So we’ve been going at this for two months now right? Me and you. I’ve been sharing my experiences of Korea with you, so despite thousands of miles between us, we have some connection. Therefore, I feel obligated to be honest with you about something: My body is still sore and feeling the effects of my physically demanding weekend adventures. That’s right. Four days later and my calves are still pissed as hell. It’s embarrassing and reveals just how out of shape I am, but I felt victorious and I’d like to share my adventures with you:
Saturday= Dusty Day. What’s a Dusty Day? A day where you partake in two or more of my dear friend Dusty’s favorite activities. This past Saturday included: hiking and swing dancing.
We met up with each other at the bottom of Mt. Mudung at 11am. I had no idea if Mt. Mudung and I would get along, but I did know one thing: I did not blend in with my fellow hikers. Typical here I know, but today, I really stood out. Hiking in Korea is a big deal. Mt. Mudung was very busy with hikers. The average age of my fellow hikers: 55. And they all have the same intense hiking-get up. Head to toe, they are ready for some serious hiking. So from the get-go, I’m feeling intimidated. Hiking: 1. Helen: 0.
We started up the hill, and not long after, I realized this was going to be a huge physical and mental challenge. First of all, I was physically not in shape to hike this mountain. Especially considering I was with my friend Dusty, who is a frequent hiker being from Vancouver. Dusty was ready for a real hike. And I really did not want to let him down. So after picturing various scenarios in my head all of which end in me miraculously not having to hike anymore, I realized I had to suck it up and hike this damn mountain. For starters, I let Dusty know that my face typically gets this red when I work out, and not to be concerned.
We made it to the first look out and it was gorgeous. We took a quick rest and agreed to keep going. The second leg of the trip was what I like to call mental hiking. Besides thinking of a few curse words, I kept having flashbacks to going for walks in the forest preserves of Palos Park. We used to take these frequently when I was a child, and they almost always ended with me getting up on my dad’s shoulders due to complaining. Well, my dad’s shoulders were not readily available, and I had a hunch that Dusty wasn’t going to be down for that…So I had to suck and it up and be a trooper. We made it to the next look out and the endorphins kicked in. I felt great. There was great, positive energy coming from that look out. The view was beautiful and I felt like I was on top of Korea! The rest of the mountain seemed manageable and there were some really cool rock formations up ahead, so we kept going! I actually wanted to keep hiking. Shocking. Just when I felt my legs get shaky, we made it to a great resting point. We parked it on some rock formation out of Lion King and had lunch. The hike was made enjoyable by all the friendly Koreans with their friendly smiles and ‘hello’s, and of course, Dusty.
It felt great getting home and resting my feet, but the rest was short lived. Next up: Swing dancing. Dusty has been mastering swing dancing around the world for the past 8 years. So he was pumped to find that Gwangju in fact had a swing-dancing club downtown! Another teacher named Jessi and I accompanied Dusty to Saturday night beginner lessons. We learned the basics and were in for a big surprise once lessons were over. There were about 20 Koreans in the lessons. But after the lessons, all the pro’s came to the club. First it was great to watch Dusty do his thing. All the girls wanted to dance with him because he was a rock star on the dance floor. I was very impressed by all the Koreans that were really good dancers. Jessi and I would dance with Dusty too, which I thought would serve two purposes: Allow me to avoid dancing with strangers; Show the guys that I’m a beginner who has no idea what I’m doing. Fail. The guys continuously came up to us to ask for a dance. Two hands out with eye contact translates to: Want to dance? Surprised I was even standing after the hike, we ended up dancing at the club for two hours after the lesson. One great thing about swing dancing is that the guy always leads. Therefore, some guys were really good teachers as dancers and showed Jessi and I some great new moves. Pleasantly surprised by the experience, I’m down for round 2 of swing dancing!
Thus concludes the adventures of my first Dusty Day! Regardless of the sore legs, it was totally worth it. Another great weekend in Korea!
In other news, we have some pretty important days ahead of us here in Korea. Tomorrow, Thursday, November 10, 2011, high school students will take their college entrance exam. This test is the equivalent to the United States’ SAT or ACT, except for one big difference: Korean kids only have one chance. One shot to set the path for their entire future. They can only take the test once to decide if they will go to college, and if so, what college they will go to. Talk about pressure, at least these kids have been raised under intense academic pressure their entire life, hopefully building a strong resistance. For example, all middle school students have a rigorous exam for an entire week, once a year. It seems Korean culture takes standardized tests much more seriously than in the United States. To be honest, I am quite opposed to standardized tests in the United States, but here it really seems to motivate students and students take school very seriously. Rightly so, their entire future is at stake. The entire nation truly values education. So much so that tomorrow, on the day of the college exam, most work places have a delayed start. This is because they want to make sure the students can get to their test taking location on time, so they want to allow all public transportation to be available for the students. If the student misses the test for some reason, that student will not attend college. This is taken very seriously. My Korean teacher also said that it is common to see police and ambulances take students to their testing locations on this day. Also, all other middle school students and high school students have the day off of school because the teachers are needed to help the testers. Although Korean students define the word hardworking or even overworked, I commend the dedication to education in this country.
My co-worker recently posted this link, which helps to paint the education picture here in South Korea: Before watching though, note that the video does not even mention that students go to multiple after school programs (me!) multiple days a week for hours. Disclaimer: I do not have enough information regarding the teaching methods in the classrooms, so I cannot say if I support them or not.
Video: Education in South Korea
Interestingly enough, my two students and I spent the last half hour of class today debating education- one of my favorite topics. It started by my student explaining that she had her hair chemically straightened today because her teacher said her hair needed to be straighter. Yes, the Korean school system is very strict. All students wear a uniform. Girls: Straight hair and black. Hair must be above your nametag that is worn on your chest and your hair must be above your eyebrows. Similarly: Boys have to have short hair too. This sparked a conversation comparing Korean education and Western education. My student, mind you she is in 7th grade and extremely intelligent, was arguing that the Korean education system is too strict and may have opposite effects on individuals. I explained that the United States is envious of the work ethic students have in Korea. Also, Korean students are lucky because all students are entitled to a good education. Point of this paragraph being: 1. My student rocks for being able to carry on this intellectual debate. 2. I love talking education.
One more thing: Friday is November 11, 2011; 11.11.11. However, I’m more excited for it being an extra special Pepero Day! Pepero Day is a holiday unique to South Korea, and similar to Valentine’s Day. Pepero is a cookie stick dipped in chocoloate. Pepero Day takes place on 11.11 every year. The origins of this holiday remain a mystery, but some claim the logic lies in the fact that the numbers 11.11 resemble the pepero sticks themselves. Therefore, this Pepero Day is extra special. Rumor has it, the students gift their teachers boxes upon boxes of Pepero. I am very much looking forward to it!
Enjoy the pictures. The hike was on the perfect Autumn day. The picture of the dip during swing dancing is of Dusty and Jessi!
Thanks for reading. Until next time...
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