Differences

This shows you the differences between two versions of the page.

--- santiago_log [2016/08/21 07:29] – santiagoricoy
+++ santiago_log [2016/08/23 13:34] (current) – santiagoricoy
@@ Line 475: / Line 475: @@
 .) **What I learned about Korea**:
+I learned about schools in Korea. Korea is accepted in many lists as having the best education system in the world. I know quite a few teachers, so I can see how. However, among Korean friends I've discussed this with, some people disagree with it being the best. It isn't that the statistics aren't true; it's the experience for the students. That top ranking, for some people, comes at great cost. I was told primary school is practically 7 days a week, 12 hours a day; it can be brutal. Besides that, literacy rates and comprehension of various subjects may be the best in the world, but my Korean friends tell that too much of the education system is aimed at having students do well on tests.
+The largest example of this is English speaking ability. Since getting into a good university requires good test scores on English tests, like TOEFL or TOEIC, at KAIST everyone has a decent score on these tests. Many Korean people have told me that they've been studying English since they were 5 years old. Essentially no one I met was exempt from that, but it seems that very few people have the ability to fluidly carry a conversation in English, and even when they can, it can be quite difficult.
+Even so, I find the schools really impressive, as Las Vegas sometimes ranks near the bottom of primary school district comparisons in the United States.
@@ Line 497: / Line 501: @@
 .) **Photo of the week**:
+This photo is part of KAIST Munji campus. I was supposed to be headed to my own farewell party, but unfortunately it was a Saturday, and I forgot the shuttle from my dormitory hardly operates on the weekends. So I was stranded, but eventually found my way.
+What is cool about Munji campus is that it has its own unique things about it that I don't think I would have found if I never got stuck there for a few minutes. In just that 10 minutes, I found a greenhouse, research wing, a KAIST logo-ed car, and upon leaving bumped into the Samsung Heavy Industries complex.
 .) **What I'm learning about myself**:
+I think positivity has really accelerated my ability to move forward on tasks regardless of how confused I am, and it's probably good to see and know that as opposed to just blindly saying yes to things. So when things get a bit concerning and I begin to freak out, it is valuable to see the bright side.
+Aside from that, after a while, you notice keeping a good attitude can begin to affect others as well. At first, I could see frustration in the faces of my teachers upon asking for help with things that were ultimately very simple, but after a while I think that finding reasons to keep a smile on really changes the outlook from a waste of time to an investment to save time later.
 .) **New Korean person I met this week**:
+I had the opportunity to meet Tae Hyung (Terry) Choi, the CEO and president of Seoyoung Engineering. We had a great discussion of the future of robotics/technology as well as the more interesting differences in Korean lifestyle versus American lifestyle. I was quite impressed with what his company does and his current dreams in the next steps for the company. What I found intriguing was 5-dimensional project and city planning simulations. The 4th dimension is of course time, but the 5th involves monetary changes, like maintenance over time. This is important to the company because there may be several projects being done at once and small but important financial details about projects sometimes can be overlooked. Terry's company is doing too many interesting things for me to discuss here, so if you're interested in learning more, the website can be found at [[http://www.seoyeong.co.kr/en/|http://www.seoyeong.co.kr/en/]]