Smooth Sailin'

I have officially been here two weeks and fortunately haven’t had any emotional breakdowns…yet. I know I keep saying this but I still can’t seem to get the grip that I am going to be here for a YEAR! I told my dad I was about 2 weeks in and he goes “Well you have about 50 more to go!”.

I am really surprised I have had such a good attitude about everything. It usually doesn’t take long for me to not like something and in my past short visits to Korea, I would have been wanting to catch the next flight home by the first few days. I am not sure if it is because of the city I am in or the excitement of it all, but I have a lot more tolerance for it all now. I have never lived in New York City, but if I ever did, this is what I would envision it to be minus the Korean language everywhere and the fish cakes on a stick. I love the city lights, the fashion, back to back little shops, and being close to just about anything I would ever need. I am not going to get ahead of myself because I am prepared for it all to hit me at once and sure enough I will be calling a few of you crying how much I miss home. Haha, but let’s hope it takes me awhile to get to that point or hopefully never to that extreme!

One thing I am going to master when I get back to the states is my walking aggressiveness. I am going to come back as one mean walking machine. It’s like playing the game chicken when walking on the streets here. You will be coming HEAD ON with the person coming towards you and technically you both are supposed to get out of each other’s way which would be the courteous thing to do! But in Korea, no matter what, it is YOU that better get out because sure enough, they are not backing down on the walking chicken race. I have had quite a few people shoo me to go the other way around them as if I------- am the one that is supposed to move around them. So needless to say, I have become quite aggressive and have been winning at a few of these walking chicken races. Anyone who doesn’t move when they are walking towards me might just get a slight elbow jab in the chest. :-)

Last Friday my coworkers took me out to dinner close by my apartment to an area called “Meat Street”. Appetizing sounding, I know. Haha, but it really is delicious! It is basically a long street filled with restaurants that allow you to cook your own meat. It is basically like your own bbq. The meat is always seasoned perfectly. There are always anywhere from two to twelve side dishes included that are called (banchan) that make the meal all well worth the money. I found out more about my co-workers which was really nice. They told me more about the school and the Korean culture and the things they have learned so far while they have been here. They decided to take me out to a few places to have a few drinks and do some dancing. The night turned out to be very fun. I discovered where all the foreigners were hiding out at in the city of Ilsan, and that is… the bars. One thing that I absolutely LOVE about Korea so far is the fact that you don’t tip here! When they tell you your meal is 14,000 won (roughly $14), then it is ONLY 14,000 won. Same for a drink, taxi cab, and delivery. It is amazing and extremely convenient for me and my wallet!

Today was my first day of having the class as my own official class. I am still getting used to how to teach the language and trying to figure out what my students are capable of. I know I will get used to it, but it is stressful wondering if you are doing something right. The school doesn’t give us much direction on how to teach. They just want us to make sure we are teaching them English! My Korean co-teacher, Sonny, just always stresses that all teachers basically need to do is make sure the kids are having fun as well. I may be rusty at teaching the students, but I do know how to goof around and have fun so no problems in that area. Here are a few pictures of my little kiddies!




I recently found out that all the parents pay about 1,000,000 won (roughly $1,000) a month for their little 6-14 year old to learn English. I can’t imagine paying that much till they were ready to go to college and then paying for the college tuition as well! It just gives you idea how much people value education here. I have another Korean teacher named Rebecca, who is looking to further her education in America. When I asked her what city she would like to move in she said her lifelong dream has been to move to New York City ever since she started watching Friends. She explained to me that she dreams about living in this city because of the sitcom and learned a large majority of her English because of the show! It was funny to hear how she has been inspired by this show and cute at the same time. The even funnier part is she probably has the best English from a Korean I have heard since I have been here. Thank you “Friends”.