August 20, 2019: Episode 1

What am I Doing Here?

Even though I said I wouldn't, here I am starting a blog. I realized Instagram just isn't my thing so I'll be posting updates here (hopefully regularly) throughout the rest of my Fulbright grant year. I'll be living in Seogwipo City on Jeju Island off the Southern coast of the Korean Peninsula. Here, I'll be teaching at an all-boys middle school and living with a home stay family.

I'm envisioning this blog as being mostly a log of what I am doing day to day for both my own record-keeping and for anyone who may be interested in what I'm up to. Since that might be a little lacking, (boring?) I'm thinking I will also be peppering in my thoughts and feelings here and there. For anyone who knows me, I'm sure they're not surprised that I want to provide at least a little bit of the juicy (or should I say Jeju-icy? ;) thanks, Julia) stuff. On that note, I anticipate a lot of the more reflection-based content to touch upon my experience adjusting to a new home, learning about a new culture, feeling out my new role as a teacher, and of course thinking about my identity as a Korean American adoptee (KAA). This post will be playing a bit of catch-up because I have now been in Korea for about a month and a half. After this, I'm thinking about formatting each post with two sections, one for what I actually did and one for my reactions. Maybe, that's a dumb idea, but I'm just gonna go with the flow. Of course, I will try to include pictures, but as stated my Insta game is WEAK so please don't expect a masterpiece.

Orientation

I arrived in Seogwipo on Friday after leaving a six-week Orientation at Yonsei University's International Campus in Songdo. On a typical weekday, the other 80 ETAs and I spent five hours taking Korean classes and attended other teaching or cultural workshops. At times, it felt like a lot of work, but I really had a blast. Here are some highlights:

I was part of the Beginner 3 KLI (Korean Language Instruction) class and had so much fun! It was a lot of work, but I loved my classmates and my teachers. We learned a lot and had our class graduation the Tuesday before I left Yonsei. My Korean is still VERY low level, but I definitely feel motivated to keep learning and am hoping to keep up my studies throughout the rest of the year. This wouldn't be complete with out a HUGE shout out to Beginner 3 and the best 선생님들 (seonsaengnim = teacher), 유진 (Yoojin) and 성호 (Seongho). 사랑해요!

Beginner 3 Class (Taken by the wonderful Ariel)

First week of class!

We love our teachers!

Yoojin, Seongho, and I on the last day of class

Outside of KLI we also listened to our Orientation Coordinators (OCs) talk about their experiences throughout their grant year(s) and how to best navigate life as an ETA. Our team was awesome and I am looking forward to reconnecting with them throughout the year. Our training also included teaching workshops and the opportunity to practice teaching at an English immersion camp, FEP (Fulbright English Program). FEP was definitely challenging for me, especially because my formal teaching experience is limited, but it was also a good learning experience. That being said, the actual classroom teaching is still one of the things I am most worried about for the coming year.


Video: My teacher Seongho and friend Aiko at 노래방

Aside from all the training, there was definitely time for some much needed fun. I made some great friends (pictured below), fell in love with 노래방 (noraebang = karaoke where you rent a room for a certain amount of time and sing your heart out with your pals), dipped my toes into the world of Korean snacks, and even hosted an impromptu Mr. Fulbright pageant for my friend Aiko's birthday. On some of the planned excursions, I visited Sokcho, went to an outdoor market, took a cooking class, and visited a Buddhist Temple.

From Left: Friends Maya, (Me), Anne, Julia, and Aiko in 한복 (hanbok = traditional Korean clothing)

My AMAZING roommate, Julia, and I on our first day of Orientation programming

Me, Aiko, and Julia enjoying Korean skincare

Maya, Anne, Aiko and I in Sokcho

Anne and I enjoying some snacks!

Cooking Class!

Moving to Seogwipo

Leading up to the end of Orientation, I was a bit of a nervous wreck. I didn't know much about my home stay family, school, or the city of Seogwipo. However, once I met my home stay family and my co teacher, a lot of those nerves went away. I live with a couple and their teenage daughter in their home/business. They run a guesthouse/bed and breakfast and my home stay sister is in her second year of middle school. They are so kind and have made me feel incredibly well cared for. We are able to communicate well and it has been fun to exchange English and Korean. There have been more than a few laughs because of my 바보 (pabo = stupid) mistakes. I call my home stay parents 언니 and 오빠 (Unnie and Oppa = big sister and big brother). I am over the moon excited to have a 여동생 (yeo dong saeng = little sister) and a DOG. I had been joking all along that as a pet-less youngest child, I have so much love to give, so hopefully, they will be willing and able to live on the receiving end of that love. Stay tuned, folks.

My home stay family and I at the beach

My co teacher picked me up from Yonsei and accompanied me on the journey to Seogwipo. From the moment she met me, a sweaty ball of nerves, she was incredibly nice and God bless her for helping me figure out how to mail my massive suitcase, rather than lug it on the plane. My co teacher is a mom and I was relived to meet her and realize that she is really eager to help me (because we all know I sure need it) and she has begun guiding me through my transition into teaching. I toured my school and have begun making the rounds to introduce myself to all the other teachers.

Thus far, things are really looking up for me and I am excited to be where I am. I'm still low key shitting (sorry, Mom, I'm going to swear here sometimes) my pants about facing down a room full of reportedly sweaty, rowdy, and bowl cut sporting pubescent boys, BUT the teacher in my position last year has been great and gave me some tips. However, a part of me does feel as though I have big shoes to fill. Oh well, there's no way of knowing until everything starts, so I'm just trying to keep myself under control until then.

KAA Stuff

Basically everyone who is close to me also knows that the past few years have been JOURNEY in regards to how I relate to my identity as a Korean American and a transracial adoptee (an adoptee of one ethnicity or racial background adopted into a family of a different ethnicity or racial identity), more specifically. I thought a lot about how my identity factored into my decision to be here when I was applying for Fulbright and I've been lucky enough to meet other Korean Americans/Asian Americans/KAAs (y'all know who you are - I LOVE YOU) throughout Orientation who have helped me continue to reflect on my experiences. There are a lot of unknowns in that department, but for those who are curious, I sent a request to my adoption agency for a release of my records before I left home, thus signalling a "soft" start to a birth search. It felt like something I needed to do given that I will be in Korea for a year. I think my expectations are reasonable, and while I am hoping for more information, I know it is unlikely. Regardless of what I am able to find out, I know I want to spend some time in Seoul and visit my agency/connect with groups of other adoptees while I'm here.

Final Thoughts

Well, those are the major highlights of my time in Korea, and overall, I am looking forward to what's to come, despite my nerves. I can't wait to explore my town and spend more time with my home stay family. I am eager to travel throughout career and visit my new friends and I am READY to eat my way through this country.

For any one who is willing and able, PLEASE VISIT ME!!! Also, I can be reached over FB messenger, Kakaotalk, Insta, and I think iMessage even though my phone number is about to change. I apologize in advance if communication is spotty for a bit. I'm trying my best to settle in.