One of the teachers at GSHS asked me to write something for the "end of the semester" edition of school magazine. I took this assignment in a bit of a reflective direction. Below is the "essay" I submitted.
I have seldom felt the kind of pressure to formulate a “life plan” as I did during my final semester in college this past spring. At small, academically competitive colleges such as the one I attended, moving back in with your parents after graduation is not the grownup, glamorous opportunity that students aim for. However, in the current economic climate, with jobs harder to locate and secure, flipping through the daily newspaper while at your childhood breakfast table has become a reality for many recent graduates. As the spring semester of my senior year in college approached the halfway point, I was starting to accept this scenario as a very real possibility for my immediate future. Instead, on a regular Monday in April, I received my grant documents with a departure date to South Korea scheduled for July 2, 2010.
I never honestly expected to get the chance to come to Korea to teach. Sure, I tried my best on the application and did adequate research for the interview, but the opportunity was so daunting that I avoided calculating high chances of success. Truthfully, I knew very little about the fellowship I eventually won until an academic advisor at my college came to me with the idea to apply. Along similar lines, I am not bound to Korea by cultural or familiar ties like some of my peers and my primary academic interests do not rest in this part of the world. My mental preparation for and background knowledge of the Korean peninsula was limited to previous study surrounding the Korean War. Needless to say, the transition to a culture so different from my own has been difficult.
I don’t think I registered the fact that I was going to be spending a year away from home until the day before I left. For one reason or another, the packing, paperwork, and most of my goodbyes were not as difficult as I thought they would be. Even on the fourteen-hour plane ride from Chicago to Seoul, the anxiety and nervousness hadn’t started to kick in; I listened to music, got some sleep, and even learned Hangul. It wasn’t until exited the baggage claim area at Inchon Airport that I begun to realize where I was and how different the year ahead of me was going to be. In my wallet, I had won instead of dollars; all around me, I heard a language I cannot speak; and the letters on every restaurant, pharmacy, and street sign might as well have been hieroglyphics. Not to mention the ethnic and physical homogeneity that now surrounded me. When it comes to interacting with foreign cultures and starting a dialogue with new traditions and customs, there is only so much that can be gained from travel books and second hand knowledge. The real process of assimilation begins when you set foot in the unfamiliar situation.
As many of the second and third-year students at Gyeongnam Science High School move towards the next step in their academic and personal development, I hope they can take some advice from experiences during my first six months in Korea.
1. Don’t be afraid to take risks.
Making the journey to Korea was the biggest risk I have taken in the past six months but I experience new things almost every day. Do not be afraid of these news challenges. Be wary and careful, but never let fear stop you from what could turn out to be a memorable experience.
2. There are many more ways to communicate than just language.
Surviving in Korea without a command of the language is an everyday struggle. I am constantly reliant on people around me who speak Korean as well as my ability to communicate without words. If you find yourself ever struggling to communicate with words, remember there are always more ways to get your point across and make yourself clear.
3. Being able to laugh at yourself and be embarrassed is one of the most important qualities a person can have.
I cannot count the number of awkward situations I have experienced since arriving in Korea. If I were more sensitive or unable to let things roll off my shoulders, I would have cracked by now. No matter how bleak the situation, try, try, and try again to keep a positive attitude. You will thank yourself for the effort later on.
My first six months in Korea have been an adventure to say the least. Thanks to all of the people who have made the transition easier and continue to help me “survive” in this foreign culture every day.
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