Rocketman - Part 3

As I've posted before (here and here), there is a excellent website called ROKetship, where a cartoonist named Luke Martin draws up a single pane comic about living and teaching in South Korea. He does some great work, and I figure I'll post some with some explanations of these hilarious observations:

It is not uncommon to see the elderly (the poor elderly) gathering up cardboard or wood from dumpsters or picking through the trash. I see this every morning on my way to work. The materials are recycled and traded in for cash - similar to how some states have bottle and can redemption programs back in the States. It's sad that a lot of the elderly have no pensions or retirement accounts, as they grew up in a time where the country was destroyed and have little more than an elementary school education. They work very hard and scrimp and save - I give these men and women a lot of respect.

Korean are relatively conservative in nature coming from a Confucian background, and more recently embracing a very strong Christian background. It is considered uncouth for a woman to show cleavage. There is even a term that means a woman looks like a "milking cow" if she shows too much chest. Western women, tend to show more however, and Koreans may view it as being inappropriate. Korean women do show a lot of leg though, and it is considered very sexy to show off their long legs - however, in my opinion some show off too much, that in the US it would be considered looking "slutty" or inappropriate. I love this panel for pointing it out! (note: The Korean girl is saying "ya-ha-da" which means "too sexy" or "loud!"

Many students learn English simply by memorizing phrases. Many of my students ramble off simply what they know even if it makes no sense. I've had some adults do it to me as well, and I try not to laugh as they say "Hi-where-are-you-from-nice-to-meet-you-I-am-happy-to-meet-you-are-you-from-America-I-am-from-Korea-have-a-nice-day." 

One of the things that annoys me the most is the rules of walking on the streets. It seems there is no respect for the standard system of walking the same directions as in which you drive. Old ladies (adjumma's) are particularly bad when it comes to this because they are usually "pushy" by Western standards, and get to where they want to go by any means necessary! I can't explain how many times I've been cut off by some old woman strolling along, only to stop right in front of me as I almost slam into her because she's not paying any attention to others around her. 

Customer service is a high priority for Korean businesses. In this highly competitive country with franchises on every corner, building customer relations is key if you want to keep your customers happy and returning. One bad experience will trickle down the grapevine and make your company look bad. I love the customer service to a certain degree. On one hand, the salespeople can be very pushy to make the sale - and even lie to you or exaggerate their products. Other times, it is great to get a nicely packaged or gift wrapped item with extra small bonus gifts thrown in - usually free of charge. When it gets ridiculous is when you go to the big department stores and you have 3 people welcoming you to the store, 2 people directing traffic in dancing style, and one lady taking a parking ticket out of the automatic ticket machine for you. That's too much. In the cartoon, the Westerner is only buying something small but getting a huge gift basket from Skin Food as a thank you for shopping there)

 

My co-teachers usually do not say or do much in my classes anymore, as I've gotten my classroom rules pretty much down with my students and they understand my consequences. Yet, there are times when I am having a rough class and all my tiny co-teachers need to do is yell a few words and maybe threaten to hit someone and the students go silent and apologize to me. 

Now that is power!

"Just A Girl"

I've noticed recently, that a handful of people have complained about their schools. I'm not positive about the reason but I think I've narrowed it down using my Sherlock Holmes detective style. (and yes, I do like to wear the hat).

Here are some of the most common complaints:

• "My co-teachers hate me, and treat me badly."
• "My students are rude to me or insult me."
• "Other teachers in the school tell me I'm fat or should lose weight."

These people (who shall not be named) have one thing in common -- they are all women.

I discussed this with a few of my teachers while at dinner the other night, and their answer shocked me.

"We don't like female foreign teachers because they are seen as weak or complain a lot about many things because they are too sensitive."

I think female teachers come into the job just as anyone else, but the second they walk in that school door they have already been stigmatized. Perhaps they don't live up to the expectations of what Western women are "supposed" to be like. Apparently in Korea this means all Western women look like Angelina Jolie - and there is a big disappointment when they face reality.

As for the students being rude or insulting female teachers, again, I am surprised. My students are nothing but respectful to me. Almost all of them say I am either handsome (I don't think I am), or that I look like I've lost a lot of weight (I haven't -- ok, maybe a few pounds), but they never -- NEVER -- insult me. Then again, I'm not a woman.

If sensitivity is an issue, I could understand why Western women would feel they are being insulted. The English ability among the students (and most native teachers) is relatively low. Most of the time they are simply translating from Korean to English - and it can be very blunt. For example, I showed a picture of a crutches to my students for a lesson on hospitals. They translated it into "wooden leg". Part of the reason we're teaching here is to give these students a larger vocabulary and to teach them how to say things properly. If someone calls you fat, you should teach them the word "impolite" and then teach them how to say it a nicer way. An overly sensitive person will not survive here if they are not aware of the cultural and language barrier that most definitely exists.

On the flip side, I get into trouble when I say the words "crazy" or "cute". If I say to a Korean "you are crazy" in a jesting way, they sometimes take it as an insult, as if I were saying they actually were psychotic. If I say a beautiful woman is cute, they think I'm calling them cute as in a dog or a baby - and not attractive.

If you are planning on coming to Korea, I recommend you do some research beforehand about the culture. It is a society based on respect, and sadly, they respect men more than women. They also sadly respect Caucasian over being Black, Latino, Middle Eastern, and Pacific Islander. (and Korean above all others). Most of the communities with those immigrants are seen as the dangerous places to go. Like in most cultures - what you don't understand is scary to you.

As for the women out there having a tough time - good luck! I wish I could change how cultures view gender, but all I can give you for advice is to try and gain respect in the classroom and try not to take offense.

I Love Ajumas

Ajuma means "old married lady"