Week #1: Thoughts and Impressions

Today marks the first full week of my trip here to South Korea and in just this short time there are a few facts that have become glaringly apparent to me with so much yet to learn.

The education system here is better. I'm sorry but a fact is a fact and these children are doing things three to four years ahead of the American educational system. In kindergarten I am going to be teaching Past Participle, Present Simple, and other various forms of grammar that I did not learn in my private schooled education until 3rd grade. They go to school all day long and well into the evening, having private lessons on top of the regular academic schooling and then go to piano club, martial arts club, art club, etc, 5 days a week. A kindergartner alone will get home, from school, by 8PM and after finishing their homework go to sleep by 11PM. These people work very very hard at their schooling to get into University and then, apparently, once in University, they can finally relax. But that is up to 18 years of intensive education before they relax. Why do I think it is better then? As a substitute teacher in America I saw 7th graders who couldn't read. Here I have seen kindergartners diagram a sentence using similes WITHIN THEIR SECOND LANGUAGE. Hard work pays off and it's not surprising the only thing America exports anymore is culture when seeing this kind of work ethic but that does bring me to my next observation:

Koreans are almost TOO competitive. So they have the hard work thing down pat, the kids are doing the very best they can so they can earn high marks in school to get into university but along with trying to achieve the best of their own human potential, a lot of the drive is to be better than your neighbors. Koreans are an incredibly competitive people. If your neighbors child can speak perfect English at 10, the by God, your child better be able to speak it by 9. If your child is in a good private English school and is learning by leaps and bounds within their own capabilities but the parent has heard of a better school across town that has a better reputation they will rip that kid out of their existing curriculum and toss them into another one without any real knowledge of the new schools habits or techniques. Just so they can say their kid goes there. Koreans have to be the best at everything or they have disappointed themselves and their families. (Note: When the big Asian market collapse of the late 1990's happened a lot of people committed suicide here because they took personal shame in losing their fortunes, not that the market took a huge dive. Subsequently, Hangman is forbidden in classrooms as it brings up too many bad memories.)

There is a lot of racism here. I hate to say it but it is true. This is not the only place with it though so by no means am I trying to admonish Koreans for experiencing an unfortunate yet constant human emotion throughout history. I mean I grew up in Kentucky for Christ's sake, I've heard the N-word more times than I can count and perhaps that's why I'm so keen to noticing it here but Koreans are, by and large, a very isolated people who do not like co mingling with other races. In the town I am in for example there are ZERO black people though I have heard some are in Seoul (they say that American television has given Koreans the idea that all black people are criminals). The older generation is not pleased at all by the amount of white foreign teachers here but they begrudgingly understand that English is an important international business language, and, going back to my competitive point, that if their child or grandchild knows English they will have a leg up on the next child. Yet everywhere I look there is western influence from clothes to music. The younger generation however seems fine and unaffected by the western influence and is happily imitating Brittany Spears and talking to white people. So just like in America where a black man was just elected President by a generation that grew up under forced busing, the ignorance of racism is being slowly swept away by the changing culture and I predict that in 20 years white people such as myself will no long have older people staring at them with venom in their eyes at a restaurant on the one hand while also noticing a group of young people smiling right next to them on the other.

Villains have beards. I moved here with a full beard and immediately noticed that no other Korean men have beards. I then shaved it down to a goatee and still noticed that no other men had facial hair. Then I noticed that people would look at me a bit dodgy in elevators or on the street and finally realized one exhausted night that on Korean television the only men that have facial hair are the BAD GUYS. Since most of the men here cannot grow any facial hair of any sort it an unspoken cultural thing that men don't have any and that's that. My school never said a thing about it but once I brought it up to them all the women agreed, ohhh yes, beards are gross. So since then I have gone clean shaved and met a lot less anxiety from strangers around me.

Beauty is big. I thought America was vain! The beauty market is huge here with whitening creams to make women's skin look paler to creams to make your skin shine. Men have amazing hair and tailored clothing. Just last year mini skirts were legalized by the government so women look like they're about to go to a club everyday no matter the weather. Beauty is big and at my school along I have noticed that all the teachers are good looking. Finally I overheard the supervisors looking at pictures of incoming prospective teachers wondering who was the best looking. If you're attractive here, it's all good. And honestly, most people here are, even the foreigners.

So these are just a few thoughts on my quick seven days here. There will be more to come I am sure. By and large I have been greeted with incredible hospitality by the culture and I am going out of my way to learn the language which has been met with graciousness from the Korean people. I would recommend this country as your first stop of the grand English-teaching tour. They will take very good care of you here.