LA is EATING Korea

CNN Class
Originally uploaded by punk_rock_baby.

Los Angeles is eating my children.

I’m losing another one to the monster they call the city of angels. Gold mountain still lives on. It’s even in the name. The Chinese call America, Beautiful land. I think part of that has carried over to the Koreans. The Chinese for America is mei, Korean mi, miguk.

America is the land of opportunity, which in Korea is education. Education has ruled this land since Confucianism, and maybe even before then. Parents put education first and foremost in their children’s life even before family. There is special term that has arisen in Korea, for families where the wife and children live abroad while the father remains behind to work. The child gets the advantage of an education in an English speaking country, which is considered most advantageous. The mother takes care of the child, which is her primary duty. While the father forces his underlings to go out drinking with him so he doesn’t go home to an empty house. The term has to do with seasonal birds, maybe geese, migration. LA is the biggest draw for my kids because it has the largest Korean population in the States, so they can get sponsored by family there. Chain migration, of a sort.

In many ways it’s also advantages because it gets them out of the Korean school system which seems solely in place to administer endless tests and for it’s redundancy. From what I can tell they seem to go to school twice, once at the public school, and then again at evening and weekend hagwons. The birth rate in Korea is plummeting due to the cost of education children. Many of my younger students don’t have siblings, and if they do their family has money. Between the piano lessons, the English lessons, the science classes, the cost add up even before the eventual cost of going to college. The best university to go to in Korea is Seoul National University(where the infamous Dr. Hwang taught) but it is trumped by Harvard. Only the best, only perfection, but where will it take you.

Personally, I think some of these kids are going to burn out. I asked my kids, if you could take a vacation any where in the world, no matter the cost where would you go and what would you do. They all responded, sleep, eat, and play. Very few really wanted to do anything else. Mostly it was sleep, eat and play. It did really seem like they cared where they went, so most picked America.

I think it is important to try and do the best for your child, but some times you have to think about the cost. I’m actually glad these kids are going it will be a great experience for them. Both of them are really bright, and will do well. I guess I’m just blowing off some steam.