Column
2018 Fellowship for Textbook Specialists of Bulgaria
18SOU "William Gladstone" : Korean language education in Eastern Europe and the center of Korean Wave
Asya Antova
Teacher, 18SOU "William Gladstone"
I was extremely flattered to receive an invitation from the Academy of Korean Studies (AKS) to visit South Korea at the end of May this year and to participate in one-week seminar focused on the better and correct perception of the information about Korea provided in the Bulgarian textbooks.
Having graduated from one of the top universities in the Republic of Korea, I have always wanted to contribute to the deeper understanding of the Korean language, culture, lifestyle and history among the Bulgarian students. Actually, during the last couple of years, the interest in the Korean language and culture has been growing rapidly in Bulgaria – since the opening of the first Korean class at our school in 2011(as a model school in Europe for teaching Korean as a first foreign language) the state admission for this class has always been hundred percent and more students are passionate to join it. The main reason for such a great interest among the Bulgarian youth is the spread of the so called “Korean wave”, a sophisticated blend of Korean individuality and global universalism. That’s why, I consider the Fellowship program with AKS of great importance to keep myself informed and “updated” with information concerning Korea.
As far as the seminar and the trip are concerned, they were perfectly planned and organized to the smallest detail. Our delegation was welcomed with open arms and incomparable hospitality. During the very first day of our stay we had the chance to visit Seoul where tradition and technology are equally embraced. Especially, I was excited to visit the spectacular Joseon-era Gyeongbokkung palace and to notice a new trend that I very much like – young Koreans wearing traditional clothes (hanbok) and taking pictures everywhere at the palace. I consider this a great example how Koreans preserve their unique customs from the past and transmit them to the young generation - the future of the nation.
Moreover, the lectures at the seminar were very well chosen and definitely built on my knowledge about the Korean educational system, economic development and the current inter-Korean relations. I believe that it is no coincidence that the time of economic growth and the time when the Korean society began to devote serious attention to education match chronologically. Education in Korea has been elevated to a cult. From a young age children have been kept busy ten to fifteen hours at school including extracurricular lessons. Thus, they not only gain knowledge but most importantly educate themselves about the most valuable qualities of success – hard work and persistence. Also through the lectures I learnt about the educational reform in 2015 and found out lots of similarities with the current goals of the Bulgarian education system focused on achieving the 21st century key competences as a precondition for the 21st century student to be confident in forging its own life and career.
However, the thing that impressed me the most was the school visit to the Kyodong Elemtary School in Seoul, where they welcomed us with a special poster written in Bulgarian saying: “Welcome! We love you!”. I felt this visit really special because I know very well that in Korea school visits are not common at all. Therefore, we felt privileged to be given the opportunity not only to observe but also to participate in real classes, such as the one in Korean traditional painting, and also to engage in a dialogue with the vice principal and the head techer sharing knowledge and good practices.
Furthermore, the day trip to Gyeongju, rich in history and culture, left me with remarkable memories. Right after we got out of the KTX train station in Shin Gueongju a pink bus was waiting for us. The driver was local, extremely kind and eager to explain in details a lot of interesting stories about his hometown. Koreans are very proud of their country and cultural heritage, I believe with good reason.
I have to mention that most of the sites in Gyeongju are designated as a UNESCO World Heritage. As our first step we visited the famous Bulguksa Temple, where we could feel the Buddhist spirit. Afterwards we also stopped at Seokguram Grotto, a 8th century cave temple considered as one of the best creations of Buddhist art in East Asia. Right after we reached the temple, rain began to fall. The view from up above was absolutely breathtaking! Fog coated the mountain and the sound of the raindrops made me relax, calm and peaceful. At that moment I really felt why they call Korea the ”Land of the Morning Calm”. The view and atmosphere were beyond religion.
In Gyeongju we also tried very delicious traditional Korean cuisine, very well selected by hour host Mrs. Jae-Yun Jeong. I cannot help mentioning that I very much appreciated the great effort of Mrs. Jeong, who was always ready to explain with smile and help us better understand every aspect of the Korean culture and make us feel as comfortable as possible during our stay in South Korea. Korean people have an explanation for this kindness called Jeong Jaeyun, which roughly translates as sympathy, care, sentiment. I definitely could say that I felt the Jeong Jaeyun during these seven days spent in South Korea.
In conclusion I could say that it was a great honor and privilege to be invited for this fellowship and I would perform at my best to encourage active discussions, exchange of good practices as well as conduct a number of open lessons and presentations to promote better understanding of Korea.
Having graduated from one of the top universities in the Republic of Korea, I have always wanted to contribute to the deeper understanding of the Korean language, culture, lifestyle and history among the Bulgarian students. Actually, during the last couple of years, the interest in the Korean language and culture has been growing rapidly in Bulgaria – since the opening of the first Korean class at our school in 2011(as a model school in Europe for teaching Korean as a first foreign language) the state admission for this class has always been hundred percent and more students are passionate to join it. The main reason for such a great interest among the Bulgarian youth is the spread of the so called “Korean wave”, a sophisticated blend of Korean individuality and global universalism. That’s why, I consider the Fellowship program with AKS of great importance to keep myself informed and “updated” with information concerning Korea.
As far as the seminar and the trip are concerned, they were perfectly planned and organized to the smallest detail. Our delegation was welcomed with open arms and incomparable hospitality. During the very first day of our stay we had the chance to visit Seoul where tradition and technology are equally embraced. Especially, I was excited to visit the spectacular Joseon-era Gyeongbokkung palace and to notice a new trend that I very much like – young Koreans wearing traditional clothes (hanbok) and taking pictures everywhere at the palace. I consider this a great example how Koreans preserve their unique customs from the past and transmit them to the young generation - the future of the nation.
Moreover, the lectures at the seminar were very well chosen and definitely built on my knowledge about the Korean educational system, economic development and the current inter-Korean relations. I believe that it is no coincidence that the time of economic growth and the time when the Korean society began to devote serious attention to education match chronologically. Education in Korea has been elevated to a cult. From a young age children have been kept busy ten to fifteen hours at school including extracurricular lessons. Thus, they not only gain knowledge but most importantly educate themselves about the most valuable qualities of success – hard work and persistence. Also through the lectures I learnt about the educational reform in 2015 and found out lots of similarities with the current goals of the Bulgarian education system focused on achieving the 21st century key competences as a precondition for the 21st century student to be confident in forging its own life and career.
However, the thing that impressed me the most was the school visit to the Kyodong Elemtary School in Seoul, where they welcomed us with a special poster written in Bulgarian saying: “Welcome! We love you!”. I felt this visit really special because I know very well that in Korea school visits are not common at all. Therefore, we felt privileged to be given the opportunity not only to observe but also to participate in real classes, such as the one in Korean traditional painting, and also to engage in a dialogue with the vice principal and the head techer sharing knowledge and good practices.
Furthermore, the day trip to Gyeongju, rich in history and culture, left me with remarkable memories. Right after we got out of the KTX train station in Shin Gueongju a pink bus was waiting for us. The driver was local, extremely kind and eager to explain in details a lot of interesting stories about his hometown. Koreans are very proud of their country and cultural heritage, I believe with good reason.
I have to mention that most of the sites in Gyeongju are designated as a UNESCO World Heritage. As our first step we visited the famous Bulguksa Temple, where we could feel the Buddhist spirit. Afterwards we also stopped at Seokguram Grotto, a 8th century cave temple considered as one of the best creations of Buddhist art in East Asia. Right after we reached the temple, rain began to fall. The view from up above was absolutely breathtaking! Fog coated the mountain and the sound of the raindrops made me relax, calm and peaceful. At that moment I really felt why they call Korea the ”Land of the Morning Calm”. The view and atmosphere were beyond religion.
In Gyeongju we also tried very delicious traditional Korean cuisine, very well selected by hour host Mrs. Jae-Yun Jeong. I cannot help mentioning that I very much appreciated the great effort of Mrs. Jeong, who was always ready to explain with smile and help us better understand every aspect of the Korean culture and make us feel as comfortable as possible during our stay in South Korea. Korean people have an explanation for this kindness called Jeong Jaeyun, which roughly translates as sympathy, care, sentiment. I definitely could say that I felt the Jeong Jaeyun during these seven days spent in South Korea.
In conclusion I could say that it was a great honor and privilege to be invited for this fellowship and I would perform at my best to encourage active discussions, exchange of good practices as well as conduct a number of open lessons and presentations to promote better understanding of Korea.
