10 More Cultural Differences.

I have now been living in Korea for over 10 months, and I have grown quite accustomed to the culture and lifestyle here.  Over the last couple of months I have been compiling a second list of cultural differences that I think are worth mentioning. Some of them are quite small and trivial, and some of them are very significant. A few of these are even fairly tabooed and negative (to me anyways), but are worth talking about to help understand Korean culture.

1.  GIFTS

As I mentioned in my last post, there is a lot of pressure around giving gifts here in Korea. It is common for Koreans to give their friends, co-workers and even acquaintances gifts for no particular reason (just being nice perhaps). The interesting thing about this is that there is a very apparent, yet unspoken, obligation to reciprocate. If someone gives you a gift it is polite to get them something back, and that I agree with. A lot of the time it is just something small like fruit or juice or something, and it is always at an unexpected time. The problem for me as a foreigner is that I'm not always sure what to get for people, or how much to spend (especially if they gave me a banana 2 weeks ago).

One time many months ago I had gotten into an argument with Mr. Park (I think the only time ever), and afterwards I decided that I should apologize by buying him a gift. Well I know that he enjoys drinking his tea, so I went to my local mart and bought some very nice/high quality tea that cost the equivalent of about $20. The next day I told him that I was sorry about it all, and that he should accept my gift. He said thank you and everything, but he never used it (I think it is still sitting in our classroom!) Turns out I should have just brought him some apples and called it a day (I think he still really appreciated the gesture though). I think maybe there was some unique method of seeping this tea, and maybe it would have best been used at home with a pot, but I felt like I had failed to successfully give him a proper gift.

Another example of this is with Master Lee. He gives me gifts all of the time! I'm always on my way out and he hands me some kind of drink or snack to take with me (in addition to the awesome belt plaque gift he gave me). I really don't know how to repay him though. I think maybe I will bring him something nice from the States when I visit in 2 months, because I think he would appreciate something that is meaningful/thoughtful much more than a monetary gift bought here in Korea.

The last example I will use actually stems from my last post (with the open class). The one homeroom teacher had to change class times from 1st period to my lunch period, which was quite inconvenient for me. I wasn't gonna raise a fit, or say anything because I know these things happen, but he felt it necessary to give me a gift. At first I didn't even know what was happening (I don't know which teachers have which classes) and this cool teacher I play volleyball with was in my room trying to speak English to me. Eventually Mr. Park told me that he was 3-4's homeroom teacher, and that he was 'bribing' me to make up for changing the class time! I couldn't believe it, but it was this cool little science project thing, so I thanked him and was happy to waste time with it that afternoon :)

2.  LAST MINUTE NOTICE


A common gripe from fellow Native English Teachers (NETs) here is the last minute notice for so many things at school. This is something that can vary by school and co-teacher, but I have experienced some inconvenience from this in my time here so far. Common things that receive last minute notice are faculty dinners, canceled or rescheduled classes, school assemblies, and worst of all VACATION TIMES. I know that schools have a lot going on, and back in the States there are 'surprise' assemblies here and there, but it can be very frustrating here. I have been pretty lucky, since Mr. Park is one of the better co-teachers I could have gotten, but I have still had to cancel plans to go to dinner with the teachers a couple times.
When it comes to vacations I have really been lucky.  I did have to ask several times to get confirmed dates for things like Thailand, my upcoming summer vacation and for my trip home, but I got them.  Some people have had to change their flights, or pay more for a flight because they get their information changed or late.  It is one of the famous inconveniences among NETs here though.

3.  CORPORAL PUNISHMENT


One of the most shocking things to me (and my generation) here is the use of corporal punishment in schools. Corporal punishment encompasses a lot of different things, including students standing in awkward positions for extended periods of time, different forms of exercise and even hitting the students. I was told when I arrived in Korea that I would probably witness some forms of discipline that I might not be comfortable with, so I wasn't caught off guard by it. In March of 2011 physically punishing students in Korea became against the law, but naturally it still happens (without any concern from parents or teachers even).

Common push-up position which the students have to hold.  

Arms being held above head.  (both photos from the internet)

When I was young it was normal to occasionally be punished by some sort of mild corporal punishment (standing in the corner; my mother's brutal wooden spoon [it was nothing lol]).  However that was done entirely at home, not at school.  I was able to accept that change when I arrived here, but I have seen and heard of some uses of corporal punishment since I have been teaching here that are.. in my opinion pushing the limits.  I have heard some of Mr. Park's horror stories of when he was in middle school here, and it makes today's punishments seem like absolutely nothing.  I've heard stories from my father about the Catholic school nuns who used to smack his knuckles with a ruler, so it used to happen in the States too, but.. still a walk in the park compared to the Korean discipline 25 years ago!

4.  OH MY GOD.

Here in Korea there are several English phrases that almost everyone knows, and they are usually quite funny (yet in some senses, inappropriate).  There are always jokes being made about people/things dying, and a very common phrase is "Oh my God."  I hate to admit it, but I have completely conformed to using these kinds of phrases and terms.  There are two reasons why this is: (1) many of the teachers talk this way, and it is an easy/good way to bond, and (2) if the students are using English, I don't want to discourage them, even if it would sound a little inappropriate back home.  This is Korea, and if they have their own acceptable way to use their English, who am I to tell them that it isn't okay?



An example of joking about 'dying' is as simple and harmless as a girl chasing a boy, and him running to me saying "Teacher!  She will kill me!"  Or after a hard workout at Taekwondo: "Oh my God, teacher I die."  So after a few months I naturally jumped on board.  I used to make an effort to say 'oh my gosh,' or at least be careful who I was around if I said 'oh my God.'  Here however, I have even said "oh my God" on camera during one of the outtakes of the 6th grade version of Let It Be.

5.  RACISM/SEXISM


One of the toughest things for me here is the blatant racism and sexism in society.  As a white American male I am certain that I am on the top rung of the societal ladder, as far as foreigners go.  I am told how handsome I am, and I get respect from a lot of people all the time.  So what am I complaining about?  Well I'd like to earn my place in society for one, but secondly (and more importantly), what about my friends from India, Africa and South America?  And more so what about Chinese and Japanese immigrants?  Also the women who are constantly treated as second class citizens?

Now I can't get into specific examples and 'reasons' for each and every subgroup and race in this post alone, but I will try to give a quick overview of the situation, and my feelings about it.  I tend to consider Korea to be where the US was in the 60's and 70's as far as the new generation making a progressive effort to level the playing field, however that is gross oversimplification.  There is a lot of hate towards the Japanese for their brutal occupation from 1910-1945, and there is a less intense, but still significant feeling towards the Chinese for other historical events.  Black people are considered lower class citizens, and are constantly stared at, laughed at, and even touched by Koreans.  Every time my students see a video or a picture of a black person, they laugh and say something in Korean.  Mr. Park knows how much this upsets me, and he always tells them to knock it off while I have a stern look on my face.  I have gotten into a fairly heated argument with a Korean about Latinos, who that person claimed are all inherently lazy, and are just interested in having a good time now.  I have several feminist friends here who obviously experience and view Korea differently than me, but they are always complaining about the old fashioned sense of sexism in Korea.  (Most women I know here are not that upset by it, as it used to be much worse, but it's still there.  Like I said, comparable to the 60's and 70's in the States.)

My students think every black person looks like President Obama by the way.

Of course it is very important to state that not every Korean is racist and/or sexist, however I believe majority are in some way, as it is ingrained into their culture.  And many aren't prejudice with bad intentions, they just may be curious about a group of people they have never seen before.  (That is why some black friends of mine have been touched or 'felt' by the person behind them in line at a store.)  Also most Koreans know that you should NEVER call that body of water to the East the "Sea of Japan"... it's the East Sea.  I could go on for days about this stuff, but lets just say that I have accepted that I am in a different place, and that I feel lucky to be from a country that is so diverse, and in many ways so open minded.

6.  MAN PURSES


I don't have a problem wearing a pink shirt from time to time, or having long hair that I take care of, but one thing I will probably never do is accessorize with a man purse.  This is a 'must have' for most Korean men.  It is really interesting how fads catch like wild fire here.  If there is one style of jacket or shoes that is suddenly popular, it seems that within a week or two EVERYONE in the downtown area has that style.  This is part of what happened with the man purse, and it doesn't seem to be going away any time soon.



7.  HOMOPHOBIA

In Korea, there seems to be a pretty significant sense of homophobia.  Over the years I have made fairly good friends with several gay people, and have no sense of homophobia myself.  I actually enjoy being around gay people because they usually are not self-conscious, and are in no way fake or 'plastic.'  I guess that's a pretty big no-no here, and a couple openly gay people I have met (males and females) have to basically live in the closet due to fear of being deported!  I don't have solid proof or evidence that they would be fired and sent home, but we have all heard stories of that happening.  Also Koreans seem to get very uneasy when I talk about a friend of mine being gay.

One very interesting thing about this is that you will most likely see men holding hands here.  I was shocked when I first saw two old Korean men holding hands, especially since I had heard what I had heard about the homophobic nature of this culture.  There is nothing gay about men holding hands in Korea (unlike in the States), as I have held hands with a co-teacher, my vice-principle and Master Lee since I've been here.  (I love the irony though; two men with purses holding hands is cool, but don't you dare disclose your sexual orientation if it is different from everyone else).

8.  SAVING FACE


One of the most difficult things for Koreans and Westerners to deal with in the work place is this: society demanding that you save face.  So many things are 'kicked under the rug' to avoid making anyone look bad.  If there is a problem that can be ignored, it will be.  For me, I want to recognize, address, and solve any problem that comes along.  I think that this is annoying to many Koreans, and they'd really prefer that you pretend that everything is fine.

I'm trying to think of one good specific example, but this occurs all of the time in a school.  I might want to talk about something that happened in class that didn't work so well.  However I feel like I shouldn't bring it up, even if it will help things run smoother in the future.  Let's say that I am leading the class (like in the open class video) and the co-teacher and I have a disagreement on how many times we should show a video.  There may be an awkward moment during that class, where I'll reluctantly agree to something that I think is unnecessary.  Afterwards I would like to discuss that and make sure that we are on the same page.  There have been times where this has happened, and I was basically told to wait one moment, and the topic was never addressed.  These kinds of things happen all the time, in all kinds of situations.  A little bit frustrating.

9.  SNEEZING/COUGHING/SNIFFLING


In Korea you don't say "God bless you" or "gazoontite" when someone sneezes.  It is considered embarrassing to sneeze, and saying something like that is rude because it draws more attention to the person who did it.  This is true for coughing as well.  If someone that you respect coughs or sneezes, it is polite to fake cough to make their cough less noticeable (this is an unspoken thing that I have picked up on over time).  Also blowing your nose is considered extremely rude, especially when eating.  This is the one I can't get on board with at all.  People will sniffle for the duration of a meal to avoid blowing their nose, and with all of the spicy food here that is quite common.  I try to respect the culture and partake in many aspects of it, but to me sniffling for 20 minutes is much ruder than blowing my nose for 1 second.

10.  HAND GESTURES


One of the most obvious differences I noticed when I arrived in Korea were the different ways to say 'no' and 'come here.' They are easy to learn and use, and are very second nature now. The hand gesture for 'come here' is similar to ours with the hand motion, but you point your hand at the ground, as to suggest that the person walk towards you. The 'universal' way to say no here is by making an X with your fingers or arms. (An O with your arms means 'yes' or 'true,' but less common to see.)

 

Ryan Teacher's Open Class.

As I have mentioned, I had an open class last month for one of my 3rd grade classes.  What that means is that several parents and administrators sat in to observe one of my class.  It went really well during the class, however had some interesting events before and after the camera was turned on and off that are definitely worth mentioning.

Fortunately I was able to choose which grade, class and lesson I wanted to use for the open class a few weeks ahead of time.  I chose my 3rd graders because they are not only very well behaved and surprisingly high level for first year English students, they are also very enthusiastic students.  I picked class 3-1 because they are the second class of the day (the second, third and/or fourth classes always go smoother than the first), and they are 2 time winners of the song competitions!  The day before the competition I was informed that the 1st period class' homeroom teacher wanted to move their class to my lunch hour the day of the open class.  There is nothing I could do other than say okay, but what a lose-lose for me!  No opportunity to run through the lesson before the open class, and I got to take my lunch an hour later than normal.  The homeroom teacher did feel bad, and gave me a gift the next day to make up for it (which I will discuss in my next list/account of cultural differences).

The morning of the open class was fine, and I had a free first period to make sure everything was prepared.  I like to treat classes like this normally, as I did for important observations during student teaching at the University of Toledo.  However just as my co-teachers did in college, my school did everything they could to put pressure on this 'performance.'  I feel like my classes almost always go well, and they are always well structured (as they should be).  But there is this notion that you have to put on a show for the administrators and parents, like if they see a normal lesson they'll be disappointed.  I really disagree with that, because I am proud of every lesson I do, and they should see what kind of instruction the students are normally exposed to.  Anyways I am a young teacher, and I have to cooperate with the school's expectations (especially while having a co-teacher).  Even so, this class was still very similar to my other classes, but there are a few small aspects that seem to be dramatized for this class.


As the students filed in for class they were more energetic, loud and rambunctious than I'd ever seen them.  GREAT.  As the students were beginning to settle, and the parents were filing in, there seemed to be a lot of confusion, and Mr. Park was scrambling to settle something.  I had no idea what was going on, but I grew slightly concerned as the students filed OUT of my classroom, and Mr. Park ran to call someone on the phone.  Finally he hung up the phone, I looked at the puzzled parents, then back at Mr. Park with the "what in the world is going on" look.  He explained that the wrong parents were had been invited!  It was class 3-1's class time, but class 3-2's parents had come to observe my open class.  Right after he explained, and I tried to make sense of the situation, class 3-2 began entering my classroom.  About five minutes had passed since the bell had rang, so all I want to do at this point wass to get started.  The camera man gave me the signal to start, we began the class, and 10 seconds later, they informed us that the camera was NOT running.  So we started AGAIN.  I think I did a very good job hiding my frustration at this point, and we had a great class (albeit, a little shorter than normal).



The footage of class is only 33 minutes (as opposed to 40), but it is all good stuff, so I will put it up in 4 parts.  The 'song' portion, the 'textbook' portion, the 'Hi World' videos and the 'game' portion:

During this part of the class we showed the winner for Scooby Doo, and introduced the new song, which was The Lion Sleeps Tonight.  I had planned on having 3-1 for the open class, which was the winner of the Scooby Doo competition, and I am so happy that I didn't accidentally congratulate the wrong class in front of their parents!  You will notice with these low level students that I sometimes ask questions and get nothing but crickets.  We're actually pretty good at minimizing that in class, but there were a few instances of that during this lesson.

This is a routine textbook portion of a lesson.  I ask the students what they heard, then  I ask a few comprehension questions, and then usually have them listen and repeat. 

Hi, World! Is a fun segment of the textbook, and for this class we were able to elaborate on it with several You Tube videos.  You'll notice me pointing at the far right of the classroom quite  a bit during this segment.  I am using a laser pointer on a world map to show where various locations are around the world.

We concluded the class with a PPT game, which is good for reviewing terms, and the students love playing them.  Since the class started 5 minutes late we just got through one round of the game, but we usually do two or three.

After it was finished there were no problems, just went on to teach the next 3 classes in a strange order.  The 4th period however ended up being a surprise open class!  The parents for that class were already there to observe Mr. Jeung's open class, and they decided to stick around for mine, along with several other teachers in my school.  This time it wasn't recorded, but had even more observers than the first one and it went swimmingly.

Hey Jude, Scooby Doo and More!

I haven't posted any song videos in a while because I usually try to put the 3rd and 4th grade videos up together, as well as the 5th and the 6th grade videos.  Due to technological and logistical obstacles, I only have the 3rd grade video for Scooby Doo, the 3rd grade video for The Lion Sleeps Tonight and the 5th grade video for Hey Jude.  The 4th grade Scooby Doo was done on a smart phone, which (smartly?  [double-ly ironic]) had a thumb over the microphone.  The 4th grade Lion Sleeps Tonight is nowhere near finished, due to holidays and only seeing them once per week (as opposed to twice per week for 3rd grade).  Finally the 6th grade Let It Be was recorded on yet another smart phone, and is too large of a file to send to a computer (with no transfer cable in sight; still SMART).

All of the 'smart' recording was due to the many open classes that have taken place in my school over the last month, in which the camcorder was being used.  Speaking of which I just received my open class video, so portions of that should be in my next post!

In any case, I think that posting these 3 different songs will be better, and much more entertaining.  As I am catching up with technology, you will notice that most of my videos are on my "teacherman50" You Tube channel.  Okay, enjoy!

Jake Jimmy Kim's Little Blog!

As I mentioned in my last post there are always students that like to talk to me before or after class, which I think is great.  One student in particular is in my after school class that is made up entirely of 3rd graders, which are pretty low level in English proficiency.  This boy 김지환 (Kim Ji Whan) is one of the brightest little ones I have, and is always excited to show off the English skills that he has learned so far (which is the most in the class).  I do have to remind him that he is my student and not my friend sometimes, but he is always hanging out in my classroom for about an hour before class.  He enjoys looking at my blog (whenever I happen to be looking at or posting in it), and asked today: "Where's my blog?"  I laughed, thought about it, and then told him that it'd be here soon.

After I finished a school related task, I created another blog, entitled "Jake Jimmy Kim's Little Blog."  (Jake Jimmy Kim is the English name we picked for him a few weeks ago.)  There is only one very short post because, even though I will help and instruct him, every word of that blog will be typed by him.  I'm not sure how often we will be able to update his blog, but I hope to have him write in it every time he comes to class early.  I think it is great practice for him, as writing is the most difficult part of learning a language (out of reading/writing/listening/speaking).  

Also since we are now sharing my blog ID, I decided it was only fair to let him share my profile picture as well.  If you ever have an interest in checking his updates, the link to his blog is on my profile, as well as below.

http://kimjiwhan.blogspot.kr/

Here is photo from a few months ago.  김병진 (Kim Byong Jin) is wearing my fedora and that is Jake Jimmy Kim on the right with Mr. Park's guitar :) 

This Job = FUN or STRESS

I always try to share the positive things about my experience as an ESL/EFL teacher here in Korea, but like any situation, there are of course down sides.  I focus on positive things because I am a full blown optimist; all the time.  It is a nice way to live actually, not complaining constantly or bringing people down.  I feel lucky and blessed from my mother, Theresa Manary, for this trait.

Of course that effects how I perceive life here in South Korea, however there are so many undoubtedly good things going on for me, that I think almost anyone would be happy in my shoes.  I have the best co-teachers that let me plan and lead my own lessons, while only using the textbook CD Rom a little bit (which is very important in my opinion; I'm an native English speaker, I don't need to show videos of other native English speakers throughout the whole class).  I also have a wonderful community of friends, including foreigners as well as Koreans.  I could go on and on.  Now there are some not so great things, but I actually have to think hard to list them because I never focus on them (so they aren't too bad!).  In fact I won't list them here and now, but I will talk about some of my friends who are having a less than stellar experience here, and why that is.

The inspiration for this post actually came from a pretty good friend of mine here from England, who is having a pretty crummy day.  The facts of the matter are:

• He is in a very old and poor school.
• He has teachers that make him teach the textbook, and the textbook only.
• He has a background in business and law, NOT in education.
• He is very nice, and quite witty in my opinion, but is much happier when he gets some peace and quiet at his desk, not when he stands "awkwardly" in front of his classes.

The following is his Facebook status, that he deleted pretty soon after posting.  I happened to see it right away and posted a reassuring comment, to which he responded in a personal message.  He is going to be fine here, he is just having one of those days (and the non-stop rain today sure doesn't help).

Anonymous friend's status update:

How are you? What's the day today? What's the date today? What's the weather like today? What lesson is today? Turn to page X. Listen and repeat after me. Dialogue. Read and write. Complete the sentences by choosing the missing words. Chant - sing the cringeworthy song. Repeat x 4 for all classes. Walk around the classroom pretending to check on what they are writing. Watch exhausted 6th graders barely even keep their eyes open, let alone give a crap about English. Go into the library. Say hello 500 times. Get asked how I am 500 times. Cringe when I hear made-up terms like 'so-so' or 'not so good'. Put the same Spongebob Squarepants DVD on. Have kids jump and scream and dance around me. Try to read or concentrate on my computer screen. 'Teacher, what's this? Do you like apples?' Tell the students to stop climbing, fighting, running, screaming, but they continue anyway. Stay until 6pm. Go home and think - what the hell was the point of all that then? Repeat the above every...single...day. I'm in Groundhog Day. Must keep hold of my sanity. Must keep hold of my sanity. Are there any proper jobs out there?

My response:

Wow, your day sounds a little less fun than mine. Try teaching them different things to say when they come ask you about apples, or say hello 500 times. I started saying "what's up?" and not allowing them to say just "I'm fine, thank you.  And you?" Also, remember not to take it too seriously. Like, as a teacher I would never say that back home, but here they aren't going to learn or care if class isn't fun. So make it fun! Joke around, play (or make up) GOOD songs or chants. Of course I don't know how your co-teachers are, or if being too 'fun' will make them act like a bunch of crazies, but there are things you can do to keep your sanity friend :)

Many of his claims and complaints are fairly similar to how my day goes, the only difference is I sincerely enjoy it!  I do have a similar routine, but I really love these kids.  Since they have fun in my class, they are excited about learning English.  Since they are excited about learning English they come and talk to me all the time (before, during and after school).  This is not a nag or a chore for me either, it is really fun and rewarding!

There are some fundamental differences between my friend and I though.  Personality and background is huge (for anyone considering taking this job).  School environment is something that is somewhat out of your control, but that is a real factor that can make or break your experience here.  I get to play guitar and sing during every single one of my classes, and I get to end with a game almost every class.  I have fun, and the kids have fun.  There have been days where I have been pressured into teaching the textbook lesson.  Listen and repeat for 40 or 50 minutes.  The kids hate it after 20 minutes, and the teacher certainly isn't having fun (or using any kind of skill or creativity).  If I was forced to do that all the time I'd be numb too.  

Some people I know have really bad experiences because they are not allowed to lead the class.  Their role is what we call "the parrot" role.  Stand there and do nothing until the Korean teacher asks you to do 'listen and repeat' with the students.  This is okay for some people, but others who are really passionate teachers see this as a travesty!  There is a CD Rom that can do that.  Why even pay someone from across the world if that is all you are going to use them for!?   

Other friends have had a bad experience because they are picky eaters.  I LOVE Korean food, but some people just refuse to eat it.  Too bad for them.. I don't recommend an extended trip abroad if you can't try to enjoy foreign cuisines.  There are Western restaurants and stores that carry Western style groceries, but it is a lot of work to avoid Korean food all the time.  It is also more expensive!

I think it is obvious and clear how much I love being here in Korea, but it really isn't for everyone.  If you are considering coming to teach here for a year, take those potential problems into consideration.  The school situation is a little bit of a crap shoot, but it can be negotiable.  If you are a good teacher, with a lot of creative ideas, and that can be direct, I think you can make any situation work!

Billiards Car Crash! :O

A while back, maybe 1-2 months ago, I was walking to Taekwondo from the other end of my neighborhood after running a couple errands.  It is pretty unusual for me to be on that side of the street at this time, so it is a crazy coincidence that there happened to be an accident there that night.  I noticed that there was a big crowd of people and a police car up ahead, so I checked it out.  Now one of the wonderful things about Korea is the super low crime rate, so this was the first time I'd seen a police car actually dealing with a crime/incident.  As I approached the scene I saw that a billiards hall was completely missing its front bay windows and door!  Someone had apparently ran their car INTO the pool hall, backed out, and continued on their way.  I can only speculate as to whether the driver had been drunk or not (but come on, he/she had to have been), and I don't know if they ever caught anyone for it.  I did snap a couple pictures of it from that night, and then later once it was all fixed up.  It was quite crazy, and I'm just glad I wasn't walking there 5-10 minutes earlier when the driver was navigating through my neighborhood in such a reckless manner.  Phew!

What a mess!

The Korean cop car.  They always have their lights on when they drive, but apparently not when they park at a crime scene..

The pool hall all fixed up.