Global Teachers – South Korea 2024
Day 12: Wednesday, June 26
As the group boarded the bus, the mood was bittersweet. Everyone was sad to be leaving Korea, however they were also excited to see their families soon and share everything the had learned with their communities. Before going to the airport, the group listened to a guest speaker named Ms. Jane Jihye Kim, who provided further depth on Korea’s education system. After the lecture, the group participated in one final reflection before heading to the airport.
Mr. Caesar Campana
Cherokee County
“So here we are at the end of our journey. Nearly two weeks’ worth of exploration, learning, connection, collaboration, contemplation and, ultimately, gratitude. In a city of 10 million people, it is humanity and gratitude which pervade through even the smallest interaction: the young soldier giving his seat to the elderly woman on the subway, or the gregarious shopkeeper, who after a brief conversation, goes to her behind-the-counter cabinet to give me mementos — after I’ve already paid. “No, no…it’s my gift to you,” she says. Or the big smile, warm greeting and bow of the bus driver every time we get on the bus. Jackie’s and Esther’s impromptu stories of their upbringing. It is appreciation for fellow humans, present, past and future, which is the spirit of the place. Meticulously cared-for hanok rest timelessly in the shade and LED lights of the glass skyscrapers. You walk by them on the way to a trendy cosmopolitan restaurant, and, just for a minute, you consider, and feel oddly connected to, the feet that have walked these paths for centuries. This program has forever altered our own Westernized/American perspectives, and has to some degree reset our quick-fix fixations. No, it’s not a daily voracious intake of Kimchi that makes for good health. It’s not recycled plastics that lower emissions. It’s not saunas and body scrubs and bowing deeply and high speed trains and skin care and soju that make Koreans beautiful and intriguing. It’s not even the sum of these elements. It’s human dignity, the heart and soul of a people who believe that we are all in this together. A people who are proud of having climbed from the ashes of destitution and destruction. What an honor to be among people who assume, without precedent, that a fellow human — especially the foreign stranger — is up to good. Paying it forward is only a novelty when it’s not the norm. And for the Korean people, paying it forward seems effortlessly essential to who they are. It’s not perfect, and, as we learned today from Ms. Jane Jihye Kim’s lecture, there are costs — especially for the youngest and oldest — for being so coherently driven to succeed and do honor to what’s now a seventy-year movement. But this is a country and people who seem apt to solve crises, and the most powerful parts of Ms. Kim’s lecture were her candid and empathetic anecdotes about her two very different daughters, where we realized that positive change is on the horizon, and faith that a harmonious balance will be found at the family level. Family, and the concept it embodies, is a good place to end this. We are all grateful for our family — both the one we have built via this program — and the larger, global family to which we all belong.”
Mrs. Deidre McCallum
Robeson County
“My name is Deidre McCallum, participant of Go Global NC Teachers-South Korea 2024, and I would like to thank my generous sponsors at Simple Gifts for so graciously providing this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to me. I never thought I would travel outside the country, yet here I am doing it! I already had an interest in K-pop since last year. And that alone lead me to learning some things about the South Korean culture: their use of honorifics to show respect, their renown in the beauty industry, and their wonderful cuisine. Upon being selected to participate in this international professional development, my mind went into overdrive! I tried to learn the language on my own, but nothing prepares you when you are totally surrounded by the magnitude of it all. In my self-studies, I learned that showing subtle gestures (giving/receiving items with both hands and a slight bow) are appreciated in the South Korean culture. Even at times when I stumbled over the words, I made sure to show my appreciation by using both my hands when I could. I was fascinated each time I tried South Korean dishes. I like the textures and the miriad of flavors that have danced on my pallet. I will give my hand to recreating some dishes at home! While visiting several schools and enjoying our immersion in Seoul, I noticed the people of South Korea endeavor to keep their society moving forward…everyone, each individual contributing in their unique way. They are making sure to walk into their future together while collectively remembering their past and who they are. I want to give to my school community the things I witnessed the people of South Korea giving to each other: awareness of where they have come from as a people, a willingness to contribute to each other’s well-being every day, and an unshakable resolve to create their collective future on the world stage.”
Grant Hairston – Vance County
