Korean Language Program
The Korean Language Program, offered by the Geumgang Language Center, is open to those foreign students, including ethnic Koreans, who are interested in the Korean language and culture. Applicants must be fluent speakers of English, Japanese, or Chinese, and they should
(1) be currently enrolled in university studies,
(2) be on leave from university studies, or
(3) have graduated from university.
This program has primarily been designed with a view to promoting a better understanding of Korean culture on the part of foreigners and to creating an environment where Korean students will be exposed to foreign languages (English, Japanese, and Chinese) and cultures.
Admission to the Program
The successful applicant will be offered a furnished dormitory room, which is shared with a Korean student, and provided with free meals in the school cafeteria. Moreover, they will receive further financial support provided that they meet the scholarship regulations of the Geumgnag Language Center.
The page goes on to say that the program is free to those admitted, and students may be eligible for a monthly stipend. You'll find more information on that page, as well as forms to download and contact information.
12 comments:
Sorry, this is off topic, but do you know where one could study yoga in Jeollanam-do? I lve in Okgwa
Sounds like a great program. I don't think that they should give it away for free though. If a student wants to learn Korean they should pay for it so that it is of value to them. A class that people don't pay for is an easy class to blow off, because it isn't worth anything to the students. That said, I wish I lived near Geumgang university.
Twyla, that might be a question better asked on waygook.org or Facebook, because there are probably people already doing what you're doing.
If you can navigate Korean pages, you'll see there are places in Jeollanam-do that offer Yoga:
http://search.naver.com/search.naver?sm=tab_hty&where=nexearch&query=%C0%FC%B6%F3%B3%B2%B5%B5%BF%E4%B0%A1
Probably a bunch of places, actually. Nothing turns up for Okgwa/Gokseong, though, but if you don't mind making a trip to Gwangju or Suncheon, you could probably find something. Or, if there's a gym in your town, you might inquire there. Or, you could even ask a co-teacher. I know my former school had a yoga class for teachers a couple afternoons a week, so maybe there's something in your school district.
If you're looking for a place frequented by other foreigners or teachers, one of the relevant facebook groups might help you. My fiance goes to a yoga class every day in Gwangju, and the instruction is of course all in Korean, and she has a good time.
Actually, from what I understand from my admitedly cursory perusal of the Korean site, *none* of their students pay tuition, and on-campus housing is also free. It seems to be a bit of an educational experiment on the part of the Cheontae Order, a semi-independent school of Korean Buddhism (mostly absorbed into the dominant Chogye Order.) The campus is, as I understand it, extremely rural, which may also explain these rather extraordinary financial arrangements, since they're ostensibly trying to compete with urban, elite universities. In any case, this sounds like an excellent offer for people who would otherwise have difficulty finding financial support for their language studies.
wish I could write to you directly, but this will have to do. I would be willing to travel to Gwangju if the yoga is good. I have my own practice, but I'd like to be able to experience a korean yoga studio and practice with others occasionally. Could you put me in touch with your fiance directly?
Thanks
Twyla, you can find my email address on the side of the page. I can't put you in touch with my fiance, but I would recommend you look on the local Facebook pages---specifically, the one for Gwangju---in order to get recommendations.
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2330675731&v=wall
I've done the program. I was there in 2005 and enjoyed it thoroughly although I wish there had been more than just 3 levels, as I really didn't fit into any of them.
They were using the Gyeonghee University texts (which are heavy but very good) and followed the 6-level Korea-proficiency exam. One of my classmates (from Japan) successfully passed the level 6 the semester I was there.
Hello, just happen to be googling looking for yoga studios to actually teach at and I came across this blog. I'm new here to Suncheon teaching english, but I am a certified Yoga instructor from California and would love to teach yoga here. I live in Shi Dae next to Dong Su Fitness. I recently went in to apply there for a teaching job, but they said an English yoga class is not in demand... I'm hoping if enough people went in asking and looking for and English lead yoga class then maybe we all can benefit from this... don't mean to be advertising myself but thought this would be a great way to meet fellow foreigners...
Traveling Yogi,
Thanks for the visit and the comment. I know Shidae well, because I lived there for two years. Most English teachers in Suncheon's public schools are placed there. I also used to work out at Dongsu, though it's exceptionally expensive. Something like 70,000 won a month? The gym near my apartment in Gwangju is 100,000 for six months, and I currently pay 20,000 a month for my gym which offers pretty much the same thing as Dongsu.
Anyway, I don't think you'll get any responses on this thread:
* I don't have many readers in Suncheon,
* This is an off-topic comment, and
* This is an older post, so people probably won't notice.
What I'd recommend doing is joining the Suncheon group on Yahoo: http://groups.yahoo.com/groups/Sunchon_crowd
a better way to stay in touch with local people. I don't know how much of a demand there'd be---there are tons of yoga classes in the area already, in Korean---but you could give it a try.
Good luck.
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