It has been a little while since my last blog entry, but in a very short amount of time many things have happened.. like that time I packed my life up in two big suitcases, and one small carry-on, then moved to South Korea to teach English at a Hagwon.
My school is called Seogang SLP Gaegeum. It is in Gaegeum-dong, and my house is a very short walk up three VERY intense hills. The neighbourhood is unlike anything I have ever lived in.. something is always going on, people are always walking by. I think it will take me some time to adjust to that.
I am very fortunate that my coworkers are so laid back and outgoing. I hit it off right away with a girl named Kristy from Philly, she is the bomb! She taught me how to load my metro card to ride the train, and introduced me to home plus which is very similar to walmart. You can buy EVERYTHING at home plus, and there are some legit deals. I paid about 40$ for a router, a hair straightener, and a blow dryer. I was very happy! I have also befriended Jess & Neil, who are a couple from Nebraska. They are my closest neighbours and are absolutely lovely! They took me for dinner at an excellent chicken place today after work, which is awesome because I have not been to that area in our neighbourhood yet. Their kitchen has mould so they do not cook at home, so we are planning on splitting groceries and have cooking nights at my house. I have not hung out with Kylie or Claire yet, but we are all going for dinner sometime this week. I am looking forward to getting to know them as well! I teach Kylie's son Theo, he is a sweetheart.
My friends Joel & Johann are out here, so that is a comfort. They took me camping with some folks we met the last time I was in Busan. I am really lucky to come to this strange place and already know so many people. We went camping in Gogjye on a beach, it is an island so we had to take the metro to sasang and then take a bus to the island. It is funny that I have been here for a week now and have already been on vacation! I already knew Paige, Davis, and Megan, but I got to meet Mark, Adam, Ethan, and Drew. Drew I sort of met when I went out drinking with Davis in February but not really. I recognized him because I had thought that he was funny. yeah, he's actually hysterical and the man makes a legit fire. Mark and Adam are from the UK and remind me of my cousin Cesca's friends. mark and I share a birthday, though he is a year older. I am really excited to get to know my new friends better, they are all beauties and I am sure we'll have a wonderful time together.
Camping was a riot. We set up camp beside what we named the "babbling brook". The name is appropriate, that thing was babbling all night long but it kept our drinks cold and the boys occupied during the day (they built a damn). We are all sunburnt, and we were rained out but everyone remained super positive even when we woke up and broke camp on sunday whilst hungover at 6 am. I was really impressed that even in a torrential downpour, with no dry clothes and hangovers everyone was still so fun. Seriously, I am stoked I know these people. I am so thankful that they invited me to come along.
Today at school was my second day teaching on my own. I am really getting to know my students as they relax around me. I am naturally gifted when it comes to animals and small children - I really do think that they like me. Perhaps that is just the honeymoon stage, but we will see what will come! I am really excited about how quickly they picked up my name, and about how excited they are to show me their homework at the beginning of every class.. "teacher perfect?! REALLY?!" I am careful to give praise when it is due, as I feel that they might not receive much otherwise. i can relate to these kids as I was always busy as a child with many many activities... I always had so much homework because of my french courses. Second languages can be so hard, but I hope to continue making it as much fun as I possibly can.
Tomorrow we go on a field trip, I am excited to see what kind of field trip this is. I am not, however, excited about the massive pile of marking that I have to do tomorrow during my free period. Boo-urns!
Saturday my friend Zach and some of his friends are coming down from Gumi/Daegu to go to this Pirate Party on a pirate ship. We will start out our night with some cheesy kimchi, then make our way to either Sharky's or the Thirsty Moose. From there a shuttle bus will take us to this pirate ship and we will booze cruise the night away. I actually randomly met one of Zach's buddies on the beach this weekend, apparently Zach was around the same area but we didn't cross paths. It is too bad, Zach went to DW Poppy Secondary in Langley, which is where I grew up. I have known him for a while now but have not seen him since Graduation. It will be nice to reconnect.
That is all that I can stand to write for now, but I will add more as it comes along. I will do my best to write often, and in detail. I miss everyone very much, and I am very excited to share some good stories with all of you. I am now going to set myself on reorganizing the furniture in my apartment as the lay out does nothing for me. I will post pictures when I am finished!!
xoxo
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