Korean Summer 2012: Reflection

After thirty days of living and teaching at English Camp...

I’ve finally made it back on the plane home. The thirteen hour joy ride from Asia to Atlanta now feels like the multi-annual pilgrimage of necessity of my early twenties:  I’ve been lucky enough to take the trip six times in the past two years. Just as lucky, I have a window to rest my head on, some row-mates to chat up and awkwardly stumble over on my way to the bathroom, a pair of legs to cramp, movies and news to watch, eBooks to read!  I also have a laptop to peck away and preserve some memories while they are still fresh. Grueling work, obviously. Anyway..

This trip to Korea has solidified my certainty of two things:

1)   My continued path as a teacher is set firmer than a brick house. I couldn't be more excited to continue learning about TESOL instruction and curriculum. Even knowing summer camp students for such a short amount of time, even with language barriers, even without yellow stickers, knowing that I was able to convey some tiny bit of knowledge, be it cultural or linguistic, makes it all worthwhile. While I’d love to stay in Korea, the fact that I’m going back home is softened by the fact that I’m working to become a better teacher. Only two semesters left until I’ve got my Master’s in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages. Onward!

2) I adore Korea. Stand-alone, it holds a place in my heart beyond comparison. However, during this trip I have realized that despite Korea's aparent monopoly on awesomeness, the composition of people in any setting make or break an experience, regardless of setting. Human beings are remarkable, unique, surprising, wonderful creatures.Really just the bee’s knees. During my first 2010 year in Korea, I met some amazing individuals who made my time there impressively awesome and touched my life in ways I can’t express. A surprising majority of these people still abide Korea-side. Perhaps more surprising is their willingness to reconnect this time around. I am baffled and overjoyed that I got to see these people again. In 2012, I have met an equally amazing group of globe-trotting educators who have made this Korean English camp experience truly unforgettable. I feel unfathomably lucky and humbled to have been in such company.

 







Beyond that, the actual trip can be divided into two similar sections: Teaching and Travelling, for which I will tell you right now to avoid unless you are either my mother or desire unneccesary boredom and/or eyestrain.

Part One: Da-da-da-da! Teaching!

Teaching in South Korea is something I thoroughly enjoyed the first time around and there are quite a few parallels which can be drawn in teaching elementary school students both in a public school or summer camp setting. In both settings, native English speakers are brought in as teachers to provide instruction entirely in English and provide a new cultural viewpoint and are encouraged to keep their teaching style fun and friendly. The most notable difference in a summer camp is the sheer number of hours spent with the students. Public schools usually see different students for an hour per day, but at camp (in my case) I spent up to 12 hours per day with the students. Obviously in such a large day, many different approaches to instruction should be taken and a whole slew of new activities need to be carried out.



The first camp was an intensive submersion academic reading-based camp for ages 7-14. If it sounds intense, you are astute. These kids went on summer break just to go back to school, but they were undeniable troopers. Each day, we conducted a daily diary presentation where they were scored on set criteria and expectations, went through three hours of an academic unit incorporating a lesson, activities, reading, writing and games, then worked on a week-long project based on an interest of their choice, incorporated a fun arts/science lesson and finally wrote an English diary for the day. Whew! My favorite lesson to teach was definitely the arts lesson on Expressionist Art. In this lesson, students learned about Wasilly Kandinsky, Edvard Munch and Jackson Pollock. Students brainedstormed vocabulary to describe certain pieces of art and were taught what it meant to express emotion through art. Students then created their own paintings expressing a specific feeling or emotion. The kids really loved creating art this way and some pieces were quite impressive.

Note for sanity: Jackson Pollock paintings really should only be done outside and smock covered. After the fourth class splattering paints, I nearly lost my mind.

The second camp was far less academic and focused on language acquisition through activities and games rather than a set curriculum. We had three hours of instruction, P.E. time, ocarina (the bane of sleeping teachers everywhere), diary writing and correction time, and performance preparation with the students. I have taught the"Gangnam Style" and "Cha Cha Slide" dance to about sixty Korean students at this point. I stand by the effectiveness of dance and song for English acquisition, because it's the best way I remember things in other languages as well. Despite it's aparent hokiness, the "Cha Cha Slide" is awesome for sneaking in English directional vocabulary and simple verbs, my first group of students couldn't get it out of their head. Then they had a dance party.

Both camps left teachers and students full of new information and thoroughly exhausted. I think I slept an entire day once finished. Overall, teaching my students was absolutely amazing.

 

Part Two: Traveling

There were a few things I set out to do this time in South Korea. The only one I missed was accupuncture, which means I have something to do next time!

1) Take a traditional Korean dance class, or “Hanguk Muyeong”. This was achieved at the Seoul Tanz Station in Sinchon, right next to Hongdae. The class was an hour long and went over the basic foot and hand movements of Korean traditional dance. It was elegant to watch, remarkably difficult to execute and despite being conducted entirely in Korean was completely amazing. I got a lot of information and understanding from this class. Check!

2) Get smothered in mud at the annual Boreyang Mud Festival at Daecheon Beach, Chungcheongnam-do. Luckily this annual festival occured during my first week in the country. Check!

3) Travel by train and bus to see Korea’s largest Buddha statue at Gwangchoksa (Buddhist Temple) in Nonsan-si, Chungcheongnam-do. This was an amazing day trip from Daejeon, and total travel time was about 45 minutes. The entire temple complex was absolutely breathtaking. I recommend this to anyone who wants to take a trip off the beaten path. Check out the size of that noggin!

4) Re-visit my old students from the TaLK Program at Sojeong Elementary School. Only about a 40 minute bus ride from camp location was my old elementary school. The students were so sweet, and these girls were some of the sweetest for sure.

5) Take a Hangang River Ferry Cruise. The Han River runs through Seoul and has a rich history regarding the development of the city. The cruise eluded me the last time around, but for 16,000 won we were granted with an amazing view of the magestic Han River in Seoul, complete with light and fountain show. Simply beautiful. Check!

6) Learn a Korean ghost story. I have a penchant for things like ghost stories, and have been unable to find much information about them in Korea. However, a teacher at outsource camp showed us a spooky face found in the 100 won coin, just put your thumb over his the main face.. You should see a creepy skeleton in the beard. and told of Kim Min Ji, the poor girl who has parts of her body located throughout Korean money!

In sum,

This trip to Korea, while significantly shorter than my last, has been no less fulfilling. Despite the appeal of my own mattress, dryer sheets and personal transportation, returning to Orlando is certainly bittersweet. There is little question whether or not I will return, although the capacity is still uncertain. For now, Korea and I will maintain a healthy long-distance relationship. To Korea, to anyone who reads, I wish the best to you, cheers, safe travels, until we meet again and thank you. Saranghae!