Despite the fact that few Koreans explicitly practice Confucianism as a way of life, Confucian thought still strongly influences their society, even Christians. One of the teachings of Confucianism is reverence for teachers. In fact, a good teacher is at the top of the Confucian hierarchy. That means that, if I meet a doctor, a nurse, an airline pilot, an engineer, a lawyer, or a politician, and I'm not significantly younger than the other, when I bow in greeting, there's a good chance the other person will bow lower as a sign of respect. Here, the school nurse is old enough to be my mother, and she bows quite low when we meet. Those I've never met before, when I bow slightly in greeting, will sometimes bow lower, indicating deference.
This keeps showing up in great ways. Today, I had at least three students seek me out to talk to me outside the classroom. One was in the teacher's workroom doing something for another teacher, and he came over to speak with me. Then, at dinner, I was eating outside, rather than in the teacher's area, and two of my girls came over to talk to me. They complimented my appearance, and my use of chopsticks, and only talked about math when I brought it up. (One or both might have a crush on me, but that's a different story.) But the most impressive example came after I'd finished dinner, and occurred because of a hitch in transportation.
The school provides a somewhat beat-up van to transport the teachers between our apartment complex and the school. One teacher, Josh C, has the responsibility of being the shuttle driver. His wife, Meagan C, is learning as well. (The clutch/transmission on that van seems to be pretty tricky.) Josh and Meagan both coach volleyball as well, boys and girls teams, respectively. This weekend, both teams have an away game. (In fact, I substituted for Josh in one of his 11th grade Bible classes, supervising a writing assignment.) This meant that Josh and Meagan were not available to drive the shuttle; in fact, they may have taken the van with them, to help transport the players. (Also, they don't have a car of their own; that van is their usual vehicle.) So, we had to find rides to and from school on our own.
Finding a ride to school was easy. Many teachers and staff at the school, both Koreans and foreigners, live in the same apartment complex. I just stood by the way out of the parking lot, and when one of the drivers recognized me and stopped, I asked if they had room. (Their daughter moved to the backseat to make way for me, I entered, and off we went.) They were quite respectful, of course. They asked where I was from, what I taught, and were very polite. The really impressive thing, however, happened on the way home.
After dinner, which I finished at about 6:30, I started walking the school grounds parking areas, looking for people who were getting into vehicles, and asking where they were going. The first van was simply taking seniors to the farthest dormitories, a bit up the hill. The next person I asked, a woman wearing a tinted visor, didn't speak much English. But her son did, and her son's friend, and they were all extremely helpful.
I asked if they were going to my apartment complex (I can pronounce the name pretty well), and they were not, but they offered to give me a ride there anyway. They asked where it was, and I named the town, which was not on their way, but they offered to take me there anyway. I was not in a position to pass up such an offer, so I accepted. They asked for the exact address, and I didn't know it (I haven't looked at the street sign that closely), but they said they had a GPS, as many here do. They plugged in the name (in Korean hangul), and my apartment and building number (part of the address), and found the complex.
When I got in the car, the son offered me a mini-donut from what looked like a Dunkin' Donuts bag. I said I would have one, only if they had extra, because I'd just had a good dinner. He said something I didn't quite catch, something about "for a teacher", or something. (Clearly, in his view, teachers merit extra generosity.) In this country, it's not polite to decline a gift, so I accepted. They also offered me a half-liter bottle of Evian. I had four liters of filtered water in my bag, as well as a cup, but I accepted the water out of courtesy. (I did decline a second donut, saying I had a big dinner.)
The ride home was quite pleasant, and very smooth. I asked the son about the statuaries that I saw, which I had been wondering about, and he agreed that they seemed to be selling grave markers. (Here, the grave markers can be very large and ornate, and many can be seen by the side of the road, where people were buried on their own land. They look more Buddhist or Shamanist than Christian, and the burial traditions seem to be strongly influenced by Buddhism, Confucianism, and Shamanism.)
I can't see this happening anywhere else, where people I just met would go out of their way to do me a favor, and not grudgingly, but cheerfully, with generosity and deference. From what I've heard, this is typical, and not just for teachers, either. Foreigners in general, at least westerners, are often treated with great kindness and deference. I'm sure there's some explanation that has to do with Korean culture. But really, why try to explain it? It's great! Just receive it gratefully (thank you is "gomap-seumnida"), and enjoy it!
For those of you waiting for pictures, I apologize. My camera is still at school; it would not easily fit in my bags with all I had to bring home. Now, for the most important part of my entry.
Prayer Requests
First, thanksgiving and praise! Praise God and thank Him for consistently providing for all my needs, including transportation (as mentioned above), food, filtered water (from the school filters), and everything else I need. Praise God for helping me adjust to the unique challenge of living in Korea, which is probably easier than it would be if I was teaching at another school. Praise God for the chance to worship Him in fellowship with my Korean brothers and sisters, not once, but multiple times per week. Praise God for the chance to study Tae Kwon Do on campus with other staff members. Also, Praise God that I was able to develop a lesson plan overview for the entire year, that covers everything I need to cover, mapped down to the day.
I've been having more students asking about their grades. In truth, I'm quite behind in grading. I've finally figured out how I'm going to grade homework, so that should go more quickly. Please pray that I get all my grading done this weekend, and that I'm able to stay caught up.
I'm still having to enforce more discipline than I like to. Now, as junior high kids go, this is probably pretty tame. I've confiscated two electronic dictionaries, which are forbidden at school. I've sprayed a few kids with water for nodding off in class. I've referred a few kids to detention, mostly for doing things other than listen and take notes while I'm speaking, not just a little, but consistently. (Examples: exchanging mild blows, and playing ro-sham-bo.) One I referred for giving the digitus impudicus (a.k.a. middle finger) to a friend in the lunch line, and lying/evading when questioned about it. Two students also failed to show up to take a make-up test, though I did place a sign at the classroom, directing them to my office. I will have to give them both a 0 on that test, unless they show me a good excused absence note. Please pray that I would earn the kids' respect by teaching well, and that they would all understand that I love them, even when I want to smack them for not paying attention.
I've been getting to know my colleagues a little better. I learned that the twins, Sarah and Rachael, were born in Korea and adopted by American parents at about 18 months. Sarah's desk is right behind me, and Rachael's is on the other side of her. I'd like to get to know them better, and my other colleagues as well. Please pray that God would show me His will in this matter, and that I would use the time well while I'm waiting on Him.
Thank you for reading, and thank you for praying. Now, as the Koreans, say, annyeong-hi gyeseyo, "remain in peace".
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