The Shock Of Returning To The US Is Hard To Discribe
But A Picture Is Worth A Thousand Words
I would never post anything on my web page unless I wanted it to produce something good. What good could possibly come out of revealing the truth about the plight of children in the west? Why would I post an image like the one I put together as a collage in the roll-over image? I did this for a number of reasons. The first and most important is to initiate an effort to help these children because my collage image is not just and image, it is a pictorial image of what I have experienced in the lives of a great many of the children I have met since I returned from Korea where the first image of the Korean children depicts the beautiful reality of life as I knew it in Korea before I came back here.
Back in 1998 I left the US because I needed to do research for my graduate degree and needed a subject country to study; I chose Korea because I knew about Korean culture as one that was conservative, honored hard work, respect for elders and a strong opposition to public issues that were meant to be well hidden secrets of a married life.
In Alaska at that time, some major issues occurred in my life as a result of law enforcement officials dominated by women who lacked judgment and discretion. With local law enforcement now acting as a source of danger in a country with a president that claimed to be a Christian but lied openly about his blatant life full of indiscretions, I decided that Korea might be a good starting option. Just before I left my student teaching assignment I did remember spending most of my time taking care of abused children in and outside of schools when a friend of mine openly struck his five year old son in front of me and then a few weeks later in front of some teachers at his son's school where he was quickly arrested and jailed. Wanting to protect these children became my prime objective but every force I encountered acted to oppose my efforts to help the helpless. In the end, the government stepped in and took the children away. I was stunned by the way my country dealt with matters that added fuel to the fires of abuse, exacerbating how much hurt was being experienced by children in the US .
My time in Korea landed me in a culture where society as a whole treated every child as their own and parents freely let their children roam loose in restaurants and shopping centers without fear. My time in Korea took some adjustment but after about four years I began to realize that it was safe to drop your child off in the middle of a small city at night with full assurance that they would get home safely. My life went on like that for eleven complete years without contact with the west at all. I was in Korea for three years before September 11th 2001 happened. As an American, I happened to notice it on the news but outside the building where I worked life went on as usual without anyone crowding around televisions or newspapers. The 911 event didn't register in the cultural mind set of Korea or the neighboring Asian countries; life went on happy and peaceful as it always had, a possible reality for western people but not even a ripple was felt in Korea. Why should Koreans not take notice of such an event? Well I would have to ask myself that question as well because their calm and peaceful ongoing nature was a strong influence upon me, and soon I forgot about the matter as I returned to the more pressing issue of preparing for classes with the Korean children I taught.
It wasn't until the year 2008 I realized that Korean children had it made; they had no worries or fears because their families and society loved them all very much, they were safe and wanted for nothing. I began to think back about the children I had left behind in the US, the ones who where being beaten and abused beyond my power to control. As the year 2009 began, my thoughts of returning to Alaska grew stronger. I thought that it has been good to help Korean children grow by giving them a loving supportive learning environments but it seemed that a greater love would be trying to reach the children in the US with the love I saw that Koreans had for their children. My contact with the Alaska Teacher Placement network allowed me to hear other teachers comment on my situation in Korea; each and everyone I met on-line told me that it sounded like I had a dream job as a teacher. Their reflections on my Korean employment as an educator made me stop and ask myself, “ Was I doing the right thing by going back to the US ?” My resolve was set and plans were laid.
I will never forget my farewell meetings with Korean and foreign teachers I had known for many years; the look on their faces was not what I expected and it has been hard to place their expressions until recent days. I realize that the day I was leaving the expressions on their faces was not one of joy or sadness and not one of concern. I now remember a movie where I saw the same expressions on the actors ' faces as the main character walked down a hall way to a room where a bed and drip IV were waiting, the name of the movie was, “Dead Man Walking.” I must say that after a year of being given the run around, promised jobs that were later retracted and given a firm commitment of a position that never came through, I find myself totally unemployed in a city full of children who have expressed their fear of being away from school where they were safe and no way or program to be a help for them during the summer.
This is not in order with the plan of nature. There in only one possible option I haven't considered yet and that is instead of trying to bring some hope from the Korean culture to hurting children in the US, I should take action as a Korean and help pave the way for Koreans to come into this land with the hopes that with them they will bring their culture with their families. If I could get a school going that upheld Korean values of respect for family and those in authority over them, love of learning and eagerness to work hard a school where US children had the freedom to be a part of the miracle of Korean culture and love, or if not they have the freedom to go out of the school to all that western society has to offer them as in the flip side of the above roll over image.
There, I have laid out my thoughts in English for anyone who may have a desire to help instill some life, health, love and security in the lives that will shape the future of this western nation. My experience has proven to me that for some inexplicable reason, all the children I have met here in the west during the past academic year have all had one thing in common, a great curiosity about my ability to speak and write in Korean. They are all very eager to have their names written in Korean as well as to learn all about how the Korean alphabet works. They enjoy playing games where they have to follow commands given to them in Korean to see who can learn the fastest and remember the most. It is truly amazing how they show a great fascination with Korean in any and all its forms but especially how Korean culture honors children by setting aside one day a year like mother's day or father's day where children are honored and celebrated.
The other option I have if not the above, is to receive a gift my Father promised me. I honestly can't wait to receive this gift but whatever will be must happen very soon.
Finally Thank You Lord!
This part of my web site is not for profit. If anyone would like to contribute to an effort to help children of the west gain the priceless virtue found in ancient Korean culture, the link below is a channel by which you can help. |
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Initial Memory
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