Teaching. These past few days teaching have been quite the experience. It's easy on some level and very difficult on other levels, but it's genuinely been a good experience. During my first lessons, my co-teacher lead most of the activities, while I explained directions and helped with pronunciation. It was pretty easy and I was able to get comfortable doing this routine. I can see why other foreigners think that 5th/6th grade is difficult. Some of the students can get pretty rowdy and restless, especially during the after lunch hours. I truly feel that Korean public education is lacking in some sort of discipline practice, but I guess that's why they invite foreigners over.
I absolutely adore my 5th graders. They are incredibly cute. While they get rambunctious, they are willing to listen and be obedient when you tell them to be. They are also much more curious about foreigners than the 6th graders. Don't get me wrong, I like my 6th graders too. They are definitely in that puberty phase and transitioning from little kid to early tween and they start developing this sort of attitude toward school. I guess we all went through that at some point.
My co-teachers are really friendly. Honestly, I don't know most of their first names ... I'm not sure if it's because Korean names are so difficult to learn or if they just never told me. But my teachers are Ms. Jeun, Mrs. Ko, Ms. Jeung, and Ms. Choi. They are all really nice. I would Jeun and Ko have better English speaking abilities than the other two. However, two of them are embarrassed to speak English when the other teachers are in the subject room. It kind of sucks having to plan lessons after work with them, but if it makes them feel more confident then I figure why not.
It's funny being one of the new teachers on campus, especially a teacher who is not native to Korea. Honestly, it's sort of like a celebrity type atmosphere with children running around you saying "hi!" just so you can say "hi!" back. It's very cute. Every now and then, I will get a "You are handsome!" or a "handsome boy" from the girls and even some boys haha. I guess I should enjoy this type of fame while it lasts and the kids realize I'm just an average guy.
Overall, Korea has been treating me very well. Beyond the classroom, my adventures outside the school have been very entertaining. I was able to attend a free art show in Yeoksam the other night. It was pretty amazing because it was free and they had free snacks, free buffet dinner, and free drinks! It was glorious! I enjoyed that they had meat and cheese trays. I haven't had that food in so long!!! The following night, I went to Dongdaemun for dinner. Dongdaemun is an area in Seoul that is very popular for cheap shopping and finding brand name knock offs. I didn't do any shopping, but the food was delicious (and cheap!) and they had a TON of places to go and shop and places to sight see and take pictures. I really like Korea so far. Even though after work, I'm incredibly exhausted - I truly enjoy venturing out into the city and soaking up as much of this experience as I can.
Things I want to eventually do here: Go on a hike, Visit Everland/Lotte World (the ... Disneyland of Korea I guess), See a baseball game, shop shop shop, see a KPOP concert (OMG!), etc etc etc
I WANT TO DO EVERYTHING!!!
Friday, September 11, 2009
Friday, September 4, 2009
The City
So I have just finished my first week of full time teaching. Although, I would have to say it was more a week of adjustment and waiting. I still have not taught a class or prepared a lesson with my coteacher, but I guess that is for next week. It's been very interesting adapting myself to Korean culture. On Saturday evening, I was bussed off to Kangdong-gu where I met my manager teacher and main co-teacher. They were very nice and welcoming to me, but they were nervous to meet me. I think they were suprised at how young I am - I'm probably the youngest in the whole school. All in all, I have 4 Korean co-teachers that I will be working with. It's very difficult for me to try and remember all their names. I never expected Korean names would be sooo difficult.
Life in my new place was definitely challenging. I never realized how hard it was going to be all by myself with no cell phone or internet to get in touch with people. Plus, it was scary to start to realize that you are running very very low on money. It was super scary and intimidating for me to venture out into the city because of the language, the culture, and realizing my dependence on others. However, I was able to get through it and I eventually got to see my friends. I live in Amsadong and I really like it so far. There is a good number of shopping marts, grocery stores, food stands, a gym, a shopping mall, etc that are all within walking
distance from me. There is even a Burger King open 24 hours if I ever crave Western food.
This week has been a whole lot of learning for myself. Adapting to Korean culture and really trying to present myself as best I can has made me very stressed, but everyone I work with is so kind and caring towards me. It's very family-like in Korea where they want to ensure that you are healthy and happy. The vice principal, Mr. Chun, has also been pushing me toward being more independent by making me venture to the other side of Seoul and back for all the immigration paper work. It was actually a fun experience to go about by myself and see different areas of the city and learn the ropes of the subway.
I'm currently teaching at Cheondong Elementary school. It's about a 20 minute subway commute and walk from where I live. Overall, I really like the school. While not everyone is well versed in English (in fact, no one really is), all the teachers are very welcoming and want to talk to me - they are just shy about using English because it takes time and can be difficult for them. Everyone seems so curious about me and what life is like from a Western perspective.
The children here are so unbelievably adorable. While the discipline structure may be lacking in Korean education, their spunk and energy is so refreshing. I've observed a 3rd and 6th grade class and it was all very cute. The curriculum does not seem to be difficult to teach at all so I'm excited about that. Many of the students are so fascinated that I'm a foreigner. They like to stare at me and every now and then one will say "Hi". A lot of girls also go crazy when I walk around the school. They shout and scream and it is all very awkward for me. I guess I should enjoy the mini-celebrity status before it all ends and I just become a normal teacher.
Anyway, I feel like I've learned a lot already and it's only been two weeks so far. I'm so antsy to go out and explore/travel around the city and really soak up as much as I can from this whole experience.
Dongdaemun!
Dongdaemun stream!
Ashley! my RA friend!
Fun art in Hongdae!
Fun art in Itaewon!
Life in my new place was definitely challenging. I never realized how hard it was going to be all by myself with no cell phone or internet to get in touch with people. Plus, it was scary to start to realize that you are running very very low on money. It was super scary and intimidating for me to venture out into the city because of the language, the culture, and realizing my dependence on others. However, I was able to get through it and I eventually got to see my friends. I live in Amsadong and I really like it so far. There is a good number of shopping marts, grocery stores, food stands, a gym, a shopping mall, etc that are all within walking
distance from me. There is even a Burger King open 24 hours if I ever crave Western food.
This week has been a whole lot of learning for myself. Adapting to Korean culture and really trying to present myself as best I can has made me very stressed, but everyone I work with is so kind and caring towards me. It's very family-like in Korea where they want to ensure that you are healthy and happy. The vice principal, Mr. Chun, has also been pushing me toward being more independent by making me venture to the other side of Seoul and back for all the immigration paper work. It was actually a fun experience to go about by myself and see different areas of the city and learn the ropes of the subway.
I'm currently teaching at Cheondong Elementary school. It's about a 20 minute subway commute and walk from where I live. Overall, I really like the school. While not everyone is well versed in English (in fact, no one really is), all the teachers are very welcoming and want to talk to me - they are just shy about using English because it takes time and can be difficult for them. Everyone seems so curious about me and what life is like from a Western perspective.
The children here are so unbelievably adorable. While the discipline structure may be lacking in Korean education, their spunk and energy is so refreshing. I've observed a 3rd and 6th grade class and it was all very cute. The curriculum does not seem to be difficult to teach at all so I'm excited about that. Many of the students are so fascinated that I'm a foreigner. They like to stare at me and every now and then one will say "Hi". A lot of girls also go crazy when I walk around the school. They shout and scream and it is all very awkward for me. I guess I should enjoy the mini-celebrity status before it all ends and I just become a normal teacher.
Anyway, I feel like I've learned a lot already and it's only been two weeks so far. I'm so antsy to go out and explore/travel around the city and really soak up as much as I can from this whole experience.
Dongdaemun!
Dongdaemun stream!
Ashley! my RA friend!
Fun art in Hongdae!
Fun art in Itaewon!
Friday, August 28, 2009
humbled
I'm a bundle of emotions right now..I'm really excited to be finally moving into my place, to finally find out who my co-teacher is and what my school looks like.
At the same time I'm sad that all the other SMOE teachers I just started getting to know better and getting close to here will be spread out all over Seoul.
I feel like right now I'm not too worried because I feel like whatever will happen will happen, I just want to make the most of things right now and keep a positive mindset
I also have been feeling pretty selfish lately because I've been so caught up with where I'm going to live, what the area is going to be like...when in the end (as one of the guest speakers said to us) I'm here to teach. It's not about my experience, it's about what I'm going to do in the classroom (not that those other concerns aren't valid, I just don't think they should be in the forefront?).
Anywho those are just some thoughts for right now...I will try to update about orientation once I get a chance (don't worry there are lots of pictures to be posted!). I don't know exactly when that will be considering I have no idea when I'll have secure internet again but...we'll see! :) Dongjak-gu...here I come!
At the same time I'm sad that all the other SMOE teachers I just started getting to know better and getting close to here will be spread out all over Seoul.
I feel like right now I'm not too worried because I feel like whatever will happen will happen, I just want to make the most of things right now and keep a positive mindset
I also have been feeling pretty selfish lately because I've been so caught up with where I'm going to live, what the area is going to be like...when in the end (as one of the guest speakers said to us) I'm here to teach. It's not about my experience, it's about what I'm going to do in the classroom (not that those other concerns aren't valid, I just don't think they should be in the forefront?).
Anywho those are just some thoughts for right now...I will try to update about orientation once I get a chance (don't worry there are lots of pictures to be posted!). I don't know exactly when that will be considering I have no idea when I'll have secure internet again but...we'll see! :) Dongjak-gu...here I come!
Moving to Kangdong-gu
Orientation is fast approaching its end. It seems like I just arrived here yesterday and I was starting to finally feel more settled and comfortable. Now, I have to move again. Even though I hate the packing and the idea of meeting my co-teacher (the Korean teacher I work with) scares me, I'm very excited to finally go out and about in Seoul and truly begin this adventure.
Although I'm bummed that I'm not in the same district as Diana, I am about one hour to one and a half hours away from her. It'll be interesting to see how we can meet up with all the other teachers we met since everyone is pretty spread out through Seoul.
So many things are on my mind about what to do ... money, teaching, impressions, favorable working relationships, language barriers, being able to survive, and feeling alone. I think anyone going through this experience must feel the same way at some point. Luckily, I do have a support system of people around me and a good network of friends (both Korean and foreign) who can help me during my time here.
This is definitely going to be a wild and crazy ride. Chun Dong Cho Deng Elementary - here i come!
P.S. I want to buy a cute, cheap puppy from Korea. In particular ... the one below:
Although I'm bummed that I'm not in the same district as Diana, I am about one hour to one and a half hours away from her. It'll be interesting to see how we can meet up with all the other teachers we met since everyone is pretty spread out through Seoul.
So many things are on my mind about what to do ... money, teaching, impressions, favorable working relationships, language barriers, being able to survive, and feeling alone. I think anyone going through this experience must feel the same way at some point. Luckily, I do have a support system of people around me and a good network of friends (both Korean and foreign) who can help me during my time here.
This is definitely going to be a wild and crazy ride. Chun Dong Cho Deng Elementary - here i come!
P.S. I want to buy a cute, cheap puppy from Korea. In particular ... the one below:
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Swine Flu
Koreans are so scared about foreigners and the swine flu. We are on "quarantine" here at Orientation. Kinda crazy. It sucks because they cancelled all our adventures into the city :(
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
SMOE Orientation at Sung Kyun Kwan University
SOOO sorry the pictures I uploaded on the "arrival" post were all cut off...oops! I thought it'd be easier to upload it to photobucket but then I guess blogspot doesn't automatically shrink the pictures...soo I went back in photobucket to edit all the pictures -_-..
I also editted a couple of them with some of the fun features in photobucket! :]
Anywho I'll edit this post more after classes, until then <3
[EDIT]
FINALLY! This shall be updated. :) My apologies for lagging..
Day 1
My dorm room!
The view from my window :)
After moving into my dorm room late the previous night (and especially after not getting any sleep for 2 days) I decided to get as much sleep as I possibly could. Luckily no set event/program started until 2pm for this first day because people were were still moving in. I ended up waking up around 10/11ish..got ready and headed down for lunch.
Lunchtime! I think this was my favorite meal served during the time we were there :) Oh and that's Matt my first lunch buddy!
It was a weird feeling being at orientation, I think it's because I was just so comfortable at UCI after settling in for 4 years to now be thrown into another new situation. It was fun at the same time though - I loved meeting new people here because they were literally from all over the world!
Anywho, after lunch we had some free time so we wandered around a bit and took some fun pictures (you can see most of them in Matty's picture post)
I wanted to take this picture because no one could remember what the university was called :P
Just graduated a couple months ago and I'm right back in a lecture room again..:P can't keep me away!
Once 2pm finally rolled around we headed into the auditorium for opening cermony. The sessions that followed the opening cermony were not very noteworthy to be honest. Some parts were helpful but for the most part it was a snoozefest. After sitting through 3 hours about Korea and living in Seoul we headed back for dinner. Since it was the first night we decided to try out one of the optional classes offered after dinner; however, this also turned out to be not very informative and we ended up leaving halfway through during a break. I believe it was this day that we found out what level we were teaching..I was very happy to get elementary (which is what I preferenced)! As much as I can remember that was pretty much the end of the first night :)
Day 2
For the second day of orientation my group I was divided into had to do a medical check up for our Alien Registration Card for the first part of the day. It ended up being a lot of walking back and forth for me...I left my room late because I thought the medical check would begin in the coordination office in our dorm but then they told us to go to the paper craft workshop first. So I walked all the way over to the chemistry building to sit down for 15 minutes and then be called to go do the medical check back in the dorms -_-
It was a fast medical check though. They handed out our sheets of paper and we went through a medical assembly line. It started with getting our temperature taken (which I forgot to mention in the posts that SMOE gave us each thermometers which we were suppose to use to take our temperatures everyday and use to sign in daily) and then getting a paper cup filled with tubes. The next stop was getting weighed and measured and then a quick eye check. They then herded us to get our blood pressure taken and then draw 3 vials of blood (really? 3 vials? do you really need that much??) - side story apparently the next day there was a girl who fainted while her blood was being drawn...scary! but supposidely she said it happens everytime she gets blood drawn. after the blood was taken you got to sit down with a doctor who asked how you were feeling and then sent you to pee in a cup. After peeing in a cup (mind you they wouldn't let us drink any liquids or eat anything starting 9pm the night before AND THEN told us we had to fill the paper cup over halfway full which was NOT true...-_-) they gave the girls some medical shirt to wear because we had to be xrayed. After the x-ray they gave us small cartons of flavored milk and sent us back to do paper crafting...
It's a good thing I like strawberry milk...
trauma inspired paper crafting art :P my clouds are in the shape of hearts <3
Once everyone finished with their medical check we were able to go have lunch and then proceed to our next session about co-teaching. This session was more informative and helpful in terms of prepping us for the kind of experience the students go through and ways to interact and engage with your coteacher. After that we had dinner and decided against going to another optional class. Instead we decided to wander the town a bit so we walked around the streets of Suwon for a bit
We ended up running into more SMOE people and just sat talking outside a convenient store with them. Nothing crazy but it was nice to just hear other people's stories :)
After we headed back in and I went to Matty's room. We ended up talking with his roommate until pretty late into the night :) that was the end of Tuesday night
Day 3
Morning rolled around and I finally had breakfast for my first time on campus! It was simple, just rice and soup with some banchan but it was still enjoyable. We had sessions on education and technology but it was mostly a seminar about different activites and games we could do in our classrooms. After it was time for lunch and then time to go back again for the last session on cooperative learning. I think these sessions were good in sparking ideas that we could use later on so thumbs up to that :). We ended early so my group and I decided to grab some coffee and work on our teaching practice project
Cute coffee shop in the student center
My group and me!
That night we got a notice that our Seoul city tour had been cancelled because of increased cases of swine flu in the country...so instead we were getting our tempertures checked by nurses :( and they also switched the schedule all around which confused my roommate and me but once everything worked out in the end! :)
Day 4
Our first session today was a co-teaching demonstration..I felt like the first one was very helpful and the second was helpful in a sense of what not to do with your coteacher. After lunch we had a Q&A session with the SMOE program coordinator which was informaive and then after that we had our temperature checked..and then we were pretty much free for the rest of the day. After dinner we decided to go into the city for some fun :). We stopped into a bar and had some very spicy chicken and flavored soju (yogurt, strawberry and kiwi) and then headed to the convenience store to take the fun back to SKKU. Somewhere during all this I also tried a sweet corn popsicle...It was a good night! :)
Day 5
Today was our last full day of orientation. We presented our lesson plan for teaching practice and then we're pretty much done for the day. I decided after I finished to wander around the campus and take some pictures. I couldn't find anyone to wander with because most people wanted to start packing or take a nap but I'm glad I went around..it was really relaxing and energizing! Here are some of my favorite shots
Love is everywhere you look :)
My favorite leaf shape..I love these trees!
After all the exploring it was time for dinner and then we went to see the Taekwando performance! It was really good..and cute :) they danced to gee!
After we headed into the city again to wander a bit but we didnt do too much...bought some street food and then headed back to pack. We found out our schools that night and it was a mad house trying to see the list!It was bittersweet to look at the list and see some people being joined together but everyone else being split apart. That night I packed most of my stuff up and went to sleep...ready to be shipped out to "Dongjak-gu" the next day!
Day 6
Woke up bright and early to check out by 7am...moved all our luggage to the appropriate bus and turned in our dorm keys. We had some free time before closing ceremony so I spent most of it on the computer (which is when I wrote the "Humbled" post). Had a delicious and very eclectic lunch and then boarded the bus to Dongjak-gu!
An hour ride later we were in Seoul..in our new home gu! One by one we were picked up by our coteachers/faculty members and taken to our homes/schools. I was one of the last to be picked up which made me even more nervous. I was first greeted by the male teacher (I was kind of surprised because everyone had said most likely everyone will have a female coteacher) and his son (sooo cute!!). I thought the woman with him was his wife (because other teachers brought their families)...I just kept thinking to myself she's so adorable! Turns out she was my coteacher! The other teacher who had greeted me first was a head teacher.
They're so cute! I love them :)
They helped me move my things into my apartment (which is a pleasant box, I'll post pictures of it after I decorate but the state it's in now you can check out on my facebook pictures). They got me situated with all the essentials (bed, new sheets, fan, AC, vacuum, some kitchen appliances, etc) and even internet and cable tv (both which i was very very thankful for). After that they showed me around the area (where the subway was, etc) and went with me to get a T-money card. I was also introduced to the superintendent and landlady - both are very kind when i see them around the building :).
I can't say that I'm living in luxury (my place is literally in an alley surrounded by bars and street marts..my door has a simple lock [unlike the fancy keypads i've been seeing around seoul]..and the bathroom has been really difficult to get used to seeing as the shower is between the sink and toliet haha) but I'm really enjoying it here and I've been enjoying the area.
I like Bongcheon-dong (I'm actually in Gwanak-gu instead of Dongjak-gu), it's nothing fancy but it has it's own little charm to it. I'm just really thankful for all the amenities I've been given to start with (because I know what it's like having to come into a place and start pretty much from scratch in terms of apartment stuff).
Anywho getting off topic (I'm sure I'll talk more about my apartment in later posts as I'm in the process of cute-ifying it!)~
After getting all settled in, I rested for a bit and then headed out again! Some of the people I had met on the bus decided to meet up in Hongdae to have dinner and go out so I headed over there. The subway was pretty easy to figure out - at least getting on and off! When I got to Hongdae station I totally forgot my friend had said exit 1 so I ended up wandering around aimlessly for an hour :(
Luckily enough I ran into another friend who I had invited so we went to go eat some dinner! Afterwards we headed back to the subway station in hopes to run into the group because they were going to come back around 9pm to gather more people. And again by luck we ran into them! :) We all headed out to a bar for some drinks and snacks...after that we rolled on over to a club that was free for foreigners..yay free! We also got a bunch of free drinks from the really cute bartender there <3 :D After dancing the night away we headed over to noraebong (karaoke) ...it was quite a day to say the least!
And so ends my SMOE orientation! All in all it was a positive experience because I took away some much needed info and was able to network with some really awesome people :)
I also editted a couple of them with some of the fun features in photobucket! :]
Anywho I'll edit this post more after classes, until then <3
[EDIT]
FINALLY! This shall be updated. :) My apologies for lagging..
Day 1
My dorm room!
The view from my window :)
After moving into my dorm room late the previous night (and especially after not getting any sleep for 2 days) I decided to get as much sleep as I possibly could. Luckily no set event/program started until 2pm for this first day because people were were still moving in. I ended up waking up around 10/11ish..got ready and headed down for lunch.
Lunchtime! I think this was my favorite meal served during the time we were there :) Oh and that's Matt my first lunch buddy!
It was a weird feeling being at orientation, I think it's because I was just so comfortable at UCI after settling in for 4 years to now be thrown into another new situation. It was fun at the same time though - I loved meeting new people here because they were literally from all over the world!
Anywho, after lunch we had some free time so we wandered around a bit and took some fun pictures (you can see most of them in Matty's picture post)
I wanted to take this picture because no one could remember what the university was called :P
Just graduated a couple months ago and I'm right back in a lecture room again..:P can't keep me away!
Once 2pm finally rolled around we headed into the auditorium for opening cermony. The sessions that followed the opening cermony were not very noteworthy to be honest. Some parts were helpful but for the most part it was a snoozefest. After sitting through 3 hours about Korea and living in Seoul we headed back for dinner. Since it was the first night we decided to try out one of the optional classes offered after dinner; however, this also turned out to be not very informative and we ended up leaving halfway through during a break. I believe it was this day that we found out what level we were teaching..I was very happy to get elementary (which is what I preferenced)! As much as I can remember that was pretty much the end of the first night :)
Day 2
For the second day of orientation my group I was divided into had to do a medical check up for our Alien Registration Card for the first part of the day. It ended up being a lot of walking back and forth for me...I left my room late because I thought the medical check would begin in the coordination office in our dorm but then they told us to go to the paper craft workshop first. So I walked all the way over to the chemistry building to sit down for 15 minutes and then be called to go do the medical check back in the dorms -_-
It was a fast medical check though. They handed out our sheets of paper and we went through a medical assembly line. It started with getting our temperature taken (which I forgot to mention in the posts that SMOE gave us each thermometers which we were suppose to use to take our temperatures everyday and use to sign in daily) and then getting a paper cup filled with tubes. The next stop was getting weighed and measured and then a quick eye check. They then herded us to get our blood pressure taken and then draw 3 vials of blood (really? 3 vials? do you really need that much??) - side story apparently the next day there was a girl who fainted while her blood was being drawn...scary! but supposidely she said it happens everytime she gets blood drawn. after the blood was taken you got to sit down with a doctor who asked how you were feeling and then sent you to pee in a cup. After peeing in a cup (mind you they wouldn't let us drink any liquids or eat anything starting 9pm the night before AND THEN told us we had to fill the paper cup over halfway full which was NOT true...-_-) they gave the girls some medical shirt to wear because we had to be xrayed. After the x-ray they gave us small cartons of flavored milk and sent us back to do paper crafting...
It's a good thing I like strawberry milk...
trauma inspired paper crafting art :P my clouds are in the shape of hearts <3
Once everyone finished with their medical check we were able to go have lunch and then proceed to our next session about co-teaching. This session was more informative and helpful in terms of prepping us for the kind of experience the students go through and ways to interact and engage with your coteacher. After that we had dinner and decided against going to another optional class. Instead we decided to wander the town a bit so we walked around the streets of Suwon for a bit
We ended up running into more SMOE people and just sat talking outside a convenient store with them. Nothing crazy but it was nice to just hear other people's stories :)
After we headed back in and I went to Matty's room. We ended up talking with his roommate until pretty late into the night :) that was the end of Tuesday night
Day 3
Morning rolled around and I finally had breakfast for my first time on campus! It was simple, just rice and soup with some banchan but it was still enjoyable. We had sessions on education and technology but it was mostly a seminar about different activites and games we could do in our classrooms. After it was time for lunch and then time to go back again for the last session on cooperative learning. I think these sessions were good in sparking ideas that we could use later on so thumbs up to that :). We ended early so my group and I decided to grab some coffee and work on our teaching practice project
Cute coffee shop in the student center
My group and me!
That night we got a notice that our Seoul city tour had been cancelled because of increased cases of swine flu in the country...so instead we were getting our tempertures checked by nurses :( and they also switched the schedule all around which confused my roommate and me but once everything worked out in the end! :)
Day 4
Our first session today was a co-teaching demonstration..I felt like the first one was very helpful and the second was helpful in a sense of what not to do with your coteacher. After lunch we had a Q&A session with the SMOE program coordinator which was informaive and then after that we had our temperature checked..and then we were pretty much free for the rest of the day. After dinner we decided to go into the city for some fun :). We stopped into a bar and had some very spicy chicken and flavored soju (yogurt, strawberry and kiwi) and then headed to the convenience store to take the fun back to SKKU. Somewhere during all this I also tried a sweet corn popsicle...It was a good night! :)
Day 5
Today was our last full day of orientation. We presented our lesson plan for teaching practice and then we're pretty much done for the day. I decided after I finished to wander around the campus and take some pictures. I couldn't find anyone to wander with because most people wanted to start packing or take a nap but I'm glad I went around..it was really relaxing and energizing! Here are some of my favorite shots
Love is everywhere you look :)
My favorite leaf shape..I love these trees!
After all the exploring it was time for dinner and then we went to see the Taekwando performance! It was really good..and cute :) they danced to gee!
After we headed into the city again to wander a bit but we didnt do too much...bought some street food and then headed back to pack. We found out our schools that night and it was a mad house trying to see the list!It was bittersweet to look at the list and see some people being joined together but everyone else being split apart. That night I packed most of my stuff up and went to sleep...ready to be shipped out to "Dongjak-gu" the next day!
Day 6
Woke up bright and early to check out by 7am...moved all our luggage to the appropriate bus and turned in our dorm keys. We had some free time before closing ceremony so I spent most of it on the computer (which is when I wrote the "Humbled" post). Had a delicious and very eclectic lunch and then boarded the bus to Dongjak-gu!
An hour ride later we were in Seoul..in our new home gu! One by one we were picked up by our coteachers/faculty members and taken to our homes/schools. I was one of the last to be picked up which made me even more nervous. I was first greeted by the male teacher (I was kind of surprised because everyone had said most likely everyone will have a female coteacher) and his son (sooo cute!!). I thought the woman with him was his wife (because other teachers brought their families)...I just kept thinking to myself she's so adorable! Turns out she was my coteacher! The other teacher who had greeted me first was a head teacher.
They're so cute! I love them :)
They helped me move my things into my apartment (which is a pleasant box, I'll post pictures of it after I decorate but the state it's in now you can check out on my facebook pictures). They got me situated with all the essentials (bed, new sheets, fan, AC, vacuum, some kitchen appliances, etc) and even internet and cable tv (both which i was very very thankful for). After that they showed me around the area (where the subway was, etc) and went with me to get a T-money card. I was also introduced to the superintendent and landlady - both are very kind when i see them around the building :).
I can't say that I'm living in luxury (my place is literally in an alley surrounded by bars and street marts..my door has a simple lock [unlike the fancy keypads i've been seeing around seoul]..and the bathroom has been really difficult to get used to seeing as the shower is between the sink and toliet haha) but I'm really enjoying it here and I've been enjoying the area.
I like Bongcheon-dong (I'm actually in Gwanak-gu instead of Dongjak-gu), it's nothing fancy but it has it's own little charm to it. I'm just really thankful for all the amenities I've been given to start with (because I know what it's like having to come into a place and start pretty much from scratch in terms of apartment stuff).
Anywho getting off topic (I'm sure I'll talk more about my apartment in later posts as I'm in the process of cute-ifying it!)~
After getting all settled in, I rested for a bit and then headed out again! Some of the people I had met on the bus decided to meet up in Hongdae to have dinner and go out so I headed over there. The subway was pretty easy to figure out - at least getting on and off! When I got to Hongdae station I totally forgot my friend had said exit 1 so I ended up wandering around aimlessly for an hour :(
Luckily enough I ran into another friend who I had invited so we went to go eat some dinner! Afterwards we headed back to the subway station in hopes to run into the group because they were going to come back around 9pm to gather more people. And again by luck we ran into them! :) We all headed out to a bar for some drinks and snacks...after that we rolled on over to a club that was free for foreigners..yay free! We also got a bunch of free drinks from the really cute bartender there <3 :D After dancing the night away we headed over to noraebong (karaoke) ...it was quite a day to say the least!
And so ends my SMOE orientation! All in all it was a positive experience because I took away some much needed info and was able to network with some really awesome people :)
Monday, August 24, 2009
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