Hi! My name is Hanbyeol and I’m from Daejeon, South Korea.

Daejeon is a well-known city in Korea, with a population of about 1.4 million people. It is also called the Science City because of its highly developed scientific research and technology. There are many research institutes around my home.

Daejeon is also famous for bread. There’s a very popular bakery here, and people from other regions even visit Daejeon just to try its bread. 

My dormitory school

Let me introduce you to my dormitory. I had gone to a dormitory school for 5 years. But my case is totally different from South Korean high schools in general. Therefore, keep this in your mind. My school has about 400 students in total, with around 60 students per grade and about 20 students in each class. Since my school is an English-focused school, English is very important. That’s why we have lessons in English about four times a week, in which we are required to speak only in English.

A typical day at my school!

My typical school day was like this:

6:00 am
I used to wake up and get prepared for my morning exercise. This task was always the hardest for me, maybe for everyone. 

7:00 am-8:30 am 
I had breakfast, got a shower and prepared for going to school. I was offered a weekend special menu for breakfast. The menu was always different depending on the school dietitian‘s mood, but usually we had bread and fruit cake. Nevertheless, it was always hard to wake up early at the weekend; I woke up early to eat the special menu.

8:30am - 3:30 pm 
I had regular classes e.g.  Maths, Korean language, Science, Social Studies , PE, Music, Art, English. Every class took 50 minutes. 5 minutes more than in Germany. Personally, I loved the Maths class. Korean Math is known for horribly difficult problems, therefore many people think that it must be boring, but it is not. I can feel the sense of accomplishment, when I finally solved the problem that had bothered me for 3 days or even more.

3:30-4:00 pm 
Unlike normal schools, my school has Bible time for 30 minutes because my dormitory is a Christian school. And then I presented something that resonated with me.

4:00-5:00 pm 
My school‘s vice principal thought this time was the most important time for adolescents. It is reading time. It is totally different from Bible time. We were not allowed to read the Bible in reading time or read school books in Bible time. Up to now, I don’t know why. But my teachers emphasized this rule. I usually read books on economics in order to  improve my skills because I used to be weak at economics.

5:00-6:00 pm
We cleaned our assigned areas and then had dinner. Interestingly, at our school, students were responsible for cleaning the school. Each of us had a designated area to clean, such as the bathroom, staff room, garden, hallway, etc. By the way, I was in charge of cleaning the stairs. The principal believed that if we took care of our school by cleaning and maintaining it, we would develop more affection for it and treat it with greater respect. And here’s the best part about our school: Our school meals were famous for being delicious. Almost every day, a different menu was served, and we all loved the food at our school. I still think about our school meals up to this day.

6:00- 7:00 pm
We had free time. During this time, we could do whatever we wanted. We could go to the library, exercise, or chat with friends. I usually went to the library with my friends. And since I was a member of the library club, I spent a lot of time in the library. As a result, I naturally spent more time with books, and my interest in them grew. At our school, we were given time for extracurricular activities. Some worked as dancers in the dance club, while others worked as members of the broadcasting club. Our school was an English school, so all broadcasts were conducted in English. 

7:00- 9:00 pm
We gathered in the classroom for self-study. This was mandatory, and everyone had to attend. If a student arrived late, they were always punished. For about two hours, I usually reviewed what I had learned that day and previewed what I would learn the next day. Most of my friends probably studied in the same way as I did.

9:00-10:00 pm 
We gathered with friends to have snacks, reflect on the day, and organize our thoughts. Then, we took some time to prepare for sleeping.

10:00- 11:30 pm
Those who wanted to continue studying could do so. Since I was a high school student, I studied every night. As you all know, Maths in Korea is really famous for being difficult. So, I spent most of my time studying it. Also, there was a mock exam for the university entrance exam (the Suneung), which was really important at our school, so I studied hard for it.

After that, it was bedtime, my favorite time!

During exam periods, the time for reading books was replaced with self-study time, and the evening study time was extended until 1 AM. If needed, some students even woke up at 5 AM to do early morning study. It may sound really tough, right? But in that dormitory, there were many young people working hard for their dreams, and the energy and passion that radiated from each other gave me the strength to keep going.

Differences between Korean and German schools.

First, the Korean school I attended had strict rules that were quite different from German schools. Dating between students was strictly forbidden and hair always had to be kept above shoulder length. Also, skirts other than the school uniform were not allowed, makeup was prohibited and shorts had to be long enough to cover the knees. However, most Korean schools are much less strict than mine. Since my school was a private school, the rules were much tougher.

Another big difference is school meals. In Korea, we are provided with three meals a day at school, so the cafeteria is extremely large — probably 20 times bigger than the cafeteria here.

Also, in my school, students were not allowed to go outside during break time. In Germany, students are often required to go outside during breaks, but in Korea, leaving the classroom during break time could actually be considered a violation of school rules. Sounds surprising, right?

So far, I’ve talked about a Korean city and my Korean school. What do you think? It’s quite different from Germany, right?

Having experienced both, I think each has its own advantages and disadvantages. I really like how much more freedom German schools offer, but having to go outside during every break still feels a bit inconvenient for me.

What do you guys think? Would you like to visit a Korean school someday?