It's been awhile

I have been pretty busy working two jobs and having fun weekends!
Recently, I went to Goeje Island with my friend Woo. We went on a beautiful December day, there were no people so we were able to enjoy the beaches and scenery without too many tourists. The above photos are from the island, it was the most beautiful place I have seen so far.
We also went to a professional basketball game here in Changwon. It was just like an NBA game except only $7 for killer seats.
A few weeks ago I ate duck for the first time! It was absolutely delicious! I didnt know what I was missing out on. Its my new favorite food to eat at restaurants. Many places serve it here and it's reasonably priced, just another thing to love about Korea!
This weekend, I saw the Harry Potter movie. I didnt necessarily want to see it, but the friend I was with did, so I went along. I have never read a Harry Potter book nor seen an HP movie. But it was AWESOME. There were many things and places and names that I didnt understand, but it was nonstop action and I fell in love with all the characters. I guess all the people telling me for years that I would love it were right. I am going to start reading the books ASAP!
It's Christmastime now but I haven't felt too homesick. Christmas isnt a big deal in Korea, plus the weather has been warm and there's not lots of decorations or Christmas music and shopping shoved down my throat. So, its been kind of nice to be away from the hoopla. On Christmas day we will go to another basketball game and then have kind of a potluck dinner with friends. It should be a good time!
I've also decided to stay in Korea until August. It will give me time to save some more money and hopefully see a little more of the country. I really enjoy teaching and I just don't feel ready to wind down yet.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all!

To leave or not to leave

I am coming up on six months spent in Korea. I kind of want to stay past my year contract. But Europe for the summer is so incredibly tempting. So, I think I may compromise and stay until August instead of June. I got to thinking about leaving today and I felt overwhelmingly sad. I will miss my kids, I will miss my easy life in Korea. Plus, I'm making tons of extra money now, it's so hard to walk away from that. But I also need to get on with life in the US. I need to get back to school. While discussing my wanting to stay in Korea, my director told me I was getting "kind of old" and that I should go back to school before too long! Koreans are rather blunt, sometimes it's hurtful. I see what he means, and I can always come back, but it won't be the same. I think staying until August will satisfy me, and I can hopefully still spend the fall in Europe. How awesome does fall in Europe sound?? The crowds will be less, the weather will be cooler. Maybe this is the best idea I've ever had.

Seoul part 2

As I mentioned before, there are millions of people in Seoul. Apparently, they all went to the Seoul International Festival. This pic is from the subway, all of us smooshed in trying to get out. I think we went up three flights of stairs and through hallways like this. It was hot and pretty awful. When we finally got outside, the scene was insane. There had to be millions of people at this park to watch the fireworks. And Koreans aren't very polite when they try to get past you, they basically shove you. They'll shove you with their elbows, shoulders, knees, butts, hips, anything that will move you out of the way.


I did get a chance to try out the camera for night scenes. Here are a couple pics I took, I'm so thrilled with the way they turned out! The fireworks were a big deal and lasted at least an hour. They were pretty spectacular. These pictures were taken on a bridge.


































I will be visiting Seoul again, it's about a 5 hour bus ride and just a Saturday and Sunday to visit isn't enough time. I really want to spend more time exploring the city and all it's charms.

Seoul part 1

Last weekend, my friends and I visited the capital city of Seoul. I'm in love. Seoul is huge, but clean and beautiful and a perfect mix of old and new. The king's palace stands at the end of a street lined with 30 story buildings. There's rich culture in the city everywhere you turn.
However, there are millions and millions of people! A woman stopped me on the street and proceeded to rub my arms vigorously, then she touched my chest and motioned to my face. I assumed she was concerned about my freckles being some sort of horrible disease I was unaware of, but we think she was telling me to cover up. It was a strange experience!


This is the entrance to the king's palace, we didn't go inside.













Guards for the palace.












View of the palace from the busy city street.

Today is Saturday

Today I went to the Korean dentist. On the walk there, two older Koreans stopped to say "Hello" in English, which was impressive considering their age. The man shook my hand and the woman said, "Welcome to Korea!" I don't often get older people acknowledging me other than to stare blankly at me, it's usually the children that talk to me on the street. The dentist charged me only $15 for a cleaning, what a deal! Right before the woman started cleaning, she put this paper towel with just a nose/mouth hole on my face. It was quite strange. Perhaps the Koreans don't like looking into your eyes as they clean your teeth. If I was claustrophobic I think I would have had a big problem with it. I really couldn't see anything! On the elevator leaving the dentist, a woman reached over and started fixing my collar! That would never happen in the US. She acted like it was totally normal to touch a complete stranger, let alone a foreigner! Oh Korea.
Megan gets married in one week! I'm so sad I can't be there, but I think we will set up Skype so I can say hello at the reception.
School is going well this semester, I'm definitely into the swing of things here.

Part 3, Sunrise Peak

Sunrise Peak in the background, beyond it is all ocean.














At the top, I couldn't fit the whole crater into one picture, it was so huge, I was a little scared of the height.









But I got over my fear! I laugh in the face of danger!












View overlooking the island












Sunrise Peak was my favorite part. The pictures don't convey the beauty of this place or the amazing views!

Part 2

The fountain in the Italian garden at the botanical gardens











Giant penis fountain at Loveland












One of the tamer statues.
I believe it was called "Love, American style"


















The beautiful beach

Jeju Island Vacation!! Part 1

Some scenery on the island. These statues are made from volcanic rock, which is abundant on Jeju. These little guys seemed to be the Jeju mascot, as they were everywhere on the island.







At the first waterfall, nearest to our hotel













A view from the hotel












Nighttime view from the hotel












Apparently this blog site only lets me upload a few pictures at a time! Steven, Megan and I arrived on Jeju Island Tuesday evening and left early Saturday morning. We got to do a lot of sightseeing, the most beautiful being Sunrise Peak. There's no pics on this blog because apparently I can only upload five at a time, I'll put them on another blog. Anyway, Sunrise Peak is this big crater created from a volcano. You climb to the top and it's like you're standing on the edge of the earth. The ocean is all around and you look down onto the island. It's easily the most amazing thing I've ever seen in person. I feel so lucky that I had the chance to go. The climb up was hell and the climb down had me feeling dizzy, but it was totally worth it.
We also visited Loveland, which is basically an outside sex museum complete with statues and how-tos. Honeymooning Koreans visit there to get ideas I guess.
We went to two beaches, but one had the bluest water I've ever seen. It was too cold for swimming, but I got some beautiful pictures. I'm so glad I invested in a new camera!

Korea- people people everywhere

Changwon is filled with people, people everywhere you turn. Lots of people walk, not drive, so there are always people on the sidewalk. It's almost impossible to be alone, and while I enjoy seeing people walking in their city, sometimes it'd be nice to have a little time alone outside with Sophie. I have finally found this place. There's an part open field/part random garden/ part new construction around the corner from my place a little. It's up a hill and then flat at the top, flat enough that I can see if anyone else is near. Today I went up there after work and sang out loud at the top of my lungs. It was refreshing knowing no one could hear me. And if belting out Glee tunes doesn't relieve any stress, I don't know what does! I know that something is being built in my little paradise, so I will enjoy it while it's free.
I've settled into a routine here and it feels like home.

yeah, yeah, yeah i need a break

My friend went to Japan this weekend. She went to the same city as me, walked the same streets, rode the same subway. Yet her experience was the exact opposite. She loved every minute of it. She liked the American vibe, where as I couldn't wait to get back to Korea. Perhaps if I had gone after I had been in Korea for awhile, my experience would have been different. Maybe if I get a bout of homesickness I'll give Japan another whirl. It's interesting that two people can visit the same place and have completely different perspectives.
This weekend ended me working 11 hours a day, thank goodness! What was so tiring wasn't the hours, but the kids. My class was rowdy and disrespectful. I tried several different ways to handle them, and none of them worked. I hope I don't encounter these kids in another class.
Monday starts the new semester at school, I hope I enjoy all my classes and kids!
During the last three weeks I haven't had time to do much, hopefully I'll have some new adventures to write about soon!

White Water Rafting, Korean style

Steven, Megan, two Korean friends and I went white water rafting on Wednesday. We took buses for two hours to reach our destination. After a light lunch, we were lifejacked, helmeted and paddled, we were ready. I was a little nervous about falling out of the boat when going through the rapids, turns out I didnt have much to worry about. The "rapids" were barely waves in the river, the scariest part was almost hitting rocks. But, we had an amazing time! It rained all day so it wasn't hot and actually being in the water was warmer than wet on the boat. Our guide was awesome (and cute!) and we were his first foreign rafters. I'm sure we left a grand impression! We were in the water almost as much as rafting, our guide thought it was really funny to push us in the water or play games which ended with all of us in the water. We also stopped to jump off some rocks. My fear of heights almost got me, but I sucked it up and jumped about 10 feet off a rock! The area that we rafted was beautiful, mountains on all sides and covered in a light fog from the rain. For a minute it almost looked like West Virginia, until a Korean house or temple peeked through. I dont know if this trip prepared me for rapids at home, but I definitely want to give it a try!
Today we are going to see Inception and maybe to the beach tomorrow!

things i miss vs things i love in SK

Things I Miss
A dryer- my clothes are starting to stretch at the neck
A regular shower- i'ts hard to stand in a corner sideways in 8" of space and wash my hair.
Target
People who speak english, not all people, but important people, like the guy cutting sophie's nails and the pharmacist.
Cheese
A soft bed
An oven
Shopping for clothes/shoes. I dont necessarily need anything, it's just that now I dont even have the option. Shoes only go up to a size 8!
A couch. I could buy one but I dont really have space and it's a lot of money to spend.
Having a variety of restaurants to choose from. I mean, there are tons of Korean restaurants, but I don't care for their food. And even sometimes when I point to a picture on the menu, my food comes out looking nothing like what I ordered.
The trunk of my car- carrying more than two big bags of groceries home is next to impossible.
Dirty streets- Changwon is quite dirty, trash gets picked up every day so there are always tons of trash bags lining the streets in the downtown area
Fish smells everywhere

Things I love
NOT DRIVING!! It's so much easier to take a detour or pop in and get a coffee without having to cross traffic and park. And I dont have to pay for gas or insurance or parking.
Coffee shops on every corner
Living in a bubble- I dont overhear any conversations, I dont worry if people are staring at me or laughing at me. I am free to do basically whatever I want in public
Being close to the beach!
Taxis that get me across town for $4
Buses that get me to the next town for $3
Super cheap food- seriously, super cheap.
Having a mountain I can climb about a 1/4 mile from my house
Wide sidewalks perfect for walking Sophie
Fresh fruit and vegetables on every corner
Getting complimentary items when you purchase something. Tonight I bought a beer at dinner and got a small plate of carrots and cucumbers.
Getting away with stuff because I'm a foreigner. Someone can yell in my face for walking in front of their car but I can't understand so I can smile and walk away.
Most Korean kids- they are curious about me and watch carefully everything I do
Meeting other foreigners from all over the world who have traveled all over the world.
Everyday is an adventure!

clever blog title

Beach at Busan

Cooking food outside in an ally where people are walking and shopping. Pretty gross!

Woman sleeping at the beach in Busan.

I haven't written in awhile because I was having trouble with the internet, but it seems to be fixed now. Thursday my school started intensive courses. The classes are 11:30-1 for 19 days. I have a speaking intensive course with 8 lower level students. The class is very intense, the workbook is full of activities and it takes the full 90 minutes to get through a lesson. That doesn't leave much time for games but the kids don't seem to mind too much as long as they get candy! My middle school classes are going much better than the first few weeks so I am happy about that too. I'm still enjoying teaching and I very much like MOST of the children, some are awful, but I guess you'll have that! I am working now 11 am to 10 pm with an hour break and breaks between classes, but it is tiring an it is going to be a long three weeks. Luckily next week we are only working Monday and Tuesday. There's been some talk of going white water rafting next Saturday, I hope it works out!

I received my cell phone bill this week, it was about $40. I went to the store to pay it and they charged me only $18! I'm not sure why, but I didn't complain. I went to buy a few supplies for my kids, some colored pencils and some glue and the guy told me it was 4200 won, but then he looked at me and dropped the price to 3200 won! I guess sometimes it pays to be a foreigner.

I've noticed that older people have no shame in stopping in their tracks to stare at me, it is still quite strange. The kids that stare at me usually at least say hello and ask me where I am from.

Steven, Megan and I went to the beach and did some shopping in Busan on Saturday. The beach was filled to the max with people, most of them in full clothing. We did run across some old ladies buried up to their faces in sand and then a hat on their heads! The picture is above because I cannot figure out how to put pictures in the middle of the text. The first picture shows how crowded the beach is. It's so weird to me that people come to the beach just to sit under an umbrella in full clothing all day. The other picture is the Busan market area. It's just a bunch of allyways with knock-offs and touristy items. But then down one street there are women cooking and serving food. People just pull up a stool and eat, it seems pretty unsanitary to me but lots of people were doing it!

In other news, my dad participated in two events at the Ohio Senior Olympics yesterday and came in first place in both the 100 m and 200 m dash! Congratulations to my dad!!

Weekend

Friday I had to go to the hospital to get blood taken and pee in a cup. I had a mini-anxiety attack and started to cry a bit just because it was a quite informal process and the hospital was dirty, dingy and unsanitary. There was a box full of bloody bandages! It was awful. Hopefully I will never have to visit another hospital here. Friday night I had my first bottle of Soju. Soju is the drink of Korea and it's basically watered down vodka. It's not terrible, but it's not good either. I drank a lot of it and was quite drunk and ended up staying out till about 4 am, but I had no hangover! I think the next time I go out, I will drink Soju again. Saturday we went to Busan to go to the beach. The beach is probably the best place to people watch, I have seen the most ridiculous things. The Koreans don't wear bathing suits (usually). They were all their clothes, shirts, jeans, shoes. But some Koreans wear teeny tiny speedos. And some wear boxers and a top hat. Anyway, we went to this giant department store and I left my phone in the bathroom there. We got on the subway to go home and one stop in I realized I had left it. We had to go back which meant buying more subway tickets, so instead we jumped the turnstiles. I got back to the bathroom, but the phone was gone. I went to ask the information desk but they didnt really understand and I left there with no hope of my phone showing up. Well maybe about 10 minutes after I had left, someone found my phone and called the last person I had called, my co-teacher Steven. Steven ended up having to go all the way to Busan to get my phone for me! It was much more complicated and drawn out, but it's too much to write.
Tonight we went for "bbq" at the New Zealand BBQ place. It was spicy, as is most Korean food, and we were served baked potatoes with whip cream on them! No butter, just whip cream, so weird.

today

Today I felt like a grown up. I don't often feel like a grown up, just an overgrown kid. But today, today I felt it. I think it was being around 14-16 year olds for a few hours. They are so awkward and anti-social and have little confidence. The boys and girls won't even acknowledg each other. It forces me to be loud and outgoing in class. I feared I would be awkward and outwardly uncomfortable in front on the kids, but instead my confidence soared! Who knew I just needed to be in front of them for that fear to fly out the window? So today's a good day, a grown up kind of day.
PS. Sophie still acts like a baby.

Visa run to Japan

Clouds and sunset on the way home, might have been my favorite part of the trip.

Outside a temple in the city.

Giant buddha!

I spent last Monday and Tuesday in Fukouka, Japan getting a new visa. I was nervous about going there by myself, but everything turned out fine. Some nice men on the subway helped me find my stop and I was able to walk to the Korean consulate from the subway. Of course it was closed for lunch when I got there but I met a Canadian who was also waiting so we walked around together for a bit. There wasn't too much to see where we were, just a giant baseball stadium, giant Hilton, shopping, and a great view of the coast and mountains. The guy I met helped me find a hotel downtown, which was fantastic. So I was left to explore. Unfortunately it rained a lot almost all day Monday. I did go out at night and check out the downtown area which was sadly very American. LOTS of shopping, Apple, Eddie Bauer, GAP, it was very disappointing. I did run across one random temple slapped in the middle of a shopping mecca. Noone was there and I couldn't go inside, but I walked the grounds. Japan is incredibly clean, there were tons of people everywhere, but the sidewalks were spotless, Korea is kind of dirty, so that was a nice change. Also, the public transportation is amazing. The buses and subway were fairly easy to navigate once I got the hang of it, and they are cheap too.

Tuesday I got up and went back to the consulate to pick up my visa, thankfully the rain had stopped. My plane wasn't until 7:30, so I decided to get a map and do some exploring. I had read that the biggest wooden buddha was in Fukouka, so that was my mission. I found a big green space on the map that had four temples in what looked to be a giant park! So I set out to find it. It was a disappointing adventure. The temples were NOT in park, but surrounded by giant buidings that hid them. I walked in circles until I finally stumbled upon one. It was deserted so I could only walk the grounds. I continued on to another templed, deserted and locked, another- deserted and locked! I was kind of mad now so I climbed up onto some rocks so I could see over a fence into the gardens at least. and I am pretty sure I did some major trespassing into a private buddhist cemetery. Oh well, I didnt get caught. I was so defeated that started to walk back to the subway to go to the airport early. Just as I was putting away my map, I looked over and saw yet another temple tucked between two giant buildings...could it be, giant buddha?! YES! I finally found it! I ran up the steps and whipped out my camera and got one shot before I was yelled at by the workers, "no pictures!" HA, I got one! It was worth all the frustration, it was amazing. And I am glad I stole a picture, I deserved it!

Japan was ok, but not a place I would ever go again probably. Maybe I would like to visit Tokyo,but it's expensive and I definitely don't like it as much as South Korea. I'm grateful I got a free trip there, but I'm so glad to be home in SK!

Japan!

It seems I am headed to Japan on Monday! I will be staying Monday night, leaving Tuesday night. I was supposed to get a ferry ride and accommodations provided by my school because I am going for a visa run. I have to get a new visa because the visa I have is for another school. Your visa is only valid if you are working at the school who sponsored your visa. Instead of a ferry ride, my school bought me a plane ticket. I asked the director about accommodations, he kind of laughed and said accommodations were not included. In my contract it clearly states, ferry ride and accommodation. He said since I got a plane ride, no hotel! WHAT?? They never gave me a choice, ferry or plane! I would have gladly taken the ferry to get a hotel paid for. I told him that and he backed down and said to bring him the receipt and he'd reimburse me. Thank goodness, funds are low till I get my first paycheck, I certainly don't need to be spending an additional $50 on a stupid hotel room! I also have no idea what to do when I get to Japan, I have written directions from the airport to the subway to the consulate. That's it. How am I to find a hotel in Japan, you may wonder? I wonder too. My director told me not to be nervous and banish all negative thoughts, everything will be fine, he assured me! Umm, ok, that's probably the most unhelpful thing he could have said! Oh well, I just hope I can find a hotel room and I don't end up sleeping on a park bench! I will post pictures upon my return...if I return....Just kidding!

Saturday Max and I rode our bikes to City 7, a giant mall in Changwon, to visit our friend Andy. It was supposed to take us about 20 minutes to get to City 7, but it ended up taking about 1.5 hours. I was exhausted, sweaty and hot. We were lost for so long, it was very frustrating, but we finally made it! The mall is huge and it's actually apartments, offices, restaurants and a mall, its kind of like a mini-city itself. The tigers below are just giant white tiger sculptures outside the mall. The flower ball is another giant sculpture that was so pretty!

After City 7, we went back to Yongji Lake to watch the fountain/light show. It was SO awesome! I'm so glad I got to go. Music plays and the fountain dances and there's a light show. One of the songs they played was by the Mama's and the Papa's, it was pretty random! This pic below is a movie on the fountain water of an ice skater.

After the light show, we went to Noribong. Noribong is basically a private room for karaoke. You rent the room by the hour and sing and drink! I don't sing and I didn't drink too much, but I was recruited to dance and sing to YMCA.

After the Noribong we went to O'Brien's, a foreigner bar. It's almost all foreigners at the bar. It was really bizarre to see all white faces and only a few Koreans. Everyone I was with had a great time, I left about 2 I think and attempted to ride my bike home, yeah, I won't be doing that again! Luckily there weren't too many people on the streets, because I definately would have taken out at least one person. My other friends stayed a lot longer, Max actually never made it home and slept on a park bench! I really hope to always get home, I'm way too old to be sleeping outside!

Sunday has been a pretty lazy day, I'm still exhausted after my ridiculously long day yesterday.

Happy Father's Day!

New (to me) Bike!

I got a bike today! It's old and dirty but it's perfect! It has a basket on the front and a flat part on the back I can bungee things too. And maybe I'll take Sophie for a ride in the basket. It will be so good to have a bike so I can really do some more exploring. I can only walk so far in 85 degree heat. Plus I can bike to work in about 3 minutes.

The rest of this week and next my middle school students are studying for a big English test and finals at their regular school. So this Thursday, next Tuesday and Thursday I only have to teach for 1.5 hours! I dont know what I will do with all that free time. Perhaps I will read the new free Twilight book online!

teaching highs and lows

I'm home from Monday work. Monday's are my busiest day, I have four classes, three full of NAUGHTY BOYS! They constantly talk, get out of their seats and yell. Constantly! It's so draining. They don't listen to me, they don't listen when others are talking and I spend half the class asking them to sit down and be quiet. I've tried separating them but the classrooms aren't that big. They're driving me craaaazy! Luckily my other four days of teaching are basically stress-free. I was very worried about my middle school class that I'm teaching without a Korean co-teacher, but every class gets better. At least the kids listen and are quiet, even if they are shy, but they are starting to open up. Each class they decide to like me a little more, haha! I do give them candy, that might have something to do with it...
Tomorrow night we are going to the manmade lake to see the fountain show with music and lights! I'm super excited about it, I'll post pics as soon as I can!

more mountains and the world cup

The pictures above are from a park in Changwon called Yongji Lake. It's a huge man made lake with a big fountain in the middle. At night the fountains dance to music and there's a light show! I plan to go this week some night. There's a small mountain at this park that is good for hiking, it has trails, not just steps straight up to the top! Also at the park was a group of people spread out playing some sort of small instrument, it was very odd. The first picture is a couple playing the instruments, its not a great picture because I didnt want to be too obvious and embarrass them!We also went to this huge round about in the center of the city where a stage was set up and there were some performers, singers and drummers. They are showing the World Cup tonight outside on a giant TV, its the first Korea game. There were tents everywhere selling Korea World Cup shirts and everyone was in an excited mood. Many of the stores and all the bars were closed today. It's very unlike the US where people go to bars to watch games. Here it seems people stay home or were getting together in the roundabout to watch it on huge tvs. It's a good way to bring the whole city together.

On Friday, my neighbor and I walked to the library where there supposedly are english books. I couldn't find any,but I am going to ask my director at school what floor they are on. So we kept walking and ended up climbing a mountain right in the middle of the city! The pictures above are from the top. We tried out all the excercise equipment too.

Things are still going well, work was better this week than last. I really like the kids and they seem to like me back.

More later!

Observations, thoughts and feelings so far

Random things I've observed, thought or felt so far-
1) Driving in Korea is DANGEROUS. Walking in Korean traffic is even more DANGEROUS. There are many intersections with no stop signs or traffic lights, its just a free for all. Parking is the same, people park their cars either way on both sides of the street. I can't figure out any rhyme or reason to it so I just try to stay out of the way.
2) People mostly ignore me on the streets. Sometimes children or teenagers say hello, but other than that, ignored.
3) Koreans serve pickles with many kinds of food, even pizza. They come on the side and are delicious, but still, pickles and pizza?
4) It is illegal not to have a job in Korea. So there are tons of family run restaurants, I think people just open restaurants if they can't find a job.
5) I feel very safe here. Crime is very low, I think the major problem is petty crimes which is why I have bars on my windows.
6) The children in my classes have been fascinated by my freckles! One class was even afraid so I chased them around and told them I'd rub my freckles on them if they were bad. Apparently it was the funniest thing they ever heard!
7) I really love teaching so far. It's not stressful and I just feel generally happier at school than any other job I've had. All the Korean teachers have been incredibly helpful and kind.
8) Sophie is the best dog ever. I know, I know, but she is. She's adjusted just fine.
9) I feel like I've been here a long time already, I haven't really felt homesick at all, but I can't imagine I won't feel it sooner or later.
10) Most things here are SO CHEAP! A bottle of water costs 350 won, which is about 30 cents USD. I can get a whole delicious pizza for about $5. It's very reasonable for me to spend only about $400 a month for all living expenses.
11) It is not unusual to see people out picnicing or exercising late at night. Last night at about 11:30 I saw many people running, doing sit ups (all the parks have exercise equipment) and eating together outside
12) You can buy beer in a two liter plastic bottle. Best idea ever!
So, so far so good. Last Saturday we went to a beach in the city of Busan. It took us a little less than an hour by bus and subway. There were tons of foreigners there! Lots of white faces everywhere you look. It was a typical US beach town with tourist traps and all the restaurants and stores had English speaking workers and the signs were in English. There was even a Friday's and Bennigans! It was like being home. I think I like Changwon better because I am much more immersed in the culture. Not many people but the children speak English and I like it that way!
I do miss everyone, I am just so glad that I have settled in so comfortably!

first day

So I am home from my first day of teaching! I think it went well. I had a class of four 12 year olds and a class of five 14-16 year olds. The older kids are definately more challenging. I'm teaching a class that is typically only taught by Korean teachers. The school is putting a lot of faith in me, I hope I can deliver results!
In apartment news, I have to turn on a heater to have warm water. If I fail to turn it off, it warms the floors of my apartment. Weeellll, today I left the heater on and went to work. I was gone for 11 hours and when I came home it was about 100 degrees in my apartment. I took off my shoes and the floor was firey hot! Poor Sophie was panting and at first I didnt understand what happened, but now I know. I will never make that mistake again!
And I can't figure out how to turn on my stove. So I can't cook the food I bought today.
Eggs in Korea are not kept in a cooler, it sort of freaks me out, but I guess when chickens lay eggs they are not cold. Who knows? I'll find out if I get food poisoning!
More on teaching later...

apartment living

The bathroom. As you can see there is not enough room for me to stand in between the wall and the sink, so I have to hold the sprayer and shower. It's really not terrible, except when I dont pay attention and spray all the walls and toliet and toliet paper with water!

I was so lucky to get a queen bed! I couldnt really find a comforter that was reasonably priced, so this blanket works for now, but it's a twin I think.

No closets but the girl before me left these bars, without them I'm not sure what I would do! That door is into the bathroom, behind it is my refrigerator and TV (which has no channels right now)

Kitchen. This is it. no stove, no microwave, no counter space. But it's big enough. The white thing is the washer, no dryers in Korea! Directly across from this counter is the door to get in.

Oh, and McDonald's delivers here. It's kind of awesome.

More pics to come!

Climbing Mountains

So when I thought I was climbing a mountain this morning, I thought it would be a winding trail up a mountain, right? NOPE. It was literally a path straight up a mountain! Straight up. seriously. Sometimes there were wooden steps to help with the steepness, but they don't really help. And it was hot today, so I whined a lot. I honestly didnt think I'd make it all the way, but I did! And so did Sophie, of course, because she's a champ and I'm a baby. At the top of the mountain was a bunch of exercise equipment, including pull up bars, parallel bars and hula hoops. yes, hula hoops. We were passed while walking up the trail by many Koreans wearing work slacks and carrying lunch bags. So they climb a mountain at lunch, barely breaking a sweat, eat, then climb back down and continue working! That's their secret, the reason they are slim and healthy! One older man at the top of the mountain was gesturing that he wanted to pet Sophie, so he started petting her than patted her sides and made a spoon into the mouth motion. I thought he wanted to eat her, but I guess he was telling me she was fat. Nice.

For dinner we went to a restaurant where you actually cook your meat over a fire in the center of the table. It was pretty awesome and very tasty. We also went to McDonalds and got 30 cent ice cream cones, everything is super cheap here. The steaks were only $7.

So far so good, I'm happy here and I feel comfortable. People are not staring at me like I thought they would, it seems I'm blending right in.