Author Archives: womanofpeace

LADY IN RED ~ Today’s Street Fashion

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LADY IN RED ~ Today's Street Fashion

I met this Russian mother and her daughter in the park outside our apartment today. They didn’t speak French OR English! At first they didn’t want me to take a photo, but when I said, “Dasvidanya” (one of the only Russian words I could remember) they both smiled widely and agreed to the shoot. It was the mother’s red dress that caught my eye. I always admire women who dare to wear red. It’s a powerful color, and makes a bold and beautiful statement. I want one!! Anyway, I hope she enjoys the picture. Thank you, lady in red!

The Dream Job

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with KMU Students

with KMU Students

These are a few of my wonderful students at Kookmin University in Seoul, Korea. One day after class we noticed that we were all wearing pink, and decided to take a picture. I’m lucky to have it now as I look back at my dream job.

THE DREAM JOB
I think I always wanted to be a teacher, but somehow gave up the idea when I was quite young after hearing a disparaging remark from my older brother. Fast forward 40 years, and there I was, standing in front of a class of freshman university students in Korea. It was an incredible journey to get there, and it took me a long long time. I’m always grateful to Reverend Moon Sun Myung for “encouraging me” to go to graduate school where I got the credentials I needed, and then inviting me to come to Korea, where the only job I could do was teach.

My first job was at a “hagwon” which I would normally call an after-school language institute or academy. I worked in the countryside town of Gochang (고창) in Cheollabuk-do, a 3 and 1/2 hour bus ride from Seoul. It was the first place we went when we came to Korea, and we stayed there for 3 years. My husband and daughter were there with me. She was attending the Gochang Girls’ Middle School, and going through her own journey. (see http://dir.groups.yahoo.com/group/WorldTies/message/1816?o=1&d=-1)

The hagwon job was hard. I came home every day exhausted by the long hours and constant discipline problems. I didn’t really know how to teach, and I was in a country with an unfamiliar way of doing education. I was shocked by the games the kids played because of the pain they inflicted on each other, and the punishments they endured from their teachers. I surprised myself and knew I was getting inculturated when I bought one of those bamboo sticks that make a noise when you slap it into your palm.

When Emilie graduated, we moved to Seoul, and I was given a job at Seokyeong University because of its connection with her high school. It was an upgrade from life at the hagwon, and I was happy to be with other colleagues I could learn from, and older students who weren’t running around the classroom. However, I had learned a lot from my exuberant elementary school students in Gochang. They were incredibly un-self-conscious. I remember the time one of them came up to the front of the class to show me very proudly that she was wearing her first training bra. “Teacher, look!” I was the embarrassed one! Those kids showed me the Korean culture without realizing it, and I found myself falling in love.

After two years teaching at Seokyeong University, I got a job offer from Kookmin University. I didn’t realize it at the time, but I had just found my dream job. Looking out at my classes, I knew I was fortunate to have found a career that gave me a chance to be with young people every day, fit my skills and interests, and provided me with so much fulfillment and joy. I loved my work at KMU for many reasons. The school offered us a lot of freedom to create our own classroom style and content, which is not the case for many teachers. Our department chairman, Dr. Kim Do Yeon, gave us the opportunity to design and teach content courses in our specific fields of interest. I created a course in Extensive Reading, which was a growing passion of mine, and one of my colleagues designed a fantastic course in Greek Mythology. We were inspired and so were our students.

I gained a lot of experience while at KMU, and I gave a lot of time and attention to any student who asked for it. They were eager to overcome their fears of English and helping them was one of my main tasks as a teacher. They wanted to become global citizens, and English was the ticket to get them there. Sometimes I felt like a prophet on a mission ~ every second of class time was precious, and every thing we did was for the same goal and purpose~ to get them speaking freely and with confidence. I came to see myself as an ambassador for the US as well. Many Korean young people were voicing the popular sentiment to remove the American military from South Korea, and let their country stand for once on its own. I was aware that what I did and how I behaved made a difference.

There are many things I can tell you about my Dream Job at KMU, and one of the greatest takeaways was the collection of hundreds of stories that students wrote about their life challenges and victories. I am looking back now from across the sea and thinking about how precious these stories are, and how I would like to share them. So begins THE LIFE STORY PROJECT!

LEARNING EMOTION, A Korean university student tells the story and challenge of his life

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RD Stud 2A

  Hello, everyone. I am Park Jun Bum. It‘s a great honor for me that you’ve come to hear my speech. I’m a junior at Kookmin University and I’ve been studying Metal Craft for six years. Before I entered the university, I studied drawing for seven years, so I’ve been studying art for a total of thirteen years. As an art student, I have to be an emotional person. I’m learning how to take in my emotions in my daily life, and this is my story.

 

First, I’ve discovered that I can learn from everything around me. You can learn from people, animals, and the changing of the seasons. Here’s an example. One day I came back home at five in the morning, and I was really tired. I opened the door, and my house was dark and quiet. My family was asleep.  Only one small creature was awake, and that was my dog. He shook his tail and welcomed me in. He was happy that I had come back home. He never cares what time of day it is, how late it is, or how tired he is. He’ll always be there, and his eyes always seem to be encouraging me.

 

In Korea, we have a proverb, “He’s worse than a dog,” but at that moment I knew that this proverb was wrong. I learned then, that if a little dog can make me happy, then a little concern for others can make them happy as well. A truthful mind is revealed in truthful eyes, and you can trust that, and make good relationships with others. 

 

The second thing I’ve learned is always to be positive. A positive mind is really important in life, in making relationships with others, and in many other ways. When I was seventeen years old, my father committed suicide. He was disabled, and very unhappy all the time.  He lost his temper and was very negative. He tried to overcome his problems, but he couldn’t, and chose to kill himself. I lost my father and was very depressed, but I knew I couldn’t be like him. His death taught me a lot. This is when I learned the importance of having a positive mind. I want to always have a positive mind, even in bad situations. It’s like magic. This kind of mind doesn’t have hate, jealousy, blame or regret.  This kind of mind is happy and filled with delight and love. This kind of mind makes me happy and I can smile and live with appreciation for my life.

 

The third and final point is that everything is expression. This is not an exaggeration. I always express myself. I think human beings are social animals and we need to talk with other people, whether we’re happy or sad.  Sometimes I write my feelings down, or take a photo to show my emotions. I show my work to other people and we share our feelings with each other. This is a really enjoyable part of my life. When I express myself, I know I’m alive and that I can be a more active and passionate person. It tells me who I am and what I’m going to do, even in giving this speech.

 

Learn from everything, be a positive person and express your feelings; these are the ways I’ve learned to feel my emotions. I’ll probably be learning forever. I’m sure it’s going to give me a rich life, and maybe I can help others along the way. I hope we can all be happy and always live smiling at life.

 

The BAG

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Today is BAG day. I’m going to show you a few of my favorites.

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The first: an orange leather bag that’s perfect for carrying a lesson file or computer.
Inside it has a zipper pocket for valuables, and a slot for your cell phone. Easy to reach!
I love the length of the straps (adjustable) and the fact that it fits so nice and snugly under
my arm. Easier to bear the weight. This is my newest purchase from C&A~ After eyeing it for a couple of weeks, it finally went on sale, 50% off, and I grabbed the last one for 17 euros~ A STEAL!

I’m modeling it here with my favorite “pucci-esque” vintage pants-skirt, which I found at a thrift store in Clearwater, Florida last year. Love love love!

Second: The black fabric beach bag is from Costa Rica. It is charming, and unusual (it looks like a skirt), and I knew I had to buy it when I saw it.

Third: The Briefcase for HER. This was a thrift store find in Seoul. A brand name item (ssamzie) familiar to a Korean but not to me, this bag was another steal (20,000won, or about $20) all leather, and in excellent condition. I love it because it’s good for the professional look at a meeting when you need to have your clipboard and portfolio on hand. (hmmm….how many of those events do I actually attend?) In actuality, I don’t use it often, but when I do, I always feel GOOD.

If you like any of these, please post a comment. I am happy to hear what you think! 🙂

TRAINER meets TRAINER (waiting for the TRAIN, of course!)

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Today Jean and I went to Charleroi. I was a teacher trainer for the day. On the way home, we we were waiting for our train, and a young woman walked up and sat on the bench next to us. I couldn’t take my eyes off her outfit. I mean, I have been wanting exactly those kind of pants for a LOOOOOOONNNNNGGGG time. Flowing. Gorgeously colorful. Per-fectly comfortable.

So, I did what I have been wanting to do for a LOOOOOOOONNNNGGG time: I asked if I could photograph her for my fashion blog! She was happy to pose for these few pictures. I just wish I had a better camera, so I could have gotten some better shots. Next time!

It turns out that Cindy was just getting back from doing a training of her own in the same place!! We must have just missed each other in the hallway. Well, let it be known: It is indeed a very small world.

Thanks, Cindy! You’re my first street fashion model 🙂