Outside of the classroom, I have been keeping myself busy. Here are a few of the volunteering activities I have been involved in for the last few weeks.
Volunteer teaching – Once a week, I volunteer with three other ETAs to teach English to a small group of adult immigrants. Every week, we teach topics like transportation, numbers, and grocery shopping. Our students are motivated, smart, and enjoy learning English. Teaching these students is my favorite part of my grant year so far.
Reach the World – As I’ve previously posted, I am a travel writer for a New York nonprofit called Reach the World. This semester, I will write 20 blog articles about my experiences in Korea, and I will videoconference with a fourth grade classroom in Quebec. It’s a great way to teach western students about Korea, and my inner student still likes having deadlines and assignments to help guide my reflections about my time here.
Infusion literary magazine – As of this week, I am a staff editor for Infusion, Fulbright Korea’s literary magazine. Similar to my work in the Villanova Writing Center, I work one-on-one with writers to polish their submissions for publication in Infusion. I am looking forward to publishing our winter issue!
Fulbright Korea Alumni Relations – I am part of a committee that writes articles for the quarterly Fulbright Korea Alumni newsletter. I also do some editing and layout work as needed.
It’s a nice mix of Fulbright, community, and global activities to complement my teaching duties. As my schedule changes next semester and some of these activities come to an end, I will have to look for more ways to stay involved.