I am staying the course on my faith with Jesus Christ, as well as making the right choices in my day to day living. As a free agent coming up next March, which is a lot of time to consider the future, I am not sure if God is calling me to continue to grow, evangelize, and become a better man in this land. I have set some goals for myself, such as learning more of the Korean language and to continue to travel East Asia., and become a more stronger man that is dependent on the power of God.
But, for now, I thank God for my family. There is a song by Christian rap artists DeepSpace5 called "Truth Be Told." Their chorus runs with the main line, "when life gets old, these suits get old, let the truth be told, I thank God for my family." God gives us family to strengthen us when life gets old, and that's the truth.
Family first.
Wednesday, September 12, 2007
Mid-Contract Blues
Right now, some of my friends and I are in a "Mid-Contract Funk." Being an ESL teacher is sometimes a roller coaster ride, and with each teacher having a different personality, the reactions are varied. With each teacher being at a different school, we face different circumstances and situations that can present new joys or challenges as the semester wears on. Usually, a new ESL teacher experiences the "honeymoon" phase for three months, where everything in their new environment is exciting, the school seems great and everyone is friendly, and the classes are a blast. By month six, most teachers are settled into a routine and are seeking to find new ways to make their jobs more efficient and fun. Sometimes, that's where the new challenge begins.
Some teachers I know who are in the same teaching program as me, are facing problems in the classroom at this point. By month six, alot of times its the fact that the kids know who you are, know what kind of stuff you will put up with them, and how you teach, this is where the new fun begins, and I mean that sarcastically. Some classes will get used to it, or some will not and try to test your patience. Whether its because the students are just burnt out (I think they are always burnt out), or some just don't like English, the mid-contract malaise can test an ESL teacher's strength.
One teacher from Australia is experiencing logistical problems, where he cannot get the funds or the equipment such as a DVD player or projector screen to help support his classes. Some, including myself, are experiencing discipline problems, to find ways to properly being stern without going beserk. I have never let my patience wore thin yet, yet I have gotten upset and stern with the class when they are out of line. One of my friends almost walked out on her class because the kids were that bad.
Now, let's not say that the kids are evil and their sole purpose is to make a foreigner's life miserable. However, a variety of reasons rise to see why kids will push the limits:
1. They don't understand the ESL teacher. That's the prime reason most kids act up.
2. They don't like English. The way they teach English here in Korea, like it is another math subject, doesn't add up to the interest factor. I bet kids see this language as just a skill set rather than a form of expression and communication, no wonder English gets old.
3. They're kids. I was once a kid.
So, I'm compassionate on these kids that they have to study all day, to come into my class to hear me blah blah like I was Charlie Brown's teacher in the cartoon. However, that does not mean I will let them off easy.
I am praying to God to give me wisdom on how to become a better teacher. One area of my teaching skill set I drastically need to improve on is discipline and motivation, and I pray that He provides me the wisdom, like He gave to Solomon, to rule with an iron hand but to give much with it.
I'm not like other teachers who come here just to party. Yet no one at my school has given me a mission statement, so I have to give my own. I don't answer to the Vice-principle or his boss, but I answer to God. If He knows I am doing my best for Him, despite hard times and the good, then I can take away satisfaction.
As for my ESL comrades, we have to encourage each other to swap lesson plans and to keep our ideas fresh to maintain a fun classroom. Yet I promised myself never to sacrifice challenge for easiness, because I did not travel half-way across the world to teach boring stuff, but good, practical English.
Its make or break time.
Some teachers I know who are in the same teaching program as me, are facing problems in the classroom at this point. By month six, alot of times its the fact that the kids know who you are, know what kind of stuff you will put up with them, and how you teach, this is where the new fun begins, and I mean that sarcastically. Some classes will get used to it, or some will not and try to test your patience. Whether its because the students are just burnt out (I think they are always burnt out), or some just don't like English, the mid-contract malaise can test an ESL teacher's strength.
One teacher from Australia is experiencing logistical problems, where he cannot get the funds or the equipment such as a DVD player or projector screen to help support his classes. Some, including myself, are experiencing discipline problems, to find ways to properly being stern without going beserk. I have never let my patience wore thin yet, yet I have gotten upset and stern with the class when they are out of line. One of my friends almost walked out on her class because the kids were that bad.
Now, let's not say that the kids are evil and their sole purpose is to make a foreigner's life miserable. However, a variety of reasons rise to see why kids will push the limits:
1. They don't understand the ESL teacher. That's the prime reason most kids act up.
2. They don't like English. The way they teach English here in Korea, like it is another math subject, doesn't add up to the interest factor. I bet kids see this language as just a skill set rather than a form of expression and communication, no wonder English gets old.
3. They're kids. I was once a kid.
So, I'm compassionate on these kids that they have to study all day, to come into my class to hear me blah blah like I was Charlie Brown's teacher in the cartoon. However, that does not mean I will let them off easy.
I am praying to God to give me wisdom on how to become a better teacher. One area of my teaching skill set I drastically need to improve on is discipline and motivation, and I pray that He provides me the wisdom, like He gave to Solomon, to rule with an iron hand but to give much with it.
I'm not like other teachers who come here just to party. Yet no one at my school has given me a mission statement, so I have to give my own. I don't answer to the Vice-principle or his boss, but I answer to God. If He knows I am doing my best for Him, despite hard times and the good, then I can take away satisfaction.
As for my ESL comrades, we have to encourage each other to swap lesson plans and to keep our ideas fresh to maintain a fun classroom. Yet I promised myself never to sacrifice challenge for easiness, because I did not travel half-way across the world to teach boring stuff, but good, practical English.
Its make or break time.
Monday, September 3, 2007
Life Update and "A Little About Foreigners"
Tuesday was a little weird. I thought that it would be a normal day, and I had my lesson planned and ready to go.
Then, as usual, Koreans sometimes let you know about a schedule change...literally, last minute. So I walked to my first class, 1-5, and no one was there. "Hmmmm..." weird.
I proceeded to the main office, and one of co-teachers said that the schedule changed...yay.
Then I also got another notice today that one of my computers in our English Zone will be "re-distributed" due to lack of funding, to be given to another department head in our school. All of my music and picture files were on that computer, so again, I had to download them, and upload this music to another computer, which took an hour because computers can be such butt-munches.
Ahhh...that's Korea for ya sometimes, just last minute. You cannot do much about it, you just have to play your cards right and move on.
I'm looking forward to this weekend because my parents are coming to town. Its going to be a really great "reunificiation," (Korean terminology) and my parents get to see what my life is like here in South Korea. I hope they find it to their liking, and they'll be probably shocked on how different it is since...1977. Yup, they're in for a shock. They will be staying three weeks with different relatives, and we'll update our lives and catch-up on the latest and greatest through fellowship.
As for life for me and my friends, some are still struggling, some are doing fine. Its really an experience thing and how they react to the environment around them. Right now, one of my acquaintances who lives in my apartment building is struggling to "quit his job," because he works at an independent English school (Hagwon) where the owner is a crook. The owner has been stealing money that is rightfully his, such as one month's wages, pension, and other guaranteed monies. So we had a long talk last night, and truth be told, he said his perception of Korean people will be a little more pessimistic now because of his dealings with the people at his school, who do not treat him fairly. So for him and some others in this country, there's an extreme side where some foreigners are simply not enjoying life in the Land of the Morning Calm.
Then there are some foreigners who are loving Korea and will do what it takes to adapt and fit in. Their schools are giving them the support they need, and they have friendly staff. These type of foreigners are also very outgoing, but level-headed about how to approach life in a foreign land. I am proud to say I am in this category. The trip to Japan helped me realize what kind of role I should play as a foreigner, while being Korean at the same time, in how I conduct my day-to-day affairs.
For me, my biggest thing is consistency with a little dash of surprises. I believe God has been helping me with the "surprises" bit. I mean the element of surprise where I unexpectedly met strangers here in Korea, Korean or non-Korean, or going to new places I never been. My goal is to expand on that AFTER my parents leave Korea: to travel more around the countryside in Korea and discover some gems that I would not get to see in the cities.
I met some foreigners, however, who are straight up weird. Of course, my definition of "normal" might be "weird" to you, but you know where I'm getting at: there are some goofy characters in this nation. But then again, you need to have a special character to travel in many cases: the ability to be comfortable alone in certain situations, highly independent, a strong character, and open-mindedness. Some foreigners, excluding diplomats, soldiers, and businessmen, lack the last two. The reason, I believe, that many have a really difficult time in adjusting to foreign lands is they do not take the time to adjust or learn what they are getting into, the culture.
Many Westerners, including myself, come from a culture where individualism is emphasized; i.e. "don't tread on me." Yet to come to this highly Confucian country, where authority must be obeyed and the rule of law is based on that authority rather than reason, some people do not gain the natural insight on how to adapt. So the biggest struggle for many foreigners is not necessarily homesickness, even though many, even myself, get homesick from time to time. However, the biggest struggle is they refuse to let go of their own culture and make an effort to get to know this one.
Of course, there are some things in this country that just do not fly with me, and things I won't understand: like the futility of some aspects of the education system here in South Korea (I highly respect the Korean student and the board of education's goals to create upstanding citizens), but I don't believe that rote memorization of material will help produce great human capital. Or the treatment of women here in Korea, which all my friends and I totally agree here is in many ways not right and not fair (women aren't totally put down in this country, but on a superficial level, women are not given the opportunity to try and play fair in many areas of life here, like on the job).
But as a foreigner, the biggest advantage I have is to help freshen minds. Its okay to put your two cents in as a foreigner and share new ideas with Korean peers on how we do things at home, but don't think its the perfect philosophy on how to conduct a society. The Korean society's culture highly dictates the affairs of the government, social interaction, and achievement, and on the opposite end, also causes some unwanted social consequences (the shunning of bi-racial children, suppressment of true individuality, and perhaps a too hard-working society). We as Americans struggle with this same two-ended stick.
For foreigners to enjoy their teaching jobs and to gain a pleasant life outside the classroom, there are some key things they can do to get it done:
1. Learn the language - even if you are just staying a year, it goes a long way to establishing new Korean friends
2. Get involved with friends - and make new ones
3. So what if you're a foreigner? Take advantage of it. Teach people about your country. Most will never leave or never have been outside this country, just like some in our respective countries never have been outside of ours.
4. Pick up a hobby. I did. I play ball or go jogging. I go to Korean classes and meet new expats and other Koreans.
5. Sightsee. Sightseeing the old relics of Korean requiem gets your mind to gain an insight of the foundations that built Korea today, even though its split into two.
So, that's pretty much my life right now. I am trying my best to maintain a strong, spiritual relationship with Jesus right now, as well as maintaining a lifestyle of positive, forward thinking attitude to work hard to enjoy living here in Taehan Minguk.
Then, as usual, Koreans sometimes let you know about a schedule change...literally, last minute. So I walked to my first class, 1-5, and no one was there. "Hmmmm..." weird.
I proceeded to the main office, and one of co-teachers said that the schedule changed...yay.
Then I also got another notice today that one of my computers in our English Zone will be "re-distributed" due to lack of funding, to be given to another department head in our school. All of my music and picture files were on that computer, so again, I had to download them, and upload this music to another computer, which took an hour because computers can be such butt-munches.
Ahhh...that's Korea for ya sometimes, just last minute. You cannot do much about it, you just have to play your cards right and move on.
I'm looking forward to this weekend because my parents are coming to town. Its going to be a really great "reunificiation," (Korean terminology) and my parents get to see what my life is like here in South Korea. I hope they find it to their liking, and they'll be probably shocked on how different it is since...1977. Yup, they're in for a shock. They will be staying three weeks with different relatives, and we'll update our lives and catch-up on the latest and greatest through fellowship.
As for life for me and my friends, some are still struggling, some are doing fine. Its really an experience thing and how they react to the environment around them. Right now, one of my acquaintances who lives in my apartment building is struggling to "quit his job," because he works at an independent English school (Hagwon) where the owner is a crook. The owner has been stealing money that is rightfully his, such as one month's wages, pension, and other guaranteed monies. So we had a long talk last night, and truth be told, he said his perception of Korean people will be a little more pessimistic now because of his dealings with the people at his school, who do not treat him fairly. So for him and some others in this country, there's an extreme side where some foreigners are simply not enjoying life in the Land of the Morning Calm.
Then there are some foreigners who are loving Korea and will do what it takes to adapt and fit in. Their schools are giving them the support they need, and they have friendly staff. These type of foreigners are also very outgoing, but level-headed about how to approach life in a foreign land. I am proud to say I am in this category. The trip to Japan helped me realize what kind of role I should play as a foreigner, while being Korean at the same time, in how I conduct my day-to-day affairs.
For me, my biggest thing is consistency with a little dash of surprises. I believe God has been helping me with the "surprises" bit. I mean the element of surprise where I unexpectedly met strangers here in Korea, Korean or non-Korean, or going to new places I never been. My goal is to expand on that AFTER my parents leave Korea: to travel more around the countryside in Korea and discover some gems that I would not get to see in the cities.
I met some foreigners, however, who are straight up weird. Of course, my definition of "normal" might be "weird" to you, but you know where I'm getting at: there are some goofy characters in this nation. But then again, you need to have a special character to travel in many cases: the ability to be comfortable alone in certain situations, highly independent, a strong character, and open-mindedness. Some foreigners, excluding diplomats, soldiers, and businessmen, lack the last two. The reason, I believe, that many have a really difficult time in adjusting to foreign lands is they do not take the time to adjust or learn what they are getting into, the culture.
Many Westerners, including myself, come from a culture where individualism is emphasized; i.e. "don't tread on me." Yet to come to this highly Confucian country, where authority must be obeyed and the rule of law is based on that authority rather than reason, some people do not gain the natural insight on how to adapt. So the biggest struggle for many foreigners is not necessarily homesickness, even though many, even myself, get homesick from time to time. However, the biggest struggle is they refuse to let go of their own culture and make an effort to get to know this one.
Of course, there are some things in this country that just do not fly with me, and things I won't understand: like the futility of some aspects of the education system here in South Korea (I highly respect the Korean student and the board of education's goals to create upstanding citizens), but I don't believe that rote memorization of material will help produce great human capital. Or the treatment of women here in Korea, which all my friends and I totally agree here is in many ways not right and not fair (women aren't totally put down in this country, but on a superficial level, women are not given the opportunity to try and play fair in many areas of life here, like on the job).
But as a foreigner, the biggest advantage I have is to help freshen minds. Its okay to put your two cents in as a foreigner and share new ideas with Korean peers on how we do things at home, but don't think its the perfect philosophy on how to conduct a society. The Korean society's culture highly dictates the affairs of the government, social interaction, and achievement, and on the opposite end, also causes some unwanted social consequences (the shunning of bi-racial children, suppressment of true individuality, and perhaps a too hard-working society). We as Americans struggle with this same two-ended stick.
For foreigners to enjoy their teaching jobs and to gain a pleasant life outside the classroom, there are some key things they can do to get it done:
1. Learn the language - even if you are just staying a year, it goes a long way to establishing new Korean friends
2. Get involved with friends - and make new ones
3. So what if you're a foreigner? Take advantage of it. Teach people about your country. Most will never leave or never have been outside this country, just like some in our respective countries never have been outside of ours.
4. Pick up a hobby. I did. I play ball or go jogging. I go to Korean classes and meet new expats and other Koreans.
5. Sightsee. Sightseeing the old relics of Korean requiem gets your mind to gain an insight of the foundations that built Korea today, even though its split into two.
So, that's pretty much my life right now. I am trying my best to maintain a strong, spiritual relationship with Jesus right now, as well as maintaining a lifestyle of positive, forward thinking attitude to work hard to enjoy living here in Taehan Minguk.
Saturday, September 1, 2007
Back to School
Its back to school. New semester, new lessons, new start.
The kids really did not leave school, so they are pretty much school lifers. It really is a tough system, so one of my goals this semester is to give them a "relief class" where they can practice their English and talk about things outside what they learn day to day. Its a steep goal, but with God, all things are possible.
My parents come next week, so I'm really excited about that as they both travel to the land where they met one another, and for my mom, return to see her family once again.
Have a great week.
The kids really did not leave school, so they are pretty much school lifers. It really is a tough system, so one of my goals this semester is to give them a "relief class" where they can practice their English and talk about things outside what they learn day to day. Its a steep goal, but with God, all things are possible.
My parents come next week, so I'm really excited about that as they both travel to the land where they met one another, and for my mom, return to see her family once again.
Have a great week.
Saturday, August 25, 2007
The Haka
Check this video out, it'll pump you up for the day! It is called a "Haka."
http://youtube.com/watch?v=PFWccDJa4XY
The Haka is a traditional Maori dance. There are many variations, but the most famous ones are the "war" kinds. This video has the famous New Zealand Rugby team, called the "All Blacks," performing this war dance before every international rugby match.
The other day, I was preparing a lesson for next week's classes, with the theme being Australia and New Zealand. I'm going to do a few lessons on "Foreigners in Korea," to teach kids how to interact and talk to foreigners when they meet them.
So I did some research on New Zealand, and of course, the Maori culture is still prevalent in their society. I typed in All Blacks Rugby on YouTube, and this video pops out. I never been so pumped up!
To some people, these Kiwis seem too crazy just for this sport, but I think, after seeing this for the first time in my life, is one of the coolest traditions in sports. Other sports have their team huddles and they say, "1-2-3 Wizards!" or something like that, or some teams do a dance and jump around, but these Kiwis and Maoris know how to do it!
I liked this little pump up session because it just tries to impose fear and stand up against the opposition. Of course, the Kiwis don't perform this to start an early fight with their rivals. They actually do this for tradition and a "welcome" to their opposing team.
I also personally like this war dance because for me, its very empowering. Stand up to the opposition and show them early you won't be pulled down. Its a fight everyday, especially with the decisions I make. Its either my flesh or the spirit. When I spend time with the Lord, and I obey Him, its like I am doing a Haka against the Devil's lies and the opposition I face everday.
"Ka mate, ka mate, ka ora!"
http://youtube.com/watch?v=PFWccDJa4XY
The Haka is a traditional Maori dance. There are many variations, but the most famous ones are the "war" kinds. This video has the famous New Zealand Rugby team, called the "All Blacks," performing this war dance before every international rugby match.
The other day, I was preparing a lesson for next week's classes, with the theme being Australia and New Zealand. I'm going to do a few lessons on "Foreigners in Korea," to teach kids how to interact and talk to foreigners when they meet them.
So I did some research on New Zealand, and of course, the Maori culture is still prevalent in their society. I typed in All Blacks Rugby on YouTube, and this video pops out. I never been so pumped up!
To some people, these Kiwis seem too crazy just for this sport, but I think, after seeing this for the first time in my life, is one of the coolest traditions in sports. Other sports have their team huddles and they say, "1-2-3 Wizards!" or something like that, or some teams do a dance and jump around, but these Kiwis and Maoris know how to do it!
I liked this little pump up session because it just tries to impose fear and stand up against the opposition. Of course, the Kiwis don't perform this to start an early fight with their rivals. They actually do this for tradition and a "welcome" to their opposing team.
I also personally like this war dance because for me, its very empowering. Stand up to the opposition and show them early you won't be pulled down. Its a fight everyday, especially with the decisions I make. Its either my flesh or the spirit. When I spend time with the Lord, and I obey Him, its like I am doing a Haka against the Devil's lies and the opposition I face everday.
"Ka mate, ka mate, ka ora!"
Thursday, August 23, 2007
Back To Japan Moments: The Peace
I was thinking about some cool moments from my trip to Japan the other day. Man, what a vacation! And there were plenty:
The Coffee Shop. I remember my friend O and I were trekking around Kyoto, trying to find some cool spots to hit up. Then the inevitable came: rain. With a huge typhoon outside neighboring Kyushu (August is typhoon season for the Japanese), we were getting some of the leftovers as it was sailing over the East Sea towards Hokkaido, and it hit Kyoto.
So we're scrambling for cover as we're running around the Gion District (home of the Geisha), and we popped into a Starbucks. With the rain pounding the windows, nothing was more peaceful than to chill at a coffee shop, as O and I shared our lives and backgrounds. We even got to share our experiences when it came to the meaning of life, and I had the gracious opportunity given by God to share the Gospel with him and tell him why I found true life in it. All with a cup of "joe." Peace.
Nagai Botanical Gardens. In Osaka, James picked out our next tourist spot on the map, the Nagai Botanical Gardens in South Osaka. I figured, why not? I haven't been to see actual flowers in ages (Incheon is devoid of them for some reason). So we went. And there was hardly anybody there. It was 2PM, everyone is at work, its a weekday, and hardly a soul in sight. Trees. Gorgeous flowers and plants. The hot sun. Flowers in bloom, the stillness of the water bringing a stirring aura of calmness around the area. Carp and turtles dishing about. Not a soul in sight. Peace.
The World Trade Center, Osaka. On a Wednesday night in Osaka, we decided to hit up the World Trade Center in Osakako. We towered to the final floor of the building to behold something great. What a grand site: the whole city on display, lights blaring, and the red ferris wheel shining bright amongst the backdrop. Peace.
The Mysterious Temple on the Hill, Kyoto. One night, I decided to go solo and check out Kyoto for myself. I found this really neat temple on the side, right outside Gion. It had several Japanese-style buildings around it, with the big temple smack dab in the middle. I walked, and pictured myself as a samurai contemplating. Dream come true. Peace.
Videogames in Dotonbori, Osaka. So nerdy of me to write this, but why not? I got to play videogames from the land that made them! I got to play a racing game against O, played some Virtua Fighter 5, and played some shooting games, what fun! You think you can beat me? Peace.
The Cruise around Osaka Bay aboard the Santa Maria. Outside Osaka Bay, we boarded the Santa Maria, a Spanish-replica of the famous mother ship, and cruised around the area. A nice, but not too hot day, we got to see the various sights the bay area had to offer. It was sunny, and it was really great to feel the sea breeze on our faces. I came away more tanner than before (if possible). Peace.
Shinsekai, Osaka. One of the tightest shopping districts in Osaka, it just feels Japanese. I remember asking a woman for directions, and even though I had no clue what she was saying because she thought I was Japanese, but what cracked me up was that her Japanese seemed "off." Then I figured it out: she was speaking in "Osaka-ben," or the Osakan Dialect. We walked around just scoping the place, taking money shots with our Digi Cams and going to work. Peace.
So these moments of peace, how did I get them? Simple. You can get peace from any moment, but the key thing is where it is inspired from. Moments of peace last moments, but for some reason, this vacation seemed God-given. Those moments of peace were more like refreshers and peace. We all strive to seek for it, but few find it. I thank God for His grace...and peace.
The Coffee Shop. I remember my friend O and I were trekking around Kyoto, trying to find some cool spots to hit up. Then the inevitable came: rain. With a huge typhoon outside neighboring Kyushu (August is typhoon season for the Japanese), we were getting some of the leftovers as it was sailing over the East Sea towards Hokkaido, and it hit Kyoto.
So we're scrambling for cover as we're running around the Gion District (home of the Geisha), and we popped into a Starbucks. With the rain pounding the windows, nothing was more peaceful than to chill at a coffee shop, as O and I shared our lives and backgrounds. We even got to share our experiences when it came to the meaning of life, and I had the gracious opportunity given by God to share the Gospel with him and tell him why I found true life in it. All with a cup of "joe." Peace.
Nagai Botanical Gardens. In Osaka, James picked out our next tourist spot on the map, the Nagai Botanical Gardens in South Osaka. I figured, why not? I haven't been to see actual flowers in ages (Incheon is devoid of them for some reason). So we went. And there was hardly anybody there. It was 2PM, everyone is at work, its a weekday, and hardly a soul in sight. Trees. Gorgeous flowers and plants. The hot sun. Flowers in bloom, the stillness of the water bringing a stirring aura of calmness around the area. Carp and turtles dishing about. Not a soul in sight. Peace.
The World Trade Center, Osaka. On a Wednesday night in Osaka, we decided to hit up the World Trade Center in Osakako. We towered to the final floor of the building to behold something great. What a grand site: the whole city on display, lights blaring, and the red ferris wheel shining bright amongst the backdrop. Peace.
The Mysterious Temple on the Hill, Kyoto. One night, I decided to go solo and check out Kyoto for myself. I found this really neat temple on the side, right outside Gion. It had several Japanese-style buildings around it, with the big temple smack dab in the middle. I walked, and pictured myself as a samurai contemplating. Dream come true. Peace.
Videogames in Dotonbori, Osaka. So nerdy of me to write this, but why not? I got to play videogames from the land that made them! I got to play a racing game against O, played some Virtua Fighter 5, and played some shooting games, what fun! You think you can beat me? Peace.
The Cruise around Osaka Bay aboard the Santa Maria. Outside Osaka Bay, we boarded the Santa Maria, a Spanish-replica of the famous mother ship, and cruised around the area. A nice, but not too hot day, we got to see the various sights the bay area had to offer. It was sunny, and it was really great to feel the sea breeze on our faces. I came away more tanner than before (if possible). Peace.
Shinsekai, Osaka. One of the tightest shopping districts in Osaka, it just feels Japanese. I remember asking a woman for directions, and even though I had no clue what she was saying because she thought I was Japanese, but what cracked me up was that her Japanese seemed "off." Then I figured it out: she was speaking in "Osaka-ben," or the Osakan Dialect. We walked around just scoping the place, taking money shots with our Digi Cams and going to work. Peace.
So these moments of peace, how did I get them? Simple. You can get peace from any moment, but the key thing is where it is inspired from. Moments of peace last moments, but for some reason, this vacation seemed God-given. Those moments of peace were more like refreshers and peace. We all strive to seek for it, but few find it. I thank God for His grace...and peace.
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
Back To School/What I Miss
Its back to school this week. Well, for some of these students, they never left. That's what really sucks diddily-uck about the Korean Education System: these high school kids hardly get a break. But, I'm back again, and classes started this week.
Of course, the kids are normal, hardly any changes. It felt like I saw these kids last week, the way they were behaving and what not. My schedule remains unchanged, and I'm doing a simple lesson of asking them what they did last summer and have them interview partners about their summer vacation. Many went on trips, but most stayed home and studied, or even better, played computer games all night.
Considering my classes are not worth the grade, I just roll with it and will do my best to provide them entertaining and challenging classes. I also gave them a competition to try this semester: the two best students in the entire grade, based on effort and English improvement, will win a free pizza dinner provided by me! Something to get them to make an honest effort in my class.
Mrs. Ha is gone, and in comes the replacement: Mrs. Park Myong-sun, a 27-year old woman English teacher. She's a rookie in every aspect: she just got her teaching license, and she just got married. So she's a double rookie.
And like any rookies, whether it is in the NBA or a first-year worker at any organization, she's out to impress. They have to. I am a rookie too. So she's all coming to my office like, "Oh Mark, we have to do this Lunch Club together." And I'm like: "Girl please, I've been doing this since March, I got it." (Of course, I'm thinking these thoughts) But so far, she seems nice, but she needs some work with the English fluency, and that's what I'm here for.
But life is back to normal: but what's exciting is that my parents will be coming to town next month. Finally, reunification with my family. We'll conquer Korea together, and I can show them what my life is like since leaving homeland America. I can also learn through my mom more about my family history, and gain some more insight about my relatives since she can finally translate for me.
Speaking of America, there are some things I do miss about home, and I wanted to take the time to just write about some things I miss dearly:
1. American Humor - man, I haven't had a major laugh in a while, like my "stomach-hurts" laugh. The only person who really gives me a great chuckle is Bobby, because he is American and he's funny. Other than that, only a few foreigners make me a laugh, and a handful of students at my school give me the giggles.
2. American Food - even though not the most healthy, I miss good ol' homecooked meals like mac and cheese, fried chicken, veggies, eggs, grits, breakfast food, and other good eatin's. I'm going to a Bob Evans when I get back. Of course, don't forget a good, mom-made hamburger. Man, I miss her burgers!
3. American Diversity - I kinda miss seeing different kinds of people, especially of different race, around here. The occasional foreigner here and there is fine, but I miss seeing large groups of different races milling about like in DC or at my old college.
4. The American Way - yes, we can argue to death and all night about how the American Way is decadent and all that, but from a positive and just one-sided POV, I respect the American Way. Work hard, fight to the top, and be yourself. It is a theme I have learned throughout high school and college. Basically, the American Way says, "there is no free lunch, get it yourself." It causes you to work hard and to work your way up, and those who don't put in the effort get no lunch.
5. American Landscape - goodness, I am going to miss the Maryland autumn. Its beautiful in Maryland when the leaves turn brown and red. Driving through those roads at least provided some beautiful architecture. Once I leave Incheon to see the countryside though, I heard Korea is even more gorgeous in the fall.
6. Lazy American Summers - even when I was working full-time for my internship, coming home and relax on a lazy summer night's eve was the best. Quiet, chirping insects, chilling out on the front porch on in the backyard while reading a book, or watching TV with the comfort of AC with the sunset in the background of our big window was a blast. To live in the 'Burbs is the American Dream, and to have that quiet is the best.
7. American TV - I know, you might think I'm superficial. But its nice to watch programs that are the standard for the world, except for American Idol (from England). Its also nice to watch programs in my own language again.
8. American Issues - I believe our nation is the greatest in the world, and what we stand for is valuable: power in diversity, the fight against terrorism, the fight against crime and poverty, and the fight for purpose in life, its all being fought at a major pace in America. If we can win the battle at home, we can export it abroad.
9. American Church - I miss my church family. They were kind, earnest, and strove to help me grow as a Christian. Its still great that I have my friends Becky and Trey to share my fellowship with here in Korea, but I do miss my College and Career Crew at home and the memories and spiritual warfare that we fought together. And we fought alot of battles.
10. American Friends - the power of American Friendship. I miss my brothers and sisters in Christ, we were friends in the faith. We hung out, went to eat out, chill at each other's house, went to the movies, played ball together, and shared experiences with one another. I even worked with some of my best friends. Life is about relationships, starting with yours relating to mighty God, to the best friendships you have here on earth. I hope to continue to build on mine here in Korea, but for now, it is okay to miss my homies from home.
11. The American Family - my father is from New Dehli, India. My mother, Seoul, South Korea. My brother and I are Korean-Indians, or Korindians. But we're Americans. We are proud of that. Our American experience has made us stronger, longer. We have an unique perspective on life because my father and mother worked so hard to make the American Dream come true, and they also set the standard in our lives of what is the Godly life all about. We experienced prejudice and ignorant comments, and those incidences in the past only serve to protect me and empower me more. We are a unit, a team for life. No one can take that away...
But...I like living in Korea.
Of course, the kids are normal, hardly any changes. It felt like I saw these kids last week, the way they were behaving and what not. My schedule remains unchanged, and I'm doing a simple lesson of asking them what they did last summer and have them interview partners about their summer vacation. Many went on trips, but most stayed home and studied, or even better, played computer games all night.
Considering my classes are not worth the grade, I just roll with it and will do my best to provide them entertaining and challenging classes. I also gave them a competition to try this semester: the two best students in the entire grade, based on effort and English improvement, will win a free pizza dinner provided by me! Something to get them to make an honest effort in my class.
Mrs. Ha is gone, and in comes the replacement: Mrs. Park Myong-sun, a 27-year old woman English teacher. She's a rookie in every aspect: she just got her teaching license, and she just got married. So she's a double rookie.
And like any rookies, whether it is in the NBA or a first-year worker at any organization, she's out to impress. They have to. I am a rookie too. So she's all coming to my office like, "Oh Mark, we have to do this Lunch Club together." And I'm like: "Girl please, I've been doing this since March, I got it." (Of course, I'm thinking these thoughts) But so far, she seems nice, but she needs some work with the English fluency, and that's what I'm here for.
But life is back to normal: but what's exciting is that my parents will be coming to town next month. Finally, reunification with my family. We'll conquer Korea together, and I can show them what my life is like since leaving homeland America. I can also learn through my mom more about my family history, and gain some more insight about my relatives since she can finally translate for me.
Speaking of America, there are some things I do miss about home, and I wanted to take the time to just write about some things I miss dearly:
1. American Humor - man, I haven't had a major laugh in a while, like my "stomach-hurts" laugh. The only person who really gives me a great chuckle is Bobby, because he is American and he's funny. Other than that, only a few foreigners make me a laugh, and a handful of students at my school give me the giggles.
2. American Food - even though not the most healthy, I miss good ol' homecooked meals like mac and cheese, fried chicken, veggies, eggs, grits, breakfast food, and other good eatin's. I'm going to a Bob Evans when I get back. Of course, don't forget a good, mom-made hamburger. Man, I miss her burgers!
3. American Diversity - I kinda miss seeing different kinds of people, especially of different race, around here. The occasional foreigner here and there is fine, but I miss seeing large groups of different races milling about like in DC or at my old college.
4. The American Way - yes, we can argue to death and all night about how the American Way is decadent and all that, but from a positive and just one-sided POV, I respect the American Way. Work hard, fight to the top, and be yourself. It is a theme I have learned throughout high school and college. Basically, the American Way says, "there is no free lunch, get it yourself." It causes you to work hard and to work your way up, and those who don't put in the effort get no lunch.
5. American Landscape - goodness, I am going to miss the Maryland autumn. Its beautiful in Maryland when the leaves turn brown and red. Driving through those roads at least provided some beautiful architecture. Once I leave Incheon to see the countryside though, I heard Korea is even more gorgeous in the fall.
6. Lazy American Summers - even when I was working full-time for my internship, coming home and relax on a lazy summer night's eve was the best. Quiet, chirping insects, chilling out on the front porch on in the backyard while reading a book, or watching TV with the comfort of AC with the sunset in the background of our big window was a blast. To live in the 'Burbs is the American Dream, and to have that quiet is the best.
7. American TV - I know, you might think I'm superficial. But its nice to watch programs that are the standard for the world, except for American Idol (from England). Its also nice to watch programs in my own language again.
8. American Issues - I believe our nation is the greatest in the world, and what we stand for is valuable: power in diversity, the fight against terrorism, the fight against crime and poverty, and the fight for purpose in life, its all being fought at a major pace in America. If we can win the battle at home, we can export it abroad.
9. American Church - I miss my church family. They were kind, earnest, and strove to help me grow as a Christian. Its still great that I have my friends Becky and Trey to share my fellowship with here in Korea, but I do miss my College and Career Crew at home and the memories and spiritual warfare that we fought together. And we fought alot of battles.
10. American Friends - the power of American Friendship. I miss my brothers and sisters in Christ, we were friends in the faith. We hung out, went to eat out, chill at each other's house, went to the movies, played ball together, and shared experiences with one another. I even worked with some of my best friends. Life is about relationships, starting with yours relating to mighty God, to the best friendships you have here on earth. I hope to continue to build on mine here in Korea, but for now, it is okay to miss my homies from home.
11. The American Family - my father is from New Dehli, India. My mother, Seoul, South Korea. My brother and I are Korean-Indians, or Korindians. But we're Americans. We are proud of that. Our American experience has made us stronger, longer. We have an unique perspective on life because my father and mother worked so hard to make the American Dream come true, and they also set the standard in our lives of what is the Godly life all about. We experienced prejudice and ignorant comments, and those incidences in the past only serve to protect me and empower me more. We are a unit, a team for life. No one can take that away...
But...I like living in Korea.
Saturday, August 11, 2007
The Zainichi Korean, Part Two
So, after meeting this girl and talking to her for a little bit, she was pretty adamant about not switching her citizenship. Besides, Koreans in Japan do get a special foreigner status compared to other foreigners, and they have the advantage of at least looking similar to Japanese people (but like I mentioned in my previous blogs about Japan, Japanese do look different than Koreans). Even though they are discriminated against in many areas of society, the Koreans in Japan tend to be a very resilient people who are still proud of their roots and how they have remained successful in the land of their oppressors.
So Ms. Bae acknowledged she has Korean roots, but she says has no connection with them. As my friend James put it: "She's a person without a country." She knows that if she goes back to Korea, and since she cannot speak Korean, she will be looked at as a foreigner, and since she does not think of herself as Korean, and neither Japanese, she's just plain stuck.
There is an Indian saying that describes Indian people who return to their homeland from studying or working abroad: "A local bird with a foreign walk." (Taken from a lecture from Ravi Zacharias)
Today, with voluntary migrations and globalization becoming more and more part of our world, a lot of people are losing their identity from their original countries. Immigrants always face that challenge when they leave for the new world. They become birds with foreign walks.
For example, today there are many Japanese who live in Brazil, descendants of farmers who left Japan earlier in the 20th century to find new work and hope. These Japanese-Brazilians left behind their culture and many, their identity. When a Japanese-Brazilian returns to his or her homeland, many are estranged because now they are just "local birds with foreign walks." They look Japanese, but they are not Japanese. Many speak Portuguese and not enough Japanese, and they too are discriminated against.
So I definitely can identify with Ms. Bae, feeling estranged in a country that is not your own (Korea, not the U.S.). What makes it harder is that sometimes, even in my own country of the United States, people still think you are foreign because of my looks as an Asian-American. Then when I come to Korea, I'm still a foreigner due to my looks. Its a Catch-22 of culture identification.
But, she was the one who taught me that being foreign is okay. Just go out there and do your job, and she taught me that you don't have to suck up to anyone's culture to feel accepted. The only Being that you have a standard to be accepted is the Lord. After all, He was the one who creates His beings with design and purpose. If we did not choose our race before we are born, than that means someone did, and I believe the Lord did, our Creator of Life. That means our race is sacred, no one can alter it or change it. Even if you got plastic surgery or whitened or blackened your skin, you are still who you are regardless! (like the Japanese girls who try to be Caucasian by putting on ridiculous tan cream and dying their hair blonde)
Mr. Bae taught me that its up to you how you want to adapt to this culture, without having to be a suck-up to the status quo or the standards that the society says is "good." People would expect her to speak Korean, but she had this air about her that she does not need to speak her native tongue to be "complete." I thought that when I came to this country this year, I had a "ticket" to be accepted in this culture, especially after Hines Ward's Bi-Racial Crusade in 2005 and how he said: "that we are all Koreans despite our skin color." But the sad truth is that I will never be accepted as a true Korean because of my skin color. I also thought that they only way I can truly learn about Korean culture and life is by speaking the language. Well, it takes years to learn this difficult language, but God has taught me after my trip to Japan to just "slow it down!" Study the language, practice it, but don't feel like I have to learn it in five minutes just to gain acceptance!
So what I conclude with is that just because a society will not accept me totally does not mean I am not Korean. I am bi-racial, but I am Korean...no one can take that away from me. God gave me the privilege to have two distinct ethnicities in my blood, and no one has the right to tell me who I am or not. God makes perfect sense when it comes to racial equality and identity because diversity is a manifestation of His glory and power, and if you have all types of blood in your system, than its yours! He gave it to you!
After coming back from Japan, a mighty and unique culture in itself, and renewed by the lessons I learned from this invigorating trip, I am more determined to learn about my culture, to become fluent in Korean, and as a Christian display Christ's power in my life through my diversity. Diversity is not an accident, its a road to recovery. A road to a world where God is recognized as Lord and Master, and not just an idea of human achievement as many preach and advocate for today.
So Ms. Bae acknowledged she has Korean roots, but she says has no connection with them. As my friend James put it: "She's a person without a country." She knows that if she goes back to Korea, and since she cannot speak Korean, she will be looked at as a foreigner, and since she does not think of herself as Korean, and neither Japanese, she's just plain stuck.
There is an Indian saying that describes Indian people who return to their homeland from studying or working abroad: "A local bird with a foreign walk." (Taken from a lecture from Ravi Zacharias)
Today, with voluntary migrations and globalization becoming more and more part of our world, a lot of people are losing their identity from their original countries. Immigrants always face that challenge when they leave for the new world. They become birds with foreign walks.
For example, today there are many Japanese who live in Brazil, descendants of farmers who left Japan earlier in the 20th century to find new work and hope. These Japanese-Brazilians left behind their culture and many, their identity. When a Japanese-Brazilian returns to his or her homeland, many are estranged because now they are just "local birds with foreign walks." They look Japanese, but they are not Japanese. Many speak Portuguese and not enough Japanese, and they too are discriminated against.
So I definitely can identify with Ms. Bae, feeling estranged in a country that is not your own (Korea, not the U.S.). What makes it harder is that sometimes, even in my own country of the United States, people still think you are foreign because of my looks as an Asian-American. Then when I come to Korea, I'm still a foreigner due to my looks. Its a Catch-22 of culture identification.
But, she was the one who taught me that being foreign is okay. Just go out there and do your job, and she taught me that you don't have to suck up to anyone's culture to feel accepted. The only Being that you have a standard to be accepted is the Lord. After all, He was the one who creates His beings with design and purpose. If we did not choose our race before we are born, than that means someone did, and I believe the Lord did, our Creator of Life. That means our race is sacred, no one can alter it or change it. Even if you got plastic surgery or whitened or blackened your skin, you are still who you are regardless! (like the Japanese girls who try to be Caucasian by putting on ridiculous tan cream and dying their hair blonde)
Mr. Bae taught me that its up to you how you want to adapt to this culture, without having to be a suck-up to the status quo or the standards that the society says is "good." People would expect her to speak Korean, but she had this air about her that she does not need to speak her native tongue to be "complete." I thought that when I came to this country this year, I had a "ticket" to be accepted in this culture, especially after Hines Ward's Bi-Racial Crusade in 2005 and how he said: "that we are all Koreans despite our skin color." But the sad truth is that I will never be accepted as a true Korean because of my skin color. I also thought that they only way I can truly learn about Korean culture and life is by speaking the language. Well, it takes years to learn this difficult language, but God has taught me after my trip to Japan to just "slow it down!" Study the language, practice it, but don't feel like I have to learn it in five minutes just to gain acceptance!
So what I conclude with is that just because a society will not accept me totally does not mean I am not Korean. I am bi-racial, but I am Korean...no one can take that away from me. God gave me the privilege to have two distinct ethnicities in my blood, and no one has the right to tell me who I am or not. God makes perfect sense when it comes to racial equality and identity because diversity is a manifestation of His glory and power, and if you have all types of blood in your system, than its yours! He gave it to you!
After coming back from Japan, a mighty and unique culture in itself, and renewed by the lessons I learned from this invigorating trip, I am more determined to learn about my culture, to become fluent in Korean, and as a Christian display Christ's power in my life through my diversity. Diversity is not an accident, its a road to recovery. A road to a world where God is recognized as Lord and Master, and not just an idea of human achievement as many preach and advocate for today.
Thursday, August 9, 2007
The Zainichi Korean, Part One
During my trip to Japan, I wanted the opportunity to meet some ordinary Japanese, and if they spoke English, try to get to know them and their experiences living in this East Asian giant.
Thankfully to the Lord, He provided some encounters with some Japanese. My friends and I met an old Japanese man on our trip to Nara, and we had the opportunity to ask him questions about his country while he asked about ours.
But the one person I will not forget after visiting Osaka/Kyoto is a girl simply known as "Bae," because her identity situation is a fascinating one to think about. During my stay in Osaka, Ok'e (my American friend I met in Kyoto) needed a place to sleep for one night during his first day in Osaka (and our last in Japan, since we traveled together on the last leg of our trip). We helped him find hotels around the city, but with August being one of the busiest seasons to visit Japan, he was running out of options. I finally helped him settle on a hotel called the "Toko Hotel," which is located in northern Osaka, and in an area that is more well-off than other parts of the city. So the price for a single room was quite high during this time.
I helped him check in, but fortunately, they had one girl on their staff who spoke English, whose name on her name tag simply read "Bae." So as Ok'e and I were getting him registered, I had to enquire something with her. "Bae" is not a Japanese name, it is Korean. Now in Japan, Koreans make the biggest minority group. There are many Korean families living in Japan for various reasons: from simple migration to being descendants of forced migration due to Japanese imperialism. With Korea and Japan having a contentious relationship at times, I bet it must be difficult for a Korean to live in the land of the former oppressor. (Japan actually ruled Korea from 1910-1945, going so far to even trying to erase their language, culture, and even heritage, a cultural genocide)
So I asked this lady: "Are you Korean?"
And the response I got from her was very interesting and poignant, because Ms. Bae said: "No I am not, but my parents are."
"No I am not, but my parents are." A very interesting answer. So after getting him registered, Ok'e and I went to his room, and I told Ok'e about the conversation I had with this woman and who she was: a Zainichi Korean.
A Zainichi Korean is any Korean who lives and makes a living in Japan. "Zainichi" in Japanese means "to stay in Japan." There about more than a half of million Zainichi Koreans who live in Japan today. I thought it was the most fascinating aspect of Japanese culture, these Koreans who are stuck in the land of another East Asian culture giant.
So the next day, we met up with Ok'e at his hotel while he was checking out, and luckily, Ms. Bae was there again. I wanted to see what was up with that response she told me yesterday.
So I asked her about her background, and we had a quick conversation about how she was born in Japan, but she does not speak Korean. I also let her know that I was half-Korean, and she asked me if I could speak Korean. I told her I said hardly, and she responded, "yeah, most Koreans are pretty uptight when it comes to their children knowing the language."
So I asked her does she feel Korean or Japanese, and her response was even more interesting... "neither."
And I will finish this discussion about cultural identity some other time, because I have to get up early for Day 5 of the English camp that I'm teaching at. Good night.
Thankfully to the Lord, He provided some encounters with some Japanese. My friends and I met an old Japanese man on our trip to Nara, and we had the opportunity to ask him questions about his country while he asked about ours.
But the one person I will not forget after visiting Osaka/Kyoto is a girl simply known as "Bae," because her identity situation is a fascinating one to think about. During my stay in Osaka, Ok'e (my American friend I met in Kyoto) needed a place to sleep for one night during his first day in Osaka (and our last in Japan, since we traveled together on the last leg of our trip). We helped him find hotels around the city, but with August being one of the busiest seasons to visit Japan, he was running out of options. I finally helped him settle on a hotel called the "Toko Hotel," which is located in northern Osaka, and in an area that is more well-off than other parts of the city. So the price for a single room was quite high during this time.
I helped him check in, but fortunately, they had one girl on their staff who spoke English, whose name on her name tag simply read "Bae." So as Ok'e and I were getting him registered, I had to enquire something with her. "Bae" is not a Japanese name, it is Korean. Now in Japan, Koreans make the biggest minority group. There are many Korean families living in Japan for various reasons: from simple migration to being descendants of forced migration due to Japanese imperialism. With Korea and Japan having a contentious relationship at times, I bet it must be difficult for a Korean to live in the land of the former oppressor. (Japan actually ruled Korea from 1910-1945, going so far to even trying to erase their language, culture, and even heritage, a cultural genocide)
So I asked this lady: "Are you Korean?"
And the response I got from her was very interesting and poignant, because Ms. Bae said: "No I am not, but my parents are."
"No I am not, but my parents are." A very interesting answer. So after getting him registered, Ok'e and I went to his room, and I told Ok'e about the conversation I had with this woman and who she was: a Zainichi Korean.
A Zainichi Korean is any Korean who lives and makes a living in Japan. "Zainichi" in Japanese means "to stay in Japan." There about more than a half of million Zainichi Koreans who live in Japan today. I thought it was the most fascinating aspect of Japanese culture, these Koreans who are stuck in the land of another East Asian culture giant.
So the next day, we met up with Ok'e at his hotel while he was checking out, and luckily, Ms. Bae was there again. I wanted to see what was up with that response she told me yesterday.
So I asked her about her background, and we had a quick conversation about how she was born in Japan, but she does not speak Korean. I also let her know that I was half-Korean, and she asked me if I could speak Korean. I told her I said hardly, and she responded, "yeah, most Koreans are pretty uptight when it comes to their children knowing the language."
So I asked her does she feel Korean or Japanese, and her response was even more interesting... "neither."
And I will finish this discussion about cultural identity some other time, because I have to get up early for Day 5 of the English camp that I'm teaching at. Good night.
Sunday, August 5, 2007
Japan - Lessons Learned
Just got back from Japan. Man, I miss it! It was such a fun country. It was everything I imagined it to be: fun lights and stores, Japanese language and culture, historical monuments of antiquity, and Samurai culture. The people were really nice and friendly to us foreigners. Japan is a very tourist friendly spot to hit up.
To start wrapping things up, here Mark's things I liked/learned about myself/disliked during my first trip to Japan:
1. Being Foreign is Okay!
Going into Japan, I knew this is not my culture, not my language. When I came to Korea, I knew that being half-Korean and my mother being Korean and growing up with a fair amount of Korean people in my life, I knew that I had some expectations and standards of this place. I sometimes, unfairly, put high standards to reach while here in Korea when it came to Korean speech, culture learning, and adapting to this place. I learned the hardway that I should not do that, because I ended up being hurt. When I went to Japan, the gloves came off, and I was a regular foreigner again.
But the fun part was that anything goes when you are in a country where you have no clue what you are doing: to try the language for the first time, to try to find your way when getting lost in a neighborhood, trying new things and food, and meet the locals when you are lost. I felt really relaxed during my time in Japan this week, simply because I had no real "standards" to adapt for one week. When I got back here in Korea today, I thought to myself: "Self, even though you are Korean (Indian) yourself, you are still American. You have not lived here before, so stop trying to assimilate so fast and just have fun." In other words, I learned on this trip to stop putting standards to fit in here, and just be me while slowly learning about life and culture here in Korea.
2. Being "Dark" is Cool in Japan (I was Japanese for one week!)
One thing that shocked me here in Japan was the amount of "dark people" I saw on the streets and other areas of life here in the Kansai Region (consiting of Osaka, Kobe, Kyoto, Nara, and Wakayama). I remember one funny incident during the early months in teaching when my students in class 1-13 thought I was Japanese for some odd reason, which was really interesting. I thought I was too dark to be Japanese. Yet when I came to Osaka for the week, I saw many people, especially young people like me, who were really tan and just straight up dark-skinned! Some as dark as me. My friend Daniel told me that this is because the Japanese tan a whole lot quicker when they play outside more (which is natural for an island nation). I saw young men and boys who were really dark, and I even saw a flock of school girls walking on the subway who were chargrilled! I thought it was a cool sight that even though Japan is one of the most homogeneous nations on the planet, they at last have a diversity in "tan lines." It was really cool, I felt "in" in this country...it was really neat to be tan and dark and no one cares. I say this because in Korea, Koreans favor a lighter skin tone as more "beautiful." Here in Japan, the people tend to have a more varied look to them, in skin and fashion. One thing I noticed is that Japanese people tend to be more individualistic in their expression of themselves, and that includes their skin tones. One cool moment on the trip was to see a group of trendy girls on a subway, and one girl who I found very cute was also absolutely tan, and she looked really nice. Here in Korea, tan is not in all the way, but I thought, "God has given you tan and darkness, not for fashion reasons, but you are beautiful in His eyes."
I was even more surprised when a few people came up to me and thought I was Japanese. One funny incident when my friend and I were in Osakako Station in Osaka, after visiting the Kaiyukan Aquarium, while waiting outside the subway station for the train. There was one Japanese family looking to go back as well, but they were confused which train to go on. So guess who they asked? Me! "Demo, doko ni...?" (Ummm...where is this...) To which I immediately replied: "Nihonjin dewa-nai desu!" ("I'm not Japanese") She was like, "Ohh..."
A man in Kyoto walked up to my two friends (James and Ok'e) and I because he was curious about our American backgrounds, especially the fact that James is white, Ok'e is black, and I'm Asian. He immediately looked at me and said, "Ooohhh, there are many Japanese-Americans like you back in the United States." He thought I was Nisei! The funniest moment was when he walked up to James and just straight up said: "Ooooo...you're VERY FAT! YOU COULD BE SUMO WRESTLER!" I had to contain the laughter in me, and James, being stunned, could not help laugh either as he was the victim of Asian curiosity once again! (Asians can be very blunt about your appearance, like when I gained weight last year, my mom let me have it for good!)
So, I joked to my friends that I could easily fit into this place. But for once, it did felt kinda cool to be confused with this nation's citizens, so for one week, I was Japanese (don't tell my mother this!).
More on these lists tomorrow...I am so tired after a week of excitement.
Japan, I'll be back. Pictures will be posted on this sight and on my myspace page in the future, keep in touch.
To start wrapping things up, here Mark's things I liked/learned about myself/disliked during my first trip to Japan:
1. Being Foreign is Okay!
Going into Japan, I knew this is not my culture, not my language. When I came to Korea, I knew that being half-Korean and my mother being Korean and growing up with a fair amount of Korean people in my life, I knew that I had some expectations and standards of this place. I sometimes, unfairly, put high standards to reach while here in Korea when it came to Korean speech, culture learning, and adapting to this place. I learned the hardway that I should not do that, because I ended up being hurt. When I went to Japan, the gloves came off, and I was a regular foreigner again.
But the fun part was that anything goes when you are in a country where you have no clue what you are doing: to try the language for the first time, to try to find your way when getting lost in a neighborhood, trying new things and food, and meet the locals when you are lost. I felt really relaxed during my time in Japan this week, simply because I had no real "standards" to adapt for one week. When I got back here in Korea today, I thought to myself: "Self, even though you are Korean (Indian) yourself, you are still American. You have not lived here before, so stop trying to assimilate so fast and just have fun." In other words, I learned on this trip to stop putting standards to fit in here, and just be me while slowly learning about life and culture here in Korea.
2. Being "Dark" is Cool in Japan (I was Japanese for one week!)
One thing that shocked me here in Japan was the amount of "dark people" I saw on the streets and other areas of life here in the Kansai Region (consiting of Osaka, Kobe, Kyoto, Nara, and Wakayama). I remember one funny incident during the early months in teaching when my students in class 1-13 thought I was Japanese for some odd reason, which was really interesting. I thought I was too dark to be Japanese. Yet when I came to Osaka for the week, I saw many people, especially young people like me, who were really tan and just straight up dark-skinned! Some as dark as me. My friend Daniel told me that this is because the Japanese tan a whole lot quicker when they play outside more (which is natural for an island nation). I saw young men and boys who were really dark, and I even saw a flock of school girls walking on the subway who were chargrilled! I thought it was a cool sight that even though Japan is one of the most homogeneous nations on the planet, they at last have a diversity in "tan lines." It was really cool, I felt "in" in this country...it was really neat to be tan and dark and no one cares. I say this because in Korea, Koreans favor a lighter skin tone as more "beautiful." Here in Japan, the people tend to have a more varied look to them, in skin and fashion. One thing I noticed is that Japanese people tend to be more individualistic in their expression of themselves, and that includes their skin tones. One cool moment on the trip was to see a group of trendy girls on a subway, and one girl who I found very cute was also absolutely tan, and she looked really nice. Here in Korea, tan is not in all the way, but I thought, "God has given you tan and darkness, not for fashion reasons, but you are beautiful in His eyes."
I was even more surprised when a few people came up to me and thought I was Japanese. One funny incident when my friend and I were in Osakako Station in Osaka, after visiting the Kaiyukan Aquarium, while waiting outside the subway station for the train. There was one Japanese family looking to go back as well, but they were confused which train to go on. So guess who they asked? Me! "Demo, doko ni...?" (Ummm...where is this...) To which I immediately replied: "Nihonjin dewa-nai desu!" ("I'm not Japanese") She was like, "Ohh..."
A man in Kyoto walked up to my two friends (James and Ok'e) and I because he was curious about our American backgrounds, especially the fact that James is white, Ok'e is black, and I'm Asian. He immediately looked at me and said, "Ooohhh, there are many Japanese-Americans like you back in the United States." He thought I was Nisei! The funniest moment was when he walked up to James and just straight up said: "Ooooo...you're VERY FAT! YOU COULD BE SUMO WRESTLER!" I had to contain the laughter in me, and James, being stunned, could not help laugh either as he was the victim of Asian curiosity once again! (Asians can be very blunt about your appearance, like when I gained weight last year, my mom let me have it for good!)
So, I joked to my friends that I could easily fit into this place. But for once, it did felt kinda cool to be confused with this nation's citizens, so for one week, I was Japanese (don't tell my mother this!).
More on these lists tomorrow...I am so tired after a week of excitement.
Japan, I'll be back. Pictures will be posted on this sight and on my myspace page in the future, keep in touch.
Saturday, August 4, 2007
Japan, Trip Wrap Up
Alas, the dream is over.
I will be returning from the Land of the Rising Sun to the Land of the Morning Calm (Korea) tomorrow afternoon. It has been a blessed week in Japan.
I had the opportunity to explore a small, but major part of the Kansai Region of Japan, which includes the central area island of Honshu. It is a region steeped in rich and imperiled history, with much evidence of the medieval times still evident today, a land of technology and tradition in the mix.
I toured the city of Osaka, which gives the exciting and dream-like Japanese city life image without being intimidating like the size of Tokyo. I saw the former Imperial Capital of Kyoto, where I brushed shoulders with the famous Geisha; worldwide symbols of Japanese culture, saw the famous temples of Kyoto, which are steeped in history and displayed majestic artistry. Finally my friends and I took a day trip to the green, lush hills of Nara, one of the first capitals of early Japan (the Heian Period). In Nara, my friends and I took many photos of the old Buddhist temples and shrines there, and this is an unique area where they let the native deer roam freely, giving you the opportunity to brush and stroke these docile creatures face to face. Sort of like when Adam and Eve had dominion over animals and we could interatct with them.
God has given me much reflection during my time here in Osaka/Kansai, and He has given me rejuvenation. He has allowed me to fulfill my dream to see Japan in the flesh, a feat that many people my age would eagerly desire to accomplish.
As with all great vacations, this one is coming to an end. I spent my last in Japan in Osaka, with a new friend by the name of Ok`e Atatah, a Nigerian-American who also is travelling Japan. He and I shared new experiences travelling Kyoto and Nara, and I also showed him around tonight in his first night here in Osaka. A great guy in the least, he will continue to travel Japan while I head home. I wish the best for him and his life.
It will take me time to reflect on what I think about Japan and its society, but from initial impressions, I am impressed for the most part. Its okay to make initial judgments on the surface for now, especially since I have only been here for one week. Other foreigners who have lived here for months and years can see the fineprint to really make an effort to see the underpinnings of Japanese society.
But yeah, I recommend this trip to Japan in a heartbeat. As Japan continues to beat its economic heart for the world, its worth seeing the foundations it has had in history to lead to what the nation is today.
I return back to my Motherland tomorrow, back to normal life of teaching, learning Korean, and learning about Dynamic Korea.
In the end, Japan and Korea, as neighbors and fierce rivals, could not be more dependent on one another more than ever.
I will be returning from the Land of the Rising Sun to the Land of the Morning Calm (Korea) tomorrow afternoon. It has been a blessed week in Japan.
I had the opportunity to explore a small, but major part of the Kansai Region of Japan, which includes the central area island of Honshu. It is a region steeped in rich and imperiled history, with much evidence of the medieval times still evident today, a land of technology and tradition in the mix.
I toured the city of Osaka, which gives the exciting and dream-like Japanese city life image without being intimidating like the size of Tokyo. I saw the former Imperial Capital of Kyoto, where I brushed shoulders with the famous Geisha; worldwide symbols of Japanese culture, saw the famous temples of Kyoto, which are steeped in history and displayed majestic artistry. Finally my friends and I took a day trip to the green, lush hills of Nara, one of the first capitals of early Japan (the Heian Period). In Nara, my friends and I took many photos of the old Buddhist temples and shrines there, and this is an unique area where they let the native deer roam freely, giving you the opportunity to brush and stroke these docile creatures face to face. Sort of like when Adam and Eve had dominion over animals and we could interatct with them.
God has given me much reflection during my time here in Osaka/Kansai, and He has given me rejuvenation. He has allowed me to fulfill my dream to see Japan in the flesh, a feat that many people my age would eagerly desire to accomplish.
As with all great vacations, this one is coming to an end. I spent my last in Japan in Osaka, with a new friend by the name of Ok`e Atatah, a Nigerian-American who also is travelling Japan. He and I shared new experiences travelling Kyoto and Nara, and I also showed him around tonight in his first night here in Osaka. A great guy in the least, he will continue to travel Japan while I head home. I wish the best for him and his life.
It will take me time to reflect on what I think about Japan and its society, but from initial impressions, I am impressed for the most part. Its okay to make initial judgments on the surface for now, especially since I have only been here for one week. Other foreigners who have lived here for months and years can see the fineprint to really make an effort to see the underpinnings of Japanese society.
But yeah, I recommend this trip to Japan in a heartbeat. As Japan continues to beat its economic heart for the world, its worth seeing the foundations it has had in history to lead to what the nation is today.
I return back to my Motherland tomorrow, back to normal life of teaching, learning Korean, and learning about Dynamic Korea.
In the end, Japan and Korea, as neighbors and fierce rivals, could not be more dependent on one another more than ever.
Wednesday, August 1, 2007
Japan Part 3: Kyoto and Peace
I arrived in Kyoto, and all I can say is one thing: peace.
Kyoto, even though it has shopping centers, is not as big as Osaka. It is the renowned former Imperial Capital of Japan, so it retains many of its essences from the olden Medieval Heian and Edo Periods.
We are staying in the Gion District, which is home to the renowned Geisha Entertainment Quarter. I spotted a few, and even talked to one because I was looking for our hotel.
I also met a fellow traveler by the name of Ok`e, who is an American from Houston. He was the coolest cat because he has a personality similar to one of my dear college friends at home, so it was nostalgia walking around this dude while sharing our experiences of Japan.
The Gion Quarter is very old, wooden, and retains a style of peace to it. Old style tea shops, antiques, and of course, bars and restaurants line the area. Many businessmen flock to the area to be entertained by the famous Geisha.
The Geisha themselves are like what you see on TV: mysterious, quaint, and doll-like creatures that skip around in wooden block shoes and gorgeous assortment of Kimonos, catering to their various stops around town. They are trained conversationalists (meaning they make jokes with their clients, and know how to carry on conversations), musicians, and party starters.
But the highlight of my whole experience so far in Japan was something that I have been looking for the whole time: more peaceful environments.
Ok`e took me to this hilltop in Gion where he found this really awesome temple with lanterns all over the place. It was absolutely stunning. There was a nearby river where the water trickled with ease, and a white duck resting in the tranquil water. The trees softened with the light breeze, while the bugs chirped for the while, and lanterns blazed Asian style. This was true Asia, and my dream came true.
My friend and I were just enjoying the night, conversing and taking lots of photos of this place. It was mostly to ourselves, it felt absolutely great to get out of big cities like Incheon, Osaka, and enter this place of rest. It was quiet.
That is what vacation is all about.
Kyoto, even though it has shopping centers, is not as big as Osaka. It is the renowned former Imperial Capital of Japan, so it retains many of its essences from the olden Medieval Heian and Edo Periods.
We are staying in the Gion District, which is home to the renowned Geisha Entertainment Quarter. I spotted a few, and even talked to one because I was looking for our hotel.
I also met a fellow traveler by the name of Ok`e, who is an American from Houston. He was the coolest cat because he has a personality similar to one of my dear college friends at home, so it was nostalgia walking around this dude while sharing our experiences of Japan.
The Gion Quarter is very old, wooden, and retains a style of peace to it. Old style tea shops, antiques, and of course, bars and restaurants line the area. Many businessmen flock to the area to be entertained by the famous Geisha.
The Geisha themselves are like what you see on TV: mysterious, quaint, and doll-like creatures that skip around in wooden block shoes and gorgeous assortment of Kimonos, catering to their various stops around town. They are trained conversationalists (meaning they make jokes with their clients, and know how to carry on conversations), musicians, and party starters.
But the highlight of my whole experience so far in Japan was something that I have been looking for the whole time: more peaceful environments.
Ok`e took me to this hilltop in Gion where he found this really awesome temple with lanterns all over the place. It was absolutely stunning. There was a nearby river where the water trickled with ease, and a white duck resting in the tranquil water. The trees softened with the light breeze, while the bugs chirped for the while, and lanterns blazed Asian style. This was true Asia, and my dream came true.
My friend and I were just enjoying the night, conversing and taking lots of photos of this place. It was mostly to ourselves, it felt absolutely great to get out of big cities like Incheon, Osaka, and enter this place of rest. It was quiet.
That is what vacation is all about.
Tuesday, July 31, 2007
Osaka, Part Two: Something Right, Something Wrong With This Country
James and I conquered more of Japan today.
We first went to a famous Buddhist temple, just to check out its architecture, one of the oldest in Japan and built by the famous Prince Shitoku. Well, since I do not know who Prince Shitoku, so he is not famous.
Unfortunately, some of the sights we tried to visit were closed today, but the weather was really good to us, so walking was not as a major pain, which was great.
James made an excellent choice for a tourist site today: the Nagai Botanical Gardens. Located in southern Osaka, it was the most beautiful day to go. Hardly anyone was there. Located right behind a major sports complex, the walk to the Gardens was very scenic and the summer breeze felt great.
The flowers and the water lilies were a joy to see. The Rose Garden, with no one there, was tranquil, and I really felt God in that moment. There is nothing more evident of God`s existence than His creation. See, I have not seen a garden/forest in months, because I live in a city where vegetation is hard to find. The people who were there were Japanese who seemed very active and enjoyed the outdoors. There old women taking strolls with one another, mothers and children walking side by side, old Japanese ajoshi having chats on park benches, and a couple of artists painting the beautiful scenery. It was a moment, well I am not going to say bliss because its sort of associated with Buddhism, but it was a moment of peace.
Tonight, James and I went to dinner, and we went to the World Trade Center in southwest Osaka. We went all the way to the top floor and surveyed the entire city. It was amazing. Man`s accomplishment, well, I give him credit for building such a city, but the ability to build and build more is only given by God.
However tonight, as I walking in the streets of this city before heading home, I noticed something wrong. Even though I admire the country for many aspects of it, there is something that bothers me nonetheless. I see lostness in the face of the youth.
Many of the young people dress up in ways that are straight up outrageous. Many young women cake make up to the extreme, and the young men dress in goofy ways.
In this society, Japan is a whopping 1% Christian statistic. With hardly a backdrop of strong morals and family life anymore, and no God to give a purpose to these young peoples lives, you can easily tell that many of these people are losing direction.
At least in South Korea, many people are religious, and even though not all faith is genuine in all people, the given moral backdrop does help the society function on a more even keel.
One grave example of the lost youth of Japan are the rising amount of juvenile crime. Today, one 22-year old confessed in a trial in Tokyo that he drowned his sister, and dismembered her body. Its her sister! These subtle acts of sin cause a pain inside me, but people today do not admit that it is a problem of the heart, but just a mental issue. With Japan a rich nation and big in status, the biggest issue is that many a child will forget morals and values and go for their own pleasure, which produces pride.
A lost society produces lost children...and lost lives. The real casualty is not only those who commit the crime and the victim, but that they did not have the chance to know the true God who can give them life.
We first went to a famous Buddhist temple, just to check out its architecture, one of the oldest in Japan and built by the famous Prince Shitoku. Well, since I do not know who Prince Shitoku, so he is not famous.
Unfortunately, some of the sights we tried to visit were closed today, but the weather was really good to us, so walking was not as a major pain, which was great.
James made an excellent choice for a tourist site today: the Nagai Botanical Gardens. Located in southern Osaka, it was the most beautiful day to go. Hardly anyone was there. Located right behind a major sports complex, the walk to the Gardens was very scenic and the summer breeze felt great.
The flowers and the water lilies were a joy to see. The Rose Garden, with no one there, was tranquil, and I really felt God in that moment. There is nothing more evident of God`s existence than His creation. See, I have not seen a garden/forest in months, because I live in a city where vegetation is hard to find. The people who were there were Japanese who seemed very active and enjoyed the outdoors. There old women taking strolls with one another, mothers and children walking side by side, old Japanese ajoshi having chats on park benches, and a couple of artists painting the beautiful scenery. It was a moment, well I am not going to say bliss because its sort of associated with Buddhism, but it was a moment of peace.
Tonight, James and I went to dinner, and we went to the World Trade Center in southwest Osaka. We went all the way to the top floor and surveyed the entire city. It was amazing. Man`s accomplishment, well, I give him credit for building such a city, but the ability to build and build more is only given by God.
However tonight, as I walking in the streets of this city before heading home, I noticed something wrong. Even though I admire the country for many aspects of it, there is something that bothers me nonetheless. I see lostness in the face of the youth.
Many of the young people dress up in ways that are straight up outrageous. Many young women cake make up to the extreme, and the young men dress in goofy ways.
In this society, Japan is a whopping 1% Christian statistic. With hardly a backdrop of strong morals and family life anymore, and no God to give a purpose to these young peoples lives, you can easily tell that many of these people are losing direction.
At least in South Korea, many people are religious, and even though not all faith is genuine in all people, the given moral backdrop does help the society function on a more even keel.
One grave example of the lost youth of Japan are the rising amount of juvenile crime. Today, one 22-year old confessed in a trial in Tokyo that he drowned his sister, and dismembered her body. Its her sister! These subtle acts of sin cause a pain inside me, but people today do not admit that it is a problem of the heart, but just a mental issue. With Japan a rich nation and big in status, the biggest issue is that many a child will forget morals and values and go for their own pleasure, which produces pride.
A lost society produces lost children...and lost lives. The real casualty is not only those who commit the crime and the victim, but that they did not have the chance to know the true God who can give them life.
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2010: The Year of the Soni Tiger
