It’s almost with a smile on my face that I eat my own words. Over the years, especially through college I found myself telling others that I would never leave the state of Idaho, live in a big city and NEVER become a teacher. As with all twists of irony I find myself moving to a respectable sized city in South Korea to teach Korean schoolchildren the English language.
English has never been one of my fortes, nor math, the subject I will be teaching English through. Do not fret though, because the children learn English from their Korean teachers. My job as an ESL teacher is more of an after school program or extracurricular activity that the majority of Koreans take part in. So if you are the Mokpo area and hear some Korean students speaking terrible Pidgin English it probably isn’t my fault, entirely.
As with most ESL jobs my contract is one year with the option of renewal. My year begins in February sometime. During my year I plan on exploring Korean culture while making some quick trips to countries like Japan or other surrounding countries. I don’t have many vacation days so I won’t be able to come back to the States for a visit. The next time you will hear from me will most likely be from the cramped confines of my Korean apartment (which is free by the way).
“Own only what you can always carry with you: know languages, know countries, know people. Let your memory be your travel bag.” –a great author
