The death of a legend: Maya Angelou

The death of Maya Angelou has left me grieving. We lost a great, inspiring, remarkable woman. No one can replace her spirit, her tenacity or the monumental inspiration she gave to rest of the world. 

When I was kid, I had a poster of “Still I rise” on the back of my bedroom door. I memorized it. Every time I read that poem, I was filled with overwhelming power. At the time, I didn’t understand why. I just knew the poem moved me and I was awed. I aspired to be the person in the poem- the person who rose to power through all her pain. I had read about Maya Angelou’s life. I had seen her on t.v and I remember having such admiration for her. How could she go through all that and still be so strong, so loving, so giving and forthcoming? Most of us would hide in a shell or act out, but she put all of her experiences into beautifully written poems of which no others could compare. 

As I read “Still I rise” again today, I feel an overwhelming sense of loss. Not just the loss of a great woman and writer, but the loss of the person I used to be when I read her poems. I wanted to be the “phenomenal woman”. I wanted to be “the dream and hope of the slave”. Most of all I wanted to be able to express all of the chaos in my head as eloquently as her. I realize not of us are given that gift. It takes raw talent, skill and sacrifice.

We spend so much time being adults with responsibilities that we forget to enjoy the little things, the little miracles. We forget to be inspirations. We forget ourselves. As Maya said: “nothing will work unless you do.”

 If you want to be an inspiration. If you want to be more than the person you are now, you have to work for it. Sitting around and hoping for things to come to you or making excuses as to why you can’t do something will get you nowhere. You have to take chances.

Dr. Angelou took those chances. She held her heart out for the world to see. She shared the deepest parts of herself with a world of strangers. She took a leap and worked hard despite the odds against her becoming a renowned author, motivational speaker and mentor.

 She didn’t allow herself to be a stereotype. She didn’t allow herself to be less than what she could be. She inspired so many, not only with her words, but with her spirit- her alluring spirit that entranced readers, transformed minds, and stilled hearts. 

So with her death, I mourn for the loss of a beautiful mind and spirit. I mourn for the girl I used to be. For the adult that forgot about her. I mourn for the future generations that would never get to hear her speak wonders.  I only wish I could have met her to look into the eyes of woman who has been through so much, yet given and extraordinary gift to relate her life, her experiences and her mind to the rest of the world.

Her legacy will live on and I hope she continues to inspire young girls and adults alike to be better. To simply be better. 

Here is the first poem I read by Maya Angelou that gave me so much stregnth and hope. I hope it gives you an inkling of what it gave me.

Still I rise by Maya Angelou

You may write me down in history
With your bitter, twisted lies,
You may tread me in the very dirt
But still, like dust, I'll rise.

Does my sassiness upset you?
Why are you beset with gloom?
'Cause I walk like I've got oil wells
Pumping in my living room.

Just like moons and like suns,
With the certainty of tides,
Just like hopes springing high,
Still I'll rise.

Did you want to see me broken?
Bowed head and lowered eyes?
Shoulders falling down like teardrops.
Weakened by my soulful cries.

Does my haughtiness offend you?
Don't you take it awful hard
'Cause I laugh like I've got gold mines
Diggin' in my own back yard.

You may shoot me with your words,
You may cut me with your eyes,
You may kill me with your hatefulness,
But still, like air, I'll rise.

Does my sexiness upset you?
Does it come as a surprise
That I dance like I've got diamonds
At the meeting of my thighs?

Out of the huts of history's shame
I rise
Up from a past that's rooted in pain
I rise
I'm a black ocean, leaping and wide,
Welling and swelling I bear in the tide.
Leaving behind nights of terror and fear
I rise
Into a daybreak that's wondrously clear
I rise
Bringing the gifts that my ancestors gave,
I am the dream and the hope of the slave.
I rise
I rise
I rise.

Five things we can learn from an Ajumma

What do you think of when you hear the word “Ajumma”? Most of you might think: “nothing because Ajumma is not a word”.

 Well for most living in Korea, the word conjures images of curly “ramen hair”, colorful clothes and a no-nonsense attitude. For some, the word may even conjure feeling of fear and apprehension.

 

Ajumma (아 줌 마) basically translates to “auntie” which is what you would call a woman of marriageable age.  Technically an ajumma could be your 25 year old sister, your mom, or grandma. However, when Koreans and foreigners alike hear the word Ajumma this is what we imagine

Ajummas are notorious is Korea. Although they often get a bad rep, we can learn a lot from Ajummas. Thus, I’ve composed a list:

 

Five things we can learn from an Ajumma

 1.     Be so eccentric that people want to mimic your eccentricity

There is such a thing as the “ajumma” look. This look usually consists of brightly colored, printed clothes that don’t match, a large visor atop a mop of wild curly hair, large shoes and weathered features. The ajumma look has become somewhat of a fashion statement. To achieve this look, pay close attention to the picture below.

 

 

and bonus

 

 

2.     Be a boss in your own world

You will often see Ajummas crossing the street in the middle of traffic, LIKE A BOSS. Cars usually stop and let them cross without the usual screaming and yelling that would occur if a regular person had done it. If you’re in an ajummas way, don’t be surprised if you are shoved, moved or displaced to accommodate said ajumma. Although most people may think it’s rude, in an adjummas head, you were in the way and thus needed to be removed. The next time someone is standing in your way, figuratively speaking, take a bit of direction from an ajumma and shove their a$%es out of the way.

 

3.     Family first

In Korean culture, family is very important. Everyone takes care of each other. It’s why you rarely see homeless people. It’s also common to see grandmothers and grandfathers taking care of young children. This is extremely helpful for a household where both parents work. I think western society could benefit a lot from this mindset. Too often we see family members struggle while others prosper.

 

4.     Work Hard/Play Hard

I can’t count the number of times I’ve looked at old, hunched over, extremely weathered Ajummas pushing large carts filled with recyclables, carrying 5-10 pounds of vegetables on their heads or hoisting a baby on their backs. These Ajummas put old people in western countries to shame. Instead of lying in bed, or being confined to a wheelchair or walker at the age of 70, these women are still out working, living, supporting and providing for their families. It’s truly admirable. Initially I felt sorry for them and an urge to rush over and help them cross the street or push their carts or whatever inane/insane task they were doing that I though they were just too old to do. What I soon learned is that Ajummas are truly self-sufficient. They don’t need you. And when they are not working hard, they are outside with their other ajumma friends hiking, running around with their grandchildren, or being social in general.

 

 

5.     Work-out like a champ

I was amazed when I first arrived in Korea to see how mobile the older generation was. As, I mentioned before, having a hunched back or even bowed legs doesn’t stop an ajumma from doing what she has to do. More often than not, I see ajummas doing what looks to me like acrobatics on the outdoor gyms and I can barely manage 10 push-ups without collapsing. Don’t be surprised to enter a gym in the morning and find most of its patrons to be over the age of 50. This is a country that values healthy living and I’m guessing this “ideal” was passed down through generations.

 

To sum it up: Live your life “like a boss”. Do what you like, wear what you want, work hard, but play harder.

Jindo "Miracle" Sea Parting Festival

Let me tell you about one of my favorite experiences in Korea thus far: The Jindo "Miracle" Sea Parting Festival. 

When I was in Japan, our trip leader told us about an upcoming trip where they would travel to see the sea part. Naturally, I was intrigued. I thought stuff like that only happened in the bible. I’m thinking: “how is the sea going to part without some divine intervention and Moses?” Turns out, in Jindo, South Korea you can witness this “miracle” theoretically caused by extremely low tides called “tidal harmonics”. 

Read more here:

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2013/13/130426-jindo-sea-parting-festival-korea-red-tides-science-moses/

We made our way to the other side of the country to see the adequately named “Miracle Sea Parting Festival”. Our first event on Saturday was the Jindo Traditional Theater performance show. Koreans of all different ages dressed in hanboks and other traditional costumes paying homage historical events. The line-up included an opera performance, traditional drum music, the infamous “arirang” Korean song often named the “unofficial” Korean national anthem, and concluded with a circle dance outside of the theater in which all attendees could participate. 

Photo by: Misty Boykin

After the theater performance, we went to see the Jindo dog show. The Jindo as you can guess, got it’s name from the island from which it originated, Jindo, South Korea. It is celebrated for its loyalty and often used as guard dogs. The show was adequately entertaining, with dogs jumping through multiple hoops of fire, dancing, counting numbers, and doing various tricks that showed their genius and loyalty. Although, there were a few naughty dogs who didn’t give a flying hoot what their owners wanted them to do. I could almost read their minds as they were thinking “I’m not jumping through those hoops.”

 

Photo by: Misty Boykin

Photo by: Misty Boykin

After the shows we were finally able to go to our accommodations. We stayed in a pension overlooking the sea. It was actually cool to see that in this part, tides had actually receded giving us a preview of what we would see the next day. A few of us went down and walked through the parted sea, marveling at the muddied ground that should have been obscured by sea water. The beach was full of collectables. It was a beach barren of sand, containing mostly rocks, but  I was able to collect some intricate sea shells, konks and shell-rock combinations, by far some of the prettiest I’ve seen.

 

Photo by: Misty Boykin

Photo by: Misty Boykin

Photo by: Misty Boykin

The next day was the sea-parting festival.  Unfortunately we had to get up at 3am to make the walk. It was worth it though. We got to the festival grounds and were given torches to use as we walked along the dark path of the parted sea. I almost felt as if we were reenacting the scene rendered during the parting of the Red Sea. Naturally I couldn’t resist singing “Let my people go”. I even added “Wade in the water” for good measure. 

The plan was to walk through the parted sea to a nearby island, however as we got further and further, the tide began to come in and most people turned back. 

The night ended with an extravagant firework display. Looking around it looked almost medieval. Here out in the sea surrounded by dark water, an ominous sky illuminated by torches; it could have easily been mistaken for a mob and not a gathering to witness a “miracle”. 

Photo by: Misty Boykin

Photo by: Misty Boykin

 

Photo by: Misty Boykin

During the daylight hours we got to attend the festival. I have to say it is one of the best festivals I’ve been to in Korea. There were so many attractions: food from different countries, different cultural performances, a parade, Jindo puppies, etc. 

Part of the Parade

Learning to play the changgo

My favorite performance photo by: Misty Boykin

A few hours later the tide came in. You would never know that right here was where the sea parted

Girls having fun

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It was an easy day solely and purely for enjoyment. 

All photos credited to : Misty Boykin

Bring it on second year!

The new semester has started and what a difference it is from the previous year. The first week of school started with the usual chaos and disorganization anticipated working in a Korean school system. Everyone has a temporary schedule including the students. There a number of ceremonies resulting in unplanned, but much appreciated “desk-warming”. My students are all bright-eyed and bushy tailed with a hint of curiosity and wonder toward me, the foreign teacher. That’s slightly relieved after I give a brief, but informative introductory presentation in which half the students “ooed” and “ahh’d” and the other half stared at me for the duration of it.

A letter from a student.

No matter. They soon got over their wonderment as I turned from ‘curious dark foreign person’ to ‘no-nonsense, you better recite every single class rule and I better not hear you talk otherwise’ English teacher. 

I was told by a hagwon (private school teacher) that the students from my school are the worst students at their school. This came a year after my co-teacher told me that the students at our school are some of the worst behaved. Oh did I learn my lesson last year! This year I made a change. I learned a lot, improved and became more comfortable in my role. One of the most important things I learned is organization, organization, organization is EVERYTHING! I’m usually fairly organized, but being a teacher, I feel your organization skills have to be top form. 

First day introductions and classroom posters

One of the major problems being a native English teacher is that a lot of times the students don’t offer the same respect to you that they do to their Korean teachers. You are seen as the “fun, games, and candy” teacher. Your class, most of the time, is not taken seriously depending on a number of factors. The involvement of your co-teacher, the use of a book, your class being graded, your competence, and other things greatly influence the success of your class. This year, my co-teacher has become a little more involved in my class. In return, I have become more organized and stricter. One of the rules I have been enforcing is the “no notebook, no pen/pencil= no chair”.  It’s funny to see my students come in and immediately stand knowing that they aren’t allowed to sit if they didn’t come prepared. After a week of enforcing this rule, I got maybe 10 or 15 students out of 16 classes of 30 students who didn’t come prepared. 

As a reward for all my efforts to make this class an effective learning environment, I got attentive and eager students. I honestly couldn’t have asked for more.  I’m so excited for what the rest of the year has to bring. All I want is for my students to walk away learning more than just English. With the freedom to create my own lessons, I’m going to strive to just that.

Here's a video of one of my 1st grade middle schoolers (7th gaders) singing "Let it go" at the conclusion of a Frozen lesson.