Ok ok ok ok okkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkk

This one is for Michele, because apparently I need to?

It's really hard to keep updating since A: I'm not a showoff and don't feel the need to talk about myself endlessly to random people online. B: I live a daily life in Korea and Facebook pretty much keeps me connected and updated in such a way that blogging sometimes feels redundant.

My initial contract is over. I haven't posted since...um...April? Post Jeju island. So quickly:

The last week of classes I went to the Boryeong Mud Festival with friends and got muddy, then spent the next day on the beach. We waited in line for almost an hour to get painted with colored mud. BUT it was a lot of fun. Being on the beach with the Yellow Sea was surreal because it looked and felt like being in Lake Michigan. Then I would dive in and find that my lips were salty and be confused for a moment.



After classes were over I spent 5 days in the Philippines with some friends in Manila. We saw the old fortress there, explored the shopping, ate a LOT of cheap amazing food, and went to a spa. The spas in the Philippines are amazing. I got a mani/pedi and full body massage for less than $20.

We also went diving in a giant aquarium, which was very cool. I kept having the urge to launch off the bottom and swim, but then the helmet would fall off. Then the instructor wouldn't be happy with me. So I resisted and bounced my way around.

 



















I spent most of August 'deskwarming'. This is a truly Korean phenomenon. Even though there is no work to be done since the students are on vacation, the school wants me to come in for the hours I would usually work so I can get paid. In the USA they would usually pay me anyway, since I really am salary, but here they want you to come in even if there is nothing to do. It's very strange and VERY boring.

Luckily the new batch of  TaLK teachers arrived this week and classes are starting up tomorrow. I have a ton of lessons ready for my students thanks to my deskwarming and a new semester should be a great start. It will be nice to have a routine again.

In the meantime, my third grade girls made up a song about Goldlilocks last semester. Enjoy.


8:54 AM | Category: | 0 comments

Jeju Island

Jeju Island was a lot of fun, though far too short. I would definatly want to go back given the chance. There are some beaches and tidepools I would like to spend all day soaking my feet in and enjoying some sea air.

We visited a number of places, including Loveland, a volcanic crater, Teddy Bear Museum, Botanical Gardens, waterfalls...almost all that in one day. It was exhausting.

Even though I am tremendously out of shape, I think my favorite part was the mountain climbing and climbing on the volcanic rocks on the coast.

7:00 AM | Category: | 0 comments

Happy Easter & Spring
Cherry Blossoms at Eumpa Park

^ You should click me so I'm bigger and prettier. ^

Easter means spring. In Korea, spring seems to mean the start of holidays. The past two weeks have been the Cherry Blossom Festival in Eumpa Park. Over the weekend
some of us went and walked the park to look at the flowers. I think I am in love with Eumpa park...I would love to live closer to it if it weren't so far from my school! However, if I walk there, it takes a
bout 30 minutes; which is good exercise.

We have been trying to meet up to go to some of the events at the park, but, since none of us know Korean, it was kind of hard to read the sign with all the events listed on them. About the best anyone could do was recognize the park name so we knew something would be there. We did catch the end of a B-Boy Group Wednesday night, but they were hard to see in the crowd.

A Traditional Dance at the festival.


Hoehyeon School Picnic in Buyeo

I don't know why they're doing this, but it was super cute.

Today was a school picnic that was less picnic-y than I anticipated because of the rain. The whole school was loaded onto three buses and driven almost 90 minutes to a place called Buyeo. It is some kind of fortress that was the capital city of one of the dynasties before Korea was unified.


We started to hike up the mountain but before we even got halfway it started to sprinkle. Koreans were already worried about acid rain from China, there is a myth that if you stand in it too long you will go bald. With what has been happening in Japan, they are now worried about 'nuclear rain' and think that they will get sick. So it was a mad rush back down to the buses to wait for the rain to stop. My mentor teacher clung to my arm the whole way down under my umbrella with me. I think it's kind of cute the way she does this.

We had lunch in a pavilion at Beyeo. The students were all going crazy for all the kitschy little stands set up around the parking lot. I think they all bought at least one silly toy. One of the third graders gave me a glow-in-the-dark cross and insisted I wear it. It was a very sweet gesture. I picked up a handkerchief with a map of the area on it and some decks of cards because they were cheap there.

With 4th Grade. My Mentor Teacher Mrs Lee is sitting next to me. She is their teacher.

Afterward we went to a Korean National Museum to look at a lot of ancient relics. It was a typical museum, not too exciting. It had English displays though, so I wasn't entirely lost. Their prize item is called the Gilt-Bronze Incense Burner of Baekje, which is very pretty. It's a 25 inch tall bronze egg-shaped burner with holes in it for the smoke to come out. I thought it was pretty and unique enough I picked up a keychain at the giftshop for myself.





Tomorrow the Provincial Office of Education is taking the TaLK scholars to Jeju Island for our 'cultural experience' trip. Teachers in the other provinces are going to the DMZ it sounds like...but I think we're all pretty happy to get to go to Jeju instead. I expect there will be a lot of pictures taken while I'm there...and I have to remember to get out the video camera.
10:42 AM | Category: | 0 comments

Your regular two week updates will continue..um..today?


I am clearly not very good about getting myself to post in a blog. Truthfully I have the attention span of a goldfish and the last thing I think about when I have downtime is what I've been doing. I spend more time thinking about what I'm GOING to be doing tomorrow.

It actually doesn't feel like it's been two weeks since my last post. Since then I had a great birthday party with my friends who came out from Jeonju. It was so good to see everyone again. We went to dinner a CGV which was supposed to be sushi, but we saw that the sushi place was soooo packed we decided to go try the Chinese place next door instead. According to Chenney, it was pretty authentic, so I can't complain.

We then went out to Naundong to meet people at The Rok then headed over to a noraebang. I do love me some noraebang and I wish we could go more often. It's a lot of fun even if you're in there for just an hour. We were there for two. Afterward back up to The Rok to meet some of the regular foreigners and as things wore down it was time to go home. It was a great time and I was very honored how many people came out to Gunsan for my birthday.

I don't know what we were singing but obviously it was sway-worthy.

Teaching has come with a lot of ups and downs. I wouldn't say my kids are out of control, but they are certainly not in control enough that I feel like I accomplish much with them. Talking too much is defiantly something that they have a problem with. Sometimes I cannot even hear what a student is answering because the rest of them are talking. I have tried a number of different methods but after talking with some people and getting advice from people back home who are teachers I'm hoping taking a different approach/reward system will help them to understand what I expect from them.

However, I have found what activities my problem classes do enjoy. It feels like it took me too long to discover, for example, that my 4th grade students like to draw instead of doing
worksheets. At least I know now, so we can have an easier time in the future.

Early this week I was not feeling
particularily fantastic because everything that was going wrong was happening all at once. Again, not dying here, but after a while things build up and it's hard to deal with. I try to go out and visit my friends as much as possible. Also I got myself a fish and a plant to liven up my apartment a little in the hopes it will make me a little cheery. At the very least I can talk to them both. The fish responds, I swear! =P

Today, though, there was no school because it is their anniversary since opening. Unexpectedly, my mentor teacher called me this afternoon to ask if I wanted to go out with her. We went to Eumpa Park and walked a little and had lunch. It was nice because I have actually not done anything with her because she is so busy. Now I feel like that is kinda true, because she sounds like she wants to try to do things with me like this in the future. Also she tells me all the time that she thinks my fashion is good, which is flattering, because I don't really do a ton to look good.

Last weekend the Cherry Blossom festivals all started. They are not in full bloom but hopefully this week they will come out. I hope I will get to go with some people and experience them. It sounds like some will come next weekend, but as much as I like going out with big groups, I like going out of one or two people as well. We will see what will happen. But, I'm sure it will be good.
1:44 AM | Category: | 1 comments

Korean Birthday
What's funny is that the party is tomorrow...

Today I woke up to a slew of warm wishes from new and old friends around the world. I did not expect much to happen today, mostly just relax and be ready to go out tomorrow night. My mentor teacher defiantly told the third grade students today is my birthday because they came running into lunch all dancing with "teacher! happy birthday to you!". The news spread quickly and before I knew it students I don't even have in my classes were saying 'congratulations' to me in the hall.

Both first & second and third grade sang to me. One of my favorite little firecrackers from first grade, YuKahn, drew me a picture before class and most of the girls gave me little hugs saying 'teacher I love you!'

Third grade came in excitedly telling me 'teacher water!' I said 'okay go ahead', but then she pulled me out of my seat and RAN me down the hall to sit me on a couch outside the nurse's room. After a little while she RAN me back down to the English room, where, in the dark, the kids attempted a quick surprise party by turning on the lights and singing happy birthday. They all gave me drawings of birthday cake.

In between classes, the administrator in charge of the roll books came in to switch the papers to April and gave me some green tea.

The other English teacher, Jiyoung, whom I ride home with every day, even gave me a present. It's a pretty little brooch, which, even though I do like it she said I could exchange it if I wanted to at Mango (a store). I get the feeling this is not something rude for them, so I might go and see if there is something more my colors.

My evening was relaxing, like I wanted. I took a long nap, then went to Lotte Mart for dinner at the cafeteria and even ran into one of my students there as well. As suggested by Chenney, I picked up some of the tights to see if they will fit me (they do, miracle) and treated myself to some sushi.

I decided to see about getting my 'professional' glasses fixed since the lens had started to crack on the top of one. 60k won and 15 minutes, I have new lenses in my glasses. They even re-checked my eyes. For free. I told the man "this, very fast. In USA, two weeks." He said "wow oh my god," in that way only Koreans do. I love it.

I love Korea
6:50 AM | Category: | 1 comments

Classroom Managment 101
May contain some strong language.

Lesson 1: Separate Friends

When you can't get your class to be quiet because a few groups of kids just start talking again as soon as your eyes move off them, it's time for a seating chart. With mine, no amount of pay attention actions (clapping, chants, etc), yelling, or stares will earn their respect. Yesterday, fifth grade got a seating chart. Suddenly, the noise level of my room went from 11 to 3. It's really hard to talk in a normal voice to your friends when they're all the way across the room from you.

Lesson 2: Don't Be Afraid to be a Bitch

I didn't want to be that mean teacher, but seriously, the kids didn't get it. With my co-teacher in today, I warned her as soon as the class came in and talked and goofed around the whole time I was trying to call role that I was going to have to be strict. She faithfully translated my lecture. If the students don't get what it means for someone to come to Korea to teach them English, then they should now. It not easy, putting your life on hold, leaving people and pets behind, and coming to a country where you don't speak the language. A little guilt never hurt a petulant child.

Lesson 3: Enforce that "be quiet, no talking" means SHUT YOUR MOUTH.

My kids did not understand that be quiet means I want them to stop talking. I would tell them to be quiet and they would stop until their friends walked in the room and then start talking again immediately. As soon as I move back to the task I was on, they continue their conversation. This is difficult with the older students because, well, they're teenagers. Luckily, I'm young enough and have a brother young enough to remember what teens are like...and it's not pretty. It's fun to talk behind teacher's back, like a game. Even more so I'm sure when your teacher doesn't speak your language. However there are some lines that I think I wouldn't cross in the USA, but here not only have I given up on trying to be a "PC" teacher I've realized that if my students understood every word that came out of my mouth, it probably wouldn't get like this in the first place.

Lesson 4: Remind Them There are Consequences

After school class, of course, makes students think free time; but they signed up for or were told to sign up for my class. Just because they don't want to be there, skip, come in late, or act up, does not mean no one will hear about it. I reminded them that I take role every day because the office wants me to. They look at it everyday, and keep record of who doesn't show up or who is late. This means that the administration and their parents are aware of their attendance in the class. Just because there is no grade does not mean that the school doesn't care if you show up.

Lesson 5: Use Your Resources

Google Translate was a blessing this week. It might not be a perfect translation, but to help my fourth grade students understand that if they didn't start behaving well we would no longer play games and start writing sentences...well it was enough to get the point across.

We were told not to go over someone's head in the chain of command, as it were, within the school, but I think pulling a student out of class to go to the principal is something I can get away with. Especially since the principal is a few doors down, while all the teachers are on another floor.
11:51 PM | Category: | 0 comments

school, meetings, slippers, and coffee
The last few weeks have been up and down. Trying to get into a routine with my students has been difficult because most of the time they just don't want to listen to what I say. Talking too much and not staying in their seats has been an issue. So far I have discovered two things that work really well: 1) Google translate to help me bring home what I am threatening them with (like writing sentences instead of games) and 2) Shouting YOGIBA! when they aren't looking at me.

I have a tendancy to forget to update this blog because the community is so tightknit on Facebook it's been easy to keep in touch with almost everyone in Korea and abroad. However, taking the time to reflect is important, especially collecting my thoughts in more than a few short status updates.

My apartment is finally a home. I was taken out to get a few necessities last week and was able to stow my luggage away for good. I can cook here too. You would be amazed what life without as much as a frying pan will do to you. I myself have settled into quite the routine, get late morning, check online things, clean up, eat breakfast while watching a show online, then get ready for school, lesson planning if necessary. Morning and late evening are usually the best times to catch people on the other side, so I try to check and see who's around.

Today was a good day, even if I did come home exhausted as usual. When I got to school as I was signing in the secretary handed me a package. I practically cheered 'thank you!' because I knew it was the box my parents had sent me last week. The letter they sent me two weeks ago is still a no-show. It would seem my carefully crafted Korean-written and English-written address for my school was far more effective than relying on the Korean post to translate an English addressed letter. I got my replacement Kindle, case for it, a pair of slippers mom made me, and a birthday card. Mom included instructions for the cute little slippers and I've already started a pair.

Things were a bit confusing today class-wise because there was a parent meeting and the school introduced all the teachers. Unbeknown-st to me, that meant that my first class was canceled (and I was really looking forward to seeing my 1s and 2s too...). It also meant I was late for 3rd grade. They came in early, before the meeting, and the girls in that class are super cute as well as super energetic. They came in excitedly telling me 'TEACHER TEACHER FASHION GOOD' then a little pose with some V fingers. They liked my shirt (Michele, remember that one you got me with the high collar and b&w circles? it's a hit). I set them up with a coloring worksheet with food and went to the meeting so they could introduce me to the parents.

The whole thing threw me off a little, so that when I got back to class it was hard to get myself on task, let alone the students. I'm trying to do food with them, so after I went over a little vocab I gave up and played the bomb game with them. They did the worksheet...something got accomplished.

Since I started classes and I met the other after-school English teacher she drives me home after school because she lives in the same area. Today we talked for quite a while and went for coffee. I like her a lot and I'm really glad the school decided to hire a private teacher to supplement their classes because it's nice to have a Korean English teacher that I see every day. Especially since I only see my co-teacher on Fridays.

This weekend I am going to Seoul and I'm really excited. Tomorrow is payday (finally!!) and I fully intend on gettig a more comfortable pair of sneakers (I keep tripping on my sketchers shape-ups...the sidewalks in Korea are perilous), a haircut, and hopefully a trip to the bank to get some money into my US account.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to watch an episode of Secret Garden and work on some slippers.

6:20 AM | Category: | 0 comments

You might find me passed out under my fuzzy blanket
I have encountered a lot of misscommunication in the last week. It starts with wondering why I didn't get taken out for kitchen things and then ends with finding out 'dry' to Koreans does not mean dry in reference to a washing machine. I should have known better. My mentor teacher told me last week when I asked about laundry in the building that the washer had a dryer function. She showed me, on, wash, rinse, dry. Dry actually means spincycle... something that's kinda standard in washing machines back home. Go figure >.>

So I've spread my clothes all over my floor in my room to dry on the heated floor because I don't have a drying rack, yet another basic necessity they neglected to furnish my apartment with. When I spoke to my mentor teacher this morning to explain that the provincial office of education told me that the school was given money to get these things for me she thought I mean for last year...and explained they spent it all on a BIG bed for the previous scholar. Note, this is not the same bed I have now...so I wonder what happened to all of those things when they left.

I know it seems like I complain a lot about this, especially to people who are here; but it's something I have to deal with every day. Cooking in my apartment means boiling water. That's it. I was told NOT to use my settlement money to furnish my apartment...so I either have instant noodles...or go out. Neither of which are either good for me or my pocketbook. I just need basic things, that's all.

I started teaching yesterday. It seems like a week ago already. The students wear me out. I have first and second grade in the same class every day. Then 3,5 and 4,6 alternating. It was hard at first to gauge what their levels are and what they will respond to. I'm having a hard time deciding what we're going to start off with because some classes, especially the middle 4th and 5th do not really know enough English for the harder games, but too much for simple stuff. I had to actually lecture 5th grade today because most of the class was 10 minutes late, with 4 more coming in 5 minutes after that. I was actually ready to go find someone to ask if class was canceled.

Consensus seems to be with them that animals is a good place to start, so we're going to do that. Then, I will incorporate comparison into this. Hopefully with some good powerpoint games and some songs they will get into this whole class thing and not be too much a terror for me.
7:54 AM | Category: | 0 comments

First Day at School
So today was my first day of school and it turned out that I didn't have to teach. Last week my mentor teacher told me that I would have class at 1:30 and by 2:30 I watched all the students leave and started to think maybe something was up. Either way, I go in the rest of the week to do lesson plans and then I will start on Monday.

My day started out being picked up by my mentor teacher at 8am. She drove me to school and showed me where the bus stop is so that I can use that from now on. There was a First Grade class ceremony to welcome them into the school. The older kids played ocarinas and drums. Then the new teachers were introduced, including me.

Shortly after was lunch, and the first and health teachers came to get me to come to lunch. They were really nice. I spent the rest of the day waiting for kids to come in for class and when I realized they weren't coming, I asked whoever I could find in the teacher's lounge what was going on. They told me I will start teaching next week but I can come and work on lesson plans in the meantime. I suspect that that really means I SHOULD come and do lesson plans for the rest of the week. I guess it's not as bad as sleeping at home, but, I don't necessarily need to come in at 8am.

11:27 PM | Category: | 2 comments

New Home
Today is a free day, which is actually a little bit boring. I moved into my apartment in Gunsan yesterday, so I have that going for me. However, my mentor teachers didn't take me out to get supplies like it was implied they would, so I have bare essentials ... and a TV.

Here is a tour I took while I was unpacking. I have since cleaned things up.





I also figured out where I am...mostly...


View My Area in a larger map

I'm in there somewhere. It's not like it matters a whole lot anyway...I like my apartment for the most part. If it were higher up I think I could have a better idea of where I am. I need either a compass or a GPS...

I start school tomorrow. I plan on mostly just introducing myself to these kiddies and seeing what their English is like. Then, based on what I glean from them, I will start planning what to do with them.

7:34 PM | Category: | 1 comments

End of Orientation
Orientation is almost over. Wednesday we left Jochiwon with our groups and went to our provinces for a short orientation. Transfered from one dorm to another, only now we get to be exclusively with people we've bonded with and who will be in our area.

Today we got to meet our mentor teachers and go to see our schools. Mine is definitely out in the boonies but it is very nice. They have remodeled a lot of the rooms and the English room has a smartboard, lots of books, and a stage! The staff was really nice and had a lot of questions to ask me.

I also get to live in Gunsan, which is a nice port city. My apartment it a one room, very cozy, and I am okay with that. I don't need much to survive, I am not there to sit in my room! I hope I can find some great activities to do while I am there. I can't wait to get out and get my hands dirty. Korea is so beautiful I want to see it all!
5:14 AM | Category: | 0 comments

Food Disagreement
I am totally all about trying anything with Korean food...but that doesn't mean the meals at the cafeteria are always all that great... I think we've had fake meat for two days now and this evening my stomach was just not all about the 'barbecue hamburger steak' ... so I went into the convenience store got me some gimbop, a rice ball, and some chips. The drink came free with my rice ball...
The rice ball proved to challenge me...














Wait...what? It's not pre-wrapped? ...HOW I SHOT WEB??????


It was spicy and sweet on the inside...just enought for me. It was not wrapped pretty like you see on TV...but I was hungry...so who cares?
2:23 AM | Category: | 1 comments

Holy Weekend


My first weekend in Korea was nuts. Friday classes included TaeKwonDo. I tried to take it easy because my ankle was still bothering me from twisting it in Seoul. The warmups were intense and when the Master was having people lay on the ground, get up as fast as they could then run across the room...I sat out. I already almost hurt my ankle again and my bruised knee was not a fan of being kneeled on.

I did the kicks with my good foot, though; and played the tag games. They did a demonstration at the end with board breaking. They invited someone in the class to break the board, so I volunteered. The Master says the first most important think in TaeKwonDo is yelling, so I had to yell loud...and most people who know me know I can yell if I have to. The breaking was easy (I think it was just balsawood), but it was very cool, and I got to keep it.

Friday night I spent cooking. We made ddukbokki (duck-bowk-gi), a spicy dish with rice cake tubes, fish cake, and vegetables. They taught us how to make the sauce and Chenny and I made it a little sweet so it wasn't too spicy. The sauce is about two spoons chili sauce, one spoon soy, one spoon syrup, two spoons sugar, to taste.

Everyone else in the class enjoyed ours ^_~ So now I know how to make it. It's actually really easy, so I hope I will be able to make it again when I'm in my new home and eventually for friends and family when I get back to the states.

Saturday was our medical checkup >=( Luckily our group coordinator drew us to go second, so we were done before lunch. It all went really fast. I DID manage to trick Blizzard into letting me log onto Warcraft so I could /wave at Michele and Shelby from abroad. I doubt I will be doing much playing now, but maybe in a few months. We'll see...

During the day I went out walking with my roommate and a group of other people I'd never met in Jochiwon. We scoped out downtown, which isn't as boring as everyone makes it out to be. I guess I'm just a small-town girl...so anything with more than one main street of shops is cool to me.


Saturday night I went out with some of the girls from the EMU group to celebrate birthdays. We went to a jimjibang (bath house) which was AWESOME. Yes you have to be naked in the bath area, but who cares....it's sooooooo relaxing. I have been craving a bath since we got here. There's nothing quite like laying in a pool of hot water. The place in town we went to is called Dream Sauna and it is just 6000 won to get into everything; bath, saunas, tv room, and sleeping area.

The jimjibang are were you can go to sleep if you so desire instead of getting a hotel, love hotel, or hostel room. It's not private or terribly comfortable, but for less that $10 it's a steal for a place to crash when you're out of town.

Afterward we went back to campus to pick up the less brave of our crew for a late dinner. We wanted to go to a noraebang (kareoke) too but we were a little late for curfew. We ate at a barbecue. It was so delicious.

Definitely a special occasion sort of thing, but I enjoyed it immensely. I also discovered I enjoy my kimchi when it is grilled. Also, I like soju and Korean beers! We didn't have a lot, just a bottle of each that we shared among a group of eight.

Today there was a trip to a Buddhist temple. We ate lunch, took a tour, and made prayer beads and woodblock prints. I forgot to get my memory stick back out of my computer from Friday so I only had the video camera. I stole a few pictures from my group-mates. I hope I will get some time this month to edit the footage I took into a little video of all I saw there today.

Heated floors are a big thing in Korea, and I think we were all very thankful for the heated floor in the one building we gathered in twice. I don't know why it's such a luxury in the US, maybe because we centrally heat everything. Difficult to say, but a heated floor is awesome.

As we were leaving we ran across a group that was playing drums, gongs, and flute outside at the base of the mountain. We got pulled (literally) into the circle to dance with middle-aged Koreans. I was even strapped to a drum and marched around for a bit. In between they definatly went into the nearby building for more bottles of rice wine and were pouring us all drinks. Some of us were trying very hard to refuse politely, but I'm all about it. It's hard to refuse an earnest attempt of a local to bond with me through impromptu food, drink, and song; especially when all I have to go on is pantomime. The men tried to talk to me a little, but I had a hard time understanding their little bits of English behind their accents with the drums going behind. But, it was a lot of fun. I'm really glad we ran into them.

3:22 AM | Category: | 2 comments

Seoul Trip & Opening Ceremonies

I don't have a whole lot of time to talk about our trip to Seoul, but I want to get this down before I forget to entirely. We went out to opening ceremonies yesterday, which was pretty cool. The videos they showed us and the presentations were very interesting. I wish I had had the foresight to charge my video camera, so lesser quality videos were taken.

The TaeKwonDo demonstration was very impressive. I never thought of TKD being so active. It made me really proud of my little brother, who has been doing it for years and got his blackbelt.

Our trip to Seoul was a scavenger hunt where we had to take a designated path and get pictures with landmarks. We didn't have as much time to explore even our own route, which would have been nice, but it was still fun.

Even though we ate dinner at Macdonalds we had a lot of interesting streetfood. Honeyskeins, ricecakes, some sort of flat & fried sweet bread...one of my groupmates even tried a silkworm. She asked for a mint and said it tasted like a squishy peanut.



I hope to go back to Seoul next weekend. A lot of people are going this weekend, but I want to wait. Seoul tried to kill me via a decorative channel in the sidewalk, which I tripped and fell on. Twisted ankles do not make you want to go walking around. I do want to try to go into Jochiwan tonight and hopefully see what the local city is like. Hopefully that Family Mart will have an adapter for my electricity...

8:24 PM | Category: | 2 comments

Day 1: Incheon Tour

We had the opportunity to go on a tour in Incheon today. It's about an hour and a half from where we're staying. It was a lot of fun and I got to meet a lot of people.

The first place they took us what Chinatown, where we had lunch. They said it was Chinese-Korean food, which is funny because I thought JaJeonMyun and Jap Chae were totally Korean. Either way, it was really good. I ended up sticking with mostly the people I ate lunch with, which was fun, because I made some friends.


After we all walked around in Chinatown we met back up and went to the Incheon Landing Memorial. It was very interesting. I honestly don't know a whole lot about the Korean War, or why it occurred. I've head it before, but it's refreshing to hear from Koreans: no one is really sure why the war started. Either way, the museum focused on the Incheon landing by the UN forces to reclaim that city and then Seoul. It was the Korean War version of Normandy.

Last we went to the Smart City, which is a museum of sorts that has a presentation for how they are planning on building Incheon and surrounding areas into an organized infrastructure. It's pretty cool. I hope they pull it off and frankly, I wish some of the US cities would take this kind of initiative to re-invent their surrounding areas into clearer, more modern districts, transportation, accommodation, etc.

When we got back it was right on time for dinner in the cafeteria then off to a mini-orientation about our orientation. Tomorrow we are going to the Korea University main campus near Seoul for opening ceremonies.

I'm really tired after that long day. I either am suffering from some jet lag or I'm getting sick. Either way I will be getting very comfortable with a cup of tea and some painkillers. I hope everything goes smoothly tomorrow. Regardless, I'm having fun.
4:14 AM | Category: | 0 comments

Here Safe & Tired
I've been traveling for over 24 hours. I'm sooo tired. I'm in my nice little dorm room now though, no roommate so far. Thanks to John, I'm not absolutely broke, which means I can find a power adapter soon since they didn't give us some when we got here like we thought we would...

My computer has little power left, which is a bummer. Tomorrow there is a tour in Seoul that includes lunch, a museum, and some sort of future city. I'm going to try to go, IF I can get my Ipod to function as an alarm clock...

4:38 AM | Category: | 0 comments

Two Days and Counting!
On the way riding out from the boonies of South East Michigan this morning at 7 AM I turned to my friend saying, "In 48 hours I'll be halfway to Atlanta..." Yep, that's right, the flight to Korea is that close.

Yesterday I was so revved up I could hardly sit still. While all my friend who are still in Japanese classes were rushing to prepare presentations I was filling up with WAY too much energy for sitting in the Student Center in front of a computer. I invited my friend Nicole to run around outside yelling with me, but she sadly declined. I fired up a game to release some of that energy on some zombies that badly needed some killing. It was almost enough, but I'm still wild with anticipation today.

I can't wait to get there. I want to know what my students will be like so bad, I almost want to skip orientation and get right to it; but we'll get there. Oh yes we will! I hope I can teach them a lot. Once I figure out what their English level already is I will have to establish a goal for them by the time I leave.

I'm very excited. I'm trying not to have any expectations so there are no unpleasant suprises. I will miss my friends in Michigan, but I certainly won't miss this cold. The forecast is 48(F) in Jeonju for Monday, I hope they're right!
7:09 AM | Category: | 0 comments