14. Korean students in Ivy League

This post is referring to the article in Korea Times.

Forty-four percent of Korean students at top American universities give up their studies halfway through.

Why?

Korean students’ drop rate is much higher than the other ethniticies’. 44%. That is a huge number for a drop out rate. What makes them different?

To investigate the main cause of the drop-out, we have to look back into their high school lives. How were they not ready for American college lives?

Korean high school students have the “prejudice” (yes, continuing from the bottom post) of being quintessential nerds, also known as eat-sleep-study people. Nothing else. As a boy who spent his whole life in Korean society, I dare say that the prejudice is semi-correct. My friends who still go to Korean highschools suffer immensely. They go home at midnight, barely sleep, seldom come out for dinner or basketball games, and even “pause” their cell phones during their exam weeks. They rarely participate in those “extracurricular activities” that are non-academic.

As the article states, the main reason why Korean students don’t fit is their lack of extracurricular experience during high school life. However, I believe the main reason comes from our system of English education. Korean teachers make students memorize. Memorize vocabs, grammar rules, idioms. Students rarely have chances to speak or share what they have learned out-loud. This is why they cannot fit into the American culture. They can’t express their intentions!

The Korean education system must change in order for students to experience more variegated opportunities to succeed in America. More activities, more interactions, more sharing ideas, more actions, more conversations, more liveliness!

13. Prejudices and Archetypes

Since our class is currently discussing archetypes, prototypes, and prejudices, I wanted to quickly review some of the prejudices and archetypes that exist.

• Archetype is a Greek word meaning “original pattern, or model.”

Some colors have very strong archetypes.

• Red: blood, sacrifice, passion; disorder.

• Green: growth, hope, fertility.

• Blue: highly positive; secure; tranquil; spiritual purity.

• Black: darkness, chaos, mystery, the unknown, death, wisdom, evil, melancholy.

• White: light, purity, innocence, timelessness; [negative: death, terror, supernatural]

• Yellow: enlightenment, wisdom.

Considering that RED is my favorite color, I must be a passionate person, indeed.

Some symbols have archetypes, too.

• Wise old Man: savior, redeemer, guru, representing knowledge, reflection, insight, wisdom, intuition, and morality.
• Garden: paradise, innocence, unspoiled beauty.
• Tree: denotes life of the cosmos; growth; proliferation; symbol of immortality; phallic symbol.
• Desert: spiritual aridity; death; hopelessness.
• Creation: All cultures believe the Cosmos was brought into existence by some Supernatural Being (or Beings).
• Seasons:
• Spring – rebirth; genre/comedy.
• Summer – life; genre/romance.
• Fall – death/dying; genre/tragedy.
• Winter – without life/death; genre/irony.
• The great fish: divine creation/life.

How about PREJUDICES?

The word prejudice refers to prejudgment: making a decision before becoming aware of the relevant facts of a case or event.

1. ALL Asians are good at math.

2. Indians are amazing at computers.

3. All Chinese people are good at Kung-Fu. 

4. Irish people drink a lot.

5. Koreans are stubborn.

6. Black people have big _____……….

7. Latinos are good at ___……………..

Okay I’ll stop here.

But as one might’ve realized, all of the prejudices I’ve enlisted are related to races. Where do these prejudices come from? I honestly believe that these prejudices are partially correct, or even VERY correct. These come from over-generalization and anecdotal-biases that embark from individuals. Are they good? Maybe. Are they bad? Maybe. But it is important that one realizes that it is a prejudice, not a given fact.

12. Diaspora

What is “Diaspora?”

The definition of the term Diaspora that I am interested in is:

A dispersion of an originally homogeneous entity, such as a laughage or culture.

The theme of diaspora is everywhere; in the novel Things Fall Apart, in Korea, and in America. In the novel, the main wave of diaspora comes with religion. More specifically, they originate from the Christian missionaries who visit the Ibo village where Okonkwo lives. They teach English, accept anyone to their church, including the outcasts, and bring goods to trade. Their culture exponentially spreads among the natives, through minor branches of cultural exchange, such as schools, markets, and courts.

How about in Korea? Since when were females allowed to wear mini-skirts and expose half of their bare skin? Since when did Korean daily diet become McDonalds and Burger King? Where is the change coming from?

I say the main source of Korea’s Western diaspora comes from education. Korean society has a quintessential obligation for academic achievements. Parents send students to Hakwon, or out-of-school academies, and load them with tutors. Especially after the economical hardships from Korean War and Japanese Colonization, education became the sole way of improving our lives. Ergo, for the past couple decades, myriads of students were sent to United States, Canada, Australia, or even Singapore to receive “better” educations. The original Korean culture is breaking down.

More recently, the Western educational institutions are increasingly blossoming in Korea. The so-called “International Schools” are growing in population.

What does diaspora lead to? I personally believe they destroy cultures. Maybe a little more nicely and neutrally, they blend cultures. Like the title Things Fall Apart, the original culture and traditions of Ibo is breaking down; it’s splitting up, losing its color. The changes might’ve been good for the people, especially for the ones who were powerless and deficient of opportunities, including Okonkwo’s son and the outcasts. However, I believe the overall result was negative to the Ibo people.