Living Conditions

The place where I am living is basically a hotel. It's no Caesar's Palace in Vegas :) ; nonetheless, it is near a lot of shopping areas/movie theatres (I heard some are in English, even), and there's even a noribong (sp?) which is a place to sing karaoke. There are lots of other Native Speakers of English Teachers (NSETs) living there as well, which is good because it helps me to not feel so isolated.


Work (School)

I had a difficult time finding the school on the first day. There are basically no street names here (if there are, they are few and far between). And don't forget that it's not so easy to just stop and ask for directions when you don't speak the language fluently. :) So, if you want to come visit me at school, take a right out of the subway, cross over two alleyways, turn right at the Hyundai store (and don't think there's only one of those around here ;), then turn left at the first alley, turn right at the Japanese restaurant, and it's across the street from a little stationery store. See you next lifetime, huh?! ;)


Although it took me forEVer to find the school, overall, my first day at school was great! Everyone is so warm and welcoming. I had to broadcast an introduction of myself on the school TV while my co-teacher, Linda, translated. It's true that I used to want to be a movie star so maybe that was my moment of fame! ;)


I had to do basically the same thing at the teacher meeting after school, and that was even more awkward because I was standing in front of the room, in front of the entire faculty/staff for about 10 minutes while the V.P. talked about me. I'd just smile when they'd smile and I'd smile even bigger and blush when they'd laugh. Yes, laugh. Needless to say, I felt embarrassed and I walked back to my seat at the end of it all with sweaty palms and pits. lol. But it's all good. :)


I think this will be a fun teaching experience, although I think that maybe teaching the same lesson up to seven times MIGHT get old. haha. (Yes, I have seven groups of 6th graders! I also teach 3rd, 4th, & 5th.)


Food

The food has been fine, really, for the most part. I mean, you get random stuff here and there that you have to think twice about putting into your mouth, but the school lunches here are much more tasty than ones I've had in the States! Wednesdays are "special lunches." I wasn't sure whether I should have felt excited or anxious when I heard that news ;), but the "special" lunch today was actually quite yummy! :)


In the grocery store, near the produce section is a particular area which I found to be quite a sight. There are mounds and mounds of little dried fish. It's rather disgusting-looking, if you ask me. :) Linda told me that you can either eat them by themselves or add them to soups. I think I might pass on them completely unless I feel an intense desire to train for Fear Factor. :)


So far, my favorite foods here are: bulgogi (which is made of slices of beef in sauce) and bibimbap. Dictionary.com says: :) Bibimbap is served as a bowl of warm white rice topped with sauteed and seasoned vegetables, beef, a fried egg, and gochujang (chile pepper paste). (I couldn't have put it better. :) ) Kimchi (fermented vegetables) is probably the most popular food item here. I can only eat it in small doses. Korean meals are typically very healthy, so anyone who thought that I would waste-away this year, think again; I actually like the food. :) (Plus, my American friends and I have been able to find food that is more like the food at home, so that's good. I don't want Korean food 3x a day, that's for sure!)

Culture Quirks

I could go on and on and on about this topic, really... But I will only name a few for now. :) As a preface, I need to tell you that the day I was leaving for the airport, I realized I had procrastinated on filling out my luggage tags, so I quickly did that on the car ride there. The first pen I found was the one red one I own, so, naturally, that is the one I used. I quickly learned that in Korea, if you write someone's name in red ink, it basically means that it is putting a death curse on that person! My initial reaction to learning this was a fearful one, as flashbacks of a recent conversation amongst some family members regarding death swam through my head. I was thinking, "Oh my gosh, I'm going to be the next one in our family to die, all because I used a red pen to write my name! Ha!! Of course, I didn't really believe that, but the thought sure did toy with me. So, DON'T write anyone's name in red ink. :)

There are mopeds galore, here. Mopeds with trailers attached, overloaded with God knows what (fruits, flowers...I can't even think of what else I've seen on them) and I think you have to pass an insanity test (or, flunk a sanity test) in order to get your moped driver's license. They weave in and out from sidewalk to street, zooming down alleyways and racing down sidewalks, honking at you and everything else that breathes to steer clear of their path. I can't believe I have not yet a) seen anyone get slammed into, or b) been flattened by one, myself.

Okay, that's all I've got for now. I will add more when I can. I have to go to get my Alien Registration Card, now. :)

P.S. Who is D-Word? A kid told me today that look like D-word, unless he said I look like a character from D-Word. Clue me in if you know. :)