A guest post by Jimmy McIntyre: We catch ourselves, sometimes, wondering if the choices we’ve made in our lives were the right ones. We don’t usually look for regret. We simply wonder what could have been had we made different choices.
In the two years since moving to Korea, that thought hasn’t crossed my mind. Exciting, confusing, fun, terrifying, eye-opening and fulfilling – Korea has been all of these things. I’ll leave this place a changed man. I remember looking across the 40 unfamiliar faces in my first class, all of whom had just as much curiosity for me as I for them. It was nerve wracking.
Now, the students and I are familiar. I’ve watched them grow, and today I saw my 3rd graders graduate. It was a proud moment for all involved. Some of the parents couldn’t contain their joy, and who could blame them?
It wasn’t always rosy, mind you. At times the students tried to push the rules. After all, that’s what teenagers do best. There was a constant fight for power in every class, but underneath it all, more than anything else, there was a great deal of respect between us.
If you’re considering making the move to Korea, stop thinking and do it. You will have an exceptional time. And despite being surrounded by unfamiliarity, the Koreans’ warmth will make you feel at home. Their generosity seems boundless. And most of them will have one desire for you, that you leave Korea with a good impression.
I went through the EPIK program, a government-run organisation. Hagwons, a common alternative, are private after-school programmes that most expats work for. It’s easier to get a job in these academies. It’s also easier to be underpaid, sacked, and generally treated badly in hagwons than in public schools. I don’t gain anything by promoting EPIK, I’m simply a teacher, but you will be looked after better if you go through a government program like this.
Food, for Koreans, is indelibly linked to their cultural identity. It goes beyond national dishes. It’s part of their national pride. One of the first things a Korean will ask you is “Do you like kimchi?” Kimchi, fermented cabbage usually, is the dish of all dishes in Korea. They eat it at every meal. Once, during an English winter camp, the students made sandwiches and pizza. One student turned to me and asked “why no kimchi, teacher?” For foreigners it usually takes a bit of getting used to but in the end, you get a real taste for it.
For men, you may be indoctrinated into the male teachers’ drinking circle. This involves drinking far too much Soju, their national drink, and waking up with the worst hangover ever. Strangely enough, they seem fine the next day at work while you’re visibly dying.
Outside of school, Korea is an exceptionally beautiful place. Mountainous regions hug almost every city. From my office window I can see the snow-topped Mudeung Mountain, the most famous landmark in the city of Gwangju. Buddhist temples are everywhere. Traditional-style pagodas, where old people nap in the warm weather, line the parks. If you’re a keen photographer, you’ll barely put your camera down.
I really can’t encourage you enough to make that leap to Korea if you’re considering it. Don’t be that person who looks back and finds regret instead of joy and adventure. Expand your comfort zone, and return home a different person.
Jimmy McIntyre is a travel writer who is travelling the world on a language-learning adventure with his wife. Feel free to visit his Travel Blog and join the Facebook page. He also has a site designed to help teachers by offering free ESL Worksheets.
