Also, I start teaching tomorrow so I haven't seen how the kids behave first hand, but I've spoken to a bunch of people by now about the education system and the Korean childhood and it's true that the kids take studying very seriously. The kids here go to school literally all day, first public school then private schools their parents have to pay a lot of money for. I'm teaching at one of these private schools. I've heard the public schools are so bad here that parents are forced to pay for private schools to make up for it. So anyway, after school the kids then stay up till midnight doing homework. This is not only expected, anything less is discouraged. I feel bad for the kids here, but it will be my job to make sure they have enough homework in my class to continue this perpetual cram sesh.
Korea is a very hierarchical society where one's age, sex and status have a major bearing on how others relate to you. As a Westerner, you will be immune from this sort of judgment to an extent, although Koreans who meet you will still want some information as to where on the social totem pole you fit. So questions such as "How old are you?", "Are you married?" and "What is your job?" are simply ways for Koreans to get a feeling of where in society you fit.
Koreans who have not been formally introduced to you will often ignore you and strangers will view you as a 'non-person'. This explains a lot of the pushing and shoving on the street, why Koreans will skip queues and why everyone from moped drivers to other pedestrians will behave as if you do not exist. Don't take it personally, though, as it happens to everyone.
The role of women in society is still stunted compared to the West. Women are still expected to raise the children and stay at home while the husband earns the money. Often women get less money for the same job as men, and Korea is still developing in terms of women's rights.
Society is very oriented around work and education. From an early age Koreans go to hagwon or grind schools on top of their regular education. Exhausting hours of study are a common feature of all young Koreans lives. It is vital for high school students to get into a good university as the university attended will affect the rest of their lives. There is definitely an 'old boy' network in Korea and the contacts made in university can prove very helpful in later years.
I feel myself gradually getting adjusted to being here. The fact that I have my own apartment with all my own things makes it easier, because it is like my sanctuary. I can listen to my own music here, all English lyrics. I can watch American TV shows and English-language movies and remember who I am. But always in the back of my mind I tell myself to push myself to try new things. So today when I went grocery shopping I mainly tried to stake out familiar foods, but I bought a few strange ones to try. And when I go to restaurants I try new foods without question. So far I've tried raw crab, duck, raw stingray, snails, squid. In fact, as I type this, who knows what animal(s) I'm eating for dinner in these odd yet delicious dumplings. Oh god, this is just my first week. What will this list look like in a month?
The internet has been my lifesaver this week. My friends and family are online when I need someone to talk to. My dad kept me company while I dealt with the deep-cut-in-my-foot crisis (still not healing as well as I'd like but not infected...yet). And Corey has achieved miracles with his tech advice via webcam. I'm 14 hours in the future but the internet is my ansible ;)
English speakers over here have also been life savers. I've met people from Canada, New Zealand, Australia, Koreans fluent in English, and Americans from other states. As far as the other foreigners go, where we come from is different but we share this one big thing in common. They're all so different and interesting in their own ways. It's been a hell of a good time meeting all these new people.
I meant to go into the city alone this weekend to be a tourist in Seoul, tour and take pictures of a Korean palace, maybe check out an art gallery or one of the trendy neighborhoods. I had a little too much fun Friday night and spent most of Saturday recovering, but I promise myself I'll go to Seoul next weekend. I need to remind myself one of my main goals for this year is to see all the sites I want to see in Seoul, and also some major ones out of town. I have a whole year to do it in, but unlike when I lived in London I don't live so close to it all so I can probably only do one thing per weekend. One of the jobs of the people reading this blog is to push me to go be a tourist on weekends. Got that?
Ok, good. So tomorrow I'm teaching for the first time (did I mention that already?). I don't know what to expect but I've been getting "good lucks" from you all back home and so tomorrow I'll be grateful to know you're pulling for me. I also have a bit of a support system here, I've been getting tons of kind advice from veteran teachers.
I love all of you, I miss seeing your faces. But I'm having a blast and actually have two visitors to look forward to: Dad and Duwane! Alright, so now I'm off to relax before the big day. Peace!
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