The Long Wait is Over: Ceremony Reveals Our School Placements!

ETAs #1-40 waiting for the Placement Ceremony to begin at 7:00 p.m.

Taekwondo session was cancelled this evening. While some of us were initially upset with the announcement, the Chief OC was quick to tell us the reason why: our Placement Ceremony would be taking place at the same time!

The OCs leading a practice run-through.

PRACTICE PLACEMENT CEREMONY 

There were gasps of surprise, unexpected yelps of excitement, and anxious hand-wringing all over the Fish Bowl. This was the moment we had all been waiting for. The Placement Ceremony effectively lets the ETAs know where our school placements are (aka where we will be living and teaching in South Korea for the whole year!). If that's not exciting and anxiety-inducing, I don't know what is. The OCs led us on a practice run-through of the ceremony, including procedural instructions on dress, line-up, bowing, and expressing our gratitude to Mrs. Shim for our placements.  

Anticipating that not everyone is going to be happy with where they are placed, the OCs stressed that there is no "bad placement" only a "bad mindset." Mrs. Shim would later reiterate this at the ceremony. 

FILLING OUT THE PREFERENCE FORM

We filled out our placement preference forms just a week or so ago. I filled mine out not really believing that the Fulbright office in Seoul would take my "preferences" into consideration, but the OCs were adamant that the office does take our preferences into consideration when making their decisions. The OCs were backed up by Mrs. Shim in saying that the Fulbright office tries its hardest to place each ETA at the school where it believes we will thrive best. 

I was more of a believer by the time I filled out the form, but I was careful not to grow attached to any of my "preferences." The placement preference forms asked us about our school and location preferences with many subcategories. If the form had not been electronic, I would have written:

"Put me anywhere in Korea! I know I will thrive wherever I go." 

As it was, I ended up forming preferences on most things, and, with some research, even came up with a preferred location and a strong explanation for why they should send me to said location. 

The following is a breakdown of the form and the options it offered us. The preferences I indicated are in ALL CAPS. 

THE BREAKDOWN OF MY PREFERENCES: SCHOOL

• type of school (no preference, middle school, HIGH SCHOOL) <-- extremely important to me
• school gender (no preference, co-ed, ALL-MALE, all-female)
• school size (NO PREFERENCE, less than 100, 101-500, 501-1000, more than 1000)
• English ability (no preference, low-level, intermediate-level, HIGH-LEVEL) <--- also extremely important to me
• religious affiliation (I would be willing to work at a Buddhist-affiliated, Catholic-affiliated, PROTESTANT-AFFILIATED school, no preference)
• new school (no preference, yes, NO)

ETA friends after the ceremony

THE BREAKDOWN OF MY PREFERENCES: LOCATION

and about our location preferences: 

• location size (NO PREFERENCE, rural, suburban, urban)
• environment (NO PREFERENCE, inland (mainland), coastal (mainland), island, mountainous) 
• specific location (list any towns, provinces, specific geographic areas where you would like to be placed, and explain why)
• GWANGJU IN GYEONGGI PROVINCE - insert an essay of an explanation here, mostly about my interest in volunteering at The House of Sharing. 
• resource availability (rank order of preference (1-4): no preference, near other ETAs, not near other ETAs, ease of transportation, traditional/historical area)
• near other ETAs - NO PREFERENCE
• not near other ETAs - NO PREFERENCE
• ease of transportation - 1
• traditional/historical area - 2  
• accessibility to extracurriculars (list any extracurriculars that you seriously intend on pursuing during your grant year)
• TKD, THE HOUSE OF SHARING, SUPPORT CENTERS FOR MIGRANT WOMEN

RANKING MY PREFERENCES: MY TOP 4

Then we were asked to rank all of our preferences from 1-12. My top 4 were: 

• Specific location: Gwangju in Gyeonggi
• Accessibility to extracurriculars: especially The House of Sharing and support centers for migrant women
• School Type: High School
• English Ability: High-Level

AND THE ETAS ARE CALLED ONE BY ONE...

All 80 ETAs were lined up in a U-shape along the perimeters of the auditorium, more or less facing a seated Mrs. Shim and a small audience composed of our language instructors. One by one, the OCs called out a city and announced the number of ETAs that were assigned there. 

"The first city is Seoul. There is one ETA assigned there." 

Ray and I were assigned to Busan! Different
schools but same city. Apparently, I'm on
an island district!

Then they called out the name of one ETA, and so forth. They did this for all 80 of us so it took about an hour. As more names were called, the line of ETAs shrank towards the middle. All I could remember while standing there was the feeling that, at any moment, for any of the cities, my name could be called. It was hard to concentrate. 

"Next is Busan. 

There are two ETAs assigned there. 

Ray Sawyer at [school]..."

These shoes are starting to hurt. I wonder when Gwangju will be called. No, it doesn't matter where you're assigned! Everything has already been deci-

"...and Mimi Cagaitan at [school]." 

I heard my name, instinctively stepped forward, gave a 90-degree bow in Mrs. Shim's direction, and walked to the stage. At one point, I forgot how to walk but made it safely on to the stage without major incident. I grabbed a slip of paper with details about my assignment, and placed a sticky note with my name on it on a huge Korean map where my assignment was. 

Busan. Where the heck is Busan? It must be small since there are only two ETAs assigned there. Like rural small. Farms. Fields for miles and miles as far as the eye can see. No wi-fi. Busan...

Ray and I had our picture taken on stage. Besides the one ETA in Seoul, we were the next smallest number of first-year ETAs assigned in one location in Korea. I took my seat behind Mrs. Shim and the other ETAs and was immediately met with excited smiles and whispered congratulations that I got Busan. I had not done any research on any of the cities thinking this would enhance my ability to be genuinely ready and indiscriminate as far as my school placement. 

After the ceremony, I found out that Busan was no rural town. It is South Korea's second largest metropolis after Seoul, and boasts the many dis/advantages that comes with being in an urban setting. 

Ray, the other first-year ETA assigned to Busan.
This guy has an amazingly dynamic personality.
This year will be a treat with him nearby.

. 

ETA: Congratulations! I'm so jealous, you're right by the beach! 

Me: I am?

ETA: Yup. Prepare for me to come visit you often! 

Me: Yeah, of course! Wait - I am?!

ETA 2: Omg! You got Busan, right? 

Me: Yeah, apparently it's by the beach!

ETA 2: And it's also the second largest city in Korea...

Me: Ah! That's cool. What else is there in Busa- 

ETA 3: Woah! Busan, eh? Busan is my favorite city in Korea!

Me: Oh, that's good. [note to self: wikipedia Busan asap after ceremony]. 

ETA 4: How did you get Busan?! I thought there were no spots available this year?

Me: No idea

ETA 4: Like you didn't ask for it or anything? 

Me: Nope. 

ETA 4: ...wow. People fight over Busan. 

Me: Really? I had no idea it was in such high demand...

ETA 4: Yeah, most of the returning ETAs request Busan. That's probably why there's only two spots this year, but I heard that there were no spots available at all. Huh! What exactly did you put in your form??

Me: I put that I wanted Gwangju, but would be happy anywhere :D 

ETA 4: Oh. Well, good for you!

So basically all those comments made me really excited to learn more about Busan. I did a quick wikipedia search. 

QUICK FUN FACTS ABOUT BUSAN: 

• Second largest metropolis after Seoul
• Known as the summer capital of Korea for its 6 beaches
• Has Korea's largest beach and longest river
• Largest port city in the country
• Ranked fourth best city in Asia
• Fifth busiest seaport in the world
• Home to the world's largest department store
• Hosts one of the most popular international film festivals in Asia
• Its name means something along the lines of: a harbor located at the foot of a mountain resembling a cauldron
• Winters are cold and comparatively dry with high winds, but much milder than other parts of Korea (YESSSS, thank you!)
• A couple of relevant sister cities: LA, USA and Cebu, Philippines (doing it right, Busan. Doing it right)

LOGISTICS OF MY SCHOOL/LOCATION PLACEMENT

• high school
• all-female
• more than 1,000
• public
• urban
• island - yes, an island called Yeongdo. 

I didn't ask for Busan, and I didn't ask for Yeongdo Island but I believe that prayers have been answered. Regardless of whether I had been assigned to Gwangju, Busan, or another town/city in Korea, I would have still moved forward believing that, although this is not what I asked for, it is exactly what I need/what the school needs. 

I am very grateful for all the hard work the Fulbright office put into giving us the best placements possible. In two weeks' time, a representative from Yeongdo Girls' High School will come to pick me up at the end of Orientation. Two more weeks, folks! 

Thank you for being on this journey with me!