Yesterday was a real life changing experience for me, I did volunteer teaching for inner city kids. I wasn't sure what I was getting myself into, but by far this had the biggest impact in my life in Korea. Most of these kids live in a very poor town, it was very sketchy on the way to the school. Many of the shops have closed down due to the decreasing population in town and there are many barber poles along the streets. Barber poles in Korea don't have the same meaning as it does in America, it would be best to stay away from those. The kids are very different from the public school that I work at. They tend to be much more distant and are at a much lower level when it comes to English.
When I first came in, the kids were eating and I was offered a meal. Although I was full, I made sure I finished all my food. I looked at all the kids plates and every last grain of rice was eaten.
After supper, I went upstairs into a small room. It was actually the place where I would be teaching. The room could not fit no more than 8 people. They had no chalkboard, no computer, nothing that was typical of a learning environment. All they had was a little whiteboard that is typically used in front of restaurants to see what's on the daily menu.
Ahmee, my coteacher told me that the building that we were teaching in was actually the 3rd house used for the kids. The first house was burnt down, the second house was too small and so the government made them move out, and now they are staying there at the third house. However, the town is dieing and the government is actually thinking about renovating the area, which means that they may have to find another place to move the school. But that doesn't boast to well with the children because it will split them up. When such news is spread, the kids are uneasy because they once again have instability in their lives. They then tend to fight amongst each other and become harder to develop trust with them, because they think that you won't be a stable part of their lives.
When we started teaching the kids, they were really shy and awkward. They didn't say anything to me because I was new and they didn't know me, but Ahmee has been volunteering there for quite some time so they opened up a bit. They are really sweet once they start to open up to you. I almost cried when I saw these kids smile. I'm definitely going back to these kids as much as I can while I'm here in Korea. I want them to know that they can have a great life and a bright future..
