Time is going by so fast! I don't have time to regularly update my blog. Anyway, not much has happened since the last time I posted. I've really been enjoying myself though. I spend time with students every weekend. Either on a Saturday night or a Sunday afternoon, but I make sure to spend time with them outside of class. This mission is about building relationships and becoming friends and that's exactly what I'm trying to do. I finally got a cell phone on Saturday night and now my co-workers and especially my students can contact me. A cell phone is really helpful here because it has a map of the subway system and it's very difficult to spot people in the crowds of thousands that are always roaming around the city.
There are so many people here! HAHAHA...really all I can do is laugh because it is kind of absurd. The Koreans here have stated on numerous times that there are too many people here. It seems like everywhere is crowded i.e. subways, buses, streets, sidewalks, malls, coffee shops, etc...It is definitely interesting to be a part of this culture.
We had Korean thanksgiving (Chuseok) last week for 3 days and I was able to spend that time with my foreign friends. We had an American Thanksgiving gathering and there were about 15 of us in total. It was nice to be around native English speakers and have "adult" conversation lol...Side note, if you ever have questions about the culture or my life here, feel free to ask questions in the comment section.
I received my first care package from the U.S. today...THANKS MOM!! It has lots of goodies and useful things. I'm not homesick yet, because I'm so use to going off to college, but I am frustrated by the inability to find things that I really want. And even if those things are here, I don't know how to read the signs or even how to ask just yet, so I really need to stop slacking on learning the language. It seems like I learn a new word or phrase everyday but they aren't the most useful for what I need at this point in time.
Anyway, things are continuing to go well here. Thanks for all the support from my blog readers and well wishers from around the globe. Your thoughts and prayers go a long way. Until next time...
P.S. Pictures can be found on Facebook!
Monday, September 27, 2010
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Insadong and a bunch of randomness
Wow! Has it really been a week since my last post? Time just seems to fly by here. Also, I've been extremely busy and I haven't even had time to think about my blog, yet here I am =)
My last few days have been quite normal. Over the weekend, I went to Insa-dong with two of my 7 AM students. Insa-dong is a part of Seoul that houses the traditional shops, foods, people, etc...We had a great time together. They met me at the institute so that I would have no problems getting to our destination. I have to say it was quite nice of them. Anyway, we got there and walk around for a bit. Then we ate at a traditional Korean restaurant, and I enjoyed some authentic pimbimbap. It is rice, vegetables, raw egg, and meat. I obviously got mine without meat. In Korean you say cogi ppego which means no meat. It is brought to the table in a scorching hot bowl and the patron is suppose to stir it all together. The bowl is so hot that it actually cooks the egg! It was quite delicious and I was satisfied. They were great company and asked a host of good questions about my family, America, me, movie stars, and just general things about English. After dinner, we went to a little cafe for tea and treats made out of rice. Overall, the whole experience was a pleasant one and I'm glad I went out with them.
On another note, my last few days have consisted with me trying to keep up with all the sports going on back home. I quickly just want to give a shout out to the Huskies, Seahawks, and Storm!! They all had a good weekend and I supremely enjoyed watching the Huskies romp Syracuse =) Just made my Sunday.
So last week I had a Korean kid call me an interesting name...he called me Chocolate Teacher. I think he likes pointing out that I'm a different color because he has been calling me that more frequently and even as recently as this afternoon haha...he's an interesting character so I let him slide.
I'm starting to get frustrated and angry! I have the most difficult time staying asleep and I haven't felt rested in weeks. I go to sleep tired and wake up tired. It's a vicious cycle. I feel like a could simply fall asleep at any point during my day. It's somewhat discouraging because I'm just so exhausted...so please pray for me. I have my first vespers sermon this Friday night too so I'm trying to muster up the energy to finish that on top of what I'm already doing.
Until next time...
My last few days have been quite normal. Over the weekend, I went to Insa-dong with two of my 7 AM students. Insa-dong is a part of Seoul that houses the traditional shops, foods, people, etc...We had a great time together. They met me at the institute so that I would have no problems getting to our destination. I have to say it was quite nice of them. Anyway, we got there and walk around for a bit. Then we ate at a traditional Korean restaurant, and I enjoyed some authentic pimbimbap. It is rice, vegetables, raw egg, and meat. I obviously got mine without meat. In Korean you say cogi ppego which means no meat. It is brought to the table in a scorching hot bowl and the patron is suppose to stir it all together. The bowl is so hot that it actually cooks the egg! It was quite delicious and I was satisfied. They were great company and asked a host of good questions about my family, America, me, movie stars, and just general things about English. After dinner, we went to a little cafe for tea and treats made out of rice. Overall, the whole experience was a pleasant one and I'm glad I went out with them.
On another note, my last few days have consisted with me trying to keep up with all the sports going on back home. I quickly just want to give a shout out to the Huskies, Seahawks, and Storm!! They all had a good weekend and I supremely enjoyed watching the Huskies romp Syracuse =) Just made my Sunday.
So last week I had a Korean kid call me an interesting name...he called me Chocolate Teacher. I think he likes pointing out that I'm a different color because he has been calling me that more frequently and even as recently as this afternoon haha...he's an interesting character so I let him slide.
I'm starting to get frustrated and angry! I have the most difficult time staying asleep and I haven't felt rested in weeks. I go to sleep tired and wake up tired. It's a vicious cycle. I feel like a could simply fall asleep at any point during my day. It's somewhat discouraging because I'm just so exhausted...so please pray for me. I have my first vespers sermon this Friday night too so I'm trying to muster up the energy to finish that on top of what I'm already doing.
Until next time...
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
My Address!
This will be my mailing address;
Sanmaek plaza, #147 Dongsomun-dong-6ga, Seongbuk-gu
Seoul 136-036, Korea
If you feel inclined to mail packages, refer to this list for good things to mail:
Sanmaek plaza, #147 Dongsomun-dong-6ga, Seongbuk-gu
Seoul 136-036, Korea
If you feel inclined to mail packages, refer to this list for good things to mail:
- Deodorant (old spice)
- Razors (shaving)
- Pop tarts
- Popcorn
- Stickers
- Candy
- Oatmeal
Saturday, September 4, 2010
Emperor's Palace, Interviews, and Great Italian Food
It has been a great weekend thus far. Vespers and church went well and they are not anything like I was envisioning. There were a few people that came to each, but that will not be the norm. There will be maybe close to 20 or so on a regular basis. Anyway, I can now rest a little easier knowing there is not as much pressure. It helps that my director is a really cool pastor and quite easy to talk to. It is making my transition to my new school a lot easier.
After having potluck with the students after church yesterday, I went out to tour the city with two other new teachers, Brian and Jonathan. We went the Emperor's Palace! It was blazing hot and we were pouring down sweat but we wanted to have fun so we continued on. It was a very beautiful place. We were even able to practice our Korean several times while we were there. We would ask locals questions on how to get certain places or things like that...
The picture on the right is one of the many buildings at the palace. That is Brian on the left and my other friend Jonathan on the right.
Also, before we even entered the palace I got lucky. Some really cute Korean girl wanted to interview me for her English speaking program on tv =) It is geared towards people who are learning English. She says she routinely asks foreigners a question of the day. Mine had to deal with how I like my eggs. Then she asked me some other questions as well...here we are...
It was so HOT! I was dripping sweat during the interview. Anyway, she was really nice and her English was amazing. Before she approached me I sneezed and I heard a bless you from like 20 feet away. I looked around and she came up to me and started talking to me in superb English. She was so nice that I figured I would help her out. While I was doing the interview my friends were laughing. Who knows why but I was giving her some wild answers lol..
After our little excursion, we went searching for food. In the midst of our journey, we stumbled across the US Embassy and like 10 huge police buses. There were guards stationed everywhere too. It was pretty cool to see. I quickly snapped a photo of the American flag and we kept moving. We eventually arrived at an Italian place to eat and it was delicious. I had gnocci with marinara sauce and mozzarella ...yum! After dining like kings we ventured to see what else we could do. Eventually we landed in an upscale part of town where all the Gucci and Dolce & Gabanna stores were. There were actually waiting lines to get into the stores. It was kinda funny to see. Only a limited number people were allowed to enter at a time. Anyway, we stayed at the building and went to see a movie. We went to our homes after that and I simply knocked out...
After having potluck with the students after church yesterday, I went out to tour the city with two other new teachers, Brian and Jonathan. We went the Emperor's Palace! It was blazing hot and we were pouring down sweat but we wanted to have fun so we continued on. It was a very beautiful place. We were even able to practice our Korean several times while we were there. We would ask locals questions on how to get certain places or things like that...
Also, before we even entered the palace I got lucky. Some really cute Korean girl wanted to interview me for her English speaking program on tv =) It is geared towards people who are learning English. She says she routinely asks foreigners a question of the day. Mine had to deal with how I like my eggs. Then she asked me some other questions as well...here we are...
After our little excursion, we went searching for food. In the midst of our journey, we stumbled across the US Embassy and like 10 huge police buses. There were guards stationed everywhere too. It was pretty cool to see. I quickly snapped a photo of the American flag and we kept moving. We eventually arrived at an Italian place to eat and it was delicious. I had gnocci with marinara sauce and mozzarella ...yum! After dining like kings we ventured to see what else we could do. Eventually we landed in an upscale part of town where all the Gucci and Dolce & Gabanna stores were. There were actually waiting lines to get into the stores. It was kinda funny to see. Only a limited number people were allowed to enter at a time. Anyway, we stayed at the building and went to see a movie. We went to our homes after that and I simply knocked out...
Thursday, September 2, 2010
First Two Days of Teaching
Yes, I have finally started my teaching! It has been an interesting two days. My first class is a Level 2 Adult English class that begins at 7:00 AM. I have approximately 18 students. I was not expecting to have that many! They are a good bunch though. They were very nervous the first day, as was I, but they were definitely talking more by day two. I have a religion class scheduled for 8 AM that I don't begin teaching until next Thursday. My next two Level 2 classes are at 10 and 11 AM and they are considerably smaller. Less than 7 students in each. I have Yes I Can (YIC) 1 and 6 in the afternoon. Yes I Can consists of junior students anywhere from ages 6-9 I think? I'm not all that sure...
Anyway, my stomach has been in knots the first few days. I haven't had much of an appetite due to nervousness. I am no longer sick so I will blame it on the nervousness lol. My co-teachers have been really accommodating and have been showing me tips and telling me new ways of doing things. Our building is really nice. We are located on the 3rd and 4th floor of a downtown building. I really feel like a BIG TIME teacher because I have my OWN classroom. Yeah, true story! It gives me a sense of ownership and I definitely like that. Well, time for me to go prepare for class but I will write more later about my duties and my housing arrangement.
Anyway, my stomach has been in knots the first few days. I haven't had much of an appetite due to nervousness. I am no longer sick so I will blame it on the nervousness lol. My co-teachers have been really accommodating and have been showing me tips and telling me new ways of doing things. Our building is really nice. We are located on the 3rd and 4th floor of a downtown building. I really feel like a BIG TIME teacher because I have my OWN classroom. Yeah, true story! It gives me a sense of ownership and I definitely like that. Well, time for me to go prepare for class but I will write more later about my duties and my housing arrangement.
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