Apparently, I speak English "vedy good!"

---

It's almost Halloween here in Korea (and I can say it like this because for me, October 31st begins 13-16 hours before it begins for anyone in the States). Although Korea is decoratively engaged in the holiday - with orange and black colors present in many buildings and small pumpkins adorning shop windows, it is not a holiday that is widely celebrated. Sure, they know what it is, and all my students know that kids in the USA go door to door and get TONS of candy on Halloween, but Koreans don't take cultural ownership of the occasion. Regardless, I just purchased bagfuls of chocolate and candy to give to my students during class on Friday - hey, I'm American.

Before my candy run to Home Plus at 10:00 tonight, I had some other noteworthy experiences during the day. I was walking to work with a fellow Korean-American teacher and friend around 1:30 this afternoon and we were having a conversation as we walked. Anyone walking around us could listen to the conversation - we weren't trying to hide anything. About a block before the office, an older woman stopped me after we crossed an intersection. She was all smiles as she tapped my arm and said "Sordy, wow - your English is so vedy good!" I smiled and thanked her as she continued to study me "And you, you are Korean!?" Well, "I am American," I replied. "Ooooh, buh Korean-American?" "Um, yeees, but Hangul not good. I am really American." "Oh, oh, sorry." she said as Ryan and I continued toward school. Although the woman made me smile and chuckle a little (just because she was so complimentary of my native or perhaps a better term would be cultural language) it was also another one of those things that just slightly pinches a nerve. Yet another incident where a Korean is confused and consequently, disappointed by me. A few days ago, it was a cab driver who asked why I didn't speak Korean. Fortunately, my Korean speaking friend was also in the car with me, and told him that I was adopted. Before that, on a solo trip, a cab driver just laughed at me (in a very jovial and friendly way, however) and kept saying "Gyopo" and giggling. (Gyopo is a term that refers to a Korean person who has spent most of his/her life living away from Korea).

However, as I got to school, rather than being upset that she was disappointed in me, I was upset with myself for not trying to have more of a conversation with the woman, as it is situations like these that present opportunities for private tutoring (and $40/hour, tax free). But, within five minutes I had disregarded the whole thing and learned a lesson for the next time someone stops me to compliment my beautiful English... 😊

The reason for my prompt arrival to work was a foreign teachers meeting that I was required to attend, where the head school director was presenting. The meeting started with the typical "What are our goals as a business and as teachers?" introduction, but in the end it was a surprisingly informative presentation. I had been bracing myself for the usual speeches that I have been subjected to since my arrival, but toady's meeting actually taught me a lot about the company structure and its financial activities, which is very interesting to me (and reminds me of my time with Lincoln - something I find myself missing from time to time). What was specifically educational to me, was the revelation that AIG just invested $55 million into Avalon English this summer. Every day I am surprised and amazed at how ignorant I have been to how global society has become and how intertwined our worlds are. Although I still haven't figured out the exact organizational structure of the company and where Avalon fits into the mix (the Internet was useless in my search this afternoon for more information and ticker symbols, so I will need to directly speak to the director), I am working for a publicly traded company under the parent holding umbrella of People and People Inc. So, I left one big corporation, only to join another, with the difference being that I don't understand the "company speak"...

The funny thing about the meeting, was how, although the director gives his presentations solely in Korean (sometimes, with one of the Korean-American teachers translating to English), he always asks us questions throughout his presentation. And, every time he asks any type of question about business or leadership, he always first asks me and says, Trista should know. He asked me to define leadership and was very happy with my response. And after talking about our teaching performance and the enrollment rates of each campus at Avalon, he asked me why it is important to increase enrollment. I didn't know what he wanted me to say here, so I talked about enrollment as a direct reflection of our effectiveness. Not what he wanted. And after he responded with "It gives us more revenue. Revenue in turn allows us to provide better resources to students - our CUSTOMERS - and then after that we can offer more benefits to employees," I knew exactly why he wanted me to answer this question. I think he was as disappointed that I didn't think of it in terms of business and respond accordingly as he was when he put me in a similar situation a month ago during a W level meeting. He feels that I should always give him the response he is looking for when he talks about the business of what we are doing here, since I came from the business world. Sometimes I just want to tell him, although I worked in business, I am a communications and marketing person and my thoughts naturally gravitate towards the humanistic side of things. I'll admit, I should have know what he wanted today and could have easily come up with that response on my own, but I also just want him to realize that I gave up the business world JUST to come to Korea and be a teacher. I came to get away from that atmosphere and gain a new, more cultural experience. If he wants a new business person for Avalon, he should hire one.

However, on the other hand, it is also good to be in a position where I am respected. He expects a lot from me and wants me to continue to think about the business of Avalon in the way that I was trained to think in the U.S. I'm just a little paranoid now and hope I have more opportunities to display my understanding of the company finances, so he doesn't start to wonder if my resume is fake!

Helping children is never something I expected to do as a profession, but I am really glad to have the chance to contribute while I am out here. I truly feel that the work I am doing is worthwhile - and I haven't felt this way since my first 6 months with Lincoln. I love the intelligence and susceptibility of my students. I also strongly agree with the head director on his comments about taking our jobs seriously and that the experience of teaching here will enrich our lives and enable us to make a difference in our home countries. This resonated with me as a communications professional. Becoming a better global citizen is one of the main reasons I am here, so I will keep striving to be better at my job and in all areas of my life in Korea.

---