No, I hadn't forgotten Spain and the infamous choque cultural. The utter bewilderment I felt at the lack of urgency when my bathtub was falling through the ceiling of my two story apartment. The relief turned annoyance at my teacher's casual attendance to Feminist Literature class... I just thought that with enough mental preparation and awareness, this time I could avoid all (or at least most) of the frustration, homesickness, and even anger that all the novice expats complain about. While my adventure has not suddenly taken a turn for the worst, and I can't pinpoint any single negative event, this week as a whole has opened the door to the inevitability of some rough times to come. I can't recall the exact time table of the foreigner's experience abraod, with its various peaks and valleys, but something tells me I'm right on schedule. Today is the one month mark and the honeymoon period is beginning to end.
I prepared myself for the food. I prepared to be stared at. I prepared myself to get lost, to have a crappy apartment, to get lonely, to be misunderstood by my students. But I failed to expect that the things that will be the most difficult are the ones you don't expect at all. I claim to be so open-minded and in love with exploring cultural differences, but this past month, while I've been delighting in Korean culture, my American brain (and heart) has been biding its time. I've been reminded that I do not come to another country as a sponge or an eyeglass, happily absorbing and examining the people and their ways. I come as an active bearer of my own culture. So confident in my communication background and knowledge of intercultural theory (seek to describe, not to explain), I truly thought I could be... a microscope for a year.
Last week we were told that all new Native English Teachers in Daejeon will need to participate in a three week training period Monday through Friday from 5-7pm. The training is intended to maximize our co-teaching abilities. Our co-teachers, who have far too much "administrative work" need not attend. Throughout this first week we listened to a couple Korean English teachers share some experiences and sample lessons, and watched videos of "effective" co-teaching. All the while, I've been trying to figure out the point of it, searching for the ultimate message of the program. Most of the models presented thus far have showed the Native English Teacher teaching right alongside the Korean English Teacher. So, I asked today, is the idea that we should strive to have a 50-50 teaching balance with our co-teacher? If so, then I'm failing miserably because the majority of my co-teachers stand in back with their discipline sticks and correct papers while I teach. The response from the instructor? A confused No.
But, seriously, if I'm to give up every evening for 3 weeks then is it too much to know why? A training session for co-teaching you say? Well, I don't feel I'm being trained to co-teach one way or the other. We're merely just "discussing" co-teaching, and not reaching any concrete conclusions about it. If you don't have any message for me, then can I go home for dinner?
Then it hit me. How American of me to desire, nay to demand, that there be a definite agenda behind any mandatory gathering. In the US, we are taught to write essays that clearly support one opinion. State your opinion, present the other side (briefly), give sufficient supporting details to back up your point of view, and make a powerful conclusion. In Korea, students learn to write in a circular manner. There is never an ultimate answer to any question. There is no winning the argument. A standard essay in Korea, much the same as I've found this training session, is just a discussion. I say, get to the point. They say, the point?
It seems whether I like it or not, I'm going to bring American culture, values, and logic to the table. I came prepared to discover and open up to the differences between the United States and Korea. That's one of the reasons I chose an Eastern country. I should be pleasantly surprised then that the differences run far wider and deeper than anyone, including a goofy English teacher on a culture trip, could prepare for.
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