Roboseyo has a series with tips for Koreans wanting to make and keep foreign friends (in Korea), and foreigners wanting to make, and appreciate, Korean ones. Here's "how to make friends with a foreigner" part one, two, and three, as well as equivocations that fit between those last two. He's also written part one and part two of how to make Korean friends and how to not make an ass of yourself while doing it. Here's one of his tips for Koreans:
And an excerpt of his first tip for expats:
See, good expat, you're lucky to have a Korea friend who has the forbearance to do this for you, and you really should be appreciative and grateful to the friend who's helping you out. Seriously.
Yeah, I know it's frustrating living in a country where suddenly I can't pay my phone bills on my own anymore... but if you have a Korean friend who is HELPING you pay those phone bills, it's the barest of good manners to take a break from resenting Korea for not being an English speaking nation, and to show some gratitude toward the people who are helping you navigate the ins and outs.
And before whatever objection comes into your head, ask yourself: when was the last time back in your home country, that YOU helped that Bangladeshi family that moved in down the street, sort out a dispute with their landlord? Yeah that's what I thought. Bear that in mind next time you're thinking about making yet another needy call to your Korean buddy.
And one for Koreans:
Either talk to me, or ignore me, but please please please don't stare at me. Making eye contact three times is about the limit: after that, you have to either talk to me, or stop looking. This is especially true for men staring at female foreigners, and triple-especially-super-true for staring at female foreigners' body parts. They know you're staring at their breasts. They always know. Just trust me on this one.
You'll have to ask him why he didn't use this picture:
An honest, thorough look at both sides, and I think he has more to come, though I bet he's preaching to the choir: I don't know how many dunderhead Koreans or dumbass English teachers he counts among his readers. A thoughtful read and useful reminder nonetheless.
Over at Kimchi Icecream, Jason has many lengthy posts of interest to native speaker English teachers [NSETs], and they're worth a read for some insight into the frustrating reality of our jobs sometimes and ways to make it better. One post in particular I'd like to link to is his on cultural taboos and NSETs, with a list of fourteen things we screw up. Here's a bit of him writing about foreign teachers who ask "why?"
Korean Neo-Confucianism has very strict rules for power relationships and hierarchies. I would use the military example again as a way of explaining that every person (solider) has a rank (both socially and at work), and that the rank is extremely specific in terms of what you can say and do, and what you CAN’T say and do, and how you can and can’t interact with higher ranking and lower ranking Koreans [. . .]
A good example of this strictness in social interactions might be experienced during the first month or so at your new school when you may be asked to sign forms that are in Korean language and your co-teacher may or may not translate and explain everything on the form. When you try to insist they explain everything they’ll likely be shocked, and perhaps even insulted or hurt. It is expected and assumed to such a degree as it is usually unconscious on the part of the co-teacher that you should blindly trust them because you have been assigned to their care, and they are your ’senior’ (they outrank you). Think of this as a kind of modern day patron-client type relationship wherein your patron does things to help you be successful in your career and daily life while at the same time expecting a high degree of respect and obedience to whatever they ask you to do in return for their patronage.
English is a multi-kajillion dollar industry in South Korea, yet practically no thought has been give to how to fit native speaker English teachers into it. A lot of the idiocy does stem from policymakers, principals, and co-teachers, and a tour around Kimchi Icecream or my "English in the news" category provides plenty of examples. But when it comes to day-to-day life in Korean schools, foreign teachers can be their own worst enemy. I won't tell you how many of those faux pas I committed, but the worst part is you can't really make it up. Unless you bring food into the office for everyone, that's about it.
I'd also like to direct your attention toward ROK Drop. As you may have heard, there's a movie coming out in April about one interpretation of the massacre at No Gun Ri, and has this as one of its promotional posters:
I wonder how many Russian guys they rounded up to play the "Americans." Both Extra! Korea and Gusts of Popular Feeling looked at the similarities between that poster and the ones out of the other Korea.
ROK Drop has done a lot of research into the myths surrounding the massacre and his findings include:
* Out of the original 12 American witnesses quoted in the Pulitzer Prize winning Associated Press article that the only 4 GI’s that fully confirmed the AP’s account of what happened were later proven to not be there, the 4 more were intentionally misquoted by the AP, 1 veteran’s testimony is inconsistent and suspect, and the other 3 said no massacre occurred at No Gun Ri.
* The forensic evidence does not support the claims of a massacre of 400 people. What the forensic evidence does support is the presence of enemy weapons at the bridge.
* The aerial imagery evidence does not support the claims of a massacre of 400 people.
* The historical documents do not even support the claims of a massacre of 400 people at No Gun Ri.
* Here is probably the most telling fact, that despite intensive searches of the No Gun Ri area not one bone was ever found despite supposedly 400 people being killed there. To further put this into perspective other areas where far less people were killed during the Korean War extensive skeletal remains were found, but not at No Gun Ri.
He also objects to the director waiting four years to release the movie so that it coincides with the 60th anniversary of the war.
Finally, if you're still with me, I'd like to bring up an article about health care written by T.R. Reid last summer. Originally appearing in the Washington Post, I caught it when it ran in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. It asks why the United States isn't looking abroad for solutions to its healthcare nightmare:
In many ways, foreign health-care models are not really "foreign" to America, because our crazy-quilt health-care system uses elements of all of them.
He writes near the end:
This fragmentation is another reason that we spend more than anybody else and still leave millions without coverage. All the other developed countries have settled on one model for health-care delivery and finance; we've blended them all into a costly, confusing bureaucratic mess.
Which, in turn, punctures the most persistent myth of all: that America has "the finest health care" in the world. We don't. In terms of results, almost all advanced countries have better national health statistics than the United States does. In terms of finance, we force 700,000 Americans into bankruptcy each year because of medical bills. In France, the number of medical bankruptcies is zero. Britain: zero. Japan: zero. Germany: zero.
That column coincided with his book The Healing of America: A Global Quest for Better, Cheaper, and Fairer Health Care, though I'm familiar with Reid through his excellent little book Confucius Lives Next Door. I've quoted from it in entries on Korean productivity, Japanese coming-of-age ceremonies, and weird English. You can get it in Korea from Whatthebook.com.
20 comments:
Interesting links, Bri, but I must raise an objection to that Kimchi Ice Cream article. The author appears to believe that native English teachers will not only be taking a position in a country that's new to them, but also stepping into a time machine and transporting themselves back to 1965. Over-analyzing and 'mystifying' the workplace situation (that is, making it strange by giving it an 'ancient, wise' philosophical basis) in which new teachers may to some degree find themselves is unhelpful, I think, and while it was an interesting read, I don't think that native teachers should really be encouraged to 'know their place', like, say, a particularly spineless Korean might (and a less spineless one might have 30 years ago). The attitude that any manner of bureaucratic and hierarchical fuckwittery should be tolerated on account of it being 'neo-Confucian' is not one that should be encouraged.
Further to my comment above, I would add that the whole article should just be replaced the advice, 'be nice', with the codicil, directed at Koreans, that native English teachers aren't Korean. The author seems to take the view that authority is right and English teachers are wrong and ne'er the twain shall meet. It frustrates me when people pass out advice like this. There is no authority that shouldn't at some point be challenged.
There's a limit to the amount of fuckwittery that should be tolerated, you're right. One of my former coworkers had the "your lack of planning is not my emergency" sign at his desk. But, there's also a limit about what you can do about it. For your own sake and sanity, it makes more sense to learn to accept, for the most part, what goes on here rather than try to change every single person you meet.
There's a danger of overthinking Korea or rendering it exotic, but I think it helps to try and find a method to the madness. They don't tell you about class schedule changes not entirely because they're morons, but because . . . whatever. They don't listen to your input or include you in the discussion not because they're rude but because . . .
Both sides have to give, and schools and coteachers really need to give some thought about how to fit foreign English teachers in here. Those proposed "culture classes" by that lawmaker sound like a nightmare, and giving lectures about kimchi and four seasons isn't the answer. But a good bit of the responsibility will be on the teacher to be well-adjusted and open, and mature enough to handle a foreign culture.
There's some interesting discussion in the comments there about a hypothetical teacher who isn't a yes-(wo)man, doesn't do all the extracurricular stuff, just comes to work, teaches, and goes home. How successful will s/he be? Well, like it or not, I'm not really sure there's room for that sort of teacher because image counts for a lot. Remember, good teachers are "nice," "handsome," and "so smile" in Korea, and that's part of the role native speaker English teachers have to fill. For better or worse---especially for worse when taken to extremes by tools like Isaac Durst---a big part of teaching in Korea is about learning what they thing a native English speaker is.
Saw your second comment. I think "be humble" is a good, simple piece of advice as well, and one I admit it took me a while to get. No, that doesn't mean take all the crap thrown at you. It means realize where you are, what you're doing, and that there are going to be challenges living and working in a foreign country.
Brian,
My church back in Korea, was and is working for the rights of those foreigners who came from Bangladeshi, China and other countries. For the personal reasons, I have interviewed my friends and families who live in Korea for couple months. Most of them do not think of foreigners the way you guys think they would think of you guys. They know they have problems in managing English industries, especially in the educational field. They are working on it though.
I am really wondering what made you go there, Korea first place? You doesn't seem to have any attraction on Korea or even Asia.
Right. So maybe the advice should be 'Be Humble(ish).'
And yes, people do need to realize that teaching English in Korea is not simply teaching English, but is more like being a kind of micro-celebrity who has to consider their public image and be nice to the fans and tolerate the occasional invasion into their privacy and enjoy being an object of fascination.
Joy - that is a rather silly comment. Who is 'they', exactly? Do you have any direct experience of teaching English in Korea? What exactly do you know about it? If the answer is 'nothing', 'next to nothing' or 'someone at church told me this one guy said that...', I humbly suggest you put a sock in it.
Stevie Bee,
I have family over there.
My husband is considering teaching English over there, so we have been researching.
"I am really wondering what made you go there, Korea first place? You doesn't seem to have any attraction on Korea or even Asia."
Joy, that's a stupid thing to write.
But, to answer your question, I came to Korea after learning about it for a few years in college because I wanted to learn more about East Asia in person and to gain teaching experience before, possibly, doing a Master's degree in TESOL. Before committing to two more years of school I wanted to try it out and see if it's something I'd like to do as a career. I began writing about Korea in 2006 with the Galbijim Wiki---an online encyclopedia---and later with this blog because I wanted to find, collect, and share information about South Jeolla province, and later I moved on to writing about education and cultural issues.
Hi Stevie Bee,
I'm curious, since the comments here take Joy to task for whether or not she's got experience teaching in Korea--Stevie Bee, do you have experience teaching in Korean public schools?
Oh, and I'm still curious about how you might reply to the comment I wrote in response to you on my blog....
Thanks,
J
Joy, if you read Brian's blog and concluded "You doesn't seem to have any attraction on Korea or even Asia." I might suggest you're not really reading Brian's blog. You're only reading the parts that confirm your bias about him and your bias about anyone who dares, DARES!, to question the wisdom that Korea is a nation with four seasons, kimchi is the most healthful food in the universe, Korea has 5,000 years of history, and Koreans greatly respect teachers, Koreans are victims and can't possibly ever turn others into victims, blah blah.
C'mon, Joy. You've been slinging that crap since Brian dared to point out some Korean Olympics fans are dangerous morons.
Dear Puffin,
calm down. I, too dare Brian and you. Although i came here due to Olympic last month and I know i was shocked and out busted after reading comments and the post regarding 'ohno', but i am still here. don't you know why?
If you read my many other comments, you are not going to say 'i have been sliding crap.'
@Stevie Bee
"There is no authority that shouldn't at some point be challenged."
While I agree with this statement when applied to the culture I grew up in, isn't it a bit ethnocentric when applied to foreign cultures? I've just seen so many situations where a clueless waygukin got all up in arms over something he/she really didn't understand at all (and I'm sure I've been that clueless waygukin on more than one occasion). There's nothing noble about that.
Also, I think native teachers in Korea (and again, I'm not excepting myself here) have a tendency to forget that we all have to put up with some level of bureaucratic fuckwittery, no matter where we're living and working. Working in your native country, if you freaked out every time something happened at work that annoyed you, your ass would most likely be fired.
@Peter
Of course, of course - challenging authority doesn't mean acting like a spoilt child whenever something doesn't go your way. Understanding its structure and nature is necessary to challenging it. I don't know why you think it would be 'ethnocentric' to suggest that authority in other cultures should also be challenged - do you believe that such authority is somehow more valid?
@Jason - Joy is clearly trying to pick a fight because she feels that Brian has done something to insult the Great Family of Han and clearly knows very little about his blog or that of which he speaks. For that reason, I was telling her to shut it. I don't think my own professional experience (which is in Korean universities rather than public schools, incidentally) is relevant to the validity of my being able to do that. Also, I'll get around to responding to your comment on your own blog a bit later.
no, Stevie Bee,
I am not trying to fight with Brian, i really want to understand Brian better after reading his posts and comments. because i think understanding Brian correctly can make me understand foreigners(especially ESL teachers in Korea) better. many of Brian-favorites over here seem have many negativism toward Korea. Well, Let me say this; many of my friends and customers in the states hardly(almost never)talk about Korea with negative attitude in front of me; they have came to me and ask where i came from and how much they like Korean foods and Koreans and they want to visit...; definitely, it was surprising and not pleasure to hear another side of story about my homeland from same looking people(?). Honestly, it has been very very painful for a month. And then again, i think i am glad to know what you guys are thinking. since Korea needs these voices too, for their own good reasons.
Stevie Bee,
Don't judge me too quickly. your tone of voice ruins your professionalism (if you do have).
Hi Steve,
Thanks for replying.
After having worked in both public school and at a national university of education I'd have to say that there are pretty major differences in the general experiences of native teachers/professors.
That's why I asked.
J
J,
Major differences? In what way, would you say?
S
Joy - do you think the apparently overwhelming volume of people with 'negative attitudes' towards Korea could result from the dissonance generated by the blindly patriotic ideological brainwashing that so many Koreans feel the need to phatically reiterate at every opportunity?
Stevie Bee,
yes, i think so. But, what i am having a hard time to understand these forks is why they are staying at there when they are so miserable over there. Like so many of these people said, they have every right to stay there and hate there... but, why?
like what i said, it is good for Korea in a way, then again, it is not good for both of them(korea and foreigners).
To me, it is more likely foreigners' complain based on differences where they come from. Or, their own personalities, or bad experiences...
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