Tag: korea

    Blogroll: Jenna Smith, “A Collection of Memories from my Spring Semester”

    Originally published on Jenna Smith’s blog, here. This entry originally appeared on a Fulbright grantee’s personal blog and is published with permission here. The views expressed in these entries are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect the views of Fulbright Korea or the Korea Fulbright Infusion staff.   Messages written on the congratulatory cards for Jangdeok’s 3rd grade graduates: “No pain, no gain” “I love you and I will never forget you until I die.” (Rather dramatic for Middle School graduation…) So what? You graduated! (Not entirely sure if this message was sarcastic.) “Bye.” (much creativity, such thought) Brabo! Brabo! Brabo! (Bravo?) And my personal favorite… “No money, no honey”   My students have a way with words.   Conversations with Ji Su, secretly, but not so secretly, my favorite 3rd grader: Jenna: “What are you going to do this weekend, Ji Su?” Ji Su: “Last weekend I went dancing with some boys (interesting…),” but this weekend I need to pop my zit (the second half of this sentence was spoken in Korean and through a graphic pantomime). So if you thought your weekend was rather lack luster, Ji Su split his time between math academy and popping his zit.   Ji Su: “Teacher, do you like kimchi? (A devilish, knowing grin spreading across his face.) Jenna: Yes, I do Ji Su (lol no, I don’t)! But it is too spicy for me (something like that)… Ji Su saunters to the door, and whips his head around when he hits the threshold… “Don’t lie teacher…” You caught me Ji Su. Let this be a lesson to everyone reading, middle schoolers can smell rubbish from a mile away.   Questions I’m asked by my students: “Teacher, can I cheat this?” -At least now they are asking for permission to copy their friend’s worksheets.   “Teacher, are you good at art?” -I responded, “Yes, I can draw a little.” The student followed up with, “Show us! Draw a pig!” After drawing a cartoon pig on the board, he assessed my work like a connoisseur of fine art. “Okay, Teacher, now turn it into the devil.” The devil pig: a true test of creativity, talent, and imagination.   Student: “Teacher, do you have a boyfriend?” -This happens everyday, multiple times a day…Thank you for the constant reminded that I am single. Jenna: “No, I don’t. Do you have a girlfriend?” Student (addressing me and other student passersby): “No, but Jenna is a girl, who is also my friend so…” -I chuckle as I think to myself, “Oh… I see what you did there, creepy, yet clever.” And by that logic if I at some point in my life meet Ryan Gosling, I will practically be dating him according to Gyeun Min’s logic.   A Chore Chain The sage editors of my English textbook decided to dedicate last week’s lesson to chore vocabulary. I don’t think I could have written a more boring lesson if I’d tried (and this is saying a lot, because I have engineered a lot of supremely boring worksheets for my students, met with an eye roll at best, or pretending to be sick at worst). Let me paint you a picture of what my classroom looked like as we covered the chapter vocabulary. My students were hanging on my every word as I described the difference between mopping and sweeping. It was getting a little too rowdy when we switched to discussing what dust looks like and the proper terminology for tidying up your bedroom. And if this lesson wasn’t already “raising the roof,” we read a story about “David” and his Korean fried “Yuna,” who volunteer to clean their classroom. Talk about a true cliffhanger. “Making the Classroom Pretty” is an instant classic with all its twists, turns, and the surprise ending. (This is in fact the exact opposite of what happened in class.) Heck, I was even bored teaching this lesson. So whenever I get bored in the future I will remember that week I spent a total of 12 hours discussing the nuances of chore vocabulary. But I have to hand it to the editors for crafting such a fanciful story about David and Yuna, two students, who are too AMPED to make their classroom “pretty.” I seem to think that some editor at this publishing company knew how poorly this lesson would go over so he threw in some subtle humor for the English Teacher presenting it. In this thriller… Yuna is chomping at the bit to paint the walls in her classroom and hang the curtains (two classroom chores that I didn’t know students were ever responsible for hmmm…). David, however (it should come as a surprise to no one that David is Yuna’s white, male friend) does not share in Yuna’s enthusiasm and altruistic spirit. After hanging the curtains David knows he needs to draw the line with all of this “manual labor business.” Thus, when Yuna suggests that they clean the windows too David promptly declines. His response is priceless and I quote, “We don’t need to do that. The others students will do that tomorrow.” I like the way he thinks. Delegation. We rounded out this chapter with the introduction of the key phrase, “I had my hair cut.” Aw yes, after I dust I typically want to go out for a nice hair cut, or at the very least I desire to state that I did so in the past tense. Up next we will tackle the lesson titled, “My Internet Friends,” and though this is a trend I don’t think we should be promoting to middle school students, I will teach anything that does not involve me pantomiming the act of vacuuming or finding samples of dust on the floor in my classroom. Luckily the latter is not hard to do, since my students are more like David and less like Yuna so my classroom has not seen the likes of a broom since it was built.

    PreFACE

    Beauty can be defined as “a combination of qualities, such as shape, color, or form, that pleases the aesthetic senses, esp. the sight.” Everywhere you go, aesthetic judgments and perceptions are made. The mass media thrives on this and somewhere along these lines we find ourselves lost in a battle of perfection. If you travel and live in a different country, this ideal perfection still exists, even if it is defined differently. Sometimes, it’s only natural to try to see how you “measure up” according to the “standard.” Me? I am done playing this game. At the end of the day, I want to be remembered for my actions, my impact and the way I treat people, not as a “cute”  face… How other people perceive my physical appearance does not define who I am. It is more telling of how we judge each other easily. How long are we going to let ourselves be fooled by the media and by comments thrown at us right and left? There’s an unrealistic bar set by celebrities, photoshop and airbrushes and, for those of us in our everyday lives, it’s tough to compete.  You’re so cute… I never realized how pretty you were until I saw you in the light…You are so small…You have a small head…Such a cute face, baby face… Wow, I want to have your body shape… Hair yellow, why yellow? So pretty! Are those eyes real? Hey, stop! Can I have your number? Beautiful…Hi, are you lost? Aww, so cute, but Korean must be too difficult for you… School dinner: One glance at my table. So cute. Sorry, I don’t do English. –Walks away. Gwenchanayo. Naneun hangugoh chogeum malhaeseo, sun saeng nim eun nae yup ay ancheul su ithda… (That’s okay. I can speak a little bit of Korean, so you can sit next to me…) –Still walking away. Laughs circulate the table. I laugh, but inside, I feel like a deflated balloon… “You don’t know my brain the way you know my name. You don’t know my heart the way you know my face…” I sprint along the winding roads I have grown to call home and sing this tune as tears stream down my face. It’s been a day. One of those days when I wish I could wear a paper bag over my head. I am a strong spirit with dreams. I’m begging you to just give me a chance; to not judge me at face value. In return, you will have gained a friend and a shoulder to lean on. “Blonde hair, blue eyes” doesn’t mean ignorant Anglophone. With my Québécois heritage, this label tagged on my appearance has caused me inner turmoil. My ancestors fought for their language to become a legitimate part of their society in the so-called “Quiet Revolution” of Quebec. I am proud of my multilingual heritage and I have the spirit of a fighter. You can be sure that I will do the same for your language. I am not a neocolonialist. This is a cultural exchange. I am willing to learn. I do speak some Korean…Oh, too difficult for me? Challenge accepted: I will study every day. Language Equality In your own country, you should not have to feel ashamed for the fact that you aren’t fluent in English. I shouldn’t have to be ashamed for being me. Yet, somehow, I still feel like a fraud. In past travels, I was the cultural chameleon. It felt like a game. I fooled cab drivers into thinking I was French, Québécoise, even Argentinian. After a time, I even fooled myself. You win this round. I can never pose as Korean. In any case, I’ve outgrown that phase. In Gangwon-do, I stick out like a sore thumb and sometimes it feels disconcerting. Still, I see people bragging about how “beautiful, sexy and cute” they are in Korea. I despair. To me, it’s insulting to be objectified. Better to have someone comment on my strength of character or my actions: things that define who I am to the core of my being, rather than this physical shell. I wish I had the nerve and the language capacity to transmit this message to all those with whom I interact on a daily basis. It would give me the feeling of liberation. Until then, I will utilize the strategies I have available: running and yoga. Ergo, said liberation has come in the form of my first yogic headstand ever. Before Korea, I never had the confidence. Now, if I fall, it’s me who picks up the pieces and tries again. I lift my legs—inhale, exhale—is this what it feels like to fly? Absolutely. III. Comparisons:  Measuring Up Wow, I want to have your body shape. I wish I was (X) like you. Upon first hearing this, I’m taken aback. I feel embarrassed to receive comments, especially when someone is comparing…   Thanks, but do you know how beautiful you are? From the inside out?  Here, it is culturally more acceptable to make comments regarding physical appearance. For me, this doesn’t justify comparisons. It hurts to see co-workers and students compare themselves to me. It makes me feel like a negative influence just for bringing these thoughts into their minds (Yes, I am always thinking about my impact. No, I shouldn’t pretend to read minds). I want to empower those around me to see that, since they are beautiful just the way they are, they shouldn’t feel the need to be anybody else. (Notwithstanding, as I initially stated, it’s hard to compete with media and in a world where we are BOMBARDED with images of what is beautiful and what body shape is in. Body type is being treated like a trend…).  This is a lesson on self-love wherever you are in the world. I am surrounded by wonderful people, who radiate beauty from the inside out. What is more, I get the chance to help them to see it in themselves everyday. In the classroom, comments on appearance