Turn Your World Upside Down

Hello everyone! So my life has been quickly overturned by a recent turn of events that means I will have to move out of my homestay family. As you can imagine, this has been very difficult for me, because my homestay has been my #1 favorite thing about my experience thus far. However, I'm trying to stay positive, and know that even though I have to move, I will still remain the close connection that I have already built.

In order to explain my situation, I'd like to share a post made by the beautiful Julie Garner from  http://someday-on-the-avenue.blogspot.kr/. This is completely and 100% her work and her blog is wonderful (and much more updated than mine :P). You should check it out! I hope her post helps you to understand our situation.

Even If It Breaks Your Heart

Keep on dreamin', even if it breaks your heart.

Keep on dreamin'

Don't let it break your heart.

-Eli Young Band

I wrote this letter on Monday night. Although things have changed, and I am not going back home to America. The sentiments remain the same. My heart is broken and my feelings toward Korea and Hwacheon have been forever changed.

 Dear Hwacheon,

I have a few things to say before I go. Yes, I am going. Finally. This is what you always wanted though isn’t it? From starvation and dehydration to being forcibly removed by the South Korean military from my home. You threw everything you had at me, and I took it. I had a little help from my friends, but I know within my heart that I was strong. But now, I have come to realize that you are not worth it. I am going home for me, not for you. I am going home because I do not waste my already short life in a country that finds me repugnant. I do not want all those could-be glorious moments of happiness, crying my eyes out over being kicked down a million times. You are not worth it, Hwacheon. I am worth it, though.

You may see me walking down the street and think I am the bad-dressed foreigner with yellow hair. But my name is Julie. I am a teacher, and that is my life’s profession. I am also a world traveler. Korea makes it 22 on my life of countries I have visited. I came to Korea through Fulbright because I wanted to stay with a homestay. I wanted to add to my international family: I have 5 mom’s, 5 dad’s, and 14 brothers and sisters spanning around the world from Japan to America to France. I graduated university at the top of my class, summa cum laude with a 3.9 in Honors. I came to Korea to teach English and learn about this fascinating country. I am leaving Korea wondering why I came and why this country is unfriendly. I am leaving Korea knowing that the only people that have accommodating and kind to me in Korea had to suffer because of my existence.

I came to Korea to teach your children English and honestly, you have paid me in tears, vicious rumors, and harmful warnings to people that care about me.

This past weekend, I spent a glorious few days in Daejeon. I discovered what is sure to become my new favorite city in all of Korea, found out just how much my host family cares for me, and got to see one of favorite people in the world. Seriously, from the moment we left Hwacheon on Friday, I felt that already I was headed for what was sure to be ana amzing weekend. And sure enough it was.

Why is everything in the country too good to be true?

On Monday, I came into work for the first time in a week. Yes, I had all of last week off. Immediately, I was taken a back from the work that had piled on my desk, but more so by the secretive nature of my co-teachers. After several minutes of hearing Korean thrown back and forth with a mix of "Julie... Fulbright contract... Homestay," I finally worked up the courage to ask my co-teacher what was happening. One of my co-teachers shyed off and said she was not allowed to talk about it, while the other co-teacher asked me to see her in the hallway. Her English is not that great but she explained to me something along of the lines of the military stepping into our homestay situation. She said something about people complaining and how there is a problem in the current military complex, but that I should not worry about it or anything. What made me realize there was a seirous problem is when she told me not to inform the other ETA's because the Education office said we were not allowed to know. My co-teacher was breaking a promise even telling me.

Well, I never made any promises. I immediately messaged Gabrielle and Chelsea, as well as Andrew in the Fulbright office. Both Gabrielle and Chelsea  live in the same South Korean military complex that I live in with our host families. I thik at first they did not believe me, but Gabrielle promised to ask her co-teacher about it. Andrew did not know what I was talking about but promised to follow through. From there, the whole situation blew up.

Every time I would return to the teacher's room after teaching a class, new information would be given to me. After lunch, my co-teachers informed me that my worst nightmare had indeed come true: the South Korean military had formally evicted us from the apartments.

My first thought went to my host family as it has been for the month. I am not sure that I have conveyed this as much as I should, but I absolutely adore my host family. This is the first situation where neither party can speak the other language. In France, I loved my host mom, Leonie, but she was fluent in English. Captain Jack in Japan has enough English to form that initial bond. Eunsong Yang (yes- I finally figured out her name in Daejeon) does not speak a word English, neither do the Seo kids. Yet, there is some serious love between me and that family. I am reminded yet again that often the importance of family and friends transcends language barriers.

At 5, a meeting was arranged between the military, the education office, and our homestay families. Until then, I spent time I the teacher room crying my eyes out as new information trickled in. It came from a call from the Fulbright office as well as my limited understanding of Korean in the teacher's room:

• Some families in the military complex had complained about the foreign teachers. Although I thought that they would complain because of having Americans living in the complex, it was not the case. Instead, the complained out of jealousy. They thought it was unfair that our families were making "a lot of extra money" to take us in, our families were getting free English tutoring, and, in the case of Chelsea and my family, they were getting free babysitting. In fact some families said that they complained "out of the kindness of their hearts" because they worried about us.
• The military has some rule in their files that says that military housing is only for blood relatives, and so even though this rule is NEVER EVER enforced EVER, there was a way for us to be kicked out.
• Enough families complained that the military finally did something about it. They sent eviction letters to the county office, our home stay families, and our schools warning that if we were not out of these buildings by the end of the month, our host families would be kicked out.
• The county tried to fight the rule. It ended with a threat from the South Korean military that funding in the area would be pulled. 
• The case was considered closed even before it was opened for discussion.

After several frantic text messages to Gabrielle and Chelsea, two classes that I taught on the verge of tears, Fulbright finally called me. The thing I wanted to hear for the past two months came straight from the coordinators mouth: We support you 120% and if you want to go home, we support your decision. From the moment my co-teacher told me I had no choice but to leave my apartment and my precious homestay, my heart booked a plane ticket home and readied the passport. How could people be so cruel? Why is my luck so terrible? Why does it feel like my life is spinning out of control, yet again? WHY?

The worst was yet to come.

I trudged to the Hwacheon Elementary School, where Gabrielle and Chelsea waited for me. We all instantly embraced each other and all agreed that what we were most scared about was seeing our host mothers. On my walk to the school I sent a message to my host mom apoligizing for this fiasco and her responce made me burst into tears. "No, Julie, you never be sorry. It is we. We sorry. We sorry as Koreans. Korea is sorry." I did not even make it through the threshold of the county building, when I burst into tears. We had all said that we were going to remain as we are: Gabrielle, the strong energetic faith-based ball of energy that believes everything is part of God's plan. Chelsea, the eternal optimist and loveable girl that always knows how to make you feel better. And me, the comic relief with a strong sense of dignity and a stubborn attitude, more or less the backbone of our group. I was the first to crack, followed in suite by Chelsea and Gabrielle.

The county officials brought us into this incredibly intimidating room and seated us with an interpretor. From the moment we walked in the room, I was hysterical. When my host mother walked in, I hid my face in my hands. I did not want her to see me. The host mother's were seated across us with several representatives from the military.

The details are a little hazy because I was so hysterical and the interpetor could not interprate all that happened that quickly. The military officer laid down our eviction papers and said that we would be out of the apartments by October 31st. The fool made the mistake of saying, "Only intimate family members of the military can live in these apartments."

Chelsea's host mother took this opportunity to scream, "these girls are our family!" This comment started a whirlwind of back and forth banter between our host mother's and this slightly terrifying military officer. The three of us sat quietly listening, taking the occasion opportunity to hug each other and/ or sniffle loudly.

The officer explained that there is a rule that military families are not allowed to receive additional income from any sources. They receive $500 a month to house us. Chelsea's host mom was the first to angrily shout, "Then don't pay us!" And all of our host mom's quickly agreed with her.

The officer then said that it was unfair to the other families that they got the opportunity to get free English tutoring, a check every month, and free babysitting. My host mother was the first to say that I have never given free English tutoring, they have never asked, and frankly, don't want free English tutoring. Yes, I do some babysitting but that is because I absolutely love the kids and they love me. It is not really babysititng when I am playing with the kids and having a fun time. It is not babysitting when I am bonding with the only people in the damn country that have actually shown a little bit of care for me! And as far as free English lessons go, the only thing I have taught those kids is how to have a thumb war, a tickle fights, and to say, "good-bye, see you later." The officer said nothing other than, "Well the families that complained said they did not think it was fair and some of them felt they were doing this [complaining] out of the kindness of their hearts." When this last part was explained to us later, it was Gabrielle who almost went off the deep end in anger.

What ended breaking everyone's heart was when Chelsea's mom asked if we could spend winter break with our families.  It was a question of much interest for me, because I was absolutely the most excited about spending the month of January with my host family. The Hwacheon Winter Festival will be going on and I do not have work the entire month (I am traveling in February.) The officer said, in what I interpreted to be the most condescending thing ever, as "Absolutely not. They can not spend the night. They are not supposed to be at the apartments at all."

The banter continued, while I just sobbed. I will not pretend I was not a mess. Gabrielle took this opportunity to say that the point of the Fulbright was program was to bring American ambassadors and goodwill to areas of the world. And, good job South Korean military! She also mentioned how terrible this was going to look when she and Chelsea were homeless, and I was on a plane headed home.

Hold the phone.

Everyone turned to look at me at this point. "You're going home?" the interpretor stuttered.

Holding back tears, I said, "Why should I stay? Give me one good reason. This town hates me. Hates us. I come to Korea to teach English and I have been treated like garbage from Day 1." After the interpretor translated, I added, "And let me say this. There are only a few people in this town that have been nice to me. There are only 3 families that have treated us like humans and have shown us any sense of care." I pointed to the three host mom's, and said, "This town is the most unwelcoming place I have ever been except for those 3 families, and now you're telling the three of us we are not welcome anymore."

My quote silenced everyone. It made Chelsea squeeze my hand. It made my host mom tear up. It made Chelsea's host mom nod furiously while tears fell from her eyes. It made the military office look uncomfortable and for a brief fleeting second sympathetic, which was a nice change from his rude condescending look earlier.

We ended the meeting there. The military closing it down by saying that if anyone continued to fight they would be punished. The three of us were in a hug as soon as we could find the strength to stand up. Our host mom's found a corner to discuss things in. The next thing we knew, we were headed back to the apartment buildings that we were being evicted from. Chelsea's host mom wanted to get us pizza and make sure all of us talked things through and calmed down.

After what ended up being a wonderful "host mom, host daughter" dinner, my host mom and I walked back to the apartment. She told that she did not plan to tell the kids until things were more final. I mean, they were final in the sense that I was leaving, but since I was screaming about how I wanted to go home, she wanted to wait for things to be more final. When I got back to my room, I called my Dad at home. As I expected, he insistently declared it was time for me to come home.

So there you have it, Hwacheon: a play-by-play of Monday's events. Are you happy? I really do think this is what you have always wanted from the moment I got here.

You. Are. Not. Worth. This.

Video Blog!

Hey everyone! I know I have been soo bad at updating this blog and I am so so sorry! Hopefully you can forgive me. Anyway, if you would like to listen to me awkwardly ramble about my adventures in Korea/have 20 free minutes, feel free to watch the video below! :)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IPE2VE3Hd_w

Late Night Adventures

After a relaxing day of running some errands, drinking a delicious mango smoothie with the lovely Stacey, and  playing the Wii with my host brothers, I was getting ready for bed when suddenly my host mom knocked on the door and, while miming driving motions, said, "Drive now." The kids were already at the door and ready to go. So I did what I had to do:  I put on my sandals and helped put the baby in the car.

Here I was, watching Korean cartoons on an adventure to I-had-no-idea-where, wearing sports shorts and an old t-shirt, with wet hair, no bra on, and teen clear spot treatment patches placed all over my face. Needless to say, I was not looking my best, and was furiously hoping that wherever we were going did not involve people. I did not make my case any better by texting the Hwacheon 4 Kakao Group on the way, whose emoticon depictions of my night made me laugh out loud--which made my host mother give me questioning looks. About twenty minutes after we started, we ended up outside a Buddhist Temple, where my mother stopped the car. My heart dropped as I considered a late night worship service where people would actually see me in all of my bedtime attire glory.

However, that was not what my host mother had in mind at all! She had gone out of her way to bring me here to show me a pond full of lotuses that only bloom at night. I was blown away by how beautiful it was. We went farther along the trail to see the clear night sky full of thousands and thousands of stars, a close-up view of the lotuses, a small house located right next to the water, and the hazy skyline of dark mountains and scattered lights in the distance. We ended the night by going back up next to the temple, where she had each of us drink from a famous spring before we were yelled at by temple guards and asked to leave. I was so touched by my host mother's kindness, and loved that it was not only a teaching moment for me, but also for the kids. Actually, they probably got more out of it, because her explanations to me usually consisted of one simple word, hand motions, and an attempt to use google translate. We also said, "Wow!" and "Yeppoyo! (Beautiful)!" a lot.

I am so thankful that there are some languages that are much deeper than words. <3

The lotuses! I'm sorry the picture did not turn out very well.

Week 6 & 7

 

So I'm going to have a Christian girl moment . . . be prepared . . . 

As I sit here with my host brothers watching a cartoon on TV (strangely, most of the cartoons here have main characters who are Caucasian), watching a giggling baby girl chase after a very fluffy cat, and reflecting on the wonderful day I've had with friends, all I have to say is:  I am so incredibly happy. Each and every day is a new adventure and a new blessing, and for the first time in a long time I feel at peace. I don't know exactly how to describe it; I just know that I don't have to be perfect here. After how crazy busy my life has been, I feel like I finally have permission to do the best I can while also relaxing and enjoying the little things. Even though I don't have a church family here and the only person I am brave enough to talk about my relationship with God is Gabrielle, I feel closer to God than I have in a long time, and I feel like some changes in my heart are going to happen this year! Before I came to Korea, I was having many doubts about whether this was the right choice for me because I have such a strong support system at home (to all of you reading this:  I love you! <3), but I am so glad I took a leap of faith. God is so good! :)

I don't know if you've ever read Captivating by John and Stasi Eldridge, a book about how God relates to a woman's soul, but in one of the chapters Stasi discusses how God gives each of us small gifts in our lives that are made especially for each person.  I'm reminded of that on my walk to school each day. I love mountains and have always thought that my favorite place to live would be in a mountain valley, and I am just blown away by the endless rolling green of mountains overlooking sparkling green-blue water everyday. Of course I don't think God made it just for me, but I do think He wanted to remind me how beautiful the world is. Unfortunately, Sang Pin, my host brother, and his friends aren't usually as amazed as I am, so instead of stopping I follow the gentle pull of a child's hand in mine and sing the ABC song as we walk along until we get to the elementary school.

My Host Family

My host family has been my favorite part of my experience so far. I look forward to coming home from work every day to see them! From the moment I stepped inside this tiny apartment in the military complex, I have felt like a part of the family. It can get crazy with a first grader (Sang Pin), a three year old (Seoghun), and a one year old (Yun Kyun), running around--but I have embraced it and love each and every second! Many of the cultural mistakes I make are overlooked because there is just too much happening! These children have stolen my heart. Sang Pin insists on taking care of me at school and drops me off next to the English room every morning. He also loves playing board games and card games with me and is trying to learn English words! On the first day of school when he didn't realize that I had to stay later than him, he called home to frantically tell his mom that he didn't know where I was and to make sure I was okay. Seoghun has so much energy and can be so mischievous, but he's so much fun to play with because he is always laughing! He is so confused by my presence, however--he doesn't listen when I speak to him in Korean and looks at me blankly when he talks to me in Korean and it is apparent that I don't understand as if to say, "Who are you??" He recently learned how to say 'Good Morning,' however, and I always get so excited when he greets me in the morning! Yun Kyun is a happy cuddly baby girl who loves being held and making silly faces. She's started waving at me every day which is so cute! Seoghun and Yun Kyun sneak into my room after bedtime almost every night, but I don't mind too much. ;)

It is my host mother (Mee Ok), however, that has truly touched my heart. Thanks to her incredible cooking skills, her insistence on buying me American foods (usually Korean conceptions of American foods have a crazy twist!), and feeding me many times a day, I am quickly gaining weight! I am hoping she doesn't feel the need to keep feeding me this much! She even bought me trainer chopsticks to make sure I am able to eat properly. Her children are her life and you can see that in everything she does. She has a very compassionate heart, and even though we have to use google translate to talk, I feel very close to her. She has told me that she hopes I feel a part of "one family", and we have had discussions comparing American and Korean culture in regards to family values, education, marriage, and bullying--all through google translate! She also insists on helping to clean my room and do laundry. She was absolutely amazed when I explained how big America is; she thought Korea was big and it only takes 6 hours to get from the top of the country to the bottom! On the first Saturday I was here she took me camping with the family and has since introduced me to several Korean families that live here. She also texts me frequently to make sure I am okay! Unfortunately, my host father left almost immediately for a soldier training in the south and will be there for six weeks, but he was also very nice. :)

Last night, I brought my host family a chocolate cake to share in order to build 'jong', or a feeling of togetherness and respect with my family, but I don't feel like it could ever be enough to thank them for all they have done for me. Here are some pictures:

Seoghun

Yun Kyun

Sang Pin

Hwacheon Elementary School

I am loving school so far! It is so nice to have Gabrielle with me to debrief every day. Right now, I teach 5 sections of 5th graders on Monday and Wednesday, 4 sections of 3rd graders on Tuesday and Thursday, and 2 sections of 2nd graders on Friday. I am required to stay at school from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., but I don't mind staying so long. It gives me plenty of planning time and time to meet other teachers. 

On the very first day of school, each of us introduced ourselves to the school via a live broadcast in both English and Korean. I was so nervous to use my very limited Korean skills, but was able to successfully say, "Annyounghashimnika. Chonin Chelsea. Miguk saramieyo. Michigan eso waseyo. Manasah Bakapsibnida. (Hello [formal]. My name is Chelsea. I am an American. I am from Michigan. It is nice to meet you.)."

Sujin, my co-teacher, is one of the most kind-hearted people I have ever met. She has helped me open my bank account and get a new phone, introduced me to several other teachers in the school, and given me advice on how to improve my lessons. I will work very closely with her throughout the upcoming year and hope to become her friend! She is also an incredible teacher. Although she seems reserved, she is very energetic in front of the students and does her best to make the lesson come alive for them.

So far, Sujin teaches the textbook section of the lesson, and I then teach a 10-15 minute game. I've also done a short introduction of myself for all classes. I think lesson planning for this year will be fairly easy because Sujin and I are both very structured. Although the textbook can sometimes be repetitive and boring, Sujin explained the importance of teaching straight from the textbook--in order to do well on national tests, students need to memorize the dialogue from the text. For the game portion of the lesson, we try to veer away from the textbook because students seem to love that! Since I am still getting my feet wet in the classroom, my role has been pretty minimal this week, but I am excited to dive in on Monday! The only class I don't teach with Sujin are the two sections of 2nd graders, which has proven to be challenging so far. Students aren't required to learn English until 3rd grade, and they don't understand many of my directions in English and I don't understand many of their questions in Korean. This means I will have to start studying Korean soon, just for behavior management!

As far as the students and staff go, I am amazed at how well behaved and respectful the students are. I don't know if this will continue as the school year goes on or if it's just because I am the new English teacher, but the students seem excited to learn English and are very affectionate. I don't think I will ever tire of being called Chelsea Teacher and getting hugs and high fives from them! I worry that I won't be able to learn all 200 student names, however, because the names are so different from the English names I know. I also was asked if I had a boyfriend or was married approximately 20 times, and it was so sad to see the disappointed looks on their faces when I said no! The staff is also very welcoming and friendly, and there seem to be a few other teachers who know English fairly well. I am hoping to get to know them better throughout the coming year. 

One of my biggest concerns about being in Korea has been measuring up to the standards of beauty here. Koreans value beauty very much, and believe it is something that everyone can achieve with enough hard work. As an overweight American with thick glasses and not particularly beautiful features, I felt I would stick out so much here. Instead, however, Sang Pin's teacher greeted Gabrielle and I by saying, "You are very beautiful! It is so nice to meet you!" Those words were so wonderful to hear. It reminded me how much a small compliment can make a difference in a person's day.  

Hwacheon Elementary School

Entrance to the school. Almost every building in Korea has a stoop with closets. You are expected to wear a pair of shoes to school and then change into nice sandals, your indoor non-dirty shoes, to prepare for the school day. This is a lasting tradition from when Korean people slept on mats on the floor instead of on beds; it was polite to keep the floor as clean as possible.

Maybe Korea's educational system is so far ahead of the U.S. because of awesome club classes! Ukulele class after school.

Entrance to Hwacheon Elementary.

My classroom!

It's What Chingus Do

Adventuring in Hwacheon would not be nearly as fun without my chingus and the wonderfully ridiculous memories we have already made in our first week. From discovering and enjoying the many Hwacheon quirks (such as giant polar bear statues, bouncing bridges, and fish EVERYWHERE), crossing a bridge that was built suddenly overnight, dancing in front of the Lotteria only to be stared at as if we were the strangest people on Earth by many South Korean soldiers in uniform, running furiously through the streets of Hwacheon to get toilet paper for a friend in a very disgusting bathroom stall by the river, sharing in mutual setting-off-the-house-alarm-because-I-thought-it-was-a-light-switch struggles, exploring all the coffee shops to find the best one, to just discussing our inability to effectively communicate with our homestays and schools and difficulties we are facing and supporting each other through it all, I have discovered how truly amazing these women are. I can't wait to get to know them even better throughout the year and am so grateful to have them here with me. Here's to the Hwacheon 4:  We may be slightly awkward but at least we know how to have fun. :)

Yea . . . that's us . . .

Hwacheon is well known for its indigenous otters. A few years ago, researchers placed video cameras and tracking chips in some of the otters in the area and then sent them upriver to North Korea. This project was called 'Peace Otters.'

Exploring the island together!

Ice cream!

Awkward pedal boat picture! Instead of four pedal boat seats there were two exercise bike positions and then two regular seats without pedals.

Fun Fact

So, Korea has been extremely hot lately, which means that everyone gets a little gross by the end of the day. One of the side effects for me has unfortunately been bad breakouts! Instead of referring to breakouts as 'acne', Koreans prefer the term 'trouble skin.' Luckily, Korea is well-known for skincare products! I bought this today and I'm hoping for the best:

Okay, I realize this blog post is getting really long! I didn't realize I had so much to say! I just want to end by saying:   Please add Kakao Talk on your smart phones so we can text and call each other for free! My user ID is chelbelle. :) I know many of you are starting Grad School or new jobs soon, and I just want to say:  I love you. I believe in you. You are going to do great things and impact the world in a positive way. I will pray for you! Please keep me posted on all your life adventures. God bless you. <3

Week 5 (Seoul)

This week and a half has passed by in an absolute whirlwind. I have finally graduated from Korean language courses, been amazed by the immenseness, beauty, and cleanliness that is Seoul, and have begun to feel like Korea is actually my home. I have also had a lot to process this week, so I decided to journal instead of blog. Instead, I am going to give you a photo journey of my week! Please enjoy. :)

Thursday-Tea Ceremony

I spent most of Wednesday cramming for my final on Thursday, but after my final was completed it was time to celebrate by learning about traditional Korean tea ceremonies! I learned how to properly bow, prepare, and drink tea. I also admired the beautiful hanbok, which is traditional Korean dress. These traditions are now only used for extremely formal occasions, such as funerals. I think the most important thing to remember in drinking, receiving, or preparing tea, is to always use two hands.

 

Friday-Pool Party at the Ambassador's Residence and American BBQ

 

Saturday-DMZ and Facials

Gabrielle and I on our way to the DMZ.

In Korean culture, it is very important to honor your ancestors, usually at their grave site. It is impossible for South Koreans and North Korean Defectors to honor their North Korean ancestors, so this was built in honor of them and serves as a makeshift grave of all deceased North Koreans.

Freedom Bridge:  Former railroad track used by POWs returning from the North.

Wishes of the people for reunification and peace.

The three soldiers with their backs turned to us are North Korean soldiers. They stand with fists clenched at their sides in a Taekwondo pose in case anything happens. The building is across the DMZ. On the steps there is a North Korean soldier who is watching us. If you look closely, there are also binoculars peeking out of the windows. The blue buildings are owned by the UN and are used as conference rooms. Our tour guide told us to take as many pictures as we wanted, because the soldiers were definitely taking pictures of us.

North Korean soldier inside the conference room. I was amazed at how they could stand incredibly still the entire time! Men and women in North Korea are required to serve ten years in the military. The US soldiers told us that they only stand like that when there are tours, and go into air conditioning when tours are done. The US soldiers and North Korean soldiers even play basketball and hang out together.

Skincare and beauty are kind of a big deal in Korea! Trying out Jeju Volcanic Skin Mask in an effort to get glowing skin after dinner and shopping in downtown Seoul. :)

Sunday-Gyeongbokgung Palace

There is a heat wave sweeping through Korea right now, so it was really difficult to pay attention to historical facts about the palace! I still thoroughly enjoyed how beautiful the palace was and was in absolute awe of how Seoul mixes the old with the new. The palace was very damaged by the Japanese imperialists, but it has been rebuilt to much of its former splendor. I learned a lot about King Sejon the Great of the Joesan Dynasty, who created hangul, the Korean alphabet, and therefore eliminated illiteracy in Korea. Even though I don't remember as many historical facts as I would like to, it was still absolutely breathtaking, and I am so glad I spent my free day exploring it!

King Sejon the Great.

Guards outside the palace.

Throne room.

Throne room.

Painting in queen's quarters.

Study hall for the king and guests. There are more gargoyles on this building than any other, marking its importance.

King's mother's quarters.

We are all rams according to the Chinese calendar!

Monday-Korean Language Course Graduation

It may have taken me longer than most to catch onto Korean, but it was worth each and every minute. I know I can communicate basic wants and hope to continue learning Korean throughout the year. I passed! :)

Tuesday-Talent Show and Superlative Awards

Thank you to David Stewart and the rest of the Talent Show committee for this beautiful certificate! 

I can't believe that orientation is almost over. I have made some close friendships and some amazing memories. In just three short days, I will be heading to Hwacheon! I only hope that I can make a difference. Thank you so much for your love and support. I have needed it so much over the past few weeks, and your letters and messages of encouragement have touched me so much. I love you. <3

Love always,
Chels

Placements! (Week 4)

This week has been crazy. As you know, this was the final week of Camp Fulbright, meaning that this week I was responsible for teaching two lessons. On Monday, I taught a lesson to the low beginner class, and on Thursday, I taught a lesson to the high beginner class. My week started out horribly on Monday with a cold, a failed quiz, and a lesson that did not go as well as I had hoped. We made PB & J sandwiches, which the children loved, but I admittedly did not structure it as well as I should have, so many of my objectives were not reached. I also was not in the most positive mood after my many struggles in Korean, and already felt defeated by the day. The lesson was followed by a rather discouraging talk from the Classroom Instructor who told me that my personality was not suited to being a teacher. It was the worst day of my time here so far, and I left that classroom feeling like maybe I was just not made of Fulbright material and I should give up.

After a long walk and a chance to clear my head, however, I decided not to give up and to keep trying. I talked to Leslie, one of the Orientation Coordinators, and told her about how challenging Korean is for me and that I wouldn't be able to do a presentation that she had asked me to do, called, "Maintaining a Positive Classroom Environment," because I needed to focus on my language classes. She gave me the opportunity to join a remedial Korean class, which meets for two hours every night, meaning I now have six hours of Korean everyday. I don't mind, however, because it has been so helpful! At this point, I'm looking at learning Korean as a survival skill, and hope that working as hard as I know how to will get me through my Korean class. I also had to completely rewrite my lesson plan for my lesson on Thursday because we were not allowed to use internet resources for our lessons, which I completely forgot about, but the lesson ended up being much, much better and the Classroom Instructor had many positive things to say after my observations. On Friday, I gave a 2-3 minute speech entirely in Korean which is worth 20% of our final, and even though it was not perfect, it was a massive improvement from the beginning of my time here. I left feeling very accomplished. :)

Yesterday, while on a walk, a Korean man came up to me yelling, "American!" He looked so excited as he introduced himself as Yook Ee. He asked me, "Pansy??" He was looking for a fellow Fulbright student. The whole conversation was split between broken English and broken Korean, but when I could say, "Pansy kisooksuh (Pansy dormitory)," he smiled and pointed to the dorms. At this point, I was uncertain what to do, because he could potentially be dangerous, but he seemed so sweet! As we walked to the dorms, he asked me if I was enjoying Korea. Then he said something in Korean that I didn't understand and he tried to explain it more as we went to the dorms. He stayed on the first level while I went upstairs to look for Pansy, but she wasn't there. He seemed disappointed, but took me to the market and pointed to the drinks, saying, "For help." I didn't want to accept it at first because I really didn't help him very much, but gift giving is a big part of Korean culture and I couldn't refuse! I got a vitamin water. He asked if Pansy would like one too, and I said yes, even though I was unsure if that was true. We bowed to each other and parted ways, but the fact that I could say anything to this man in Korean meant so much to me! I found Pansy later and she said that this man was going to be her language exchange partner, but they haven't had an opportunity to meet yet!

Now to the most exciting part of my week . . . .

Why Hwacheon Elementary School is the Best Placement For Me

Tuesday was a huge day for all the Fulbright ETAs. At 7 p.m., Mrs. Shim, the Executive Director of Fulbright, came to reveal to us our placement schools for the coming year! Last week, we filled out placement preference forms letting the Fulbright Office knowing what we were looking for in the next year. My number one priority was being near an orphanage, which I thought meant that I would be placed in a city. As the placement ceremony got closer and closer I realized that being a city would be miserable for me--I love long walks, wide open spaces, and knowing the people and area around me very well. Cities are suffocating to me. As they called the Hwacheon area and I saw the girls go to the stage I hoped in my heart that I would be placed there as well--and I was! I am so excited for the coming year!! Here is the Hwacheon tourism website:  http://www.ihc.go.kr/foreign/eng/page/sub02/sub02_01.html.

Hwacheon is a very cold area full of mountains, rivers, and dams. South Korea fought to keep it because of its water resources. It is approximately 6 miles away from the border, but very safe!

 1.   My Friends!

These ladies (from left to right:  Gabrielle LaFata, Stacey Scholten, and Julie Garner) have become my friends during my time here, and I am so excited to become even closer to them during the year! Hwacheon is one of the most rural placements available and very secluded with few English teachers, so they always place four ETAs there. In cities, ETAs may be spread out pretty far, but with the set-up in Hwacheon, I will most likely see at least one ETA everyday! In addition, I have the only Elementary ETA placement with two EETAs. Gabrielle LaFata and I will be teaching in the same school, and I am so blessed to have her so close! She is very kind, enthusiastic, generous, and driven. If you knew her, you would love her. :) Julie will be right across the river from us at the high school, and she has a classroom entirely to herself. Julie has been dreaming of this placement so I am so happy for her. She is very encouraging and understanding--and we were both in sororities, so we have that bond. :) Stacey will be about ten minutes outside of Hwacheon in Yuncheon, a very small village. Her entire school only has fifty students and she is the only English teacher! Stacey and I both love Harry Potter and AVPM and I have a lot of fun joking around with her and sharing elementary education stories. The four ETAs who are placed in Hwacheon usually become best friends by the end of the grant year.

2. Hwacheon Elementary School

I stole this picture off the internet and am not entirely sure this is actually Hwacheon Elementary School!

Hwacheon is a poorer area. In order to help the students of Hwacheon, the schools are government funded, meaning they are actually pretty nice! There are approximately 300 4th and 5th grade students at Hwacheon Elementary School. In cities, you may have up to 1,000 students, but with the smaller student body split between two ETAs I will have a chance to get closer to my students. I am also very interested in rural poverty and hope that I can help the students of Hwacheon succeed on the CSAT (College Scholastic Ability Test), in which English is a major subject. Just like in the states, it is harder to succeed in rural areas and many students feel destined to be farmers. I want to try to make English interesting and give them some basic English skills. Former ETAs have said that students and people are sweeter in rural areas, so even if I don't speak Korean, there will most likely be someone who is willing to try to help me! Here is the website to the school: http://kwhw.es.kr/.

3.  Hwacheon Ice (Fishing) Festival

http://english.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/SI/SI_EN_3_6.jsp?cid=1547131
It's kind of a big deal. Lots of people, including ETAs from the rest of Korea, come to visit in January. So, the winter's in Hwacheon are really harsh, but at least I get to celebrate while I'm cold. And I like winter, so no big deal. :) Fishing is a big part of Hwacheon all year round, not just in the winter when you can ice fish! You should go google search Hwacheon Ice Festival and look at all the people competing in ice fishing tournaments--the pictures are quite something!

4.  Access to Cities

Hwacheon is about an hour away from Cheonan, which is a bigger city that even has an English speaking church! Although I will most likely not be able to visit often, when I really feel like I need a church community in my life, I can always visit. From Cheonan, it is another hour train ride to Seoul, and I can find pretty much anything I need in Seoul. Hwacheon is also the county seat of Hwacheon County and is pretty big--I think there are 8,000 to 10,000 people there, and I should be able to find the majority of what I need in town.

5.  Learning Experience

Yes, Hwacheon is only six miles away from the DMZ. Yes, it is the closest placement to the DMZ available. But, it's had four ETAs for many, many years, and it has always been safe. I might see crazy things that I never imagined seeing before, like a hundred tanks coming down the road and civilians acting like it's not a big deal. That is something an ETA experienced last year. However, if I am ever in any danger, I will be notified immediately by the Fulbright Office and evacuated to a safer area. From what I've been told, however, Hwacheon is not a place North Korea cares about. They're going to target Seoul if they target any place at all! I am hoping that I will use this time to learn more about North Korean-South Korean relations, something I know very little about. I will also probably learn more Korean since there won't be many English speakers there!

6. Beauty

I stole these pictures from a past ETA's blog, but I just want to give you an idea of what I am going to see every day! I always thought that the most beautiful place to live would be in the middle of the mountains near water, and that's exactly what I'll have this year!

 6.  Soldiers

This one is mostly for my best friend Kat, who is reportedly on 'Husband Watch 2013.' :P But really, there are about 22,000 civilians in all of Hwacheon County and about 36,000 soldiers. There are more soldiers than civilians! Although I don't know how many of them are American soldiers, I think there are probably some. I am sure I will be safe! :)

7. Orphanage

 http://kkoom.org/gangwon.pdf
 According to KKOOM, there is an orphanage in Hwacheon County, and I want to volunteer so badly! I am going to talk to an Orientation Coordinator about how to get involved in an orphanage in the next couple of weeks, and hopefully contact the Hwacheon Orphanage soon. If not, I can always volunteer in an orphanage in Seoul.  

I am very excited for my upcoming year, and can't believe in just two short weeks I leave Jungwon to begin my grant year as a real teacher! For those of you concerned about my placement in Hwacheon, please know that I will always try to make wise choices and there are many people looking out for me. I hope this year is a growing experience! As always, I love you so much. Thanks for reading my blog and for keeping me strong. <3