I Live In Korea

1. It is completely normal for students to call there teacher "(first name) Teacher." Not Mr. Gwynne, or anything else, just "Ben Teacher." I am a teacher, therefore they refer to me as one as a sign of respect for authority. They call the Korean teachers "Native Teacher." Furthermore, even my coworkers call the Principal…."Principal" and the Vice Principal…"Vice Principal." This carries on at places even like the GYM, a place which is pretty informal and friendly. People call the guy who works at my gym "trainer."

2. Drinking is NOT permitted in 99% of bowling alleys in Korea. I always assumed bowling and drinking went hand in hand, but not here. Here, it’s a "family atmosphere" so no drinking allowed. Some places have separate rooms that have vending machines with beer, but you can’t bring the beer down to the bowling alley. One place just opened up a few months ago that has a huge bar and is a traditional bowling alley like they have back in the US, however the place is a mob scene at night now. I hope they open more…

3. The word "perm" can be used as a verb in Korea. "I was late for class because I was perming my hair."

4. Bare feet are "offensive" to some elderly people. For this reason, most people wear socks with sandals if they are walking around with them outside. If you were to go to a restaurant with sockless sandals, you would be disgracing the place to no end (yourself as well).

5. After meals when using a toothpick in Korea, the correct method is to use one hand to cover your mouth, and the other one has the toothpick in it.

6. Usually, one person (customarily it’s the oldest) pays for drinks/dinner when you go out with your coworkers. Splitting the bill doesn’t happen much. I went out with my coworkers for drinks one night, we drank a lot and ordered some food, the Vice Principal footed the bill even though he didn’t drink and barely ate. No one flinched when the bill came, he paid for it as they expected him too.

6a) Another time at a bar, the head teacher (the oldest person with us this time) tried paying for the bill even though I was burying beer after beer. I hopped in paid half since I make more than them and was being a "tank" as they called me. It was outrageous to me that she was trying to pay for it even though half the bill was mine.

7. There are 4 seasons in Korea, and they pride themselves on it. All the students know it and write about it quite frequently. To be fair there is a real spring, summer, fall, and winter, unlike in NY and other places where sometimes an entire season gets skipped over.

8. There is no daylight savings time in Korea.

9. Things can be purchased and ordered without using a credit card. It’s quite common that places over the phone will place your offer and just expect you to wire them the money. What a sense of honor.

10. At many restaurants, the bill is placed on your menu right after you order. If you ask for something else, they just write it onto the bill. You also pay for the bill by bringing the receipt to the front of the restaurant, you don’t pay the waiter and wait for change. It's great, no waiting.

Part 1

Diary Topic: Korea Vs. Japan

Korea and Japan have a pretty contentious history. Mainly due to…

1. Dispute over an island called “Dokdo”
2. Nearly 4 decades in the 20th century where Japan ruled Korea
3. Upwards of 200,000 women in Korea forced to be sex slaves for Japan during WWII

…and a lot more to be honest. It’s interesting to get the kids take on it, since they are 11-13 years old and writing in another language. I had some free time in one of my classes a month or two ago and asked the kids where in the world they would go if I gave them 10,000,000 Korean Won (about $8,500 I think) and one of the kids said Japan, so I asked why and he said…

“Teacher come here, I show you”
I walk towards him, he points to a map he drew in his book of Japan with a giant circle around it…
“Bomb here…” points to the middle of Japan “boom” points to the circle around Japan he drew which is apparently the blast radius. Wow.

In no way, shape, or form am I making fun of the students' English, I sure as hell didn’t know any foreign languages when I was 11 or 12 years old, I’m simply pointing out funny things I’ve read from them that's all. The following are all direct quotes...

“Japan people bad because fight Koreans. Japan afflicts and Korean girls sexual harassment. Japan people very very bad. Japan mans are most bald. Japan people most a snaggletooth. Japan people plain features. Japan people are not stylish.”

“Korea vs. Japan is not interesting because Korea never lose. Korea food is delicious and Japanese food is not. Korea’s soccer is good and Japan’s soccer is not good. I love Korea, Korea is good.”

“Korea is very hurry. Nowadays Korean food is simple but Korean have good relationship it is good make friends. Japanese is very bad. Japanese sometimes tell a lie so I hate Japanese and I hate Japan.”

“Japan is advanced than Korea. Japan is bad because they attochcked us. So many people think Japan is bad. I like written bread.”

“Japan steal East Sea. Japan steal kimchi. Japan is still everything Korean people and hurt. I don’t like Japan.”

“Many Korea person doesn’t like Japan because in old times Japan person kill and afflict the Korea person. The Korean young person went Japan war and died. Also, Dokdo is Koreas land. But Japan insistence Dokdo is Japans land and changed Dokdo name! Dokdo is our land! Also, the East Sea, but Japan turned to Japan Sea. It is not fact! It is fabrication!”

“I love Korea because it’s my country but I don’t like Japan. Because a time Japanese imperialism however they are good at instruments. I like their animation characters. I have an example, I like Belpheger. I wonder why my country don’t have animation characters. If not imperialism, I love Japan, but I don’t like Japan but their animation. Other it’s bad.”

“I think about Korea vs. Japan. I don’t like Japan people because Japan people selfish. Very very selfish. They say Dokdo is in Japan. Japan is strange. I want Japan die.”

“Sometime, from one thousand nine fifty five, Korea and Japan had a soccer game to figure out who will get third and fourth place. At the second half of the game, the impresario and the coach both forced to leave, nevertheless we did not lose hope and went on until the overgame the shootout and at the end we won. Koreas vs. Japan is Korea won.”

“I don’t dislike Japan because bygone days, Japan plundered Korea but it is bygone. Bygone days is not today and there are Japaneses all of like Korea however most Koreans dislike Japanese. I think “World is only one.” Is the world will doesn’t a fight, world will does develop. Someday Korea will like Japan.”

“Korea is very favorite state because my is Korea Born. But Japan very god because my favorite music Japan music. Korea many music but Japan music sad music and happy music and powerful music. I think Japan is my other favorite country.”

Those are mostly pretty strong opinions for such young kids, I wonder how they are taught those things in school or at home from their parents, and when (or if) those feelings begin to go away.

Volume II
Volume I
Diary Topic About their teacher

None of my students ever heard of St. Patrick or his parade, neither did my Korean coworkers, but there’s loads of English teachers in Korea and that includes a decent sized Irish contingency. Anywhere there’s Irish people, there has to be a St. Patrick’s Day Parade. So, Korea, its government and its people did their best to provide an authentic St. Patrick’s Day experience for foreigners and locals alike…

The St. Patrick’s Day parade took place around the Cheonggyecheon stream which runs through the center of Seoul. Imagine a nice little walkway like this going down Broadway in Manhattan for a bit. The parade route was probably half a mile around the stream.


Nothing too crazy, one free Guinness for everyone, a makeshift golf driving range, face painting, music, Motorcycle gangs, dancing, rappers, the usual.........