Chapter 2

July 15, 1995

Flying to Korea

Imagine traveling to a foreign country.  You couldn’t speak the language.  There were no cell phones or internet at that time.  Everything that you can do online these days was not available.  You were not sure what it would be like and what would happen.

 It was a typical hot, clear Oklahoma July morning. We witnessed the dawn as we drove from Norman to Will Rogers World Airport in Oklahoma City. 

I had a lot of mixed feelings during the drive.  My husband had mixed feelings, too.  However, he was not one to share those feelings.  After all, I was going to Seoul, Korea for a year.  I would be teaching English in a language institute (ELS, Congno Sam Ga) and doing research toward my Ed.D. dissertation.

This was an opportunity that most 49 year olds don’t get handed to them.

I had become well known in the International Dept. of the University of Oklahoma for inventing ways to use media to enhance ESL students’ learning experiences and increase their ability to communicate in English.

As a result, I was invited to teach in Korea.  My new supervisor had taught with me in Oklahoma and wanted to introduce using media to her institute in Korea.

Using media in 1995 was not what it is today.  Making use of VHS tapes, and making video and audio recordings (with an 8mm and 6mm video camera) in class….and editing original pieces for class…was considered advanced at that time.  SEE CHAPTER            for more information about this method.

I remember having spent the day before trying to cram as much as I could into two suitcases and a carry on bag.  This included video/audio production equipment, cameras, tapes, a primitive laptop computer, books for teaching, clothes and things I though I would not be able to buy in Korea.  I had no idea of what would be available since I had never been there.

Taking off to go to a foreign country that you have never experienced is  frightening.  It is also exhilarating.  What an adventure was ahead of me!

When we got to the airport….after having to take almost everything out of my suitcases for the x-ray conveyer belt (the kind of bag inspection used in 1995…pre 9-11), my husband and I went to the waiting area (the gate area).

In those days your friends and relatives could see you off at the gate area and wave to you as you went through the door to the plane corridor.

I was pleasantly surprised to see our pastor and some friends waiting at the gate area.  They had surprised me with a send off reception.

We all talked and waited for boarding time.

When it was time to board there were hugs and good wishes.

The one thing that will stick in my memory forever is that when my husband hugged and kissed me he had tears running down his face.  I never knew that he cared so much that I was leaving for a year…nothing had been said about it earlier.

Those tears made it so hard to walk onto the plane.  I wanted to call off the trip.  However, I had a contract with ELS in Korea….and they had paid for my plane ticket.  I had given up my jobs at the university.  So, I took a seat and tried to think ahead to the great adventure.

That flight from OKC to Chicago was difficult…emotionally.

When we landed I was not sure that I should continue.  At the gate area for Korean Airlines I went to the payphones (we didn’t have cell phones then) several times.  I wanted to call my husband and say “drive to Chicago and get me and take me home.)  I struggled with this decision for quite some time.

I looked out over the passengers waiting to board.  Most of them were Korean.

Even though I was used to teaching foreign students and being surrounded by foreigners at school, this felt strange.  I seemed to be the only non-Korean in the room.  I wondered how I was going to be able to survive and do the things I had planned to do when I couldn’t speak Korean nor understood much about the culture.

That was about to change.

When I was finally seated on the Korean Airlines plane…surrounded by Koreans…I was still feeling sad, missing my husband and home.

I was crying and trying not to show it.

Seated next to me was a Korean woman and her small girl.  She had been crying and continued to cry.  She saw me crying.  Finally, in English she asked why I was crying.  I told her that I would be gone from home for a year.  Then, I asked her why she was crying.  She said that she had been visiting her sister in Chicago.  Her sister had cancer and she would never get to see her again. 

Then, I cried for her.  How lucky I was to have her sitting next to me.  We visited for a long time on the plane.  When we landed, she gave me her name and phone number.  She said that she wanted me to call her if I needed any help in Korea.  She was so kind and gentle….to a stranger.

I will never forget her.

Did I ever call her?  No.  I didn’t want to bother her.  But, I will always remember her kindness.  This was my introduction to the kindness of Koreans….something that I have experienced many times.