불쌍해

phoneix park - a ski resort 10 minutes away from me

dinner time!

불쌍해=translation
This is the most common description I hear from the Korean people I meet who find out that I am teaching at Jangpyeong Elementary School. That description is meant to apply to my own situation that many see as a young man isolated in a tiny, boring town of Jangpyeong. The description is also directed towards the children who are devoid of many educational opportunities that city students have and that many of the children come from broken homes.
불쌍해? Certainly not the students here in Jangpyeong. While private academies, private tutors, fast food restaurants, singing rooms, movie theaters, and other common urban opportunities are missing, in its place I have found loving people, a close knit community, children who are tested by their surroundings, and less obsession over academia. I came here with a savior mentality, thinking I would single handedly inspire and motivate all my students to catch up to and even surpass the educational aptitude and career goals of many students in urban areas. Instead, I’ve discovered a community who has supported and cared for me, not based on what I want to do, but who I am. English word families, vocabulary, phonics, and phrases may all be forgotten by my students, but it’s ok as long as they remember that they are loved even by a young foreigner who was raised and lives over 6,000 miles away. When consumed by frustration and apathy towards my students I must remember my own situation and how I have been blessed by their community and that I am here to love those who are neglected by so many.

Over the weekend I slept over the home of one of my teacher’s friends, and found out that they are the owners of the city bus system of one of the largest cities in Gangwon-do. So, they are able to provide all sorts of private tutoring for their children, and it showed as I interacted with their 6th grade daughter. Hanging out with them reminded me even more of my students and how their situations are so different from students in urban areas.