KF뉴스레터-The KF Global Challengers Program

KF Korean Language Education Internship

I am teaching the Korean language at Kazan Federal University (KFU) in Kazan, Tatarstan, Russia. I have not been here long and am still not completely familiar with the school environment. However, I am getting better adjusted each day thanks to the help of fellow teachers and students. At the moment, I conduct classes for 17 juniors and 24 seniors. If things had gone as planned, I would be teaching only the juniors. But a change in circumstances at KFU led to me taking up two more senior classes.
When I am free from teaching, I take part in programs of the Department of Korean Language and Literature. This month, the Tatarstan President Rustam Minnikhanov paid a visit to KFU and observed a Korean language class. I had learned that Russians love poetry, and so I planned a special class for juniors during which the students studied poems and wrote their own verses in Korean. We also reenacted the Korean tradition of poetry appreciation by making fans on which they painted and wrote lyrics. My class got good reviews from the head of the department and the other evaluators for being markedly different from the classes of the Chinese and Japanese language departments, which had demonstrated calligraphy lessons. I was quite happy because the students enjoyed the class much more than I expected.
Although I do experience some inconveniences due to visa problems, my life at the school is pleasant. I have submitted all the paperwork to extend my visa but am still waiting for it because administrative procedures take a relatively long time in Russia. I sometimes have a tough time because of my poor Russian, but I am happy and have little time to be lonely, as my fellow teachers are very caring. During my remaining days as a KF intern, I will do my best to make my classes both educational and entertaining for the students while actively participating in events and programs that promote Korean culture.