Feb 1st, 2001
Singing in Korea
During the course of the year that I would spend in Korea, the practice of singing and dancing with children would be one of the largest hurdles that I would face. At times, I felt absolutely ridiculous, gyrating my hips and waving my arms in the air to classic hits such as “This Old Man,” or “Hokey Pokey.”
At first, I absolutely refused to participate in singing and dancing with the children. At these moments, I could not help but reflect upon the fact that I had spent the previous year discussing subjects such as the relative merits of Aristotelian philosophy or the aesthetic practices resident in Citizen Kane.
Not only had I done these things, but I had also paid, or rather my parents had paid, $30,000/year in order to be in this situation. I could not accept that one year later, I would be chanting “you put your right foot in, you put your right foot out,” with a bunch of five year olds while shaking my hips in unison to the music.
Over time, I accepted the idea that singing was acceptable. After all, I did minor in music and this was an opportunity to help young children learn about music. Furthermore, it became an extremely useful tool in helping me to devise new and innovative ways of passing time before the class ended.
After I made the first concession, it was only a matter of time until the tallest student in the class and I were forming the bridge in “London Bridge” while I blared the lyrics to the song at the top of my lungs.
