Birthday, Busan, Buseoksa, Bulgeoksa

Birthday. Busan (Second only to Seoul, the second largest city in S. Korea). Buseoksa (a temple with interesting legends), Bulgeoksa (Korea's most famous temple), Seokgurahm (One of Asia's most elaborate and beautifully crafted Buddhas), among other sites. These are but a few of the adventures I've taken in recent weeks.

I have many more pictures that you can find posted on my Picasa Web Albums at:
http://picasaweb.google.com/jrios2009

On my birthday, my school bought me a delicious cake that I very much enjoyed. The weekend of, my host-family also threw me a birthday bash. It was truly an unforgettable series of events, and I will never forget this past birthday in Asia. Several friends and fellow ETAs attended, and the food was more than satisfying.

The following weekend, I accompanied the family on a road trip to Busan, a port city, and South Korea's second largest, next to Seoul. The purpose of the trip was my host-mother's niece's first year anniversary celebration, which in Korea, as is in other countries, is quite a big deal. To start off, there was a delicious buffet, which I, my stomach, and my host-family, thoroughly enjoyed. Shortly after, there was a performance by the restaurant party entertainer, who was very talented. She performed many stunts and engaged the crowd with jokes and songs. The host-family's relatives in Busan were very kind, and they asked me to give them a ring the next time I'm in town.

Below are some images from my most recent adventure to the southern part of South Korea, namely the towns of Youngju, Ahndong and Gyeongju. The trip was organized by our local Education Office, in an effort to provide foreign English teachers with exposure to historical Korea. Most of the trip, for me at least, was spent marveling at the sight of various temples, Buddhas, and most of all, the rich Korean culture embodied in all these historical monuments. Even after having visited several temples in my time here, I am still fascinated at the fact some of these structures are over one-thousand years old!

Above: Buseoksa Temple

Bulgeoksa Temple

Bulgeoksa Temple Main Entrance

This is me at a traditional Korean village, tying a slip of paper - noting my life dreams - onto a rope surrounding an ancient, mystical tree. I'm not sure what legend holds, but let's hope it has something to do with making dreams come true.

The First Two Weeks

I am living in Cangchok, but am teaching in Yuchon, a neighboring town. My first few weeks of teaching were mainly spent getting to know my colleagues and students, as well as setting the foundation for a healthy classroom climate. I focused mainly on getting used to my schedule, and also on figuring out the most effective and efficient strategies for approaching lesson planning and implementation. In short, the past few weeks consisted of me getting adjusted to the school, and the school - it's staff and students - getting adjusted to me.

Yuchon is terrific. With the exception of a few teachers, the majority of the staff at Yuchon Elementary School speak little to no English. This has made for many awkward conversations, things getting lost in translation, etc. I never know whether my bows are appropriate or whether I am bowing too much, or whether I am supposed to say something, or say nothing at all. However, they have accepted me with open arms, and the kindness that I've received overshadows the difficulties in communication. Still, I will strive to learn Korean so that I am able to further develop my relationship with the school staff and students.

The structure of the Korean workplace is very different than that of America's. While both are largely hierarchically based, positions and titles in Korea are of much more importance in a uniquely different way. For example, in the mornings as I step inside the Gyomushil - a "teacher's office" of sorts - I must "insa"(bow and greet) the staff in the following order: the Vice Principal, Teacher department head, the Office Assistant...etc. The higher in power one is, the greater the level of respect they demand. If this ritual were to be incorrectly staged, it would be offensive and detrimental to one's relationship with that person.

At Yuchon Elementary School I teach grades 1-6, adding to a total of 78 students. The students have been a true pleasure to teach so far. The town I work in is largely agricultural, and therefore many of my students come from a farming background. In conducting a diagnostic to measure the students' English ability level, one of the questions was, "What does your mother do?". The top responses were: Farmer, Teacher, and Business Woman. My students bring such a high energy-level and excitement to learn into the classroom, which has largely added to the wonderful experience I've had here so far.