A teacher from Gwangju was featured on the latest episode of my favorite NPR Show, This American Life! I wish I could say I know her, as she does an excellent job talking about a beauty lesson she presented at her all-girls high school. Here's the link for all of you to enjoy, and I'm off to stalk the Gwanjgu facebook groups to find her profile and send her a note of admiration... or something like that, but less creepy-sounding.
http://www.thisamericanlife.org/radio-archives/episode/483/self-improvement-kick#play
Monday, January 14, 2013
10 Day Meditation
What's it like to wake up to a bell every day at 4:00 a.m., meditate for 10+ hours throughout the day, eat a rationed vegan breakfast and lunch, with no supper, and observe noble silence, with no talking, for 9 1/2 straight days? Oh, and there's also no reading, no writing, no exercise, etc.
And, more curiously, WHY would anyone choose to do it in the first place?!
I'm always excited to share my friends' experiences in Korea, and this story, in particular, caught my attention. The writer, Tyler Priest, was a pastor in Alabama before he and his wife Helen moved to Gwangju last February. We met during the EPIK orientation, and I can't say enough good about these two. Read on to hear about the experience that left Tyler feeling "more peaceful and balanced and creative. Less anxious, less reactive, less selfish". I've embedded two YouTube videos about the documentary he references, but the following is otherwise his.
Thanks, Tyler, for allowing me to pass along your story.
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Here are some of my partially digested, rambling reflections from the most difficult and most rewarding experience of my life thus far.
Before the course
I’ve long been interested in meditation, but until recently I had always felt like the ability to meditate properly was just out of reach. It was either too foreign or abstract for me to understand, or just too frustrating for my wandering mind to grasp. After watching a documentary called Dhamma Brothers back in 2009 (http://www.dhammabrothers.com/) , I became interested in Vipassana meditation. But it remained merely at the level of curiosity. It was an unlikely proposal that I could take off 10 days from my work with a church to go to a “Buddhist” meditation course (I later learned that Vipassana meditation, while practiced within Buddhism, is not particularly Buddhist or in any way sectarian, but universal). And my vacation days were already maxed out. So I never pursued it.
The Dhamma Brothers Trailer
The Dhamma Brothers- 2012 Update
But then I came to Korea a year ago, and I met a fellow intake teacher named Tim W who was not only a practicing meditator, he was practically giving his life to it. He had not only undergone a handful of 10 day courses himself, but he had volunteered in the States and in India facilitating several courses as a “server.” He continues to be a serious meditator. And he tuned me in to the Vipassana center located in Korea. When I realized that a 10-day course would mesh perfectly with my school’s winter break, I jumped on it.
Before that, I read and re-read William Hart’s The Art of Living, which is a great introductory book to the technique, the theory and practice of Vipassana (a Pali word that simply means insight--attaining wisdom from seeing reality as reality is). It is based on the 10-day course lectures given by S.N. Goenka, a charming, saintly Burmese man who experienced the wonders of Vipassana. As a byproduct, the technique cured his chronic headaches, and he went on to devote his life to sharing Vipassana with the world. By the way, at the course, via video recordings, S.N. Goenka gives over 10 hours worth of some of the best sermons/lectures I’ve ever heard. He is a great teacher of beautiful truths. And he’s largely responsible for the spread of Vipassana throughout the world.
Before the course I had also begun to meditate on my own, based upon my readings in The Art of Living. I also had in depth conversations with Tim about the course, about how Vipassana works, about the anxieties I had, about how uncomfortable it was for me to sit cross-legged for more than a few minutes. And he gave me a lot of good, nuanced advice. He warned me it would be very difficult, but that I could do it. So I signed up and went for it.
The course
There’s something about putting yourself in a situation where you are simultaneously being faced with hardships, and being trained in an ancient, tried and true technique in how to mentally deal with those hardships. It’s being in a place that makes you crave and become averse, while teaching you to remain balanced in the face of those cravings and aversions. Like a crucible, it’s a painful but brilliantly transformative place to be stuck in for 10 days. It’s the perfect training for life itself. Vipassana meditation truly teaches you an “Art of Living.”
I went on a rollercoaster ride through heaven, hell, and several levels of purgatory in those 10 days. It was baptism by fire. I had to wrestle with myself more than I ever have. I found out what my mind was made of. It was weak, it was stubborn, it was bit childish and terrifyingly crazy. It’s like an untrained wild animal being corralled for the first time. But slowly, patiently, and gently, the technique started to train this savage thing I refer to as my mind.
I won’t go into that great of detail about the technique, or how Siddhartha Gautama discovered it and shared it with India, and later, the world. Other sources like the aforementioned book will do that much better. I’ll simply share some of what I experienced, what I realized, and how I believe it is altering my future trajectory.
The Vipassana technique
But first, here are a few things I will say about the Vipassana technique. It is the purest for of Siddhartha Gautama’s meditation teachings maintained for 2500 years, with no religion, doctrine or dogma attached. It’s not premised on belief, but experience that leads to belief.
Vipassana is not merely a meditation technique, but one that is couched in a way of life. The code of conduct during the course is a holistic one, and a reasonable one—touching every part of life, from diet to sex to relationships. For instance, the beginning of the code of conduct states “I will not kill another being.” Easy enough, right? Well this, of course, went beyond the act of murder. It applied to our vegetarian meals, and even the flies and gnats and ladybugs at the course site. I kid you not, after trying to shoo one away from my lunch, I actually pet the wings of this house fly in the dining hall. It had been allowed to stick around for a while. There is a regard for all beings. And that kind of conduct facilitates deeper meditation.
The 10 day course, which is designed as a mini-monastic experience, leads the meditator through a gradual progression of steps that train the mind to focus on the sensations within the body (sensations which I had never felt before the course, but have been there all along—my senses were too dull to realize them). You begin by focusing on natural breathing—not controlled breathing—but breathing as it already is. And you simply remain aware of your breath. Then you focus on the actual sensations of that breath—the places you feel it around your nostrils. Your mind begins to sharpen. Then after some time, you narrow that field of natural breath sensation to the area of the upper lip. Then you begin to move that narrow field of sensation away from breathing to focus to other parts of the body and you begin to “feel” your body. Then you go deeper and deeper with these sensations, and you allow negative sensations to arise, and you observe them with detached balance and equanimity, and this slowly begins to destroys the roots of deep-seated aversions. You allow positive sensations to arise, and again you observe them with detached balance and equanimity, and this slowly destroys the roots of deep-seated cravings. You continue and continue to do this, going deeper, going further, learning more and more about yourself and this wonderful technique. And it slowly destroys the cause of suffering: craving and aversion. (By the way, Vipassana has helped addicts of all kinds to come out of their addictions. And if we’re honest with ourselves, we’re all addicts with just different kinds of addictions.)
Vipassana teaches through this experience that everything is changing, arising and passing away. So nothing is worth clinging to, or avoiding. It just is, and eventually it all goes away. My pain, my frustration, my discontent no longer has to be mine. I can just look at it, sort of smile at it but refuse to claim it, and it goes away. Once during a 1 hour meditation block, a running injury in my knee was on fire. I viewed it objectively, it was as if the pain was melted into mere vibrations and evaporated into thin air within a minute.
It’s nothing weird. It’s not even religious or metaphysical, although Buddhism (apart from Siddhartha Gautama’s desire) was a product of adherents to this amazing technique. Beautiful in simplicity, Vipassana all takes place within the framework of the body. It is all based on what the meditator has experienced. It’s nothing outside. It’s all happening inside. It’s not theory driven—it’s practice driven. It’s not belief based or metaphysical, but actual hard reality based. It’s scientific, in a sense.
My experience
My current status could easily be written off as merely a sort of church camp high, but I don’t think that’s the case. One, although it can be an emotional rollercoaster of an experience, I slowly learned to view my emotional reactions objectively. So on this side of the 10 day course, I’m not overflowing with excitement. I’m equanimous and peaceful, and there is a gulf between those two. Two, I was given an invaluable tool—the method of Vipassana—that I can take with me anywhere and practice anytime. The challenge is for “old students” (those who have completed a 10-day course) to practice one hour in the mornings and one hour in the evenings for every day for the first year. That's a bit ambitious for me, I think, so I’m starting somewhere around 30-35 minutes twice a day, which is doubling where I had left off before the course. I’ll slowly try to progress from there.
I’ll add that I did experience some pretty intense, vivid and surreal phenomena during the course. In particular, during perhaps the deepest of my meditation, I had a suspended womb-like experience, in which I was free-floating in warmth, my center of gravity askew to the left, my mind in a trance with the sensation of moving back and forth like, as one friend put it, a teacup ride. It was the best thing I think I’ve ever “felt”. But that by-product is not the point of Vipassana. I learned the hard way that focusing on these positive sensations can lead to craving, which can derail the progress I had made, and send me in the opposite direction. So I had to learn to let go of that experience, and not attempt to summon it or recreate it again, and just get back to work.
Insights
Here are a few insights I experienced (some of which may be redundant from above).
- Everything is changing, arising and passing away. The sensations I experienced in my body testify to this. So for instance, I don’t have to “own” my pain. I simply observe it, and it will go away. As I mentioned earlier, on day 5, I was having a lot of sharp pain in my right knee from a running injury. I simply focused my attention on it without reacting in aversion. I observed it “objectively.” It felt like it was on fire, but I didn’t react. I sat there for about a minute. Then I started feeling rapid vibrations in my knee, and it was as if the pain was vaporized. It left and in its place was a pleasant tingling sensation. But this too, I did not become attached to. I did not “own” this pleasant sensation, because I knew that it too would soon be passing away. Ok, so now apply that experienced reality to all of life. When I’m in a difficult situation, I don’t let it get to me. I know it’s impermanent. It will soon be gone. When I have an appetite for something unhealthy, I don’t react to it. I simply let it be, knowing that “this too shall pass.” And it does. It always does without fail. The question is, do I have the patience and the equanimity to allow it to pass away?
- Vipassana is where my dreams come to die. What I mean by this, is that I am learning to detach myself from the ideal futures that I continue to imagine in my mind. This doesn’t mean that I will have no plan moving forward in life. It’s the realization that my dreams will never be fulfilled in the way that I dream them to be. Attaching myself to expectations, dreams, etc, will only leave me with disappointment and suffering. Even dreams themselves are always changing, arising and passing away. So why cling to a particular vision of my future that will never come to pass?
- This state of balance does not leave me like a zombie. Not reacting to anything, and maintaining balance and equanimity, does not leave void of either negative or positive energy and emotion. It actually leaves me with a deep blissful undercurrent. It’s neither high nor low, but it feels as if it’s the way it should feel. I hope that makes sense.
- Vipassana creates some beautiful harmonies with Christian spirituality. The similarities are greater than the differences. Too many to enumerate here.
- The technique will not fail me. I can only fail the technique. “Success” is dependent upon my willingness to stay the course.
- There are apparent paradoxes that can only be experienced to be reconciled. I remember learning about Buddhism back in college. On the outside, I used to say, “If you’re not supposed to have desires, isn’t ‘not desiring to desire’ a desire in itself?” What I experienced was this. I have a craving for dark chocolate. I don’t have a craving to end my craving for dark chocolate. The first craving is obsessive. The second desire is a healthy, balanced one. There were other apparent contradictions that were reconciled during my meditation experience. I thought that waking up at 4:30 would make me continually drowsy such that I couldn’t meditate—the schedule was counterintuitive. But by the end of the course, I was experiencing otherwise. I thought that fewer calories wouldn’t be enough to sustain me. I experienced otherwise. The course has a logic that I didn’t trust on the outside, but learned to trust through experience.
- You cannot fully learn this technique outside of a 10 day course. And for that matter, you can’t even fully learn it within a 10 day course. But the consensus within the Vipassana community is that the course experience is the surest and safest place to begin. All others proceed at their own risk. I started meditating before the course—but it was only “anapana” meditation (awareness of respiration), one of the basic first steps toward Vipassana meditation. And this is fine. It served me very well and put me in a good place to begin the course. I had already begun to experience the benefits of Vipassana.
My Benefits of Vipassana
Below are some of the immediate benefits I am experiencing right now. Now, the benefits will be as varied as there are practicers of this method. As much as I am able to continue in Vipassana, I expect this list to grow.
- I’m less anxious about life, and more hopeful about the future, but more aware of the present.
- I feel like I can handle so much more stress than I could before the course. This is true for pain and discomfort as well.
- Little things going wrong do not affect me as they did. Instead of cursing under my breath (or out loud, depending on the context), I find myself laughing at my silly little predicaments with a much healthier perspective. I’m now laughing over spilled almond milk.
- I am more able to suspend my judgment and see things from more than one perspective.
- I’m certain I am becoming a better husband. Even though I haven’t seen Helen in almost 3 weeks (she’s back on Friday!) I can already feel so much more love and appreciation for her in my heart.
- I am more easily moved to feel what other people might be feeling and to act accordingly. I am sensing what I think might be called compassion. For my hard heart, that’s a big deal.
- I’m reading more, reading faster, working harder, sleeping a little less, and getting more done… At the same time, I’m living less hurried. My to-do list is not of almighty importance anymore.
- I am more present with people.
- My heart and mind is becoming less ugly. In Christian spirituality, as my mom reflected back to me, I am experiencing the fruits of the Spirit.
- I feel like I have turned an important corner in my spiritual development and maturity.
- Etcetera…
Sign up for the Course
If you are interested in taking a course and would like to learn more before jumping in, here’s what I would say:
- Explore the info and videos at Dhamma.org thoroughly.
- Read the book The Art of Living by William Hart: http://www.amazon.com/Art-Living-Vipassana-Meditation/dp/0060637242
- Based on the readings in the book, start practicing anapana meditation—awareness of respiration.
- This isn’t as important, but if you can find it, watch the documentary The Dhamma Brothers, about Vipassana meditation at an end of the line prison near Birmingham Alabama. Inspiring.
- If you’re still interested after all that, go for it. Look up the nearest course site on Dhamma.org and see what upcoming courses might match with your schedule. I’ve heard of weekend and 5 day courses offered instead of 10, but you won’t learn the whole Vipassana technique in less than 10 days. Ten days sounds like a lot, but honestly, it progressed in such a way that I think it would have been rushed if it fit into much less than that.
If you have questions or would like to talk more about Vipassana, I’d love that. Please let me know. I certainly don’t have all the answers, and can only testify to my own experiences, but I can point you to the right places.
“May you all experience this ultimate truth. May all people be free from misery. May they enjoy real peace, real harmony, real happiness.” --SN Goenka
Peace,
Tyler
thepriesthood@gmail.com
Tuesday, January 08, 2013
Student Letters to the U.S.A.
I recently organized a letter exchange between the 2nd grade students at my school (7th grade) and the 6th grade students at Grove City Middle School. Fascinated by the brief introduction to middle school life in the U.S., my students plunged into descriptions of life in Korea and a bizarre mix of questions for their U.S. counterparts. The letters were sent away in November, and I'm expecting the responses any day now.
Thrilled by my description of an activity that requires LOTS of quiet working time for the students, and curious to find some equally peculiar results, several of my friends leaped on the idea. One friend described her experience of introducing the project to her early elementary school students, saying, "They were so excited we had to turn off the lights and do deep breathing, and that was before I told them they'd receive letters back from America."
It's good fun for everyone, and I've included some of my favorites below. They were instructed to write "Dear GCMS Students", along with a series of questions and personal responses. I mentioned they could include their genders, since students in the U.S. likely won't be able to determine from reading their names. For privacy, I've removed their names from this blog post.
*Important Note: By posting these letters, I don't mean to mock my students' English ability. I've chosen to copy their letters as they were written, but I recognize that this is their second language. I think they're intelligent and funny, and their letters say a lot about middle school life. I'll keep it balanced by later sharing some notes and amusing themes after receiving the return letters from Grove City. Also, at their age, I couldn't speak a second language at all.
Letter #1
Dear GCMS Students,
Are you a boy or girl? I'm a boy. What's your hobby? My hobby is playing computer game. What is your favorite food? My favorite food is bread. Do you know Korean? I think you have to know about Korean. Do you know about Hong Kong gay bar? Hong Kong gay bar is very good. And in Korea we always eat dog. It is very delicious. And I'm god of Minecraft. I'll wait your answer.
(Note- I opted not to send this one, since people don't always eat dog in Korea, and I simply don't have time to explain the complexity of the issue to the receiving students.)
Letter #2
Dear GCMS Students,
How are you? I'm great. What are your favorite hobbies? My hobby is play computer games, especially, I like Left4Dead game. It's fun. Try this and do you know Dokdo? Dokdo is land of Korea, but Japan take away Dokdo, and Japan take away East Sea. We are so angry. People is unknow this. So we say Dokdo is land of Korea.
Letter #3
Dear GCMS Students,
Hello GCMS Student. I'm a boy. How are you? What do you do every day? Um... My schedule is wake up, wash, and eat breakfast. I go to school at 8:20. After I finish school, I go to Academy. And I come back my home and eat dinner and wash. At home, I do homework, and when I finish, I sleep. And what kind of online games do you like? What game is it? What is your nickname? I like Sudden Attack. My nickname is Psychohead. How long is your winter vacation? Our winter vacation is one month. I think our winter vacation is very short.
What do you think about Gangnam Style? I like it very much. When you come to Korea, you come to Gwangju. And when you come to Gwangju, you spend my house or my friend house. You're welcome to visit any time.
Letter #4
Dear GCMS Students,
What is your favorite food? My favorite food is bosintang. Bosintang is dog stew. It's yummy and healthy. I tell you the recipe of bosintang. First, put a living dog into a pot. Second, put a boiling water into pot. Last, boil them. Um ~yummy. Um ~delicious. Dog's smell is good. Very healthy smell. Um ~good. I recommend eating bosintang. bye. Let's LOL. Let's play the League of Legends.
(Note- See note for letter #1. While I appreciate the shock value, I'm holding the original copy in my hand right now.)
Letter #5
Dear GCMS Students,
How is the weather these days? I'm so cool because the weather is cold. I am interested in K-pop. My favorite K-pop star is BIG BANG. Do you know them? Do you like him?
In my school, girl students usually wear make up. Your school also do? If they do, how they make up? And boyfriend like computer game? My school's boy students like games very much.
I hope to know difference between my school and your school. And in your school, students dying their hairs? If they do what color? In Korea, many students dying variety color.
This is the end. I want your answer. Take care your health and good bye.
Letter #6
Dear GCMS Students,
Hi I live in Gwangju, Korea. I am a Juwol Middle School student. I want to ask some questions to you. First is it common to have a gun? In Korea, it's illegal. Second, are there any bullies? In Korea, there are many bullies. Third when you visit Korea which place do you want to go? When I visit America I want to visit New York and Washington. Bye bye.
Letter #7
Dear GCMS Students,
What is your favorite food? My favorite food is sam gae tang. It is very delicious. I tell you sam gae tang recipe. First, prepare one chicken and a pot. Second, boil water. Third, stick the chicken to the pot. Finish! Yummy!
Letter #8
Dear GCMS Students,
How are you? I'm... hm... fine! I live in Gwangju, South Korea. Do you believe in God? I don't believe in God because I think God doesn't exist...Oh... By the way, my hobby is drawing because I like cartoons. So when I grow up, I will cartoonist. I look forward to your reply.
(Note- This kid drew an amazing picture of himself at the bottom of the letter. The letter/drawing combo is quite Doonesbury-esque.)
Letter #9
Dear GCMS Students,
Hello, how are you? I'm fine. I live in Gwangju, South Korea. My favorite hobby is playing video games and watching animation. My favorite game is Halo. In the future, I want to be a game maker. My life is so hard because I always go to academy every day. How about you? Anyway, my life is so hard but I always happy because I have good friends to play with. These friends sometimes do annoy but they are funny and good. By the way, have you good friends? I want to be your friend. Later, when we met we have to a good friend.
Thrilled by my description of an activity that requires LOTS of quiet working time for the students, and curious to find some equally peculiar results, several of my friends leaped on the idea. One friend described her experience of introducing the project to her early elementary school students, saying, "They were so excited we had to turn off the lights and do deep breathing, and that was before I told them they'd receive letters back from America."
It's good fun for everyone, and I've included some of my favorites below. They were instructed to write "Dear GCMS Students", along with a series of questions and personal responses. I mentioned they could include their genders, since students in the U.S. likely won't be able to determine from reading their names. For privacy, I've removed their names from this blog post.
*Important Note: By posting these letters, I don't mean to mock my students' English ability. I've chosen to copy their letters as they were written, but I recognize that this is their second language. I think they're intelligent and funny, and their letters say a lot about middle school life. I'll keep it balanced by later sharing some notes and amusing themes after receiving the return letters from Grove City. Also, at their age, I couldn't speak a second language at all.
---
Letter #1
Dear GCMS Students,
Are you a boy or girl? I'm a boy. What's your hobby? My hobby is playing computer game. What is your favorite food? My favorite food is bread. Do you know Korean? I think you have to know about Korean. Do you know about Hong Kong gay bar? Hong Kong gay bar is very good. And in Korea we always eat dog. It is very delicious. And I'm god of Minecraft. I'll wait your answer.
(Note- I opted not to send this one, since people don't always eat dog in Korea, and I simply don't have time to explain the complexity of the issue to the receiving students.)
Letter #2
Dear GCMS Students,
How are you? I'm great. What are your favorite hobbies? My hobby is play computer games, especially, I like Left4Dead game. It's fun. Try this and do you know Dokdo? Dokdo is land of Korea, but Japan take away Dokdo, and Japan take away East Sea. We are so angry. People is unknow this. So we say Dokdo is land of Korea.
Letter #3
Dear GCMS Students,
Hello GCMS Student. I'm a boy. How are you? What do you do every day? Um... My schedule is wake up, wash, and eat breakfast. I go to school at 8:20. After I finish school, I go to Academy. And I come back my home and eat dinner and wash. At home, I do homework, and when I finish, I sleep. And what kind of online games do you like? What game is it? What is your nickname? I like Sudden Attack. My nickname is Psychohead. How long is your winter vacation? Our winter vacation is one month. I think our winter vacation is very short.
What do you think about Gangnam Style? I like it very much. When you come to Korea, you come to Gwangju. And when you come to Gwangju, you spend my house or my friend house. You're welcome to visit any time.
Letter #4
Dear GCMS Students,
What is your favorite food? My favorite food is bosintang. Bosintang is dog stew. It's yummy and healthy. I tell you the recipe of bosintang. First, put a living dog into a pot. Second, put a boiling water into pot. Last, boil them. Um ~yummy. Um ~delicious. Dog's smell is good. Very healthy smell. Um ~good. I recommend eating bosintang. bye. Let's LOL. Let's play the League of Legends.
(Note- See note for letter #1. While I appreciate the shock value, I'm holding the original copy in my hand right now.)
Letter #5
Dear GCMS Students,
How is the weather these days? I'm so cool because the weather is cold. I am interested in K-pop. My favorite K-pop star is BIG BANG. Do you know them? Do you like him?
In my school, girl students usually wear make up. Your school also do? If they do, how they make up? And boyfriend like computer game? My school's boy students like games very much.
I hope to know difference between my school and your school. And in your school, students dying their hairs? If they do what color? In Korea, many students dying variety color.
This is the end. I want your answer. Take care your health and good bye.
Letter #6
Dear GCMS Students,
Hi I live in Gwangju, Korea. I am a Juwol Middle School student. I want to ask some questions to you. First is it common to have a gun? In Korea, it's illegal. Second, are there any bullies? In Korea, there are many bullies. Third when you visit Korea which place do you want to go? When I visit America I want to visit New York and Washington. Bye bye.
Letter #7
Dear GCMS Students,
What is your favorite food? My favorite food is sam gae tang. It is very delicious. I tell you sam gae tang recipe. First, prepare one chicken and a pot. Second, boil water. Third, stick the chicken to the pot. Finish! Yummy!
Letter #8
Dear GCMS Students,
How are you? I'm... hm... fine! I live in Gwangju, South Korea. Do you believe in God? I don't believe in God because I think God doesn't exist...Oh... By the way, my hobby is drawing because I like cartoons. So when I grow up, I will cartoonist. I look forward to your reply.
(Note- This kid drew an amazing picture of himself at the bottom of the letter. The letter/drawing combo is quite Doonesbury-esque.)
Letter #9
Dear GCMS Students,
Hello, how are you? I'm fine. I live in Gwangju, South Korea. My favorite hobby is playing video games and watching animation. My favorite game is Halo. In the future, I want to be a game maker. My life is so hard because I always go to academy every day. How about you? Anyway, my life is so hard but I always happy because I have good friends to play with. These friends sometimes do annoy but they are funny and good. By the way, have you good friends? I want to be your friend. Later, when we met we have to a good friend.
The Kimchi Lover
"Well, this isn't real life, you know" is a phrase oft repeated among members of my friend group. It's easy to forget until I catch myself starting a story with, "When I went to the homeless festival while staying at a hostel beside the red light district in Osaka...", and the responses mainly include inquiries as to whether I'd recommend the accomodation. Nearly everyone here is extremely well-traveled, or in the process of becoming so, and intensely willing to experience life in its fullest. Doubts about visiting the same coffee shop more than twice spring up, as though living in Korea isn't consistently new enough. Being surrounded by the endless, wondrous curiosity is exhilarating, and I highly respect everyone who's been willing to dedicate themselves to teaching alongside travelling.
One such talented friend, Brittany, wrote an essay about her year, and she gave me the okay to share it on here. I know several people on their way to Korea who can benefit from every bit of information they can get, and her perspective is uplifting and sweet! Enjoy!
I can still vividly remember sitting on the plane as I made my way to South Korea. I would be lying if I said my mindset at this time was calm and collected. I had a million thoughts running through my head. What if I get lost? What if I miss my connecting flight in Shanghai? What if my coworkers don’t like me? What am I doing??!! Although I had been preparing for this move for months, nothing had prepared me for these emotions I felt on the 16 hour flight to South Korea. My family and friends back home thought I was out of my mind. I often got very curious questions as to why I would want to leave America and go to North Korea. My response was always the same, “I am going to SOUTH Korea not NORTH Korea and I think this will be a good experience for me.” It turned out I was wrong; it was not a GOOD experience, but in fact a life-changing experience. This past year I have not only learned a lot about South Korea, but I have also learned and grown more as a person.
Prior to my move, I had read many books about the culture of South Korea. I knew some basic Korean. I knew I should bow when I see elders. I read that this strange food called “kimchi” was eaten at mostly every meal. Cramming all this information in my head was helpful, but nothing can match the knowledge I have gained by being immersed in the Korean culture on a daily basis. Culture is not something you are familiar with growing up. It just is your life because that is all you know. When I first arrived in Korea, I was amazed with how different everything was. Everything seemed to be the opposite of what I was used to in America. Even the emergency number was the opposite! (In America the emergency # is 9-1-1. In Korea it is 1-1-9.) Soon, however, some aspects of Korean culture slowly began to fuse with my culture. For example, I cannot express how this strange food called “kimchi” is now one of my favorite foods. Although you can buy kimchi in America, it is often hard to find or is very expensive. I love kimichi so much, that I have been learning to make it because when I go home I do not know what I will do without it!
I could write pages and pages comparing and contrasting American and Korean cultures, but for the sake of time I will share a few things that have changed in my life since I have been here. For starters, I am much healthier here than I ever was back home. One reason for this is I walk everywhere. In American we drive everywhere. Even if we are going to a store that is only a five minute walk, we drive. In Korea if I am not walking I take the bus. I think Korea has an amazing transportation system, and although I do miss driving, I will miss the Korean transportation system. Another reason I feel healthier is because I believe I eat healthier foods. My diet is rich with organic fruits and vegetables, fish and other meats. In America I would often eat at fast food restaurants and consume food that was non-organic or unhealthy.
Next, the interaction between older and younger individuals is much different in America. In America the relationships are very casual. In Korea they are much more formal. I thought bowing seemed like a pretty straight forward concept. It was not until after my first day of work (and a lot of giggles) I learned that I am not supposed to bow to my students when they bow to me. In the process of becoming accustomed to the Korean culture, it has also allowed me to reflect on my culture. By doing this, I have become aware of things I take for granted back home as well as some things I wish would be different. Here is a small list of things I miss from back home: My favorite gum, being able to try on clothes before I buy them, trash cans on every street corner, Mexican food, turning on the T.V. and hearing English, shoes that fit me (I wear a 255-260mm), California beaches, being able to casually converse in my native tongue and my family. Of course from this list I will tell you I miss my family the most. I come from a large family (6 children) and not being able to share my experiences with them on a daily basis does make me sad.
As stated before, there are a few things that living in Korea has changed my perspective on. First, I will absolutely miss the healthcare system in Korea. In America I hardly ever went to the doctor, hospital or dentist, because of how expensive the fees are. In Korea I go all the time. I also enjoy not wearing shoes in school. Before moving to Korea I worked with Kindergartners at an elementary school. I can still remember how after work, the first thing I wanted to do was to take my shoes off. In America teachers wear high heels and by the end of the day our feet ache very badly.
Perhaps the most vital thing I will take away from Korea is how important learning a new language is. I think the level of English spoken in this country is truly amazing. While I wish the pressure of learning English was not so intense on the younger generations, I do believe it will greatly enhance my students’ lives. A Spanish professor once told me, “Learning a new language is important because it opens up new worlds.” At the time I could not understand how incredibly right he was. Often as I teach, I wish I could interact more with my students. I find myself wanting so badly to communicate with them. Not on the level of just teaching them new English vocabulary, but also to hear about their day, to encourage them in English, and to tell them that Middle School can be a hard few years, but that I truly believe they can be whatever they want in life.
So why travel or move to another country? I can tell you from experience it will forever change you for the better. You become more aware of yourself because you are not it your comfort zone. You must challenge yourself, learn to adapt and interact with others. I have learned more by living in Korea than any book or class could ever teach me. I plan on staying in Korea one more year. After that I will seek a new adventure! As I close I leave you with a quote by Anthony Bourdain. Bourdain has a famous TV show in which he travels the world and samples food along the way. He once stated, “Move. As far as you can. As much as you can. Across the ocean or simply across the river. The extent in which you can walk in someone else's shoes or at least eat their food is a plus for everybody. Open your mind. Get up off the couch. Move.” –Anthony Bourdain.
Like Bourdain I challenge you to immerse yourself in another culture. If you are unable to do that, I challenge you to at least try something new today. You might surprise yourself.
One such talented friend, Brittany, wrote an essay about her year, and she gave me the okay to share it on here. I know several people on their way to Korea who can benefit from every bit of information they can get, and her perspective is uplifting and sweet! Enjoy!
A beautiful portrait by one of her students
Brittany dangling off Mt. Hua in China
From Here to There
Prior to my move, I had read many books about the culture of South Korea. I knew some basic Korean. I knew I should bow when I see elders. I read that this strange food called “kimchi” was eaten at mostly every meal. Cramming all this information in my head was helpful, but nothing can match the knowledge I have gained by being immersed in the Korean culture on a daily basis. Culture is not something you are familiar with growing up. It just is your life because that is all you know. When I first arrived in Korea, I was amazed with how different everything was. Everything seemed to be the opposite of what I was used to in America. Even the emergency number was the opposite! (In America the emergency # is 9-1-1. In Korea it is 1-1-9.) Soon, however, some aspects of Korean culture slowly began to fuse with my culture. For example, I cannot express how this strange food called “kimchi” is now one of my favorite foods. Although you can buy kimchi in America, it is often hard to find or is very expensive. I love kimichi so much, that I have been learning to make it because when I go home I do not know what I will do without it!
I could write pages and pages comparing and contrasting American and Korean cultures, but for the sake of time I will share a few things that have changed in my life since I have been here. For starters, I am much healthier here than I ever was back home. One reason for this is I walk everywhere. In American we drive everywhere. Even if we are going to a store that is only a five minute walk, we drive. In Korea if I am not walking I take the bus. I think Korea has an amazing transportation system, and although I do miss driving, I will miss the Korean transportation system. Another reason I feel healthier is because I believe I eat healthier foods. My diet is rich with organic fruits and vegetables, fish and other meats. In America I would often eat at fast food restaurants and consume food that was non-organic or unhealthy.
Next, the interaction between older and younger individuals is much different in America. In America the relationships are very casual. In Korea they are much more formal. I thought bowing seemed like a pretty straight forward concept. It was not until after my first day of work (and a lot of giggles) I learned that I am not supposed to bow to my students when they bow to me. In the process of becoming accustomed to the Korean culture, it has also allowed me to reflect on my culture. By doing this, I have become aware of things I take for granted back home as well as some things I wish would be different. Here is a small list of things I miss from back home: My favorite gum, being able to try on clothes before I buy them, trash cans on every street corner, Mexican food, turning on the T.V. and hearing English, shoes that fit me (I wear a 255-260mm), California beaches, being able to casually converse in my native tongue and my family. Of course from this list I will tell you I miss my family the most. I come from a large family (6 children) and not being able to share my experiences with them on a daily basis does make me sad.
As stated before, there are a few things that living in Korea has changed my perspective on. First, I will absolutely miss the healthcare system in Korea. In America I hardly ever went to the doctor, hospital or dentist, because of how expensive the fees are. In Korea I go all the time. I also enjoy not wearing shoes in school. Before moving to Korea I worked with Kindergartners at an elementary school. I can still remember how after work, the first thing I wanted to do was to take my shoes off. In America teachers wear high heels and by the end of the day our feet ache very badly.
Perhaps the most vital thing I will take away from Korea is how important learning a new language is. I think the level of English spoken in this country is truly amazing. While I wish the pressure of learning English was not so intense on the younger generations, I do believe it will greatly enhance my students’ lives. A Spanish professor once told me, “Learning a new language is important because it opens up new worlds.” At the time I could not understand how incredibly right he was. Often as I teach, I wish I could interact more with my students. I find myself wanting so badly to communicate with them. Not on the level of just teaching them new English vocabulary, but also to hear about their day, to encourage them in English, and to tell them that Middle School can be a hard few years, but that I truly believe they can be whatever they want in life.
So why travel or move to another country? I can tell you from experience it will forever change you for the better. You become more aware of yourself because you are not it your comfort zone. You must challenge yourself, learn to adapt and interact with others. I have learned more by living in Korea than any book or class could ever teach me. I plan on staying in Korea one more year. After that I will seek a new adventure! As I close I leave you with a quote by Anthony Bourdain. Bourdain has a famous TV show in which he travels the world and samples food along the way. He once stated, “Move. As far as you can. As much as you can. Across the ocean or simply across the river. The extent in which you can walk in someone else's shoes or at least eat their food is a plus for everybody. Open your mind. Get up off the couch. Move.” –Anthony Bourdain.
Like Bourdain I challenge you to immerse yourself in another culture. If you are unable to do that, I challenge you to at least try something new today. You might surprise yourself.
Hold the Sheep
A rather intense month of thinking, sorting, and financial planning led me to the conclusion that the sheep must be put on hold. New Zealand remains on my extensive list of places I could possibly live one day, but it's not ideal for right now. The following photo fits the situation quite well...
sad sheep?
... because I'm currently applying to teach in the northeastern United States! This photo is from a rural school in New York, so they COULD be my welcoming committee.
curious, excited sheep?
I'd prefer an urban area, but I'll make do as long as a paycheck is involved. Though I've managed to save a respectable amount of money here, my school loans are beastly. Teaching is my first love, and living my life outside of student debtors' prison is my second. (They have those, right? )
The realization that I've been in a learning position for my entire life sank in over the past several months, as I finally began to gain my footing as a teacher. With less anxiety-producing guesswork driving my lessons, excited confidence came with knowing that students would likely respond well to what I'd prepared. Of course, every school and group of students comes with different needs, but there's a massive difference between the person who walked into Juwol Middle School last February believing she was having an out-of-body experience and the one who's currently leaping along with the students in winter English camp. I just love it when I can include leaping in the lesson plan!
We were leaping to this. It's exquisite.
A further note on classroom content: while planning for this holiday-themed winter camp, my prediction of the boys' (oh, yes, there's one girl too) enthusiasm for Bollywood was an absurd underestimate. They were captivated. We even took some time afterward to list adjectives to describe their feelings about the video: "exciting. colorful, so exciting, wow, so great". On second thought, my surprise over their love of Bollywood was probably silly. We played New Year's Resolution Musical Chairs yesterday, and their song selection was the following:
This video was published one week ago, and there are over 22 million views.
K-Pop is... well, you can decide for yourself.
Trekking back to the subject before the Girls' Generation and Bollywood tangent, all of this means I'll be frolicking in western Pennsylvania for the month of March, and I'd love to see all of you. It also means that if I can't find a job, I could turn around and head back to Korea. It's a great place, and I'm certainly not storming out of here. My experiences have deepened my desire to teach art at a school where I can build on the lessons year-by-year, though I do have an ongoing list of alternative options, all of which include settings with less pervasive K-pop. Ohhhh it's fun when the future's wide-open and gloriously uncertain!
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