I've been long overdue to make a post about my time in South Korea working as a teacher in a kindergarten. However, I've decided not to include any photos of my students (although I have posted some on my personal, private Facebook) to protect their identities and so on. My overall experience working as a teacher was amazing! Anyone who knows me, knows that I am very passionate about learning and, despite the difficulties I face teaching young children, every dark cloud definitely had a silver lining (which I'll get into a little bit later). First, I want to talk a little bit about my experience with the culture difference and some of the ways my social life changed while I was there. Then, I'll talk a little bit about my experience working as a teacher. I've taken SO many photos while I was there (literally thousands), so I've included just a few that might help sum things up.
찌개 (Stew - but I don't remember which kind! )
Seriously, before I went to Korea and up until this very day, 찌개 (jjigae- it means stew) is one of my all time favourite foods to eat! On a cold day, there's nothing better than having a warm meal, filled with vegetable and meat. There's so much flavour in the food, and I can safely say I miss Korean food waaaaay more than I missed Canadian food- although I did find myself pining for my dad's barbecuing in the summer time! It was definitely a staple food. I think the best part about eating in Korea was the 반찬 (side dishes). Overtime you ordered something, you'd get tons of veggies on the side, which just made the meal much more enjoyable. You could add or not, but it really was something I liked! I guess because it's something we don't have in Canada. The best part, however, was that I could eat a delicious, filling meal for under $10 and didn't have to worry about tax or tipping. When I returned to Canada, I felt so confused because of this, but it's something I really miss- I never had to worry about being low on cash to pay those things.
파전 (Korean pancake with scallion) & 막걸리(rice/wheat "wine")
On a rainy day, there was nothing like going to get 천 (jeon) or some 막걸리(makgeolli) to get a drink. Actually- even on a day where it wasn't raining, it was always nice. There was a lot of different flavours and foods to try, and the atmosphere was really nice; definitely my first choice of places to drink. 이 술집에 분위기 좋아해요! Usually, on a Friday night, my friends and I would go to a bar and have a couple of drinks. It was a really nice way to relax and just chat. The interior was very comfortable and it was usually not too loud so it was easy to talk. The drinking culture in Korea is a lot different from Canada, but it was a very social thing. It was an interesting thing to experience!
As far as cultural things are concerned, Korea is very rich in it. There are always tons of festivals happening and something interesting is always happening. I don't know much about what's happening in the photo, but I know they have a lot of rituals that bring good luck to businesses. Anyway, for me the meaning of the ritual isn't always important. However, being able to see these people in traditional dress walking with traditional instruments, allowing the rich history and culture of Korea to carry into this modern age is something I greatly appreciated seeing. It was so interesting. While I love Canada, it's such a new country that the history and culture are not very rich- the perk of living in a generally homogenous place was that I was able to experience and see these things everyday. Also... if anyone actually knows information (like the name) about this ritual, please tell me because I'd like to learn more about it!
Korea, much like Canada, experiences four seasons. However, I think spring (although short-lived) was definitely my favourite. Why? The cherry blossoms! While I didn't have the opportunity (thanks terrible sinus cold) to travel to any of the famous places to see them, I was able to see some while taking the shuttle bus from the kindergarten school where I spent my mornings to the afternoon academy. Taking the bus was perhaps my favourite time of the day, because I got to see some interesting parts of Jinju that I otherwise wouldn't have seen! I also got to see this lovely row of cherry blossoms and lanterns. Actually, one of the things I was most excited about when going to Korea was being able to actually see cherry blossoms. They've been one of my favourite flowers ever since I discovered the Teavana "Sakura Allure" tea and The Body Shop's "Japanese Cherry Blossom" lotions and shower gels. Not to mention, they're just beautiful. I remember I was so excited when my close friend taught me the Korean word for cherry blossom (벛꽃 pronounced like 'beotggot'). It definitely brightened up my spring and made me happy that I was finally able to see these flowers in bloom all around the city!
Jinju - 2016 Lantern Festival
The city I lived in was Jinju. It's more in the southern part of Korea, so the weather was fairly mild all year round (but let me tell you, cold in Korea is way different from cold in Canada). Jinju is a small city, with a population of about 400,000 (more or less) and a lot of history! While it was smaller than Ottawa, it felt like home and I felt pretty comfortable living there almost immediately (especially after I got over my fear of city buses, haha). I loved visiting the Jinju Fortress and going into the museum (thank you to my first friend in Korea, Jihye, who brought me there in the spring of 2016!) It's a tribute to the history of Korea during the Imjin War (1592~98). I'm not going to get into the specifics much, but if you're interested definitely look it up to learn more about that time. Anyway, there's some key festivals that happen in Jinju throughout the year. I visited the Korean Drama Festival and the Lantern Festival while I was there, but there were also an agricultural festival and the Nongae festival (learn about it, it's interesting and I'm sad I didn't go to experience it). I'll post pictures from the Lantern Festival in a later post, but the above photo was taken in the fortress in October, when the festival was on. It's amazing to see the city all lit up and wonderful. It was a great cultural experience!
While getting to experience the culture of Korea was great, my life there would have been so much less exciting if it weren't for my friends. They were my rocks in times of hardship and homesickness, and made everyday a bit more exciting. I'm so thankful to God that I was able to meet these people, because it's hard to find true friends who will be there for you throughout anything at any moment. This here is my girl Rosie, my best friend and pretty much the peanut butter to my jelly in Korea. She's one of the best friends I've ever had in my life, and I could call her up at like 12am and she'd come running to my side if I needed her. We made so many memories, traveling together and having first experiences together... and don't get me started on the food adventures. Seriously, would be nowhere without her because she's the only one who ever laughed at my jokes!
Of course, there were many special times with my friends. For my birthday, my friend surprised me with a cake (hello kitty!!!!!!) and planned a nice event for me. I was so touched. I think this was one of the best birthdays I've ever had (and not only because I got to celebrate it for like, the whole weekend). It was really nice to be surrounded by people who cared for me on my birthday while being overseas! It's little things like that which help to ease homesickness in times where you really miss your home, family and friends!
I made a lot of friends while I was in Korea! Even if we didn't get to spend a lot of time together, all of these friends are very precious to me, and I cherish our memories together!
The fun part about living abroad, is you get to meet so many people from all over the world! Now, if I visit other places, I can easily find friends who are living in those countries! And if they come to Canada, I'm always happy to host them! It's so sad when a friend goes back to their home country, and even sadder for the person who is leaving. ㅠㅠ But, we can always keep in contact and wish each other the best and hope to meet again in the future!
Language Connection
Every Friday, I would attend a language exchange club. I met a lot of great friends while I was there! I'm so thankful to my friend Sam(겹살- ㅋㅋㅋ/ Minjae) for always cheering for me and celebrating some special occasions with me. I can always learn from my friends, and my goal in going to Korea was to improve my language skills. While we didn't always study, it was a great way to meet students and make Korean friends, which I think is so important when you move abroad. 민재야~~ 정말 고마워요! 나의 친절한 친구!! 나중에 봐요! ㅋㄷㅋㄷ
I hope we can all meet again soon and make some more memories together! My social life was one of the most major and important things to my experience in Korea. It's so sad to think that I can't meet these people often anymore, but I know that we have made some lifelong friendships through this experience that is so precious to us! See you guys when I return!
Studying Korean was also an important thing for me while I was in Korea. While I didn't improve as much as I hoped to, there's a huge difference in my Korean skill from when I left Canada to the present time! I studied with my friends and was able to learn some new vocabulary. It was so much fun to study with friends and learn things. It was also great for me, as a teacher, to be able to see the different styles that my friends used to help me to learn Korean! I strongly believe that it's great to be flexible in strategies and learning/teaching styles... so every moment I spend studying was something I can use to grow as a learner and a teacher! Thank you, my friends, for helping me to improve in both areas!
Finally... the main reason why I went to Korea - to teach! I worked in two schools- one was a kindergarten, which I worked at in the mornings from 10:15~1:40. Then, I would move to an academy (kind of an after school program) and teach elementary~middle school students from 2:30~6:30/7:30. I've always wanted to teach English, and after going to university, and after this year, I know it's something I want to continue to do. Anyway, the students were sometimes a handful, as all young kids are, but when the end of the year came around and they had their annual party where they showed off their skills and performed for their parents, it felt like all the hard work was worth it. While I'm not sure if I actually impacted the students, their hugs and cheers when I would go into the classroom sort of made it worth it. My goal was to make learning fun for the students, and I was able to see some kids improving and learn a lot about how children learn in general (which is great, because my dream is to eventually write my own textbook or open a language school of my own). There were a lot of great events going on at the school, making kimchi or doing crafts of celebrating holidays with the kids. These times were very precious because I got to do fun activities with the students and see their personalities outside of just classroom activities. It's always nice to have the kids run up to you wanting a hug or showing you something they're proud of!
However, my favourite parts of my days were when I'd get on that bus and head to the academy! My favourite days were always Wednesdays, where I'd get to see all my favourite students in one day! The students were older, meaning there were less focus problems, and always very enthusiastic about learning. The material I was able to teach was also exciting and allowed me to be very flexible in my teaching. I think that's the place I miss the most; my co-teachers were amazing and there was always a good atmosphere in the teachers' room.
Overall, my experience in Korea was great. While I'm happy I got to come home, I seriously miss being there- and of course, I miss my students as well! I wish they'll all continue to grow and learn to enjoy learning languages the way I do! I can't wait to be able to go back and teach and explore more of the country and learn more about the culture that I've fallen so in love with. I know there's so much more I could say, but it's not really something you can entirely explain... but I'm always willing to answer questions about anything! If you have a chance one day, I hope you will learn about Korea or visit to experience the culture firsthand. Maybe you'll fall in love with Korea, just as I did!
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