1993-1994Karen Peirce

Karen Peirce

ETA :: 1993-1994

Haksung Middle School

500 words to tell the story

500 words to tell the story of a 21 year old who receives notice on Embassy letterhead that she is going to Korea

500 words to tell the story of instant celebrity on a small college campus of cramming “Survival Korean” tapes of packing for a year in two suitcases

500 words to tell the story of Mrs. Lee and Ms. Choi who taught us Korean in the Embassy compound

500 words to tell the story of Elaine “Sways” of the Blue House bodyguards of a USO tour to Panmunjom

500 words to tell the story of sock puppets aiming to teach conversation in between sightseeing at Chongmyo and Seoul Tower

500 words to tell the story of yogwans of watermelon of aircon

500 words to tell the story of the Suncheon Rag the Towanda newsletter and the desperation of reading the English on toothpaste tubes

500 words to tell the story of the Muju Ski Resort of being stared at of being shoved on a Busan sidewalk

500 words to tell the story of a profoundly disabled teenage boy both neighbor and student giggling as he poked at my big nose

500 words to tell the story of Buddhist chanting of hikers in high heels of riding the kosok bus

500 words to tell the story of ghost stories in Iri more people in a hotel room than can possibly be legal and Christmas at the Dragon Hill Lodge

500 words to tell the story of New Years Eve in Jeonju of catching the bouquet at a co-teacher’s wedding of Andy’s English Fun Workshop

500 words to tell the story of cultural ambassadorship that goes both ways and wondering what it means to seem more Korean than American

500 words to tell the story of Seoraksan of Haeinsa of Haeundae Beach

500 words to tell the story of learning to play the kayagum on a borrowed instrument in the Haksung Chung Hakkyo library

500 words to tell the story of cuttlefish

of bibimbap of kimchi

500 words to tell the story of traveling to Andong to see the folk festival and ending up at the Gangneung Mask Dance Festival instead

500 words to tell the story of the Daejeon Expo of hitchhiking on Jeju-do of the Plaza Hotel

500 words to tell the story of being the only American in Ulsan but not being the only expat and finding acceptance among the other “others”

500 words to tell the story of continuing to study hanguk-mal of craving panchan of listening to Seo Taeji and the boys

500 words to tell the story of the greatest but also the most challenging year of my life and how it lingers

above right

Karen and her home stay sister in Gyeongju

below right

Karen and few of her ETA friends during an excursion to Iri