In early October, only about four weeks into my teaching, South Korea observed Hangul Day: a national holiday that honors King Sejong for his invention and proclamation of the Korean language (Hangul) in 1446. Knowing very little about this holiday, we "discussed" the meaning in a 5th grade class. My students offered a bit of insight (as best they could) and then posed the question, "When was English invented?"
My brain did a back flip. Having studied the origins of English briefly, I knew that this was not an easy subject to introduce to a group of 11 year olds with a small English vocabulary. My mind raced from the Romans to the Normans to the Vikings to the Industrial Revolution...to the countless nationalities who have influenced this strange language.
My mind settled on saying: "English has changed many times. No single person started English. The English we speak 'began' around the 15th century. English is always changing and borrows words from many different people." The 5th graders took this in and attempted to process. Rightfully, they appeared confused. I wish there were a clearer answer...
For those of you above a Korean 5th grade English level, you may want to check out this humorous take on the history of English. I would have loved to have shared this with my students!
Excuse My English,
-Bets
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
Small World
An interesting thing happened in Seoul's Hongdae neighborhood one crisp fall day. After arriving and grabbing some delicious Mexican cuisine, our group found ourselves with some time to burn before hitting up the Halloween festivities later that night. We weren't very interested in doing something super touristy that day, so we thought we would hangout in the neighborhood and try and find a museum of some kind.
We ended up having a delightful afternoon at Hongdae's Free Market checking out musicians, artists, and caricatures; most of them students at the adjacent Hongik University. After making all of our final purchases, we started off again. I was still kind of hoping for a museum visit and we happened to spot that Hongik University (Korea's premier art school) was having an open campus weekend for anyone who would like to see the school. What luck?!
It was great to be back on a college campus. I missed the vibe. Unfortunately, our first attempt to visit a campus museum was a bust. It was closed...but, that didn't stop us from riding the elevator all the way to the top to check out the beautiful view. The streets are quite confusing on the ground and I found no clarity in the air either. I think Seoul will always remain slightly mind boggling, regardless of how long I live here.
We returned to the first floor, grabbed some coffee, and continued to walk the campus. The leaves were bright and everywhere - perfect for running through and kicking up. We saw a slew of art banners advertising various museum shows and installations. Intrigued, we went inside a very large building with a giant spiral staircase right in the middle of the lobby. I set my sights on the printmaking expo flyer, but was a bit lost on where to go. An older gentleman in a nice suit walked through the lobby and spotted my confusion.
He led us to the elevators and took us to the fourth floor. I couldn't believe our luck. He was so welcoming and going out of his way to help us. When we arrived at the gallery, we all noticed that the student workers bowed very low to our guide. Clearly, this man was important. He continued to lead us and showed us where to find the Chinese student work, the Korean student work, and lastly the staff works - noting that we could see his work as well.
Kim Seung Yeon is the head of the Print Making Department at Hongik University,
and a world renowned print maker...
Night Landscape by Kim Seung Yeon
Mr. Kim then showed us around and talked to us more about the United States and where we were from. After learning that two of my friends were from Kansas, Mr. Kim went on to explain the printmaking exchange program they have with that university. They replied, "Oh yes! We have a friend who did that program. Do you know Dana...?"
"Oh yes! I do. She was great!"
It's a smaller world than I thought,
-Bets
We ended up having a delightful afternoon at Hongdae's Free Market checking out musicians, artists, and caricatures; most of them students at the adjacent Hongik University. After making all of our final purchases, we started off again. I was still kind of hoping for a museum visit and we happened to spot that Hongik University (Korea's premier art school) was having an open campus weekend for anyone who would like to see the school. What luck?!
It was great to be back on a college campus. I missed the vibe. Unfortunately, our first attempt to visit a campus museum was a bust. It was closed...but, that didn't stop us from riding the elevator all the way to the top to check out the beautiful view. The streets are quite confusing on the ground and I found no clarity in the air either. I think Seoul will always remain slightly mind boggling, regardless of how long I live here.
We returned to the first floor, grabbed some coffee, and continued to walk the campus. The leaves were bright and everywhere - perfect for running through and kicking up. We saw a slew of art banners advertising various museum shows and installations. Intrigued, we went inside a very large building with a giant spiral staircase right in the middle of the lobby. I set my sights on the printmaking expo flyer, but was a bit lost on where to go. An older gentleman in a nice suit walked through the lobby and spotted my confusion.
He led us to the elevators and took us to the fourth floor. I couldn't believe our luck. He was so welcoming and going out of his way to help us. When we arrived at the gallery, we all noticed that the student workers bowed very low to our guide. Clearly, this man was important. He continued to lead us and showed us where to find the Chinese student work, the Korean student work, and lastly the staff works - noting that we could see his work as well.
Kim Seung Yeon is the head of the Print Making Department at Hongik University,
and a world renowned print maker...
Night Landscape by Kim Seung Yeon
Mr. Kim then showed us around and talked to us more about the United States and where we were from. After learning that two of my friends were from Kansas, Mr. Kim went on to explain the printmaking exchange program they have with that university. They replied, "Oh yes! We have a friend who did that program. Do you know Dana...?"
"Oh yes! I do. She was great!"
It's a smaller world than I thought,
-Bets
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