EPIK: Experience and Opportunity
Harry Ahn
Country Manager, South Korea
GGfL, Asia Business Development Manager
Cambridge University Press
I had always been interested in Korea (only partially because I am ethnic Korean), and I had always wanted to visit the country for an extended period of time. After visiting Korea previously for a brief one-week stay back in the late 80's, I wanted to come back and find out more about this wonderful country. I saw an opportunity to fulfill that desire the day I noticed an advertisement in the local papers to teach English in Korea through the "English Program In Korea." I saw the ad, applied for a position, and after several interviews, found myself in Korea a few months later.
To be completely honest, I planned on coming here, and staying for only one year. Although I am Korean-Canadian, Korea was still a very foreign place to me. To make matters worse, my Korean language ability at the time was almost non-existent. I was actually worried that I might not be able to fulfill my one-year contract commitment. I was worried that I wouldn't be able to endure living in a foreign place for that long. Needless to say, after 12 years, those fears have long since passed. I am still in Korea, and enjoying my life here very much, and I have EPIK to thank for that.
My first post in Korea through EPIK, (after the one week orientation at Kyongju National University of Education, I think) was in an all-boys private high school in Sillim Dong. I was one of 80 teachers there, and the only native-English speaker. I remember arriving, meeting the other teachers, and then being taken to my new home, a small apartment about ten minutes from the school by car. Every one of those teachers made me feel so welcome. I felt like I had 20 new best friends from day one. Little did I know that this would be the start of my life here in Korea, and that this would lead to the opportunities and life that I have now.
At the beginning, the culture-shock was hard to bear at times, but it was all very interesting and I loved every bit of it. Being a Confucian society, where age and gender determines how you act, work, play, and live, it was difficult at first to adjust to such a different environment. Also things like the lack of "personal space" and the straight forward questions I was often asked, all took me by surprise at first. Eventually, however, I began to understand the differences in social interactions and found them wonderful. "How old are you?" or, "How much money do you make?", etc. Questions like these that Westerners might consider rude, or obtrusive, are actually prompted by a desire to get to know you better, and to form a more personal relationship with you. Once you develop a ¡®bonding' friendship with Koreans in Korea, that friendship lasts a lifetime. In fact, I still keep in touch with over 100 teachers that I have had the privilege to work with, teach (from my second position with EPIK at the Teacher Training Centre in Seoul), and become friends with. I remember EVERYONE that I met through this program, whether they are teachers, students, or supervisors. EVERYONE was so nice and kind to me that it made me fall in love with Korea. My time spent in the EPIK program (just over 3 years) prepared and enabled me to do what I do today.
I am currently still living in Korea working for Cambridge University Press as the country manager and Asian Business Development Manager for GGfL (a content division). This job has its own challenges and rewards, and I enjoy every minute of this position as well. My teaching experiences and networking from my years with EPIK were keys to helping me obtain and thrive in this position. However, I still miss teaching, and being able to be with all those teachers. I can honestly say that those were some of the best years of my life with some of the best people that I've ever met. I truly believe it was my experiences in EPIK that enable me to be where I am now. In fact, when we hire new staff, EPIK experience is always considered a plus, and our most recent new hire, just finished working with EPIK.
For my first 10 years here, people would always ask me, when I was planning to go "home," that is, back to Canada and especially to my family. I would always answer, "one day soon." However, it was about two years ago that I realized, when asked this question, that I WAS home, and that this is where I wanted to stay. I still enjoy life in Korea very much. In my opinion, it is one of the most exciting, vibrant, lively, and growing countries in the world, and I am glad I am a part of it.