Anna Bourassa
When I left a comfortable life in the States for a teaching job in EPIK, I didn’t expect I would enjoy it very much but instead would grow from the inevitable challenges of living and working in a foreign environment.
I had no idea what was lying in store for me.
Thanks to Alistaire’s guidance, I had an easy arrival at Incheon International Airport and transportation to a hotel, where I met with a dozen other EPIK teachers from around the world. The next morning we all traveled by bus to Jeonju University (?? ???) in North Jeolla Province. It was a vast, beautiful campus run by the kindest and most organized staff.
During Orientation, I was still surrounded by an English speaking crowd I could follow when confused by the schedule or a building’s location. But after a busy, fast-paced week of classes in tight quarters with roughly 500 other teachers, I was ready to hop on that bus and get to Busan (my requested city) to see my new home.
The first day was fraught with signs of heat stroke and an unavoidable overwhelm of being in the center of a metropolitan city like I’d never seen. I was from rural America and had never been to places like San Francisco or New York City. Learning how to use a subway or a city bus in the absence of much English was a huge challenge. I lived off rice, carrots, and eggs the first month because I couldn’t afford meat and couldn’t identify a lot of the foods sold at the market.
Getting set up to live here took a long time, but my main co-teacher at my main school (what a blessing from God she is!) helped me through the paperwork and kept me informed on the whole process of getting my Residence Card (formerly called the Alien Registration Card) and bank account. Thanks to her, everything ran smoothly. And before I knew it, my focus was no longer on phone data and grocery stores, but on TEACHING.
I taught for two and a half years in American elementary schools, moving place to place with semester-long or year-long contracts. You might think that teaching in a foreign environment with computers and printers set to the Korean language and coworkers you can’t converse with would make the job harder. But, oh, no. Quite the opposite. I have NEVER been so incredibly welcomed by teachers, admin, and principals. My appreciation for the little things has doubled here because I know it takes that much more effort for someone to voluntarily help me when I don’t speak their language. They don’t know which office I’m looking for or that I need a shredder but they will keep trying to understand me as I keep trying to convey what I’m looking for. I haven’t had a single negative experience.
My teaching jobs in the States always required more behavior management than actual teaching. It’s a devastating truth. I loved many of those children and I tear up when I remember the beautiful ways in which I saw them grow in their educational journey. But here in Busan, almost 6 months into teaching, I have been able to focus on actually teaching. I have grown in being creative and making learning fun and engaging in ways I never - never - had time for in the States. I teach 3rd-6th Grade here in Busan and in every grade I see youngsters who come to class eager to learn and eager to practice the English they know. I am so impressed by them. (Don’t get me wrong, there will always be behavior issues, no matter what country you’re in. But I have definitely not seen it to the same degree in Korea). Most classes are energetic and joyful. I see 100% participation during writing activities. I. Am. Amazed.
