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Continued from page 30 many different levels. Seeing the children improve is priceless. The overwhelming presence of Catholicism could be seen from the day I arrived in Seoul. On my first evening, my apartment window was lit up by big, florescent red crosses dotting the cityscape. The ‘chintzy’ lights reminded me of the Vegas strip, which was quite disconcerting, to say the least. On my first day of work as an English teacher, rather than being invited to a bar after work for drinks, I was immediately invited by a co- worker to her English speak- ing church, which I soon dis- covered was the local hotspot for twenty-somethings to find a suitable match! Getting lost in Toronto is one thing, getting lost in down- town Seoul is an entirely different ball game. Every street looks the same. As well, once you finally find someone who speaks a little English, they do not know how to describe directions very well. Example: “Where is the subway station?” “Well, just walk 100, or 150 kilometers thees way and turn right.” Walking the streets of Seoul, I am considered a giant. At 5 foot 9 inches, I’m well above the average Asian male, which makes walking in public quite humourous. It can be handy when asking for help however, because the Koreans give such a valiant effort to help the blonde giant. South Korean’s knowledge of English, or lack thereof, was quite astonishing on my first j day of work. I was placed in Walki ng the front of a classroom and told to streets of Seoul , “teach.” Having never taught tat before, I realized we had to Yenny, at 5'9 is considered a blonde giant. After the finish of her first day teaching, Yenny was invited, not to a bar, but to the local hotspot, an English church. establish the basics with these children. The Korean English teach- ers at my school speak the equivalant of a five year old in Canada, plus an additional thick accent thrown in. Furthermore, these are trained people, with a university degree in English. These are the people that are expected to shape the minds and teach the next generation of people. It is a perpetual cycle; one that seems incurable. For example, there is a big sign in each classroom that says, “Be Quite.” It is mistakes like this that I come across on a daily basis. Each child is given an English name when they go to school, which has proven to be quite entertaining. Many have very westernized names like “Sally,” “Jimmy,” and “Chloe.” Some parents however, must have not gotten the memo, because it seems they picked a word at random from the dictionary. The funniest English names I’ve come across so far - Hamster, Dragon and Hawke. I would like to meet their parents and ask how they decided on those! 09,FOCUS. SEPTEMBER.48 pgsindd 39 Yenny with Matthew, a six year old English student she teaches in Seoul, South Korea. I was pleasantly surprised at the apparent importance that South Koreans put on family life. While wandering through the local park near my apartment on a Saturday, I was overwhelmed by the amount of people packed into such a small area. Tents were set up on every square inch of land, (Koreans are obsessed with avoiding the sun at all costs). There were happy families posing for pictures, playing sports, and simply enjoying each other’s company. cumiytaien Each child is into dramatic soci- given an English name when they go to school, like etal improvements, compared to the Sally or Jimmy. west. For instance, in the aforemen- tioned park I noticed the city provides workout equip- ment for everyone to enjoy. At home, this equip- ment would most likely be stolen, vandalized or destroyed within one week. As well, they have brain-enhancing classical music playing softly throughout the park. Finally, the teenagers in South Korea seem much more wholesome than in the west. It is not uncommon to see two straight males holding hands, or sitting on each others’ laps in public. This most likely seems impossible to many Cana- dians, but in South Korea it is a sign of friendship. By Yenny Van Andel Focus on Scugog FOCUS - SEPTEMBER 2012 39 12-08-20 8:38 AM