It might seem that I'm not enjoying myself here in Korea, partially due to the types of stuff I write about in this blog, but I am. I would compare living here to what it was like in New York during the short time I was there. The only complaint I have is that everything is so spread out to the point that the thought of commuting to go wherever sometimes acts as a deterrent. The end result is me staying in some days, having a glass of wine by myself. Other than that there are lots of fun things and good food to be experienced. Four months have already past since I've arrived, but it seemed like the time just went by in the blink of an eye. From a tourist standpoint, I haven't done that much in the way of sight seeing, just the bare minimum. I loathe museums and tours filled with camera toting foreigners. I do, however, love being immersed in a culture. You can only learn so much from reading and going on tours, but there's much more you can learn by living amongst the people. That's the same philosophy I teach my English students. It's sad and pathetic that the parent's of these students force their children to cram all they can out of English grammar books and what not, but the results are fruitless. I tell the kids that the only true way to master a language is not out of books, but actually living in the country whose language you're attempting to learn or surrounding yourself with the language. As a result of pushy parenting, a percentage of the students I teach don't even want to learn English. They're pushed into these academies against their will and are expected to study and learn. I don't want to teach kids who don't want to learn. It's a waste of my time and theirs, especially if they're just going to go through the motions and turn in half assed homework assignments. After a while, the parents don't see any improvements in their kid's English proficiency and what do they do? They come to the academy and bitch about how bad the teacher is and that their child isn't learning anything. NO SHIT lady. If you took the time to actually listen to your kids and took into account what their interests are, you wouldn't be flushing money down the toilet on an extra-curricular education that isn't benefitting anybody. That is one aspect of Korean culture that I ABSOLUTELY despise and pity.
Hell, I don't even know how I ended up talking about idiotic parents. Anyway, I can't wait for warmer weather, for one of the Craigs to join me here, and to the next chapter of "The Adventures of Craig: South Korea." I should write a book with that title. Agree? Until next time, miss and love y'all. I won't be able to answer texts or emails, the whole 9 yards while in basic training so just keep that in mind, and I'll talk to you in about a month. Byeeeeee!
~JK
