5 ways you know you are an English teacher in Korea

Hi there,

 I am going out of town this weekend to historic Gyeongju, a city near the east coast that was the capital of Korea during the medieval era, before it moved to Seoul. It is supposed to be a beautiful city full of temples and monuments, and I am planning on leaving Saturday morning, reading books the entire bus ride, then exploring on my own and staying in a well-known backpacker hostel for the night. It will be a nice, much needed getaway on my own.

I just wanted to comment on my week here a little bit, as some of the things I used to find hilarious are becoming more everyday for me. I wanted to preserve their humor by sharing them with you. Without further ado, here are the top five ways you will know you are a native English teacher in Korea.

1. You get stared at. All the time.

2. You bow about eight million times a day in the school, to any teachers or students you pass in the hallway. The students will stop midrun to bow to you, so you have to have quick reflexes and bow back (not lower than they did, however, because you have a higher position of authority than they do) before they take off running again. You get used to it.

3. You wear sandals and socks at school. I know I keep mentioning this but it's just so funny to me. I am sporting a newly purchased pair of bright blue sandals (they look like the Adidas striped ones, not with thong straps but with open toes so that you can wear them comfortably with socks.) The Korean female teachers have fancy heeled slip on sandals (always heels) but I comfortably flip flop my way around the school - as I am in no need of extra height - especially amused if I have a nice outfit on that clashes with my bright blue sandals.

4. You brush your teeth at school. The teacher's bathroom has a special cupboard next to the sink to hold your own personal toothbrush and toothpaste - the kids just use the sinks that line the hallway. There is always a nice minty fresh aroma floating around just after lunch when everyone is taking care of their oral hygiene.

5. You bravely face - with all eyes watching you and your chopsticks skills...the school cafeteria. Nearly every lunch here would send chills through the spines of some people I know who are either picky eaters, hate seafood, and get grossed out easily. Allow me to share some of the things these people (you know who you are) might be shocked at: A. eating fish and having to pick out all of the bones with your chopsticks - I am working on mastering removing the spines and therefore the rib bones with my chopsticks before I dig in. B. eating shellfish soup...with the shells still in the soup. With a combination of your chopsticks and spoon you have to hold the shell down while you remove the meat from the shells. C. picking the meat off the bones in your soup, again with extremely skillful chopsticks/spoon coordination. D. eating squid in your soup, your vegetable dish, and occasionally as the main dish - lots of exercise for the jaw. E. eating lots and lots of tofu. And finally - just in case you haven't thrown up yet - F. eating eel soup...the eels are blended in the food processor and mixed in with the soup broth. Welcome to the Korean school cafeteria.

Luckily, I am a fairly adventerous eater, and actually do enjoy seafood, so I can honestly say there hasn't been a meal that I haven't been brave enough to eat, and usually I end up liking it. (I've learned to ask about the food after I finish it, however, just in case...the eel soup really threw me for a loop when I questioned it before trying it.) There is always rice and some sort of vegetable and fruit accompaniment, however, so that saves me from the possibility of starvation. Needless to say, eating in the school cafeteria is quite the adventure!

I hope that's been an educational insight for you about my life as a teacher here in South Korea. Again, every day is a new adventure, and though some things were incredibly strange to me at first, I am getting used to most of them, and am enjoying myself here more than ever. Today is our school festival, where the students display artwork and projects, put on performances, and compete in sports throughout the day. I'm excited to watch and see my students' talents that I don't get to see in the English classroom. I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!