It's been a while, but here's a little update on life so far in Seoul

Sorry I haven't bee keeping this up to date, like I said I would, but work has kept me busy and I haven't had the energy to write much.

Let me tell you a little about my experience so far. To some of you, this might seem like I am covering some things over again, but this is what it's been like since the beginning.

Life I Korea has been awesome and I have learned a lot so far about the culture, the way of life and the people. Some good and some bad.

Let's start with my arrival. Here's a little of what I have been up to since I arrived and how my transition has been:

When I got here, the school set me up in a hostel for 2 weeks. I got here and started orientation before my apartment was ready. So the first two weeks were training at my Hagwan (a Hagwan is a private school). It is a school with 10 teachers and 6 were leaving and 6 were starting. When I got here, it was super cold and the ride from the airport was shocking. It was hard to believe I came here. Everything looked so foreign. The first thing I noticed were the crosses everywhere. Korea has a huge Christian population and there are churches everywhere marked by glowing red crosses. Everywhere I could see was a cross. It was a very comforting feeling. Here I was, completely on my own and yet, to my surprise, I felt comforted by His presence. I didn't imagine it would be like this.

After my first two weeks, I moved into my small studio apartment. Most apartments are small and mine is no exception. I have everything I need though. There are some things I miss (like a shower not in the middle of the bathroom) but I have gotten used to it. I live in an apartment building where all of my other teachers live. The school owns it, so it's nice being close to everyone. I don't feel like I am going through this alone.

On to work. My job consists of me working from 9:00 am till 6:30 and on Thursday i work till 7:00. I have kindergarten in the morning from 9:30 till 12:30. I have nine kids in my class, seven boys and 2 girls. They are second year kinder, so they have some foundation of English. They can read and write and speak a little. I don’t think I could have handled any younger than the seven year-olds I have. It is basically a normal kinder class. I do the calendar with them, the weather, shapes, colors, vocabulary, etc. I also work with them on Phonics, Math, Language, and a course called Orda (which is just puzzle solving). I have them until lunch at 12:30. From there, I have an hour break and I come back and teach a special activity. It’s an hour long and I teach art to all the other second year classes. After another break, I have a class on Monday, Wednesday and Friday that’s a special reading class for Kinder and on Tuesdays and Thursdays, another reading class. My late afternoon classes are for older kids, around 10-13 years-old. So that’s my work. I don’t do any of the planning, because they have a curriculum and lesson plan already established. I have a Korean partner teacher who takes care of all of that. Sometimes we don’t see eye-to-eye, and the Korean “ways” get to me, but we get along for the most part. It’s hard to describe how that is, but lets just say that they can be quite stubborn and set in their ways. I work long days, but my pay is worth it. I am one of the highest paying Hagwans in Seoul and it really helps with paying my bills back home.

Life her has been great outside of work. After work, I am usually pretty tired to do much. I try to find time during the week to get out a bit, but it’s been hard lately cause of the weather. I hope that will change as it gets warmer. On the weekends, it’s go, go, go. I try to do as much as I can and see as much as I can. The city is completely fascinating and there is always something to see. The pictures on my Facebook profile show a little of what I have been doing. I have also met some really cool Korean friends here, through an old college buddy, and we have become fast friends. They really show me how their lives here are. We do things like bowl, go to arcades, go to bars and play pool, darts etc. It’s just a lot of hanging out and talking. They have been great. This weekend they are taking me to a baseball game here and that should be fun.

I won’t lie, it’s really strange living here and it is taking some time to get used to. Some days I feel like I am dreaming and I am gonna wake up and this will all be some strange dream. When I see things like people eating pigs feet or silk-worm larva, I think to myself, “This can’t be real. I can’t really be here.” Never in my wildest dreams did I picture coming to a place like this. With that being said, I love it. I wouldn’t trade it in for the world. I look forward to the day when I can actually start my traveling and seeing more of Asia. At this point, I don’t think I will be heading home for good until I can see all I possibly can. I don’t know if I’ll ever get this opportunity again, and I would be dumb not to take advantage of it.

So, enough for now. It's late and I need to go to bed. Thank you all for your prayers and your kind words. I miss you all.

Couples in Korea

Fun fact about couples here: They do EVERYTHING together. And by this, I mean that they buy couples sweatshirts, couples shoes, they have couples restaurants, they wear couples rings, etc. The guys also carry their girlfriend's purse for them wherever they go. It's super ridiculous. It's like they are trying to rub it in everybody's face, that they have a significant other and you don't. You'll never catch me carrying my girlfriend's purse, EVER.

Night 3 in Seoul

So, for the passed couple of days I have been able to get a grasp on what life will be like here. I have been at the school, observing classes and meeting the students. So far, it is great. I love it. Yesterday I spent the day at the school with the 7 and 8 year olds and their classes. I was partnered up with a teacher who is leaving at the end of the month and he has kinda been showing me the ropes. It looks like school will be a challenge, but the kids are freakin adorable, and I have been schooled on what a Tiger Mom is. They are crazy! They are so wealthy and have nothing to do in their spare time except for shopping and keeping up with their kids. They control everything in their kid's lives. I am extremely shocked at how hard they push their kids. At one point, the teacher wanted to show me what their daily lives were like so he went around the room asking students what they did all day. For example, an 8 year-old student goes to elementary school from 9-1 in the afternoon. After that, they go to swim class, then our school, then to violin practice, then to math school, and possibly art school. They are in class ALL day long! They don't get done till around 9 at night. It's crazy! In one of the classes, every student was wearing glasses. I asked why and my partner teacher said it was probably cause they strain their eyes from looking at school work all day. They also go home and study and get about 5 hours of sleep (if they are lucky). I couldn't believe it. I heard their work ethic is so high because their country was completely destroyed after the Korean War and they had to build up from nothing. The parents push and push and push their kids to succeed.

Aside from school, I have been able to experience a bit of the culture. Last night some of my new friends took me to Gyeongbokgung Palace in the heart of Seoul. It is an amazing place and looks especially beautiful lit up at night. After taking some pictures and exploring, we all went to a Korean BBQ joint. What a cool experience. The food was great except I was not able to stomach the Kim Chi. It was just too spicy.

Today was spent in class again and tomorrow I get to meet my new student's moms, which should be interesting. I hope to make a good impression, and will let you all know how it goes.

Keep checking back because I am trying to upload a video on what my apartment looks like if this site will ever let me. In the meantime, here are some photos of last night.

My Journey Begins

Sitting in a hotel while I count down the hours till my first trip to the far East. It has been a long, hard week of preparation. While I am excited to start this new chapter of my life, I am also sad to leave a life I have grown so accustomed to. The Central Coast can be a very nice place to live and a very difficult place to leave. So as I sit here, wondering what this trip has in store for me, know that I will miss all of you very much. I am leaving behind a lot of good friends and a wonderful family. Though, I am sure I'll be back... we always are. Until then, I will be posting pictures, video and stories about my trips. I hope you find them to be as exciting as I do.