2011 EPIK Episode
1
The Most Difficult Challenge
Written by: Jade Pearce
School: Seonam Elementary School
Living in Korea for about three months now, I’ve learned a lot; how to haggle with an
shop keepers, how to correctly tell a taxi driver where to go and I’ve learned to impress my
students with my limited range of Hangul. However, it hasn’t been any sort of romantic and
exciting adventure that people imagine from story books. I haven’t fought tigers nor have I
climbed Mount Everest. I’m doing the same thing that I was doing back home.
The greatest challenge for me was to accept that while living in a different country.
When I first applied to teach in Korea, I had all of these notions that I would explore all of
Korea, take in my “homeland” and embrace all of the Korean culture. And at first, I did. I
remember writing everything in crystal detail of how my day went and all the exciting things
that happened. This kept going for a month and soon my honeymoon phase began to fade
away.
It began when I woke up with dread on the mornings I had to teach and I had to go
through the same thing over and over again. I would fantasize that maybe the school would
burn down so class would be cancelled. I started getting bored with my hometown, I got tired
of people invading my personal space and I got frustrated that I kept feeling like an idiot
because I didn’t know the Korean word for bathroom when I tried to explain to someone that I
had to go.
This went on for about a month where I just didn’t want to leave my apartment and
kept myself locked away wasting the day way watching and reading any American culture I
could get my hands on. Eventually though (took some soul searching on my part) I’m finally
accepting that Korea is a different country than my own. More importantly, I’m ok with that.
Living here for a while, you learn to accept all the idiosyncrasies of this country; even enjoy
them. Like, observing the Ajummas and Ajossis in their fashionable attire, getting use to the
idea that your sink is also your shower and the unmistakable openness and hospitality of these
people; they have a certain kindness that I have never experienced anywhere else I have
traveled.
The one thing I would like readers to take away from this message is you are going
to have your ups and downs in Korea. Often, it’s completely different from what we are used
to, but give it a chance. Simply put, Korea is like any other country; it has it’s good and bad
parts, but if you give it a chance you can find some wonderful things about this place.
2011 EPIK Episode
2