My Year in Korea

In 2002, I sold my house on three acres of land north of Jolietville, Indiana, and moved to Cheonan, Korea. I left a fantastic job teaching geography to sixth graders in a small town and accepted a teaching job at an English academy in a city of nearly 500,000. There were a few aspects I found challenging during my time in Korea; however, I clearly see how living there prepared me for my 13 years in China. I learned a great deal during my year in Korea and have much good to say about the country. Below are seven random facts about this year's Olympic hosts.

1. I always enjoyed telling others that South Korea is approximately the same size as Indiana but has a significantly larger population (51 million compared to less than 7 million for Indiana).

2. Did you know South Korea is home to a lot of companies we're fond of, including Samsung, LG, Hyundai, and Kia? I wasn't familiar with LG until moving to Korea, but I noticed Best Buy selling LG products in the summer of 2003.

3. 30% of South Koreans claim to be Christian, and Korea is the second-largest missionary-sending country in the world (behind the U.S.). At night, you can see tons of church buildings with neon red crosses.

4. South Korea takes education seriously and is a top ten nation in math, reading, and science. My oldest students left the academy after 9 PM.

5. Like in Japan, bowing is often done when saying hi, bye, and thank you. My students often greeted me and said goodbye with a bow.

6. Some Korean food is super spicy and can cause you to visit the bathroom in the middle of the night. My favorite Korean dishes are of the nonspicy variety - galbi (marinated short ribs) and bulgogi (marinated beef).

7. Generally, those under 30 knew I was American, but older folk often mistook me for Korean. I could ride my bike and have students yell hello at me, or be shopping at e-mart and be greeted with anyoung haseyo.

Megan and her parents paid me a fun visit shortly before I left Korea.

13 Ways How I Became More Asian in the Last 13+ Years

On our first date back in the summer of 2000, Megan and I talked about her life in China and a three-week trip I had just taken to Japan. Something I remember from our conversation on Indy's Canal Walk was how Megan said she was more Asian than me. This may seem odd considering she’s white and I’m half Japanese, but her statement was true and is still true in many ways. Several things about me don’t equate to the stereotypical Asian, such as my beloved camo vest, a desire to go bass fishing whenever possible, and my prior ownership of a Chevy Camaro, S-10 Blazer, and Silverado. Because I’ve been living in East Asia since 2002, the Asian in me has grown quite a bit, though. Below are 13 ways I became more Asian in the last 13+ years.

1.     I find the Asian squat to be a comfortable position, and I’m not afraid of using squatty potties.

2.     I eat more fish and shrimp, as in, I occasionally enjoy eating every part of the fish and shrimp.

3.     I prefer picking up my bowl of rice and drinking my soup. Having a beverage at my meals isn’t a requirement.

4.     I like eating fat - not a whole plate of fat, but chunks of the stuff in certain Chinese dishes.

5.     I prefer using chopsticks at Asian restaurants in the States and now know the difference between Chinese, Japanese, and Korean chopsticks.

6.     I have a much stronger liking for spicy food – kimchi, Thai curries, Sichuan, and more!

7.     I’m very comfortable bowing to Koreans and Japanese people.

8.     I know a few words in several Asian languages; I’m not smart enough to be multilingual.

9.     I enjoy eating sunflower seeds like an American baseball player or an old Chinese man at the market.

10.  I watch Asian films that don’t star Godzilla or butt-kicking kung fu artists. I have matured somewhat during my time overseas.

11.  I am the owner of various kinds of long underwear, and I will proudly walk around in an overnight train in just my long undies (I still keep the shirt and shoes on).

12.  I have a home and classroom that is decorated with various Asian items. My homes and classrooms in Indiana definitely had different decor.

13.  I sometimes wear clothes that are clearly from China, Indonesia, Japan, or Thailand, and from time to time I get mistaken for being (fill in the blank with whatever Asian group you want). 

Perhaps I’m more Asian than I think. If you’ve become more Asian over time, I would enjoy hearing about it. Peace!

Six Deep Questions My Sixth Graders Ask Every Year

I earned my educator's license in 1995, and although I've taught elementary and high school students, most of my teaching experience has been with sixth graders. I really, really like this age group. Why? Sixth graders still have some elementary in them, so they often get easily engaged in the classroom, and they have some critical thinking skills that I can help shape. I also like how sixth graders never get tired of toilet humor. It's the best of both worlds - a year of change and transition that is both challenging and fun.

Every year, my sixth graders ask some enormous questions that most are afraid to ask or don't think to ask. Below are six of those questions. I am so thankful to be in this super important position to tackle hard questions with young people. I ask that you would lift me up as I assist parents in training up their children. It's not something I take lightly, and I need all of the help I can get.

Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness. James 3:1

1. Did God choose us, or do we choose Him?
2. How can Judas be held responsible for betraying the Son of Man if this was part of the Father's plan?
3. What happens to those who never hear about the Son of Man?
4. Why doesn't the Father just force us to love Him?
5. Why doesn't the Son Man end all suffering and come back right now?
6. Why were Adam and Eve created if it was known they would sin?

Feces Infographic

This morning, a friend e-mailed me this nifty fact sheet. I never knew how amazing caterpillars, rabbits, and elephants are. I had three cups of coffee today, but none of which was civet coffee. However, I bought a bag of civet coffee beans on a trip to Vietnam a few years ago. Good stuff.

Bathroom Signs

Several days ago, I had the opportunity to visit another international school, and I was very impressed with their facility. I especially liked their creative signs outside of their bathrooms. This school not only does a wonderful job of integrating art, English, health, math, science, and social studies into dynamic lessons in the classrooms, but they are also reaching the students during the passing periods. Signs like these need to be posted at every bathroom in the world!