Being accepted to take part in the Korean Cultural Immersion Trip to South Korea came as a little bit of a shock. I applied knowing that preference would go to secondary teachers but knew that the experience would be invaluable as a teacher at NPS. With the trip having got off to a rocky start with my bag being yellow taped in Seoul Airport (always nerve-wracking in a new country with people you do not yet know), I was relieved to get to the hotel and start exploring all that South Korea had to offer. The Korean Foundation in culmination with Asia New Zealand treated the delegates to the best of everything. The days were jam packed and often 14-15 hours long including visits to Royal palaces, temples, gardens, museums, amazing restaurants and historical sites which outlined the divide between the North and South.
Through visits to two schools it was hard to grasp the expectations that children had thrust upon them by parents and teachers. Children attending school from 8am - 4pm for traditional core subjects, 4pm - 6pm for compulsory extracurricular studies such as music, sport and arts, then attending CRAM school from 7pm - 11.30pm to study for exams and assessments or completion of homework. This was something that the NZ delegates felt uncomfortable with and really made me cherish the varied opportunities that children receive in NZ schooling and at NPS. It also made me appreciate and understand why many Korean (and other Asian) families have chosen to educate their children in westernised countries.
The trip to the DMZ was highly anticipated and a day that I will not forget. Transitioning from the vibrant city scenery of Seoul to the barbed-wire stricken fence lines was a chilling experience which will not leave my memory for some time. The experience of entering one of the North Korean invasion tunnels knowing in the back of your mind that the Korean war has never truly ended was slightly juxtaposed to the mindset I had about Korea. To then learn that 10 million families were separated in the divide between North and South Korea was heartbreaking and made me consider how many of our families this would affect either directly or indirectly. It was evident that the divide is still having a huge ongoing impact on the people of South Korea who are somewhat scared to speak of the historic events and are mindful of the already strained relationship that still exists with the North.
Following the excursion to the DMZ was the most powerful experience of the trip. We were fortunate to hear first hand from a defected refugee from North Korea who provided us with first hand insight as to what the country was like. Her harrowing story really brought it home to us and the realisation set in as to how the people in North Korea are treated by the Kim family. Having spoken to some of my students about the divide post visit, I know that they are aware that North Korea is not a good place or safe place and that they feel sad to think about their country as divided. It has made me mindful of how I see other cultures and increased my interest about making connections with the children I teach and their families cultures and heritages.
Along with a huge amount of educational content which was largely directed at the secondary teachers who would be incorporating the content into senior history, geography and economics lessons, my knowledge of South Korea's history and economic relations has grown. Together with another primary delegate, I have created a unit on Asian pop culture which is one of the fasted growing economies in Korea. This is something that is impacting on the Korean education system as they are now recognising the importance of pop culture and supporting students to develop their skills in this area. Through understanding this new age culture more, I feel I am able to understand many of our Asian children better by making connections to their language and heritage through The Arts curriculum. Through this unit of work the children will learn about the difference between culture in the Asian nations and then compare this to culture in New Zealand. They will understand the differences between schooling, expectations, career opportunities etc in Korea compared to New Zealand and hopefully this will encourage them to find out more about their indigenous heritage. They will then go on to experience first hand what K-pop, J-pop and C-pop is about and how communication through music and dance has boosted the Asian economy on a global scale.
Overall the trip was highly engaging and I am glad that the Board of Trustees at Newmarket School supported my application to participate in this trip. I would definitely recommend other teachers to partake in such ventures in the future to help strengthen our relationships with Asian countries and the students who make up the majority of the NPS student body. I would like to thank Asia New Zealand and the Korean Foundation for the amazing opportunity they gave me.
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