Observations of the species "studentium Koreanis"

It's been a fairly hectic week - I'll explain later - but now I finally have time to update this here blog, and firstly I'm going to tell you some interesting things I have learned about Korean students. This "research" was gathered through some 200-odd interviews that I have conducted in the last few weeks for mid-terms and finals. I'll remind you that my students range from age 16 to 19, and are predominantly girls. Some of the things they told me were quite fascinating.

Because Korean students spend so much of their life studying (in fact, all of it) their biggest issue is with the Korean education system. And to be honest, I find it quite insane as well. These kids study around the clock for pushing 12 years, just to sit one exam - the Korean SAT. My school, being a boarding school, the kids are there all the time. For students in other schools who don't board, they go to private academies (hagwons) in the evenings, until 10pm or midnight. Kids these days start going to hagwons from when they start school - so six-year-olds are studying away from home until late at night. I've spoken to some kids who were sent away from home to live elsewhere, just so that they could be somewhere with more hagwons.

And when I say they study around the clock, I mean it quite literally. There is a saying in Korea that, "a student who sleeps four hours a night passes the exam; a student who sleeps five hours a night fails the exam". There is no concept that sleep and regular breaks actually aid study; there is no sense that so much intense study can cause burn-out. But parents say that if their children are not studying like this, other children are, and they will be the ones to get prestigious university places. There is also an idea in Korea that the only universities worth going to are those in Seoul; everywhere else is sub-standard. Thus, competition is high, and students (and their parents) believe that constant study is the only way to succeed.

But with this excessive study comes a lot of ambition. Most of the second graders (17-18), when asked what career they would like, say things like lawyer, diplomat, broadcaster, international lawyer, CEO, director. What's funny is that the third graders say they aren't sure what career they'd like, and when informed of the second grader ambition, they usually say, "just give them a year"!

There is a tremendous amount of school spirit in GFLHS. I have a feeling this could be unique to my school, the students being some of the best in the region tend to be more disciplined and respectful, and thus a greater bond is formed between teachers and students. It's things like the bowing that I've mentioned before. Also, on the day of the KSAT, the first and second graders line up outside the school, and cheer on the third graders as they head to the exam. There is even a supportive spirit between current and prospective students: on Tuesday was the entrance exam for next year's freshmen, and they would be sitting in the classrooms. Some of the first graders told me that they would be leaving candy and chocolate on their tables for the middle school students taking the exam. Which I thought was rather sweet.

What else? Oh, my actual observations from the interviews! Many want to study politics, and although they currently have no time to keep up-to-date with current events, they have an interest nonetheless. They have a lot of nationalist pride: they want the peninsula reunited, and if they could, they would go back in time and help fight the Japanese occupation in 1910. As a result of this, many of them still harbour a sense of distrust and disliking of the Japanese; although a good number think it's time to move beyond history and create strong ties with Japan.

There is also a frightening obsession with appearance; when asked about this, the first reaction was always to talk about cosmetic surgery, whereas in Britain we would probably mention weight first. Most girls, when they go to college, have plastic surgery. They all want to look more Western - they get the eyes done (they all want big eyes), and the chin and the cheeks - which I think is a great shame. When asked specifically about weight, there is an idea of the pressure. They all talk about being fat, when they're teeny! They complain about their uniform being too tight because they've put on weight (and I don't understand why they just don't get a new uniform!). In the course of my interviews, I managed to ask two particular girls their opinion on appearance, one of whom was anorexic in middle school, and one who had cosmetic surgery on her eyes in middle school. Hard to believe.

Oh, and lots of them also believe that aliens exist! In fact, one of them saw a UFO when they were younger! See, there were lighter topics in my questions!

As well as the interviews, I encourage students to come and talk to me between class, or during free time, just to chat, to practice their English. And a lot of them are starting to take me up on that, which I love. I get to know them better, and they improve their English. One of them told me last week of another "healthy" Korean idea (everything in this country is for health!). She told me that for meals, the ratio should be 3:2:1 - 3 for breakfast, 2 for lunch, and 1 for dinner. It makes sense, doesn't it? After dinner, you're not terribly active, so why would that be your biggest meal? And yet in the West, we're probably the opposite of that: a lot of people don't even eat breakfast anymore. Maybe that's why we're so unhealthy.

I do miss breakfast though: breakfast here is like any other meal, they have their rice and their kimchi and their soup. And I don't think I can handle that in the morning (a fry, yes! Spicy Korean food, no!) But it's hard to find things for breakfast, so I don't really get it much. And I miss bacon bagels from the Piazza! And cheese and pickle rolls....mmmmm! (It's almost dinner time, so I'm getting hungry!)

Right well those are my, ahem, few observations on Korean students! I still obviously have a lot to say about Koreans and Korea in general, but I've written lots already, so I'll save those for another day. Now I'm going to talk about my favourite topic: North Korea, and their most recent shenanigans.

I've had many e-mails in the last fortnight asking what the atmosphere here is like, and whether I'm already looking for my ticket home. But the truth is, people in South Korea have been through so many threats and scares from the north that they're used to it now. Apparently, back in the 1990s when the DPRK started its whole nuclear mission, people did panic, and there was mass stock-piling of instant noodles and water. But now, there is nothing. Some people are a little worried (especially the male students I spoke to who will have to do compulsory military service in a few years) but most don't think anything serious will happen.

Of course, this is a very interesting time for me to be here, what with my academic interest in all of this. It means the papers are overflowing with news and analysis, and the news from around the world is full of it too.

I also don't think nuclear war is likely to break out any time soon: the DPRK has made a lot of scary moves in the last 60 years, but it is unlikely to start anything without first being attacked. And a first strike against the state is unlikely: all the of the other nations involved - South Korea, China, Russia, Japan and the US - have far too much at stake to risk a first strike. A broken and crumbling North Korea will severely destabalise the region, creating massive negative effects on the economies and status of the surrounding nations. As my dissertation said, "23 million North Koreans would emerge, blinking, into an alien" capitalist world they have no notion of, and this would be incredibly traumatic for the region. And the US is, amazingly, too frightened to make any move, I believe. Kim Jong-il is one of the most irrational and psychologically dangerous leaders the world has seen in a very long time. The world knows the DPRK has "weapons of mass destruction" - unlike the Iraqi case - but military action in this part of the world would be quite a bit trickier. I believe that if the US did invade, China would be obliged to support North Korea, and there's no way America wants to face China in war.

So that's what I think. I may be wrong, there really is no telling what the Dear Leader might do. But for now, I don't think I'll be rushing to buy a one way ticket outta here! There's no immediate threat.

I said at the start that I would explain why my week has been busy. Well it's simple really: the entrance exams I mentioned were an all day thing - exams, interviews, and then grading of exams. That was Tuesday; Monday was taken up preparing for this. And Monday and Tuesday evenings, some of the teachers went out for dinner, with the Principal and the Vice-Principal. Monday night's menu was delightful.....It was a kind of octopus stew, but the octopus (octopi?) were still alive when they went into the cooking pot, which was on the table. Nice. Now, I don't like octopus. I've tried it before, and although it really has no taste, it's the texture that I'm somewhat averse to. But I ate a few pieces of tentacle, to be adventurous, and to be polite. But even nicer was when I was offered the body of the octopus...innards, and ink, and all. Eek. Well, I ate it. It tasted more of the wasabi it had been dipped in than anything else, but was just ridiculously, horribly chewy. So, not my favourite!

The last few days have been busy as well because Tony, my fellow foreign teacher, has had to do something else the last three days of this week, so I'm taking all the classes by myself. And one of our teachers went home sick yesterday, and I had to take his evening class. Then I was called back to school to critique a business presentation! So, yeah, pretty busy week! And I'd like to say I have a nice relaxing weekend in front of me, but that just ain't true! I'm off to Daegu tomorrow evening to meet up with a bunch of people, go dancing, catch up, and go to Woobang Land! It's an amusement park in Daegu - woo-hoo for Woobang Land! The Gwangju Two (hee hee, I like that name!) are coming up, and they're a bit mad, so it should be an interesting weekend! Not a very restful one at all, but ah well, sure who needs rest?!

So I've spent a lifetime on this again, I'm hungry and I've got LOST waiting to be watched. So I'm off. Hope you enjoyed my research, and I apologise for spinning off into North Korean politics, but sure, it's what I do. Ta ta lovelies.