Hogwans

Hogwans are after school institutions. There are numerous types of hogwans such as English, math, Korean, music and science. Students might not get out of school until 4:30 to 5:00 pm and then they make their way to one of the hogwans. 4th graders might be at the hogwans until 10pm and junior high and high school students might not leave until 11pm. Many children deprived of their childhood forced into a face pace life. Their goal to pass tests. Nothing of performance is as important as passing tests. So their success lies solely on how well they take tests. Constantly you can see irritated, tired and depressed students wanting something more than a textbook in front of them. 4 to 6 hours of rest is sufficient time to sleep before doing it all over again; an overloaded schedule that is. I am always amazed when I see a Korean student demonstrating creativity because creativity is not honored nearly as much as passing a test.

I question the motives of the parents greatly. At times I pressume that the parents are using the hogwans as a babysitting network. This disturbs me. Many of these students don't spend much time with their mom or dad and I can only imagine that their relationships have been hindered by the families desire or demand to succeed. When I asked one student how much time he spends talking with his mom per week he responded, "2 hours."

The greater evil as I have come to know and call it, is the hogwans themselves with their love for money. Constantly, demanding that the students purchase more resources that have been produced by the hogwans so that they might reap the benefits and during school vacations in the summer and winter they hold intensive programs which the students are required to attend again to reap the benefits. They drain more money out of the families through each of these schemes on top of the cost of what the parents are already paying for their son or daughter to attend the hogwan. When instructed to grade student preformance in speaking and writing I was told not to give any student a mark lower than 20 out of 30 for writing and nothing lower than a 'C' for speaking. All this in hopes of retaining the student body and continuing to receive their money.

When I questioned the system and its lack of integrity I was told that this is not an education system that it was a business. To say it's frustrating is an understatement. The business of the hogwans care little to none about the welfare of the students nor the teachers for that matter and its priority does not lean on educating the future generations, but in gaining as much income out of their customers as possible.

Bearrel of fun

Everland is one of the biggest theme parks in Seoul. At the park there is a safari ride where you get in a bus and it takes you through an area that has bears, lions, tigers, elephants, and other animals as well. It was an enjoyable time especially when the bears did tricks.

One of the worst parts about teaching

There are many enjoyments to teaching, however, there are some things about teaching that are not so welcoming. If you are a teacher then you know how I feel when I say the germs that the students bring to class is one of the worst parts about teaching!!!

Imperial Guards

While I was at the Royal Palace there just happened to be an imperial guard demonstration. What Luck!

Zoo games

My first castle visit, cool!

I came, I saw, I conquered! The Fukuoka castle ruins was an awesome site to see, indeed. The craftmanship was authentic and it was built on top of a hill for military purposes, which gave me the opportunity to see the entire city from the military post outlook. I can only imagine how long it would have taken to construct such an enormous castle base.

Melinche and Mocuana

While I was in Japan I met a man from San Diego, and we helped each other getting around, site seeing, finding the Korean consultant. His name was Issac and he was an American, but his family orginated from Nicaragua. After talking with him for awhile I asked him if the phrase 'Melinche' was still used in latin america. For those of you who don't know who Melinche is, she was a Mayan indian who betrayed the native inhabitants of Central America by helping the Spanish conquistidors. Her name today means one who betrays, betrayer. When I asked Issac he refered to a Nicaraguan story of a woman called Mocuana. The people of Nicaragua, the Mayans, had a large treasure hidden away from the Spanish and refused to tell or even suggest that there was a treasure to the Spanish. After awhile Mocuana fell in love with a handsome young Spaniard. Once the Spaniard had gained enough trust through time, energy, love and passion, she told him where the treasure was. He went and collected the treasure then left central america for Spain with the treasure never to return. Mocuana went mad and forever was unstable. She was hated by her people for unveiling the where abouts of the treasure and she endured much anguish from a broken heart that never healed. After she passed away supposedly she haunted the land unable to pass on to the afterlife, haunting those who had not endured the anguish that she did.

come and get it

These dishes were either sweet or spicy. Far right top is a beef stew then in the middle is a tofu soup that happens to be a very traditional korea cuisine. In the tin cans are rice and on the bottom left there is some fish that looked and felt like soggy crackers, but tasted ok. Next in the top left corner are some vegetables with the exception of the pineapple, which is next to my friend's hand. The vegetables had some spices on them that gave them a kick. As for the pineapple, that was sweet.

Party time

Friday night lights in Central Park

Welcome to the throne room where none may enter except for the king himself.

Oh the places you will go...

A walk in down the sidewalks of Pyeongchon are quite pleasant as well as a walk through the parks of Seoul and Pyeongchon.

Stone carvings in the royal gardens

On the weekends here in Pyeongchon the citizens relax amid the water fountains of central park, which just happens to be across the street from where I live. At night the fountains are lite up with an array of colors. While the waters rush, elders nap or read, lovers cherish the moment or playfully quarrel, the adolescents battle it out on the courts of basketball, badminton and tennis; children ride their bikes or run and scream through the water displays. Resting, relaxing and enjoying a day of rest before the work bell rings once again.

Un regalo de Dios

The King's corridor

Closed off to the public otherwise that climb was mine.

Me and my zodiac

The island garden of the king.

Really!?

Tomorrow I'm going to attempt to take the Seoul subway system from Pyeongchon to Seoul and go visit the cultural art museum, the US embassy, and the castle from the last Korean dynasty. Legend has it that those who served the king and queen in the castle had to be virgins and how to swear an oath never to leave the castle but be bound inside its walls until their death. The only exception was some place of retirement where they could go to in their old age. Sounds to me like being exiled. The only male in the castle who was not castrated was the king. The men who guarded the castle were usually hired on before their puberty and they would castrate themselves. From what I've gathered they practiced this so that nobody would disrupt the bloodline of the king. Now since the men were not a hinderance to the king one has to wonder what about the female workers? Well, the king had his first wife who was the first queen, but if he found favor in another woman he would take her as his concubine and she would become second queen. There's no information to really trace how many queens there were, but the main goal of having so many was to produce boys. If the first queen could not produce a boy but the second queen could then that boy would be in line as the next king. From what I've heard this process led to a number of conspiracies within the castle walls in which certain queens would try to assassinate or plan an unfortunate ending for a young boy or man who was ahead of their son for throne.

Distrubing was the way the boys were castrated. After they castrated themselves the tip of a bird's feather was put into the tip of the boys' private part. Then a string was wraped around the end. Finally, they were put in an underground room and given no water so that they would not die from bleeding (or other medical stuff I know little about). Afterwards they would emerge and begin preparation to protect the king.

Previously, I mentioned the last queen has some dying last words to the Japanese. Supposedly, they wanted her and her people to bow down to not only Japan, but Japanese culture and way of life. She said something like, "I will never submit, I am the mother of Korea." She said this to indicate that as the leader of Korea how could she ever acknowledge another culture over her own and that Korean culture will always remain in the land that the Japanese would never submit her or her people to their ways.

More to come...

Last night I got the chance to talk to a Korean that was born in the United States, but has reestablished himself as a citizen of South Korea. He gave me some information on the relationship between South Korea and Japan. He discussed what the Japanese did to their women during WWII, experiments they conducted on their citizens, the 33 years of so that Japan occupied their land, and how they have never apologized for their actions nor how they treated South Korea. I would further describe some of the details he gave me, but history can be an ugly thing sometimes.

Prior to Japan occupying Korea, as the story goes, was that the last king and queen of Korea were on the brink of making ties with France. However, Japan teamed up with them sooner and in addition the cousin of the king betrayed his people and homeland and engaged in an agreement with the royal family of Japan signing a document that ceded South Korea over to Japan. As Japan crossed the east river into Korea they crossed over the land to the capital in Seoul and surrounded the royal palace, which was heavily guarded. Then ninjas managed to penetrate into the fortress and kill all who were found. Before they killed the queen who had disguised herself as a maid she begged for her life. Thereafter, they raped and tortured her and, after her final words, took her life by way of sword. Her final words I have yet to gather, but I will eventually get the bottom of this. After the Japanese had complete control they turned the royal palace into a zoo so that they might mock the Korean people.

So here's a bit of the South Korean history that I have had the chance to get to know. What surprizes me is that I would assume that after a rough historical background, that happened with a century, that the Korean people would be somewhat hostile. Thankfully, that is not the case. As my Korean friend told me, they want an apology, but what has happened in the past can't be changed by the animosity that we allow to build up inside of us today. Interesting thoughts. More to come...

So far this first week has been on the go. I'm having a little trouble adjusting to the late night teaching hours from 3 to 9, but I pin that one on the jet lag and the freakishly humid weather. My first three days I worked with elementary students. It went well, but it was defiantly out of my confort zone. It was, however, interesting to see how smart some of the little dudes were. Also it was interesting to find out how much they study or are forced to be in school. Most start at 8:30 only to finish Korean school at 3:30 then it's off to an institution to study math, science, history, music and/or English. They end up being in class over 10 hours a weekday only to go home and do homework or study more. Plus, many take extra classes on Saturday as well. It's good because they are learning a great deal of information while their brains are still developing. It's bad because I wonder how much of a childhood most of them have.

I'm learning a great deal about Korean culture that I didn't think I'd pick up until I read more of their history, but talking to natives and witnessing Korea at first hand I am beginning to see things more clearly. Work is long, hard, and nearly everyday. At Samsung when they're doing a serious project they might end up working 30 somewhat straight hours only taking small power naps when needed. Everybody seems so busy in Seoul having a place to be and something to do. The town does not sleep. In fact, it almost seems that the city gets busier as the sun sets and the moon rises. Yes, the Koreans take work serious and stress the importance of working hard. However, such conditions do leave some fatal conclusions. Suicide is on the rise because of the high demands on teenagers and young adults. Alcoholism is widely accepted as a way to relax and forget about work. They have several nights during the week that are set aside as proper nights to get drunk so as to relax. Bumbs falling asleep on sidewalks, sometimes, isn't seen as disturbing but part of life.

While there might be some errors in their culture from the perspective of an outsider, I should also not that there are things to credit the Koreans with. Since I've been here I've noticed that they have a love for nature in keeping it clean and promoting green energy. They have established many parks, trails and hikes. Within their parks are not just toys for kids but exercise equipment for all for choose to take advantage. Also, worthy of noting, the Koreans are very nice and consider. Oh sure there are some that are not so friendly, but for the most part they are kind. I don't know why, maybe because the Koreans are a friendly race, but crime is low and I feel safe. I have yet to feel threatened.

This is what I have to offer so far until later good-bye my friends. (Friend in Korean-Chingoo)
Don't quote me on the spelling. I'm spelling it how I heard it. Caio

The sounds of bells clinging and clanging awoke me on the day of my departure. 2:15am, giving me just 45 minutes to be ready and out the door to Portland, in order to check my bags, go through security and get to my gate before take-off. Of course all went well, I don’t see how it could have gone any other way seeing as how it was so early and delays seemed quite avoidable. As I walked out on the runway I looked up towards the parking garage where my parents were waiting and watching. I gave them a final wave of the hand before lowering my head and boarding the plane. I owed them much for their care and generosity, but then again what loving parents wouldn’t have done the same.
On the flight I sat next to a young boy who looked like he wanted and needed another 5 hours of sleep. He got a couple on the flight down to L.A. I myself tried to doze off a bit, however, I happened to sit across the aisle from the only two men on the airplane who were persistent in carry out a conversation while the rest of us tried to rest. On and on they went taking about places they’ve been and what those places do right and wrong. “Well in Guatemala they do this and in Argentina and in Oregon and in Japan…” although I was intrigued with their discussion of the beloved Argentina the rest of their conversation withheld me from further needed rest. For two hours they conjured up conversation. I thought to clap as we landed and they became silent, but instead I grabbed my bag and walk into the L.A. international airport with blood shot eyes.
The international airport in L.A. is, well, very big to put it bluntly. It took a little questioning to find my way around but I managed. Checked in, went through security again and found my gate. As hunger set in I went hunting through the section looking for a sandwich. Unfortunately, airport personnel have no idea what the cost of food is throughout the country. I settled for an apple and a banana and suffered the cost for my hunger with a purchase of $3.89. Returning to my gate I read some, but reading made me all the more weary so I nibbled on some homemade bread and people watched. As take off gradually drew closer and closer the gate was filled with an array of people but mostly those of oriental decent. Then the flight began on a bowing 747, which was a freakishly huge plane. The flight was so long…it went on and on and on…6 movies I watched, two meals I ate and a couple 15 minute naps to conclude the adventure over the pacific.
When I got to South Korea I went through customs, exchanged currency, got my bags and then sat around for about an hour until the driver from the school made it. Unfortunately, the two of us had to wait for about an hour at the airport for another teacher from Chicago who never showed up because he missed his connecting flight in Tokyo. Then Pep and I headed for Seoul and as he drove we discussed North and South Korea, things to do, U.S. politics and pop culture. Then after 29 hours of traveling I met my boss and some other employees. Thereafter they drove me to my temporary apartment in Seoul. Once they left I turned on the television, wrote a quick e-mail to my family to let them know that I was ok and then I crashed.

Greetings Friends,

Everywhere I looked today was beautiful. I love Oregon and I love my friends and family. All the more reason to acknowledge why leaving is such a hard thing to do. Some times I wish I could see my future then I'd be more at ease with what's to come and the decisions I have to make. Unfortunately, I'm blinded! I know not what lies beyond the distant shawdows of my future. It's at times like these that I lean oh so heavily upon my Savior and Father. Everyone keeps on telling me what a great experience I'll have and I'm sure they're right. However, the more I think about it, the more I feel God in my life. I feel Him close to me knowing that no matter what decision I make, to go or to stay, He is with me. I think this is good for me to notice because it puts life in perspective. It's not about how many places I can travel to in my life or how many friends I acquire whereever I choose to settle, but acknowledging the presence of God in my life no matter where I'm at, appreciating the things He has given me and praising Him with my talents. Pray for me my friends, I beseech you! Help this time abroad to be a good experience, but more importantly a continuation in faith, in love and in God.

Softball under the lights has such a nostalgic feeling to it. It was great to go out and play tonight, although I didn't play particular well and we lost the game, it was, nevertheless, an enjoyment. However, tonight was the last game of the year with the men's competitive team, which meant it would be the last time I saw a number of the players. Players who had become friends from teammates. The realization hit me after the game that I might not see some of these guys ever again. It's incredible how many people enter our lives for such a short amount of time and then move along to their destination while we steady our course. I don't necessarily like the feeling of departure, but I understand it is a part of life.

As a new chapter of adventure slowly draws near excitement builds within me. However, I know that deep within there is a longing to settle. To be apart of a church community for more than a year, make new friends and stay in contact by frequent visits not e-mails, maintain relationships with those I love rather than running off to some new exotic land. As for now, though, I set my eyes upon the horizon. I'll travel, learn, experience, embark and in time return to my roots and maybe, just maybe find a permanent residence.

Found myself in Portland the other night at a gospel gathering courtesy of a friend invite and something the preacher said caught my attention, besides the old man a row ahead of me picking his teeth nearly the whole sermon or the old man behind me continuously snorting his snot up through his nostrils, God!, help me not to become a disgusting old man, but charming. Anyway, he said, "...don't question the Bible, just believe!" I was wondering if any followers had a thought on this statement and if so please do entertain. They also laid claim that the King James Version is the only version that should be used. Loved to hear your thoughts!

Adventure awaits

It's a funny feeling you get when you realize that the time you have with friends and family is suddenly deminishing. What once was way off in the distance and unknown is now drawing near and seemingly heart beats away. You ponder what things do you want to do before you go? Which people do you spend more time with? What items do you take with you to prepare you for a year long journey and at the same time remind you of home. All the while throughout these thoughts a battle of anxiety and excitement rages within, yerning to travel and be adventureous and also clinging to what you know and cherish. How fortuitous would it be if we could peak our heads into the future a bit and see which choices we'd rather prefer. Nevertheless, there are lessons to be learned at every bend and oh the lessons I've learned and have yet to be taught.

I had only been with this class for about a week, but they weren't shy in showing their true school spirit!

Weary, of course! Aching back, sweat on the brow, the smell of freshly cut grass, every muscle in my body lingering and waiting for one thing, the swing of the bat and the dash to defend. Tonight marked yet another catch that happened all so quickly. A ball was hit over the left-center fielder, I was playing right-center, once the ball was hit I sprinted back as fast as I could until I was just a little bit past the left center fielder. The left center fielder lunged up for the ball but was short and in a split second by muscle memory I leaped into the air fully extended stretching out my arm as far as I could reach and magically the ball landed in my glove as I came plummiting back down to earth onto the warning track. The fall hurt, but the catch was so worth it. I love playing softball especially when I get to make a diving catch. It's such a rush sprinting as fast as you possible can while the ball rapidly depletes in velocity and then all at once you dive, the ball drops and everyone goes wild, gotta love the game.

So today I finally made the decision to teach in South Korea official. For the past few weeks I was tore on whether to go or stay at WVCS. I absolutely love the school and the purpose I have as a teacher not just teach history, but history on the foundation of God, made my life feel as if it had more meaning. There were a couple of apathatic students, that's common, but for the most part they were the best students I had ever worked with. It was hard at times to remain professional when so many of them felt like dear friends. I'm so nervous about this upcoming adventure I can only imagine what awaits me in the next chapter of my life. However, I should make it clear that my time at WVCS has not concluded. If the Lord allows it I hope to possible return if not as a teacher than a guest speaker for chapel, whatever it be a part of me will forever cling to the precious and fond memories I had at WVCS.

Mr. Saturday Night, Huh, well, tonight my best friend is accompanied by family, and my other friends have wives. So frankly, this is turning out to be popcorn and a late moving night. Only problem is out of popcorn and the late movie isn't so late and is rather boring. If only I was 75 then I'd have a really good excuse to go to bed at 9 on a Saturday night. Whatever, I'll toast a glass tonight in hopes of a brighter Saturday night the following week.

It was the best of times, it was the... best of times. Had a great semester teaching at Willamette Valley Christian I hope to stay in contact with the alumni and those to graduate. It was the first place I taught at where I felt purpose in my life as a teacher. It's amazing how being able to talk and discuss God and his word makes life worth living.

Greetings Everyone

Welcome to the newest blog of Jeffrey Benson