Alex Kim ETA :: 2003-2004 Dongdo Middle School
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s any alumnus will tell you, the ETA experience can be one of the purest forms of cultural exchange a fresh college graduate could ever hope to achieve at such a young an age. An added bonus for me personally was the pleasure of working in my birthplace, Daegu. The fast-paced, lilting intonations of my faculty and student’s southern Gyeongsang dialect recalled summer vacations with relatives and immediately put me at ease. I was fortunate to have amazing co-teachers who guided me every step of the way. These hard working women led double-shift days by virtue of teaching students and raising children of their own. Despite their hectic schedules, I was treated with an unexpected level of love and care, as if they had suddenly been reunited with a long-lost younger brother. Our working relationship relied on mutual trust, allowing me a great deal of latitude for creative lesson plans, while I was awestruck everyday by their unending energy and daily diligence to consummate professionalism. Often after school, they would whisk me away on impromptu day trips to provincial Shilla relic sites, or to enjoy a farm fresh meal in some mountain suburb. The guilt vanished on the second trip when I realized they were joking about leaving their kids to starve back home. Another teacher invited me to go fishing on Geoje Island where we ate our catch right there on the dock with spicy head stew to wash it down. After-work discussions were stimulating and engaging; it was refreshing to know that the conservative stereotype of the Daegu people wasn’t true. We debated topics ranging from
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| Fulbright ETA Program 20 years in Korea
