Thoughts on Various Things

Sorry for the delay in posts. I've been meaning to update sooner but I have been preoccupied trying to send money home after my payday. I won't go into the gory details, but it took longer than I thought and too most of my time and thoughts. Also, I know I've promised a post on the driving in Korea, and that is coming, I'm trying to get some good pictures to show, but for now just know that if you are coming here, don't bother renting a car, I don't care how good you think you are, if you've only driven on US roadways, or other sane roadways, then you are not qualified for Korea. In short driving in Korea is bat-shit insane. Also, for this post, instead of having a unifying theme I will just talk about random things about life in a different culture and language.

First on language. After nearly 5 weeks in Korea I can speak 2 phrases in Korean, “Hello/Goodbye” (the same phrase can be used for both) and “Thank you”. I can also usually understand when someone else says these phrases. The rest of the time I can only assume they are actually saying something, although they could just be making random sounds for all I know (and that is usually the way it sounds). I learned a little Spanish in high school and when I went to Mexico for a while, but the Korean language is vastly different from English. The sounds that they have are different from we are used to make with our mouths. Thus even then I try to speak Korean I am laughed at (only by my students and Korean teachers though, when I'm in shops and such they are very friendly). To give you an example say the word “Pucca”. No matter how you are saying it I can almost guarantee that it is wrong. It is the name of a Korean cartoon character here. In one of my classes it was written in English and I read it as it looks (and I'm sure that's how you read it). The class erupted in laughter and “No teacher, “Pucca””. I didn't hear much of a difference between what I was saying and what they were saying, but it was enough that they insisted that I was wrong. It reminded me of one of my classes. In this class I have a student who has the name “Ally” and one named “Elli”. Obviously these are different names, and I can only assume that I could walk into any class in America and the students would know who I was talking about if I said “Ally”. In this class though, I have had to resort to saying “Ally with an A” or “Elli with an E”. I have the same problem in another class where I have a “Jinny” and a “Jannee”, although it's not quite as bad, they are only confused if I talk a little fast.

Anyone who has taught grade school has probably started to unconsciously adopt their “culture” if you will. You laugh at things they find funny, at first it's just so you can be a more effective teacher, relating to those things they like, but then you start to actually internalize it. Then the end of the day comes and you can talk with adults and it's like a breath of fresh air. My teaching experience is a little like that, but not only do I adopt what they find funny but how they talk too. For instance I'll find my self saying “I no Korean” instead of “I don't speak Korean”. It's worse than that though because most of the Koreans I encounter who do speak English don't speak much more proper than this. To try to keep my ability to speak English I translate what they say, which is sometimes a guessing game since they don't always use proper tenses. You don't always know if they are talking about the past, the future, or the present since they will use all three within a couple sentences on the same topic (and I'm saying not to criticize, just to note my difficulties, my lowest level class, which are 6 year olds, can speak better English than I can speak Korean). Basically I don't know if I would be able to speak English at this point if I didn't have my foreign teachers to talk to after classes and on the weekends.

Another note of the Korean teachers. They are all very nice, although as mentioned they like to tease. Not only do they tease my Korean speaking (although they are more than happy correct and help) but also my chopstick skills. I use chopsticks all the time now, even in my apartment just to get better at them, but I'm still not good enough. The other night while eating dinner the one of the Koreans pointed out my lack of skill and challenged me, all in a teasing manner of course, and in good fun. You see, these dinners (as do a lot of Korean cuisine) consisted of my individual bowl of rice and several things also seaweed to roll the rice in. I say things because most of the time I don't actually know what I'm eating, I just know that most nights at least some of the Korean teachers are laughing at me because I find something very spicy. These “things” are in the middle of the table and everyone just reaches with their chopsticks and grabs what they want. As such one's chopsticks skills is always on display. One teacher brought forth a bowl of beans and wanted me to pick up an individual bean without dropping it or squishing it. Somehow I was able to do it. The next challenge was to roll rice in a square of dried seaweed using only chopsticks (many of the Koreans make it look like a tight sushi roll, and somehow they do it all with their chopsticks, never touching the seaweed or rice). Yes it is possible to do such a thing since I've seen it done many a time, but I didn't even attempt it. I realize that I'm making the Korean teachers sound cruel, but that is far from the case, they are nothing but kind and helpful, but they do enjoy poking fun.

Another word on language. Immigrants to America are often criticized for not speaking English, or only speaking a little English, but now that the shoe is on the other foot, I can fully understand their position. Learning another language is very difficult, especially when you get older. If your job doesn't require it, there is little need to learn. I've been here 1 month and able to shop for anything I want or need, opened a bank account all by my self, and gotten around town. This is in part due to people I know who speak English or people at the bank who spoke some English, also pictures on menus at restaurants. But in part that is my point, in most major cities in America you can find people who speak your language and English, and especially if you speak Spanish, you can certainly find a bank who has Spanish speakers. Another point I wish to raise is that Americans are sometimes criticized for only speaking English, no other language. We're given examples of Europeans who speak more than one language, or Asians who speak both their local language and English, but I don't think that's quite fair. Yes, our education system could emphasize second languages more, but really what's the point? I don't even mean that as English speakers, we have the near universal language due to our economic and political might. The bigger point, especially when compared to Europe, is that there is no need to learn another language. If you live in Germany and want to visit beautiful coast lines you have no choice but to go to France, or Italy, or something. If you live in America and want beautiful coast lines you go to Florida, or California, or Hawaii, if you want to ski you go to Utah Idaho, Oregon, or Washington, if you want to experience deserts you go to Arizona or New Mexico. Want frozen tundra? Go to Alaska or Canada. Want a one of the largest most active cities in the world? Go to New York. Want the fruited plains? Go to the mid-west. What do all of these places have in common? You can experiences while speaking and hearing nothing but English (well, maybe not in New York). In other places you have to leave you country (and often your country) to experience significant different terrain or life styles. In America all you have to do is hop in your car and drive a few hours. Speaking only English you can experience vastly different cultures and climates all within the borders on America. As such Americans feel no pressure to learn another language. That isn't to say that I'm not going to try to learn more, but if I wasn't living here for the next 11 months I wouldn't feel compelled to learn much more than a few basic phrases.

To answer the most basic question, I am doing well after 5 weeks. Yes, there is odd odd things here and some things that are just bat-shit insane, but I'm adapting (I constantly remember my parents mantra “the flexible shall not be bent out of shape”). Korea is a first world nation so they have all of the amenities that you would expect, and whenever I feel homesick I can always find a hamburger or pizza to make me feel better (so long as I ignore the Korean way of doing such things), or I can write an e-mail or write a blog post. I have a nice routine going for work and making it through the day, as well as the weekends. Speaking of which, I am really enjoying having weekends. It's been a while since I've had normal weekends or a consistent schedule. I'm really liking that part. Basically, don't worry about me, I'm doing alright, although I enjoy hearing from friends and family from home so don't be afraid to write.