What I Learned in Korea

Well, this is it.  Probably one of my last posts from Korea.  My mom will be here in 13 days, and we start our trip in 20 days.  I might do another blog post after my farewell dinner with friends and the first few days with my mom, but I'm not sure.  I suppose I will take this opportunity to write a post about what I have learned in Korea.  Or at least where I publicly pretend to have learned something,  Harhar, just kidding. 

1. It doesn't matter how much you empty out of your suitcase, you will still bring way too  much crap for one year.  There's really no way to avoid this one, short of showing up with the clothes on your back which isn't a good start, either.  My advice to anyone doing the teaching-for-a-year gig is to bring one big suitcase and one small suitcase.  Bring mostly the clothes you'll wear to work--you're going to be there five days a week anyway.  You don't need five pairs of jeans.
2. I used to just shrug off the idea of "architecture" when building things.  Now I miss it!  Somedays I wake up, walk outside, and wonder if I'm on the wrong side of the DMZ.  Although this is a trend that slowly seems to be disappearing in Korea, which is a good thing!
3. "Western" men, even from my generation, still have a long way to come in their view of women.  Sure, there are Korean men whose behavior left much to be desired, but the real sleazes were more likely to be from the other side of the ocean.  Of course, not every expat man, not even the majority, is like that.  There are many factors that go into why there seem to be an above average number of men of questionable character here.  But there is still much room for improvement here.  I am not an object.  I am not your sex toy.  Deal with it.
4. China will not become our master.  At least from an educational standpoint.  The systems in China/Japan/Korea are quite similar, in that they favor rote learning and memorization and long hours in school from a very young age.  Many of my elementary aged students are in school for over twelve hours.  This does not make them better educated.  It makes them good at taking tests and putting in the minimal amount of effort possible to make the teacher happy.  Most of the students are unable to apply the material.  These societies are doing a good job of making employees, but not such a good job of making creators.  I hope that in twenty years the educational system will look different in Korea than today.  I hope that these children, when they grow up, will realize that there can be a good balance between students who work hard but are also allowed to have a childhood. 
5. Cheap taxis and transportation are amazing! Coming from the fourth largest country by land area, it's nice to be able to get on a bus and be anywhere in three or four hours for under $40.  Even though Korea has an east/west divide--want to cross the mountains forming the "backbone" of the country?  Good luck!--it's still much easier than in the US. 
6. Anything can be made tasty if you put enough chili powder and/or paste into it.  This can be a pro or a con, depending on your tastes!
7. Not everyone is your friend.  No explanation necessary.  Not everyone in this world is a decent human being.
8. Children are disease ridden germ factories.  This isn't news, but until you're sick for the 10,000th time, you don't realize the full soul-crushing nature of it.  It doesn't matter how often you wash your hands or how many times you teach them to cough into their elbow and not across the table your hands your face and how on earth did it get on the whiteboard?  On the flip side, some people have crappy immune systems, and that poor guy is you.
9. Public trash cans and water fountains are the best inventions ever.  But mostly the trash cans.  Imagine a world without trash cans.  Smell it yet?
10. Mountains are beautiful, partly because they make you appreciate a horizon.  Going to the coast was amazing because you could look out and see...nothing.  Definitely reminded me of home more than once.
11. Children are built with a switch that goes from "bright eyed youngster" to "don't talk to me" immediately at the age of 11-12.  I've seen it happen in some of my own classes, sometimes overnight.  Oh, puberty.  Which brings us to our next item,
12. Teenagers are the same no matter where you are.  No explanation needed here, either.
13. Work/life balance isn't just a buzzword, it's a necessity.  Definitely something I will be looking for in the future.
14. The world exists in a grey area between where and what is has been, and where and what it wants to be.  I encountered this in Egypt, and again here in Korea.  I'm sure those who come to the US for a short time and return home probably share a similar opinion of us.  In Egypt, their very currency exposes this duality:  on one side is the Arabic script with Arabic/Hindi numerals, and drawings depicting their Islamic heritage.  The other side is written in English showing tourist sites (Sphinx, Pharaohs, statues, etc.).  They protest the invasion of American/European culture, while wearing designer clothes and sitting in a McDonald's.  Korea has a similar story.  The government allows foreigners to come and teach English, and parents pay for their children to study for a native speaker, and yet an uncomfortable number of them seem to prefer that we exist only inside of the classroom.

Although some of these things may sound negative, I don't regret coming to Korea.  As the adage goes, "Twenty years from now, you'll be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did do."  And who doesn't love one less regret?  I've met some great people here (and some not so great), and I'm thankful for everyone who made this place a home away from home.  I'll certainly never forget my time and the people here. Korea is a dynamic and quickly changing country.  I'm sure in another twenty years it will look very different, and it would be interesting to come back and to see that change.  But for now, it's time for me to have one last travel, and return home.

Next post from an undetermined location at an undetermined time!
Karin