ABABO

In the West, you often hear people say things like “Well, I’m a Gemini so, it’s like I’m two people!” (Which I guess means that they suffer from multiple personalities.) In Korea, zodiac signs aren’t really used. Instead, blood types are used.

The idea is pretty similar to the zodiac. Blood types are supposed to govern your personality. Also, certain blood types combinations do better in a relationship than other combinations.

Take a look for yourself and see if your blood type matches your personality.

Blood Type A
Positive Traits: Conservative, introverted, reserved, patient, punctual and inclined to be perfectionists.
Worst Traits: Obsessive, stubborn, self conscious and uptight.

Referred as ‘farmers’ in some descriptions, Type A’s are said to be considerate of others and loyal to a fault. They can also be secretive and reluctant to share their feelings. Apparently they don’t hold their liquor well, either.

While outwardly calm, they have such high standards (perfectionists) that they tend to be balls of nerves on the inside. Type A’s are the most artistic of the blood groups. They can be shy, are conscientious, trustworthy, and sensitive.

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Blood Type B
Best Traits: Animal-loving, creative, flexible, individualistic, optimistic and passionate.
Worst Traits: Forgetful, irresponsible and self-centered.

Referred to as ‘hunters’, Type B’s have very independent natures and tend not to be concerned about what other people think of them. Although often described as shallow and lazy, they can be quite passionate about the things they hold dear. Patience is not their strong suit either.

Type B men have acquired a very negative reputation in Korea and are not considered by many to be good husband material. Often described as ‘players’, they are perceived as being selfish and mercurial, quick to anger and not terribly reliable. That said, their bad boy image makes them very attractive to women, but not for the long term. (Type B women do not share in this bad rep, for some unexplained reason).

Goal oriented and strong minded, type B’s will start a task and continue it until completed, and completed well. Type B’s are the individualists of the blood group categories and find their own way in life.

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Blood Type AB
Best Traits: Cool, controlled, empathic, introverted and rational.
Worst Traits: Aloof, critical, indecisive and unforgiving.

Referred to as ‘humanists’, Type AB’s are said to be controlled more by their heads, than by their hearts. They are rational, good with money, but unpredictable. Although inclined to be distant, they prefer harmony and as such, work well with mediators. Some consider them two-faced, and therefore untrustworthy.

Type AB’s are the split personalities of the blood groups. They can be both outgoing and shy, confident and timid. While responsible, too much responsibility will cause a problem. They are trustworthy and like to help others.

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Blood Type O
Best Traits: Ambitious, athletic, robust and self-confident.
Worst Traits: Arrogant, insensitive, ruthless and vain.

Referred to as ‘warriors’, Type O’s are viewed as natural leaders and are often, also, natural athletes. They tend to be outgoing, expressive and passionate, but can also bore others to death with their obsessive drive for success coupled with their absolute convictions that they are winners. This certainty that they will always win explains why they aren’t afraid to take risks or gamble. They have a strong physical presence and are unlikely to ever be overlooked.

Type O’s are outgoing, and very social. They are initiators, although they don’t always finish what they start. Creative and popular, they love to be the center of attention and appear very self confident.

(From TheKoreaGuide.com)

So, baby, what’s your blood type?

The Eye of the Beholder

Female beauty in Korea is a topic that is on everyone’s mind. Here, people believe that no one ugly ever did anything good and no one beautiful ever did anything bad. This is reflected in the way women dress, all the time. It’s not unusual to see a mom in heels, full hair and makeup, and a party dress at the grocery store, with the baby, at 11am on a Tuesday. Even if you do see a mom in sweats, those are expensive, coordinated sweats and the hair and the makeup are impeccable. Plus, she’s probably wearing heels.

That said, the Korean standard of female beauty is a little odd by Western standards. Some of it is the same. But, some of it is a little strange to us.

The biggest thing that a Korean woman is judged by is her body. This is right in line with the Western standard of beauty. However, the preferred body structure is a little different. Korean women, ideally, would like to be about 5’3” to 5’6” and very slim. Koreans like a level of slenderness that is nearly impossible for any non Asian woman to achieve. It is a slenderness that is pretty much a combination of both genetics and diet. It’s hard to be that thin and not have the genetic predisposition towards incredibly tiny bones and absolutely no muscle. Basically, the ideal body structure is that of a 14 year old girl or a short runway model. Things like implants are pretty much unheard of in Korea. They do plastic surgery like liposuction and calf muscle shaving for skinnier legs.

The next biggest thing that Korean women are judged by is their skin tone. Koreans like pale skin. In this aspect, Koreans are very different from Americans. In the US, tan skin is worshipped. Americans spend billions on spray tans, tanning beds, bronzers, etc. Koreans find this hilarious! I’ve mentioned American tanning habits to Koreans and their response is always something like “People pay to get tan? But, the sun is free! Why are they spending money on this?” Koreans actually do the opposite. They spend their money on sunscreen, skin whiteners, and parasols.

I like the Korean preference for fair skin. At home, in South Florida, I get a lot of comments about my skin – none of them complimentary. In Korea, people like my skin tone. In fact, the ladies at HomePlus (like a Super Target) go out of their way to help me maintain my pasty pallor. In the spring, when I was shopping for sunscreen, I was at HomePlus trying to read the labels on sunscreen. As I was looking at a bottle of SPF 30, a clerk approached me. She didn’t say a word. She just took that bottle of SPF 30 out of my hand and put it back on the shelf. Next, she took a bottle of SPF 50 from the shelf and put it in my hand. She then gave me a satisfied smile, bowed, and walked away.

The HomePlus ladies also try to sell me whitening creams and lotions. I once even had a student ask me what whitening cream I use. Apparently, the school sent out emails to the parents with a picture of their child’s teacher and a short bio. The little girl’s mom liked my coloring and wanted to know which products I use. (For the record, I just use a parasol and sunscreen. I don’t use the whitening creams.)

The last thing a Korean woman is judged by is her face. The Koreans have sort of a strange facial preference. They like the V Line. A V Line is, basically, a heart shaped face. It’s someone with a wide forehead and a pointy chin. Think of Reese Whitherspoon. Koreans spend a lot of money on plastic surgery to make their jaws and chins fit the V shape. I’ve never heard so many comments on face shape in my life.

This preference also leads to strange pictures. Korean girls love to take pictures either making a kissy face or with their hands on their cheeks. They believe that this makes their chins look pointier.

Another aspect of Korean beauty is the size of the face. Koreans like a small face. It’s actually a little strange to hear things like “Teacher, you have a very small face!” At first, I thought the kid was making fun of me, like when I would tell my brothers that they have big heads. No, it turns out that the kid was giving me a compliment. She likes my small face.

Koreans, like Westerners, prefer big, round eyes. I find this a little odd because, naturally, this isn’t what most Koreans have. I guess people just always want what is rare and different. A huge percentage of Koreans (male and female) get surgery done to their eyes. The most popular is eyelid surgery to get a double eyelid.

A double eyelid is something that pretty much every non East Asian person is born with. Apparently, I’ve had one my whole life and didn’t even know it. Only about 15% to 20% of East Asians have it. Basically, a double eyelid is this extra little crease in our lid area, right about the lashline. It’s only visible at certain angles but, Koreans go crazy for it. They feel that having this little extra crease enhances the eye. Personally, I can’t really tell. I can tell when someone has had their eyes made larger (through a creepy incision at the corner of the eye) but, I can’t spot the double eyelid despite the fact that I have one. To me, it makes no difference. But, it’s a hugely popular plastic surgery here.

Another aspect of the face that Koreans like to reshape is the nose. Koreans like a “high nose.” I’m not exactly sure what this means. I do know that Korean women spend a lot of money on surgeries to get the bridge of the nose made more prominent. In the US, people don’t usually pay to get larger noses so, this preference is a little different than Western ideals.

The overall effect of these surgeries is a little jarring. The women who really go all out end up looking sorta like half Asian Stepford wives. They are pretty but, in a strange way. The larger eyes and bigger nose make them look more Western but, they still kinda look Asian too. It’s confusing.

Now, what does this mean for foreigners? Well, not a whole lot. Basically, if you’re considered attractive in your home country, you’ll probably be considered attractive here too. You’ll just be considered a little fatter here than at home.

Before and After the Double Eyelid Surgery

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A Double Eyelid Kit

It has tape and an applicator to create a temporary double eyelid.

(Edit: People have pointed out that this particular kit is from Japan. I knew that. The writing on the package is Japanese, not Korean. I have seen double eyelid tape in Korea. I just couldn't find a pic online. I feel weird taking pics of double eyelid tape at a store or buying the tape to take pics of at home. )

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Applying the eyelid tape

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A Korean singer and the surgeries she is rumored to have had.

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Miss Korea 2006: Before and After

(Edit: It has been pointed out this is not the same person. I don't know if this is true or not. I stole the graphic from another website. )

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Edit: Many people have complained that the eyelid tape I had was from Japan. Well, here is eyelid tape from Korea. I'm not sure what this really changes but, it has hangul on it.

Confession

I think it’s time for me to make a confession. My mom’s just going to out me when she gets home so, I might as well do it. Here goes:

I, Jen Small, walk around Korea carrying a parasol. I know what you’re thinking. No, I don’t also dress like this:

or this:

I just wear my normal clothes and carry a parasol. It’s really not that odd. Lots of women in Korea use them. Since my parasol folds up to a very small and portable size, it’s actually a very practical item. Sunscreen is expensive here and it’s sticky and sorta medicinal smelling. Also, the population is generally fair skinned. Plus, most Koreans live in big cities where they walk a lot and use public transportation rather than drive. So, with all of these factors, a parasol is a practical way to protect yourself from the sun while walking around the city. I still use sunscreen but, if I’m just walking to work or doing something else quickly, I will use my parasol as sun protection.

I know you may have a few questions so, I will attempt to anticipate and answer them.

• Yes, I will be taking my parasol back to the US with me. So, you will all get a chance to see it. Plus, I plan on continuing to use it in the US.
• Yes, many Korean women do use parasols.
• No, I am the only foreigner that I have seen with a parasol.
• Yes, Korean women do give me approving smiles when they realize that I am a foreigner carrying a parasol.
• Yes, I do win a ton of brownie points with the ajummas for carrying a parasol.
• Yes, parasols are inexpensive and easy to find in Korea.
• Yes, other foreigners do mock me for carrying a parasol. I get called “Scarlett” a lot. (They’re just jealous because I won’t get wrinkles from sun damage.)
• No, umbrellas and parasols are not the same thing. My parasol is made of fabric not umbrella material. It is not water-resistant in any way.

Ok, now that I have that off my chest, I feel totally free to continue my parasol use back in the Western world.

A Korean lady with a parasol.

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A picture of me from the back with my parasol. I'm on the right. I have pointed out two other parasol users in the picture.

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Pics from Jeju

My mom and I took a now infamous trip to Jeju Island this past week. The trip is infamous because, apparently, a bit of a rumor started that we died during Typhoon Meari. I'm here to tell you that we did not die, drown, or get washed away in a flood. We did, however, get rained on several times and we had to walk around with umbrellas in our purses. It was actually a blessing that there was so much rain. The lingering effects of the typhoon kept the weather very overcast thus preventing me from getting seriously sunburned. Also, I think that it helped to keep the warm weather in check.

For those of you who are unfamiliar with the geography of South Korea, here is a map. I highlighted Jeju Island.

Here are some pictures from our trip.

Here is my mom in the medical center at Gimhae Airport, Busan's airport. My mom forgot her blood pressure medicine in Daejeon so, she had the nurse check her blood pressure.

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The ocean from really far away. I was standing on a bridge when I took this. The ocean is in the background.

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A river by our hotel

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The resort area we were staying at was on a cliff. The beach was at the bottom of the cliff. So, we had to climb down a series of stairs to get down the cliff to the beach.

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The view from the staircase.

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A tunnel on the staircase to the beach.

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The beach

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Cheonjeyeon Waterfall

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A show at the Africa Museum.

My mom and I kinda wondered if these people were really African or just black English teachers that were recruited to star in the show.

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Butt Grab Grandma

On Saturday, I was standing on a Seoul subway, minding my own business. I was in Seoul to pick up my mom from the airport. Anyway, as I was standing there, I felt someone really aggressively and repeatedly grab my butt. It was weird and scary. I turned around, ready to start screaming like I was being stabbed, when I noticed that the only person anywhere near me was an old lady, an ajumma. It was then that I realized that the ajumma was the one molesting me.

I looked at the ajumma and we made eye contact. It was then that she revealed the reason for her bad touches: she wanted to let me know that a seat was now available and that I should take it. That was all.

Why couldn’t she have just tapped me on the shoulder like a normal person? I am now scarred for life!

Behold...The Future!

The future of my students is rather grim. These poor kids go to school from around 8:00am to 9:30pm (or later!) five or six days a week. This is their life in elementary school. Now, let’s look what happens to them later in life.

Middle School (Korean Middle School grades 1-3 or US grades 7-9)

Korean middle school is competitive. It’s not like the academic wasteland of American middle school. These kids are already shaping their futures.

In Korean middle schools, students take a midterm and a final every term for each subject. This sounds pretty normal until you learn just how important these tests are. Also, the kids take around 10 different subjects at school. The midterms and the finals are definitely high stakes, high pressure exams.

A student’s middle school grades directly correlate to what type of high school they are able to attend. So, if a student has amazing grades, this student is eligible to go to one of the elite high schools. In turn, the high school they attend and the grades they receive in high school determine not only what colleges they can attend but, also, what majors they are eligible for. Then, their college and college major determine what types of companies and jobs this student can apply for. (Korean jobs are very alumni and “Old Boys Network” driven.) In short, the grades from middle school exams set students up on a life long path of success – or failure.

The students and their parents are well aware of all of this. So, when exam time rolls around, the students stop attending their academies. They use the time where they would normally be attending academies and doing academy homework to study for their middle school exams. When they come back from their exams, the poor kids look exhausted!

High School (Korean High School grades 1-3 or US grades 10-12)

High school in Korea is notoriously torturous. I have very little experience with high school students because high school students do not attend academies. They simply do not have time do this. If a student or their parents do choose to have the student attend an academy, the student must get permission from their school to do so.

A high school student’s day is extremely long. It is not at all unusual to see high school students walking home from school (school school not an after school academy) around midnight. Typically, they get home around 10pm. The reason for this is that they have a long, standard school day and then are expected to remain at school for some type of self-study or tutoring for several hours.

As I mentioned in another post, Korean high school seniors go to school on Sunday. All students in Korea go to school on the 1^st, 3^rd, and 5^th Saturday of the month. But, high school seniors also go to school on Sundays. I’m not sure if it is every Sunday or every other Sunday. Either way, this is completely unheard of in the Western world.

The reason that high school is so rigorous is the college entrance exam. Think back to your high school days, when you took the ACT or the SAT. If you were like me, you may have glanced at a prep book, got a good night’s sleep, took the test, and then proceeded with your Saturday. That is absolutely nothing like the Korean college entrance exam.

The Korean college entrance exam sounds like the most nerve wracking, anxiety ridden test in the world. It is NINE hours long! On top of this, it can only be taken once a year, during a student’s senior year. If a student fails the test, they have two options:

1. Forgo college altogether.

2. Repeat their senior year and take the test again.

Currently, a student only has these options. A former middle school student of mine told me that there is a proposal to allow the test to be taken twice in one year but, that his senior class will be the first class to have this option.

The college entrance exam is a huge deal here. It is such a big deal that flight schedules are rearranged as to not interfere with the listening portion of the test. Also, many Korean mothers drop their kids off at the testing center and then immediately head to church or to a temple to pray for the day. This test is definitely hardcore.

Once the test is over, a very unfortunate thing happens. Teen suicides spike in the weeks after the test. South Korea already has one of the highest rates of teen suicide in the developed world. It gets worse right after this test.

College (4 years)

College is surprisingly relaxed in South Korea. This is the one time when American students work harder than their South Korean peers. It is thought that college is so easy here because of all of the rigorous study that students must do to get into college. An easy college experience is their reward for such hard work in their early years.

South Korean parents also relax during this time. Most parents in Korea are pretty strict by Western standards. High schools are almost all single sex institutions and parents like it that way. Dating in high school is a huge no-no. Students are to be focused solely on school and anything that distracts from that is forbidden.

Once in college, Korean students are pretty much free to do whatever they want; even if they still live with their parents. The drinking age here is 18 (or maybe 19) and Koreans of all ages love to drink.

(There are some very serious and very difficult colleges in Korea but, most are pretty relaxed.)

Professional Life

Once a student leaves college and enters the working world, the relaxation time is over. Koreans have some of the most hardcore work ethics in the world. The average Korean only takes three vacation days a year. Now, these three days are in addition to whatever holidays or weekends that their job normally gives them but, still. Two weeks is standard in the US and four to six weeks is the standard in many European countries. Ten hour work days, five to six days a week are also standard in Korea.

Also, sick days don’t really exist in Korea. You are expected to go to the doctor before work, take some medicine, and then get yourself into work. I have taught with a stomach virus, a sinus infection, and the flu. My coworkers have done the same because there is no alternative. This system is terrible because all we do is teach pretty sub-par classes and infect students and coworkers.

You would think with all of the advantages that Korean education provides that, somehow, the work environment would be better. All I can think of is that since everyone does it, it is not special and, therefore, doesn’t get you anything extra. I really don’t know. Also, it is very possible that the benefits of all of this extra education just haven’t kicked in yet. Korea was quite poor a generation ago so, going from Third World to First World in a generation might also be the reward that the current workers have enjoyed. Only the future will tell what sort of work environment my students will enjoy.

One problem that I see with Korean workers is that differences are not celebrated. My students feel that only doctors, lawyers, and engineers can be rich. It blows their little minds to tell them that people with successful businesses have the potential to be far richer.

In Korea, having your own business is looked down upon. I had one student, Ryan (I wrote about him in a post from 2009). Ryan’s father is a veterinarian with a small shop that is a vet’s office/groomer/pet shop. I’ve been in there before. It is always packed with people dropping off and picking up their pets to be groomed. All Ryan’s dad, Dr. Choi, does is the vet work. He has a small staff that does the grooming and runs the shop. To me, Dr. Choi looks successful. He has his own business, a staff of three employees, and supports Ryan and his family quite comfortably. They go on nice, international vacations, Ryan’s mom doesn’t have to work, and Ryan and his brother each go to six (expensive) academies. Despite this, kids would make fun of Ryan’s dad. They called him “Shop Keeper” and said that Ryan’s family must be poor because Ryan’s dad doesn’t work for one of the big, multinational Korean companies.

The goal of most Koreans is to get a mid-level job with one of the huge Korean companies. They all want to work for LG, Samsung, Hyundai, Kia, or Daewoo. They feel that these jobs are their tickets to a comfortable life. As a result, it is extremely difficult to get a job with one of these companies. The hiring process is very competitive.

It really is hard to predict the future of my students. The first generation of students with a comparable type of education are just now going into college. It will be interesting to see how things play out for them.

Here are students walking into the exam center for the College Entrance Exam. One tradition is for the younger siblings of the test takers to cheer them on while they walk into the testing center.
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A Coveted Job: Workers at a Samsung plant.
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The Most Coveted Job In Korea: Kia's Executives celebrating their 10 millionth export
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The Not So Secret Life of the Korean Student

(My last post was about my job and a little about the hagwon industry as a whole. Now, I want to share the other side of this: the students. )

Students in Korea lead lives that are incredibly different from students in the US. As part of a lesson on schedules/times/calendars, I asked my students about their weekly schedules. What they told me was kind of terrible.

It’s actually mindboggling what these little kids go through. Here is a composite of one elementary school aged class’ weekly schedule:

*Note: The students whom I spoke with were young elementary students. Middle schoolers often go to academies that end at 10:00-10:30pm.

Monday

8:00am-2:30pm: School

2:30pm – 3:15pm: Go home and drop off the school back pack. Pick up the afterschool backpack.

3:15pm-3:45pm: Wait for the academy bus / ride the bus to academy

4:00pm – 6:00pm: English Academy

6:00pm – 6:30pm: Buy a snack from the convenience store and walk to the next academy.

6:30pm – 8:00pm: Math Academy

8:00pm – 8:30pm: Ride the academy bus home.

8:30pm – 11:00pm: Dinner and Homework

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Tuesday

8:00am-2:30pm: School

2:30pm – 3:15pm: Go home and drop off the school back pack. Pick up the afterschool backpack.

3:15pm-3:45pm: Wait for the academy bus / ride the bus to academy

4:00pm – 5:30pm: Science Academy

5:30pm – 6:00pm: Buy a snack from the convenience store and walk to the next academy.

6:00pm – 7:00pm: Korean Language Academy

7:00pm – 7:30pm: Ride the academy bus home.

7:30pm – 10:30pm: Dinner and Homework

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Wednesday

8:00am-2:30pm: School

2:30pm – 3:15pm: Go home and drop off the school back pack. Pick up the afterschool backpack.

3:15pm-3:45pm: Wait for the academy bus / ride the bus to academy

4:00pm – 6:00pm: English Academy

6:00pm – 6:30pm: Buy a snack from the convenience store and walk to the next academy.

6:30pm – 8:00pm: Math Academy

8:00pm – 8:30pm: Ride the academy bus home.

8:30pm – 11:00pm: Dinner and Homework

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Thursday

8:00am-2:30pm: School

2:30pm – 3:15pm: Go home and drop off the school back pack. Pick up the afterschool backpack.

3:15pm-3:45pm: Wait for the academy bus / ride the bus to academy

4:00pm – 5:30pm: Science Academy

5:30pm – 6:00pm: Buy a snack from the convenience store and walk to the next academy.

6:00pm – 7:00pm: Korean Language Academy

7:00-7:15pm: Walk to the next academy

7:15pm -8:00pm: Music Academy

8:00pm – 8:30pm: Ride the academy bus home.

8:30pm – 11:00pm: Dinner and Homework

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Friday

8:00am-2:30pm: School

2:30pm – 3:15pm: Go home and drop off the school back pack. Pick up the afterschool backpack.

3:15pm-3:45pm: Wait for the academy bus / ride the bus to academy

4:00pm – 6:00pm: English Academy

6:00pm – 6:30pm: Buy a snack from the convenience store and walk to the next academy.

6:30pm – 8:00pm: Art Academy

8:00pm – 8:30pm: Ride the academy bus home.

8:30pm – 11:00pm: Dinner and Homework

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Saturday

8:00am-12:30pm: School (every other Saturday)

12:30pm – 1:15pm: Go home, eat lunch, and drop off the school back pack. Pick up the afterschool backpack.

1:15pm-1:45pm: Wait for the academy bus / ride the bus to academy

2:00pm – 3:30pm: Math Academy

3:30pm – 4:00pm: Buy a snack from the convenience store and walk to the next academy.

4:00pm – 6:00pm: Tae Kwon Do Academy

6:00pm – 6:30pm: Ride the academy bus home.

6:30pm –9:30pm: Dinner and Homework

9:30pm – 10:30pm: Free Time

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Sunday

For elementary and middle school students, this is a day without school or academies.

High school students do no attend academies at all because their school day is something like 12 hours long and extremely intense. High school seniors do, however, go to school on Sundays.

Kids use Sunday to play, watch TV, and do their homework for the week. It’s actually really sad to ask kids about their weekends. They get so excited about doing things like playing their favorite computer game for two hours.

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As you can see from all of the various lessons and classes, the kids end up very well rounded. They have a huge knowledge base that spans many different subjects. They all play an instrument and they all can do something artistic. Plus, they can do the quadratic formula at 10 years old.

This type of schedule has another benefit: no time to get in trouble. With this schedule, the kids are too busy and too tired to bother doing anything horrible. Yeah, they do kid stuff like throwing paper balls or eating too much candy from 7-11 but, nothing that will destroy their lives. I kind of think that this is one of the reasons why South Korea has one of the lowest teen pregnancy rates in the world.

While there are benefits to this type of education system, there are definite downsides. One huge downside is that the kids are exhausted. You can see it in their eyes. A lot of the kids look like if they are still for two minutes, they will fall asleep.

Another huge downside is that the kids are sort of broken. Their imaginations and spirits are crushed. When they are in elementary school, they still have some of it. But, by middle school, they are student robots. They have pretty much no creativity. They don’t want to participate. They just want to tick another item off of their academic to do list and get out of there. It’s pretty disheartening for all involved.

Luiz once had some of his students do a writing assignment. Their topic was “The Perfect Day.” The paragraphs that the kids turned in were bleak. Their perfect day was like an average Saturday for a kid in the US. They were all something like this:

On my perfect, I won’t go to school or academy. I will watch tv and eat lunch with my family. Then, I will do one hour of homework. After that, I will play with my friend for two hours. Later, I will take a nap and then play computer games.

The kids were not given any restrictions on their perfect day. It didn’t have to be a realistic perfect day. They could have written anything they wanted. Sadly, all they wanted was a little rest. Seriously, what elementary school kid wants to take a nap? Even stranger, what kid does homework on his perfect day?!?!?

Sometimes, I feel guilty for teaching at a hagwon. I feel like I am helping the Korean Education System beat the kids down. I try to focus on the fact that nothing will change if all of the teachers are people who agree with this system. But, it’s not always a consolation when a kid is crying because she’s exhausted and didn’t get to study for the test and, her mother will punish her for getting a low grade. I’ll try to comfort the kid but, I have no experience with this. I didn’t go to schools 12 hours a day, starting in 1^st grade. Also, I’m not the one who will get punished. This kid is upset because she is nervous about going home (a terrible situation for any child to be in) while I get to home and relax.

It’ll be interesting to see what happens in the future. The first group of kids largely educated in the hagwon system are just now going to college. I guess the real measure of the hagwons’ usefulness will be whether those students make their children go through the same thing. I seriously hope that they don’t.

This picture was taken at 8:05pm. The two yellow buses are hagwon buses.
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Here are students getting onto their hagwon bus to go home at 8:15pm.
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Here are students waiting for their hagwon bus back home at 10:10pm.
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Here are more students waiting for their hagwon bus back home at 10:15pm
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Here are seven buses from various hagwons waiting to take students home. This picture was taken at 10:30pm.
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