Wednesday, November 18, 2009

And it begins.

Well my friends, be glad...be VERY glad that I resisted the urge to blog about my first few days in South Korea. For the sake of catching everyone up and not wanting to forget any of my experiences, let me say that they were a rough few days.

It was hard enough leaving mom, dad, sibs, and friends. Getting out of the airport went relatively smoothly with the small exception of my driver being late and me having to hang out at the airport for about an hour. It took two hours by car to drive from Incheon airport to Pyeongtaek. My roommate (a BOY roommate - what a surprise to me) was out of town in Seoul for the weekend so I was unceremoniously plopped down into my apartment by the owner of my school, and told to be at school on Monday. The second that door closed behind him, I just about lost my mind. I tried to unpack - the light in my room was out. It was dark outside so i had just enough dim light from the hallway to find my pjs and my picture frames. I tried to plug in a electricity adaptor so I could get online and I promptly electrocuted myself. No joke, by that time i was pretty much in hysterics. I can laugh about it now. Kind of. Like I said, my roommate was out of town from the time i got in at 6:00 pm saturday until about 6:30 or so on Sunday....So I spent that time alone. In my apartment. Terrified to go out of the apartment. Not able to speak a word of Korean. oh, and hungry. I didn't want to eat any of his food without asking so i put a huge dent in my granola bar stash.

So things were bad. real bad. I just felt so out of control. I couldn't change anything or do anything for myself....i don't like feeling that way. For the longest time I couldn't, or didn't want to rather, talk to anyone from home because I would start to cry the second i saw their faces over the webcam and wouldn't stop until 20 minutes after I got off the computer. I was a Hot Buttered Moist and Red Mess for the first three days straight.

As surprised as i was to find out that i had him, my roommate seems great. His name is Chris, he's from Seattle, 23 and attractive ( I add this part for any of my single girl friends. I have already been asked for this information by several of you) He has been really helpful in showing me or telling me where to eat/shop/ catch a bus or taxi....really the only negative comment I have about him, is that he likes country music. Blugh. And he's not david. ( I couldn't help myself)

Obviously, life here is starting to take shape. I don't think my homesickness is ever going to go away, my nights are still really rough, but there is a lot to distract me during the days...and I am starting to feel like i can get around and take a little control of my life. I used the bus today for the first time. the 2-2 takes me from the school i work at to my apartment and it takes me by some really interesting parts of the city!

Ah, my school. Little Crispin school for language. There is an interesting topic. The school itself is the fourth floor of a building in a relatively nice part of town. Its hard to qualify what is "nice" in Pyeongtaek, as everything is covered in the same posters and looks a little "busy." There are only 6 very small classrooms, but it really seems cozy and eclectic with bright colors and oddly shaped rooms. The director Kiana just quit. Which is terrible, because all of the teachers, students, and parents love her...the scuttlebutt is that she doesn't agree with the tactics of Ryan ( the owner of Little Crispin and the very same guy who dropped me in my apartment with little to no information and advice.) Im pretty sad to see her go. When she found out that I was feeling so bad, she took me out during the school day to help me buy towels, show me the city, and she even bought me a "learning Korean for children" book. When she found out that I liked the Korean tangerines and the seasoned potato dish that they serve at the school she put like 10 tangerines and a bag of the potatoes in my bag. So Kiana told us that she may be around for a day, a week, a month - she really didn't know. Another kicker - is that the school may be closing. See, unlike a lot of the Hogwans ( private language schools ) Little Crispin is a really nice school. From what I have heard, many Hogwans are run by glorified slumlords who pay teachers next to nothing and squeeze in a lot of students to bump up revenue. The cost to keep little Crispin running with all their science experiments, specialized workbooks, and other activities must be ridiculous. I was actually hired to allow the school to open up another classroom and bring in more students and thus more revenue, however with Kiana gone, everything seems a little tenuous. I can tell you one thing: if this school closes I am G.O.N.E. I can see myself settling in at Little Crispin - the other teachers are so nice and the students are amazing so I could find myself happy here but I will flat out refuse to look for anther post. If I changed schools I would have to go through the visa process again, change apartments, possibly have to change cities? No. just. No.

So....now you are all filled in. thats what I know. I guess from now on I will talk about all the little things that are odd or cool here.

1. Being White. Man, I never thought of that as a point of interest....but here? I am like a freaking rock star. Kids at my apartment complex stare at me wide eyed like I am the boogey man. When I say "HI!" they back away and stammer out a "hi" back. Moms poke their little kids when they see me on the street in order to talk to me and practice their English skills. My roommate Chris told me that I would have to wear headphones if I want any peace from that. When I went grocery shopping at the grocery store across the parking lot of my apartment a worker kept following me around the store until i got to the freezer section where he obviously finally got up enough courage to ask "I hep you?" I can't wear my hair down anymore. Some children at my school asked me why my hair was "yellow." Whaaaaaaaat? Never in my American life have I been considered a blonde. I guess my hair is the lightest that they have encountered and they just want to touch it all the time!

2. The water tastes like Dis. Gust. Ing. You CAN drink it. I asked before I brushed my teeth, but it tastes really gross- sort of metallic. Fortunately, there are like five taps of fresh clean spring water in the park across from my apartment so Chris and I fill up large water bottles to keep in the fridge for drinking.

3. Eggs. Koreans don't refrigerate Eggs -I can't tell you why, but it freaked me out when I went to the store and they were just chilling (not literally) in the middle of the store near the sweet potatoes. Also, their yolks are bright orange. Not yellow, not yellow orange....ORANGE. Bordering on Brown orange. I try not to look at my plate as i eat. Oh, Quail eggs are no big deal here. You can buy them anywhere and they cost next to nothing.

4. Floor heat. I LOVE this concept. At school, i have taken to sitting on the floor while I teach. Its like this cool way to heat in a really efficient way. On this note -

5. Buildings are not heated. None. Stores, apartments, shops, and schools are heated, but only once you are inside. Its hard for me to explain, but lobbies, stairwells, elevators, and hallways are not heated. I really dislike this concept. When i walk in my apartment building I have to keep my coat on until I get into my apartment itself.

Okay, its 6:50 - I have spent over an hour on this....so I am going to stop for now. Pardon the grammar and spelling. I just want to get this stuff out before i forget and before dinner. ( potatoes and rice )I love you all. I miss you all.

Anne


3 comments:

  1. annie bannanie: I promise it will get better. Just think, in a few months you will look back on your first few days and laugh...I know I did. muchos besos y abrazos desde Ecuador! love, e.Lo

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