Living and teaching Baduk in Europe - Kyoung-nang Kang 7D
2010-11-02
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My name is Kang Kyoung-Nang. I have been living in Europe for roughly 6 months now. I will use this opportunity to tell you about some of my views and experiences in Europe.
When I first arrived in Europe I thought Baduk was a popular game here, because that's what I was told in Korea. But to my surprise it was not nearly as popular as I expected.
Europeans as opposed to Koreans see Baduk as a leisure activity, as in Korea it is seen as an highly cultural activity. One of the Baduk clubs I teach in makes their meetings in a pub. And they play while drinking beer. I think this is very fun and I really love this leisure aspect of European Baduk culture.
While I see many positive sides in the European Baduk culture, there are also some bad sides. For example I think it's nearly impossible to make a decent living as a Baduk teacher in Europe. Europeans are not really used to pay for Baduk lessons. For the most part, they think of it as a game that should be taught and played for free. That means that any person seriously considering moving to Europe and teach Baduk for a living should reconsider their plans.
So far all of the asians that came over here to teach, either get support from their countries or live in non-ideal conditions. I think Europeans should reconsider their views on this subject. Even thought there are bad sides I still love it here.
Living in Europe has been a truly great experience for me, and I was able to grow a lot because of it. I'm not sure for how long more I will be able to live here, but if possible I would love to visit again. I will miss all of the friends I've made here.
When I first arrived in Europe I thought Baduk was a popular game here, because that's what I was told in Korea. But to my surprise it was not nearly as popular as I expected.
Europeans as opposed to Koreans see Baduk as a leisure activity, as in Korea it is seen as an highly cultural activity. One of the Baduk clubs I teach in makes their meetings in a pub. And they play while drinking beer. I think this is very fun and I really love this leisure aspect of European Baduk culture.
While I see many positive sides in the European Baduk culture, there are also some bad sides. For example I think it's nearly impossible to make a decent living as a Baduk teacher in Europe. Europeans are not really used to pay for Baduk lessons. For the most part, they think of it as a game that should be taught and played for free. That means that any person seriously considering moving to Europe and teach Baduk for a living should reconsider their plans.
So far all of the asians that came over here to teach, either get support from their countries or live in non-ideal conditions. I think Europeans should reconsider their views on this subject. Even thought there are bad sides I still love it here.
Living in Europe has been a truly great experience for me, and I was able to grow a lot because of it. I'm not sure for how long more I will be able to live here, but if possible I would love to visit again. I will miss all of the friends I've made here.
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