History 21 The Podcast - 1.05 Erin Freitag
Erin Freitag, ACHS volunteer and Andover resident, started 2020 teaching English in Yeonggwang, Korea. She shares her decision to teach English abroad for six years, as well as what those early months of the year were like in a different country. In the first half of the year she also made an international move back to Minnesota, and her experienced the beginning of Covid again, this time in the United States.
Hosts Rebecca Desens, ACHS Executive Director and Sara Given, ACHS Volunteer Coordinator.
Erin wearing a man’s hanbok (traditional Korean clothing) and gat (hat) in Korea.
Erin Freitag
Resident in Korea March 2014 - May 2020
Where Erin Lived During her time in Korea
Gyeongju
Pohang
Namyangju
Gongju
Yeonggwang
Map of Korea with numbers indicating all the cities Erin lived while in the country.
Erin and some of her students at Lotteworld, one of thelargest amusement parks in Seoul, Korea.
Erin in front of Cheomseongdae, in Gyeongju, it is the oldest observatory in eastern Asia.
Anoka County Library Minute
Further Reading:
South Korea by Raquel Foran - J951.95 FOR
Juvenile collection book about South Korea. Children’s books often give a better holistic overview of countries and cultures than adult books. Published locally in Minneapolis.
South Korea - DVD915.1950443 SOU
For those who prefer to learn by watching, the DVD South Korea, hosted by Ian Wright, is also available at Anoka County Library. In this film, Wright visits some of the biggest cities in South Korea and the border between South and North Korea, and learns about the people of South Korea and their culture. This DVD is part of the Globe Trekker series and the Pilot Guides series.
My Korea: Traditional Flavors, Modern Recipes by Hooni Kim - 641.59519 KIM
One very enjoyable way to learn about a culture is, of course, by eating its food. My Korea: Traditional Flavors, Modern Recipes is a new cookbook out this year by Michelin-star chef Hooni Kim, who is “known for defining Korean food in America.” Kim brings traditional recipes to the forefront, blending them with his experience in French and Japanese kitchens. The book also contains beautiful pictures sure to get your tummy rumbling.
Banned Book Club by Hyun Sook Kim - YA GRAPHIC 951.95 KIM
In this young adult graphic novel, young Kim Hyun Sook tells her experience of joining a banned book club in college, in the midst of an authoritarian regime. Set in 1983 during South Korea’s Fifth Republic, Hyun Sook finds herself torn between what is safe and her new friends and ideas from the book club.
The Birth of Korean Cool by Euny Hong - 306.095 HON
In this book, Euny Hong discusses the launch of South Korea into popular culture. A country that used to ban long hair on men and mini-skirts, South Korea has become a real force in the pop culture world, with boy bands, cell phones, and soap operas. And Korean pop culture has continued to expand since the publication of this book, with Parasite having won best picture at the Oscars last year.
COVID-19 is just one of a number of SARS viruses that has arisen in the past several years. This book by Deborah Mackenzie suggests that there are a number of ways in which the world could have prepared for the outbreak of a virus like COVID-19, and yet failed to. Rather than positing what might happen with a pandemic that is not yet under control, Mackenzie instead looks at what went wrong leading up to the outbreak, and makes suggestions for ways in which we might avoid such a situation when the next epidemic comes around.
Unlike the previous book, this book by Nicholas A. Christakis takes a view of the aftermath of the pandemic. While we can’t possibly know how things will truly play out in the future, Christakis notes that we can look to the past for ideas. This pandemic is a new struggle for most of us alive today, but plague and pestilences have occurred over and over again throughout the story of humanity. Christakis reminds us that, on a large scale, this experience is not a new one, and theorizes on ways in which this current round of pandemic might influence our future.
Alone Together: Love, Grief, and Comfort in the Time of COVID-19 - 614.46 ALO
Over 90 authors contributed free of charge to this book of essays, poetry, and interviews about the impact of COVID-19 on their lives. Kwame Alexander, Nikki Giovanni, and Steve Yarborough are just a few of the authors who contributed to this collection about our current time of isolation and how it might change us as individuals and as a society. In addition, all net profits of this book are donated to The Book Industry Charitable Foundation, a non-profit that leads programs to strengthen the bookselling community, which has been deeply impacted by the pandemic.