6 Months well spent, with 6 months of mystery remaining!

So ladies and gentlemen, I have reached the half way mark of my time in Korea and what a time it has been.

Intimidating and exciting.

Fun and frustrating.

Depressing and uplifting.

Just 6 words (of many I could use) to describe my time here.

I have had the dead skin eaten off my feet by fish.

I have made a traditional mask and watched, LIVE, the most exciting F1 race in recent memory.

I have sang at a Nori-bang, gone paragliding and ridden the circle of death at an amusement park.

I have seen a 4D movie, been a hamster for 5 minutes, watched lanterns float away on a river, been skating, temple gazing, learned a couple of the Buddhist ways, oh... and taught some Korean Middle schoolers some English along the way.

I have done many many things but more important than all of the things I have done are all the amazing people I have had the pleasure to meet, all of whom I hope to remain friends with for many years to come. These are their names:

Lisa; Deborah; Ashli; Soekie; Andrea; Andreya; Lauren; Natasha; Jasmine; Alan; Jeff; Colleen; Courtney; Sam; Dan; Andrew; Grant; Dave Gray: Dave Wiley; Carey-Lee; Tarrick; Dirk; Libby; Joe; Matt; Melinde; Pips; Jacqui; Ian; Adean; Marelize; Alana; Emily; Barry; Brandon; The Three Brians; Cotie; John; Kristen; Michael; Pol; Jana; Rachel; Chris; Cassie; Ruth; Sean and Wynand.

And let me never forget that I have found Friendship, Companionship and a true bond with my girlfriend Sandy. Time remains the ultimate test for us but those are decisions to be made, just not for a little while yet. Whatever happens between us, I have made a friend for life in her spectacled self.

So what has the experience been like?

Teaching: 60%

Things started of all pretty and shiny and new. 6 months down the line, I know that this is not something I want to do for another year.

Why?

Well, I do not feel the Korean education authorities fully appreciate the expertise that native speakers can bring to the English classroom. We are used more as a party trick to keep the children occupied for 45 min. We are supposed to be CO-TEACHING and for more than half the people I have spoken too, this is not the case and we are being asked to TEACH ENGLISH when we have not necessarily been trained how to do that. This could be because their Co is not very good at teaching in any case and is taking time off. It could be that the Co feels they could better use their time than help you (which is supposed to be their job), or it could be that the co really just doesn’t care about teaching in any form any more. I am not saying anything about any of their character. In fact, as people I like all the co teachers I have, but as teachers, they should be doing better because of their years of experience. There are exceptions where wonderful people are great co-teachers (like the school I am at once a week) but I think that it is just that – the exception.

In the public school system the levels in one class are so wide ranging that it is difficult to know what to teach from day to day (no matter how much I like the children I teach). Even their textbooks have no fathomable structure and purpose to them. They just appear to be a random collection of grammar points and phrases that have been put together for the purpose of rote learning. No one in any Korean school ever seems to know what is going on, on a day to day basis and you get told your schedule on the day which creates havoc for your personal planning and scheduling.

The biggest let down for me has to be being used as a party trick and not feeling like a part of the staff (as much as everyone tries to be friendly to me).  To go through this professional environment for another year would not do me or the students I am teaching, any good.

Travelling: 100%

I have been all over Korea, from North (Panmunjeon on the North Korean border) to South  (Mokpo  for Formula 1 racing), East (Pohang – where 3 awesome Saffa’s, 2 grand Floridian ladies and one awesome Irishman stay) to West (Daejeon where the lovely Ms Brown stays… ok, so I still need to go a little more West but I will get there).

I have slept on floors, in sleeping bags, on ondol, under covers, on planes, trains, subways and busses.

All of this has been done in Korea. I really do feel that I have taken advantage of what Korea has to offer and still have so much to look forward to in the form of the: Cherry Blossom Festival, Mud Beach, Jeju-do, World Body Painting Festival and the IAAF World Athletics Champs.

For me to sit here and not say anything about the benefits of taking time for yourself and travelling (at least some of) the world to see the sites would be irresponsible. It has done wonders for me and my beliefs and maturity. Knowing that I can make it by myself 1000’s of km’s away from home for a year is bound to have a positive effect. You get to see and do great things and meet so many new people. Human beings are a social species. Without those who we have met through our lives, we would not be where we are today. I just happened to like the social aspect of travelling so here is to another 8 or so months (After Korea I am going to tour Asia for a bit) of great things, actions, people and places.

Mark it down – Thailand, China, Cambodia, India, Sri Lanka with maybe a stop along the way in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Vietnam

Life: 80%

It has been different and incredibly challenging. Being responsible for my own bill, has taught me budgeting and financial responsibility. The weather has given me coping skills in the most extreme of climates. The communication barrier has brought out new and interesting ways of exploration. Public transport has been a blessing, the food sometimes a curse. I look forward to going to the Korean restaurant in Rivonia (if it is still there) when I get back and knowing what to order and how to do it.

The sheer population density of Korea is something that has gotten to me a bit. Everything is up and on top of you. I will enjoy the wide open spaces of home when I do get there. Living alone for the 1^st time has also been a challenge. I have lived away from home to an extent when I was at Varsity but there were always a minimum of 4 other people around me in my dwellings. This is forced me to confront my fear of loneliness and to seek ways to ensure that it never becomes a force in my life.

It has helped me appreciate the unconscious things in life: cutlery, an adequate sewage system, baths, the South African climate, being able to read the contents and nutritional value on the side of the box of the food you are buying, and just starting up a conversation with someone at the bank or standing at the till in a shopping cue.

Finally it has begun to help me clarify how I want to go about my future.

Here is to clarity!

Overall Score of Korean Experience: 80%

The essence of what I am saying in this post is this

Life is short, so grab it by the scruff of the neck and just go for it! Never regret your decision!

I certainly haven’t

Stayed Tuned to Geoff’s Asian Adventure - next you find out what it is like to have fish eat skin off your feet and,  what it is like to watch a Soccer match in Korea ;)