"Yes, Of Course" Moments

Yes, Yes, YES.

above: school photo with two fellow teachers for the new school year

above: for some reason they printed this one in black and white

Whether they mind it or not, Koreans pay the most for their childrens' private education than any other country in the world. More time in school, more time studying gives a great many students better test scores and better test scores lead acceptance into the crème de le crème of universities in Seoul and elsewhere in Korea.

Even kids beneath age seven are in private academies for music, English, and other subjects. Most leave my after school class early. I feel a tug on my shirt usually. “Evan teacher, hagwon,” my students say to me—not cheerfully. It’s time to go, I don’t want to go, but I have to go is the look on their faces when they leave my afterschool class.

That's why I try to make my classes as enjoyable as possible. Having fun and enjoyable classes at the Yes Center goes without saying. Each Saturday a young Canadian Korean woman named Kymme (another foreign teacher) teaches alongside a South African, and a Korean woman who spent several years living in Boulder, Colorado at the YES (Yeongyang English Station) Center.

“Just take your time and have fun,” the Korean woman told me as I was telling the students to listen. I have fun because the atmosphere is not as competitive as in public school. The other teachers are humorous characters and since I started subbing for Kymme we’ve established camaraderie.

YES

I’ve been subbing a lot recently, so a teacher in contact with an official at the Gyeongbuk Office of Education contacted me last week. No one’s ever spoken of a call from the office of education. Had I done something wrong? I tried to think, fast.

“Hi, Evan, you might remember me. . .” She gave me her name and said we had met before. I couldn’t remember her face. Later I ran into her, and once I saw her face, recalled us meeting once before. “You’ve been replacing the other teacher at the YES Center (Yeongyang English Station). Right?” she said.

“That’s right.”

“Mr. Kim at the office of education has to prepare a lot of paperwork when the other teacher is unavailable to teach. He wants you to come every Saturday to the Yes Center, instead of subbing. We’ll discuss when you will come into the YES Center later. I’ll talk ask the other teacher there at YES and make sure it's okay with her. Is it okay with you?”

I wasn’t in trouble. I was offered a position at the Yeongyang government-run English center. And I accepted it.

Confucianism is embedded into the social fabric of Korean society, so public schools have a strict hierarchy. To overlook your immediate superior, the English director, co-teacher English speaking Korean at your school would appear as if you had demeaned someone. Co-teachers and English directors in public schools are the first people Western teachers meet and sometimes the only ones they can communicate through, before even the administration director, vice principal or principal. It was pedestrian for me to feel at odds when I answered the phone startled, but I was glad  I had received that phone call by the end of the conversation.

above: a man moves fish into different containers on his truck outside a Chinese restaurant

Yes, Breaks

During my breaks at school when I’m not writing and reading, I’m studying Korean. While I’m studying I usually have a song playing in the background. Recently PSY held a concert in Seoul for his new single Gentleman and the world has had a lot to say about it. I've been playing the hit song a lot. In one day it surpassed 26 million views.

Psy’s found a way to galvanize people without even speaking. If people here the rhythm and beat of Gangnam Style they start dancing. He reminds me of Michael Jackson. If you see his dance moves, and you know where they came from.

Maybe I’ll hear his new song at the Pohang, South Korea Ferry Terminal, on my way to Dodko island next month. I was informed by the regional coordinator last week about a free trip to Korea’s Dokdo and Ulleungdo islands. I'm lucky to be living in this province. The province of Gyeongsanbuk-do provides Gyeongbukers with special parties and outings, and I’m grateful for them all, free of charge. I’ll be meeting my friends Nina and Andrew at the ferry terminal, and the travel time should definitely be worth the trip. 

Today, I went to the gym and wore shorts for the first time since September. Bees were humming under the sun and hovering about pink leaves of cherry blossoms, and flowering weeds were welcomed on several empty curbs. 

   Yours truly,

                  Evan