Great Things about My Job . . .
If you are a teacher, you will understand why these things are so wonderful :)
I have a full hour lunch break!
The students have a 10 minute passing period between classes, and I don’t have to do hall duty!
I do not have to do any grading, unlike last year when I had to grade hundreds of essays.
I have my own office and my own classroom.
I have computers in the classroom for student use.
Windows surround all but one side of my building.
I have a huge book shelf full of young adult literature for the students!
My classroom comfortably fits 35 students.
I have hours and hours of prep. time!
Most students WANT to be in my class.
My students treat me like a superstar. They constantly yell, “I love you!” out the windows, and whenever the see me, they happily greet me. I think this is the most famous I will ever be :)
Many of my students are interested in learning about my life and my country.
Teaching is highly regarded. Teachers are treated with respect.
Not So Great Things about My Job . . .
Although it’s nice to not have to do grading, it makes it hard to motivate the students because Korea is so focus on tests and grades..
The bathrooms do not have toilet paper; therefore, I have to supply my own.
The students clean the school. There are no janitors. My classroom gets cleaned once a week at most, and the students aren’t the best cleaners.
I believe that some of the students come from racist homes. I have experienced a little bit of racism towards non-Koreans and disdain for English and English speakers.
Even if I have absolutely no work to do, I have to sit in the office and fulfill hours . . .
I only get eight days for summer vacation, and I had to fight for those eight days.
The principal and my co-workers are very reluctant to use air conditioning, fans, and heat. They put strict restrictions on the use.
Great Things about Korea (in my opinion) . . .
Koreans have strong national pride.
They work hard, hard, hard!
Korea is soooo green, and there is a wide variety of flowers.
There are many beautiful places to hike.
Most convenient stores are open 24/7.
The subway system is awesome! It is clean, efficient, and cheap.
Buildings are heated by hot water running through the floors, so my feet stay nice and warm during winter.
There are gazillions of coffee, donut, and ice-cream shops J
Koreans are very respectful to their elders.
Bulgogi . . . yumm :)
The Korean soccer team, The Red Devils, is awesome!
Although it is a little to “poppy” for me, Korean music is extremely popular throughout Asia.
Korean kids are so adorable!
Grilled duck . . . yumm :)
The universities have beautiful campuses.
Taxis are cheap and speedy.
PC Rooms! On the fourth floor of most buildings, there is an independently owned PC Club. The internet is super fast. You can play games, surf the web, work, and buy snacks, like ramen.
Korea is sooo safe. We have never worried about our safety, even late at night. We haven’t even heard of any crime since we have been here.
There are countless flavors of ramen!
The Korean language is easy to learn. 99% of Koreans are literate.
Not So Great Things about Korea (in my opinion) . . .
Most Koreans hate the sun! Many of them wear long sleeves, pants, hats, scarves, and even gloves during the summer! Koreans consider fair skin to be very valuable.
In any situation, the elder or person who is in a higher position than you can command you what to do and you are expected to listen and obey directly.
Every possible space of land is filled with buildings, buildings, buildings. There are no yards. In my classes, I had to explain what a yard was.
Many Koreans eat dog meat. I was told that some Koreans believe that if the dog is tortured before it is killed, it will have a better taste. Older men also eat dog meat in a spicy sauce in order to give them stamina
There is no national or provincial system for dealing with garbage. Each section of town has a different system, and individuals come around and sort through and collect the garbage. There is often trash scattered around the streets.
There is always a haze of pollution and yellow sand.
Adults are always working and kids are always studying.
Some of my favorite things are hard to find or extremely expensive . . . cheese, Western-style popcorn, limes, margaritas, macaroni and cheese, Mexican food, etc.
Unless you are talented enough to go professional, you do not get to participate in organized extra-curricular sports. There are special programs and schools for those who are skilled athletes.
Coffee shops and bakeries are not open in the early morning. It is impossible to get a cup of coffee and a donut before work!
Buildings are heated by hot water running through the floors, so our whole apartment gets super hot when we take showers during the summer.
There are no street names.
Most Koreans love entrails and squid.
There are no ovens :( I miss baking, especially cheesecake!
There are no dryers!
There are no dishwashers!
There’s hardly any wildlife. When I asked what kind of animals Korea had, my co-teachers said, “Tigers, lions, etc.” I was very confused. I later found out that the tigers and lions can only be found in the zoo :)
The Koreans whom I have met do not like to read for pleasure.
Video game and computer game addiction is a national problem.
People stare me down and repeatedly say, "Russian? Russian? Are you Russian? I'm looking for a Russian?" Sadly, young Russian girls will be sent to Korea for prostitution, and apparently, I look Russian.
People have said behind my back and directly to my face, "We are in Korea. Why are you speaking English?" I now have much more empathy for those who are living in the US and are still in the process of learning English.
There is very little diversity in race, life-style, and fashion. It is a very uniform country.
Come visit us in Daegu and you can experience all of these things first hand! *hint *hint to a few specific people out there :)
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