Teaching English in Haeundae, Busan (5/23)

R O A D T R I P ! !

On the road to Haeundae!

TODAY WAS our first trip to teach English at a Korean elementary school-- Gwangnam Elementary in Haeundae, Busan.

Haeundae is a very nice area of Busan, known for its wonderful sandy beach, its colossal bridge, its (superinsaneworldfamous) shopping, and its open-air street markets. And by very nice, I mean extremely clean, wealthy, and prosperous. It is Haeundae that lays claim to the largest shopping mall in the world-- all 15 floors of Shinsegae in Centum City, including an indoor driving range, ice rink, and movie theater. Although I can't attest to the intensity of Shinsegae itself, the community around it was evidence enough for me to agree with Haeundae's hypercapitalistic excellence.

Our trip from the temple to Haeundae was very nostalgic and calming. We'd traveled by road some before today, but not as far, nor during the day. The experience was not unlike a roadtrip in the states: We hopped on the interstate, zipped past an array of other vehicles before an ever-changing backdrop--some rice paddies here, some residential areas there, some factories, high-rises, and other monstrosities breaking the horizon every now an then, increasing in frequency and density as we neared our destination-- and before we knew it, we were in the middle of the city, climbing out of the van that had carried us and into our first immersion learning experience.

The gorgeous school grounds in the middle of the city

G W A N G N A M   E L E M E N T A R Y is a public school, but I had trouble believing this once I saw it. Can you really call a school in an area as wealthy as Haeundae "public"? Of course you can, but how "public" is it? The facilities were fabulous, the staff was surely stunning, and the city itself, always visible in the background, seemed to remind curious, wandering eyes that this is a nice place where nice people come from far and wide and work hard to live.  All of these enticing and exciting qualities have a darker side-- they're also barriers that keep a lot of people away.

I can't help but cringe at the thought of how much of the public is, whether intentionally or unintentionally, denied the privilege of studying at a school as outstanding as Gwangnam Elementary. My thoughts returned to the flower farmer I'd met previously on the trip who had tried so hard and offered so much money to have her children tutored in English by native speakers (see "Free Flowers..."). Can her children make the commute from their home on the agrarian city outskirts and jump through all the other hoops necessary to attend a school like Gwangnam? Perhaps her eagerness and desperation to enlist us as tutors holds the answer to that question.

A shot of the entrance [/self-portrait]

E X C I T E M E N T   O V E R W H E L M E D  me as I passed the massive and gorgeous turf field and a swanky, rubberized track on my approach to the main entrance. There, we doffed our shoes, donned some slippers, and were lead into the school by an official. Why is the doffing and donning worth mention? Not only because I get to throw 'round some fancy-person words, but also because I grabbed the bestest slippers in the whole school!!! (see below)

My slippers were by far the best! One-of-a-kind Kitties!!!!

Meetin' in a boardroom cause we're fancy

 

O U R   G R O U P  split in two after a brief welcome and orientation in an extravagant board room. There, Dr. Yi explained that we would be assisting either a 5th or 6th grade teacher with two afternoon English sessions. We were then lead up to the third floor to the English Center!

The stairs had awesome inspirational sayings!

A shot of the super-swanky Language Center

Our first class!

T E A C H I N G   E N G L I S H  was a great experience-- not of the, "WEEE, FUN!!!" variety, but instead of the, "Wait, this isn't at all what I expected-- why not?" sort. Turns out I'd completely forgotten what elementary school kids were like and had greatly overestimated their attention span and teachability. I was looking forward to cross-cultural conversations and linguistic exploration, but these kids were just looking forward to seeing and hanging out with some Americans. I felt like more of a baby-sitter than a teacher, which was still a ton of fun, but didn't quite live up to my dreams. This had nothing to do with language or culture-- it was just a kid thing, and in that sense seemed like a fascinating humanistic universal. As trite as it sounds, I was reminded that kids will be kids, and it was a ton of fun to be one with them.

Brian and I practiced introductions and conversation with the kids, then played Korean Redlight/Greenlight!

A F T E R   T W O  classes, we were fed a PHENOMENAL lunch (OMFG I LOVE KOREAN CURRY SO MUCH) and went on our way! The rest of the day was a tour of Haeundae, including a ride through the city center and its shopping district, drinks by the beach, and some quality time in one of its open-air markets. Check it out!

Some of Haeundae's crazy awesome buildings

Another side of Korean architecture (literally :P)-- Busan's Spaghetti Junction?

Me!

O U R   F I R S T  stop was Haeundae's beach, which we were told is of great import to locals and guests alike. Although the beach was not legally open for swimming until sometime in July, there was a decent number of people visiting. Some of those people happened to come via battleship...

The beach! Note the ships on the horizon...

Close-up: An Indian battleship!

I N D I A   S E N T  a battleship to Korea, perhaps for Buddha's birthday. Although battleships are not conducive to Buddhism, a strong, friendly bond between India and Korea is. I asked a few people why it was there and heard various semi-answers-- something to do with an annual festival, perhaps a political/military statement of support and mutual security?

Note the absence of the Indian flag-- Hayes, a fellow student, explained that to fly one's colors in another state's territory is an act of aggressive defiance. Out of respect, theirs is not present.

Beach (n.)- Where the city meets the ocean

T H E   A M O U N T  of construction in Korea is astounding (see above)! As a resident of the south eastern United States, I can't claim to be an expert on civic growth-- what's the south got on New York, California, or the other economic and population centers? Perhaps there is construction and growth happening somewhere in the massive American expanse, but it isn't really happening anywhere around me. Seeing sky scrapers and other buildings shooting up all around Korea was therefore a startling and impressive reminder that I was in a very different country with a very different economy.

It was shocking to see what it looks like NOT to be in economic doldrums but instead to be growing. A look at Korea's GDP growth rate supports my intuitions-- there is a notable difference between the two states.

CONSTRUCTION EVERYWHERE!

A F T E R   A  brief stroll on the beach, Dr. Yi set us free. We spent the rest of the afternoon wandering around (the not-as-sandy parts of) the city.

Hayes delivers a crash course on maps and navigation as we search the map of Haeundae for cool places to visit

W E   T O O K  a pit stop at a local eatery for some bebidas, we headed for the market district.

Entrance to the Heundae Market

O N E   G O A L  of mine for this trip was to compare consumer culture between Korea and the States-- in my head, I envisioned walking into a toy store and seeing what sorts of things Korean culture provides its youth. Do they gender their toys as sharply as we do in the States? What sorts of body images/body types do they promote? Are violence, weapons, aggression, or other themes present among boys toys as in the States? Alas, the open market didn't provide the data I was seeking-- too small a sample size.

SO MANY TOYS!! But only at this stall; no others.

T H E   F O O D  scene was cray!

An extra fishy part of the market

Urchins with bare hands?! What a boss!

The gnarlier side of street food

Delicious rice cakes!

S E V E R A L   O F  us decided to try some local Korean seafood while we were a stone's throw from the water. I didn't join them, but they said it was great!

First meal of Busan seafood (no meat at the Buddhist temple, remember?)!

T U R N S   O U T  we'd missed a good bit at the temple in our absence-- look what the lantern ladies assembled! A breathtaking glowing paper dragon!

The  Pièce de résistance of Hongbeopsa's lanterns-- an unbelievably gorgeous dragon

A F T E R   A  brief tour of the temple, we crashed-- another busy day in Korea!

Relaxing in our room after a long day of travel and fun!

A N D   H E R E ' S  the video from the day's adventures! Enjoy!