The road less traveled...

As much as I disapprove of the bombardment of advertisements on the internet, I have actually benefited from the targeted advertising on both Facebook and Google. Each of these sites can detect words and topics in your profile and email, and they advertise according to your "interests." Though 98% of the time its useless junk that I don't click on, once in a blue moon something catches my eye that I find really useful. In fact, I first found out about teaching in South Korea from a Facebook ad.

The other day, I was on Google mail and there was a link to a NYTimes article. The catch phrase was something like, "Frequent Flier: Going to Every Country Before the Age of 35." Naturally, I was very interested in a person this ambitious, so I went to the New York Times and began reading about a man named Chris Guillebeau who traveled to 100 countries before the age of 30. The article spoke about his experience with traveling and volunteering, and briefly mention his blog and self-created social movement called "The Art of Non-Conformity." Now this was something that really caught my interest, so I went to the website and continued reading. In fact, what I found was so interesting that I read for over three hours.

Chris' blog tells the story of his life, volunteering in Africa, traveling the world, and being self-employed for his entire adult life. The social movement which he calls "The Art of Non-Conformity" encourages people to do what he's done; not to conform to the expectations of society and instead find a unique way to fulfill their dreams and help others while they're at it. That's not to say that he thinks you have to be different. He just wants to inspire people to do exactly what they want to do in life, and to truly live out their dreams while making a difference.

I am completely compelled by this idea and I've always wanted to do unconventional things, rather than take the safe road. It's not even about conforming or not, it's about doing what makes us happy, despite what others (friends, family, society) expect of us. If you love your 9-5 job than that's great, but if not, why not try to make a living doing something more alligned with your passions?

So far in my life, I've done things that I love and things that I don't love, and I've learned to make changes to improve my situations, rather than accepting something that doesn't make me happy. But, now that my contract is ending in four months, I'm really starting to think about what's next. I know it will include travel for a little while, but I will definitely be back home in time for the holidays. After that, I'm not really quite sure. What it comes down to in the end is, what will make me happy? Though it may be somewhat idealistic to think that I can attain the perfect job or be self-employed in this economy, I fully intend to take on the challenge. Maybe I'll start my own business, maybe I'll work at a non-profit for a cause I'm passionate about, maybe I'll keep traveling and helping others (if I can figure out how to afford that). Right now, I just don't know. But, when I do figure it out, my goal will be to do something that makes me happy, helps others and allows me to make a decent living, because that's what matters. Not what other people think. It's people like Chris Guillebeau that remind me that it is okay to take the road less traveled, and if you do, it might just make all the difference.


Further reading:

The NY Times article: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/21/business/21flier.html?_r=1&partner=rss&emc=rss

To see the blog go to: www.artofnonconformity.com

If you're really interested in this stuff (because it's definitely not for everyone) I recommend reading his manifesto "A Brief Guide to World Domination." Let me know what you think!

My new Korean loves...

Spring is here and love is in the air. Yes, I am officially in love. With about ninety people. Ninety wonderful, tiny, Asian people.

Two weeks ago a bunch of us found out about the opportunity to volunteer at an orphanage in Busan and we were really excited to actually do some volunteering here in Korea. The orphanage just happens to be right up the street from my school. It is run by a nice old couple and their children, and they house 90 orphans from the age of one month to five years old.

I was a little nervous going for the first time because I didn't know exactly what I was going to experience. Would it be sad to see the children? Would they be well cared for? Would the adults be receptive to foreigners coming for two hours (the limit for visiting) or would they resent us for not doing more?

I was pleasantly surprised to find that the building and the grounds seemed very bright and happy and the smiling faces of the adults who greeted us told me I didn't have to worry. We met the family and signed in, and then went outside to the playground when we heard the pitter-patter and squeel of about 20 kids coming out to play. The children were mostly three and four years old and they were all dressed in matching red and navy gym suits, and they all (or most) looked very happy. We began playing with the kids and although some were shy or only interested in the shovel and sandbox, they all opened up pretty quickly. I immediately became attached to a beautiful little girl who was clearly part Korean and part Caucasian (I found out her mother was Russian). After a while, half the group took those kids for a walk and some of us went to the nursury to play with the babies. They were also delighted to see us and immediately began climbing all over us. They were just so fun to play with and hold and it really gave me such a sense of euphoria to be around them (don't worry Mom, I don't want any of my own for a long, long time...actually, you were probably getting excited)! Anyway, at the end of the two hours it was dinner time for the babies, and although we were sad to leave them, we knew we had to go and it was the perfect time to leave while they were distracted by yummy rice porridge.

playing outside

the little ones!

she's precious...and loving rice porridge!

Yesterday, I went back for a second time with Lex and Kate and I couldn't wait to see the kids again. When we arrived, we heard that the older kids had gone to the park and we were directed to the babies (yay!). We went to the two year old room and the moment we opened the door, 9 smiling two year olds came running over to us, with arms stretched out wide. The caretakers chose three children and told us to take them outside and play because they are too little to go outside in a group, they need one-on-one attention. When we got outside, I tried to put my little guy, Min Ji, down but he would not let go of me. He immediately began to cry at the thought of having to let go of me and I spent the next hour trying to get him to smile. We realized that they didn't get much one-on-one love and it was something that they craved so much. It made me really sad to realize this. I began to wonder if it was such a good idea to be coming for such short amounts of times and then leaving. I wonder if this could create lasting impressions and perhaps they would grow up to have some form of seperation anxiety.

Why so sad, Min Ji?

this guys always a happy camper

As the morning progressed and we took the kids back in to the nursery, Min Ji relaxed and began laughing and playing and climbing all over me. He was interacting with the other kids and just seemed to be having a really great time. By the end of the two hours, he was sitting against me like a lounge chair and just dozed off, so tuckered out from all of the playing. I had to wake him up for lunch and the caretakers gave us bowls of rice to help feed them. Min ji LOVED the porridge and I told him he was the number one eater of the day, not sure he understood though! Finally, it was time to go and we laid out floor mats for the bigger kids and put the smallest in cribs, shut off the lights and lullaby-ed them to sleep. Once again I left feeling completely happy and re-energized by the presence of such great little humans.

Though it was hard to realize the issues that the orphans will inevitably grow up with due to their unfortunate lack of parents, I learned a valuable lesson; Sometimes it's easier to avoid looking at sad situations, but if you can give just a little bit of your time, you can do something to improve them. Even if you can't do much, do something. These kids need any and all of the love they can get, even if it's not as much as they want or deserve. At least they can count on me to be a consistent visitor for the next four months!

happy Min Ji!

...and tuckered out

post-lunch naptime


look at that hair!

Check, Check, Check! And fun with ICEA...

Taekwondo- check!
Dress in traditional Korean clothing- check!
See the cherry blossoms- check!

I have gotten right to work on my Sixth Month Countdown To Do List, and last weekend I was able to knock off quite a few things on the list! Here's a recount of how it all went down...

One of the luckiest things that has happened to me in the last few months was being invited to a group called the International Cultural Exchange Association (ICEA). One day in February, I was feeling a little down and overwhelmed at school and on the way home I had to stop in an art supply store to pick up some things for my classroom. I had my headphones on and was going about my business as usual, when a Korean guy about my age tapped me on the shoulder. Usually when this happens its someone just wanting to say a friendly hello or practice their English a little. But this guy said in perfect English, "Hi, do you mind taking off your headphones?" I was suprised at his fluency and I took my headphones off and said hello. He introduced himself as CJ and told me that he was a university student and the president of an organization called the ICEA. He began explaining how it is a group for foreigners and Koreans to meet and exchange culture and practice our languages. When he asked me to join, I was so happy because I had been looking for something like this the entire time I'd been in Korea and believe it or not it wasn't easy to find. Suddenly, due to complete chance, the opportunity fell in my lap!

So far we've had three meetings and they've been so much fun. Each foreigner is matched with a Korean buddy and my buddy is a guy named Edwin (Korean name is Gi Hyun). He is 25 and in his senior year in university, due to the fact that Korean men have to serve two years in the army. Anyway, he's really cool and has great English because he lived in Toronto for a few months. I also got Alexis and my friend Scott to join and they have cool buddies as well. In fact, Scott's female buddy thanked me several times for "bringing the most handsome foreigner in the ICEA."

Not only is the group great for meeting people, but it has also allowed me to fulfill many of the goals on my Six Month Countdown To Do list. The first activity was to go to Beomosa temple for a hike and picnic. Our buddies made delicious Korean food and we saw the cherry blossoms as we made our way through the temple and up the mountain. Then, this past weekend we had a jam packed Saturday, with a Traditional Korean dress fashion show in the morning followed by Taekwondo in the afternoon. It was so much fun! Trying on the traditional dress (called Hanbok) was amazing. Even for Koreans, it is rare to dress up in Hanbok (mostly at weddings and maybe Korean Thanksgiving) so it was special for them too. After having a hilarious fashion show, we ate lunch and then went to a Taekwondo studio down the street. We were there for about 2 hours and got to see a demonstration by two level-5 black belts and learned different moves and formations of Taekwondo. It was such a great day, definitely one of my favorites yet in Korea.

Spring is in full swing now and I am continuing to make plans to accomplish all of my goals in Korea. Next weekend, a fellow Cornellian will be visiting me from Seoul and he is signed up to go shark diving at the aquarium. Yes, he is willingly going to jump in a tank of man eating sharks, and hopefully I'll be there to witness the insanity (and take pictures, of course)! There are a few more festivals in April that I want to go to and before I know it, Mom and Dad will be here! Only three and a half more weeks! Can't wait!

First of a zillion group shots

My buddy Edwin, proud of the picnic he prepared

Wearing Hanbok!

I wish this was my camera! Great shot...

Taekwondo- this guy did a kick over us and broke the wood...
I'm the 2nd butt in from the right

Lex and Me

Level-5 Black belt demo

Hello, my name is Ta-jeong

This semester, I not only have my regular 22 hours of teaching in which I have no co-teacher or curriculum, but I also teach an after school class. They decided that the after school class would be for the high-level English speakers because the in-school English classes are very basic and some high-level students don't get a chance to learn anything new. So, about 20 students interviewed for my class and I was able to pick the best 10 students. The class is twice a week, for an hour and a half each session, which makes for a lot of planning! I thought that this would be daunting on top of the planning I already have to do, but the class (called English Club) turns out to be an absolute delight. There are 10 girls in English Club (yup, no boys made the cut) and they are all great, dedicated students. It's definitely my favorite class to teach and one I know I will miss when I leave.

So, last week, my students asked me if I could give them English names. Having spent a lot of time memorizing their Korean names (which are very difficult to remember), I was a little reluctant. For example, So-young, Se-young, Sun-young, Tae-yun and Yu-jeong are just a few of them. But it's very popular to have an English name for when you travel abroad or meet foreigners and my students wanted me to be the one to name them. I told them that I would create a list of my favorite names and they could choose from the list, but on one condition; they had to return the favor and give me a Korean name. The excitement in their eyes to hear that I wanted a Korean name was unbelievable and I think they were way more excited about that than getting a name for themselves.

We decided that we would pick the names the following week in class. In the meantime, I saw the girls in the halls and in my regular English class. One of them told me they were still trying to think of my Korean name, but they already knew part of it would be "jeong." Personally, I thought that was not the prettiest of Korean names, but I wouldn't ever tell them that and of course I went along with it.

The next week, at the end of class I wrote all of the English names I had come up with on the board. Each girl immediately gravitated towards a name, and they surprisingly didn't fight over any at all. They chose Kelly, Eva, Emma, Hannah, Jenna, Courtney, Sasha and a few others that I can't remember right now. At first no one wanted Sasha, but when told them that Obama's daughter was named Sasha, one girl decided she had to have it. Anyway, it was so cute and I think the girls felt a sense of pride that they had really earned their names because they have improved their English so much this year.

At the end of class, one of my favorite students, Yu-jeong, reminded me that they still had to give me my Korean name. She stood up to formally present my name to me. "We chose the name Ta-jeong for you because it means "kindness" in Korean. But Jeong is the most important part. We wanted you to have Jeong in your name because our school is Gum-jeong Elementary and we always want you to remember us." At that moment I suddenly realized that I really care about these students and it is going to be so hard to say goodbye to them. I was very touched by the thought that they put into my name, and just as they felt a sense of pride as English students, it gave me a sense of pride as an English Teacher in Korea that I am doing a good job.

The experience also showed me how much I'm starting to love teaching. Though there are a lot of difficulties I face here, I really like the job and the results of my hardwork are definitely paying off. Now, I know that no matter what situation I'm in at school, whether I'm dealing with a problematic student or frustrated by the lack of communication, I can remember that moment and remind myself that it's all worth it in the end.



It's springtime in Korea!!...