3 days have really flown by. Then again, they haven't.
It's strange...I've never been they type of person to wake up early in the morning, but for the past few days I can't seem to sleep in past 7am. Strange dreams ravage my brain from sobbing over a ruined so-called favorite shirt (that doesn't exist in my er..bags since I don't have a closet yet)to getting teleported back to the United States where there's a crazy maze that somehow turns into a Russian jail.
Perhaps the never-ending episodes of NCIS I have been watching here at night have had more of an impact than I thought. Hmm...I think I'll switch to some light reading tonight.
School.
Over the first few days, training has been pretty much what I expected including a general overview of the guidelines, observing different classes and even teaching a few classes of my own. It's been great watching the other teachers as everyone seems to have their own way of getting the kids engaged.
The school itself is adorable (on the inside - the outside can be very deceiving). So cute in fact, that I would love for my niece to attend school here. The kids are pretty amazing and are very accomplished. For example, elementary students go to regular school, come to our school and sometimes continue on to piano lessons, taekwondo, or whatever else the parent sees as a necessity for the child's life. It's reinforced my quest, once acclimated, to try to find some extracurricular activities of my own including taekwondo and Korean lessons. Stay tuned and feel free to badger me if I don't write about these very activities as this blog progresses.
So what are the kids' personalities like? Where do I begin? Perhaps I should tell you about some of the great moments.
Exhibit A.
After introducing myself to a class, the kids were supposed to say what their name was in return. When it came to her turn, this teeny tiny girl couldn't contain herself and laughed hysterically unable to say what her name was. I couldn't help but laugh hysterically myself - she was so cute.
Exhibit B.
Students were asked what they did over the weekend. One young pre-school girl responded that she had tried on her mom's bra (she said the Korean word which I didn't understand at first) and all the children giggled.
So today was my first day teaching and I was a bit rusty. It's strange when you walk onto someone else's turf and try to teach - it reminded me of some of the classes I taught in Barcelona but also reinforced that I love teaching. I can't wait to have my own classes - I'll be teaching primarily preschoolers - who are 5 in America but 6 in Korea (they consider pregnancy the first year) - and will have some additional classes in the afternoons. I'll write more about my classes when the new school year starts next week.
The Physical
Another exciting part of the week came today when Kelly and I were taken by the General Manger of our school, Danny, to get our physicals which is required in order to receive our Alien Resident Card - Hooray!!!! I'm going to be an alien! Now I know what you're thinking and you're right - a physical is not something to look forward to.
Interestingly enough, the physical was quite a process as we were basically lead through what resembled an assembly line at a manufacturing plant moving from floor to floor to have different tests conducted.
Chest x-ray, height, blood pressure, hearing, and color blindness on one floor.
Urine test and blood test on another. This was a bit scary for me. For one, in Korea some of the bathroom stalls do not have a toilet. Instead they have a squatter where you basically pee over a hole in the floor. I was too afraid I would pee all over my pants. I will try this concept at some point...but I'll probably be wearing a skirt or at least carry an extra pair of pants.
The blood test was just as freaky as I consistently faint due to a rapid drop in blood pressure. The woman who drew the blood was phenomenal! I hardly felt the needle and though I felt a bit woozy, I didn't actually faint. Great success!
After those tests, I discussed my medical history with, had my heart listened to, and eyes looked at by a doctor on the final floor we visited prior to leaving. It's always fun to talk about menstruation with a male doctor from a foreign country.
So that's where life is at right now. Trying to adjust, get familiar, and find myself again in a new country. I've come to realize that the unfamiliar and unknown are the best parts. Eventually I'll find my way.
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Sunday, February 21, 2010
The First Day - Post Nap
Eyes open.
It's 11:30am and I have been sleeping for about 3 and a half hours. Time to shower and get ready to meet a few of my fellow teachers.
At 12:30 the doorbell rings and it's Meghan. My lifeline to understanding the role I'm about to take on. Amanda, a seasoned veteran and Kelly, another new teacher complete the crew for the day's outing.
First, it's time for food. We find a small Korean restaurant and Amanda helps us order our first meal. In the US it would probably cost around $10 for the amount of food on the plate, but luckily it's only about $4.50. Very nice! And it's a fabulous pork dish which unfortunately at the time of posting I can't remember the name, it starts with a d. I try kimchi. Hmm...they say it's an acquired taste...time will tell.
Meghan and Amanda give Kelly and I a crash course in Korean living from how people react to North Americans to the school to nightlife. It's a lot of information, but it's great to know up front.
Next it's time to conquer the complex subway system. Google the Seoul Metropolitan Subway and you'll see what I mean. Luckily with my previous european adventure, I have some experience navigating the subway and with Meghan and Amanda's help, Kelly and I feel comfortable finding our way to the school tomorrow. Keep your fingers crossed.
After riding the subway, we got off in an area with a small marketplace that was packed with people. As we perused the pedestrian avenue we were pulled aside by a news crew that wanted to film us answering questions about world conditions etc. We're not sure what station they work for but it seems pretty amazing that Kelly and I are in Korea for less than 24 hours and already making the news...he he he.
Other highlights from the walk include 4 guys entertaining us by explaining the process of turning honey into this hairlike material that is a wonderful snack. The process can be explained in English or Korean and each worker knows the speech so they even say it in unison and are quite charming. They know Meghan pretty well as they told her repeatedly that they love her.
The walk has come to an end and it's time to reconquer the subway, take a quick detour to see where the school is, and head back to the hotel.
At this point, I feel like it may not be that hard to adjust to the time difference as I am ready to head back to sleep at what seems to be a normal time. It's been a fantastic first day in Korea and I am more than excited to learn the streets, the language, and the people of this country.
It's 11:30am and I have been sleeping for about 3 and a half hours. Time to shower and get ready to meet a few of my fellow teachers.
At 12:30 the doorbell rings and it's Meghan. My lifeline to understanding the role I'm about to take on. Amanda, a seasoned veteran and Kelly, another new teacher complete the crew for the day's outing.
First, it's time for food. We find a small Korean restaurant and Amanda helps us order our first meal. In the US it would probably cost around $10 for the amount of food on the plate, but luckily it's only about $4.50. Very nice! And it's a fabulous pork dish which unfortunately at the time of posting I can't remember the name, it starts with a d. I try kimchi. Hmm...they say it's an acquired taste...time will tell.
Meghan and Amanda give Kelly and I a crash course in Korean living from how people react to North Americans to the school to nightlife. It's a lot of information, but it's great to know up front.
Next it's time to conquer the complex subway system. Google the Seoul Metropolitan Subway and you'll see what I mean. Luckily with my previous european adventure, I have some experience navigating the subway and with Meghan and Amanda's help, Kelly and I feel comfortable finding our way to the school tomorrow. Keep your fingers crossed.
After riding the subway, we got off in an area with a small marketplace that was packed with people. As we perused the pedestrian avenue we were pulled aside by a news crew that wanted to film us answering questions about world conditions etc. We're not sure what station they work for but it seems pretty amazing that Kelly and I are in Korea for less than 24 hours and already making the news...he he he.
Other highlights from the walk include 4 guys entertaining us by explaining the process of turning honey into this hairlike material that is a wonderful snack. The process can be explained in English or Korean and each worker knows the speech so they even say it in unison and are quite charming. They know Meghan pretty well as they told her repeatedly that they love her.
The walk has come to an end and it's time to reconquer the subway, take a quick detour to see where the school is, and head back to the hotel.
At this point, I feel like it may not be that hard to adjust to the time difference as I am ready to head back to sleep at what seems to be a normal time. It's been a fantastic first day in Korea and I am more than excited to learn the streets, the language, and the people of this country.
Landed
I made this choice.
What am I doing?
Panic finally settled in 5 minutes before the plane landed at Incheon International Airport. What if this is a big mistake?
Calm down Mb. Breathe...
Ok. I make it through customs, grab my bags (extremely ecstatic that they arrived with the plane I was on), and look for a sign...with my name on it.
As I look around none of the signs have my name on it. No worries, the plane landed early so I may have to wait a bit. After taking about 10 steps heading in the direction of some benches, a middle-aged Korean man comes running into the airport with a sign. My sign.
"Hooray! That's me!"
He smiles at me and says nothing. I search my brain trying to remember how to say "Hello" in Korean but nothing comes to me. Oh well. This should be interesting.
We head out of the airport and he gestures to me that I should wait by the road. Then he takes off running in the same spirit as he came into the airport. He seems harmless.
A few minutes later, a minivan pulls up and he helps load my jam-packed bags into the back and opens the door for me to get into the van. At this point, I am completely trusting this random stranger to take me where I am supposed to go - where that is is completely unknown. This is weird.
While riding in the back seat I start to cough like crazy. After finally controlling myself for a minute I decide to bust out my Korean phrasebook and try my hand at Korean. I say hello. He smiles, nods and says hello back. Step 1, Check. The coughing continues. As we're driving down the highway to who knows where he begins to take his eyes of the road and searches for something down near the center console. Then he hands me a clementine orange and gestures me to eat it. It helps ease my coughing for the rest of the ride and I am eternally grateful to my new Korean friend. I say thank you. He understands! Now if I could only memorize the words instead of having to use the book. I know this will take time, but sometimes it would be nice if we could just upload languages and other things to our brains like in the Matrix.
About 30-40 minutes later we get off the highway. Then he pulls into an alley. Yikes!
I begin to wonder. What if this is actually a scam? What if I really have gotten myself caught up in one of those sex slave trades? Who will come find me?
I start to go into survival mode. If the taxicab man doesn't know taekwondo, I might be able to take him. I am wearing my winter boots and I feel I could deliver some mean TaeBo kicks, maybe even throw in a vicious left hook and right uppercut. The scary level increases as we pull into this parking lot that is somewhat hidden by these curtains that resemble a car wash. It's dark and scary. Oh dear. This is really happening.
There's a man dressed extremely well in the dark parking lot. He opens the door and says "Marybeth, I'm Danny, welcome to Korea!"
All is well. We're actually at a hotel...a fairly nice hotel and my room is very modern. Danny goes over the info that I need to know and tells me that I will have an apartment by the weekend. There's also another new teacher, Kelly, in the room next door and that Meghan, who I have been emailing all of my questions over the past few weeks, wants to take us out for a bit later.
I'm alive. I'm in Korea. It's almost 8am...Now I can take a nap.
What am I doing?
Panic finally settled in 5 minutes before the plane landed at Incheon International Airport. What if this is a big mistake?
Calm down Mb. Breathe...
Ok. I make it through customs, grab my bags (extremely ecstatic that they arrived with the plane I was on), and look for a sign...with my name on it.
As I look around none of the signs have my name on it. No worries, the plane landed early so I may have to wait a bit. After taking about 10 steps heading in the direction of some benches, a middle-aged Korean man comes running into the airport with a sign. My sign.
"Hooray! That's me!"
He smiles at me and says nothing. I search my brain trying to remember how to say "Hello" in Korean but nothing comes to me. Oh well. This should be interesting.
We head out of the airport and he gestures to me that I should wait by the road. Then he takes off running in the same spirit as he came into the airport. He seems harmless.
A few minutes later, a minivan pulls up and he helps load my jam-packed bags into the back and opens the door for me to get into the van. At this point, I am completely trusting this random stranger to take me where I am supposed to go - where that is is completely unknown. This is weird.
While riding in the back seat I start to cough like crazy. After finally controlling myself for a minute I decide to bust out my Korean phrasebook and try my hand at Korean. I say hello. He smiles, nods and says hello back. Step 1, Check. The coughing continues. As we're driving down the highway to who knows where he begins to take his eyes of the road and searches for something down near the center console. Then he hands me a clementine orange and gestures me to eat it. It helps ease my coughing for the rest of the ride and I am eternally grateful to my new Korean friend. I say thank you. He understands! Now if I could only memorize the words instead of having to use the book. I know this will take time, but sometimes it would be nice if we could just upload languages and other things to our brains like in the Matrix.
About 30-40 minutes later we get off the highway. Then he pulls into an alley. Yikes!
I begin to wonder. What if this is actually a scam? What if I really have gotten myself caught up in one of those sex slave trades? Who will come find me?
I start to go into survival mode. If the taxicab man doesn't know taekwondo, I might be able to take him. I am wearing my winter boots and I feel I could deliver some mean TaeBo kicks, maybe even throw in a vicious left hook and right uppercut. The scary level increases as we pull into this parking lot that is somewhat hidden by these curtains that resemble a car wash. It's dark and scary. Oh dear. This is really happening.
There's a man dressed extremely well in the dark parking lot. He opens the door and says "Marybeth, I'm Danny, welcome to Korea!"
All is well. We're actually at a hotel...a fairly nice hotel and my room is very modern. Danny goes over the info that I need to know and tells me that I will have an apartment by the weekend. There's also another new teacher, Kelly, in the room next door and that Meghan, who I have been emailing all of my questions over the past few weeks, wants to take us out for a bit later.
I'm alive. I'm in Korea. It's almost 8am...Now I can take a nap.
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