(32) Left Behind and Common Courtesy

Ask any Korean how hard it is to speak English. It's not an easy language for them to learn.Many of the rules and mechanics of the language are confounding to them,only making sense after years of study and practice.

I can't help but feel sorry for them sometimes. Since English is a major business language, it means that pretty much any major job requires you have some form of mastery of English to go anywhere in life and succeed at your job.

However, I am under the firm belief that courtesy and consideration transcends any language barrier and allows us to display our humanity and show our compassion and understanding of each others needs. This, to me, is the beauty of the human race.

However, we can not always be receptive to each others needs and wants. Sometimes we are too focused, too intent on fulfilling our own agendas and needs to notice the other person in the room. Sometimes, our lives become so involving, we develop these life blinders. blocking out everything and keeping us focused on our goals with laser accuracy. We are, after all, only human.

I'm probably not the first person to experience this while working in Korea and just based on some of the stories I have heard, I'm sure some people have it much worse than I do. We all have our bad work days and work experiences. I usually let them roll of my shoulder and just go on with my life. I realize that people at work our focused so its a understandable when a lapse of judgement or lack of time to help others occurs.

Today was the last day of the 2013 school year before the winter break. It was a day to wrap up classes and finish up what we needed to do before the new year began. This however would be my last year working at the school as only a few months before I found out that I wouldn't be able to renew my contract at my school, as the Korean government had recently made new changes which would end up eliminating foreign teachers from high schools. It was a little upsetting that this would happen and during the last part of the school year, but, that is a story for another day.

Apparently, this morning was a breakfast to celebrate the last days of teaching and close the old year to begin the new one fresh. I don't know what the breakfast was like, what there was to eat, or even where it took place because unlike the other teacher's I wasn't invited.

To clarify, every single staff in the school was invited to attend. This includes teachers, secretaries, office staff, grounds keepers  even some parents who were at the school, except me. I was the only one left out.

Why? I have no idea. I've been invited to school meals and gatherings before. It was common assumption for teachers to tell one another about an event and ask them to come along. even if they didn't intend on sitting next to them or talking to them.

I'm not to complain and whine when I'm not invited to parties. I don't throw a fit when I'm not invited to group outings. It's ok. I'm an adult. the world doesn't revolve around and me and no one owes me anything. I get that. Adult stuff. It's cool.

However, when every single person in the school minus the students is invited and you're not, it makes you think. It makes you wonder. Why would this happen?

Was it something I did? Is my personality? Did they just forget? Am I difficult to talk to? No one said anything about and of these before, why the sudden change of tone at the end of the year? Stuff like this makes your mind wander, makes you think what could have possibly gone wrong, all over a stupid breakfast.

As I said in the beginning, I understand and respect the difficulty of learning English. I understand and respect the cultural differences and have given the strongest effort to represent the best of my culture as well as understanding and participating in Korean culture.

However, simply asking someone to come has nothing to do with culture. Taking five seconds out of your day to simply ask someone to come with you or go with you has nothing to do with culture, nor your quality as a teacher, or even a person. It's just common courtesy. I've been her long enough to know that it exists in Korea just we much as it does in the states.

I'm not going to sit here and complain about how life in Korea sucks and how life is unfair. I will say that I hope anyone who reads this remembers their manners and courtesy. It only takes a second of your time and in many cases, can make a huge difference in someone's day and in many cases, prove to them that there is humanity left in the world.

Be good to one another. Represent your culture, represent your society and represent yourself well. That is all.

(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