"Teacher, BROWN!" shouts Joon, one of the Jupiter students during arts and crafts today, while pointing at my skin.
"Yellow hair, teacher", explains Lucy, as she plays with my hair during class today.
Who knew?
Well, so far I've survived three days of teaching! A little more background to explain. All of the kindergarten kids are in from 9:30-2:20; they are grouped according to age. Mercury is my homeroom/my primary group; they are the youngest (Korean age 5...which means 3 to 4 years old). I do have lessons with other kindergarten classes sometimes, like arts and crafts and multimedia/discovery with Jupiter and Venus. In the afternoons, the elementary level students come, and again, they are grouped by age. I have three (main) elementary classes I see in the afternoons.
Anyways, I'm starting to get the swing of things; getting my hands messy, making mistakes, and feeling the hustle and bustle of every day planning/organizing. I must submit lesson plans daily, on top of many weekly and monthly updates/marks/reports/etc., and also must constantly be prepping for classes like arts and crafts, and science.
Mondays I have a slower schedule, so that was good for my first day. Tuesday I have a very full day - I had SO MUCH FUN! Science is such a fun class to do with the little ones, and they love it too. Tuesdays also include a song and dance class...I may have had more fun than the students did! Today was good, simply because I am feeling significantly more comfortable. My Mercury kids are so cute, I can't get over it. They're lucky they're cute! Haha. There is this one boy, Alvin - he is the smallest and youngest - and he's always dressed so cool: low-cut v-necks, jeans, cardigans, leather jacket. Another kid, Liang, was wearing a sweet Ralph Lauren sweater vest today. Seriously. I kind of want to steal these kids. And word on the street is that they like me! As some of the Korean teachers have been checking in to see how I'm doing, a few have told me, "Oh, I heard your Mercury students really like you!" *PHEW!* That makes me feel good. They definitely require a lot of energy, that's for sure! I'm so grateful for the lunch that the school provides, as so far it's been very welcome and needed. Plus, it's Korean. Yummy yummy.
Koreans are really into dental hygiene, or at least they are at my school. There are places for all the kids to keep their toothbrushes and they all brush up after lunch. All the teachers (myself included) keep toothpaste and toothbrush at our desks, too. Nice! And we don't wear shoes inside. Did I mention that? Shoes stay at the front of the school in cubbies, and we are provided with slippers to wear.
I've been to the gym a couple times after work this week. Yup, getting into my little routine! And now I'm off to enjoy the rest of my evening!
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Sunday, September 26, 2010
Ode to the Sound of Autumn
I officially go back to work tomorrow! Wow...the last time I was at work was June 10! I'd say I had a decent holiday. I'm looking forward to a new routine, though I am slightly nervous for the administrative side of things, with my new job. It'll just take me a week or so to adjust, and make sure I'm getting everything done, and done properly. I'll find my groove.
I've had an awesome week! I had the chance to explore my Anyang and spend some more time in Seoul. Anyang is full of parks and greenspace and benches and trees, surrounded by mountains, and bustling with city life. Beomgye and Anyang are the main metro stops here, and in these areas is where all the best shopping, restaurants, and nightlife are. I took a big walk around the city on Thursday afternoon, to get an idea for the layout of the city. Central Park is full of fountains and families, and Hagun Park is shadier. I can't get over all the biking and walking paths, in the parks and along the river. And I'm sure I mentioned it before, but there are exercise machines everywhere. It's great. I really like it here. Next weekend a group of us are going to hike one of the mountains here...!
I joined the gym on Saturday. It's a great facility. Saturday afternoon/evening/night was spent with Karen, Romo, and Jennifer - food and drinks and That 70's Show. Sweeeeeeeeeeeet. Karen and Romo have been great this week, showing me around new places, and getting me acquainted with the yummy Korean cuisine - bimibap, kimbap, lapokie, kimchi-chige...rice, veggies, spices, delicious.
I met SO many people living around the country in my adventures to Seoul. Both days (Wednesday and Friday) involved meeting up with friends and friends of friends and their next-door-neighbour's cousin's sister-in-law. Hooray for networking! Wednesday was Chuseok, the Thanksgiving holiday. In the morning I went to Deuksugung Palace and the Seoul Museum of Art. Then I met up with Hunter and some others. We walked around Insadong neighbourhood; there were lots of activities going on for the holiday: archery, ring toss, arrow toss, colourful traditional costumes. After taking that in, a group of 12 of us ended up having Korean BBQ for dinner. IT WAS SO TASTY. Basically, you sit at a table, they bring you the food - meat, veggies, spices, rice - and you grill it on your table. SO MUCH FOOD. We thenwent to a Canadian bar in Sichon (a very cool neighbourhood). Get this...one of the bartenders there went to my RIVAL HIGH SCHOOL. Small world, eh? It never stops. Yup. WCI graduate. NUTS! Friday I met up with Laura (a friend from high school), and some of her friends. We had quite the eventful day: the outside of the Korean War Memorial Museum; the cable car up to N Seoul Tower for a fantastic view of the city; Itaewon for the English book store (What the Book?), a delightful patisserie called Passion 5, and the Leeum Samsung Museum of Art. The latter was definitely a highlight for me. It combined ancient Korean artifacts and art, contemporary and modern Korean and international art, and the architecture of the building in itself was a psychological experience. In the ancient part, you start on the top floor and work down, via a hollow cyclindrical stairwell that leaves you feeling weightless. Another highlight - Laura, Dan (her bf), and I got locked in. They made an announcement about 6pm closing time, so we quickened our pace to see everything. Somehow, the modern art section gates closed and we had to call out, fingers crossed someone was around to let us out. Back up plan: sleep by the Andy Warhol. Later we went to Hongdae, another neighbourhood, for a drink. 
With all these different neighbourhoods in Seoul, I'm getting to know the metro system. It takes me less than 15 mminutes to walk to the Anyang station, and where I've been going as of late, it take me about 40 minutes travel time to get there. Not bad, eh?
That was a scattered entry. I apologise. I feel even MORE settled now, as this evening I decided to rearrange all of my furniture in my flat. With the limited space, it was not in the most functional set-up. Now it feels roomier.
Also! The weather has been lovely since Wednesday: sunny, no humidity, low 20s. Before that it was very rainy. On Tueday night, the paths along the river FLOODED! They were nowhere to be seen! Karen, Romo, and I had gone to Anyang to go shopping, and we sat in a cafe on the 16th floor of a building, watching the storm. Mmmm.
Oh! Last evening when Karen and I went out from Jennifer's for a beer/sweater run, she was SO amused because the 40-year-old Korean men seemed interested in me. "Beautiful," they said as I walked by. In the corner shop they were especially keen to attempt any conversation with me. Blame it on the Soju (that's Korean vodka).
Sunday, September 19, 2010
Hello, Anyang!
Beomgye - shopping, food, clubs
My coworkers
They are really awesome...so far. Haha. Karen, the head teacher, is from Ottawa. She has been here for a year and a half. Her teaching and travel experience is amazing. Tony is from Ottawa as well, and studied at McGill! And Jennifer is from Wisconsin. Both Tony and Jennifer have been here since February. We went out for a couple drinks on Thursday after school, in Beomgye, a strip that is full of restaurants and bars. It was fun! My boss, Cindy, the Korean co-teachers, and the Director, are all really nice and welcoming, too. On Friday the Director brought me flowers, and for a Cheosok gift, all of the foreign teachers got a nice bottle of whiskey and shot glasses. Did I come at the right timing or what? I'm really looking forward to getting to know everyone better. I have a good feeling about this.
My apartment
I never thought I'd say this but my place in Radom was nicer. More spacious, windows with a view of green. My place here is liveable, but tiny. I do have a proper bed though, which I am grateful for, and a wardrobe that EASILY fits all of my clothing. I have an unnecessarily giant fridge, also in my bedroom. The kitchen and bathroom are squishy, but functional for one person. I do have a washing machine, but it looks like one that belongs in a play house. Haha It's not big enough to fit bedding, so I'll have to use my coworkers' machines. Apparently they all petitioned for me to get a new place - and that WAS the plan - but the current tenants weren't going to be moving out soon enough, so I got the place that the previous teacher lived in. It could be worse. I'm not too fussy. No oven, small windows, and nothing pretty to see. I do have controllable AC though, and a decent amount of storage. I just want to pick up a small bookshelf, and then I should be set! On Friday morning, when I arrived at school, Cindy brought me to my place so I could settle in a bit. The head bus driver for the school put up new curtains then and there. Friday evening the Director came by with all new bedding, and she also brought me some groceries - about 30000 pounds of bananas, a canteloupe, muffins, and orange juice. The generousity and hospitality are definitely not lacking here.
Oh! I should mention: the school provides lunch! I likely won't have it every day, but it's an option. Friday's meal was YUMMY - curry and rice, kimchi, some radish dish, and some clear soup. Mmmmm.
The city: Anyang
I haven't done a ton of exploring yet. What I've seen though, it's also very clean, like Seoul. My apartment is less than ten minutes from the school, en route which I pass a giant store, E-Mart, which is your everything/all-purpose store. I did a big shop there yesterday with Karen and her boyfriend, for groceries and some basic household essentials. There is also a gym (though there are others) really close to the school that all my coworkers belong to; they like to go after school. I'm definitely going to join, especially since it can be social too. Karen took me there yesterday too, so I could check it out. It's the "cheap" gym ($100 for three months) - my GOODNESS it's about 1000 steps-up from the gym I belonged to in Radom. That's definitely exciting. It's a nice facility. Can rides are SOOOOOO inexpensive. The meter starts at $2.30, and sometimes doesn't even change during the whole ride. Stuck in traffic, going a ways, I haven't seen the meter go higher than $3.70. It's insane. I think it's like that in all of Korea. A cab from Anyang to Seoul is $20...prices like that are unheard of in Canada!
Yesterday I went to the opening hockey game for the local team, Halla. Karen and her boyfriend, Romo, took me. We met up with some of their other friends, Trevor and Patti. They have a friend that plays on the team. Apparently Halla is a really good team, and was the winner of the Asian league last year. It was a really fast-paced and exciting game. There are some Westerners on the teams too. It was so fun to be at the sporting event. There were lots of other foreigners there too, and everyone chats with everyone else. The guys on these teams have often been NHL-drafted, so it's good hockey. Because it was the opening game of the season, there was this Korean glee-club type group, of kids aged seven to twelve, I'd say. It was so great. Last night after the game, Karen, Romu, and I went to Tom Tailor's, in Beomgye, for tex mex. All in all, everything has been awesome so far!
E-Mart - groceries and household...my staple
Listening to Stars and Vinyl Cafe episodes as I continue to settle in to my new place in Anyang. My laundry is hanging to dry; it's a grey and rainy Sunday and therefore our picnic plans are cancelled. The fruit salad I prepared won't go uneaten, however. Let me tell you about the past couple of days... 
My School - Choo Choo Train English
Thursday morning I took the metro from Seoul with half of my luggage, to Anyang. The metro ride itself is less than an hour, and Hunter lives quite north in Seoul, so other places will be a shorter metro trip. Anyways, Karen, one of my coworkers and the head teacher, met me and we cabbed to the school. We are on the second floor of a commercial building. My GOODNESS am I ever impressed with the facilities. There is a huge reception area when you walk in, where Jenny happily greets you. There are cubbies for shoes, as no outdoor shoes are to be worn inside. There is a play area with a slide, a ball pit, and colourful pads/cushions. There is an auditorium/gym for some classes, and a party room for events. All the classrooms/groups are named after planets. My homeroom/main class will be Mercury, the five-year olds. (They are actually four, but because of how birthdays are in Korea, they are five here). There are thirteen students, and they are ADORABLE. (I say that now, eh?) I know all their names, from my first couple days. They'll be taught in the mornings. I'll also be teaching some other groups in the afternoons, a mish-mash of some other students, aged five to seven. Because it's a proper private school - rather than an after-school program - I'll actually be doing lots of classes with my students. For instance, arts and crafts, song and chant, storybook and dance, YOGA AND GYM (YES!), multimedia (this is a class I teach in the auditorium with some interactive technology and a projector screen - Discovery Channel stuff)...lots of fun stuff. It wan an overwhelming amount of information to take in, but once I get started I'll find my groove. Friday I returned for another day of observation, although it was really more of a day-long party, and all the students wore traditional Korean costume. It was to celebrate Chuseok, the Korean thanksgiving. The actual holiday is next Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, but our school will be closed for the entire week. It felt amazing that many of the students greeted me so excitedly on Friday: Hello Leah Teacher!
My School - Choo Choo Train English
Thursday morning I took the metro from Seoul with half of my luggage, to Anyang. The metro ride itself is less than an hour, and Hunter lives quite north in Seoul, so other places will be a shorter metro trip. Anyways, Karen, one of my coworkers and the head teacher, met me and we cabbed to the school. We are on the second floor of a commercial building. My GOODNESS am I ever impressed with the facilities. There is a huge reception area when you walk in, where Jenny happily greets you. There are cubbies for shoes, as no outdoor shoes are to be worn inside. There is a play area with a slide, a ball pit, and colourful pads/cushions. There is an auditorium/gym for some classes, and a party room for events. All the classrooms/groups are named after planets. My homeroom/main class will be Mercury, the five-year olds. (They are actually four, but because of how birthdays are in Korea, they are five here). There are thirteen students, and they are ADORABLE. (I say that now, eh?) I know all their names, from my first couple days. They'll be taught in the mornings. I'll also be teaching some other groups in the afternoons, a mish-mash of some other students, aged five to seven. Because it's a proper private school - rather than an after-school program - I'll actually be doing lots of classes with my students. For instance, arts and crafts, song and chant, storybook and dance, YOGA AND GYM (YES!), multimedia (this is a class I teach in the auditorium with some interactive technology and a projector screen - Discovery Channel stuff)...lots of fun stuff. It wan an overwhelming amount of information to take in, but once I get started I'll find my groove. Friday I returned for another day of observation, although it was really more of a day-long party, and all the students wore traditional Korean costume. It was to celebrate Chuseok, the Korean thanksgiving. The actual holiday is next Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, but our school will be closed for the entire week. It felt amazing that many of the students greeted me so excitedly on Friday: Hello Leah Teacher!
The orange door is my classroom!
My coworkers
They are really awesome...so far. Haha. Karen, the head teacher, is from Ottawa. She has been here for a year and a half. Her teaching and travel experience is amazing. Tony is from Ottawa as well, and studied at McGill! And Jennifer is from Wisconsin. Both Tony and Jennifer have been here since February. We went out for a couple drinks on Thursday after school, in Beomgye, a strip that is full of restaurants and bars. It was fun! My boss, Cindy, the Korean co-teachers, and the Director, are all really nice and welcoming, too. On Friday the Director brought me flowers, and for a Cheosok gift, all of the foreign teachers got a nice bottle of whiskey and shot glasses. Did I come at the right timing or what? I'm really looking forward to getting to know everyone better. I have a good feeling about this.
My apartment
I never thought I'd say this but my place in Radom was nicer. More spacious, windows with a view of green. My place here is liveable, but tiny. I do have a proper bed though, which I am grateful for, and a wardrobe that EASILY fits all of my clothing. I have an unnecessarily giant fridge, also in my bedroom. The kitchen and bathroom are squishy, but functional for one person. I do have a washing machine, but it looks like one that belongs in a play house. Haha It's not big enough to fit bedding, so I'll have to use my coworkers' machines. Apparently they all petitioned for me to get a new place - and that WAS the plan - but the current tenants weren't going to be moving out soon enough, so I got the place that the previous teacher lived in. It could be worse. I'm not too fussy. No oven, small windows, and nothing pretty to see. I do have controllable AC though, and a decent amount of storage. I just want to pick up a small bookshelf, and then I should be set! On Friday morning, when I arrived at school, Cindy brought me to my place so I could settle in a bit. The head bus driver for the school put up new curtains then and there. Friday evening the Director came by with all new bedding, and she also brought me some groceries - about 30000 pounds of bananas, a canteloupe, muffins, and orange juice. The generousity and hospitality are definitely not lacking here.
Oh! I should mention: the school provides lunch! I likely won't have it every day, but it's an option. Friday's meal was YUMMY - curry and rice, kimchi, some radish dish, and some clear soup. Mmmmm.
The city: Anyang
I haven't done a ton of exploring yet. What I've seen though, it's also very clean, like Seoul. My apartment is less than ten minutes from the school, en route which I pass a giant store, E-Mart, which is your everything/all-purpose store. I did a big shop there yesterday with Karen and her boyfriend, for groceries and some basic household essentials. There is also a gym (though there are others) really close to the school that all my coworkers belong to; they like to go after school. I'm definitely going to join, especially since it can be social too. Karen took me there yesterday too, so I could check it out. It's the "cheap" gym ($100 for three months) - my GOODNESS it's about 1000 steps-up from the gym I belonged to in Radom. That's definitely exciting. It's a nice facility. Can rides are SOOOOOO inexpensive. The meter starts at $2.30, and sometimes doesn't even change during the whole ride. Stuck in traffic, going a ways, I haven't seen the meter go higher than $3.70. It's insane. I think it's like that in all of Korea. A cab from Anyang to Seoul is $20...prices like that are unheard of in Canada!
Yesterday I went to the opening hockey game for the local team, Halla. Karen and her boyfriend, Romo, took me. We met up with some of their other friends, Trevor and Patti. They have a friend that plays on the team. Apparently Halla is a really good team, and was the winner of the Asian league last year. It was a really fast-paced and exciting game. There are some Westerners on the teams too. It was so fun to be at the sporting event. There were lots of other foreigners there too, and everyone chats with everyone else. The guys on these teams have often been NHL-drafted, so it's good hockey. Because it was the opening game of the season, there was this Korean glee-club type group, of kids aged seven to twelve, I'd say. It was so great. Last night after the game, Karen, Romu, and I went to Tom Tailor's, in Beomgye, for tex mex. All in all, everything has been awesome so far!
Thursday, September 16, 2010
High on Seoul
This just in: I am starting work today! I spoke to my boss yesterday and turns out my apartment is available THIS weekend instead of next! So Thursday (today) and Friday I'll be observing classes, then I can settle in on Friday night or Saturday morning. SO EXCITED! I'm bringing half of my luggage with me today, then I'll come back to Seoul tonight, and bring the rest with me when I return tomorrow. It works out so well too, because I was planning to spend the weekend in Anyang this weekend anyways. Also, next week (Tuesday - Thursday) is a holiday here, so I'm not sure what my schedule will be like. I'll definitely be back to Seoul to explore more. I really haven't done a ton of the tourist stuff yet; I do have all year though. So yesterday turned into a day of organizing. I did some wandering - every street and side-street is just bursting with markets and shops and cafes and restaurants and I just want to take it all in. It's really fantastic here. And Hunter and I had a celebratory Indian dinner out last night...it was DELICIOUS. Everything is just working out SO WELL!
Bah! I can't wait to meet everyone at my school! Time to go make the commute...! First day of work!
Bah! I can't wait to meet everyone at my school! Time to go make the commute...! First day of work!
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Heart and Seoul
Aren't you looking forward to all the Seoul puns and play-on-words I'm going to come up with throughout the year?
Here are my first impressions of Seoul and its people so far:
-the city is SO SO SO clean: it's quite impressive, really, considering the population is about 11 million
-it doesn't FEEL overwhelmingly crowded; it's no different than any other big city
-in non-expat neighbourhoods, I'll see about five expats in a day: we all smile at each other
-among the locals, and even the expats, I may be one of the only blonde people here
-people don't stare (unlike in Radom)
-people are SO friendly and helpful! Yesterday when I was exploring on my own, a few people offered me guidance (even though I wasn't lost and wasn't needing it) - one guy went so far as to ask me to join him for lunch on his break and gave me his card; another woman I was chatting with told me her son is studying at Queen's (she loves Canada and says the people are so humble)
-people are welcoming (Welcome to Korea! Congratulations on being a teacher!)
-there are bakeries everywhere
-there are markets everywhere
-there is an overwhelming amount of stuff to do
Seoul is definitely making a good first impression!
On the weekend Hunter took me around to some of the neighbourhoods. We also went to an aquarium where they have this giant shark tank; you go around on this slow-moving conveyor belt and the tank is overhead too. There were some beautiful fish of breath-taking colours; there was a two-headed turtle as well! There were penguins and seals and manatees, oh my! Lots and lots of marine life. Very cool. We also checked out a Modern Art Show that was going on. I could have spent hours and hours looking at all the pieces. It featured art from around the world. Very cool stuff.
If you can believe it, I haven't had any traditional Korean food yet...! There is quite a bit of variety here. Plus, Hunter has been cooking some nights too. Last night I met up with Christian and his coworkers at a Canadian bar in a neighbourhood called Itaewon. This is expat central. Anyways, I know Christian from McGill, and he also lives in Anyang, where I will be living and teaching. I'm going to visit him this weekend so I can check out my city and he can show me around there! I think I'll be making a trip to my school Thursday or Friday this week too. I'm so excited!
Now, what to do today? Hang out in one of the many parks? Check out another neughbourhood? Do a Lonely Planet guided tour?
Here are my first impressions of Seoul and its people so far:
-the city is SO SO SO clean: it's quite impressive, really, considering the population is about 11 million
-it doesn't FEEL overwhelmingly crowded; it's no different than any other big city
-in non-expat neighbourhoods, I'll see about five expats in a day: we all smile at each other
-among the locals, and even the expats, I may be one of the only blonde people here
-people don't stare (unlike in Radom)
-people are SO friendly and helpful! Yesterday when I was exploring on my own, a few people offered me guidance (even though I wasn't lost and wasn't needing it) - one guy went so far as to ask me to join him for lunch on his break and gave me his card; another woman I was chatting with told me her son is studying at Queen's (she loves Canada and says the people are so humble)
-people are welcoming (Welcome to Korea! Congratulations on being a teacher!)
-there are bakeries everywhere
-there are markets everywhere
-there is an overwhelming amount of stuff to do
Seoul is definitely making a good first impression!
On the weekend Hunter took me around to some of the neighbourhoods. We also went to an aquarium where they have this giant shark tank; you go around on this slow-moving conveyor belt and the tank is overhead too. There were some beautiful fish of breath-taking colours; there was a two-headed turtle as well! There were penguins and seals and manatees, oh my! Lots and lots of marine life. Very cool. We also checked out a Modern Art Show that was going on. I could have spent hours and hours looking at all the pieces. It featured art from around the world. Very cool stuff.
If you can believe it, I haven't had any traditional Korean food yet...! There is quite a bit of variety here. Plus, Hunter has been cooking some nights too. Last night I met up with Christian and his coworkers at a Canadian bar in a neighbourhood called Itaewon. This is expat central. Anyways, I know Christian from McGill, and he also lives in Anyang, where I will be living and teaching. I'm going to visit him this weekend so I can check out my city and he can show me around there! I think I'll be making a trip to my school Thursday or Friday this week too. I'm so excited!
Now, what to do today? Hang out in one of the many parks? Check out another neughbourhood? Do a Lonely Planet guided tour?
Awake my Soul
(Written Saturday, September 11)
Guess who’s back in business? I landed in Seoul at 4am local time, and now it’s 4:30am and I’m at the airport, waiting for my 7am pick-up. Talk about smoooooooooth sailing. Dad drove me to the airport Thursday evening; we left at 9:30pm, and I was checked in and through security by 10:45pm. (Get this: my checked bags could weigh no more than 23kg each: my bigger one was 23.3kg; my large carry-on could be no more than 10kg…it was 9.8kg. Man, I’m good!) By 11pm, I had already done all the shop browsing I was up for. My flight was leaving until 1:30am, so I wrote, and listened to some Vinyl Café. On the 13-hour non-stop flight I managed to get about seven hours of sleep – though not consecutive. It was broken up by meal breaks and movies. Can anyone ever resist the personal TVs? I needed light subject matter, so I gave in to some chick flick choices: The Back-up Plan, Wild Target (this was more action/comedy), and Letters to Juliet. The latter film was a good choice, after having spent a month in Italy. I recognized a lot of places from the scenes. And Korean Air is a NICE airline. The TVs are not only touch-screen technology; you also have a personal remote. The seats are spacious. There was only one other woman in our ABC row, so we alternated stretching out to the middle seat to lie down. She may have been the only other white woman on the flight.
At the airport in Toronto, arriving at my gate, I had a slight panic moment. I was one of the only white people around. I know I went to Poland on my own, but at least going there, I blended in somewhat. Not only that, their alphabet has letters that I recognize. South Korea is another story – I stand out like a sore thumb and their alphabet is going to take some getting used to! Oh ya, something else I did waiting for my flight was write down some key words/symbols that may be useful to me immediately, and listen to my repeat-after-me learn Korean recordings. I digress…what’s keeping me sane is the fact that I’m arriving to some familiar faces. It’s making a significant difference, I think. And I have a couple weeks here to orient myself before I start work, so perhaps I can learn a few things here and there, and get into my groove.
Back to the smooth sailing: even after waiting to be the last one off the plane, even after taking my sweet time in the bathroom, even after going through customs and collecting my luggage (which was already on the conveyer belt), I made it through in half an hour.
I can’t believe how quickly my time at home went. I must say I feel as though I spent it well. It was lovely to see those of you that I could. And now it’s time for my next adventure…! Love to all, and keep in touch. Xo
Part 2
I was met at the airport by a man who had my name on a sign! I’ve always wanted a sign! We were to meet at 7am, but he arrived at 6:30am and found me. He called my recruiter and employer, so I had the chance to speak to both of them on the phone. Then he sent me off on the shuttle bus, to my Seoul destination. There was a very steady rain this morning. I was to call Hunter, the friend I was meeting, a few minutes before I arrived. I didn’t get the chance/was on a bus without a phone, so I was dropped at my stop, left in the rain. I spotted some taxis and loaded my stuff into one. The driver and I sat in the front, as he tried to figure out the address I had written down. (I figured I would just cab and show up.) After a few minutes, he indicated he couldn’t take me, so I unloaded my stuff and asked the next taxi. The second time I didn’t load up the car before asking. I’m a quick learner. He didn’t know either. I asked some passersby where I could find a phone and they guided me. I didn’t follow their route, as it was too far with all my stuff. Instead, I left my bags under cover and went into a bakery. The girls working didn’t really speak English (in fact I haven’t heard much so far) but one of them let me use her cell. Awesome! As it turns out, Hunter was nearby waiting. Good thing I didn’t take a cab! So here I am now, showered, dry, and fed, and a little dopey from a three-hour nap.
Guess who’s back in business? I landed in Seoul at 4am local time, and now it’s 4:30am and I’m at the airport, waiting for my 7am pick-up. Talk about smoooooooooth sailing. Dad drove me to the airport Thursday evening; we left at 9:30pm, and I was checked in and through security by 10:45pm. (Get this: my checked bags could weigh no more than 23kg each: my bigger one was 23.3kg; my large carry-on could be no more than 10kg…it was 9.8kg. Man, I’m good!) By 11pm, I had already done all the shop browsing I was up for. My flight was leaving until 1:30am, so I wrote, and listened to some Vinyl Café. On the 13-hour non-stop flight I managed to get about seven hours of sleep – though not consecutive. It was broken up by meal breaks and movies. Can anyone ever resist the personal TVs? I needed light subject matter, so I gave in to some chick flick choices: The Back-up Plan, Wild Target (this was more action/comedy), and Letters to Juliet. The latter film was a good choice, after having spent a month in Italy. I recognized a lot of places from the scenes. And Korean Air is a NICE airline. The TVs are not only touch-screen technology; you also have a personal remote. The seats are spacious. There was only one other woman in our ABC row, so we alternated stretching out to the middle seat to lie down. She may have been the only other white woman on the flight.
At the airport in Toronto, arriving at my gate, I had a slight panic moment. I was one of the only white people around. I know I went to Poland on my own, but at least going there, I blended in somewhat. Not only that, their alphabet has letters that I recognize. South Korea is another story – I stand out like a sore thumb and their alphabet is going to take some getting used to! Oh ya, something else I did waiting for my flight was write down some key words/symbols that may be useful to me immediately, and listen to my repeat-after-me learn Korean recordings. I digress…what’s keeping me sane is the fact that I’m arriving to some familiar faces. It’s making a significant difference, I think. And I have a couple weeks here to orient myself before I start work, so perhaps I can learn a few things here and there, and get into my groove.
Back to the smooth sailing: even after waiting to be the last one off the plane, even after taking my sweet time in the bathroom, even after going through customs and collecting my luggage (which was already on the conveyer belt), I made it through in half an hour.
I can’t believe how quickly my time at home went. I must say I feel as though I spent it well. It was lovely to see those of you that I could. And now it’s time for my next adventure…! Love to all, and keep in touch. Xo
Part 2
I was met at the airport by a man who had my name on a sign! I’ve always wanted a sign! We were to meet at 7am, but he arrived at 6:30am and found me. He called my recruiter and employer, so I had the chance to speak to both of them on the phone. Then he sent me off on the shuttle bus, to my Seoul destination. There was a very steady rain this morning. I was to call Hunter, the friend I was meeting, a few minutes before I arrived. I didn’t get the chance/was on a bus without a phone, so I was dropped at my stop, left in the rain. I spotted some taxis and loaded my stuff into one. The driver and I sat in the front, as he tried to figure out the address I had written down. (I figured I would just cab and show up.) After a few minutes, he indicated he couldn’t take me, so I unloaded my stuff and asked the next taxi. The second time I didn’t load up the car before asking. I’m a quick learner. He didn’t know either. I asked some passersby where I could find a phone and they guided me. I didn’t follow their route, as it was too far with all my stuff. Instead, I left my bags under cover and went into a bakery. The girls working didn’t really speak English (in fact I haven’t heard much so far) but one of them let me use her cell. Awesome! As it turns out, Hunter was nearby waiting. Good thing I didn’t take a cab! So here I am now, showered, dry, and fed, and a little dopey from a three-hour nap.
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