One week in

Today is technically my 8th day in South Korea, though it already feels like I've been here far longer. I am happily set-up in my very cute Suwon digs, complete with a yellow pleather futon, a separate shower (most here have a shower attached to the sink and a communal drain, so I'm very fortunate to have this Western comfort), a double bed, and two hot plates. I have already become a master at the hot plates, since I still have no idea what to order in the restaurants, and don't want to do anything customarily offensive or stupid. I will be eating in these restaurants for a year, so I've only entered two with people who know what they're doing. So far I've had the beef and pork equivalents of what we call Korean bbq in the States, but actually have distinct names here depending upon what meat it is you're eating, and restaurants will serve only one style or the other. And oh my stars, both meals were absolutely delicious. And there's still so much more to try!

It is hot. And it's not nearly as hot now as it's going to be in July and August when the temperature will be in the mid to high 80's with humidity from hell. It should also rain quite a bit in July, so that will be interesting. I'm from California where we don't actually have "seasons" or "weather changes", so it will be fun to experience them.

I am in awe of my fellow teachers here at my hogwan, as well as the students. Koreans have an exceptional work ethic, and it is understood that you work very long hours and that's just the way life is. Teachers at my school work 6 days a week, Monday through Saturday, typically from 2pm until 11pm, but most come in earlier and stay later. Kids come here to the English school right after regular school and classes for all ages (elementary to high school age) run until 10:40pm. Some of the high school students stay as late as 1:00am if they're struggling in an area or didn't pass an exam. It's an amazing thing to witness. English schools are big business here, and I'm blessed to be at one of the largest and most established. Many open and close very quickly, and there are lots of "scam artists" who pretend to be skilled teachers, but are only native speakers with no credentials, and they open schools to make a fast buck. There have been and continue to be aggressive efforts to close these places down, but even well-qualified schools can still close quickly since there are so many private English learning schools to choose from. There have been cases of teachers moving to Korea, only to find that the school that hired them closes its doors soon after. My school has been around for about 20 years, so there's no danger of that.

As for my position, I don't have the same workload as the Korean teachers. I pop into their classes on a rotating schedule and using the materials created by my school, I speak English with them and encourage them to speak and to write as much as possible. So far, I've found it to be really enjoyable, particularly since I'm so accustomed to American students who are far less, shall we say, "motivated" to learn and are perhaps maybe, um, less "well-behaved". In short, I'm already in love with them. And with the teachers, who are an amazing group of women.

I haven't met many Westerners yet, but am looking forward to going to a large English speaking church that is located in Suwon and in my neighborhood. Apparently, people commute from Seoul and other areas to get there, so I'm very fortunate that it's walking distance from me. Can't wait to experience that. Here's the link if you want to take a look at it: http://www.lifechurch.co.kr/

I will post the measly few pictures I've taken here in a little while - I'm composing this from school from a different computer. I have always been hopeless when it comes to remembering to take pictures of things, but there are so many things I want to share, so I will try to be more diligent. Nay, I WILL be more diligent! This is my solemn vow.