Experience Teaching with PLUR Volunteering

Today, a large portion of University of Michigan students volunteered for an organization called PLUR in which the program we participated in was named Teach Your Soul. The teaching part of the volunteer program was not so much 'teaching', but more of watching the children At the school and play games in English in which they may recognize, or not.

Going into the volunteering I thought that I would be helping teach English in a classroom where the students were seats at desks, facing forward to the black board, and waiting our arrival along with their teacher. But the result was much different from this vision. As our group exited the metro station exit we were greeted by a lady that was even surprised that we had arrived, not because we were late but possibly because we did not know what was expected during our volunteering time and because she was also just filling in for a teacher and she knew how the classroom interactions were for these types of classes. With her we walked to the bus stop in which she told us that we would ride the bus to the end of the line, to the bus terminal. It definitely was a long ride as she explained. We then got off the bus at the terminal and proceeded to walk up a larger hill to find this school for our volunteering. Almost hidden between a small grocers market and wedged into a strip of miscellaneous stores was the school.

From outside the school building the school was unnoticeable. After our group walked up multiple narrow stiarways to the top of the building where the classrooms were located, it was evident by the loud talking and yelling of children that we had arrived to our destination. During our time at the school we had many different interactions with the kids whom were aged about 7 years old to 13 years old, I think. We played multiple american games like Simon Says to learn how to follow directions and listen to English. Also we played a Korean game which is very hard to explain but I will post about it later when I can research on it, but it was fun!

Our whole day was exhausting but it was definitely an experience to see the different school types that children attend in Korea. The children that we helped teach English to were less privileged than many other children in Korea.

DMZ & Namdaemun Markets

Today was an exciting day! Our group went on the DMZ tour, which the DMZ is the demilitarized zone existing around the borders of North and South Korea. The tour consisted of stopping at multiple places during the tour. We traveled to the train station that used to be means of traveling from South to North Korea, the observation zone, and the 3rd tunnel that was dug by the North Korean military from North to South Korea. First, we went to the train station which the train used to run from South Korea to North Korea. Our president took part in supporting the South Korean Leader make an agreement with the North Korean leader to have a train running from South to North Korea as means of getting to North Korea, but the agreement had ended. The station is now not in use but it remains opened for this tour to remind everyone of the connection that North and South Korea had and for the hopes that one day it will be up and running again.

Next, we went to the observation tower to view North Korea..or at least try to! As we walked up to the observation deck, our guide pointed to the ground and told us that the red line that we see is the furthest we can walk when taking pictures; I was surprised at first by this. As I put my camera away and walked past the red line, I was amazed by the horizon of North Korea..and hoping I got a good picture of it! I went to reach for my camera to take a picture of the numerous soldiers that were in the auditorium to our right, but it was as if I got a shock to my hand remembering that we were not allowed to take pictured. :( After that, we were able to use the binoculars to view the line between North and South Korea, including the bases and soldiers within the DMZ. Finally, after we were through with viewing, we walked over to the R.O.K. sign as our tour guide told us about the reason why the mascot is a tiger.


Lastly, we were able to go to the 3rd tunnel that North Korea infiltrated which was discovered in October of 1978. During our time walking through the mini museum about the tunnels, we learned more about when all four of the tunnels were discovered, along with learning more about the demilitarized zone between North and South Korea. Soon after we were told to head to the restrooms if we needed because right after we were going to head down to the tunnel. Grabbing our helmets and strapping them on, we started to walk and sometimes jog down the steep decline down to the tunnel. At times I wanted to just roll down the decline because it seemed so long! ha just kidding. After finding ourselves at the end of the decline, we then had to walk through the actual tunnel that was dug out, ducking our heads at times! When we finally reached the furthest point we could walk to, we headed all the way back to where we had walked down. Many of our group members thought it would be a good idea to run back up the incline - and it only lasted for so long! Walking back up, many of us were short of breath and just wanted to see the end of the tunnel. But what an experience it was!

 --If I lived in Seoul near the DMZ, I would feel safe. A lot of the people we talked to during our time at the DMZ said that there was not an immediate threat, nor were North Korea's threats that intense to feel fear towards. The city of Seoul goes on every day with their normal lives as if there is no war between these two places. As a person from another country and hearing all of the commotion of North Korea's threats and then actually living in Seoul, I never felt any tension while I was walking around; so that goes to show what other countries perceive without actually being in the country. I feel as though North Korea and South Korea have just two different groups of personalities, just like any two people do. Until two people can come to terms and agree with something, this is the same thing with these two countries. With this, I am not sure about how often the United States tries to take the role of negotiating people between world powers.

Later after we got back from the DMZ tour, our group headed to Namdemun, and outdoor market area. In this market and many other markets, the vendors may sell items that are copies of American styles and brands. While our group was out visiting Namdemun, it was not hard to come across many vendors that were openly selling copies of many top name brands such as "Louis Vuitton", "Chanel", and "Guess" brands. Of all the different copied brands there were, they were of purses, shoes, hair-ties, and clothes. Some of these copies are so interesting that you would just want to purchase one, or a couple, to take home with you! These copies are different from the originals by not looking necessarily looking like the exact brands; like instead of "The North Face", it would be "The North Pole", similar but not the same. I think that these products are marketed toward people who would like to have the original but can't necessarily afford it, just like in the United States. I'm not sure what kind of status these copies signify, but it's just people would would like the real thing that cannot afford it, or they don't want to ruin the expensive brand.

Interactions with SNU

My interactions so far with SNU, Seoul National Universary, students has been a bit interesting. The students in our combined class do not seem to me as though they want to talk in class. I am not sure whether this is because they are shy or if the reason is that they may be afraid of being judged when using their English, yet both may be the case.

Although our SNU classmates seem to be shy or nervous, they were very welcoming to us University of Michigan students when entering their class and even when we talked and shared about ourselves. Even when it was not their time to speak, the students would listen very carefully to what we had to say. They seemed to be very respectful to visiting students of our diverse group.

While walking around campus there are many tents in which students sell foods that they make themselves. As we, the University of Michigan students, would walk by we would be excitingly approached by SNU students using a bit of English to come over to buy some food. It was surprising how open the students were to approaching possible foreigners, but they did not seem to mind and, in fact, many students would ask where we were from.

For questions that I wanted to ask we're how many foreigners actually come to do programs, non-degree based, at SNU during a year? I would like to know this because even though there are foreign students, shorter term foreign students may have A harder time making friendships or networking, and I wanted to know if we might have the same problem while we are here if it's harder to make these connections in our 18 days.

Introduction!

Annyeonghaseyo!


My name is Tracy Ellen Cecilia Mac! I will be a senior at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor this coming Fall semester. I am majoring in Psychology and minoring in Gender and Health from the Women Studies department.


During the month of May I started my travels in South Korea. My traveling is a part of a study abroad trip through GCC, Global Course Connections, through the University of Michigan. On this study abroad trip I will be studying at Seoul National University, SNU, in a course along with another group of students from SNU. In the class we will be comparing and analyzing South Korean and American Cultures, participating in dialogue through various topics related to culture, and learning from the South Korean culture by participating in activities related to life in Korea.


I mostly chose to apply to go on this study abroad trip because I wanted to learn about a culture and a country's history that I had not learned about in previous courses or years in my schooling. I hope that this trip will help me gain an understanding for their culture and daily life activities along with being able to make friendships and experiences along the way.


Although I've started to write this blog, and this section, later than anticipated, I have experiences many different cities and neighborhoods in and around Seoul, and I'm having a wonderful time! I have experienced a lot of cultural gestures and non-verbal communication, and have met many people, especially when asking for directions!


In my later blog posts I will talk about field sites and trips I have went on with my group, and personal experiences. Can't wait to experience more of South Korea!