Implementation of Universal Design for Learning in South Korean Universities

My name is Kristen Svenstrup. I have been teaching English as a foreign language for more than eight years. My first experience with EFL was in Rennes, France where I studied French at a local university and taught English a few days a week at Jean Moulin Collége (middle school). When I graduated from university with a degree in international studies and a minor in French and linguistics, I set out to teach English in South Korea. Since that time, I have worked with many different age groups. I even took a short break from South Korea to obtain my CELTA (Certificate of Teaching English to speakers of other languages) in Cape Town, South Africa where I taught English to French speaking Congolese refugees as part of my training. I am now working at Ulsan University in Ulsan, South Korea as a native English Instructor. Through my teaching experience, I have gained some insight into other languages and cultures.

In the Middle

I can't believe I still have another six months to go in Korea before I move on to SA to be married and then US. Going home seems like a distant dream. How many times have I dreamt that I was arriving at the Indianapolis International Airport? If you would have told me the day I left Indiana on April 7, 2011 I would only return 3 1/2 years later and a married woman nonetheless, I'd say I'd scarcely believe it. Although, I miss my friends and family dearly, I've grown immensely. I’ve learnt to stand on my own two feet. While this was happening, I met Carlo and we sort of grew into one. But somewhere in the middle of leaving home and finding myself engaged I was independent of sorts....wasn't I? Anyways, I dare say that some of my friends won't recognize me with the weight loss and my increased confidence what have you.

 

But life goes on. And I plan on living it, but I will remember to keep my family and friends, the things I hold most near and dear to me.

Am I evil or lovable?

It's all fun and games until your students replace the villian's name with your in the story book that you are reading. I tried not to "read into this" too much.

BBQ time!

Last weekend there was a 10th anniversery party at a famous Western bar
in town. For the special occasion they had a free BBQ and all of the
foreigners came from around town to collect. It was so much fun. There
was a point where I almost forgot that I was living in a foreign
country. There was a live band playing Foo Fighters, Kings of Leon,
and all of the classics. The foreign communtiy here is lovely, just as
I guessed. ;)

Korean Class

I am now in my 3rd week of Korean class taught by the sweetest Korean
man known....to Korea. The class is specifally offered to foreigner
teachers in hagwons, the type of Korean private school that I teach
in). We are learning the Korean alphabet at the moment. The people in
my class are pretty rad. I know that it sounds pretty lame to think
that hanging out in a tiny room with a bunch of foreiners learning to
speak Korean sounds like pretty lame way to spend the morning but I
love being in the learning atmosphere again. And we go out to lunch
afterwards. Food makes everything better where we say things in
Korean....APPLICATION! The second best part about my class is that its
free!

Busan

Carlo and I went to Busan for a day trip to see some of his friends from S. Africa. Busan is this beautiful coastal town where Korean flock to from all over the country to soak up the sun...ironically they lay on the beach covered from head to toe so they dont actually get a sun tan (Korean people think that the whiter they are the more beautiful they are). It is said that if you go to this beach during the summer, you dont even see an open area of sand because every inch of it is covered by blankets and umbrellas. The beach was beautiful and to top it off they had a culture festival complete with traditional dances, traditional dances including sticking a bunch of children in a pool full of fish and having them race to see who can catch the most. There were beach side restaurants and fire works and korean kites. It was beautiful.

But the beach side festivities were only the opening act for the real reason we came to Busan.....the Lotte Giants Baseball game. A Korean baseball game is something you truly have to experience for yourself. It is hard for me to describe it to you but I will try. The level of crowd involvement is incredible. The chants are Western songs that have been transformed into Korean. Everyone has homemade pom-poms and/or a foam finger. The food is cheap the fans are loud. Obviously not being about to speak Korean, I had no idea what they were chanting but I chanted it with them anyways. The Koreans thought that this was hilarious seeing the "foreigners" try to yell at the opposing team in broken Korean. Ahhhhh dreams came true that day at the baseball field

Moonsusong

On the outskirts of Ulsan there is this path up the mountain that leads to this temple called Monsusong. Easter Sunday, after Carlo and I left church, we took a motorccle ride through the mountains, through a bamboo forest and he brought me to the base of this trail. It was a surprise. He choose wisely seeing as how I love to hike and everything nature. We hiked up the mountain to the top where there was a beautiful temple, Buddist monks roaming around, trees in full bloom. It was amazing. Unfortunately I forgot my camera at home but this one picture did come from this hike.

Noribong

Noribong
A Noribong is the korean twist on karoking, but instead of doing it in
front of a big crowd you get your own room. This room could be big
enough for 10 people or only big enough for one. A noribong can be a
great place to finish an evening out with your friends when you are
feeling more willing to sing along to your favorite tunes. The
Noribong can be a great place to take your secret crush on a date
aswell. Carlo decided to take me to a noribong on our third date. It
was very entertaining and memorable, not for the faint at heart but
great for romancing an American girl. Then you stumble upon people who
go to a noribong by themself. Carlo and I saw many Korean children in
an arcade singing in a noribong room all by themselves. Which is weird
for me because I would never want to do karoke by myself.....too
awkward. Especially when there is a clear window where everyone else
can see inside... singing

This is an essential part of the Korean experience though. I recommend highly

Cat Brothel

There's this infamous Cat Cafe in Ulsan where you can go to get a
quick bit to eat and cup of coffee and a furry companion. You can
selection one of the many cats roaming the building to accompany for
your time. I like to think of this place as a "cat brothel" if you
will. The idea is a good concept but once put into practice it doesnt
really work. First of all, the whole place smells like cat pee. Not
great for the restaurant aspect, the real money maker. Secondly, the
cats like hang out in the kitchen....and that just ain't kosher with
me, unless you are parshal to having a side of cat hair with your
pancakes. If this went down in the States, the board of health would
be all over that like white on rice....(they eat a lot of rice
here...hehe)

I guess the plus side about all of these "rented cats" are that they have some kind of a union, because they are rarely open we finally got into the cat brothel after trying to get in three times. So these cats got rights too!

so this is kinda awkward

My appolgies for not writing about my first month in Korea. My time in
Korea has been greatly added to by the influence of one individual.
This individual as you may have guessed is a man. Not just any man, a
South African man. From the moment he started pursuing me we have been
on an adventure...together in Korea. I guess the reason I have not
shared my stories with you world is because the majority of them
involve this man. But enough time has passed that I feel like
including you in my life world.
So here we go, the cat is out of the bag. We have some catching up to do.

Immigration Health Check

When you enter Korea on a visa, you most have a health screening for
immigration within the first 3 weeks of your arrival. The manager
decided it would be a great idea for me to have my health screening
right of the bus into Ulsan.

So we go to the hospital, and as soon as I enter the examination room
all eyes were on me, the foreigner. As I sit down, I see all of these
different stations set in a circle arond the room and I was informed
that I would be taking all of the examinations, while a room full of
Koreans watched my every move.

Chapter 1: Weight
I was asked to remove my shoes and stand on this scale with this long
pole sticking up out of it. I thought this contraption was just going
to tell them my weight. I stand on it and then the nurse comes to me
and tries to adjust my body because I was obvious doing something
wrong, so what do I do? I try to awkwardly correct the mistake
myself, and try turning around to face the pole. While this is
happening, this bar comes down from the top of this pole and bops me
on the head and that is when I realized that this pole is trying to
take my height as well. So this nurse moves my body around again until
I am face forward. I stand with my back straight against the pole.
They say outloud how talk I was in Korean as my Korean audience is
amazed at my freakish height.

Chapter 2: Hearing Test
A new nurse took me into a room labeled hearing test where she no joke
solely took measures of my chest and then sent me into a sound proof
room to listen for beeps on a machine. What my bust size
has to do with a hearing test. I know not

Chapter 3: X-Ray
This male nurse brought me into a room and shut the door and said "OK,
take bra off, shirt off. Put gown on." So, I went behind a curtain and
did as he said. He brought me to this machine and placed my chin on
this bar, he put my arms on my waist, and pushed them forward against
the machine. He pushes a button ands says "Punish it." When I did
nothing, he says louder "PUNISH IT!" I starred at him with an
extremely confused look on his face. He pulls me away from the machine
and says "Finish-e". Which is what he had been saying all along. A
then get dressed and moved to the next station.

Chapter 4: Not really sure what they were checking for.
This female nurse takes me behind a curtain and has me remove my shoes
and lay on the bed. She then tells me to pull my shirt up, which is
normal, my doctor at home does this when she examines my abdomen, so I
oblige and pull my shirt up to reveal my abdomen and she says "NO, up
all of the way!" I then give her an off look and look towards the
curtain because I know that the thin curtain is all the keeps my
Korean audience from seeing my "goods". I reluclently do as she says
and she attached all of these suction cups to my chest and then
connected something that looked like a car battery charger to my toes.
Not really sure what they were testing for....

Chapter 5: Urine Sample
How can a urine sample not be awkward, really. The male nurse sent me
off to the bathroom with a cup. Maybe its a combination of carrying
your own urine through a crowded room and being self conscious about if
your pee smells or is too dark (hey I had just got a 24 hour plane ride)
but it was not enjoyable. I handed the man my cup and watched as he
extracted to viles out of it and then he hands me the cup back. He
tells me to throw it away and I swear he pointed the trash can right
next to his desk. I thought to myself this is weird but he just pointed
to this trash can. Right as I am about to dump it in what seemed to be
this nurse's personal trash can he stops me and says "NO,NO!" and
points now to the restroom.

Chapter 6: The Blood Test
As I come back from the restroom, this same male nurse is already
upset with me because this dumb foreinger just tried to pour their pee
into his trash. He tells me to roll my sleeve up because he will be
taking my blood. Now, I am really into giving blood. I might be on the
edge of being addicted to giving blood. In the states, I give blood
religiously with my friends. I feel like its my super power, my gift
to the world. I absolutely love it, but when that male nurse barely
cleaned arm and jabbed that needle in my arm, I was not a happy
camper. In the US, they will clean your vein for 30 seconds, will look
at both arms to see which arm has a bigger vein, make a mark to see
the direction the vessel flows, gentle insert needle, and then bandage
your arm up properly. This guy gave me what appeared to be a wet wipe
and told me to hold it there until the blood stopped.

Chapter 7: Wrong Room
As I am making my way around the stations in the rooms, I try to enter
in the next room without being told to do so. The lady outside the
door was just smiling at me and I took that as a clue that it is my
turn to enter the room. As I try to walk in the room my manager grabs
my arm and says "NO, penis!" Confused as ever I look back a the sign
on the door it said "Prostate Examination"

And thus concludes my short story of my trip to the immigration health check.

Don't Radiation Rain on My Parade

I have a arrived in Korea and it is already beginning to feel like home. I got into Ulsan last Thursday morning and went straight to work. But before I started, I had to get an immigration health check. See the short story I wrote about that fateful hour in later posts.

Yes, it did radiation rain the day I came to Ulsan but the glowing as worn off so you can stop messaging me on my facebook wall and declaring war on my inbox (MOM).

Most children get sent to Korea with a jar of peanutbutter and maybe so homemade goodies. But no, my mom sent me with a radiation kit complete with a mask, protective eye wear, and of course sea kelp pills.

More to come. Love you all

Life Diet?!?!

I feel like about to go on a diet, but a huge life diet. If feel that I will have a restricted life in Korea, without access to the people, luxuries, and yes even food that I have grown so accustomed to. So lately, I have just pulled out all of the stops. Hanging out with so many people, going so many places, and eating a lot of hamburgers (when in Rome right?).

Well, I leaving in 12 hours and my room looks like a disaster.

Oeuvre d'Art

As Im sorting through my things I found this notepad I had when I lived in France that I use to write new vocab words in. I came upon this gem of a poem I wrote one day in my grammar class titled "Gummies"

"I shoved some gummies in my pocket and I set off for the day.

I sneak a gummy here and there.

Someone caught a glance.

They ask of one from me and I say "Stop gummy stealing from me. "

The gummies in my stomach want company so I obliged.

Oh no...gummy ache"

-November 2008

As I came upon this, I realized that I have a way with words. My friends in Fishers threw me a going away party and I didn't know how to repay them so I wrote them this poem and read it to them at our small group. I am no wordsmith but I do know my way around a rhyme dictionary. Without any further adu, here is "To My Small Group"

To my life long friends I bid thee farewell
The time spent together I think we must dwell
All the stories and hangouts that we've shared altogether
Through ups and downs through good and bad weather
summers filled with volleyball
the worst player on the team I was
you smiled and laughed and said better luck next time
A group of people that accepted my lack of coordination? It was sublime

Tubing in the summer air, hangin with the ladies w/o a care
Giving blood to our hearts content,
Looking after children who would not relent
Many road trips we underwent
many burdens we did vent
And now we welcome Brent

You've held me up and made me understand
Made me proud to say I'm with the band (*disclaimer Tuesday Life Church)
You make my week easier,

You make my memories sweeter,

You make my love for the Lord deeper, you,ve made my travels cheaper
Although living with my mom for this long was never the plan,

You've made this place anything but bland

(*now I try to do a bit from Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer)
On John, on Daniel, on Chris,on Becky
On Doug, on JerErin on Jason and Jenny
On Brent, on Grafton and sometimes the Denos
Have a merry... Life


For even though I walk in the shadow of North Korea
I will fear no disunity, I'm set!
I've got this. Don't you know I've got community?
and with this love that I must confess I will do my best to digress
Though oceans and time zones may come between us I will remember you
You've showed me to learn from Jesus, live the gospel and love in community.

Thanks for giving me the opportunity

Kristen EXOTIC?!?!

I promise I'm not trying to be inappropriate.

It just has occurred to me that in a couple of weeks I will be considered EXOTIC, a foreigner, a minority.

exotic- (adj) Originating in or characteristics of a distant foreign country

This is never a word that I would choose to describe myself, but it is a coming reality

My hopes are that Koreans don't expect foreigners to adhere to all of the local norms because it always seem like I do or say the wrong thing when I am put in a cultural situations. My research suggest that I need to remain humble in all situations because this cultural prizes modesty and second that Korean society elevates the group (family and colleagues) over the individual. Communal living: I can dig it.

Note to self: Check my pride and independence at the door.....CHECK!