The wedding custom in Korea

Everyone dream a fairy-tale wedding. As the old saying goes, marriage is definitely a major life event. I think although modern people put their work and success before marriage, once they make up their mind to get married, they turn to be really serious and thoughtful in this matter. I don’t know that is the reason, but for some reasons, wedding custom in Korea has been twisted in the wrong way. A few days ago, I saw news saying that almost couples in the middle class get a loan(big big money) to prepare their marriage. (A house, wedding ceremony, etc) Unhappy marriage starts here. After finishing wedding ceremony, a married couple struggle for paying money back to the bank, and unfortunately a loan rate goes up and their life become worse because they can’t save money at all. A woman in news said she and her husband can’t imagine having a baby and they can’t afford to handle childcare expenses. What causes this problem?

It is really complicated to explain with only one reason and it goes with many social issues together. I just want to mention one of my thought. Presenters said an average age of people getting married has gone up. I believe one reason is the high expectations about a marriage and to meet that expectation, both men and women have to work and save money for a long time. The thing is even though people really try to save money for ten years, it is impossible to buy a house in Seoul. Some women expect that their future husband have an apartment in Seoul, not a lease and not a small one. And, the closer it is to Kangnam-gu, the better. In Korea, usually a man prepares a house to live, so I’m so sorry to them. Then, are women happy? No, they also should have a lot of money for home furnishings and wedding presents to the bridegroom’s family, which cost almost 1,500 to 3,000 dollars. Are these things really needed for their happy marriage?

Of course, it would be good to have a fabulous wedding ceremony and prepare a luxurious house and home furnishing for the rich or some people who have enough money to meet their expectation. But, in reality, in most of case, it is impossible and there is a big gap between reality and ideals. I take an extreme case, but I didn’t mean that whole Korean wedding custom is wrong and a couple should start a marriage without getting a loan. I just meant that do not cross the line, and I thought it is pity that people follow the same steps just because others do and just because they don’t want to lose their face. I think it is wise to rid oneself of greed and deeply think what are really needed for one’s happy and successful marriage because a marriage is a really big event in life.     

English Enducation

     The matter of English education is a never ending story here in Korea. Our society’s made English so important. And although some people are against English education system, in reality, not many people are brave enough to let their children no to learn English.

     I’m going to write about a question covered in class during the presentation. It’s hard to deny the effectiveness of learning English in one’s early childhood. And I’ve seen so many babies and kids who speak English very fluently by learning English in an English kindergarten. They never seem to be embarrassed and get nervous when they talk in English. However, is it only because they learn English in their early childhood? Although that’s an important factor, I don’t think so. I think no matter how old we are and no matter we start learning English in our 20s, 30s, or over 40s.  we could master English enough if we really want and enjoy learning it. Definitely, if we learn English in our childhood, our English pronunciation is like an English native. But as a global language, pronunciation is not an important factor when determining how well someone speaks it.

     In addition, most of the parents many think their job is just to let their children be with an English native and may think that is the best way to teach their children English. However, for some kids, it doesn’t seem to work. I also saw some kids under 7 years old who learned English from an English native teacher. But some of them were confused and felt nervous and insecure about learning and speaking English. They didn’t enjoy learning it at all. Then, how can we say early education is effective to all children? Parents should consider that their kids really want to learn in addition to their kids’ personality, ability, and aptitude.

     Many people live happily and succeed in their career without English proficiency. Some people may think English is a golden ticket to success, but it’s just one option. So I hope people find their own option and don’t waste their time in doing something that is not useful for them.