gyeongju

This past weekend, I met up with the other Fulbright ETAs in Gyeongju for a conference. It was incredible to see everyone after being away at our individual placements and to swap teaching stories. There were two main objectives for the conference: glean teaching information and rehearse The Fulbright Song for the 60th anniversary next weekend. I think both of those were obtained in the discussions and hours of choir rehearsal. Choir rehearsal was especially exciting. We had a group of 106 individuals, many of whom had never sung or never sung in a choir before. By day three, we actually had a decent sound.

On Sunday, those who wished could take the Gyeongju Tour. I was stoked to learn more about Korean tradition and culture. We began the tour by going to Seokguram, a cave that was carved out of the mountain with a twelve foot tall Buddha statue carved in as well. The carvings were beautiful. We then bussed to Bulguksa, a famous Buddhist temple that has been recreated after being destroyed. My favourite part of the day was the Gyeongju National Museum. We only had a few minutes to tour the museum and there was way too much to see. Some friends and I went to the Children's Museum (and got to make our own ink prints!!) and the Archeology museum. I was introduced to a new word, the chestlace, similar to a necklace, but for the whole torso. We took a short walk at Anapji, were some buildings used to stand and then took the bus over to the Cheomseongdae observatory. This is the oldest surviving original observatory in Korea and was used for both astrological and astronomical (okay, so at that time, they were virtually the same thing) observations. The stone structure dates to the seventh century. Near the observatory are the burial mound for the royalty during that time. These are the Cheonmachong tombs. The tombs are all above ground, so they look like giant hills covered in grass. Add a little snow, and king of the hill might not be a bad idea...One of the tombs has been excavated and we got to go inside as the conclusion of our great tour.

Sunday evening two friends and I had a persimmon adventure. Alanna is somewhat obsessed with persimmons and there were several trees near the hotel. I will not confirm or deny whether any trees were climbed by all members of the part and whether any persimmons were consumed...

On Monday morning, before heading back to the train station, Alanna and I decided to venture out onto the lake near the hotel in a donald duck paddle boat. For the mere sum of 10,000 won (less than $10) we got to rent a boat for half an hour. At first, that did not seem like a lot of time on the water; then we started pedaling. We floated around and took some pictures of birds on the water, laughing somewhat hysterically for much of the expedition.

The train ride back to hongseong was uneventful and it is great to know that I will see everyone again next weekend in Seoul.

 

At the top of Seokguram

 

Alanna catching some photos

 

roommates!!

 

A drum in Bulguksa

 

Alanna and Corrie in front of the children's musem

 

making an ink printing

 

Anapji

 

some of the Cheonmachong tombs

 

Cheomseongdae observatory

 

Yes, I rode in a donald duck boat

 

the view out the front

 

a heron

fulbright!

The laminated yellow slip in my mailbox informing me that I had a package did not raise any alarm bells, only a slight curiosity as to who sent me a package. When I exchanged it for a manila envelope from the "International Education Institution," I figured it was just another piece of junk mail, and proceeded to open it while I walked to my next appointment. The Fulbright letterhead immediately halted my stride. In a moment's hesitation I realized that six months of waiting was soon to be over. Upon receiving the news of this package, I would either be unbelievably elated or entirely depressed.

Back up half a year.

In October of 2009 I submitted an application for an English Teaching Assistant (ETA) grant to South Korea through Fulbright. I had decided while I was studying at Oxford that I love international travel and cultural immersion and wanted to incorporate this into my future plans. I had heard of Fulbright previously, and so I began the application process involving choosing a country, filling out multiple forms, obtaining reference letters, writing various essays, and having an interview. There are two components to a Fulbright Grant. Grantees can either perform research or teach English in a particular country. The Grant covers travel, housing and food, and generally includes a living stipend. The purpose of Fulbright is to establish positive connections between different countries by sending people from the United States abroad and bringing people from different countries to the US. I decided that I wanted to apply for an ETA in South Korea because the country and people sound fascinating, I would be placed in a home stay where I would actually live with a Korean family, I would get to teach elementary children, and Korea has a relatively vibrant Christian community.

Back to the present.

Before scanning the first paragraph of the letter, I slightly collapsed onto a stone bench in front of the caf and slowly inhaled. For the past couple of weeks I would get nervous just opening my email because of the possibility of there being news regarding the Fulbright. The decision was life-changing.

"Dear Miss Baker:

On Behalf of the William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board, I am pleased to congratulate you on your selection for a Fulbright award to Korea..."

I got the scholarship!!!

Elevated pulse, rapid breathing, flushed complexion, quivering fingers, wide eyes. I was incredibly excited and realized that I had to share the news with someone. I called family and friends and through the course of twenty-four hours, went through an emotional roller coaster.

I am going to Korea!
I am going to be away from my family for a year.
I get to learn Korean!
I have so much I have to do before I go.
I get to experience this new culture!
I won't see my friends for a while.
Am I really going? [pause to re-read letter] Wow, this is actually happening.

Details from Korea came in the mail the next day. I will be leaving 2 July 2010 and will begin with a six week language intensive training and the end of which I will be placed in a particular school. The scholarship will last twelve and a half months, with the possibility of extending it. I am nervous, but can't wait to get started.

This is the next step. I do not know all of God's plan for me, but I felt Him guiding me in this direction. I took a risk, applied, and am now going to Korea. Thanks to all who have been a part of this process and have prayed for me. I definitely will still need to lean on that encouragement and support.