Category: Fulbright Korea

Reflections from a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant in South Korea.

Mishaps at the Mart

On By Janine PerriIn Fulbright Korea, Silly Janine Teacher!Leave a comment

We now return to “Janine Does Something Silly Because of the Language Barrier.”

Host Mom, host aunt, and host nephews picked me up from school today so we could go to a Korean BBQ restaurant for dinner. On our way back to the apartment, we stopped by the mart next door. As we walked inside, Host Mom placed a basket in my hands and said something rapidly in Korean. The only word I understood was eumshig or “food” (which, based on context, should have been evident).

Okay, I thought. I guess she wants me to get some food I’d like to eat this week.

“For me to cook?” I asked, gesturing like I’m stirring a pot.

She responded in Korean, and I did not understand. But she didn’t shake her head no, so I assumed it was affirmative and I was cooking dinner tomorrow.

Given my limited cooking abilities, I walked toward the produce aisle and picked up some broccoli and carrots. Then I put some noodles in my basket and figured I could make something out of that. Hmm…why was Host Mom laughing so much?

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Conversations about Beauty

On By Janine PerriIn Culture, Family, Fulbright KoreaLeave a comment

I have always been uncomfortable if someone compliments my appearance. Usually because I don’t think about it too much and tend to focus on aspects of my character instead. Fortunately, the student choruses of “Teacher, pretty!” are finally dying down, but the issues of Western and Korean beauty standards are still at the forefront of my mind. Especially after today.

This afternoon, I met one of Ye Bin’s friends at the mall. We ate pizza, practiced English and Korean, and then went to a photo booth. Even though  I usually dislike taking pictures of myself, it was surprisingly a lot of fun to make silly faces and poses.

But when we went to print the pictures, a Photoshop application popped up on the screen. That’s where it went downhill.

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My Host Family: Or, The Cast, in Order of Appearance

On By Janine PerriIn Family, Fulbright KoreaLeave a comment

This year’s show will be performed by the following actors:

The Main Cast

Host Mom – My host mom is so hospitable, I have to wonder if all Korean moms are like this! Even though she does not usually leave the apartment until late morning, she wakes up at 5:30 like I do to make breakfast for my sister Su Bin and ensure that we are ready to start the day. My host mom is also highly involved in the school community, and she is always well-dressed. It is a little awkward that my host mom and I do not speak the same language, but we are finding ways to communicate. Right now there’s a lot of gestures and very basic Korean words. Sometimes I resort to pointing and saying “oohs” and “aahs.” Even as a child, I did not feel this much like a child. Maybe by Christmas, I will be able to have a real conversation with my host mom.

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Departure Day

On By Janine PerriIn Culture, Family, Fulbright Korea, Orientation, SchoolLeave a comment

Goodbye Jungwon, hello Gimhae!

Today was yet another ceremony to serve as a farewell to the friends we made in Goesan and as an introduction to our co-teachers and schools. In the morning, the ETAs and OCs said tearful goodbyes and took pictures with each other. I never imagined that I would become so close to my fellow Fulbrighters in such a short amount of time. Luckily, we will all be together again for the fall conference in October!

Avalon crew

After taking pictures, the ETAs, both new and renewee, entered the auditorium the same way as for the Placement Ceremony. We stood in a horseshoe around the audience, and we stood with the other ETAs in our provinces. This time, the audience was filled with co-teachers, vice principals and principals from our schools. The OCs called our names one by one so we could step forward and bow. Some co-teachers stood up or presented flowers to their new ETA, while others took note of what we looked like. Fulbright also gave us flowers as a goodbye gift, which was a pleasant surprise!

After we finished our bows, all 120+ ETAs rushed to find their co-teachers in the audience. My co-teacher did not stand when I bowed, so I hoped he would remember what I looked like (there was a reason for my bright red blazer!). After a few minutes, my co-teacher, Mr. Hong, introduced himself and we went to the goodbye luncheon in the cafeteria. After lunch, we started the long drive to Gimhae.

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“It Was the Best of Classes, It Was the Worst of Classes”: My First Teaching Experiences

On By Janine PerriIn ESL Lessons, Fulbright Korea, OrientationLeave a comment

It was the best of classes, it was the worst of classes, it was the age of maturity, it was the age of middle school monsters, it was one class of hope, it was one class of despair. Such were my first two teaching experiences.

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Placement Day

On By Janine PerriIn Fulbright Korea, OrientationLeave a comment

Earlier this week, the Orientation Counselors called a surprise meeting. As we filed into the classroom, the OCs couldn’t hide their smiles and excitement as they announced:

“You are getting your placements on Thursday!”

My plans to study for the Korean quiz this week were shattered. How could I concentrate on verb conjugation when I would finally learn where I would be spending the next year?!

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The Prevalence of English in Korea

On By Janine PerriIn Culture, Fulbright Korea, LanguageLeave a comment

Before I left for Korea, I posted an article I had previously written about English as a global language. Even though I’m only a few weeks into Fulbright, I am starting to realize for the first time just how much of an impact English has around the world–in positive and negative ways.

Korea is the first country I have visited that has a non-Roman alphabet (Hangul). Though I can recognize the letters and syllables in Hangul, this is my first experience (that I can remember, at least) of being nearly illiterate. While this is disconcerting at times, it is even more disconcerting to see how much I am able to understand–because even in a small rural town, so many words are also in English.

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Sokcho Weekend

On By Janine PerriIn Culture, Fulbright Korea, OrientationLeave a comment

Sokcho

This weekend, the Fulbright ETAs went to Sokcho, a beach town on the northeast coast, to take a break from the cultural workshops, language classes, and teacher training. My first taste of travel around Korea!

Mrs. Shim, Executive Director of the Korean-American Educational Commission that runs Fulbright Korea, offered a welcome address on Friday afternoon, in which she encouraged us to enjoy ourselves during the weekend and not even THINK about studying Korean or writing lesson plans. As a self-professed workaholic, this was probably the first time I’ve ever taken advice about not working. It was definitely worth the cramming I have to do back at Jungwon.

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A Different Way of Seeing the World…Literally

On By Janine PerriIn Culture, Fulbright Korea, OrientationLeave a comment

I was sitting in the ETA lounge at Jungwon today, doing my Korean homework and trying to remember all the rules for the past tense, when I looked up from my notebook and saw a map of the world hanging on the wall. But something about it was different.

I had flashbacks to elementary school geography, when I learned that maps could look different based on projections and shape. Sometimes Greenland was small and squished; other times it was the size of Africa. Sometimes Antarctica looked like a thin line, while other times it nearly touched South America. But in every map I had seen, North America was in the West and Asia was in the East.

Perhaps you’ve guessed how this map was different.

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