First Time

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....