Tok Entry: Even International Schools have their Own Culture

Social Learning Theory (Bandura 1977) states that people learn behaviors from observations. This means that the people who we surround ourselves with influence our behaviors. I think this is very true, as I have experienced it myself.

observing others

In 7th grade, I moved to Korea and went to an international school. The entire school consisted of Korean students, a lot of whom were culturally Korean as well. I, as a Korean American, felt so different from these people. My classmates spoke Korean in the hallways after our English classes, spoke Korean on the bus, ate ttuk-bok-ki, twi-gim,  shopped at Korean stores, and did so many other Korean things. I observed the people I surrounded myself with, and I found that I was becoming more like them. After creating new friends and settling down, I found that my Korean was improving exponentially, more than I had ever been with my failed attempts of Korean class in America. I was even speaking English with a Korean accent, because it seemed so normal with the people around me. I also started speaking Korean in the hallways of our international school.

That's why when I moved to SFS two years later, I was really confused. The Koreans at this school were so different! I had not known that English-speaking Koreans could be so drastically different. With my stay in SFS, I actually found my speaking skill of Korean deteriorating. Everyone here spoke English in the hallways, and acted very American. I almost felt like I was in a different country every time I walked up the SFS hill. Again, however, I found myself slowly becoming like one of them. I was conforming without even noticing it. I started to speak more American, and I naturally stopped listening to k-pop and found myself listening to more American songs.

My move between international schools was a strange experience. I had no idea that two totally different cultures could exist in something that should practically be one culture. I've also learned that observation, and continuously being exposed to behaviors every day of the year, can change a person's tendencies. I still become very confused when I meet my friends back at my old school, or my old friends back in America. However, I also enjoy that I can adjust into multiple different behaviors. It's fun to do (in a non-psychopathic way, of course).