I've decided to start a new blog to keep track of my musings during my PhD program. The new address is:
bethanyinAAE.blogspot.com
Check it out!
Cara Menghilangkan Suara Di Video Tanpa Aplikasi
2 years ago
Friday, September 11, 2009
Friday, July 17, 2009
Korean Table Manners
Another cultural note that I don't want to forget in the years to come!
Some Korean table manners really surprised me when I got here. In Korea, it is rude to pick up dishes off the table while eating. This means that sometimes Koreans bend over their bowls to slurp their food. (When I visited Japan, I learned that their manners are the opposite: if you lean over your bowl, its is rude. They think it looks like how a dog eats. So, they pick up their bowls and hold them closer to their mouths.) It also means that passing dishes isn't all that common. In America, it is rude for us to reach for a dish. However, in Korea it is the opposite. It's completely OK to reach in front of a person, and actually, it is rude to ask someone to pass something to you if it is at all possible for you to reach it yourself. If you ask them to pass a dish, when really you could reach it, it is like making them your servant.
Another thing is that Koreans typically share all dishes in the middle, besides their soup and rice bowls. In America, we would take food from the main dishes using some sort of serving spoon and put it on our own plates, and then eat it with our own silverware. But in Korea, you use your own chopsticks to pick the food right off the common plate! This means you touch other food with the same chopsticks that go in your mouth! Double dipping to the max! :-D Despite that this might be gross to some of you, I think it really creates a nice communal atmosphere. I really enjoy the group eating culture here in Korea!
Some Korean table manners really surprised me when I got here. In Korea, it is rude to pick up dishes off the table while eating. This means that sometimes Koreans bend over their bowls to slurp their food. (When I visited Japan, I learned that their manners are the opposite: if you lean over your bowl, its is rude. They think it looks like how a dog eats. So, they pick up their bowls and hold them closer to their mouths.) It also means that passing dishes isn't all that common. In America, it is rude for us to reach for a dish. However, in Korea it is the opposite. It's completely OK to reach in front of a person, and actually, it is rude to ask someone to pass something to you if it is at all possible for you to reach it yourself. If you ask them to pass a dish, when really you could reach it, it is like making them your servant.
Another thing is that Koreans typically share all dishes in the middle, besides their soup and rice bowls. In America, we would take food from the main dishes using some sort of serving spoon and put it on our own plates, and then eat it with our own silverware. But in Korea, you use your own chopsticks to pick the food right off the common plate! This means you touch other food with the same chopsticks that go in your mouth! Double dipping to the max! :-D Despite that this might be gross to some of you, I think it really creates a nice communal atmosphere. I really enjoy the group eating culture here in Korea!
Last Day At School
It feels so surreal! I got home from my last day at Gwangyang Boys HS a few hours ago and I just can't believe that I have left, and that I must leave my host family tomorrow.
3 students gave me letters as I was leaving, one of them gave me chocolate, and many came up and asked for my email (even though I wrote it on the board for all of their classes :-P ). I had to say a goodbye speech over the mic to all the students, and I definitely choked up during it. I will miss the students so much, even though I bitched about them a lot this year. I really hope some of them stay in touch with me!!!
I received a hanji hand mirror from my co-teacher Mrs. Chue and a beautiful bracelet from Mrs. Song, my old co-teacher. My gift from the school was a necklace and a set of earrings made to go with them. I really really LOVE the necklace they gave me (and it will be easy to pack, hah!).
After the "ceremony" at the school, all the teachers went to a restaurant to have a hurried lunch. I think they were all anxious to get home and enjoy their weekend and the start of their summer vacation (even though there are supplementary classes every morning all summer... yuck!). Anyway, I gave a goodbye speech in Korean to the teachers and they all started clapping so much! And so many came up to shake my hand and wish me luck as I was leaving. Even though I couldn't communicate with these people much this year, it was neat to see that they still cared about me.
I still have to do the hardest goodbye -- that with my host family. I will miss them SOOO SOOO much! I hope that they come to America someday and I hope I can visit them again in Korea in the future. But, things will never be the same as they are now. The boys will grow older and I'm sure they won't feel as comfortable around me as they do now. Waaah, don't grow up!
3 students gave me letters as I was leaving, one of them gave me chocolate, and many came up and asked for my email (even though I wrote it on the board for all of their classes :-P ). I had to say a goodbye speech over the mic to all the students, and I definitely choked up during it. I will miss the students so much, even though I bitched about them a lot this year. I really hope some of them stay in touch with me!!!
I received a hanji hand mirror from my co-teacher Mrs. Chue and a beautiful bracelet from Mrs. Song, my old co-teacher. My gift from the school was a necklace and a set of earrings made to go with them. I really really LOVE the necklace they gave me (and it will be easy to pack, hah!).
After the "ceremony" at the school, all the teachers went to a restaurant to have a hurried lunch. I think they were all anxious to get home and enjoy their weekend and the start of their summer vacation (even though there are supplementary classes every morning all summer... yuck!). Anyway, I gave a goodbye speech in Korean to the teachers and they all started clapping so much! And so many came up to shake my hand and wish me luck as I was leaving. Even though I couldn't communicate with these people much this year, it was neat to see that they still cared about me.
I still have to do the hardest goodbye -- that with my host family. I will miss them SOOO SOOO much! I hope that they come to America someday and I hope I can visit them again in Korea in the future. But, things will never be the same as they are now. The boys will grow older and I'm sure they won't feel as comfortable around me as they do now. Waaah, don't grow up!
Gender Roles at School
Today is my last day of school, so I have been doing some reflecting on my year here in Korea. I wanted to share some things I have observed about the different roles the male and female teachers take while at school.
First of all, Korea suffers greatly from the glass ceiling. There are no females in the administration at my school, even though female teachers represent at least half of the teachers at our school. But what frustrates me further than that is the role that male and female teachers take, especially at any kind of social gathering.
I remember my first weekend in Seoul, way back in August, when I first met my co-teacher and my principal. During our 5 hour drive down to Suncheon, I witnessed these separate roles for the first time. Of course, the principal was driving (which is probably not too different from how the situation would play out in the US), but he was also the one to tell jokes. The women's role was to laugh and cackle like everything he said was absolutely HILARIOUS!
Now, I have come full circle to the end of my year here. I have been to many social gatherings with teachers, but the one most fresh in my mind was last week. Some of the male teachers were the ring leaders. Their role was to stand around and tell jokes in loud, dramatic voices, and to basically act like drunken clowns. The women's role, of course, was to prepare the food, and then stand around and giggle and giggle and giggle at these grown men acting like attention-starved 5-year-olds.
I think one of the reasons I have not fit in at school as well as I would have liked is because I was unwilling to put myself into either category. I know female ETAs have gotten away with putting themselves into the "male" role while here in Korea, simply because we are a foreigner, so either group would accept us. But, I don't like to act like an attention-starved 5-year-old, nor do I like to giggle and cackle at things I find completely childish and immature.
I hope that Korean women realize their potential, and try to take the spotlight themselves (but not in the childish way so many of the men do) instead of just play the role of supporting actress to the males.
**On a different note:
Last night I took my host brothers out to dinner and then to see Harry Potter and the Halfblood Prince. It was pretty funny going to the movies with only them. Apparently the previous times we went to the movies together, their mom did a lot to calm them down, because they just couldn't sit still when they were with me. Jun-ho got up to go to the bathroom 3 times, and Jun-eun twice; Jun-eun was talking loudly about the movie (heehee) and physically reacting to scenes by moving around a lot in his chair; they both got up and wandered around the theater a few times; and Jun-eun was playing with the straws from their drink throughout the whole movie!! ^^ It didn't bother me at all, I thought it was cute/funny. The ending of the movie gets quite dark and scary, so Jun-eun lifted up the armrest between our two seats and cuddled with me.... SO CUTE! I will really miss him. It has been fun to have younger brothers this year, and I think my experience this year will help me in making decisions about raising my own children down the road.
First of all, Korea suffers greatly from the glass ceiling. There are no females in the administration at my school, even though female teachers represent at least half of the teachers at our school. But what frustrates me further than that is the role that male and female teachers take, especially at any kind of social gathering.
I remember my first weekend in Seoul, way back in August, when I first met my co-teacher and my principal. During our 5 hour drive down to Suncheon, I witnessed these separate roles for the first time. Of course, the principal was driving (which is probably not too different from how the situation would play out in the US), but he was also the one to tell jokes. The women's role was to laugh and cackle like everything he said was absolutely HILARIOUS!
Now, I have come full circle to the end of my year here. I have been to many social gatherings with teachers, but the one most fresh in my mind was last week. Some of the male teachers were the ring leaders. Their role was to stand around and tell jokes in loud, dramatic voices, and to basically act like drunken clowns. The women's role, of course, was to prepare the food, and then stand around and giggle and giggle and giggle at these grown men acting like attention-starved 5-year-olds.
I think one of the reasons I have not fit in at school as well as I would have liked is because I was unwilling to put myself into either category. I know female ETAs have gotten away with putting themselves into the "male" role while here in Korea, simply because we are a foreigner, so either group would accept us. But, I don't like to act like an attention-starved 5-year-old, nor do I like to giggle and cackle at things I find completely childish and immature.
I hope that Korean women realize their potential, and try to take the spotlight themselves (but not in the childish way so many of the men do) instead of just play the role of supporting actress to the males.
**On a different note:
Last night I took my host brothers out to dinner and then to see Harry Potter and the Halfblood Prince. It was pretty funny going to the movies with only them. Apparently the previous times we went to the movies together, their mom did a lot to calm them down, because they just couldn't sit still when they were with me. Jun-ho got up to go to the bathroom 3 times, and Jun-eun twice; Jun-eun was talking loudly about the movie (heehee) and physically reacting to scenes by moving around a lot in his chair; they both got up and wandered around the theater a few times; and Jun-eun was playing with the straws from their drink throughout the whole movie!! ^^ It didn't bother me at all, I thought it was cute/funny. The ending of the movie gets quite dark and scary, so Jun-eun lifted up the armrest between our two seats and cuddled with me.... SO CUTE! I will really miss him. It has been fun to have younger brothers this year, and I think my experience this year will help me in making decisions about raising my own children down the road.
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Names
Just a brief cultural note that I want to mention so I don't forget how names work here in Korea:
I'll use my host brothers' names as examples to help explain.
Their full names are
Byun Jun-ho
Byun Jun-eun
The "Byun" is their family name (or "last" name), but in Korean names the family name comes first. Next is their "given" name which always has 2 syllables. I've found that siblings, especially those of the same sex, tend to have same first syllable.
Additionally, when they marry, wives do not take their husband's last name. I heard that it is becoming a bit of an argument over which last name to give the children because of this, but I think this is a very recent phenomenon.
**On a side note, I got another goodbye note and chocolate from a first grade student as I was leaving. It was pretty surprising as I didn't know he felt that close to me!!! AWWWW! Some students are so sweet!!
I'll use my host brothers' names as examples to help explain.
Their full names are
Byun Jun-ho
Byun Jun-eun
The "Byun" is their family name (or "last" name), but in Korean names the family name comes first. Next is their "given" name which always has 2 syllables. I've found that siblings, especially those of the same sex, tend to have same first syllable.
Additionally, when they marry, wives do not take their husband's last name. I heard that it is becoming a bit of an argument over which last name to give the children because of this, but I think this is a very recent phenomenon.
**On a side note, I got another goodbye note and chocolate from a first grade student as I was leaving. It was pretty surprising as I didn't know he felt that close to me!!! AWWWW! Some students are so sweet!!
Goodbye Goodbye Goodbye!
I have said goodbye to all but 5 of my classes. It's interesting to see which students are sad that I am leaving, which are happy, and which just don't care! ^^ One first grade (sophomore) student was sooo sad as he was leaving and I didn't realize that he liked me so much! Poor thing. :-( I am writing my email address on the board, so I hope the students I was closer to will write me!!
I brought 2 huge watermelons to school yesterday as my going away gift for all the teachers. Thankfully the night before when I bought them, the fruit stand man carried them the 2 blocks to my apartment and all the way into my elevator for me!
Yesterday I had lunch with all the English teachers, the Principal and VP, and some other teachers that I have no idea why they came along. As usual, Korean was spoke 99% of the time so that was awkward for me, but the Principal did make a very heart-felt toast to me over wine (one of my fav kinds! Moscato D'Asti!), I just wish I knew what all he said! :-P
And last night I had to say goodbye to Naoko, the Japanese teacher at my school who I've become friends with. She gave me 2 small gifts, and I feel bad that I didn't prepare one for her!!! She is one of the nicest people I have met in Korea, so I will miss her a lot! But hopefully we will stay in touch. ^^
2 more days of school, then a 1/2 day with my host family, then I'm off to the airport! CRAZY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I brought 2 huge watermelons to school yesterday as my going away gift for all the teachers. Thankfully the night before when I bought them, the fruit stand man carried them the 2 blocks to my apartment and all the way into my elevator for me!
Yesterday I had lunch with all the English teachers, the Principal and VP, and some other teachers that I have no idea why they came along. As usual, Korean was spoke 99% of the time so that was awkward for me, but the Principal did make a very heart-felt toast to me over wine (one of my fav kinds! Moscato D'Asti!), I just wish I knew what all he said! :-P
And last night I had to say goodbye to Naoko, the Japanese teacher at my school who I've become friends with. She gave me 2 small gifts, and I feel bad that I didn't prepare one for her!!! She is one of the nicest people I have met in Korea, so I will miss her a lot! But hopefully we will stay in touch. ^^
2 more days of school, then a 1/2 day with my host family, then I'm off to the airport! CRAZY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Jun-eun
Today Jun-eun said that if I was living in Korea next year, he would live with me. He wants to go with me to America so he can live with me next year. AWWWWW!!! I'm going to miss him so much!!!!!!
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