Barbara TS#5

This morning Dojun and I talked about the American and Korean university systems – their similarities and differences with regard to living quarters and parental support.  We got there through a rather circuitous route by beginning our conversation discussing housing at a university.  He explained to me that there were rentals for college students, and then he talked about another way for students to obtain housing.  Apparently, they live in a home that is open to students and they don’t pay rent.  Somehow, they cover their expenses and are then reimbursed at the end of a year.  I couldn’t really figure it out but Dojun lived in such an arrangement for two years in one room with a room-mate.  According to him, he was glad when it was over.  He paid $280.00 a month for this type of living. He completed two years of college out of high school and then he left for two years to do his military service.   When he returned, he found a rental and stayed by himself.  Our conversation turned to how important it was for parents to send their students to a university.  He said that parents think that if their children don’t go to college, they will fall behind.  It seemed as if in some cases, it was more important to the parents then it was to the students. He then said that some students didn’t need to go to college and were fine without a degree.  I told him that I agree with this idea because there are students who do better in vocational schools learning trades.  In some cases, they make a very good living and are fine with not going to school.  The conversation ended with a discussion of my upcoming plans to drive to Alaska.  He laughed because he said that in his country, there was no crossing the border like the drive into Canada.  He has traveled from the US to Canada but it sounded as if this trip was his only border crossing.  Our tutoring thus far has consisted of starting a conversation and following it through many discussions and changes.  I have really learned a lot about South Korea.