Postcard to Monash from South Korea
When I started studying at Monash to become a teacher, I didn't imagine I'd need my passport as well as my textbooks -- but here I am in South Korea as part of my field training.
When our tutor, Dr Jill Brown, told us earlier this year about the possibility of doing our practicum in South Korea, everyone was pretty excited at the idea.
I filled out an application form expressing my interest in the trip, and next thing I know I'm here in the city of Iksan in the province of Jeollabuk-do.
There are 11 of us from Monash who are here in South Korea, and we are the first group of foreign student teachers to do our practical training in this country, so it's a unique experience all around.
We are billeted with families here and in the province's capital city, Jeonju. We are working in various secondary schools with Korean teachers of English language.
I love the cultural experience, and our host families have made us all so welcome. We share evening meals with them, and they include us in all their family activities.
I plan to teach English as a second language when I am finished, and I will be dealing with many students from Asia. So this practicum is invaluable in giving me an insight into the Korean way of life as well as their education system, home life and cultural background.
Other education students from Monash are also doing their practicums in exotic locations -- 30 are working at Raratonga in the sunny Cook Islands in the South Pacific and eight others are in Hungary. It will be great to compare notes when we all get back to uni.
-- Julia Lippold, third-year education student
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