Gees, I've been here for two weeks already! They really have flown past. First off I was jetlagged for a good week while I was trying to adjust to a new country, culture, job environment, occupation, language barrier and a whole host of new realities. I got a bit sick too, as I expected I would. But all in all I have enjoyed my first few weeks here and feel as if I am settling into my new environment. Today I bought a laptop, so for the first time I can write an entry in the more comfy environment of my apartment, which I must say is pretty nice. It is a studio apartment, but spacious with a nice bathroom. Plus it's nice and toasty... outside is cold as heck at the moment but with the underfloor heating in the apartments you would never know. So yes, today I bought myself a laptop. That very event was an adventure in itself. I have been advised by a number of foreign teachers that the best place to do this would be at a place called Yongsin, a district of Seoul. At the train station there is a huge (and I mean huge) electronics store. It has 7 levels or something, and comprises every gadget imaginable. When I have some more cash I'll go back again and see what else I can find myself. But the aim today was simply to get a cheap laptop. I set myself a limit of 200,000 Won (about 200 U.S Dollars) and haggled with the guy behind the counter until he sold me one for that price (he initally wanted 290,000 Won for the only laptop I could afford, so I think I did well. Okay, so a laptop purchasing story is not the most interesting in the world, but this trip was my first shopping visit to Seoul. I can see myself spending a lot of time there in the future. At this one area next to the train station every conceivable type of shop, restaurant and activity was at hand, and everything was extremely vibrant and advanced. Seoul is definitely where the party is at... Incheon, where I stay, is fine enough but I can see why people are drawn towards Seoul. Luckily for me it's only an hour or so away on the subway and closer I believe by bus. I have yet to use the bus system because I'm frankly a bit scared I'll get lost and will need someone to hold my hand when I do so. The subway system seems to be more user friendly for us English folk. There is an English option when you buy your ticket at the machine, and there are English translations on most signs and on the speakers when you arrive at each stop. Coming from a country where the public transport system is virtually non existent it is a pleasure to be in a country with such an efficient transport network that makes getting from A to B very swift. It's clean too.
I have been at my school for almost two weeks. I am now on vacation for the week, which actually works out quite nicely. Everything has been pretty hectic the last weeks so having a week to chill is welcome. I might do a bit of exploring if I feel upto it. Although it is freaking cold out there. The snow from last week is still frozen in place and I'm currently walking around town as slowly as possible to avoid slipping onto my behind or worse. As for the school itself, I feel like I am fitting in and getting the hang of this teaching thing. I taught for the first time about a week ago. The first class I took was very scary, since I had never been in charge of a classroom before. I got into my stride eventually though and after a few more classes I started to feel much more comfortable in charge of my classes. It seems as though making the classes fun (mainly to keep the kids awake) but making it clear that I'm in charge at the same time is the best way to go about it. I really like the kids that come to the school. They are mostly super friendly and apparently pretty excited about meeting a forienger in the flesh. They are very creative, especially when it comes to drawing. Some of the artwork hey come up with is very impressive considering their age... they are around 9-11 mostly I think, although they count birthdays a bit differently here so it gets confusing. Some of them have a very dry (and at times dark) sense of humour. Their English level is quite limited on the whole, but when you see them start to understand something it can be quite rewarding, and by the time they have finished their time at the school for the week they have definitely improved their English and hopefully will push on from there.
I have been pathetic when it comes to taking photos since I've been here... this is mostly due to the fact that I don't have a usb cable for my camera. When I get that I'll start to take more pics and upload them. I borrowed a co-worker's camera and took a few photos to upload online to prove I was here and alive. Here's a pretty cool one of me and one of my classes (note the peace sign... it's the in thing for photos here). I will take more photos of everything here soon and put them on this blog, if just to make it more visually stimulating.
Hope you are all well! I'll check in again soon with more.
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