What was the food like in Korea?

As our departure from Korea quickly approaches, we will be posting thoughts and stories from #AgEd2Korea participants to reflect on the breadth, depth and diversity of our experiences here in Korea.  This blog showcases some of the answers to the question, "What was the food like in Korea?"

"Well, I love surprises, so I guess you can say I love Korean food. It wasn’t always clear what we were eating at meal time but I enjoyed it (for the most part…)! It also encouraged me to try new foods, whether it was intentional or not. "
– Janae 


"I liked that there were many side dishes that were shared as a group. I think it plays back into the cultural mindset of group collaberation. We all shared these dishes and it was just another way for us to emerge ourselves into their culture."
– Deanna

"It’s different. Good luck finding half of this stuff in restaurants back home. Now, I’ll be the first to tell you that I’m a meats and potatoes kind of guy, but, it was great to be in a place where the food was unique, just like the experiences. I remember how excited I got when I saw a street vendor selling silk worm larvae, or when I tried cold noodles for the first time."  – Howard

"I liked the bibimbop the best because there were many different combinations that you could choose from and it was a complete meal that filled you up. "
– Jason

"Variety and spicy is the Korean food cuisine. My favorite dish was the bulgoli because it was not spicy, but had a great flavor. I did enjoy eating more vegetables and fruit and less dairy products and carbs. I felt like I had more energy." - Jess

"I think what I liked best about Korean food was how we weren’t quite sure what we were going to be served at each meal…it was sort of a guessing game as to what dishes you would see on the table."
 - Sarah


"The number of dishes and side dishes that are served with any meal is perhaps the most enjoyable part of Korean food. Through the variety of entrees, soups, salads, and sides served, sometimes up to 30, I was able to try different combinations of flavors that enhanced the sensory experience through taste, texture, sight, and smell!" - David

What surprised you the most about Korea?

As our departure from Korea quickly approaches, we will be posting thoughts and stories from #AgEd2Korea participants to reflect on the breadth, depth and diversity of our experiences here in Korea.  This blog showcases some of the answers to the question, "What surprised you the most about Korea?"

One of the many gourmet meals provided by our gracious hosts

"I was most surprised by the hospitality that I encountered while in country. I can honestly say that I did not have one bad experience while interacting with people. Whether it was while I was shopping, touring, or in the classroom. People were truly excited to meet with us and help us as needed."
 - Deanna

"As we toured the countryside and looked at farms at the different high schools, I was surprised by the amount of technology that these farms used.  I came in expecting a few pastures with some old cows and goats.  But I was blown away by the amount of technology; between the universal use of greenhouses, to seeing a compost aerator, and a robotic milker.   It never stopped amazing me how smoothly technology was integrated into agriculture."

Greenhouse at Yeoju Self-Management High School

 – Howard

"What surprised me the most was how quickly the time seemed to pass by. Today is our very last day in Korea and they say we have been here for a month, but I swear we just arrived yesterday. Each day was filled to the brim with either educational or cultural activities. Even our 'days off' were jammed packed because there was so much to see and do! What I have learned from this though is that every minute you are abroad counts for something. There is always something to be taken from each moment you have."
 – Janae

"I think what surprised me the most was how innovative Korean agriculture is. I was not expecting to see the intensive use of the acreage that we saw while traveling through the Korean countryside. They have extremely intensive production and seem to have a keen awareness of the need for sustainable practices in their country. I was also very impressed at the level of technology and depth of industry education available to high school students!"
– Sarah

Where do we go from here....

As our time in The Republic of Korea comes to a close in the next few days, I find myself getting into that reflective mode that we find ourselves in after long trips like these. I continue to find that every time I think I can't be more surprised - and at the same time educated - I find another reason to be kept in awe of this place.

Sometimes it's in the culture.

Whether it's the different kinds of foods ate over here, or whether it's walking into the dairy barn at Yeoju High School and finding a robotic milker, I continue to find inspiration and be awe-struck by the people and the landscape that I see around me.

Robotic Milker found at Yeoju High School.

Even the students can shock you.

It might sound corny, and like something you'd hear in a commercial, but I continue to be amazed by these students, who while coming from no agricultural background, still become so involved with their classes and clubs. Students choose the path they want to take in school, which leads to students taking control of their learning, which in the end is what we want.   These students are more passionate about agriculture education than many students I find back home, and like I said before, many don't even come from an agricultural background.

Students learning about tractor maintenance in Ag Machinery.

Because of this student-driven education, students are more excited to go to class, and will even continue their learning outside of the classroom. Many of these students are involved in clubs outside of school, whether its in the FFK (Future Farmers of Korea) or they are in the excavating club (yes, you read that right, their is an excavating club at Yeoju High School), these students are getting the opportunities to not only expand their knowledge on a topic, but to also have fun while doing so.
  After school clubs are completely optional, but yet we found that many of the students are involved in some way or another.

Many students also have projects that they work with inside and outside of the classroom. Students are involved in a multitude of projects including: small animal/companion animal care, dairy production, crop/vegetable production, agri-business, nursery landscaping, or mechanics. These projects are giving students the opportunity to become self-sufficient, as students are given the profits from all projects that they work on. Using these hands-on educational opportunities that the schools provide, students are growing their own love and passion for agricultural education.

Maybe its even me just shocking myself.

When I first got to Korea, I was extremely nervous about teaching in the high schools. Between the language barrier, the shock of being in a completely different place, and constantly wondering if my micro-lesson would be relevant, I often wondered if I would make even the slightest impact. I was blessed to be paired with my teaching partner Chris Wilder, who teaches at Williston High School in Williston, FL, and my SNU (Seoul National University) student partner Yuna.

Chris is an amazing teacher who worked with me and Yuna to develop a lesson plan that we believed the students would be interested in and would gain real-life skills from. Yuna served as my teaching partner and as a translator. Her passion for plant science and here skills with translating made the transition to teaching in a Korean High School that much easier.

Our lesson plan involved teaching asexual propagation to students, specifically teaching students to take a cutting from a parent plant, and plant it in a new container to grow a genetically identical, but completely separate, plant.

Like I said, going into the classroom, I was completely nervous about teaching, but, I was amazed at the end of class, when we were reviewing, to hear the questions that students had. One student asked what plants at home she could reproduce through cuttings, another asked if all plants could be propagated through cuttings, one even asked us about the history of cuttings and who was the first to use it in cultivation, to which none of us could answer off hand (we told her while we were not sure, we made an educated guess). It gave me great pride to hear and see these students taking interest in the subject and want to know more about it.

But what really inspired me was that by the third time Yuna helped teach the class, she went from not knowing much about the topic of asexual propagation, to answering students questions on her own, and teaching segments without our help. I hope she can use this knowledge to continue her studies and develop the passion she has.

To be completely honest, I'm not sure where I'll go from here. All I know is that using the knowledge and skills I learned here in Korea, I will do everything possible to inspire and educate students back home about the wonders of global agricultural education.

Chris, Yuna and I after teaching

Its a small world after all....

Agricultural Education...

Too often at home we find ourselves focusing on our local program, maybe even neighboring programs, but not much broader than  that. We get so caught up in our own lives that we forget we are part of a bigger picture. We lose focus of the rest of the state, and sometimes forget that we have great programs all across our nation.

And I'll admit, I've been in that situation before. I forget as a college student, that almost every state has a college with an Agricultural Education Major, and I forget that outside of my home state of Pennsylvania, there are some pretty amazing programs.

But Agriculture Education outside of the U.S.? I doubt many people even think about this, some may even doubt that it exists, but I tell you today; I have seen the Agricultural Education light.... AND IT IS GOOD!  Since arriving in Korea, we have seen multiple high school agricultural programs, and two colleges that prepare future agricultural educators to teach in the classroom.

I know what your thinking, "Sure, it might be Agriculture Education, but does it compare to U.S. Agricultural Education?".

It sure does.

Students here have the opportunity to learn about a wide variety of topics in the Agriculture Education classroom including: Agricultural Mechanics, Small and Large Animal Science, a wide variety of Plant Science topics (landscaping, greenhouse horticulture, floriculture, vegetable/fruit production), even bio technology and food science. Not only are these students learning in the classroom, they are also getting hands-on education in the shops, in the barns, and in the gardens that they are not only working in, but are fully taking care of.

We found a New Holland tractor in one of the ag machinery shops

And let's not forget about college-level Agricultural Education. You'll find Agriculture Education majors taking a variety of agriculture classes to have a well rounded background.  Students here take roughly 140 credits throughout their college career (just like us). They also have a student teaching internship (just like us).  Students in these programs are fully prepared to take on any classroom of agriculture students.

One interesting difference here is that students can also take a defined path throughout their college career that gives them a specialized focus in one area. Think you might like to focus on landscaping: there's a path for that. Maybe you're a large animal person: there's a path for that too. This option gives students the chance to be a master of a skill area, instead of just getting a brief glimpse of it.

Its interesting to look back at myself before coming to Korea. I'll be honest, through all the research I did, and even after attending the class we took for this trip, I didn't expect this. I figured we'd see a few greenhouses, and maybe some local agricultural products (rice, tea, etc). and I'll be the first to admit, I was wrong. We've seen gardens filled with some of the best tomato plants I've ever seen. Amidst the rice fields, I've seen dairy and beef farms dotting the landscape. I've seen ag mechanics programs that housed multiple tractors and combines. Just today, I saw greenhouses dedicated to just hydroponics and an agricultural high school dedicated just to equine science, housing 35 horses for students to ride and work with.

Looking back I was a fool to be so closed-minded about agriculture programs in Korea. I was crazy for not realizing that outside of the U.S., there are programs that could teach us a few things. And I'm anxious to continue my journey to find some of the best programs that this world has to offer.    

  

A Humbling Experience

As I sit back and reflect today, I find myself humbled by our visit to the Korean War Memorial and Museum. The first thing we saw upon arrival was the black marble slabs built into the pillars, these pillars contained the names of the Korean and UN forces that died in the Korean War. It was not just one or two of these pillars, but many rows and pathways of them around the entire museum site. It was an amazing experience to be able to see this and it made me appreciate the reality that freedom is not always free.

 As we continued into the building, we saw paintings, pictures and pieces that were from the Korean War. We watched a video describing the horrors of the war, how many cities were evacuated multiple times, as both sides would gain ground and then lose ground again. We learned of the families that were seperated, destroyed or left homeless because of this tragedy. As we continued through with our journey of the Museum, I couldn't help but to keep thinking back to video, and the sheer horror that the people must of felt, and how 60 years later, the war still has left the Korean people with pain and sadness.

In the United States, the last war that took place on a significant amount of American soil, is the Civil War. We, as Americans, have forgotten the pain of war fought in our backyard; Our veterans that have fought in these wars are long gone, yet here in Korea, many still remain. Many still remember the bloodshed and loss that happened all those years ago.

Humbled.

Humbled by the realization that we cannot conceive the pain they felt.

Blessed.

Blessed knowing that others have sacrificed themselves to let me be free.

And finally....Inspired.

Inspired by a country that has rebuilt itself from the ashes to become one of the strongest economies in the world. Inspired by the city of Seoul, that houses 10 million people, and refuses to quit growing. And Inspired by a people, that are determined to continue changing the world for the better.

It makes for quite the Humbling Experience. 

 

How to Prepare for Korea: Howard

Since beginning our Korea Class, I have been slowly getting myself ready for the adventure that lies ahead.  While I am not yet completely prepared for our trip, I have taken a few steps that I believe could help anyone prepare for their adventure.

Step 1. Learning Korea:

Let me start by saying that I realize the phrase "Learning Korea" is not grammatically correct, but, it describes what I'm doing. Whether it's learning about the basic culture of Korea or learning where the best foodie spots are, trying to understand some of the background aspects of Korea has been pretty center for my preparations. You'll find that for almost any place you visit, having a little background can be pretty helpful. As most folks know, a good way to find any information needed is through...... the internet. While it's important to take all information you find with a grain of salt, a lot of useful information and videos can be found at the click of a button. Here is an awesome video of the Seoul Zoo in Gwacheon City.

Step 2. Collecting Supplies:

Part of any good adventure is making sure you are properly equipped. This adventure is no different. For this trip, I've been collecting items that will not only help myself look and feel more professional, but will also help improve the appearance of our group. One must always be on their A-game when visiting unfamiliar territory. A nice pair of Khakis and dress shirts are a good start. Also, a decent pair of walking shoes, because believe me, I plan to do some touring while I'm there, and besides, I've got to be able to hike all that mountainous terrain.

Step 3. Become Familiar with the People

This has been my latest task. I believe that if I can become more acquainted with the way people live in Korea, that will help me communicate with the people of Korea. This will be one of my tasks that I continue, even after we arrive.

Korea Here We Come!!!!!

As I continue my research I get more and more excited for the upcoming adventure that lies ahead. Until next time, enjoy the scenery!!!!