Fall time in Korea

When I was younger, I used to be relatively unbiased when it came to having a favorite season. To me, each season brought a new and refreshing take to the world outside and would always seem to come at a time when things were beginning to become stale. Just when I was becoming tired of the heat, the cool autumn breeze would come to greet me every morning. When I was beginning to tire of the cold and slush that hit me like thousands of needles, the spring would begin to appear and the once grey and cold landscape would begin to show signs of green and the promise of another year.

To an extent I still do appreciate the seasons, they all bring some variety and change that we all need. As I have become older though, and especially since coming to Korea, I have come to appreciate the fall season, my fondness for it increasing every day.

For one thing, I appreciate the cooler weather even more than I did back home. Summers in Indiana could be hot, but in Korea it’s not enough to just be hot, oh no, it’s the blazing sun and the stifling humidity combined that made the simple act of walking to and from school a miserable  experience. Before I had the sense to take a taxi or bus to school, a simple fifteen minute walk early in the morning often left me drenched with sweat and barely able to breathe without taking in a full breath of dry air.  Spending time in Korea had taught me to hate the heat and hate the humidity even more.

With the arrival of autumn the heat and humidity have slowly begun to vanish, making the walks to school much more pleasant and the morning chill in the air a welcome and refreshing wake up call. As much as I dreaded walking outside during the summer, I welcomed the opportunity to spend as much time as possible outside during the fall.

Fall also seems to have the largest amount of holidays and free days in Korea. Chuseok, Korea’s own Thanksgiving takes place during the beginning of October. Since I teach in a high school, a vast majority of time is spent preparing for exams and final projects, making the situation very stressful for teachers and students. I really do not mind as much as it offers a break from teaching classes all through the day and week after week.

I’m spending time having closer and more interactive lessons and conversations. It takes longer to prepare for lessons and sometimes provides a more difficult challenge of delivering higher concept lessons, but the results are much more satisfying. A majority of time for these students is spent studying and preparing for exams. The number of lessons that contribute towards that are much lower than the Korean teachers at my school simply due to the language barrier and the impossible task of being able to explain everything perfectly to them in a language they do not fully understand.

However, I discovered that my efforts are not a waste of time, but rather another series of lessons and things for them to learn. I have striven to teach my students to think critically and think for themselves. I’ve taught them there’s more to learning English than doing well on exams. I have taught them that learning a language is not an ends to a means, but rather a gateway to more opportunity. I tell how I have traveled, the wonderful experiences and people I have met and how my life has changed for the better since I began my journey overseas. I try to teach them that happiness is not always achieved in life through success, but personal goals. I try to teach them that it is sometimes appropriate and necessary to fail.

I seem to enjoy everything more in the fall. I enjoy going out a night more. I enjoy spending time with people more and I seem to be in a better mood on a more consistent basis.

It may not have the Halloween costumes, apple cider or drives down a leaf strewn road like back home, but I’m still finding ways to enjoy the season in my own unique way.

Happy Fall everyone. May it last until the winter season. 

The perks of having a school nestled in the mountains: beautiful scenery