Besides packing, which I have decided to procrastinate on, (even though I came home from the cape early to do it) I have been flipping through my Korea travel book that I got yesterday. The province I'm moving to is Gyeonggi-do (don't ask me to pronounce that for you). This travel book is neat, on top of the very cool sites it suggests for me to see, it gives me helpful tips on the culture and how to not make an ass out of myself. Tips I'm sure I'll need.
Tip #1: Shoes off, in any residence, temple, guesthouse or Korean-style restaurant, leave your shoes at the door. And socks are better than bare feet.
I knew this already, but I do love walking barefoot. I also hate wearing socks and generally anything that suffocates my feet (unless I'm playing soccer). So, note to self, always carry extra socks in your bag or just wear them...
Tip #2: Though you may see members of the royal court drop to the ground to greet the king on Korean TV dramas, don't get inspired...
I know how to do the quick short bow, but can't you just imagine me dropping to the ground to meet somebody? I can! I won't, but I can picture it.
Tip #3: Use your hands, give and receive any object using both hands - especially money and gifts.
I had no idea about this one. Thanks, travel guide.
Tip #4: Don't beckon someone using your forefinger. Place your hand out, palm down, and flutter all your fingers.
This one I thought was interesting. After I thought about it, I realized that's how Mimi (my Korean grandma) calls us over often. I just never made the connection that maybe it was a Korean thing. She's kind of weird, so I assumed it was a Mimi thing.
In the travel book, they also give you a little incite into the Korean psyche. This was cool for me to read, because I noticed a lot of the same traits seen in my family.
...they're all tenacious, [and have a] pit-bull spirit. Once Koreans lock onto something, it's difficult to break away. Life is competitive and everything is taken seriously, be it ten-pin bowling, hiking or overseas corporate expansion.
I have never met a more tenacious group of women than the one's on my mother's side (Mimi and my grandpa had all girls, four to be exact). Once my mom gets into a project, she won't stop until it's perfect. Even if it's creating a bouquet of flowers to sit in our living room. Everything she does, she does wholeheartedly. It's inspiring to watch her work sometimes. As for the competitive aspect, watch out. Playing a game with my mom and her sisters sometimes feels like participating in a mental WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment) match and sometimes a physical one. Never find yourself winning against my mom in Scrabble unless you want to be pinched and bruised (yes, even Scrabble turns into a contact sport). The other day I was teaching my mom to play speed. I had just learned the game, so I was foggy on some of the rules and may not have been as clear as I should when we started playing. My lord, I haven't seen my mom that angry since the Celebrity game of '07. She ended up not finishing the game, called me a cheater, said the game was stupid and threw the deck of cards at me. I'm sure it's different in other Korean/Korean-American households, but competitive is brought to a whole new level in mine.
There were a few others I noticed connect to my household (Koreans are health fanatics....they're obsessed with education...) but I won't bore you with those stories. However, I did find an excerpt that talks about the environment I'll be teaching in. Of course I have to share that with you, since without this job I wouldn't be going:
Going to school is never enough, so middle-income families send their children to after-school private institutes - called Hagwon - to study science, maths, Korean and English.
That will be me. It's insane the education these children receive. I'm not saying it's a bad thing, but to go to school all day, then go to more school, and on top of that have no summer vacation - it's intense. I'm teaching from about 9:30am -7pm (I get a 3hr prep-time/break in between classes), which is a lot of work for me, but I'm teaching things I already know. Mentally, it'll be easier for me, but these kids need to learn and retain all this information they're given for 91/2 hours. And I'm teaching Pre-K and elementary.
So, those are some of the things I've learned. I'm starting to get really excited about moving, so excited I'm finally inspired to pack!
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