...OF course it would be ridiculous of me to attempt to summarize exactly what I have been through in the last twelve months in one blog entry.I do however feel that it is necessary to do a little bit of reflection on the last year in terms of my experiences (and my emotions.) My time in Korea, let's face it, was a unique opportunity, and despite what I left behind in England, and what I sacrificed I would definitely go through the who thing again for the same outcome.
I'm pretty sure that since I have come back I have settled into life as a resident of the UK once more, just fine, though I certainly feel as if I have been forever changed, and hopefully matured after what I have been through. Though I can share stories with my friends of my time out in Korea, it's difficult to tell one story which sums up my experiences (something which Charlie, Kevin and I frequently discussed.) The only people who can really understand what we have been through are those around us and, for a brief time, the people who came to visit us.
I still remember the nervous tension that I felt on Easter Saturday 2009 when I boarded a plane and headed to the other side of the world. It was a feeling like no other of heading into the unknown, and being unsure of whether I had made the right decision or not.
I remember my first night of getting there and meeting Kevin and Charlie, I was doing my best to take everything in that was going on around me, and also to learn as much as I could.
There wasn't really much time for a direct adjustment as such because on my first morning of being there I was thrust into the classroom and was trying to do my best to learn about the job that I was brought over there to do.
I guess there are two ways to look at the experiences I have had, in terms of my job, and then the wider social world of living in South Korea.
Let's deal with the teaching side of things first.
Having no teaching experience, other than a few hours in the classroom helping my mum, and an online TEFL course before I left. I really had no ideas about what to expect when I arrived. I guess that you could say that I learnt on my feet with some pretty tough on the job training, as after an initial few classes of being shown what to do I was made to stand on my own two feet and lead a class in just my second day of being in Korea. In a way that experience was good as it made me have to learn pretty damn quickly what teaching English to children was all about.
I have never been someone who is particularly good with kids. I have no experience being being around them, and that's the ones who speak the same language as me. It was pretty tough to know what to do or say when you are teaching kids who speak no English whatsoever in your classroom and I'll admit there were some pretty challenging times. I enjoyed the level of difficulty sometimes, and I paticularily enjoyed working with the kindergarten children who frequently brought a smile to my face with their antics. I may have lost a few of them along the way but it was a really good feeling when the few of them that remained graduated, and I wish I was able to see in a few years exactly how they have grown up, and if they still remember me of course.
Due to my working schedule, I spent a lot of time working with a lot of the younger kids, and even though I would have liked to work with a range of ages, I felt like I was able to adapt my teaching style to working with them on a daily basis. I would definitely say that one of the things that I miss about Korea are the kids that I taught, specially the ones who were with me from the start. I felt like I built up a great bond with them, and whether that meant I was able to teach them better, I'm not really too sure. In those classes, I can certainly say that there was never a day when I dreaded going into teach them. A couple of others.... not so much!
If someone was looking for advice from me about whether or not to teach English in Korea I would definitely be an ambassador for them giving it careful consideration, though depending on the individual I would in some cases make them aware of the kinds of things they are going to have to deal with. I'm not saying that I am any kind of Superman, but I have seen cases whilst I have been there of people who haven't been able to handle it at all and wished they had never made the decision to go there. Teaching English in Korea isn't for everyone, and though I may not strike people from the outside as someone who would be capable of doing it I think I am open minded enough to have been able to cope with the issues likely to be encountered.
I would say to anyone thinking about it that I would be willing to offer them good advice, but at the end of the day my experiences mightn't be like theirs and I wouldn't say that they should definitely follow what I say.
On the other hand, in terms of visiting Korea I would agree to that being a phenomenal idea. I have always wanted to visit South Korea for a long time, and when I got the opportunity to live there I think I certainly got more than I bargained for. The only country in Asia that I have ever been to is China, and even then that was only for four days. Korea totally blew my mind, and I am sure that the people who visited me there can agree that it was very far from their expectations.
As soon as you mention Korea all that seems to be conjured up in people's minds is North Korea and their nuclear weapons, danger and all the rest of it. I would have to say that having lived in Korea, the reality couldn't be any different. I found the country to be extremely safe, the people to be very friendly and the food to be amongst the most delicious that I have ever tasted.
From the first moment I stepped in the classroom with the kids I found the people to be very welcoming, and despite being a foreigner in a country where people speak a totally different language, I discovered that people are actually willing to be very helpful to you.
In terms of language, of course it was tough not to be able to speak Korean, but considering that I managed to survive for a year, I feel like it was a huge barrier, but certainly not a deal breaker. I learnt to speak a small amount of Korean and learned to be able to read the Korean alphabet but that's about as serious as my studies got, perhaps if there weren't so many opportunities to avoid having to speak Korean then things would have been different!
Korean culture is very different to our own, and although I sometimes struggled with the fact that old people seemed to be able to do what they wanted, and starring isn't seen as a taboo activity like it is over here, I would say that I found it a pleasure to experience a vastly different culture for a long period of time. I think that people who have lived in a country such as England for a long time get stuck in their ways and we tend to become quite ignorant about 'foreigners' living in our country. When it's the other way round however, you really learn how difficult life can be as the minority, and I certainly feel that several thousands of people in this country could do with that positive experience in their life.
Korea offered me a variety of different experiences which I throughly enjoyed whilst I was there. A number of places that I went to see and visit were spectacular and I think to say that tourism doesn't play a huge part in Korean life that several of the landmarks and sights were throughly unique and I can only hope that other people get the chance to experience such delights.
I definitely look back on my whole Korean experience as a positive one, and I could sit and speak (or write in this case) about the country for hours on end, but I think if you were ever considering going there then it would be only positive vibes that you were getting from me.
I will NEVER EVER forget the experience I have of living in another country, and I am glad that I was able to spend my time in such a diverse and unique place.
