Cultural Differences: School Culture

These are some thoughts I WAS going to email, but my email was SO lengthy, I had to discard these bits. (If I don't post them now...I won't post them until Christmas...so, let's get them posted.)

Compared to Grace Academy (where I taught in Marysville, WA for two years), the school culture here is MUCH different because the student population is MUCH different.

The purpose of the Korean child’s life is to study. The purpose of the mother’s life is to make sure their children get the best scores so they can get to the best universities, so they can get the best jobs, so the parents can be cared for when they are old and dying (similar to China). Koreans must study hard and this takes up their life, it also influences the way our school is run. (Academics comes first, people...somewhere after that.)

I say Grace Academy is much different not because they don't pay any attention to academics (no, no,) but because they/we emphasize loving the Lord WHILE students do academics. I think I can also say, they/we emphasize loving people more than academics. (Those of you reading from Grace, please correct me if I am wrong.) But, the culture allows us to do this. Grace can create their own culture more freely, perhaps, than what can be done at TIS.

At Grace some families have stayed from elementary to high school. They have more opportunity to serve one another, they have the opportunity to build relationships, many come from the same cultural background. (Those that don't are the minority and they know which culture they are supposed to "join".) The lines aren't so clearly defined here in Tianjin.

When people are always leaving, what kind of community can you even try to develop? Korean students feel alone and isolated culturally (they are “Third Culture Kids,” and if you join the Westerner groups, you are seen as forsaking your "Korean-ness." If you don't keep your "Korean-ness" you are shunned by other Koreans.) Stereotypically they don’t communicate much with their families because in the Korean culture you do not show emotion. Many Korean [students] seek ways to commit suicide. I heard many high schoolers speak of their struggles with these thoughts while I was at the “Vida” youth retreat.

At times, the Asian culture seems to be one of despair. They seem to be resilient people, but where is their hope? It seems to be placed more and more in wealth and humankind. (I speak mainly of Japan, China, and Korea in this blanket statement.) When you look up into the night sky and are blinded by lights and skyscrapers, what else will you think of BUT the powers of humanity?

Please pray for these students -- and the people of these countries.