These past 10 days have been filled with many life-changing experiences that I will never forget. Today marks the 5-week point, which means we have to leave in one week. I am very excited to see my loved ones at home, but will truly miss everyone in Korea more than I ever thought I would. The feeling of ‘bittersweet’ has never applied more. I have not been away from loved ones for this long before, but I have seemed to find a feeling of ‘home’ while here in Korea. The KU students I traveled with, the KU professors, the Kyunghwa English teachers, the students, and the country of Korea have all made me feel a sense of belonging while being here.
I will try my best to recall as many experiences from the past 10 days as possible. I apologize for my delayed post, but the past 10 days have been busy to say the least. Last weekend we spent our time relaxing in Gwangju and preparing for classes this week. One of the other girls and I went to a local nail salon and spent more than I would like to admit on a relaxing afternoon. After this we went to the food court at eMart and enjoyed a delicious meal. Food courts in South Korea have a very different connotation than in the United States. The food is cooked fresh, made-to-order, and then plated nicely.
Last week I taught a lesson on “wh-” question words using Frozen, which was a blast. The students had a lot of fun, but I can shamelessly say I had more fun. The students’ enthusiasm to learn and be involved made this lesson. I taught this lesson to 5 different classes last week and enjoyed every one as much as the first. On Wednesday, one of the native English teachers and his girlfriend took us to their favorite authentic Thai restaurant. The food was amazing and I have been craving Thai food ever since. The next day myself and three other KU teachers were on the playground exercising when a parent of one of our students brought all of us coffee. She told us all about her and her daughter’s experience living in Oklahoma for a year. We talked for 45 minutes about Korean and American life and were humbled by her hospitality. She insisted we come visit her house soon so she could cook us dinner. The families from the school have all been incredibly grateful in our various encounters and we are extremely appreciative of the support.
Every morning the student teachers join the faculty in the teachers lounge for stretching, meditation, hymns, and prayer. I love this concept of starting every morning relaxed and reminded of the blessings we have. On Thursdays the entire high school and it’s faculty join together in the auditorium for chapel. Chapel is 50 minutes long and filled with fun religious songs, dances, and messages from the chaplain. One of our KU professors was asked to join two other female faulty members for a trio. She sang in front of over 2,000 people and was welcomed with a roaring applause. The entire chapel experience was something I will never forget. This morning at meditation the vice principal read the daily prayer and then read it in English. Today’s prayer was dedicated to their appreciation for the KU program that brought us here. They expressed their gratitude for the union of our schools to be continued in the following years. We were all very touched by the meaningful prayer.
This weekend we traveled to Sokcho, which is in the northern part of South Korea. Sokcho was our last excursion of our time here in South Korea. We definitely saved our best for last. The first night we were there we explored the local fish market and came upon an Italian restaurant. A few of us broke off from the group to try the Italian restaurant and I am so glad we did. It was some of the best pizza I have had. The next day we took a bus to the mountains for a day of hiking. This was the best day I have had since being here. We started the day with a cable car ride halfway up the mountain to a vantage point. This was breathtaking. From the vantage point there was trail to get closer to the peak. Once we reached the base of the peak the only way to the peak was by rock climbing. If someone would have told me before I come to Korea that I would rock climb up a real mountain with no harness I would have told you that you were crazy (I won’t even rock climb indoors with a harness). Well somehow I kicked my fear aside and scaled up the side of the mountain and warily stood on the edge of the peak to fully take in what I had just accomplished. I cannot compare the feeling of standing on that peak after accomplishing something I never thought I would do to anything I have ever experienced. ‘Surreal” is the only word I can come up with to express my feelings at that moment. After climbing down the peak we took a different trail to a Buddhist temple on the mountain. This temple was gorgeous and an amazing cultural experience. I have been very interested in the Buddhist religion since being here and witnessing some of the symbols I have been researching in the most beautiful place was humbling. After visiting the temple we took our longest hike of the day to a suspension bridge overlooking a waterfall in the mountains. When we reached the suspension bridge it took a moment to be able to take in the beauty that surrounded us. Pictures could never express how spectacular this place really was. The beauty of it all must have masked my fears. I was standing on a rocking bridge with nothing beneath it, but vast space and rocks beneath. Later, we even found a path to be able to jump into the waterfall and get in fully clothed to the bitterly cold water. This was another experience I will never forget. I am so blessed to be traveling with people as carefree and willing to live life to the fullest as I am. They make everything we do that much more memorable. To continue, later that night we went to an authentic meat and fish buffet where you cook your meat at your table. This dinner was fantastic and reminds me how much I will miss the Korean food. To end this perfect day we went to another karaoke bar.
The next day we went to a little beach island and enjoyed a beautiful day on the beach and in the cute beach town. I enjoyed holding starfish and throwing them back into the water, eating stuffed squid, and drinking some of the best green tea since I have been here. Later this day we left the island and went to the main land for some wonderful shopping and fresh fruit. To end my time in Sokcho I went to a cute little coffee shop next to our hotel. On the walls were napkins that customers had written on and hung on the walls. It was awesome to see the many different languages and I felt compelled to leave a little note of my own. After this we took the bus back to the school for another week of teaching, our last week of teaching.
This week I am co-teaching with one of the other student teachers. This week we are teaching an Olympics style lesson using various linguistic minute to win-it activities. It has been a blast to teach and the students have loved it. Tomorrow is a big day for us. The principal is watching one of our lessons and the other administration is watching the other to film and take pictures for public relations. Tomorrow is also the big Korean War memorial celebration. They have asked us to participate by offering flowers to the memorial garden in remembrance of the American soldiers who died in the war. We are honored to be able to represent our country in this ceremony tomorrow to remember those that have fallen.
We have only 7 short days left here and it is hard to think about leaving. The students visit us in large numbers daily and we have created close relationships with many of our 700+ students. I have returned to my desk countless times to discover notes left for me from the students with candy. Today I had my most touching and emotional interaction with one of my students. Her friend’s mother died last night and she was seeking comfort and came to me. This was both touching and grounding. It reminded me that we have not only been here to teach them English, but as support systems. We have all developed deep connections with many of our students and are not ready to think about parting ways with them just yet. Luckily we still have 7 days to enjoy our time with them as much as possible. These past 10 days have been spectacular and I look forward to seeing what my last 7 days bring.
I will try my best to recall as many experiences from the past 10 days as possible. I apologize for my delayed post, but the past 10 days have been busy to say the least. Last weekend we spent our time relaxing in Gwangju and preparing for classes this week. One of the other girls and I went to a local nail salon and spent more than I would like to admit on a relaxing afternoon. After this we went to the food court at eMart and enjoyed a delicious meal. Food courts in South Korea have a very different connotation than in the United States. The food is cooked fresh, made-to-order, and then plated nicely.
Last week I taught a lesson on “wh-” question words using Frozen, which was a blast. The students had a lot of fun, but I can shamelessly say I had more fun. The students’ enthusiasm to learn and be involved made this lesson. I taught this lesson to 5 different classes last week and enjoyed every one as much as the first. On Wednesday, one of the native English teachers and his girlfriend took us to their favorite authentic Thai restaurant. The food was amazing and I have been craving Thai food ever since. The next day myself and three other KU teachers were on the playground exercising when a parent of one of our students brought all of us coffee. She told us all about her and her daughter’s experience living in Oklahoma for a year. We talked for 45 minutes about Korean and American life and were humbled by her hospitality. She insisted we come visit her house soon so she could cook us dinner. The families from the school have all been incredibly grateful in our various encounters and we are extremely appreciative of the support.
Every morning the student teachers join the faculty in the teachers lounge for stretching, meditation, hymns, and prayer. I love this concept of starting every morning relaxed and reminded of the blessings we have. On Thursdays the entire high school and it’s faculty join together in the auditorium for chapel. Chapel is 50 minutes long and filled with fun religious songs, dances, and messages from the chaplain. One of our KU professors was asked to join two other female faulty members for a trio. She sang in front of over 2,000 people and was welcomed with a roaring applause. The entire chapel experience was something I will never forget. This morning at meditation the vice principal read the daily prayer and then read it in English. Today’s prayer was dedicated to their appreciation for the KU program that brought us here. They expressed their gratitude for the union of our schools to be continued in the following years. We were all very touched by the meaningful prayer.
This weekend we traveled to Sokcho, which is in the northern part of South Korea. Sokcho was our last excursion of our time here in South Korea. We definitely saved our best for last. The first night we were there we explored the local fish market and came upon an Italian restaurant. A few of us broke off from the group to try the Italian restaurant and I am so glad we did. It was some of the best pizza I have had. The next day we took a bus to the mountains for a day of hiking. This was the best day I have had since being here. We started the day with a cable car ride halfway up the mountain to a vantage point. This was breathtaking. From the vantage point there was trail to get closer to the peak. Once we reached the base of the peak the only way to the peak was by rock climbing. If someone would have told me before I come to Korea that I would rock climb up a real mountain with no harness I would have told you that you were crazy (I won’t even rock climb indoors with a harness). Well somehow I kicked my fear aside and scaled up the side of the mountain and warily stood on the edge of the peak to fully take in what I had just accomplished. I cannot compare the feeling of standing on that peak after accomplishing something I never thought I would do to anything I have ever experienced. ‘Surreal” is the only word I can come up with to express my feelings at that moment. After climbing down the peak we took a different trail to a Buddhist temple on the mountain. This temple was gorgeous and an amazing cultural experience. I have been very interested in the Buddhist religion since being here and witnessing some of the symbols I have been researching in the most beautiful place was humbling. After visiting the temple we took our longest hike of the day to a suspension bridge overlooking a waterfall in the mountains. When we reached the suspension bridge it took a moment to be able to take in the beauty that surrounded us. Pictures could never express how spectacular this place really was. The beauty of it all must have masked my fears. I was standing on a rocking bridge with nothing beneath it, but vast space and rocks beneath. Later, we even found a path to be able to jump into the waterfall and get in fully clothed to the bitterly cold water. This was another experience I will never forget. I am so blessed to be traveling with people as carefree and willing to live life to the fullest as I am. They make everything we do that much more memorable. To continue, later that night we went to an authentic meat and fish buffet where you cook your meat at your table. This dinner was fantastic and reminds me how much I will miss the Korean food. To end this perfect day we went to another karaoke bar.
The next day we went to a little beach island and enjoyed a beautiful day on the beach and in the cute beach town. I enjoyed holding starfish and throwing them back into the water, eating stuffed squid, and drinking some of the best green tea since I have been here. Later this day we left the island and went to the main land for some wonderful shopping and fresh fruit. To end my time in Sokcho I went to a cute little coffee shop next to our hotel. On the walls were napkins that customers had written on and hung on the walls. It was awesome to see the many different languages and I felt compelled to leave a little note of my own. After this we took the bus back to the school for another week of teaching, our last week of teaching.
This week I am co-teaching with one of the other student teachers. This week we are teaching an Olympics style lesson using various linguistic minute to win-it activities. It has been a blast to teach and the students have loved it. Tomorrow is a big day for us. The principal is watching one of our lessons and the other administration is watching the other to film and take pictures for public relations. Tomorrow is also the big Korean War memorial celebration. They have asked us to participate by offering flowers to the memorial garden in remembrance of the American soldiers who died in the war. We are honored to be able to represent our country in this ceremony tomorrow to remember those that have fallen.
We have only 7 short days left here and it is hard to think about leaving. The students visit us in large numbers daily and we have created close relationships with many of our 700+ students. I have returned to my desk countless times to discover notes left for me from the students with candy. Today I had my most touching and emotional interaction with one of my students. Her friend’s mother died last night and she was seeking comfort and came to me. This was both touching and grounding. It reminded me that we have not only been here to teach them English, but as support systems. We have all developed deep connections with many of our students and are not ready to think about parting ways with them just yet. Luckily we still have 7 days to enjoy our time with them as much as possible. These past 10 days have been spectacular and I look forward to seeing what my last 7 days bring.