School & The Physical

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.