On Thursday, after months of waiting, we were finally given more details about our future jobs and homes. I was assigned to Jeil Middle School, a co-ed school very close to downtown Daegu. I wasn't particular about what kind of school I wanted to teach at, but I was very happy to hear that I would be so close to the downtown area, and also that I only have one school so far - it's not uncommon for teachers to have to commute between two or three schools.
Our last evening and morning at Jeonju University included some more cultural performances (really beautiful fan dances and drumming, I'll try to put up links to some videos), a closing banquet, and a closing ceremony. Friday morning we loaded our luggage into buses and set out for our respective cities and provinces. The Daegu buses stopped at a wayside for an amazing lunch of bibimbap, eaten in the traditional Korean style of sitting on the floor at a low table (which, with eight people at a small table, takes some practice and flexibility!). We arrived at the Daegu Provincial Office of Education, and were brought up on a stage and introduced to our co-teachers.
My main co-teacher (or handler, as one of our lecturers in Jeonju put it) is Carrie. I'll be teaching English with several other Korean co-teachers, but Carrie is in charge of me and my go-to person for any problems. A lot of English-speaking Koreans choose English names for themselves, and she told me later that she loves the show "Sex and the City" and that's how she chose her name. She was with another employee of the school who works in administration, and the three of us managed to load up all my luggage into Carrie's tiny car. We stopped at Jeil so we could follow some superintendent to my apartment, and he helped us haul everything up to my room.
My apartment is on the second floor of a small building. It's one room, with a bathroom, a small scary-looking boiler room, and a tiny little enclosed patio with a washing machine. The room itself is big but there isn't any storage area at all - just a small table with two chairs, a shallow musty-smelling closet, a bed against one wall and the kitchen against the opposite wall. One thing that I do like about Korean storage is the fact that there is usually a big cupboard or rack for shoes right next to the door, because shoes are never worn inside the apartment - so that's one thing I do have enough room for! There are cupboards in the kitchen area, so I think a lot of my clothes and books will end up going in there! The bathroom has a very common type of Korean shower - just a shower head hooked to the wall and a drain on the floor, with no specific, designated shower area. The shower head sits at about chest-level, so you have to hold it in your hand to use it, and aim very carefully so you don't spray water everywhere. It's very efficient as far as the use of space and water goes.
I wasn't very happy with the room at first - the whole thing smelled very musty and old; almost everything was dirty and mildewy (I have to scrub out every cupboard and line it with paper before I put anything in it); the refrigerator smells awful; there's no hot water, Internet, or cable; I have nowhere to put my stuff; and I've killed one cockroach so far. However, as I've been unpacking and moving around it a little, the smells are starting to go away (except in the refrigerator) and the whole thing is starting to grow on me. I haven't found any more bugs so far, there is air-conditioning, and you can't beat the location - I'm within easy walking distance of both my school and the downtown area.
Carrie has also been awesome in helping me get settled. After we dropped off all my stuff on Friday, we walked to Jeil Middle School so I would have a rough idea of how to get there and what kind of shops are around. Then we drove to a giant E-Mart, which is kind of like Wal-Mart only a little nicer. I bought cleaning supplies, garbage cans, kitchen stuff like a pot, pan, cutting board and knife, a few groceries and some other basics. Carrie gave me a bunch of stuff out of her own house - laundry detergent and fabric softener, toilet paper and paper towels, clothes hangers, some kitchen supplies, and probably other stuff I'm not remembering. She also bought me some flowers and Mandarin oranges at the E-Mart, as well as dinner that first night. Carrie's English is really good, and she mentioned that she studied for two months in San Diego and was really confused about how to do things like order at restaurants or shop, so she knows just how I feel! I'm so lucky to have her helping me out.
I slept in on Saturday, and then spent most of the day cleaning and organizing my apartment. A lot of my clothes are still just sitting in my suitcase, where they will stay until I'm ambitious enough to finish scrubbing out the rest of those nasty cupboards or break down and buy some sort of shelving unit. I also haven't figured out what to do with my garbage yet - in Daegu you have to buy specific garbage bags depending on the district you live in, and separate out paper, plastics, food garbage, and garbage to be burned. That's all fine, except that I haven't actually seen a dumpster or large trash cans outside where I can take my garbage. Carrie bought me these little plastic bags for food waste, and I'm just keeping that stuff in my freezer until I figure out what to do with it!
Carrie met me again Saturday night and we walked downtown. I told her that I liked reading and books, and she showed me a huge bookstore, Kyobo, which is famous in Daegu. It has a big English-language section and a Starbucks, and I think I'll be spending a lot of time there. I've already bought one book and signed up for a frequent-buyer card! Carrie bought me dinner again, which was excellent - I'm liking the food here more and more every day.
I'm keeping my fingers crossed for Internet, cable television, and hot water sometime in the next few days. I'm also going to work on finding the other native English teachers that are around here, and get involved in some activities or classes of some sort; the lecturers at orientation told us that we should be able to get all of our lesson planning and school stuff done during the work day, and I really don't want to just go home and sit in my tiny apartment every night! Carrie told me that the local YMCA offers Korean classes, so I might look into that, or into taking online classes of some sort.
Sorry for the long post! For those of you who've read the whole thing, thank you and please keep in touch!
Sunday, August 30, 2009
Sunday, August 23, 2009
EPIK Orientation
Well I made it to South Korea in one piece! After some issues with my luggage in Chicago (each of my bags did end up being 15 lbs overweight, and rather than just pay a fine they had me pack all the extra into a cardboard box and then pay $130 to ship the box), I found out that my business class ticket had been upgraded to first class because the flight was overbooked! I got to use the lounge before I boarded, I boarded first, and the 14-hour flight went by really quickly - I even managed to sleep for almost seven hours.
We landed in Incheon around 4:30am on Wednesday, and luckily all my luggage made it through and I was even able to exchange my money for Korean won at that time in the morning. I checked in at the EPIK desk, and there was a four-hour wait for a bus and then a four-hour bus ride to Jeonju University (their awesome slogan is "The Place for Superstars") in the city of Jeonju, where our orientation is based. It made for a very long day, but I was finally registered and in my dorm room by 3:30 or 4pm. After a shower and a little unpacking I was asleep by 5pm! The next night I only made it until 7pm, but even with going to bed that early I was able to sleep through the nights.
I've been in South Korea for about five days now, and have settled into the routine of our orientation here. I'm even sleeping normal hours now! It's going really well and I'm amazed at how well-run and efficient it is, and how considerate everyone here is of us teachers. They helped us set up bank accounts, recommended a cell phone plan and provider and then even brought in the vendor, and organized a full medical exam for us, because one is required of all new teachers in the country. I was expecting to have to do all of that myself and was so relieved to have it all organized for me.
We also have Survival Korean lessons and Korean movies every night. These are optional but I've been to every one. The Survival Korean is really helpful - I've already learned how to properly introduce myself to my future principal and co-teacher as well as the Korean names for several school facilities. And the movies are a really cool, unique way to learn about the culture (the film industry here is huge, if you ever have the chance you should check out some Korean films!). Besides Korean lessons and movies, we learned a little history through a field trip to a traditional village and Buddhist temple. I'll try to put up pictures soon!
The weather here has been somewhat difficult to get used to - it's very hot and humid, and this isn't even the hottest part of the summer (that's in July). Air conditioning does exist here, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed that my apartment will have it. The food also requires a little bit of an adjustment, but I like it for the most part - a lot of spicy vegetables, a lot of interesting and mysterious seafood, and a lot of rice. It's very healthy and my chopstick skills are slowly improving.
However, for the most part I haven't really experienced culture shock or homesickness yet, and I think that has a lot to do with the atmosphere here at the orientation. I'm surrounded by 700 Westerners, attending lectures at a university, eating meals in a cafeteria and even sleeping in a dorm; it's like being back at college again. It's very comfortable, but after we leave here on Friday and go off to our various schools around the country, I'll be entering the 'real world' - I'll be on my own in another strange city, with a much, much smaller support system and a brand new job.
So overall I am definitely nervous for orientation to end, but I'm really enjoying it so far! I love hearing from everyone at home, so keep the emails, comments and Facebook posts coming!
We landed in Incheon around 4:30am on Wednesday, and luckily all my luggage made it through and I was even able to exchange my money for Korean won at that time in the morning. I checked in at the EPIK desk, and there was a four-hour wait for a bus and then a four-hour bus ride to Jeonju University (their awesome slogan is "The Place for Superstars") in the city of Jeonju, where our orientation is based. It made for a very long day, but I was finally registered and in my dorm room by 3:30 or 4pm. After a shower and a little unpacking I was asleep by 5pm! The next night I only made it until 7pm, but even with going to bed that early I was able to sleep through the nights.
I've been in South Korea for about five days now, and have settled into the routine of our orientation here. I'm even sleeping normal hours now! It's going really well and I'm amazed at how well-run and efficient it is, and how considerate everyone here is of us teachers. They helped us set up bank accounts, recommended a cell phone plan and provider and then even brought in the vendor, and organized a full medical exam for us, because one is required of all new teachers in the country. I was expecting to have to do all of that myself and was so relieved to have it all organized for me.
We also have Survival Korean lessons and Korean movies every night. These are optional but I've been to every one. The Survival Korean is really helpful - I've already learned how to properly introduce myself to my future principal and co-teacher as well as the Korean names for several school facilities. And the movies are a really cool, unique way to learn about the culture (the film industry here is huge, if you ever have the chance you should check out some Korean films!). Besides Korean lessons and movies, we learned a little history through a field trip to a traditional village and Buddhist temple. I'll try to put up pictures soon!
The weather here has been somewhat difficult to get used to - it's very hot and humid, and this isn't even the hottest part of the summer (that's in July). Air conditioning does exist here, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed that my apartment will have it. The food also requires a little bit of an adjustment, but I like it for the most part - a lot of spicy vegetables, a lot of interesting and mysterious seafood, and a lot of rice. It's very healthy and my chopstick skills are slowly improving.
However, for the most part I haven't really experienced culture shock or homesickness yet, and I think that has a lot to do with the atmosphere here at the orientation. I'm surrounded by 700 Westerners, attending lectures at a university, eating meals in a cafeteria and even sleeping in a dorm; it's like being back at college again. It's very comfortable, but after we leave here on Friday and go off to our various schools around the country, I'll be entering the 'real world' - I'll be on my own in another strange city, with a much, much smaller support system and a brand new job.
So overall I am definitely nervous for orientation to end, but I'm really enjoying it so far! I love hearing from everyone at home, so keep the emails, comments and Facebook posts coming!
Monday, August 17, 2009
Here I Go!
This is it! In a few short hours my family is leaving for Chicago, and in just a few more I’ll be on a direct flight for South Korea! Almost exactly eight months ago I signed up for an online TEFL course, and at each step along the way it was still hard to believe that I was really going to do this until I actually had a plane ticket with my name and tomorrow’s date on it. Between working several times a week and preparing for this move, the summer has really flown by…and I still can’t believe that I’m actually going to do this.
I’ve been learning to read and write the Korean alphabet, Hangul, with the help of this website: http://www.learnlangs.com/RWP/Korean/index.htm I still don’t know how to speak any of the language, but now at least I’ll be able to read menus and signs in the streets or subway stations. The alphabet was surprisingly easy to learn – the characters are very logical and everything is arranged by syllable, so it’s easy to sound out and pronounce words. Not to mention that Hangul actually is an alphabet, with only 20-something characters, rather than thousands like with the Chinese or Japanese scripts! We have two or three survival-Korean classes at orientation, and one I’m settled in Daegu I’d like to sign up for more – or maybe I can find someone who’s willing to exchange English lessons for Korean!
The whole last week, when I wasn’t working, was dedicated to packing and re-packing my two suitcases and carry-on, over and over. I’m pretty sure that I’ll have to pay airline fees for breaking both weight and size limits on both suitcases, but with only two of them to last a whole year I didn’t have much choice. I have to have one suitcase packed for our nine-day orientation, and then the rest of our luggage will be stowed away until all of use EPIK GETs (Guest English Teachers) are bused away to our various locations. I think this is because we’ll be staying in dorms for the orientation, so space will be limited. I’m pretty satisfied with how much I was able to cram into my two suitcases; I didn’t have to sacrifice too much. I would take more books if I could, and more knick-knacks or decorations for my apartment, but I’m sure I can find everything I could need or want in Daegu. I also couldn’t fit my heavy winter coat in, but I’ve heard that Korean winters are somewhat milder, so I’m counting on all the layers I’ve packed and my thick Wisconsin skin!
I’m really anxious to have all the airport/airplane stuff over with, and I’ll try to update as soon as possible after I arrive. Next time any of you hear from me I’ll be in another hemisphere! Don’t be afraid to contact me through Facebook or email, it might take me a little bit but I will get back to you!
I’ve been learning to read and write the Korean alphabet, Hangul, with the help of this website: http://www.learnlangs.com/RWP/Korean/index.htm I still don’t know how to speak any of the language, but now at least I’ll be able to read menus and signs in the streets or subway stations. The alphabet was surprisingly easy to learn – the characters are very logical and everything is arranged by syllable, so it’s easy to sound out and pronounce words. Not to mention that Hangul actually is an alphabet, with only 20-something characters, rather than thousands like with the Chinese or Japanese scripts! We have two or three survival-Korean classes at orientation, and one I’m settled in Daegu I’d like to sign up for more – or maybe I can find someone who’s willing to exchange English lessons for Korean!
The whole last week, when I wasn’t working, was dedicated to packing and re-packing my two suitcases and carry-on, over and over. I’m pretty sure that I’ll have to pay airline fees for breaking both weight and size limits on both suitcases, but with only two of them to last a whole year I didn’t have much choice. I have to have one suitcase packed for our nine-day orientation, and then the rest of our luggage will be stowed away until all of use EPIK GETs (Guest English Teachers) are bused away to our various locations. I think this is because we’ll be staying in dorms for the orientation, so space will be limited. I’m pretty satisfied with how much I was able to cram into my two suitcases; I didn’t have to sacrifice too much. I would take more books if I could, and more knick-knacks or decorations for my apartment, but I’m sure I can find everything I could need or want in Daegu. I also couldn’t fit my heavy winter coat in, but I’ve heard that Korean winters are somewhat milder, so I’m counting on all the layers I’ve packed and my thick Wisconsin skin!
I’m really anxious to have all the airport/airplane stuff over with, and I’ll try to update as soon as possible after I arrive. Next time any of you hear from me I’ll be in another hemisphere! Don’t be afraid to contact me through Facebook or email, it might take me a little bit but I will get back to you!
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