Armadillo Class and Kim Jong Il's Countryside

Much has happened in the past week and highlights included my finding out that I will be switched to a full-time kindergarten teacher as of December, I came down with the second round of the deathly cold and have been left without a voice, and the DMZ tour I took with several friends (and contrary to what I so excitedly anticipated, Kim Jong Il did not greet me with open arms at the border).

First of all, I did not plan to be hailed as the Queen of Sheeba upon signing my first contract after completing a Bachelor's of Arts from the "Jesuit University in Cleveland," but this sudden job switch has left me a bit dissatisfied with my employer. After I decided that I needed a little stint abroad after graduation, I became co-teacher with some high school friends over here in Seoul. I came into the job with an open mind and with the view that it will be temporary until I return to the states to pursue a career more closely related to my areas of academic concentration. I have become settled in my ways (in terms of living, teaching, etc.) and on Monday, I was notified that I am going to be working as a full-time kindergarten teacher in Armadillo class as of December (when Mer1 leaves for home).

Since I began teaching, I have been working predominantly with older students who range from ages seven to about twelve, specifically from the hours of 11:30 am to 7:20 pm on a daily basis. In December, I will work longer days and with students who have never spoken English in their lives. It is not a surprise to me that this happens [not to me though! ha ha], but I thought I would at least have been asked of my comfort level with the change. I studied Political Science with a concentration on Latin America and it is quite obvious that I am a much more qualified candidate than those who have studied teaching, to teach "fresh out of the womb" Korean children how to speak English. As you scoff at my realization of how the real world functions, I will be over here adapting to the new change and learning to teach my little army of Korean kindergartners with their Hello Kitty pencil cases and lunch boxes :)

After the surprise at work, came the surprise victory lap of horrid cold. I was very sick about three weeks ago and this heinous bug has resurfaced. The trip that Carly, Darcie, Imee, Mer1 and I took to the DMZ yesterday probably did not help. Saturday was a very cold and rainy day in Korea. The five of us met at the United Service Organization (USO) at 7:15 am to catch our bus to the DMZ. I do not think I have been up that early on a Saturday since my sister, Rachel, and I woke up early to hurl damn newspapers on our neighborhood paper route when we were kids. The bus ride took a little over an hour and we stopped at Camp Bonifas, (located 2400 meters from North Korea) where we all exited our bus and boarded buses belonging to the military. Once we were on their buses, we were driven to the UN Security Building at Panmunjeom. We walked by this building and it hosts communication amongst the UN, North and South Korea. There were about five buildings. Three were blue buildings constructed as temporary buildings for talks between the north and the south in the 1950's. The buildings have remained in tact and are still used today.

The soldiers in the photos are all South Korean soldiers. Each male in South Korean is committed to two years of military service before the age of 30. Because of this, it is usual for men not to finish university at the age of 27 or 28.










Some Koreans I have spoken with have alluded to the potential unification of North and South Korea in the next ten years. After our tour on Saturday, it is very hard for me to see that happening anytime soon. North Korea has recently shown increased military power, making the south much more apprehensive to take any promises made by the North Korean government as sincere. The unification between North and South Korea would pose a significant threat to the free market economy of South Korea. South Korea's population is more than 48 million and North Korea has a population of more than 24 million people living under a communist dictatorship. South Korea is accepting of expatriates of North Korea and provide them with a haven once they safely arrive, however the North Korean government does all in its power to keep North Koreans in the country. Many families have been separated by the divide more than fifty years ago and if North Koreans attempt to escape to South Korea and are caught, family as far as three generations back are sentenced to death. South Korea even constructed a beautiful building for families to be reunited and that building has not been used for it's intended purpose due to the lack of cooperation from the north.


The building directly across the border had one North Korean guard visible to us on Saturday. On the tour, we were told not to point or make inappropriate gestures towards the north. There is one building to the far right of the three blue buildings that has curtains and is called the "Monkey House" because North Koreans would meet inside the building, close the curtains and make gestures such the slitting of the throat toward American and South Korean governments.
Darcie, myself, Mer1 and Imee stood beside a South Korean guard in one of the UN Security buildings. The flags of all countries who have been involved in talks were present in the room and had to be encased as of 2001 when immediately after 9/11 happened, North Korean soldiers went in the building and used the American flag to polish their boots.

North Korean building on the border. This building was originally only two stories high and when South Korea constructed a building directly across from it that was a bit taller, North Korea added the third story so their building was even taller. It is difficult to see, but on the first story out front, on the left, is a North Korean soldier standing his post. Many watch towers are spread throughout the DMZ and can overlook the military mobilization of the opposite country, in so far as about 24 km. The DMZ was an excellent area to see and I learned much more about the tension between North and South Korea. I would definitely recommend this tour for anyone who visits Korea. I hope that everyone has an excellent upcoming week and stay warm!