This Thursday I started teaching the Korean Military. English Village supplies teachers to military bases around Seoul, but it's evening work and can translate into a very long day of feet-abuse, so my colleague asked if anyone would take over from him. I've been feeling a little stagnant teaching the same lesson week after week to unruly teenagers so decided to take it on for the remaining few weeks of the contract.
My coteachers and I were picked up by two young soldiers who greeted us all warmly and politely laughed at my mature South African ex-military coteacher's marine jokes (Marius is a lovely man! Really!) for the duration of the 40 minute drive to the base, west of Seoul. When we arrived we were taken straight to the messroom for dinner - Leigh, having had experience, politely took a tiny portion of rice and tuna, avoiding the rest of the offerings, while I let myself be persuaded to take some kimchi broth - it was truly military food (even served on metal trays), although I managed to finish the rice and tuna. Next time I know to eat something in my 10 minutes between finishing EV teaching and leaving for military.
During dinner, we turned to talking about conscientious objectors with Marius ("soft pansies") and Maria, the only Korean among us ("any sane person would object to war"). It was fascinating. Maria, a Christian (and Korean Christians are more devoted than most), works within her church group with (according to her) the 33 political objectors - the only 33 in Korea who have not objected because of religious reasons (most are Jehovah's Witnesses). She tells me Korea has the most objectors in the world. The worst thing is that here, you cannot object to war and then ask for an admin job so you can at least do your duty to your country - you are thrown straight into jail, and it is a criminal offence, which means that when you get out, as a 20-something, you have a criminal record and are barred from any public service jobs.
Many of Maria's friends were half way through their military duty when war was declared on Iraq, and objected not to fighting, but to fighting in a foreign country for the USA - which interests me in a nation at war with its brothers and families, who were summarily divided by the ceasefire in 1953.
After dinner we were escorted to the barracks where Leigh and Cait set up in one enormous lecture room, and Marius and I in a little outdoor temporary shed, a little PC-Bang (internet cafe) by the looks of it. We taught one class for 50 minutes, then swapped with each other and taught another class for 50 minutes. What a pleasure it was to teach instead of spending all my time disciplining teenagers!
During dinner, we turned to talking about conscientious objectors with Marius ("soft pansies") and Maria, the only Korean among us ("any sane person would object to war"). It was fascinating. Maria, a Christian (and Korean Christians are more devoted than most), works within her church group with (according to her) the 33 political objectors - the only 33 in Korea who have not objected because of religious reasons (most are Jehovah's Witnesses). She tells me Korea has the most objectors in the world. The worst thing is that here, you cannot object to war and then ask for an admin job so you can at least do your duty to your country - you are thrown straight into jail, and it is a criminal offence, which means that when you get out, as a 20-something, you have a criminal record and are barred from any public service jobs.
Many of Maria's friends were half way through their military duty when war was declared on Iraq, and objected not to fighting, but to fighting in a foreign country for the USA - which interests me in a nation at war with its brothers and families, who were summarily divided by the ceasefire in 1953.
After dinner we were escorted to the barracks where Leigh and Cait set up in one enormous lecture room, and Marius and I in a little outdoor temporary shed, a little PC-Bang (internet cafe) by the looks of it. We taught one class for 50 minutes, then swapped with each other and taught another class for 50 minutes. What a pleasure it was to teach instead of spending all my time disciplining teenagers!
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