It's time for Celebration!!!

This past weekend, two important milestones were reached. On October 9th, the Fulbright Korea program celebrated it's 60th anniversary, and my dad celebrated his (somewhere close to) 60th birthday. While I couldn't be physically present with my dad on his special day, here is a greeting from class 2-3: 

This is "Happy Birthday" attempted by 16 year old high school boys. They're probably my best group of students in regards to behavior, participation, and competency.  Just so you know dad, they thought your name was hilarious. They kept saying "alien" instead of "Eliot." Happy Birthday pops!


A  환갑, or Hwangab, is a very significant event in Korean culture.  Since the traditional Korean calendar is 60 years long, the completion of the cycle marks a fresh beginning. It is common for organizations, people, and companies to organize large celebrations marking their 60th anniversary or birthday.  Interestingly enough, the significance of the  환갑 in recent years has declined due to the advent of modern medicine. Only a few short decades ago, most Koreans did not live to see their 60th birthday, but now that South Koreans' average life expectancy is one of the highest in the developed world, this once monumental milestone is less important. 
Nonetheless, not only does October 9th mark the 60th Anniversary for the South Korea Fulbright program, it also marks the 60th anniversary of the outbreak of the Korean War. Labeled as the "Forgotten War" by American historians, the Korean conflict that raged from 1950-1953 has left the peninsula divided, and sure has not been "forgotten" by the South Korean people.  The Fulbright program was originally drafted by Arkansas senator J. William Fulbright as a way to help heal a world scarred by World War II. Ironically enough, only a month before the start of the Korean war, the Republic of Korea signed the official agreement with the United States to establish the Fulbright Program in Korea. Sixty years later, more than 4,200 grantees, both Korean and American, have benefitted from the Fulbright program in Korea.  Today, Fulbright operates in over 120 countries world-wide, bringing scholars, teachers, and researchers together in the name of intercultural understanding.  The program operates on numerous fronts- there is an English Teaching Assistantship Program, (which I am a part of), a grant program for researchers, and a guest lecturer position for foreign teachers. As the largest and oldest of the Programs, Korea is the "flagship Fulbright program." 


For the weekend, all the ETAs headed up to Seoul courtesy of Fulbright. We convened on the 5 star Shilla hotel for an elegant evening of food, drink, and distinguished guests. The Fulbright Office in Seoul had been planning an elaborate gala for months around the theme of "Towards Peace in Korea and the World."  During the gala, many important people spoke about the laurels and importance of the Fulbright program in South Korea. Among the guests were the Honorable Christopher R. Hill, (former ambassador to Iraq,) the Honorable Ahn Byong Man, (Minister of Education, Science and Technology) as well as other government officials from both South Korea and the United States. It was a star studded night, but the Fulbright ETAs also had a moment in the spotlight as well.  We were to debut our original choral arrangement, "We Share in the Dream" in front of a packed house. 

Myself and other ETAs at the gala in our monochromatic choir outfits.

Although the speeches were really interesting, the best part of the evening was the food. Check out this spread!

The Fulbright Flag!

During our bi annual ETA conference, the 2010-2011 ETA class rehearsed a special song composed, written, and performed entirely by the ETAs.  Entitled "We Share the Dream," the song centered around the anniversary's theme "Toward Peace in Korea and the World."  


This is the video of our dress rehearsal. Can you find me? Hint: I'm the only one who's not standing still...


So far this year, I have learned a new language, began my career as a teacher, engaged in a variety of new activities, and made my choral debut. For those of you that have had the blessing of hearing my heavenly voice, it won't come to a surprise when I say that it may or may not have been strongly suggested that I don't sing. Apparently, I was making the male soprano section laugh too hard with my tone deaf cackling.

Nonetheless, the performance went off without a hitch. It was a really neat experience to see a choral arrangement come to life.  And now I can truly say that I am a jack-of-all-trades: cultural ambassador, Jokhu athlete, English teacher, and choir boy.  

Until next time......