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Published: August 23rd 2006
beautiful belle III
Lantern festival, SeoulThe sun sets away to the west as the plane begins its descent into Incheon international airport. Leaving behind the world of marbled warmth, the plane enters the grey carpeted mass, where beneath the clouds, the gloaming paints the grey land in ever drearier colours of gloom filling me with a deep sense of foreboding. At Immigration I take my place in the queue marked ‘Foreigner’, whilst away to my left, a line of muscle bound crew-cutted American GI’s chat excitedly in the queue marked ‘Military Personnel’. I am about to walk into America’s last Cold War toe hold, and a country technically still at war with its brother to the North.
Out into the frosty air I am met by two young men, speaking limited English, whose task it is to put me on the correct bus to my destination in Gangnam, southern Seoul. Wiping the cold condensation off the window, I settle into my seat and peer through the darkness at this new city, and my new home for the next twelve months. No sign of life; a billion impersonally bleak orange lights are all I see staring back at me. ‘Soulless Seoul’ was a phrase that immediately
came to mind, and first impressions they say, last.
About 45 minutes into my journey a young Korean air stewardess came and sat next to me, enquiring as to my destination. It materializes I am on the wrong bus, I give her some phone numbers; she makes some phone calls and organizes my rescue. At my stop, she accompanies me onto the cold city street ridiculously under dressed in her stewardess uniform. She offers to wait, but I adamantly refuse her offer, my savior re-boards the bus, we wave goodbye and she disappears into the unknown never to be seen again.
Now I wait, and despite wearing virtually every piece of clothing I can realistically manage, the air I breathe is biting and unhealthily cold. Five hours before I had left Manila where the mercury touched 36C, I look at the neon clock high up on a gleaming office block on the other side of the eight-laned street, and it blinks back at me with its verdict, -13C. I check my watch to see if it can verify this outrageous claim but it’s steamed up on the inside…what AM I doing here?
My employer had promised to
Glowing in the dark
Lantern festival, Seoul pay for my flight to Korea and home again, provide me with a rent-free furnished apartment and pay me just over two thousand dollars per month. In return I have to teach English for 120hrs a month from 2.30pm -10pm, for a total of 12 months, and only 4 (FOUR) days holiday a year. I could have held out for higher pay and better conditions but Jennifer had been in Seoul now for over a month, so location was ultimately the deciding factor in my choice. Besides, I was told again and again by Koreans and teachers alike that this was the most exclusive area to live in all of Korea.
Exclusive I was to discover, is a very relative term when it came to Seoul; expecting Mayfair or Beverly Hills I was living in a cross between a Middleton or Brixton council estate, without the character. With over eleven million people living within its city limits, Seoul is one of the most populous cities in the world. However, being one of the smallest, it is therefore one of the most densely populated.
Seoul was destroyed several times in the Korean War leaving over half its population homeless.
US aid helped reconstruct the city in the race with the north, though most of the aesthetic damage was done in the eighties when high-rise office buildings and apartment blocks began sprouting up to house the ever growing population. Leaving what is today a digitally modern soviet-era style city, with row upon row of identical apartment blocks ‘personalized’ with a number and the constructors (Hyundai, Daewoo, LG etal) logo.
Seoul is an impersonal City, like London, which means that people generally do not smile or talk to each other amid the hectic pace - which is actually a blessing, since it took me the best part of three months to learn the correct forms of Goodbye! Though despite the language barrier and the alien script, Seoul is an easy city to live in. At first, coming from The Philippines where a supermarket contains almost the exact same things as in UK, to Korea where you'll be lucky to find a potato amongst the dried squid and seaweed, I was a bit flustered. Though fortunately Jennifer had already found her feet, inventing a few fusion dishes herself from the strange ingredients on offer.
I had been itching to get
back into a routine of some sort during my last weeks in The Philippines, even though every time I get this itch when I am traveling I admonish its very presence as an irrational hangover from life in the ‘real world’. But sad as it is, sometimes you just crave that train turning up at exactly 13.17, and there is something very comforting about having your weekly routine mapped out for you in little work, lunch and free-time segments. So as a result of this curse, the first 6 weeks were a breeze, albeit a very cold and snotty one.
My job was to teach English to children ranging from seven to thirteen. Though virtually all of the students at our school had spent time abroad, mostly in North America, and so their English was already of a very high standard. So in actual fact we were teaching them the same stuff that kids in California are taught at the same age, except we were teaching it faster.
This was a really interesting learning experience for me as well; a direct view into the American education system and of course a view into how it, and education in
Hanbok
Korean ladies in traditional dress general, can form the mind of children and influence the ideas and ‘truths’ they carry into adulthood. Children will believe almost anything they are told if it comes from a respected source i.e. a teacher or parent. The state moulds the curriculum and therefore moulds the mind.
It was also of course a window into the Korean mentality, with children expressing less diplomatic views on certain topics than adults would. And I was initially quite shocked to hear the sweetest little girls farting openly in class (farting is allowed, blowing ones nose is considered obscene!), but perhaps less comical, was their nationalistic fervor and virulent hatred of Japan. Though to understand the origin of these sentiments, it is important to look at the history. (I'm not certain of the origin of the farting ... apart from the obvious gag!)
In 1902 Russia wanted to divide Korea in two with themselves governing the area north of the 38th parallel and Japan controlling the southern half. The Japanese wanted Korea for itself and the two countries went to war, with Japan pulling off a surprise victory in 1905. This gave Japan control over the whole peninsula and in what many
Koreans believe was their first betrayal by the west, an agreement was formed between the British in China and the Americans in The Philippines to divide up the region and stay out of each others areas of influence. From 1910 until 1945 Korea was under the Japanese occupation, Korean culture and economy suffered heavy losses. The Korean language was banned and Koreans were forced to adopt Japanese names.
After World War II, The Japanese were kicked out of Korea and the country was divided, giving the Soviet Union control over the area of Korea they’d perused fifty years earlier and the Americans control of the South. Both established governments sympathetic to their own ideologies. The Koreans themselves weren’t consulted.
The hand-picked governments in both the North and South had as their central aims the reunification of Korea under their own ideologies, and in 1950 the north was the first to act, invading the South. The US army was the UN army with a token contribution from other nations, and joined the war in order to “repel the armed attack”. This repelling however, didn’t stop at the border, and pushed the North Koreans all the way back to the
Chinese border, prompting China to enter the war. Three years later, after the deaths of more than 4 million civilians and soldiers alike, and the total destruction of both countries infrastructures a stalemate was reached. The 1953 armistice split the peninsula along the demilitarized zone at about the original demarcation line. No peace treaty was ever signed, and the two countries are technically still at war. At the end of it all the North was left with a socialist dictatorship and the South a right-wing dictatorship. Forty thousand American troops remain to this day in South Korea.
To supplement your income in Korea, it is possible to teach privately outside of school hours. The usual pay for this is between 40 and 50 dollars an hour. The teaching of ‘privates’ usually involves a one-to-one talk with a high-flying business person(s) who wants to improve on their English. This practice is technically illegal, since payment is usually made in brown envelopes referred to in the shadowy underworld as ‘slush’. And with just a few of these extra lessons a week, the slush fund can begin to grow quite nicely (Disclaimer: a fellow teacher at my school, Richard Costecco [from Cannock,
England} told me this). Furthermore, privates are usually a lot more stimulating than the regular day job. And since the direction of conversation is usually led by the teacher, it can provide another interesting avenue into the traditions, culture and beliefs, (admittedly an unrepresentative cross-section) of Korean society.
Korea lives under American tutelage. It is not fully free, fully mature or able to define its own character. Its Nationalism seems to be based on suffering, endured victim hood and humiliation at the hands of the Japanese. And although Koreans have embraced capitalism and the individualism that entails, there is still sense of group mentality with Confucianism still playing a major role in people’s service to the state and since they have now out-competed their neighbors to the north, they push on further, looking to their old adversary to the east, Japan.
The Koreans I knew worked very long hours, and this trend wasn’t just seen in adults. Korean education is fiercely competitive and on top of their regular schooling hours most kids would attend English Academies such as the one I worked at, with 11 year olds finishing at 10pm! They also attended other academies to work on perceived
weaknesses and extra curricular activities like Taekwondo and Music. The children’s schedules were packed solid - and their social lives are seemingly governed by their mothers. Many attend school on Saturdays and holidays from school usually involved private intensive schedules.
The younger children I taught were generally full of life, but the older they grew, the more hours they worked and the less enthusiastic they seemed about class and life in general - had the realization dawned that they were being pacified for a life time of work, or were they just teenagers? I had a firm but fair attitude with my students, when I felt the need to riot, I’d provide the carrot, and when it was time to work, I provided the stick. If the kids wanted to eat in class or sharpen their pencils I allowed them, for ultimately I was doing my bit to form critical thinkers, not pacified drones. After three months, work was ticking along nicely; it was easy, sometimes fun, though ultimately unchallenging. I was just another brick in the wall, easily replaced by literally anyone with a degree. And with my feet up on the desk, picking at my nose hairs,
Bongeun-sa Temple
the build up to Buddhas birthday bash my feet began to itch and boredom began to take hold.
To stave off this boredom it is possible to go out on the town every week and party your troubles away, a quick fix to the problem used by people the world over, but one that costs money and would totally nullify my reason for even being in Korea. Itaewon is generally considered the drug of choice for the teaching masses, escaping the daily grind. Situated close to a major US army base in the centre of Seoul, Itaewon has grown into the most cosmopolitan area of Korea. American GI’s dressed as gangster rap stars rub shoulders with spotty Canadian English teachers, pretty Korean girls in short skirts, West African immigrants and pious Pakistanis shuffling away from the mosque. Just when you think the scene cannot get anymore surreal, soldiers or MP’s in full military fatigue, come around in small groups and barge their way through the frolicking masses looking for GI’s who all have to be home in bed by midnight! Definitely the most surreal slice of home away from home, but for homesick English teachers in alien Korea, the closest they’ll come.
We attempted to
get out of the City on occasion and visit a few of Korea’s attractions. Though I’ll admit to being a little spoiled over the last few years and at times it felt as if I were trying to cure my hardcore travel addiction with a cup of tepid Lemsip. Stealing movies and documentaries from the internet became a favourite pastime and my major accomplishment in Korea was probably managing to buy and fill an Ipod.
Then I was offered the head teacher job…more administration and less teaching for 700 dollars more slush a month. The catch was that I had to stay an extra month, which would take me up to the end of February 2007 - a further ten months down the line. This played on my mind, freedom being more important than money, the thought of another month was ultimately the straw that broke the camels fragile back. I wanted out, Jennifer wanted out and we had a plan.
We made our excuses and gave a months notice, after which we would go and work at another school where we were currently moonlighting. This school offered us better working hours and better pay (at $40US tax free
an hour). We’d do a month there and get out.
This month just happened to coincide with the unparalleled spectacle of The World Cup, and flew by with much merriment, leading to several large financial gains... and losses (who would have thought that Mexico would draw with Angola?), for myself and my trusty male companion during my time in korea, Richard (the one who did those illegal privates ). Here is a video of us winning a considerable sum on the game between Korea and togo amongst 250,000 happy Koreans
Result! My boss didn’t seem too flustered by my decision to leave, though when my final day came he decided to try his luck by withholding more than half my pay cheque -citing Korean culture and tradition! I called the labour board, and threatened to call immigration and picket outside his school until I received my pay. We came to a heated late night compromise and I was free from my contract, but also now an illegal immigrant and needing to leave the country fast.
I was overjoyed at the prosect of leaving Korea but not overjoyed about the prospect of leaving ‘my’ kids. I
had taught them for five months and knew each and every one of their personalities intimately. The sweet ‘teachers pet’ girls were predictably upset when I left, but the most shocking revelation of all was when the ‘naughtiest’ boy from each of two separate classes came to me in tears after their first experience with their new teacher. Were they sad because I was leaving, or were they petrified that nobody would ever understand or show leniency toward their independence again?
Without doubt the thing I miss most about Korea is not the kimchi, it’s my kids: see
Video REUNIFICATION Reunification is still the goal for many in the South, and the North, and always has been. Over fifty years of separation on opposite sides of the ‘wall’ have driven the two nations to ideological extremes, in a proxy war fought by the worlds two superpowers. With the North following ‘Juche’ or Communist Confucianism and the south now solidly on the path of economic neo-liberalism. The Cold War we are told is over, yet Korea remains divided.
The left in Korea insists that the US manipulates Korea for its own
Cold War purposes, and it is hard to argue this fact with a long history of sabotage of peace talks between North and South Korea (in order to shore up North Korea's "rogue nation" status).
President Carter has been the only President with a view to pulling the American troops from Korea. But in a perfect example of how limited the presidents powers actually are once one goes against the grain of the powerful industrial military complex, his big push was hampered at every turn.
Korea is the geopolitical pivotal state in northeast Asia. If North and South Korea were to unify it would be a disaster for Americas influence in the region. If the US remained in Korea after reunification. It would be obvious to everyone that the US arsenal was actually pointing toward China. And if the US were forced to leave Korea with the death of their reason for being there, Japan would not continue to rely on US deployment on their soil, meaning that the US would lose all its bases and influence in Northeast Asia in a very short period of time.
The US continues to inflame sentiments by branding the North
silver magnolias
spring oustide my apartment an ‘Axis of Evil’ country, and continues to threaten North Korea with destruction. And in turn it continues to give heavy military aid to the South provoking in turn, increases in the North Korean budget that it can ill afford.
But of course there never will be another Korea War, it would turn both countries to ash in a matter of days rather than years this time, it would be a total disaster. And besides, there is simply no incentive since North Korea isn't sitting on the second largest oil reserves in the world.
The collapse of the Soviet Union crippled North Korea and now the US and South Korea give only enough aid to the north to keep it weak but ultimately alive. The states isolation and weakness makes the North Korean military stronger whilst leaving the people weak and destitute. The only real arguments against reunification seem to be the problem of deranged communists running around Seoul and the cold economic argument that it would all cost too much money! Well the Korean War cost millions of lives and countless billion of dollars and continues to sap the energy of both nations. Two million people in
North Korea died in the 1990’s from to famine, due in large part to its continued priority of investment in the military, and the fact the division of Korea left it with a shortage of agricultural farmland. Last month alone up to 60,000 people died in Flash floods. Hasn’t it cost enough already?
Tear down the wall.
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Kate Hildebrand
Kate Hildebrand
Hey aspiringnomad!
I definitely didn't see a Teaching English in South Korea blog coming but it looks like a very cool experience and your chillens are adorable. I miss my Seoul friend (and the resulting kimchi) so I'm thinking about giving this a try myself