The Arrival of the Unexpected

Two months ago, while sifting through job postings on the TESL Ontario website, I came across a posting to teach at a one month summer camp in Haenam, Korea – all expenses paid plus a stipend for spending money. I thought, “Great! Something to do with my summer…” Now, looking back over my time teaching in Korea, I really had no clue what I was getting into.

I expected…

1. … to teach ESL, Art and P. E. to one class of 15 students for 4 hours a day.
2. … to visit with friends: Anna-Lisa (former pastor and family friend) and In Young (lived with my family for 2 years while in High School).
3. … to do some sightseeing: Kyung Ju and Jeju Island.
4. … to learn a little bit of Korean.
5. … to eat a lot of seaweed, kimchi and rice.
6. … to maybe make a couple of Korean friends.
7. … to come home in the fall with no intentions of returning to Korea. 

I did not expect… (in the same order)

1. ... to LOVE teaching ESL. It’s amazing what fun you can incorporate into prepositions and vocabulary! It’s also amazing what kind of relationships you can build with kids, even though English is their second language. One girl cried when she said goodbye to me Friday. I was a bit sad that I didn’t get my own class of 15, instead I rotated through 10 classes of 15, but I was still able to connect with the students in a meaningful way. I’ve already received 3 e-mails and many goodbye letters from the students. I will miss them.
2. ... to laugh so much with old friends. Anna-Lisa was so fun to connect and laugh with – she’s lived here for two years and has incredible insight into the language and culture. She’s also someone who understands my ‘travel bug disease’ as well as my heart for social justice and for Jesus. Encouraged barely describes how I feel when I’m with her. In Young has also been great fun. In Young and I were like sisters in Canada when she was studying in high school. I’ve loved catching up with her, reminiscing about her time in Canada, and creating new fun memories here. A great friend indeed. I also look forward to visiting with Calvin and Katie – two great friends from University who are also working here.
3. ... so much sightseeing! SOME sightseeing is an understatement. The Korean supervisors took us ALL over Jeju Island, Kyung Ju, and more… I didn’t even go on all the trips. Without them I went to Boesang, Jeonju, Seoul and this week I’ll go to the DMZ (North Korean Border) and Daegu/Busan.
4. ... to be so motivated! I’ve worked like a racehorse to learn Korean. I have this strange motivation pushing me to learn the language. I co-led the thank you speech to the Korean education delegates last Friday night, and I gave the last sentence in Korean. The satisfaction that comes when a child lights up because you can say a few sentences in his or her language is incredibly worth it. I hope there will be some Koreans in my LINC class this year!
5. ... to like the food so much. I’ve eaten more rice and seaweed than you can imagine. I really like it. I’m becoming quite good using the chopsticks. Kimchi is still hard, but I’m getting better at eating it with certain foods. I’ve eaten a large variety of food here – and In Young is not wasting any time making sure that I don’t miss any food before I go home. It’s all very good!
6. ... to make such long lasting friendships. Other than the students, there are a couple of Koreans that I will not forget. Nan Ji is one of them. She was my first Korean co-teacher. We got along so well that she’s invited me to her house tomorrow here in Seoul. She’s very excited to host me and show me around her city. My homestay family is another one – I’ve already written about them. My homestay mother showed up on the last day of school with a final gift for me – some really expensive chrysanthemum tea. She assured me that she would be praying for me in the time to come.
7. ... to want to cry. "Don't make me go!" I told Anna-Lisa when she dropped me off at the bus station a week ago. I can’t NOT come back. I’ve worked so hard to learn Korean and fit into the culture. I’ve LOVED getting to know the kids and even some parents. Korea is a good fit for me. I don’t know any details, but I do know that had I not signed a contract to work in Sudbury this year, I’d probably ‘accidentally’ miss my flight home. J Finding work here will be very easy – especially since I have my teacher’s certification.

Korea was supposed to be an avenue I took just to pass the time… a way to pass the summer without digging myself deeper into debt. What it became however, was one of the funnest, most encouraging and thought provoking summers I’ve ever had. Though I look forward to seeing my family, I will be truly sad to leave next week.