A Minor Triumph

Mrs. Young Gyu Kim (Science Teacher | Wearing Green), Mrs. Geum Duk Oh (Home Economics | Wearing Light Blue), and Me.

It has been awhile since I wrote here but it was not due to any shortage of eventful things occurring on a daily basis here in Hwawon, South Korea. Everything from buying something at a store, expressing an emotion, or conveying the meaning of a joke is enormously rewarding when you have a limited command of the language.

As I said there are eventful things happening, some perhaps not as eventful to me as they are to others. I see it in the smile on a child's face attending Elementary school who finally uses a phrase he spent months practicing to introduce himself to a new teacher. I hear it in the story of an elder Middle School teacher who in his 30+ years of English education has not spoken to many foreigners or visited a Western country but who looks forward to traveling in the West when he finally retires. Again, I do not mean to diminish the significance of all these and similar events by leaving them out. I cannot help but leave them out.

May 15th was officially “teacher’s day” in South Korea. The only teacher’s day I've ever known in Canada was a back to school discount sale at Staples in early September. There were no public parades, rousing speeches from public officials, or store closings. Just some rice cake, flowers, and a few hand written letters shared with the faculty in the office. Although I haven't taught many classes yet I am beginning to feel the responsibility that my position holds.

It is sometimes hard to gage what things are important to note when preparing a lesson on a language you have spoken your whole life. English has never been strange to me though I admit I have struggled to learn the nuances of the grammatical laws that I blindly followed. I spoke it without question and it accompanied me unassumingly like a shadow. I never had reason to question my use of English and would not be the same person I am today without it. But it is fascinating just how unfamiliar I’ve become to myself here in Korea and how little language one needs to communicate. Here in Korea I cannot rely on any pre-established meaning nor can I convey meaning through my ostentatious word choices. Everything communicated must be as simple and honest as possible, there is simply no time for any of the usual semantics. No matter how successful I am communicating to others I cannot take credit for these small everyday triumphs rather I owe a debt to those around me who have accommodated and chosen to speak my language.

In particular, the kindness of several individuals in my office, Mrs. Kim, Mr. Lee, Mrs. Lee, Mrs. Oh and Mrs. Jung, have been nothing short of extraordinary. Even now in looking at my list I feel a sense of loss in having grouped them together, as if I could capture fully every significant thing that they or others have done. I digress. Perhaps I can shed light on these individuals and bring a greater sense of what impression they have left on me.

The first person to reach out to me was Mrs. Kim. I would be at a loss without this woman who has been critical to my transition into life in South Korea. Mrs. Kim has done everything for me from help me setup a bank account, cell phone, and even taught me about the bus schedule in Hwawon. While all of those are examples of the type of assistance I received from her, Mrs. Kim does it all with enthusiasm and sense of humour that shine through whether she is speaking English or Hanguel. When other co-teachers turn away if I voice a concern, Mrs. Kim is the only one who is willing to listen. I can tell by her hesitation that she has a lot of anxiety about her ability to speak English but that is why I value her willingness to communicate so much. And I want to stress that Mrs. Kim has offered her assistance without any official obligation or compensation from the school board. She has also tried to get to know me on a personal level by introducing me to her family in Mokpo, and taking me to a Temple service in Hwawon. I can’t possibly ask for more or thank her enough.



Along with Mrs. Kim there is Mrs. Lee, Mrs. Oh, and Mrs. Jung who have collectively designated themselves as my “new moms.” This is a title that I certainly cannot deny them. As a foreigner the state of your dependency on those closest to you is similar to needs of a child. It is others who interpret your meaning through gestures, tone of voice, and other means of non-verbal communication. Mr. Lee and my “new Moms” have been keeping me involved with what is going on in the office. When everyone is sitting down eating watermelon or rice cake in the staff room they will call me over to join in. Or when we are in the lunchroom they always and help me name the food items with correct pronunciation. After I made a comment about how difficult it was to find cheese in Korea, both Mr. Lee and Mrs. Lee went out of there way and brought me a package of processed cheese from the supermarket. While most of my co-workers try to avoid speaking to me, Mr. Lee and my "new Moms" make the effort to say more than just a simple “hello” on a daily basis and are constantly introducing me to new Korean terms while correcting my pronunciation errors. Without their support I would surely have limited engagement with the rest of the teachers in the school and would not have a comfortable environment to learn basic Hanguel.

I stress again that these are a limited number of examples drawn from my personal experiences. Fortunately there are so many examples to note from the range of relationships I have with students, store clerks, and neighbors. As an outside you are always reminded that you are stepping into a pre-established community. The challenge is not to overcome but to become apart of it. As I strolled down the only commercial road of Hwawon, I recognized by my failed attempts to read a store front sign that I was illiterate. It was a humbling moment where all my learned “knowledge” could not save me from the judgment of the things that I didn't know or neglected to learn. My ignorance stared me in the face. It persecuted me. However, despite how incapable I am of reading a bus schedule or understanding the price of an item at a store, I can never forget the debt I owe to all the Others who have made these small things possible. The Others are there before I call upon them. Their being-there present in the world forms the very condition in which any transcendence takes place. While some might hold fast to the absoluteness of self-autonomy, the similarity between all types of communication (whether verbal or body language) is that they are for and directed towards an Other. Without this fundamental relation to Others who are our only audience, language would be nothing but hot air.

At a Staff Party!



Sunny (Main Office Secretary) and Me - Whenever Sunny sees me walking to school she will stop and give me a ride up the hill.



Mr. Jung-Nam Lee (Vice Principle), Mrs. Geum Duk Oh (Home Economics Teacher), and Mrs. Young Gyu Kim (Science Teacher)



Sunny again being playful with the camera.



Mr. Kim (Office Manager), Mrs. Jin Sung Bae (Music Teacher), and Mrs. Kyung Hee Jung (Math Teacher)



A Birthday Party organized by my co-workers.


From Left to Right: Mrs. Kyung Suk Lee (Teacher Assistant) , Mrs.Jin Sung Bae (Music Teacher), Mrs. Young Gyu Kim (Science teacher), Mrs. Geum Duk Oh (Home Economics Teacher), Mrs. Kyung Hee Jung (Math teacher), and Mrs. Myeong Ja Lee (Korean Language Teacher)