a broad in korea

Working Girl

2008-10-24T12:55:00.001+09:00

From Monday to Thursday this week I had to come to school, but didn't have to teach any classes due to the glory that is midterm exam week. I was able to leave early too, at 2pm. It was wonderful. I wasted plenty of time, but I also got to spend a fair amount of my work day thinking about classes, and creating a couple of lesson plans. I loved it. The planning can be far more interesting than the shit show that is teaching my classes. Today is Friday, and I started teaching my latest lesson. It's actually a lesson I borrowed from another teacher, a couple of weeks ago when I went to a different school to observe an experienced GET teach a class. It's a great lesson, but I needed to adapt it a bit for my classes. It still needs some work, but I think the first two times through this morning went OK. I actually kind of had a bit of fun! WHAT?! And now I am hanging out online at my desk, waiting for my afternoon class to begin. It's Friday, and that is always a good thing. Lunch today was actually pretty good (bibimbap and tater tots!), and I am going to hang out and drink wine with friends tonight. The only negative thing is that I am teaching my teachers class after school. I don't mind the class at all, but I hate that it's after school: keeping me here an hour late on a Friday is MEAN!

Gwangalli Fireworks Festival

2008-10-21T09:10:00.007+09:00

This past weekend was the 4th annual Fireworks Festival at Gwangalli Beach. I had heard it would be pretty awesome, and made plans with some fellow EPIK teachers to attend. At first I thought I might go Friday and Saturday, but as I learned more about the event (basically that it was very well attended and would be crazy-busy) I decided it would probably be best to just go and spend the day there on Saturday.

There was a meet-up planned for 2pm. Although the event didn't start until 6pm (fireworks at 8pm), I kept being warned by teachers at school that it would be VERY BUSY and it would be best to show up early. I took them at their word, and planned to leave by 1pm. I was a bit slow moving come Saturday morning, and Kathryn and I didn't end up leaving until 1:45. It was hot. And sunny. Felt like summer (27°) - a perfect day to hang out at the beach! We headed over to Alex's to pick him up but ended up waking him from a dead sleep (oops!). He decided to meet us there later. Kathryn and I walked to Nampo Dong (our nearest subway stop) and hopped on the train. It was busy, but not terribly crowded (we even got seats). The transfer station was another story... When we arrived at Seomyeon station we could tell that things were picking up. We walked briskly to the transfer and the train we needed to get on was waiting! Score! We jogged up to it and saw that it was full. Quite full. But the doors were still open and we were not going to give up! We ran back a few cars, looking for some space to slip in. Kathryn was a couple of steps behind me and jumped into one of the cars, calling my name. As I turned back towards her the doors started to close and I made one of those last-second jumps through the doors that you only see in movies - it was awesome! So we rode the next 20 minutes or so with very little personal space, but reasonably comfortable.

When we arrived at the Gwangan subway station (0ur destination) all of the masses flooded off the subway and we rode the wave of people out of the station and up to the street. It's about a 10 minute walk from the subway to the beach and we had lots to look at: street vendors selling all kinds of different foods and people everywhere. I had talked to my friend Rebecca (who lives much closer to Gwangalli) and she was saving us a space on the beach. A few of them had arrived at 1pm and staked out some prime beach real-estate for fireworks observing. Good thing too, because it was getting busy! Even at 3pm (when we finally got there) - 3 hours before anything was supposed to happen, and 5 hours before the main event - the beach was quickly filling up. We settled in for an afternoon of sitting around, talking, playing cards, drinking beer, lying in the sand etc. By 4:30 or so we needed to start protecting our borders. Like I said, we had staked a pretty large claim, people kept leaving to get food, drinks and hit the restroom, plus not all of our friends had arrived yet. But the locals were eying up our empty spaces like they were planning to move in. We ended up having to give up a bit of property, but we still had plenty of room for everyone who was able to make it.

By 5pm the beach was packed! The security guards were blocking off access to the beach, so no one could get in. We had some friends who arrived late, and they had to sneak in past the security guards. Thankfully, we were saving space for them to sit because there was no more room anywhere on the beach. At 6pm some live entertainment started up a ways down the beach. We couldn't see it, but there were big speakers set up behind us so we could hear. There were no port-a-potties or anything of the like anywhere, so if you had to go, you had to leave the sanctity of the beach and cross the street (which was also filling up with people) to one of the restaurants, cafes, bars, etc. to use their toilets. I don't usually need a friend to go to the restroom with me, but there was no way I was going out there alone, so Rebecca, Kelsey and I held hands tightly (so we wouldn't get lost in the crowd) and made our way out.

When we hit the barrier of security guards, Rebecca (who was in the lead) spoke to one of them to let them know that we were just going out to use the restroom, and that we were coming right back. He agreed to let us back in (score!). We crossed the street (full of people) to Lotteria (full of people) and climbed the stairs to the restrooms. There were two flights of stairs full of women waiting in line. We finally found the back of the line and stood there for a few minutes before deciding that we'd better try somewhere else or we'd be waiting for 2 hours! We joined hands and made our way back out to the street to try our luck somewhere a bit further away. Rebecca (heroine of the day all around) got the idea to try something above street level (which kept getting more and more packed with people by the second). We forced our way into a crowd blocking access to a nearby building and climbed the stairs to a lounge called BLUE. It was quite nice inside and there was hardly anyone in there! Since we are foreigners, we tend to be able to get away with doing things that Koreans would never be able to do (like walking into a semi-upscale lounge, heading straight for the restrooms, and then leaving with only an annyeonghaseyo [hello]! and kamsahamnida [thank-you]!). Some call it "white privilege." When mother nature calls, I have no problems accepting it!

With business taken care of we made our way back into the madness. When we hit the barrier again, we saw some of our friends hanging out in the street, unable to get back to the beach (security was really cracking down). We marched right up and basically said "let us in!" and they said "aniyo!" [no]. We had to get a little bit forceful (Rebecca is awesome!) but they finally let us all under the barrier rope and back to the beach. Let's just say that the masses of Koreans, who were also trying to get in, were not impressed.

The fireworks were totally worth hanging around all day for. They were phenomenal! By far, the best display I have ever seen. The Gwangan Bridge was the perfect background for the show. The bridge is usually lit up with lights of changing colors, but it was enhanced with colored laser beams the like. They were shooting some of the fireworks from the bridge, but the majority were launched from big boats in the harbor. There was music playing on the giant loudspeakers. There was such a variety of types and colors, and the most amazing part is that it went on for nearly an hour! It was incredible. I took lots of photos and some video (that I still need to upload), but they don't do the show justice at all. Definitely one of those "you had to be there" experiences.

After the show we stuck around and waited for the beach to clear out a bit before making any moves. Our enormous group split up, and I went with a dozen or so people to a noraebang in the vicinity. We picked up a few more EPIK people along the way (who hadn't arrived early enough to make it to the beach) and spent an hour singing. It was still fairly early (and the streets were still busy) so we walked to the Kyungsung University area to go to a bar called Ghetto. They had cheap drinks and dance music so we stuck around there for awhile. Eventually it was time for me to make my way home (but not before we all hit the 24-hour McDonalds). My first time in a taxi alone in Korea! I was lucky to get a young and friendly cab driver who attempted to make conversation, and I was able to give directions to get home without incident.

No classes, but still at work

2008-10-14T10:07:00.004+09:00

Today is a good day. I found out yesterday that I would not have to teach the first grade classes on Tuesday or Wednesday this week, due to testing. I had been dreading this week, so it is great to have a bit of a break. Not that I get the day off or anything. I still need to be here, working or pretending to work. I've done a bit of lesson prep, some socializing and some web surfing. And my day is only half over!

I had a pretty good weekend. Friday was quiet. I decided to stay home since I had an early meeting on Saturday morning. I watched a bit of tv and did some preliminary research on the possibility of going back to school when I return to Canada. I've been looking into the MLIS (Masters of Library and Information Science). There are 6 schools in Canada that offer the program: UBC, U of A, U of T, McGill, Western and Dalhousie. I need to do a lot more research before I make any decisions, but that's where I'm leaning right now.

Saturday morning I was up bright and early to take the bus to the Pusan Foreign Language University. Having been chosen to attend another (free!) field trip, this time to Dokdo from October 25-27, I was required to attend the 10:00am orientation. It wasn't much of an orientation. It was actually two hours of Korean Lectures (we got to wear translator earpieces) on the state of Dokdo Island. There's a bit of a dispute between Korea and Japan about who owns this place and it's a pretty big deal over here. The title of the lectures was "Dokdo is Korean Territory," and they proceeded to tell us all of the many reasons why. It was boring. But I sat through it because I think the trip is going to be pretty cool. We will spend 3 days on a ship, stopping over at a larger island (Ulleungdo) - and I get to miss a day of school :)

I didn't have plans until the evening, so I decided I'd do a bit of shopping. I checked out the Home Plus near the Uni, and found a pair of jeans (I've lost a bit of weight since arriving in Korea), then I took the bus back to Nampo Dong (a fantastic shopping area near where I live - I can walk to and from there). I finally got myself a pair of black/white chucks (low-tops). They're all the rage here, and I've been wanting a pair ever since I had to throw my old ones out. I also hit up a t-shirt place in the underground mall (attached to the subway station) where I heard you can get 2900￦ (about $3) shirts. I scored 5. It was a fun shopping trip. I then walked home to rest up.

Saturday night I had been invited to my co-teacher's ocarina concert. It was a small affair, housed in a Catholic bookshop/coffeeshop run by nuns (the profits go to support a large hospice). The music isn't exactly my style, but it wasn't bad (and lasted just over an hour, so not too time consuming either). I had arranged to meet friends afterwards, so Mrs. Kim (one of the Korean English teachers who lives in the area) offered to walk me to Gwangalli Beach. It was a really nice night, cool, but not cold. We had a nice walk, I introduced Mrs. Kim to my friends, said goodbye, and got down to enjoying some Cass Red on the beach. We stayed there until everyone got cold, then headed to Thursday Party. I needed food. It ended up being a fairly early night. Alex, Kathryn and I took a cab home together.

Sunday was a very lazy day. I spent most of it in bed. I did have to get up eventually though, becuase my landlord had invited me to dinner at his home (to meet his family). I had asked if I could bring Kathryn along (after all, she lives in his building too), so the two of us went together. It was actually quite nice. The landlord's wife is a great cook, the food was good, everyone was friendly, their two children (and the nephew) were cute, his sister and brother-in-law were nice (she actually spoke the most English), and it didn't last too long. I think that's the trick to any Korean socializing I have to do: keep it short!

Today I finally learned my name in Korean: 마샤 (ma-sya *the "s" has a bit of a '"sh" sound to it). I find it strange that there is no "r" sound present in the spelling, since they do have an "r" letter (I thought it might be 말사).

Happy Hangul Day!

2008-10-09T11:13:00.002+09:00

안녕하세요!

I have already taught myself to read and write hangul (with this book). Now, if only I could understand the words that I read!

I just found out that today is Hangul Day.

treadmill and samgyeopsal

2008-10-07T09:30:00.007+09:00

Many of my close friends will be stunned to hear that I joined a gym yesterday. I have been anti-gym for many years, after spending too much money on a membership once, and then failing to go after a couple of months. Here's the thing: I need exercise. At home, I could run. There was always plenty of open space, and living so near the river valley in Edmonton was a luxury. But I can't find that here. There is a really nice coastal walk, but it's not quite close enough to encourage me to go. Plus, the idea of running on the streets and in public here is a bit daunting. It's bad enough that I get gawked at walking down the street taking care of my regular business, but I'd rather not be stared and snickered at while sweating and panting. At least at the gym the only people staring are working out themselves. And I'm sure that after the same people get used to seeing me there on a regular basis, I won't be interesting anymore. It's not exactly cheap to join, but it's well within my budget, as long as I continue to go. And I can choose to pay by the month (which I did at first), 3 months or 6 months (it gets cheaper the longer you commit).

After hitting the gym for the first time, I showered and went out for a typical Korean evening with my friends and neighbors, Alex and Kathryn. We went to a Korean BBQ restaurant for samgyeopsal (uncured pork). It's ridiculously cheap! You basically pay for the meat (about $2.50 each) and get free veggies and sauces to go with it. We also ordered rice ($1.00 each) and beer ($3.00 each). It was a really cheap and delicious meal. Alex said that he wants to start eating Korean food more often, and I have to agree. It's cheaper and healthier, and it's good to try new things and find out what I like! It's nice to have people near me to go out and eat with, I'm not sure how adventurous I'd be on my own.

After dinner we went to our local hof (bar that serves beer), WHO. We love this place, and the staff is always happy to see us. We shared a giant jug of beer (3 litres) and chatted. Once the beer was finished we headed to our next-door noraebang for some singing! I feel very fortunate to have one so close (although when other people are wailing at night when I'm trying to sleep, I do need to shove in the earplugs). Singing convenience! The staff seems to enjoy us there, even though a few times we have brought in rowdy crowds. It costs 10,000 won (about $10 - although that's not exactly true with the Korean won going into the toilet these days) for an hour of singing, and they usually end up tacking on an extra 30 minutes. Beer is 3,000 won and you get free snacks (like popcorn, peanuts, dried squid etc.) There are plenty of English songs to choose from, and we always have a great time singing at the top of our lungs :)

Home and in bed by 11:00pm!

EPIK Field Trip Day 2

2008-10-05T17:21:00.002+09:00

The bus was scheduled to leave at 9:30, and breakfast was being served between 8 and 9am. I set the alarm for 8, Sarah got up and showered first, me second, and the two of us were ready by 8:45. Rebecca decided to take her time and asked us to bring her something up if there was anything good. There wasn't. I still can't do Korean breakfast. Rice, kimchi, fish or beef soup just does not do it for me. So after seeing the breakfast laid out on the table I did a 180 and headed back to the room. Rebecca and I hit the convenient store before getting on the bus (which ended up leaving nearly 1/2 an hour late). Breakfast was some mixed nuts and two iced coffees.

Our first stop in Gyeongju was up a huge mountain. We were going to see Seokgulam Grotto (Korean National Treasure No. 24), a cave temple said to be built in 751. The Central Buddha statue housed here stands almost 3.5 meters high. I was really looking forward to it. Unfortunately, being on a bus tour, we were on a bit of a time schedule, and the mountain was far busier than anyone had expected (althogh it was a long weekend!). As the line leading up to the temple was really long and moving really slowly, we decided that we would have to skip it. This photo is as close as we could get:

Maybe I'll have another opportunity to visit it someday.

The next stop was Bulguksa Temple (located on the same mountain). It was originally built around the 5th century. We had an English speaking tour guide who gave us a bit of info, but I have a hard time remembering the details.

We had time to wander around the grounds and take photos. There are plenty more on my flickr photostream if you are interested.

Our next stop was lunch. It was at a restaurant near the hotel, and they were expecting us so we didn't have to wait. I was happy to hear that lunch would be like bibimbap, because I've enjoyed it the few times I've had it in the past, but for some reason I didn't like it here. It was served in a very hot stone dish (dolsot bibimbap), and maybe that's why, I don't know. I hardly ate anything for lunch, but fortunately there was a store on the main floor of the building so I was able to buy something palateable to eat (although was starting to get a bit sick of pre-packaged food).

After lunch we headed to the Gyeongju National Museum. We were running a bit late, and our tour guide was waiting for us. She said we would only have time to go into one out of three buildings (we later found out that is because she talks a lot and moves very slowly!). Before going inside though, we got to hear the story of the 25 ton Bell of King Seongdeok (National Treasure No. 29), which is over 1200 years old:

The tour guide said that she doesn't belive the rumour that a baby was sacrificed in the making of the bell, because of Buddhists' strong belief in the sanctity of life, citing the fact that if a monk won't even kill a mosquito that is sucking his own blood, how could he kill a baby just to make a bell ring?! She said that story began after Japanese occupation of Korea (implying that the Japanese made up the story to make ancient Koreans sound like monsters).

We were then led to the special exhibit hall for the Silla Meets West Asia exhibit:

There is a much cooler photo of that stair mural here.

There was lots of cool ancient stuff, like glass beads, gold jewellery etc. I enjoyed looking around, but I had to leave the tour guide. She talked waaaay too much. I like museums, but I enjoy looking and then moving on. I wasn't the only one who felt this way, and there was a pretty large group of us waiting outside until it was time to meet up again.

Our last stop was Anapji Pond where we had 30 minutes to walk around and enjoy. There was an orchestra and opera singers, and I quite enjoyed the performance. The scenery was beautiful too. It's really too bad that the day was so overcast and hazy.

A two-hour bus trip and we were back in Busan around 5:30pm. I still had to take the subway home. A bunch of people from the trip were planning to go out and party later that night, but I was too tired. It was a great trip!

EPIK Field Trip (Day 1)

2008-10-05T15:26:00.002+09:00

30 EPIK teachers were selected (from those who applied to go on the trip) for an all-expenses-paid Autumn field trip to other parts of Korea for 2 days and 1 night. I was told we were going to Mokchon (where the Independance Hall is located) to take part in some cultural events for Korea's Foundation Day on Friday, and Geongju (the former capital of the Shilla Dynasty) for sightseeing on Saturday.

We all met at the Busan Metropolitan Office of Education on Friday morning. We were supposed to meet at 8, but of course, there are always stragglers and we didn't leave until 9am. We were told very little about where we were going and what was going to happen, but I managed to figure out that we would arrive somewhere between 12 and 1pm, have lunch, do some cultural stuff (carving, dancing and martial arts were mentioned), have dinner, make some wishes (candles floating down a river were mentioned) and then drive to Gyeongju, where we would spend the night (in rooms of 3 people: same-sex only).

The bus trip was long and uneventful, with one quick pit-stop. I sat with Rebecca, and Sarah was across the aisle from her. Those two slept for the first leg, and I iPodded (music, movies and audiobooks all passed through my earphones), and on the second leg we attempted to have some conversation over the drone of the bus.

We arrived at our destination at around 12:30 and were rushed off for lunch in a cafeteria. It wasn't very good, but I managed to eat. It was a quick bite and then we met for our tour of the main building. Turns out, it was not the Independance Hall at all, but actually a building built for the education of people in Kookhak or Dahn Hak. The event was actually the Grand Opening of the Hongik Historical and Cultural Park.

Don't get me wrong, it was actually pretty cool. However, it did seem like kind of a religious thing, and I don't like feeling tricked into hearing religious spiels. Anyway, a lot of the stuff they talked about was cool, like the joy of finding your true self. There was talk about the Script of Enlightenment:

and that everything begins with one and ends with one. That there are three parts: Heaven, Earth and Human Beings, and that Human Beings include all life between Heaven and Earth (including plants and animals). It was interesting.

Next we were shuttled off to a giant ceremony (10,000 people) up on a hill in a large outdoor stadium, with a giant golden statue of a man:

It was pretty intense. As special "guests" we were given chairs to sit on. I couldn't really see the stage, and the screens weren't very high, so I could barely see them either, but we were given little portable translation devices so that we could understand what was being said. It was like a big rally. We all even sang a song (Arirang) together in Korean (sort of). They demonstrated some traditional Korean drumming and a martial arts sequence. They introduced a bunch of VIPs, and there were video messages from some Korean celebrities. After an hour or so we were told we had free time and we could wander around the grounds or whatever. I did exactly that, ending up sitting on a patch of grass in some shade with the majority of our group (it was really warm on Friday!).

Next we were taken back into the main building, up to a higher floor and given a martial arts demonstration. Well, that's what they told us it would be. In actuality, we were told to spread out in the room and were guided through a series of stretches, bends and contortions. We learned a kata. It was basically a sample class on a Korean martial art (the name excapes me, but it might be Tang Soo Do). It was difficult, but fun.

Next was dinner in the cafeteria again, but dinner was much better and included delicious mandu!

After dinner the sun had set and it was dark outside. We were led to a large grassy area and put in groups of 5 to write our wishes on a large paper lantern, which we then sent up to heaven! The lanterns floated away into the sky carrying our (sincere and silly) wishes, lifted by a small square of paper and fuel lit on fire to fill the lantern with warm air and allow it to fly.

By now it was at least 7pm, and we still had a 3-hour bus trip to Gyeongju. We hit the bus and with one quick pit-stop, made it to our hotel shortly after 10pm. We were all tired, but decided to at least have some beer before turning in. I roomed with Rebecca and Sarah. We bought a six-pack in the little hotel convenient store before they closed. We just took our beer out to the small park in front of the hotel and sat and talked with a few guys from our trip who were doing the exact same thing as us. Eventually we were finished and cold and tired, so headed up to our room. On the way we heard some others from our group in their room. It sounded like they were playing a drinking game. We pounded on their door and ran back to our room, trying to scare them. One of the girls screamed, but they caught us before we were safely hidden in our own room, and we got an invitation to join them. Since it wasn't too late, we decided we'd go for a bit. I only drank one more beer and headed to bed.

Field Trip

2008-10-01T11:04:00.003+09:00

It's a long weekend this weekend. Friday is Korea Foundation Day. The Busan Office of Education is putting on an Autumn Field trip for some of the new EPIK teachers: transportation, accomodation, food etc. included. Sounds like a pretty sweet deal. I'll get some Korean culture credit all expenses paid!

Here's the thing. We leave on Friday. Most of the teachers only found out about it last week (if they were told by their co-Teachers at all). It is now Wednesday. Most people haven't even gotten confirmation that they're going or not! It's really tough relying on our Co-Teachers for everything. I am lucky. Mrs. Hwang is pretty good to me. She keeps me up-to-date on everything (sometimes to the point of babying me by reminding me of the same thing countless times). She is out of town right now, but she has asked some other teachers to let me know if any more information is sent. This morning Mrs. Kim gave me a sheet that has the names of all 33 teachers who have been invited to go on the trip. I've gotten in touch with a few - and they didn't even know they were supposed to be going! This is how things work in Korea.

Anyway, I'm looking forward to the trip. I'm glad I took a break last weekend. I've been feeling a lot better this week. School is going OK (although I am starting a new lesson today and I'm a bit nervous about it), and I'm not so stressed out. We get back on Saturday evening, so I'll still have a bit of a weekend before school again on Monday!

Reconciliation

2008-09-28T17:16:00.002+09:00

With the exception of clocking in over 5 hours at the noraebang this weekend, I haven't been doing anything exciting. I have thoroughly enjoyed my two days off work, relaxing at home. I almost forgot that I really like spending time alone. I actually enjoy my own company!

There are some things that I am trying to straighten out with myself. Things that haven't got much to do with where I am in the world, but more to do with where I am in my life. I don't think that this blog is really the place for those things. They're personal. I would, however, really like to get back into writing here. There is a reason I made this blog in the first place. I want a record of my year abroad. What did I do, where did I go, what did I eat, who did I meet...

For not doing much, this weekend went by very quickly. I may not have gone beyond a 5 block radius of my apartment for the last two days, but that doesn't mean the weekend was a waste. I wish Monday weren't coming so soon, but at least I am not dreading work this week. I won't go so far as to say that I'm looking forward to it, but I don't think it's going to be that bad.

Mogjangwon

2008-09-26T08:42:00.004+09:00

Last night the English teachers at my school all got together for a "meeting," actually dinner, at a nearby restaurant: Mogjangwon. Apparently it is a famous restaurant in Busan. It is up the hill on Yeongdo, and I must say that the food was fantastic! It was beef (Mogjangwon used to be a cattle ranch), cooked at the table in the Korean tradition, and lots of tasty side dishes. It was a great meal. Only a few teachers were drinking (beer and soju) but you can bet your ass that I joined them. I don't feel bad at all for taking everything that I am offered :)

So, dinner was good, and the company wasn't too bad. Although the English teachers are all quite a bit older than me, they were nice and we even had a few laughs!

After dinner, 3 of the teachers took me out to see a "night view" of the city. It was pretty cool. We drove up to Mt Hwangnyeong for a view of the Gwangan bridge and the city. Then we went out for fancy italian coffees (actually I had a hot chocolate) at a 7th floor cafe overlooking Songjeong beach. So I got to go to a few new places I've never been. The only downside was that I didn't get home until 10:30. 14 hours is a long time to spend speaking stilted, slow, easy vocab english!

And now it's Friday. I can't tell you how happy I am! Only one class left today! A lot of my fellow EPIK teachers are leaving town this weekend. I think I'm going to take it easy. Of course, we'll have to see where things end up. I never really make plans, so I'll either be a loner, or I'll go with the flow :)

Over the Hump

2008-09-24T18:01:00.001+09:00

Ah, Wednesday. I am now more than half finished my week of teaching! Work is really hell. And it's made worse by the fact that I keep hearing about other teachers' situations, and I can't help but compare my job to theirs. My conclusion is that I got screwed. However, I am hoping that there is another side to things that I just haven't found yet. That's right, I am trying to be optimistic about the whole situation (otherwise I'd be hitting the airport and making a run for it).

Yes, I hate my job. But, I am really loving Busan.
Yes, I am overwhelmed by unwanted invitations from the teachers at my school (who are all much older than me). But, I guess it's nice to be liked.
Yes, I am finding it impossible to create interesting and effective lessons for my students. But...

OK, that last one I am still having a hard time dealing with. The only solution I have come up with is: stick to it. Keep trying. Celebrate every success (no matter how small or insignificant it seems). Don't worry about the massive and plentiful failures (this is difficult).

I have to laugh at myself. I am not writing to try to convince anyone out there reading that I made the right choice coming over here. I am trying to convince myself. To be honest, every single day I think about quitting and coming home. I cry a lot.

I read quite a few blogs and forum posts before I left Canada from people teaching in Korea. I was disgusted by the number of teachers who focused on the negative. Who spent so much energy writing about all of the things that sucked. I was sure that it wouldn't be like that for me. I was sure that this would be an amazing experience. I wasn't so naive to think that it would be entirely positive, but I had no idea that I would be feeling so negative myself. I'm trying not to, but I can't help it! I think that's what's been keeping me from posting here more often. I don't want to be one of those people. But it's too hard to lie and say that everything is fine. Everything is NOT FINE! I am miserable most of the time. I'm not exaggerating when I say that I hate my job.

And yet, I'm not giving up. I'm going to keep trying to make the best of it. I keep telling myself that it's only one year. And many people have tried to assure me that it would get better. I want to believe them. After all, it's only been one month. And if it's not true, well, hopefully the year passes quickly.

short week

2008-09-18T09:05:00.003+09:00

Well, the Chuseok holiday is over, and I am now back to the grindstone. Actually I'm on day 2 of a 3 day week, so it's not going to be bad at all. I guess the real grindstone won't start until Monday.

This teaching thing is a real challenge. My students know very little English, and only a small handful of them seem to give a damn about learning any more English. I am finding it extremely difficult to teach in this environment. It is reminding me a bit of my IPT (student teaching while in University). The practicum that made me decide that I DID NOT want to be a teacher.

But I am hanging in there. Even if I'm not happy with my job, I realize that it is a temporary situation, and who knows? Maybe it will grow on me. In the meantime, I am really enjoying living in a foreign country. Everything is so different, but there are a lot of familiar things at the same time. I really enjoy just walking up and down the streets, window shopping, checking things out...

I went on the city tour on Tuesday. I got on the first bus a bit later than I had hoped, so I didn't have time to get off at all of the stops that I would have liked to (which is fine, because I can easily get to any of them on the subway), but it was great to have some friends join me for a few of the stops! We went together to the UN Memorial, which I found to be very sad, but lovely. I was impressed by the Canadian Memorial, which, in my biased opinion, was the best one there.

We parted ways soon after and I continued the tour on my own. I stopped at Taejongdae (located at the far end of Yeongdo, the island I live on) and was very impressed. I didn't have time to tour Taejongdae properly, by tram, so I went for a short hike through the grounds and promised myself that I would return soon. I also stopped at Songdo beach, which is a nice little beach near where I live (probably a 10 minute bus drive). It is not as big as Gwangalli or Haeundae, and they don't clean it as well (there is some junk washed up on shore), but it's still a very nice little beach with beautiful sand. To end my tour I stopped at PIFF square and wandered through the markets on my way home. I really enjoyed the tour, and now I know some of the places that I'd like to return.

Yesterday after school I decided to go to the Home Plus (similar to Wal-Mart) on my island. I had walking directions from Alex, and found my way there (and back!) no problem. I spent over an hour in there, wandering through the aisles, looking at everything. I picked up a few things that I have been needing for my apartment (hooks, a mop, a towel, some hair stuff, hangers, etc.) but the one thing I wanted and couldn't find is sheets! I don't think they use bedsheets here the same way we do back home. I've heard that other people are having a hard time finding them too. I've borrowed one from my neighbor, but I'd really like a set or two of my own! I guess I'll just keep on looking...

I re-arranged some of my furniture and cleaned up my place a bit. It's starting to look and feel a bit more like home :)

I have no class until 11 this morning, but I should really get some work done. I have been reading Dan's TESOL (teaching english to speakers of other languages) textbook and it's starting to give me some ideas. I need all the help I can get!

Take it Easy

2008-09-15T12:23:00.003+09:00

My vacation is nearly over, but I am already exhausted! It's been a very busy few days, with friends coming to town and too much partying. I am taking the day off today to chill out at home. So far it's been great.

I have learned something about myself this weekend (OK, so maybe I already knew it, sort of, but I think I forgot). I don't like hanging out with large groups of people. I like small, intimate gatherings. I have tried to be outgoing and awesome in a big group, but it kills me. I end up getting really cranky. It's not the people themselves that bother me (I actually quite like people), but the sheer number of faces and voices all together in a clump. I need to remember this. It's important. I should not force myself to do something that ultimately makes me so unhappy.

Having said that, I did have a lot of fun this weekend. I was so glad that W and R and A came to town, and I loved catching up with them. I met R's sister and another facebook friend in person, and I think we had some really good times.

Today I rest, and tomorrow I want to get out and see some of this fair city of ours. I'm hoping for a beautiful day and if things work out I'm going to go on the Busan City Bus Tour.

Long Weekend

2008-09-12T15:26:00.002+09:00

Most of us lucky teachers have 5 days off for the Korean holiday, Chuseok. It is awesome to have a vacation so soon after arriving. The only problem may be the weather (possible typhoon?) but you can't let that stop you too much!

Last night was great. A few of us met up at Gwangalli Beach again. A, K and I arrived first, and we decided to go eat at Pasta Blanco - a nice little (Italian?) restaurant on the main strip with big open windows that look out over the beach. I had a mushroom and bacon pizza and it was amazing! No "surprise Korean" flavors at all :) It was a little pricier than Korean standards, but still pretty reasonable when compared to home.

As though it was perfectly timed, R and K arrived just as we finished eating and we all headed to a convenient store to grab beer for the beach. I'm really like Cass Red - it reminds me of Canadian beer and has a much higher alcohol percentage than most of the watered-down tasting beers here (which remind me of American beer). After a quick pit-stop at the public toilets, we hit the beach! We sat in the big red metallic egg and drank and chatted. Soon A, an Orientation friend who is living in a small town in a nearby province got to town (he took a bus) and R and I went to meet him at the subway. We then moved out of the egg and down closer to the water. The beer and conversation kept flowing and a few of us braved the East Sea to get our feet and legs wet. The water always surprises me with how warm it is! Another group of EPIK teachers joined us a bit later, and suddenly someone suggests that we go swimming! I think they were joking, but for some reason it didn't seem like a bad idea... maybe the beer? Anyway, A, K and I all stripped down to our underwear and plunged into the sea! It was awesome! It was really dark, the water was warm, and when I floated on my back my ears went below the water line and drowned out all sound. It was incredibly peaceful. Plus, there was the added adventure of getting yelled at because the Koreans doen't really swim past September 1st, let alone at night!

The swimming was great. The getting out of the water, having no towel and putting on dry shorts and a t-shirt over top of wet tank top and bra? Not great. Not great at all.

It was pretty late, so we parted ways and I took a cab with R, K, and the new A to R and K's neighborhood where we attempted to find a norae-bang. I feel that we went in the wrong direction, but we ended up finding one that was overpriced ($20 for an hour - the one next door to my place is only $10) but very nice inside. I felt bad wearing my now-wet shorts (oh well)! We sang for just over an hour, and I didn't love the sound system (too loud and distorted so it really drowns out your voice - hey, I have a good voice!), but the service (free snacks) was fantastic! Little chocolates, some teeny strips of beef jerky, and tortilla chips.

It was really late, so we split up (K and A at her place and me and R at her place). Her apartment is really nice! It's a studio, but it's pretty big, has huge windows and a view, and has lots of nice little things in it (like a real stand-up shower with a door!) and she's got a fold-out futon for guests :)

This morning we laid around, went to eat at Lotteria (junk food cures hangovers!), and then I came home for the afternoon. Did a load of laundry and took a nap. I started watching Planet Earth on my iPod on the subway home (it takes over an hour) and I'm loving it!

Not sure of the exact plans for tonight, but I'm meeting A and K at 6, and R's sister is coming to town tonight at around 7 so we'll probably go out somewhere.

I love long weekends! Woo!

yesterday

2008-09-10T21:26:00.002+09:00

So, yesterday was a really tough day for me. I thought I was going crazy, but now that I'm feeling better, I think it was just a case of culture shock. It kind of sneaks up on you, and you don't even realize that you are experiencing it until it goes away! I was really emotional, and everything was getting to me. I sat at my desk and contemplated packing my bags in the dead of night and attempting to escape the country. It was that bad (in my head).

After school I talked to Dan (Skype rocks!) for a bit, and that made me feel better. I really miss him, and it was nice to hear his voice and see his face. After we talked I decided that instead of staying in and worrying about lesson plans, I better go out and blow off some steam. I met Kathryn (who lives upstairs) and Alex (2 blocks over) and we walked over to Nampo-Dong (a really cool area with lots of shopping) and had chicken wings, potato skins, and a ginormous jug of beer at a place called Hollywood (f.y.i. the food might sound Western, but it's always got a bit of Korean charm)! Afterwards we checked our bank accounts and Alex and I found out that we had been given our airfare reimbursement! Yay! Money! We celebrated by going to a hof (bar) and drinking another giant jug of beer (and one bottle of soju). Yes, all of this on a school night. We didn't stay out too late though, and I am happy to report that the "medicine" did the trick!

Today I am feeling so much better. Of course, that may also be related to the fact that I don't have to teach another class until next Wednesday, but I think the beer helped quite a bit as well. I was all smiles today. And I figured something out: I need to relax! I need to stop trying to be the perfect teacher. I need to make REALLY simple lessons (might take me a while to figure out, but in the long run will be far less stressful). I am being too hard on myself. I am trying to do everything "right" and failing. OK, so none of this will be easy to actually DO, but I feel like it's something that I will be able to work towards.

And writing. I need to keep writing. I need to make it a habit.

Tonight I got a cell phone. It's a pay-as-you-go and it only cost me $50. I am so happy! And we had pizza at Pizza Hut in Nampo-Dong for dinner: pepperoni with cheesy-bites crust and cheese dip (cheese is hard to come by here, and it tasted marvelous - well, except for the weird yellow sauce they put on the crust - gotta make it "Korean")! After dinner I went to the book store and finally got myself an English-Korean dictionary and a learn Korean book. I have some studying to do!

Gwangalli Beach

2008-09-06T16:33:00.002+09:00

Last night was fantastic! After school I came home and showered, and then met my neighbor Alex to head out to the EPIK teacher get-together that Justen had set up. Nothing major, just a meeting place and time, which is all we really need (since so many of us don't have cell phones) - Facebook rocks! We walked across the bridge to Nampo-Dong and hopped the subway where we found another guy from our group. We switched lines at the transfer station and made it to Gwangan station in about 40 minutes. There were already some people hanging out at the meeting point, and we agreed to stick around for 20 minutes or so to see if we could round up some more people. Everyone was talking about their apartments, their schools, and their classes. I felt a bit left out because most people are teaching happy fun elementary school classes! Quite different from my situation. Eventually we headed down to the beach (a few blocks from the subway station meeting place), picking up drinks at a convenience store along the way. It was getting dark by the time we got there, and the Gwangan Grand Bridge was already lit up. The lights slowly change colors and it is really beautiful! Soon after we arrived, another group of us showed up (they had met at a different exit). There were probably close to 20 of us hanging out. It was pretty cool. I had to roll up my jeans and go stand in the Sea of Japan (The East Sea) for a bit (I wasn't alone). The water was quite warm, and I could definitely see myself swimming there, although I don't know how far out you have to go before it gets deep enough.

Eventually I got hungry, and a few of us decided to walk across the street to Lotteria for fast food. I haven't had any since leaving Edmonton, and my burger and fries were delicious! We hung out at the beach for hours, but eventually it was time to move on. We walked down the strip to check out a foreigner bar called Thursday Party. They play English pop music and serve
Westerner drinks (although I just drank Korean beer - it's cheaper). It was fun - lots of people were dancing, and it was a pretty good time. I noticed they had draft beer called Alley Kat. I was all, hey, Alley Kat is from Edmonton! I was sure that it must be a coincidence, but no, when we sat at a table the tent card said "Alberta!" Very strange!

We stayed there until 2:00 or so and then those of us who live on Yeongdo all took a cab back together (plus Rebecca, who was spending the night with me so she wouldn't have to stay at her co-Teacher's house anymore). Alex went home, but Justen, Rebecca and I decided to check out the noraebang next door to my apartment. It wasn't bad, but the English song selection wasn't as plentiful as in Seoul, and the beer seemed too expensive. We had a great time though. It was pretty late, so instead of Justen taking a cab all the way to his place, the three of us just crashed in my little single bed. It was a tight squeeze, but we managed to sleep for a few hours!

Discipline and Punish

2008-09-05T09:55:00.003+09:00

OK, screw trying to fill in the past. I'll never get anything done if I try to be perfect! Besides, the further away I get from any given day, the harder it is to remember the details. I'd rather start fresh, now that I seem to have a farily reliable internet connection.

So, here I am, it's Friday morning in beautiful Busan, South Korea. I can't wait for this day to be over and for the weekend to start! I realize that sounds terrible, it being my first week and all, but I've got to be honest. I realize that it's important to keep a positive attitude, and I'm trying, but not everything is perfect!

At EPIK Orientation we were warned that coporal punishment still exists in many schools in Korea. The advice that we were given was to try to roll with it. We are not here to change things, but to work within the system. Things are different here. That doesn't make them wrong. OK fine. But I'm having a really hard time with it. Tuesday morning when I arrived at school a boy was being paddled (I averted my eyes, so I have no details) in the hallway while a group of students stood around and watched. I couldn't even get in the front door it was so crowded. Eventually I couldn't stand it anymore and pushed my way through as far from the action as I could and came to my desk, trying not to get too upset. On Wednesday the guidance counsellor invited me to his desk for a coffee and conversation. Part of my job is to help the teachers with their English as well. His English is OK - he has travelled a lot - and I can usually understand him. He seems like a nice man. Here's the thing: he's the main punisher in the school. He walks the hallways with a large wooden paddle. Many of the teachers carry wooden sticks around with them. Mr. Kim (the counsellor) tried to explain to me that the heavy-handed discipline is a new policy implemented in the last couple of years! It seems that this school is mainly populated with students from the low end of the socio-economic scale: poor, broken homes, behaviour disorders, etc. The corporal punishment system was brought in to control the students. Mr. Kim feels that it has been a success. "At least the students are no longer so rude."

I find that I am taking it really hard. Not a morning or a class break goes by without hearing the tell-tale "whap! whap! whap!" Usually I only hear it and don't have to witness it, but this morning it took place right behind my desk. No, I didn't turn to look, but I was so overwhelmed that I had to get up, walk away, and stare out a window so I wouldn't start to cry. Yesterday, one of the twelfth grade girls (who have been coming to see me every afternoon at my desk in the teachers' room) showed me a huge, dark bruise on the back of her thigh that had been inflicted by one of the female teachers - with only one hit! I don't really know what to do. The language and cultural gap is so huge. I don't think I could properly explain my feelings to anyone, even if I tried. For now, my strategy is to breathe deeply and don't let 'em see you cry!

Sunday/Monday

2008-09-03T19:02:00.007+09:00

The rest of Sunday was pretty relaxing. I went out to find a laundry hanging rack (I have a washer, but no dryer, which is pretty standard) and to buy a few groceries (yogurt, eggs, water, ramen). I spent the afternoon doing laundry, tidying up, and trying to come up with a week 1 lesson plan.

I also took a shower. Sort of. Showering has become kind of complicated. I basically have to wedge my body in between the washer and the toilet and use the shower nozzle to wet myself while trying not to spray down the entire bathroom. I definitely won't be showering like I used to at home! Here's to water conservation.

Sunday night I went to a PC-bang to get online and check emails, facebook, chat a bit, etc. I managed to get to bed at a reasonable time again (around 11) in order to get up at 7am for my first day of school!

Monday morning was great - I started the day with 3 free periods, so I had plenty of time to prepare myself mentally. I am teaching a total of 18 (50 minute) classes per week (13 are level 1 - grade 10, and 5 are level 2 - grade 11). My first class was a co-ed level 2 class. I was all ready to teach my "getting to know you lesson," but Mr Choi had a different plan. 5 minutes before the start of class he handed me a piece of paper with 2 dialogues on it and pointed to the one called "He has a thing for me" and asks me to teach it. It reads as follows:
Sumi: Have you ever been scuba diving, Tim?
Tim: Sure, why do you ask?
Sumi: Cody invited me, and I was wondering if you'd like to come, too.
Tim: I can't this weekend. I'm flying off to the Windy City. My Dad works there in the Sears Tower.
Sumi: I see. OK. Well, if it was another time, would you be interested?
Tim:Yeah. But why do you want me to go so badly?
Sumi: I just don't want to go with only Cody. He has a thing for me, I think.
Tim: Oh. I think he does too. But listen, I'm sorry but I have to run. Catch you later, Okay?

I'm sure you can imagine that I was all, "WTF?!" I made sure I understood what he was asking me to do: "You want me to teach this?" How? Will the students read it? Will we act it out? I've been told their level of English is very low - can they even understand this? ?!??

His response was that I could teach it however I wanted. In 2 minutes. LOL! I just decided to go with it and do the best I could :) I spent the first 10 minutes or so introducing myself, and then proceeded to act out the dialogue and try to explain the terminology. I could tell that they barely understood it. It was a terrible lesson. What do you expect in my first class, on my first day, with a piece of paper handed to me 5 minutes before class?! Of course, Mr. Choi told me it was great :P

Since that class I have been able to teach the lesson that I have planned for this week. Mr. Choi has told me that I can do whatever I choose in his class from now on. I guess it was just a matter of not really trusting me at first? I don't know, but I really need to do some lesson planning for the weeks that lie ahead.

I had 2 more classes on Monday, and the last class of the day was by far the best. It was a 1st level class of all boys and they really seemed to get into it! I actually had fun!

The teachers are served lunch, cafeteria style, in their own lunch room. I have been told by Ley that every day that I eat lunch I must sign in - the price is deducted from my pay (about $2.00 per day). I don't mind the expense, but I don't really like the food. I, of course, am to polite to say so, so I've been suffering through it. It's not horrible, but it isn't good either. The other teachers are all impressed by my chopstick ability - I guess I'm pretty good for a foreigner :)

After school I met my co-teacher and the head of the English dept. and we went to the Principal's office to meet before all going to dinner. There was another man there (I'm not entirely sure from the translation, but I think he is akin to the school's superintendent) who would be joining us. We all sat down for some tea, and then at about 5:00 we headed out. I was told we would be taking the school's official car! I called shotgun, (kidding, but I was given the front seat) and we headed into downtown Busan. There was some chit-chat, and I did my best to smile and nod, and to speak slowly if I needed to say something. They asked me what I liked to eat, and I said that I was open to whatever, but I enjoy seafood.

We went to a traditional Korean restaurant. Shoes off at the door, sit on the floor style. My principal is not too formal, but I think he appreciates when he sees I am trying to follow the customs. They brought in a ton of food: many side dishes, kimchi (of course) and then a huge platter of raw fish (I call it sashimi, but there is a different name for it in Korean), there was also octopus (tasty!). We ate and ate and they kept bringing in more food! We also had soju and beer. Principal Kim was pleased that I enjoy the soju, so we kept drinking together. He told me that I remind him of his daughter, who is my age and studying at a college in the U.S. It was really good food, and I had fun! I wish I had taken some photos :( Next time!

After dinner, Ley and I took the subway home. It was late, and I was tired, so I pretty much went straight to bed!

Sunday Morning

2008-09-03T19:01:00.000+09:00

I just had a great moment: here I am, 10:30 on Sunday morning, sitting at my kitchen table, reading my google reader feeds (thank god they have offline mode), when I hear a knock on the door. I wonder who that could be? Maybe Kathyrn, the other teacher from upstairs? I open the door and am greeted by a man I recognize from the other day (when my cable was installed), a woman, and two adorable children! I gathered that he is my landlord, the woman is his wife, and the two kids are theirs. I invite them in, and he proceeds to show me how to work my washing machine! Yes! My dreams have come true! I tried to do laundry yesterday and utterly failed (not understanding what any of the buttons mean). I was actually doing ok, but I hadn't turned on the water to the washer ahead of time and kept getting an error message (which I didn't understand). So I'm doing a trial run of laundry with my fingers crossed. Of course, all of the instruction and explaining was done through a series of gestures, pointing, a few simple words (on, off, hot, cold) and a bit of translation by his wife who speaks a bit more english. The hot water tap to the washer is leaky, so he is going to come and fix it tomorrow. He also showed me how to flush the toilet (I had figured that one out already!), Use the stove (I had the gist, but he showed me some tips), the tv and cable (I had that figured out). I showed him how two of the electrical outlets in my kitchen don't work and he said he would try to fix it within a week. I asked about the hot water (I haven't had any) and he showed me this contraption that turns it on and off (probably to save power) and also controls the sub-floor heating for when it starts to get cold. The last demonstration was about my windows. The rear windows are OK to leave open (I'm on the second floor and the back faces directly onto the building next door), but I should close and lock the front windows as anyone could walk down the hallway and see something good to steal. This he demonstrated by opening the window, moving my laptop onto the floor, going outside to the hallway and peering in! It was awesome! I think that Korea is pretty crime-free overall, but I don't think my neighborhood is a great one, and I guess it makes sense to be safe rather than sorry.

The entire exchange has made my day and I am so happy to be able to wash clothes and have a hot shower!

Day 2 (trying to catch up)!

2008-09-02T21:49:00.003+09:00

My second day in Busan was so much better than my first. I got up at about 7am, and I had to be at the school by 9:30 to meet the Principal. I spent some time puttering around my apartment and went for a quick walk around my neighborhood: it is much different in the daytime! I took the bus to school, as my co-teacher had recommended, but it was a very quick trip (less than 5 minutes) and since it costs me about $1 to ride the bus, I decided that I would walk from now on (except maybe in the rain). I arrived at school about 15 minutes early, and decided to sit outside on a bench within the school grounds to see if I could catch some wi-fi. No such luck. A few minutes later a man came up to me and said, "Marsha?" - it was Mr. Ko, the head of the English department. He said hello and welcomed me to the school and ushered me inside to the Principal's office. He knocked on the door and we went in. My Principal's office is enormous, with a large low desk, a long conference table, and a seating area with six old but comfortable chairs. It has a very distinct smell, not exactly bad, but I still haven't been able to figure it out. I was nervous, but smiling. Principal Kim came to greet me, and I struggled to remember the little Korean I had practiced for this meeting: Annyeonghaseyo (hello)! I gave a deep bow as he approached. I remembered not to reach out my hand for a handshake until the Principal did so, and as he held out his hand and introduced himself to me, I remembered to hold my right arm with my left hand out of respect and said, "Bangapsseumnida!" (nice to meet you). Then he completely took me by surprise by giving me a big HUG! I was not expecting that! It was very kind of him and made me feel very welcome :) We proceeded to sit down and Principal Kim called for some coffee for everyone (my co-teacher, Ley, had also joined us). Small talk was difficult because of the language barrier, but I tried to keep smiling. My co-teacher translated that Principal Kim thinks my face is "very bright," which I took to mean smiling and friendly, so I guess that worked! The chit-chat was minimal, but I was asked a bit about myself and my experience teaching English (none!). I tried to remember to speak simply, clearly, and slowly. Before I left I was invited to have dinner with the Principal on Monday after school (which I was expecting after being told about this custom many times at Orientation) and I happily accepted.

After the meeting I was shown to my desk in the teacher's room in the annex building (where I will be teaching the majority of my classes) and with a little help from the i.t. guy, got online! Woo! I spent about 45 minutes checking email and facebook, and was very happy to get an i.m. from a fellow EPIK teacher who has been here since July. He invited me to join him in meeting up with some other teachers to hang out for the day. Since his school is really close to mine, and I didn't know how to get anywhere else, we agreed to meet outside of my school at 12:30, which gave me an hour and a half to go home, change, and come back to the school. I wrapped things up on my computer and headed out to catch the bus home.

I got on the first bus that came by the bus stop (I was told that all of the buses will take me by my apartment), but I got worried when it didn't turn down the street I thought it was supposed to. Not wanting to get lost, I got off at the next stop and decided to walk home instead. In heels. Bad idea. Because, as it turns out, the bus was going in the right direction! I walked back towards the school and tried to go the way I thought was right. I'm sure you can tell, I got totally lost. I kept turning around and heading back to the school - at least I had that landmark! I tried desperately to remember which way I was supposed to go, and I kept wandering up and down the streets. In heels. Finally I got a bright idea and started looking for the buses. I followed the road where the buses all went, and... I ended up back in my neighborhood! No harm (except for sore feet), and actually, I think it was for the best that I got lost, because I became more familiar with my surroundings, and I gained some confidence knowing that I could find my way home in a strange city with Korean signs (that I can't read) everywhere. I had just enough time to change my clothes and walk back to the school, but when I arrived at my apartment door, I discovered it was unlocked! I was sure that I had locked it when I left, so I was concerned as I slowly peeked in and found... two Korean men in my bedroom! Not to worry, it was my landlord and the cable guy installing my cable tv (not that I have any intentions of watching it, but I don't think I have any choice in the matter, and I think it's pretty cheap). They were just finishing up, so I got a change of clothes and changed in the bathroom and they were done by the time I was ready to leave. As the cable guy left he pointed to the tv and proudly exclaimed, "CNN!" I think I have maybe 3 english channels, so I guess if I'm lonely I can listen to the news!

As I was leaving I happened to overhear an English conversation outside my window. Excited, I ran to my door in hopes of catching whoever my English-speaking neighbor might be to introduce myself. I yelled out, "hello!" and when the two people turned around, I recognized them from the Busan group of EPIK teachers from Orientation! It's a small world! It turns out that Kathryn lives in my building, and Alex lives right around the corner! I was so happy to find new "friends" in my area. They were going shopping, so we said goodbye and agreed to meet again soon.

I felt pretty confident in my directions now that I had wandered all over my area of the island, so I walked back to the school this time - no problem! I was early for the meeting so I walked past the school to check out the view - it is spectacular! I love that the school looks out over the water :) I took a few pictures and then wandered back towards the school where a Korean man summoned me over and pointed over to Justen, who was waiting for me on the same bench I had waited on that morning! I guess he figured since we were both foreigners we must know each other.

Justen took me to the bus stop and I told him about my adventures of the day. I couldn't stop grinning the entire bus trip - it felt so great to be talking to someone in English! We took the bus over the bridge to the mainland and went down to the subway (Nampo-dong station). It is incredible! It's like there's a whole other city underground! Shopping, shopping, and more shopping! And still, I couldn't stop smiling!

We took the subway to Seomyeon station (a major transfer point) where we were meeting another EPIK teacher, and later a couple more teachers nearby. Since we were early we wandered around the underground mall. Much bigger than at Nampo-dong! There's even a Krispy Kreme donut shop and a Starbucks :) Eventually everyone who had agreed to meet was together. The 5 of us decided to go and check out Haeundae Beach (a famous beach in Busan). We took the subway again and finally reached our destination. Jen, who also lives on Yeong-do, has lived in Busan for a couple of years (she teaches at a University), so she was showing us around a bit. She took us to a hard-to-find Mexican restaurant near the beach. Apparently, Mexican food is a rare delicacy in Korea, and I was happy to find out where this place was for future reference. The burritos are fantastic! We took our food down to the boardwalk and ate and chatted. It was great. I was finally feeling at home! We ran into a couple more EPIK teachers at the beach (and had met some in the subway earlier as well). It was as though we had invaded the city!

After the beach Jen took us (on the subway again) to the Home Plus (a big department store) at Centum City station. Apparently they stock hard to find food items like cheese and butter. I used the opportunity to pick up a few things I had been missing: hair dryer, straightener, an iron and some hangers. While shopping we all parted ways. I was exhausted, and decided to go home. I managed to find my way with no problems, taking the subway, transfering to another line, catching the bus to the island and getting off at the right stop! I know it sounds minor, but even the smallest things are difficult here!

Some of the EPIK teachers had planned a meeting for Saturday night, but I was really tired, so I ended up staying in. I think I still needed to catch up on the sleep I had missed out on during Orientation!

So, that was Saturday! I still had no hot water, no clue how to use my washing machine, and no internet, but I had a good day and I was feeling so much better than the night before!

I'm sorry that I'm still writing in the past tense, but I am trying to remember everything as best I can. I hope to get caught up in my posts soon, and then I will be able to post the day's stories on the actual day!

Friday: Hello Busan!

2008-08-31T19:55:00.003+09:00

We arrived at the Education office in Busan between 4:30 and 5:00pm. All 94 new teachers and our luggage! We were met there by our co-teachers (we are all assigned a Co-T from our school - someone to help us get settled and guide us through the lessons as well as teach in the classroom with us). I met Ms. Huang (first name Leo Ok, but she asked me to call her Lei - an easy pronunciation of her first name) and Mr. Lee (another of the English teachers from my school). Mr. Lee went out to get the car, while Leo and I hunted for my suitcases in the massive pile of bags. I was nervous to meet them, but they both seemed nice - although I was surprised at their level of English (quite low at first impression). Leo held tightly to my hand as we talked in the backseat of Mr. Lee's car. Apparently it is not unusual for friends of the same sex to hold hands or put their arms around one another. Not being used to this, I was not really sure if I should squeeze back or not!

I learned a little bit about my school: Korea Techno Science High School. Students focus on studies related to IT and Health Welfare. It is a co-ed school with about 1100 students.
I will be working Monday to Friday from 8:30 - 4:30, and although the school has classes on Saturdays, I will not need to work on weekends. I will be teaching 18 lessons per week (to 18 different groups of students): 13 first grade classes and 5 second grade classes (1st grade = grade 10, 2nd grade = grade 11). I may also be meeting with English teachers to improve their English abilities.

The school is located on Yeongdo Island in South Busan. My school has rented me a one-bedroom apartment in a walk-up building close to my school (accommodations are included with my contract). Although Leo gave me directions by bus, I will be able to walk to school in under 20 minutes (which is perfect for me). After driving by the school, Mr. Lee took us to my apartment and helped me bring up my luggage (I'm on the second floor). At first glance, I was pleased. It's not large, by any means, but it is bigger than I had expected (many teachers only get a small studio apt.) and it looks to have recently undergone some cosmetic renovations. Most importantly it is clean! One of the employees at the school had set the apartment for me before my arrival: fruit, milk and water in the fridge, slippers for inside and scuffs for the bathroom, laundry soap, dishes, shampoo, pillows and a comforter, etc. All of the appliances and furniture are brand new. Mr. Lee left right away, and Leo and I shared a glass of water (it is not uncommon here to share cups, bowls of soup, etc.). She showed me where everything was and I asked a few questions about the school. Meeting the Principal of the school is a really big deal, and Leo asked me if I would mind coming in the next morning to do so. Of course I said, "Sure!" Soon after, she left too. Suddenly I felt so alone. I had been in Korea for a week already, but I had never been alone. There were over 400 English teachers on campus at the orientation, and I had access to the internet there. Here I was, alone, in a new city, in a strange apartment, with no one to talk to, and no way to get ahold of my friends (new or old). I hate to admit it, but I cried. Hard. But eventually I got over it. I began to unpack my bags and decided I wanted to rearrange the furniture in the bedroom. That kept me busy and kept my mind off of everything else. I started to feel better and planned to go for a walk when the packing was finished.

Soon I needed to pee. I went into the bathroom, closed the door, and did my business. But when I tried to leave the bathroom, to my absolute horror, I COULD NOT GET THE DOOR OPEN!!! I talked myself out of panicking, knowing that it would do me absolutely no good. It was like it had locked from the outside. Breathing very deeply so I wouldn't go into a panic, I tried the door again. And again. Nothing. The handle would turn, but the latch wasn't moving inside the door knob. Minor freak out as you can imagine - I also laughed hysterically (literally) for a bit. Could it be possible that on my first night in my new apartment I could lock myself in the bathroom with no way out?! It is kind of a funny scenario! There is a small window in the bathroom, but I don't think I could fit through it. I could scream, but who was going to come and get me out? I don't even know how to say "help" in Korean! I figured I might have to break the door down, but that wouldn't be fun. I looked around for something to use as a screwdriver to take the door handle off, but I hadn't set up the bathroom yet. I kept trying the door handle, pushing harder and harder until I was sure it would break. I took short breaks to breathe deeply so i wouldn't lose my mind. Eventually I managed to haul on the handle hard enough that it opened - RELIEF! It turns out that the bathroom door is also a new addition. The knob must have been installed incorrectly because the handle on the outside works fine, but the inside one doesn't! I've now rigged it so that I can close the door properly from the outside, but when I'm inside it won't be latched shut. Welcome to Korea!

At this point I didn't think my night could possibly get any worse, so after I finished unpacking everything I decided to go out for a short walk. I was very careful to stick close to home so I wouldn't get lost. I'd walk straight on one street and come back home. Then I'd strike out in another direction. After a while I took a leap of faith in my abilities and walked in a square! Success! My neighborhood is full of noraebangs, restaurants, bars, and surprisingly - motels (specifically love motels!), a few convenient stores and other random shops. I also live very close to a big outdoor market (where there are booths selling all kinds of fruit, veggies, meat, whatever! I have the feeling that I'm not living in a great neighborhood, but I should be safe - there really is very little crime here.

I know it doesn't sound great, but don't worry about me! Up next: Day 2 (it got a lot better)!

More about Orientation [part 2]

2008-08-30T23:21:00.001+09:00

Wednesday was more of the same (Teaching Strategies in Secondary Schools, Co-Teaching, Active Korean, and then a movie about Hangul, Korea's written language, that seemed a lot like a propaganda film - we watched the movie because one of the lecturers had to cancel). After a quick meeting on Wednesday night with our group, we decided to go out. We started off at a restaurant where we had some really good food: I especially liked the little bird eggs and the fried chicken, and a great rice wine and yogurt (?) drink, served in a big bowl, that I can't remember the name of. Also beer.

Next we moved on to another bar, where there were other EPIK people just leaving, we picked up a few of them and hung out for a bit. There was a table of two Koreans who were celebrating a birthday. When they brought a cake out for them we all sang happy birthday; they reciprocated by sending us over a couple of pieces. We were also served some amazing seaweed soup (I loved it, but most people didn't even try it), and a big jug of pineapple flavored soju. Also beer.

After having a few drinks there, we decided to go to a norae-bang! There were 8 of us, and we were there for 2.5 hours!!! I loved it! We sang a bunch of songs together, usually with the person who chose the song leading the way. We had an absolute blast. Also beer.

It was a late night, and once again, I did not want to get up in the morning. But I did. And I sat through all of my classes on only a few hours of sleep. I did not get sick though - I made an effort to not drink too much and it worked! Thursday's classes were Teaching English in English and English Camp. After lunch we were greeted by the supervisor of the Busan education office. She gave us some info about the city and showed us a couple of movies. It made me very excited about my new home! After that session we went to a Traditional Korean Music Concert. I loved it! It was quite similar to the performance at the Folk Village, but there was more variety. They hosted a goodbye party for us on Thursday night (essentially a buffet in the cafeteria, only with better food than we usually get). Guess what I did after that? That's right, I went out. It was our last night together, so I couldn't stay home alone. Although I vowed not to stay out too late or drink too much because we had a long bus ride the next day. I kept my promise, but still had fun. We went to the same neighborhood, and a few different bars - same old same old :)

Friday was our last day in Seoul, and it consisted of packing up the bus, a quick closing ceremony where we received our certificates, and heading out to Busan! It was a pretty long trip (about 5.5 hours) on the bus, but I got some photo editing done. I will upload a bunch of pictures as soon as I have access to internet on my laptop (I am typing these posts offline and I will be going to a PC-bang to post them). Up next: my arrival in Busan!

More about Orientation

2008-08-30T10:32:00.000+09:00

After getting very little sleep Sunday night, I actually didn't feel too bad on Monday. We had classes all day (EPIK Life, Teaching and Culture, The Mission of the EPIK Teacher and Teaching Strategies in Elementary Schools). The seats in the lecture hall are very hard and uncomfortable, and the classes are all 90 minutes. It can be very hard to stay awake! Some of the speakers are interesting and informative, while others are... not so much. Monday night was another mandatory Korean Movie night - this time is was "200 Pound Beauty" a very bizarre story about an ugly girl with a beautiful voice who ends up getting full-body plastic surgery, conceals her real identity, becomes a famous singer and eventually confesses all. It was funny at times, but very strange. She was supposed to be obese, but she really wasn't that big (200 pounds is not that fat, even on a short Korean girl)! Parts could be seen as offensive, but overall I think they were trying to tell a nice story.

I went out again with friends on Monday night. That's right, after getting no sleep, I decided to do it all over again! This time we just walked into the neighborhood near the University campus and went to a bar that had become popular with our fellow EPIK teachers. We kept calling it JuJu, but I have no idea what the real name of the place was. I often referred to it as the "zebra bar" because they have booth seats covered in zebra print. We had a great time. Lots of beer and soju were consumed. There is a drinking game called "Titanic" where you float a shot of soju in a mug of beer. You pass the glass around the table and each person has to take a sip. Whoever is holding the glass when the soju sinks to the bottom has to chug the whole thing. I didn't technically lose this game, but I did help my friend Rebecca by chugging most of it when she sunk the soju. It's a dangerous game!

A group of 4 Koreans (2 guys and 2 girls) came into the bar and sat at a booth behind our group. They had a few drinks and then worked up the courage to begin speaking to us in English. We ended up drinking together for a while. We took some photos and one of the Korean girls gave me her email address so I could send them to her. I haven't yet, but I think I will when I get a chance. We found that most of the Koreans that we met were very friendly - it's a nice feeling!

We stayed there drinking until about 1:30am and then walked back to campus. I totally passed out in my dorm room, and didn't wake up until 8am. At this point (Tuesday morning) I had only had about 6 hours of sleep for two days, and had consumed a lot of beer and soju. I was feeling pretty rough! But I dragged my butt out of bed, went to breakfast (hot dogs?!) and went to all of my classes. I felt awful all morning and ended up losing my breakfast in between the first and second class (ugh, I'm sure you didn't need to know that), but after that and my lunchtime nap, I was feeling much better by the afternoon. Our Tuesday classes were Performance Assessment, Teaching Listening, How to Teach Speaking and Curriculum in Secondary Schools. I was starting to realize that the lectures didn't really have a lot to do with the topics listed. Instead, a lot of the speakers told us about their experiences. Some shared lesson ideas. Most gave advice about Korean culture and how to cope and fit in. Some of the lecturers were Native English Teachers and some were Korean. I think everyone had worked with EPIK in some capacity (most as teachers). The lectures were helpful, but there were too many things repeated.

We had a class meeting on Tuesday night about Busan and our placements. I didn't really get any new information, so all I knew at that point was that I was at a science high school, and I heard it was probably in the west part of the city near young-do island. I went straight back to my room afterwards. I spent some time online and then went to bed around 11pm. It's funny when getting 8 hours of sleep makes you feel like you've slept in!

[to be continued]

Sunday Night

2008-08-27T18:36:00.005+09:00

After returning from the Korean Folk Village we were fed dinner and then had the whole night off! I went out into Seoul with some friends. We took the subway to an area called Itaewon, an area with lots of foreigner-friendly and western-style bars. We got some food and some beer and just hung out for awhile. I was sort of feeling like things were a little too familiar there and wanted to see a more "Korean" area of Seoul, so we decided to take the subway back to the campus and check out the bars near Konkuk University. On my list of things to do were sing karaoke (at a noraebang) and drink some soju (Korea's alcoholic beverage of choice). A few in our group had been out drinking the night before, and were tired so they walked back to campus, but the rest of us wanted to play! I had my first soju, and although I had heard some negative things about it, I really enjoyed it! They also apparently have flavored soju, but I haven't tried that yet. It's good, it's strong, and it's really cheap - a dangerous combination! They serve little snacks at the bars, and we tried to get used to pouring each other's drinks (you're not supposed to fill your own glass). We had a blast!

Next up was a nori bang, which is a private karaoke room. After taking way too long to figure out how to work the remote control system (the soju didn't help) we finally managed to find some songs and sing. It was awesome! There were 2 cordless mics, our own room with bench seating, disco lights, loud speakers and a huge display screen. I should have taken pictures.

It was a great night and I had a blast! Unfortunately I didn't get much sleep that night, so I was pretty tired Monday morning, but you know what they say: "You can sleep when you're dead!"

bad blogger

2008-08-27T12:56:00.004+09:00

I haven't been a very good blogger. It's not because nothing interesting is happening in my life, but rather that I've been so busy!

I have a few minutes before lunch so I will try to fill in the blanks from the past few days. On Sunday we were taken on a fantastic excursion to a Korean Folk Village near Seoul. I think it took 8 buses to get us all there! We were split into smaller groups and given a very brief tour of the entrance area, and then we were led to watch some presentations. First up was the Farmer's Dance - it was amazing!

Then we were herded over to another area for some acrobatics. The women use a see-saw and it's really cool. I tried see-sawing myself later in the day and it's a lot harder than it looks! After that there was an older man who did some tightrope walking. Also cool, but he talked a lot during his show and I think that it would have been a lot more entertaining if I could understand Korean!

The next show was a Traditional Korean Wedding ceremony. The costumes are beautiful. I couldn't really understand anything that was going on, but it was interesting to see.

Lunch was spent in the outdoor food court. They have an interesting system: you buy tickets for your food at a central ticket booth, then you take your ticket to the appropriate counter and wait for your food. They served a lot of different traditional foods. I tried the lettuce wraps (not sure of the Korean name). Not bad. The eating area was outside on large raised platforms with low tables and no chairs. You sit cross-legged on the platform (after removing your shoes).

After lunch we had the afternoon to explore on our own. I ended up walking around with Robin and Justen and we checked out everything! I will be posting photos to flickr as soon as I have time (I took a lot), and I have some short videos to post to you tube as well.

Time for lunch. I will have to finish catching up later!

Orientation Begins

2008-08-24T07:31:00.001+09:00

Yesterday was the first real day of Orientation. We had four classes in total: Teaching Writing (not bad, but the lecturer was a bit nervous and pretty much read off of his powerpoint presentation), Korean History and Culture (which sounds cool, but ended up being an hour and a half lecture on Korean traditional music with way too much music theory), Curriculum in Elementary Schools (the best lecture of the day, partly because it was fun elementary stuff, but mainly because the lecturer was amazing) and Classroom Management (which focused very little on management while the lecturer went on and on about culture in Korean classrooms - useful - and showed us a 40 minute movie of a middle school English class - not very useful).

We had a break for lunch where I only really liked the chicken (I really wish I could remember to take photos of my meals) and a snack in the afternoon (watermelon and a danish). Dinner began right after our last class of the day (I mistakenly thought that "~19:00" meant that dinner started around 7pm, but it actually means that dinner goes until 7pm), and I almost missed it completely, but a friend gave me the heads up and we made it to the cafeteria in time. After dinner they showed us a Korean movie "Brotherhood of War." It reminded me a lot of "Saving Private Ryan" - very graphic, but a good story. Actually, the plot ended up being pretty convoluted, but it kept me in my seat when a lot of others got up and left the movie about 45 minutes before it ended. There had been some talk about going off campus to find karaoke, but I was far too tired after the movie to think of going out. Maybe tonight!

Today we all get on busses and go to the Korean Folk Village. Should be fun and interesting. I'll try to take lots of pictures.

The weather has really improved. After a full day of rain on Thursday, it started to clear up a bit yesterday, and today it is beautiful and sunny!

I've got to go to breakfast now...

Korean Breakfast

2008-08-22T08:24:00.001+09:00

I just had my first Korean breakfast. We have the option of either Western Breakfast (scrambled eggs, milk, salad) or Korean Breakfast (kimchee, some watery soup, rice, pasta salad, a squid dish and a beef/onion warm dish). I had to have the Korean breakfast for my first day here (dammit! I forgot to take a photo)! It was actually pretty good. More like dinner than breakfast, but everything tasted decent. When in Seoul...

my first night

2008-08-21T22:23:00.001+09:00

I'm super tired, but not really sleepy. I figured that I should go out and get some exercise, so I just went out for a quick walk. It's dark out, but the campus looks really pretty at night. There is a little lake (big pond?) and there are lots of people hanging around so I went for a lovely walk around the perimeter. I am so happy to be here!

The great news was that on my way back to the dorm I saw the baggage truck leaving: my bags arrived and I got to pick them up tonight instead of waiting for tomorrow :)

Now it's time for a shower and then bed.

the bus ride

2008-08-21T18:31:00.000+09:00

I am currently sitting on a bus, driving in rush hour traffic (6:30pm local time) from Incheon International airport into the city of Seoul to Konkuk University.

So yes, I made it to Seoul safely. There were really no problems at all (other than my minor flight delay out of Edmonton). The flight from Vancouver to Seoul was about 11.5 hours. And I didn't sleep a wink. I did, however, watch 5 movies. That was great and really helped the time go by. The food on the flight was actually pretty good. My latest experience with Air Canada was definitely a good one.

Once I arrived at the airport I followed the herd of passengers to immigration (no issues - in fact the officer didn't say a word to me, he just checked my papers. We then herded to the baggage claim, where I found a cart to load my luggage on and waited. Fortunately it only took about 10 minutes before I had both of my bags loaded up (and I took a minute to dig in my duffel bag for the hair elastic that I had been wanting the whole day). I headed off in search of a place to exchange some money (the bank in Canada didn't carry Korean Won) and lucked out again - there was a currency exchange booth right by the exit! So I did my business there and took the closest exit out into the terminal where I very quickly found a guy wearing a bright pink t-shirt with EPIK printed in big letters. He directed me to the line to register with the EPIK desk and I proceeded to wait (with a whole bunch of other "foreigners"). I used the waiting time to check my email and update my status on facebook (I think that free wireless is ubiquitous here - at least I hope I'm right), and in no time I was up at the front of the line. I was given a name tag and told to wear it "everywhere" during Orientation. My luggage was taped up and I was sent with a group outside to wait for a bus to take us to the University. Our big bags were supposed to go on a truck, and we were to carry the rest on the bus with us. I felt a bit odd leaving my luggage on the curb outside of the airport, but everyone else was doing it! And here I am on the bus. It has been an hour long trip so far, and I have no idea how much longer it will be.

I've snapped a few photos from the bus window. There's lots of water here, and lots of very similar looking buildings (big ones). I'd say about 65% of the drivers I see in other vehicles are smoking. It's very humid. It's different, but not so foreign that I feel out of my element. I am very tired and very happy to be here. It's evening here, but I'm still running on Edmonton time which puts me at 3:45am! It's going to be a long night!

leaving on a jet plane

2008-08-21T00:23:00.001+09:00

Well, here I go. I am at the edmonton airport, awaiting a flight to vancouver, and then I will be en route to Seoul this afternoon! They just now announced that my EDM-VAN flight is delayed about 20 minutes, but that shouldn't be a problem (fingers crossed) because I've got two hours in Vancouver before I leave for Seoul.

I've spent the last few days with Dan, crying off and on because I'm going to miss him so much. He drove me to the airport this morning, and I thought we would have to say goodbye at the check-in desk, because I am so used to flying to the States where you have to go straight from check-in through customs and security. So, happily, we had an extra half an hour to sit over coffee and say goodbye before I had to make my way through security. I now know about a million ways to tell the one you love that you are going to miss him :)

The karaoke party on Saturday was a blast! Although only a few people showed up, the really important ones were there. I had so much fun singing and dancing, laughing and seeing friends. It was a great send-off.

Dan and I spent Sunday packing up. It was such a hot day (over 30 degrees)! In the evening we went for steak and lobster at The Keg (he's going to be quitting soon, so it makes sense to use his staff discount as much as possible). Dinner was fantastic.

Monday we moved, and of course it was even hotter than Sunday. Just my luck to be moving on the hottest days of the year! We were completely drained by the end of the day.

Tuesday was spent cleaning the (nearly) empty condo - and we didn't realize how much work it needed. We would have been there all night cleaning if Dan didn't offer to finish it up on his own this week. We called it quits around 5pm and went out for a nice goodbye dinner. We stayed at his dad's place on the south side last night (Dan is going to be living there and going to school this year). And now here I am, waiting at the airport, blogging with free wi-fi!

9 days

2008-08-12T12:12:00.001+09:00

Well, I got my visa without a hitch, I've booked my flight to Seoul, and now I wait.

OK, well, I'm not just sitting around waiting. Dan and I have been trying to do some fun things before I leave. This past weekend we spent a lot of time out in the hot Alberta sun having a great time. On Saturday we spent the day with his mom's side of the family at Sylvan Lake: boating, swimming, waterskiing (I couldn't get up), tubing and, of course, eating. It was a great day! Then, on Sunday, we went to the Edmonton Folk Music Festival. It was a very full day of sunshine and great music. The highlight for me was seeing Brett Dennen (love him)!

There's also the packing. Definitely not my favorite part. I've been going through the apartment getting rid of things that I don't need (i.e. won't take with me, and can't be bothered putting into storage). I have acquired too much stuff over the years! I probably won't actually pack my bags until next week, but the purge is going to help a lot.

And now, in my final week, come the goodbyes. My last day of work is Friday, and we are planning a big karaoke party at a bar on Saturday night. Of course, not everyone can make it, so my schedule is slowly filling up trying to spend some time with as many friends as I can before I leave.

waiting for visa

2008-07-29T11:47:00.001+09:00

Today I received my contract from EPIK and sent my final documents to the Korean Consulate in Vancouver to file for my Visa.

In just over 3 weeks I will be saying goodbye to Edmonton and getting on a plane headed to Seoul.

I have mixed feelings about the whole thing.

I am first and foremost excited. I have wanted to teach overseas for a few years now, and I'm finally making it happen! I will not just be travelling, but will be immersing myself in a foreign country where the language, the culture, everything will be so different! I am excited for the adventure.

I have been doing the same thing for too long. I have become comfortable, but I am no longer happy here: living in the same apartment, doing the same things, working the same job... It is time for a change.

And while I am eager for the excitement, the adventure and the change, I am also sad. Sad to leave the good things: namely Dan, but also my other friends, my family, my home.

I am uncertian. I don't know where this journey will ultimately take me. Will I love it so much that I will want to stay beyond my one-year contract? Will I love the job, but decide to move on to a different country? Will I be ready to return to Canada and pursue other opportunities? Those are some options I can think of now, but I know the list is endless. Once I open myself to the possibilities, I could do anything.

I must admit that a big part of this trip is going to be about me finding myself. Figuring out what I want and how I want to do it. I need to open myself up to the world out there, and I need to look deep within to find what I truly want. So my journey is not only about exploring a foreign country; it's also about discovering myself.

countdown: one month

2008-07-22T06:47:00.001+09:00

In exactly one month (August 21) I will be arriving in Seoul, Korea to start my training!

It's official!

2008-07-16T14:45:00.001+09:00

I received an email from my recruiter today letting me know that I have been (officially) offered a job with EPIK. My contract is on its way, and the next step is to get my visa.

I am to arrive in Seoul on August 21, so I'll be leaving on the 19th or 20th. Just over a month. In the meantime... so much to do!

countdown: 2 months

2008-06-23T10:38:00.001+09:00

Still waiting for news. I had my documents in Korea a few weeks ago, but upon receipt of them, it was discovered that I was missing something: a notarized and consulate-certified copy of my degree (I was originally only asked to send a photocopy). Kind of my recruiter's fault, but mine was the first package that they had submitted to EPIK. I managed to get that rounded up and shipped off last week. I only hope that I didn't miss the deadline for the first batch of job offers. I'm hoping to hear by the end of the month...

Next step: Visa application (once I get my offer)

countdown: 3 months

2008-05-22T07:32:00.001+09:00

second document submission: complete

2008-05-22T07:31:00.001+09:00

So my telephone interview with Korea went quite well, and since then I've been rounding up the documents that I needed to submit:
application form
copy of passport
copy of degree
passport photos
criminal record check (notarized and then confirmed by the Korean consulate in Vancouver)
two letters of recommendation
University transcripts

The thing that took the longest was the criminal record check. First I had to go down to Edmonton Police Services and fill out a form for them. 10 days later I got my (clean) record check back. Then I had to take that to a notary public and have them notarize it (actually, a copy of it). And last, but not least, I had to send both copies to the Korean consulate in Vancouver to have it confirmed. Pain in the ass.

But today I sent everything to Amy, my recruiter. I hope it all checks out. I'm not sure of the next stage, but hopefully it will be an official job offer and then applying for my visa...

test post

2008-04-23T10:19:00.000+09:00

countdown: four months