(28) 90 in 90: Stepping outside the box and creating something great

If there has been one thing that I have experienced as my time as a teacher in Korea, its that fact that if given the opportunity, your students will continue to amaze you in different ways. Sometimes its  a funny remark. Other times its a insightful comment or thought that you never expected. Sometimes its sometime so far beyond a simple comment or excellent example of knowledge, its something that combines knowledge and dedication to make something so incredible and so beyond the years of these students in terms of age, it makes the accomplishments, or rather what you considered accomplishments as a child, pale in comparison.

A group of students along with their science teacher took on a project of working with algae, and seeing the different effects the algae can produce in different conditions. For months this small and dedicated group of students set up a makeshift laboratory complete with testing and measuring equipment where students would make observations and test the algae under different lighting conditions.

What the students discovered was that the algae was able to reduce CO2 in the air as well as refresh the oxygen and create a more hospitable environment. Further research and study revealed the potential of using algae as a potential bio diesel fuel, and only by comparing their data to other scholarly articles and research, did they find that their research and hypothesis was correct.

Their hard work has gotten the attention of the Korean government and the the Ministry of Education as our school, or rather these students in particular have won a national award for having the best project idea as well as having the best results.

The students still have a long road ahead of them. They have a few more contests, one of which requires them to present in English. While their project isn't quite over yet, their effort and hard work is still miles beyond anything kind of project I participated in during high school.

Hearing about them talk about their project, hearing the enthusiasm and excitement behind their voices as they shared their data was a reminder of just how exciting and inspiring new alternatives to learning can be to students. These students were left to their own plans and devices with minimal guidance and not only ended up creating a interesting experiment, but also found some interesting new evidence in a field that is almost certainly going to become more popular and more necessary as our need for alternative fuels increases.

I am incredibly proud of these students and have assisted them with the English portion of their project as much as I could within my ability. When you have a daily routine of enforcing strict study habits and memorization, seeing students work outside the established system and discovering something fantastic in the process is such a great thing to see.

I expect this project to go far. I expect these students to go far. I cannot wait to see where they all end up. 

The finished result

The students (scientists) hard at work

(27) 90 in 90: Talent Show for Humanity

Last Friday, my school held their annual school festival, a day when both teachers and students take a break from test preparation and thinking about universities to spend a day showing off their talents and having some breathing room to laugh and have some fun.

I really enjoyed attending my school's festival last year. It was fun to watch the same students who I had spent day after day teaching and lecturing to, cut loose and show of their talents and abilities that they would never have the opportunity to demonstrate otherwise in school. Some students sang, some danced, some played an instrument and some put on funny skits.

It was one day to see students for more than their grade level or ability to speak English. It was a chance to see beyond the social constructs we place on them everyday and see their inner self come out for all to see.As much as our school promotes the festival a a time of teachers and students coming together, to me, it was more for the students than anything. It was a day for them to retain and enjoy the naive and carefree time of youth before like many things, becomes lost to responsibility and time.

This year was no different, as students from all three grade levels in our school put on an entertaining and well thought out show. Once again, I saw students who I had only know through strictly academic means show off skills I never knew they had. Again I was treated to some entertaining and sometimes surprising displays of talent. Despite the similar premise, the talent show showcased some very different acts from last year, all of which to be very popular with both the students and the teachers.

This year a majority of the performances were music performances. Some students decided to do a dance to the song "What Does the Fox Say?" complete with costume and dance moves. I'm not sure it went over as well with the older teachers there as it did with the younger crowd, but I found it entertaining and was able to witness firsthand just how far some pop culture can spread.

A few students did musical performances with beat boxing/free style rap and musical performances. Two students caught my attention, one of which did an entire solo cover of the Guns n' Roses song "Sweet Child O' Mine". Another group did a cover of the Muse song "Time is Running Out."

After spending nearly an entire year hearing k pop, hearing my students talk about k pop and feeling that most likely 99% of the population of Korea listens only to k pop, it was an incredibly refreshing experience to hear not only excellent covers of some popular songs that aren't k pop, but to also hear covers of songs that I actually like. I was very pleasantly surprised and found myself singing along and getting into the moment, forgetting my role as a responsible educator and role model and just letting the music get to me and rocking out.

Towards the end of the show, guest bands from Gimcheon Girl's High School performed a great band cover of 2NE1's "Ugly" as well as a performance from one of the mothers who helped out, singing a pop song that seemed to be lost to the students, but received a strong and enthusiastic reaction from the older teachers and staff. Even my vice principal joined in on the fun and took the stage to sing another pop song from his youth. My vice principal is fairly serious guy, who's responsibility to the school and its operation is top priority. Seeing him sing and enjoy himself was another enjoyable sight, showing that even your tough and demanding boss is still just an ordinary guy underneath who has likes, wants and needs just like everyone else.

The main event that most of the students were interested in was the last act of the show. A girl k pop dance group came in and performed several dance routines to the latest popular k pop songs. Even if you know a little bit about k pop, you most likely are aware of the hyper sexual dance moves and model-esque k pop performers that sing and dance to each song.  While this group only did the dancing, it was enough to get an enthusiastic response from the students. I'm certain being stuck at an all boys school and being forced to study all day and night will do this to a young man.

While there were other parts of the school festival*, the talent show was the main highlight and the one that stood out the most in my mind. As much as Korea pushes students to adopt a school regimen of studying and learning and teachers to sacrifice a vast majority of their day to working for the school and keeping busy, the talent show showed us the human side that was can so easily forget once we settle into a daily routine.

It may seem like just a school talent show, just a place for students to goof around and for teachers to have a few hours away from their normal duties, but I still think its much more than that. Its the chance to show us all that without the essence that allows us to live and enjoy our lives, without those little moments that remind us why we are living and the joy and creative freedom that life offers us, we're nothing more than empty husks trapped in a forever repeating cycle of monotony until the day we die.

While its easy to get trapped into this mind set, especially in Korea and especially for future students who seemingly have their futures already made for them, giving them the opportunity to escape from the daily grind, even for one day is a reminder that while you are sometimes just a student, sometimes just a worker and sometimes just another part of society, you are also an individual. You are unique. You stand out. You have talent.

You are human, and that is both a beautiful and wonderful thing.

*more about my school festival in the next post

(26) 90 in 90: Random Bits of Pepero, univeristies and getting married in Korea

Today is 배배로 or Pepero Day in Korea. Pepero is a cookie like stick dipped in chocolate, similar to Pocky from Japan. Pepero day was created as a commercial holiday and encourages couples and friends to purchase the treats for one another. It worked remarkably well and every year on November 11, you'll see store displays with a variety of different treats along with the post November 11 markdowns of anything Pepero related.

It's common for teachers to receive boxes of Pepero from their students or other teachers. For my second year the entire staff was given a box of Pepero as a gift for the staff. I also went out and purchased boxes of Pepero for all the female teachers teaching in the school. The holiday means nothing to me, its a commercial holiday after all, but like all festivities, its always fun to get into the spirit and share the happiness with others. So I'll happily eat my chocolate treats (and take advantage of the massive savings of left over Pepero tomorrow).

In other news, I'm still job hunting and looking for opportunities to leave my current job and relocate for another one. While I have had no success, I've have learned a few tricks and tips along the way to hopefully make for a more successful opportunity next year. I've finally begun to accept that the move to another city and career is much more involved and challenging than I originally thought. I'm a little disappointed by this, but again, there is still a little time left, so really anything can happen. Even after accepting that I may have to spend one more year at my school, its really not an entirely bad thing. I enjoy being at my school, its laid back, filled with good students and a great staff. I always want to move forward, but one more year being in the same place isn't really a bad thing.

Finally, I've looked at the process of marriage in Korea from the eyes of a foreigner and its a daunting looking experience. To be honest, I was fairly ignorant of the process that it takes to become a married couple for a non native Korean, but after reading this informative blog post, I now know that its a long and drawn out process filed with forms, paperwork, red tape and headaches. I'm not saying I'm looking to get married in Korea anytime soon, but just the thought of going through all of this makes my head spin. However, love conquers all in the end, and I'm sure even the most annoying and anal of paperwork can't compare to true love, or something like that.

This was a random post, but like the segmented and unstructured paragraphs you just read, my mind was a buzz with random little bits of information today. Its funny how these come to our minds at random.

Happy 배배로 Day to all. Keep on doing what you're doing and no matter what you're doing or where you're working, have fun in Korea while you can, for one day, we all must return home again.

Delicious 배배로 in a ultra classy box

(25) 90 in 90: Perspectives and Refocusing

I am currently a high school teacher in South Korea. Being a high school teacher is not a end game career for me. I enjoy teaching, in fact there are days when I love teaching, but in the end it is not what I want to do for the rest of of my life.

Knowing this does not alter the way that I teach and what I teach. While I have never been formally trained in education or teaching, I am constantly trying to make efforts to improve my ability and methods. I understand the importance of being an educator and despite the naysayers, I still feel that strong efforts on behalf of the teacher can rub off on the students in a positive way. Show students you care enough, and they'll care right back. Of course this is not always the case but even those who sleep in class will  know that you're a teacher who is trying. (they just choose not to pay attention)

There are days where being a teacher in Korea can be a frustrating experience unlike any other job I have held. The days where your lessons fall on deaf ears. The days where students would rather sleep and talk to their neighbors than pay attention. The days where your co teachers would rather read a book or not even attend the class rather than try to help you. There are days where you'll fight with your school over a contracts or miss communication. While the exact experiences may vary from teacher to teacher, school to school, I'm willing to bet that most teachers have experienced these things before.

However, despite the days where I want to pull my hair out in frustration and moments where I yearn for the comfort of home, I have never stopped caring about my job and the people who are part of my job. Some people have horrible teaching experiences here and leave with bitter feelings and unpleasant memories. I'm happy to report that I have more good memories than bad ones.

Last week I fell into a series of depressing days. I had just gotten over a huge argument with a loved one, was criticized by my school for making an error that was originally their fault to begin with and falling ill with a nasty stomach virus. It was enough to make me fed up with my job and living overseas and made me wish I could return home again. I felt that I was close to my limit, I didn't want to be here anymore and face the frustration.

It was only a few days later that I saw the error in my emotional state and realized that while things were bad, there was no reason to leave, no reason to turn my back on a country that had given me so much. The frustrations of daily life combined with job hunting and was slowly boiling under the surface and just like a volcano on the brink of exploding, the tiniest provocation could set me off.

Unlike my geological analogy, the damage I caused wasn't permanent and instead offered me some perspective. It offered me the time to think about what I wanted, where I was and where I wanted to go.

More than anything else, the time to cool down and reflect has left me thankful, to exam just what a great life and opportunity filled living I currently have. I thought about how everyday was a new adventure and a  new opportunity to learn something new. I thought about how I was making a decent living, paying off a debt that would enslave my life and time if I remained in my home country. I thought about the people I have met and the people I currently have. How they have changed and shaped me for the better and provided me with the opportunity to share my adventure with them.

I am currently a teacher. I will most likely remain a teacher for  a little while longer. I still want to be a journalist. This has not changed. This will most likely not change for awhile.

No matter where I am and what I'm doing, the end goal, no matter how vague and distant it may seem is always something to keep me on track, the let me know I still have somewhere to go.

It lets me know that one day I will have to settle down. It lets me know all of the opportunities I have waiting for me, and that time spent exploring the possibilities and enjoying the little moments is better than moping of the ones you can't have.

Reflection has put me back on track and put my mind in its place again.

There will be more rough days ahead. There will be more bad days, arguments, disagreements and disputes.

There will be rejections and failures. Self doubts and worry.

I will have them in Korea.

Then again, I will have them no matter where I go.

That much is certain, but so is the promise of good days.

Which one do you think is the better to focus on?

Like our good friends Jules and Vincent, sometimes a moment of clarity is what you need to put things back into perspective.

(24) 90 in 90: Friday Night Frights and Days of Future Past

Autumn is here in Korea. The crisp air is a refreshing change from the hot and humid summers.

It's a Friday night in the quiet town of Gimcheon and the first day of November. After spending a week of having plans fall through, job issues, communication issues and a good ole' helping of homesickness, the week and month of October is finally over and are now only two months away until the end of 2013.

Halloween is actually one of my favorite holidays, and the fact that I was unable to properly celebrate it this year left me a little sad. The last time I had a fun celebration with friends was nearly three years ago while I was still attending my university. The following three years were spent studying, working, being sick and being busy through the holiday. I did small celebrations by spending a few hours with friends, and while they were great fun with great people, something has always felt missing.

I tend to get that feeling from time to time. Wanting to celebrate something during a time of importance and always feeling that something is missing. It's not a sense of being disappointing or let down, but rather something tugging at your mind, that nagging sense that while everything seems right, there is something deep down that is off.

Perhaps its my sense of nostalgia, always subconsciously comparing the memories and days of yesterday, creating an expectation of scratching that nostalgic itch that we all yearn to find and hold on to, desperately struggling to hold on to that one time in our past that seemed without worry or regret, the reminder of what our lives once were and perhaps the hopes that the same feelings and memories can be repeated in the future.

Perhaps its homesickness? I do admit that after going home for a week to see friends and family, a small sense homesickness has been creeping up on me from time to time. It's never enough to make me yearn to return to my homeland, but its enough to put memories of good times from the past randomly inserting themselves in my mind. When things go bad or you have a bad week, we tend to think of home and all the good things about it.

Despite being an adult, my sense of security and relief still goes back to home, to my family and friends living their lives without me on the other side and the sometimes wishful feelings that they could be with you, to watch you take the punches life throws at you and be there to wipe away the blood and ice the bruises.

I rarely tend to get like this, I always appreciated the freedom and sense of adventure being away from home brought with it. Sometimes though, home is a comforting thought. Its that blanket of security that comes from knowing that no matter where you are and what you do, you can always go back home to security.

This feeling doesn't come often, but it still manages to creep in from time to time.  It doesn't happen as often as it used to, but the fact that it occasionally does happen proves that no matter where I go and who I'm with, no matter how successful or happy I become, home is always on my mind.

Home will always be on my mind, this is not a bad thing.

                                                 This song always reminds me of home.