So, I guess it’s time to get this blog thing going again. It’s now Monday evening and I’ve been in South Korea for five days. It’s been quite a trip so far. My flight over went really well. I got lucky and had an empty seat next to me on the 12-hour flight from San Francisco to Incheon so I was able to grab a couple hours of sleep. I showed up about as rested as I could be, I converted some cash into the Korean Won, and then went outside the baggage area to look for my name on a sign. I saw a guy with a sign that said, “Sohua David Brooks” and decided that was close enough to my name so I went with him. As soon as I stepped outside and the humidity hit me, I started sweating. On a related note, I didn’t stop sweating until earlier this morning. The cab ride was about 40 minutes long and we went over what is possibly the longest bridge I’ve ever seen. I tried to ask the cab driver how long it was but he couldn’t understand my question. He just kept saying, “Yes, new bridge!” I just looked it up online and it is even longer than I thought. It's over 13 miles long and it was built in October 2009. Check it out!
The cab took me directly to my school and I met a few of the other English teachers and the Korean director of the school (my boss). There are seven English teachers at the school and probably even more Korean teachers. After looking around and meeting everyone, I grabbed my first Korean meal with the head English teacher at the school and then they took me to my apartment. It was about 7pm and the school’s representative, a cool Korean guy name Yee Hoon, told me he would be back at 2:30pm the next day to take me to work.
The apartment is pretty small but it seems to have everything I need. The previous occupant was the teacher that I am replacing and apparently he decided to leave a few things behind. He left me a couple shirts, some pants, a lot of hangers, a huge package of toilet paper, the ugliest and least comfortable comforter I’ve ever seen, a few hats, a drawer full of change, a few random food items, some toiletries, a heavy duty converter that allows me to plug in my American electronics, a dirty floor, and an even dirtier fridge. Overall, most of the things he left behind have proven beneficial.
When I first entered the bathroom I went to turn on the water and quickly turned it off and jumped out of the way when I realized I was turning on the showerhead in the corner of the bathroom above me. I looked down and realized the whole floor was slightly slanted towards a drain in the middle. Since I have the place to myself I actually am pretty excited about it. The kitchen area is also designed very efficiently. In a very small area there is a sink, some kind of stovetop, some cabinets, and a washer machine.
I went out a couple times that first night just to walk around and buy something to eat from a store. I quickly realized that far less people speak English than I was expecting. I had to switch to the point and smile technique of shopping. I’m getting really good, really fast. Luckily, the jet lag didn’t hit me too hard and I was able to stay up until 10pm that night and slept until about 7am. I grabbed some breakfast, walked around some more and at 2:30pm my ride showed up to take me to the school.
I found out I would be doing one day of observing and then I would begin teaching a full load of classes the next day. Since the classes I was going to teach were all in testing that day, I was only able to observe a few younger classes. I learned a little but it really didn’t do a whole lot to help me prepare for the next day. The classrooms are really small and generally there are between 6 and 12 students in each class. I was given a textbook for each class with lesson plans and was told that basically I would be following those the next day when I started. After the day ended I grabbed a few drinks with my coworkers and also met a few other English teachers that live in my town.
The next day it was time to teach. In the first class I taught, I was actually covering for one of my co-workers who is on vacation. After that I had a couple hours to prepare and then I started teaching my classes. My schedule goes like this: I start at 5:50pm and teach until 11:20pm. I have six classes that are 55, 50, 50, 55, 50, and 50 minutes long. I get a 5 minute break between each of them and then the day is over. I teach mostly middle school classes. Their middle-school students are actually a little older than ours so the students are definitely older than I expected.
Overall, the classes went pretty well. The time pretty much just started flying by and then it was over. I was able to spend most of the time in each class just talking with the kids and letting them ask whatever they want about me. Apparently the teacher I replaced told all the kids I was a model and that I was over six-feet tall. I think I convinced each class that the model part is true.
On Saturday I went rock climbing with a group of about 15 other foreigners at Mt. Bukhan near Seoul. It was a ton of fun but it was an extremely long day. I had to meet my co-worker, Mike, at 6am to catch a taxi to the subway where we met the group. Then we took a 1.5 hour subway ride to meet our Korean guides who then drove us by van to the base of the mountain. I think we started hiking by about 10am and we started climbing shortly after noon. It took longer than expected and by the time we got to the top it was nearly pitch black. We still had a 1.5 hour hike downhill left til we were done. The path was really rocky and dangerous. It would have probably been pretty scary in daylight with rested legs but it was extremely frightening in darkness and with super tired legs. Luckily we all made it down safely and had some delicious Korean bbq at a nearby restaurant. After such a long day, that meal was one of the best I've ever had. It involves cooking the pork on a mini-bbq in the middle of the table and then wrapping it in lettuce leaves with this delicious bean paste, garlic, hot peppers, rice, and a couple other things. It's like lettuce wraps at PF Changs except 100 times better. I tried some Kim chi (not good) also. The other foreigners keep telling me the taste will grow on me but I can't imagine that being true. I also had my first taste of Soju. It's not that great but I think I will get used to it real quick.
On Sunday, I met Mike and a few other guys to play some soccer in the pouring rain on a dirt/mud field. It was really fun and a great opportunity to meet even more people. I took it easy that afternoon and then met them all at a local bar to watch the Manchester United vs Liverpool game. I'm happy that I was quickly able to find some other guys that are as into soccer as I am. They already told me the best spots to catch live sports around here.
Anyway, I think I've rambled long enough. It's about 10pm now and I have to be up at 7am tomorrow to go on a three-day trip to the DeokJeok Islands. This week is Chuseok in Korea which is essentially the Korean thanksgiving. We have Monday-Thursday off so we are taking full advantage of it. About 80 other foreigners are going on the trip and it will involve a lot of hiking and exploring around the islands. It should be another awesome opportunity for me to meet a lot more people. I guess the coffee shop I'm at is about to close so I don't have any time to put any pics in here. I'll try to add a few later tonight if I can get some internet at home. I'll post more after I get back.
No comments:
Post a Comment