My first day teaching was on Friday, and it was WONDERFUL!! The girl I'm co-teaching with, Beth, was super helpful! She showed me the curriculum before each class, and gave me some pointers about what exactly to do to engage the students. It was really awesome :) The students seemed pleased to meet me, and I feel like I fit right in at the school.
On Friday night, my boss took us out to celebrate my arrival. It was my first "Korean night out on the town," and it was great!! I learned a little bit more about the culture here which is this: alcohol is a necessity with every course at every meal. If you're not drinking, the Koreans don't think you're having a good time. Fortunately, I was able to enjoy myself without holding an alcoholic beverage in each hand :) I got to know some of the Korean teachers I'll be working with, and they had a lot of questions for me. They are so interested in the American culture, and all of them talk about wanting to go to the States someday. It was great!
I'm learning how to speak a little bit more Korean every day, and I'm also learning how to read Korean. It's a lot simpler than I thought it would be. Once I learn how to read Korean, it will make my life a little bit easier for sure :)
Today, Saturday, I had my first adventure into the Big City, Seoul. All of us girls went for a shopping day. Seoul was exactly like it's portrayed on tv: massive crowds with people everywhere, venders on every corner, shop after shop, loud music. It was perfect :) I was able to do a lot of window shopping, but I caved in and bought a pink purse!! It's ginormous! I feel like I could almost fit inside that bag! But it was too cute to resist.
Everything here in Korea is extremely cheap, so I've been appreciating that a lot. A typical meal here costs $3-4 (American dollars), and you get so much food you can never finish it. You order a main dish, and they bring you like four sides to go with it. Also, you don't tip here. It's considered really offensive. (Basically, they don't need someone telling them they did a good job. They strive for perfection every time they serve.) One downside to eating here is having to sit on the floor for every meal. I thought at first that it was really fun, and just loved how different it was from the States. However, I've noticed that after about ten minutes of sitting cross-legged on the floor, I get really bad leg cramps!! I'm hoping I'll overcome that after I get used to living here for awhile, but we'll see...
After my shopping day, I went to Suwon Station to visit Tommy. Tommy is a friend from Wesley who's been over here for over a month now. We were just now able to connect and see each other since I've been here. It was really good to see a familiar face and catch up with him :) When I went to see Tommy, the girls took a different subway line than me, so I had to go to Suwon Station alone. But...I RODE THE SUBWAY ALL BY MYSELF!! I changed stations twice and didn't get lost once. What an empowering feeling! :) I felt so accomplished. Then, I rode the subway home, and walked home without getting lost. Beth told me to call her so I could get directions from her, but I wanted to see if I could make it home without help...and I did! SUCCESS!
Overall, today was very successful for me. I saw another city, bought my first Korean item, saw Tommy, and rode the subway all by myself!
My boss, Darren, is going to set up my Internet and Cable on Monday, which will be really good. I've been picking up my neighbor's Internet connection since I've been here. I've been lucky so far to get a good connection, but my own Internet will definitely be better. It will allow me to start Skyping with people :) And cable tv (with some American shows!!) will also be a good thing. It's nice to see familiar things once in awhile.
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