Orientation is over and I am happy and sad about that. One of my class leaders, Jinny, was crying when our bus was leaving. We left at 11am for Gumi, the city I will be calling home for the next 365 days.
Our bus ride was short; it was only two and a half hours. We arrived in Gumi National Park where we were going to meet our co-teachers. As we pulled up to the meeting spot, we saw the co-teachers lined up holding our names up on signs! It was the cutest thing I have seen so far in Korea, but the nervousness on my bus was palpable. Still, the teachers are just as nervous as you. In most cases, the Korean teachers know nothing about the EPIK teachers they are going to get. They know nothing about the Westerner they must work with for a year.
It took me a few walks around the park to find my sign, but I was happy when I did. My co-teachers were two of the cutest women there! Nam Jung Soon and Park Jung Ja both looked to be in their late 20s or early 30s. When I walked up to them they let out a tandem squeal. I guess they were happy to see me. I soon learned from them that this was the first time that their school was accepting a Native English Teacher (NET). After the greetings were taken care of, we collected my bags and left the park and the rest of my EPIK friends behind. When I asked where we were going, they told me we would go to their school to meet the Principal! Good thing I wore my nice clothes....
Getting to the school took about five or ten minutes. I was excited and terrified, sitting in the back seat of a tiny yellow car. During the drive the grilling commenced, as they asked me questions ranging from "Where are you from?" to "What is your favorite type of movie?" We arrived at the school with me as tired and as ready as I could be.
The administration and the teachers I met were all pleasant. As it was both my and their first time, we probably did not know what to expect from each other. Either way, after a little stepping on cultural toes, they were ready to show me to my apartment. So with that finished, we left to walk to my apartment! They told me that it was only a two minute walk, so I was pretty happy....
The apartment building looked unique (I will post pictures soon). When they brought me into my apartment, however, it was completely unfurnished! It only had a TV and a washing machine. This was surprising to me because I thought the school would have bought the furniture stipulated in the contract by now. However, yesterday was the first day of the lease, and the furniture has already been ordered online. It should arrive within a few days. After a lot of arguing in Korean, we were ready to go back to the school and talk to the administration. After about five minutes, they told me they were taking me to a motel for the night.
The motel has internet so I am using that now. I immediately checked my EPIK Gyeongbuk Facebook group to see what happened to everyone else. The first thing I read was "Is anyone else in a motel right now?" to which I gladly responded "Here!!!" It turned out that many of the teachers were put into hotels as their apartments were unfurnished before the lease started. Either way, this was one thing that EPIK did not cover in orientation.
After seeing the motel we left for Lotte Mart, where we would buy some stuff for the apartment and also where we would meet another EPIK teacher that would stay two rooms down from me in the motel. When I asked who would pay for the bedding and stuff they told me I would (!) and it would come out of my settlement bonus. I elected not to buy anything yet, as bedding was in my contract, along with a chair, desk, and a closet.
It is hard to argue with such nice people, but I told them that I would like the things in my contract. They were very nervous, embarrassed, and apologetic. As a glass half full kind of guy, for now my faith in my co-teachers is in tact. They gave me the feeling that even though this was their first time with NET, they were trying very hard to get everything in order (they were each on the phone constantly).
After meeting with Sean we decided to meet up that night to have a drink at the wabar (Western Bar) down the street. We met a bunch of westerners there last night (teachers for Korean business men), and I left Sean there around midnight to take a shower and get some rest for the next day.
With a new day comes a new outlook on Korea. I meet my co-teachers again in one hour. I start a short orientation on March 2, and I should start teaching on March 8. With the future in mind, I will start this day fresh and revitalized. I will miss this swanky motel room though....
Saturday, February 27, 2010
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
EPIK Orientation Dinner. There is another of those long food lines on the other side. These people definitely aren't from New York, because that line would've been marching instead of crawling....
Traditional Korean See-saw? Either way its reallllly cute.
Traditional Korean wedding garb. We got to do a lot of stuff that you would never get to do planning your own Korean vacation, and I feel I'm very lucky for that.
See this giant lion costume? I was the back end of this one for a traditional Korean lion dance.
Dozens of Korean drummers in the traditional village in Jeonju. They put on an amazing performance for all of us, and the rest of the Korean vacationers.
This is the Bibimbap that we were served in the traditional village.
Us EPIK teachers are so excited!
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
I guess this is what they meant by King Crab....
COOOOOOOOL!!!
This is where we all eat. In Korea it is customary for everyone to enjoy food together. If they don't go back to their room to catch some needed rest, most people eat free lunch and dinner here.
This is some of the food they serve us. I made sure the Kimchi was out of the picture....
Sunday, February 21, 2010
My arrival at Incheon Airport.
A few friends I made after going to a beautiful Korean bar named Cheers.
THIS is the size of ALL beer in Korea! Korea is STRONG!!
These are our Class Leaders, Jinny and Mike, giving us a tour of the campus.
These women are a Korean drum dancing group. This was during the opening ceremony.
One of the Class Leaders performing a Fan Dance, which is part of not only Korea's tradition but Jeonju's particularly.
Half of the building we dorm in (the other half being Star Tower of the first pictures I posted). This building is where we eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner, all for free.
Typical class day for us. These teachers are waiting outside the building before class starts.
This is just a small glimpse of downtown Jeonju, near Gu Jeon Moon. The streets of this city have a lot of character and personality. This is one of the backstreets, where you can find many restaurants, street food, and bars.
Me in a coffee shop with my roommate, Julian, on the far right, and our friend Stewart.
Saturday, February 20, 2010
Sensory Overload
Hello Everyone!
Annyeong-hasaeyo!
Did you know that Korea is Dynamic!? That feeling has been going through my head for a few days now. Korea is an ever-changing country. Change is sometimes centered around the flavor of the month. New, trendy businesses sprout up quickly and old, out of style business close just as quick. This sentiment is very prevalent in the school system. None of the teachers here at EPIK know exactly what class they will teach and where, but the same goes for many licensed teachers. I am looking forward to when I find out my school district and class level, and also when I find that I am my students' flavor of the month!
Korea is Dynamic, and so is my opinion of it. I finally got to go into downtown Jeonju. Jeonju city is larger than I thought. There, I was bombarded by the lights and sounds of real Korea for the first time (and I took some pictures, which I will post soon). I had some time tonight to go downtown because tomorrow I will be going on a mandatory field trip to see Jeonju's traditional village. I am looking forward to seeing that, but I am already experiencing culture shock. Culture shock may not be the best phrase for it though; I would call it sensory overload.
I am picking up a lot of Korean phrases that I will soon need. However, I sometimes still have trouble ordering food and talking to taxi drivers. I will continue to polish my Korean until I can speak it fluently. When I have time to that is, because my schedule is probably as busy as it will ever be. I just finished my first full day of classes. I woke up at 7:00am and got out of classes at 8:00pm, with lunch and dinner breaks taking up a few hours.
I love many things here in Korea. Here, almost everything (non-luxury items) is about half the price that it would be in the United States. I have been here for four full days now and I spent more on a bottle of cologne in JFK airport than I have in Jeonju. I also am enjoying the food, although my stomach has had its reservations. I have eaten lots of different things such as Bibimbap (a mixed vegetable dish), Bulgogi (a grilled/fried pork dish I believe), and of course Kimchi (spicy, pickled, fermented cabbage). Not to mention all of the other foods I have seen and just had to try. Korean bakeries are my favorite though. Their breads are mostly very fresh and crunchy, or very soft and sweet.
One quick point that I noticed about Korean food: when its spicy, its SPICY. The same goes for sweet, sour, and savory. While in Western countries, foods are lauded if they are a good mixture of spicy and sweet, or savory and spicy, Korean foods many times go to the extreme. You should watch out when the person making you food asks you if you "want it spicy?" as you may be in for more than you can handle! It's all good though, as in Korea, and especially for teachers, you have to roll with the punches. Not doing so could cost you more than a stomach ache... it could cost you your job.
Working with EPIK has been a blast so far. However, I am a born skeptic. For everything that EPIK says is the way things are, I hear from others that it is different. For every "kimcheerleader" (a popular online phrase for those who tout the laurels of all that is Korea) there is a Debbie Downer. I look forward to finding out what teaching is Korea will be like for me, but I am learning all I can while I still can.
Sorry my entry has been a little dry and drawn out, but I am running on a large coffee and not much else. Anyway, goodbye from here in Dynamic Korea! Annyeonghi-keseyo!
Annyeong-hasaeyo!
Did you know that Korea is Dynamic!? That feeling has been going through my head for a few days now. Korea is an ever-changing country. Change is sometimes centered around the flavor of the month. New, trendy businesses sprout up quickly and old, out of style business close just as quick. This sentiment is very prevalent in the school system. None of the teachers here at EPIK know exactly what class they will teach and where, but the same goes for many licensed teachers. I am looking forward to when I find out my school district and class level, and also when I find that I am my students' flavor of the month!
Korea is Dynamic, and so is my opinion of it. I finally got to go into downtown Jeonju. Jeonju city is larger than I thought. There, I was bombarded by the lights and sounds of real Korea for the first time (and I took some pictures, which I will post soon). I had some time tonight to go downtown because tomorrow I will be going on a mandatory field trip to see Jeonju's traditional village. I am looking forward to seeing that, but I am already experiencing culture shock. Culture shock may not be the best phrase for it though; I would call it sensory overload.
I am picking up a lot of Korean phrases that I will soon need. However, I sometimes still have trouble ordering food and talking to taxi drivers. I will continue to polish my Korean until I can speak it fluently. When I have time to that is, because my schedule is probably as busy as it will ever be. I just finished my first full day of classes. I woke up at 7:00am and got out of classes at 8:00pm, with lunch and dinner breaks taking up a few hours.
I love many things here in Korea. Here, almost everything (non-luxury items) is about half the price that it would be in the United States. I have been here for four full days now and I spent more on a bottle of cologne in JFK airport than I have in Jeonju. I also am enjoying the food, although my stomach has had its reservations. I have eaten lots of different things such as Bibimbap (a mixed vegetable dish), Bulgogi (a grilled/fried pork dish I believe), and of course Kimchi (spicy, pickled, fermented cabbage). Not to mention all of the other foods I have seen and just had to try. Korean bakeries are my favorite though. Their breads are mostly very fresh and crunchy, or very soft and sweet.
One quick point that I noticed about Korean food: when its spicy, its SPICY. The same goes for sweet, sour, and savory. While in Western countries, foods are lauded if they are a good mixture of spicy and sweet, or savory and spicy, Korean foods many times go to the extreme. You should watch out when the person making you food asks you if you "want it spicy?" as you may be in for more than you can handle! It's all good though, as in Korea, and especially for teachers, you have to roll with the punches. Not doing so could cost you more than a stomach ache... it could cost you your job.
Working with EPIK has been a blast so far. However, I am a born skeptic. For everything that EPIK says is the way things are, I hear from others that it is different. For every "kimcheerleader" (a popular online phrase for those who tout the laurels of all that is Korea) there is a Debbie Downer. I look forward to finding out what teaching is Korea will be like for me, but I am learning all I can while I still can.
Sorry my entry has been a little dry and drawn out, but I am running on a large coffee and not much else. Anyway, goodbye from here in Dynamic Korea! Annyeonghi-keseyo!
Zero to Sixty in 20 Hours
Hello everyone!
I touched down at 5:00am in Seoul. After collecting my baggage I went to the EPIK counter where I met all of zero people. There was no one there that looked like me and I was already feeling scared! Within the next hour English speakers with all different origins and backgrounds started to form a large, loud group in front of the EPIK counter. I got to know all of these people pretty well, and soon we were all on the 8:00am bus to Jeonju University!
The bus ride took four hours and was worse than the plane! the first few rows just had extra luggage stacked up and people were crammed into the back. I was feeling a little delirious from lack of sleep (I couldn't sleep on the plane for more than 10-20 minutes at a time) and I had a throbbing headache. But we stopped at a rest stop two hours in and that was when I got my energy back... and when I realized I had just entered another planet.
So many things are different here in Korea. The vending machines give out both hot and cold beverages (hot coffee in a can!). I made the mistake of entering a bathroom stall only to realize that the toilet was a ceramic hole in the ground. Koreans really like hot dogs (and sausage in general) and chicken, so I think ill be fine food-wise. The stores sell so many different sweet, salty, sour, and downright disgusting snacks, and basically put all drinks in tiny cans/bottles. I quickly adapted to most of these differences with a smile, because I will be living here for the next 365 days. But for ever difference there is a similarity, and Korea is turning out to feel a lot like the United States.
Looking out the window of the bus, the road down to Jeonju fron Seoul looked a lot like the Long Island Expressway. Koreans drive on the right side of the road and the driver sits in the left hand seat, so it felt a lot like Long Island. If I wasn't surrounded by an amazing mountainous view I would think I would think someone tricked me and I was still in New York (cheeky Koreans!). The staff here speaks English pretty well, and I am having little problems getting what I need. Jeonju is a lot like a smaller Ithaca or Syracuse, and the dorm facilities and food the university is providing is quite good. I am really lucky that I feel so at home here (don't worry I will miss America in T-Minus 30 days), and the people that I meet have all been pretty amicable.
My roomate is a 49 year old man named Julian who has been teaching in Korea for seven years. Long story short, he is originally from Georgia and San Fransisco, and he has a wealth of information. I am really glad I got to room with him instead of some 23 year old who only wants to party. The only problem I am having is getting internet (I am sitting on a bench outside the EPIK office leeching wireless) but that should be fixed within eight hours.
Everything is fine here, but I really have to go and meet up with Julian to get to Opening Ceremony. From now on it shouldn't be as hectic, so I will be able to send email daily. For now, good bye from Jeonju University in Jeonju Korea!
I touched down at 5:00am in Seoul. After collecting my baggage I went to the EPIK counter where I met all of zero people. There was no one there that looked like me and I was already feeling scared! Within the next hour English speakers with all different origins and backgrounds started to form a large, loud group in front of the EPIK counter. I got to know all of these people pretty well, and soon we were all on the 8:00am bus to Jeonju University!
The bus ride took four hours and was worse than the plane! the first few rows just had extra luggage stacked up and people were crammed into the back. I was feeling a little delirious from lack of sleep (I couldn't sleep on the plane for more than 10-20 minutes at a time) and I had a throbbing headache. But we stopped at a rest stop two hours in and that was when I got my energy back... and when I realized I had just entered another planet.
So many things are different here in Korea. The vending machines give out both hot and cold beverages (hot coffee in a can!). I made the mistake of entering a bathroom stall only to realize that the toilet was a ceramic hole in the ground. Koreans really like hot dogs (and sausage in general) and chicken, so I think ill be fine food-wise. The stores sell so many different sweet, salty, sour, and downright disgusting snacks, and basically put all drinks in tiny cans/bottles. I quickly adapted to most of these differences with a smile, because I will be living here for the next 365 days. But for ever difference there is a similarity, and Korea is turning out to feel a lot like the United States.
Looking out the window of the bus, the road down to Jeonju fron Seoul looked a lot like the Long Island Expressway. Koreans drive on the right side of the road and the driver sits in the left hand seat, so it felt a lot like Long Island. If I wasn't surrounded by an amazing mountainous view I would think I would think someone tricked me and I was still in New York (cheeky Koreans!). The staff here speaks English pretty well, and I am having little problems getting what I need. Jeonju is a lot like a smaller Ithaca or Syracuse, and the dorm facilities and food the university is providing is quite good. I am really lucky that I feel so at home here (don't worry I will miss America in T-Minus 30 days), and the people that I meet have all been pretty amicable.
My roomate is a 49 year old man named Julian who has been teaching in Korea for seven years. Long story short, he is originally from Georgia and San Fransisco, and he has a wealth of information. I am really glad I got to room with him instead of some 23 year old who only wants to party. The only problem I am having is getting internet (I am sitting on a bench outside the EPIK office leeching wireless) but that should be fixed within eight hours.
Everything is fine here, but I really have to go and meet up with Julian to get to Opening Ceremony. From now on it shouldn't be as hectic, so I will be able to send email daily. For now, good bye from Jeonju University in Jeonju Korea!
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