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8 - PORT PERRY STAR - Tuesday, August 29, 2000 -- Michelle returns afte one year of teaching English in Korec By Heather McCrae Special to The Port Perry Star She ate raw fish, taught English to preschoolers and learned how to speak and read Korean. She's also adept at eat- ing any kind of food with chopsticks. For a year, Michelle Flieler, 26, taught in Korea, instructing at the ECC-UP (Educational Centre for Children) in Sokcho, a fishing town on.the east coast near the North Korean border. "It's the squid capital of Korea," Ms Flieler says. "There's always the smell of squid in the air." : Having grown up in Port Perry, where she received her elementary and sec- ondary education, after graduating from teacher's college and she taught Grade Four for two years at Lord Elgin Public School in Ajax. Last year she took a leave of absence to teach overseas. "It was my professional growth year," she says. Having always desired to teach overseas Ms Flieler discovered the need for English-speaking teachers in Korea on the Globe and Mail's web site - dav- esesl.com - in May 1999. "If anyone is considering teaching overseas you can get the information you need at this web site," she says. After she finished teaching in June last year Ms Flieler flew to Korea in mid-July. There she taught phonics and beginner conversation to preschoolers and conver- sational English to Koreans 12 - 18 years of age. For years Ms Flieler has wanted to teach overseas and when this opportuni- ty came about she jumped at it. "There is an urgent need for English-speaking teachers in Korea," she says. "They want to learn English so they can become more competitive in the global market." In her new home Ms Flieler lived in an apartment above the school. Her year away didn't cost much out of her pocket With her return airfare paid for and housing provided she just had to pay for the utilities. And because she stayed the duration of her one-year contract she received a one-month severance pay, too. Working 30 hours a week, she was paid monthly. "In Korean standards | was paid very well." She learned to love eating fish - cooked or raw. In Korea fish is the staple food. The day she arrived Ms Flieler ate dried squid and fresh squid cooked on hot rocks. "In Canada we eat a plate of fries or nachos but in Korea they eat a plate of squid." And she learned to like raw fish, too, a real delicacy. Often, to celebrate a spe- cial occasion, Ms Flieler's boss would take she and her colleagues out for a raw fish dinner. "Many times the fish would have been freshly killed and still squirming on my plate," she says. "But we ate it, not wanting to offend their culture." If she was an occasional rice eater before leaving for Korea that was certain- ly altered overseas. Daily, all three meals included rice and a helping of "kimchi", fermented cabbage with a hot pepper paste. "They eat rice and kimchi at every meal." And she is now adept at eating anything with chopsticks. She loved hiking in the mountains. A densely populated country, Ms Flieler says the mountains are the only place in Korea that are natural. Hiking is popular and it doesn't matter what you wear. Men hike in business suits, women wear heels and then there are those appropriately dressed for an excursion in the great out- doors. "Anything goes when you hike and they swim with all their clothes on." From Sokcho it was always a fun but harrowing four-hour ride by bus through the mountains to Seoul. And karaoke or "nori-bong" is popular with everyone. "They have nori-bong buses. Everyone Michelle Flieler, of Port Perry, has just returned from Korea where she taught English for one year in Sokcho, the squid capital of the country. sings." Before leaving Canada Ms Flieler couldn't speak Korean but after a year overseas she can now read the language fluently and can speak enough "to get me through the day." After completing her year of teaching Ms Flieler and a friend toured Europe for a month before returning home on Aug. 16. "It was the perfect end to my dream trip," she says. She says she would go back to Korea again, but just for a visit. "Don't get me wrong. The Koreans are wonderful peo- ple. They treat you well and always make you feel at home. But now that I've had a taste of teaching in a country overseas | will be looking forward to a new adven- ture in another country someday. It's a big world out there." Currently preparing for another school year at Lord Elgin PS, where she will be teaching a Grade One class, Ms Flieler sums up her year in Korea as "my most amazing professional growth year." It's in the mail. The Government of Canada Service Guide is coming your way. It contains important information on over 130 services, including: » Keeping your children safe * Planning your retirement * Living a healthy lifestyle » Registering a firearm * Reducing home energy use * Filing a complaint about air travel For more information: 1 800 O-Canada (1800 622-6232), TTY/TDD: 1800 465-7735, www.canada.gc.ca or visit the Service Canada Access Centre nearest you.