Visiting the Capital of the Silla Kingdom

Long before there was Korea there were three different kingdoms in the region that the North and South Koreans now call home: The Goguryeo to the north, the Baekje to the southwest, and the Silla (pronounced she-lah), which existed from 57 BC - 935 AD, in the middle. Lucky for us, the capital of the Silla, Gyeongju, is a thriving city about 2 hours away from Andong. Even luckier, Sara and I were sent there for a conference on co-teaching last weekend. And I will never turn down a some-expenses-paid vacation.

The conference was fun, but nothing special. It was very similar to orientation in many ways, except that I was able to be there with my co-teacher, which was more fun than helpful. It's good to teach with someone you can call your friend, and not just a colleague. For more details on the conference itself, see Sara's blog (anythingbutsquid.blogspot.com). The conference itself lasted a mere day and a half until Friday afternoon, so Sara and I, along with our good friend Katie, decided to stay in Gyeongju for the remainder of the weekend.

Everything in Korea is old, but Gyeongju is really old. And it's obvious. But it certainly hasn't escaped modernization. For example, outside of our conference hotel room was a view of the stunning Gyeongju Tower, an observation tower in the middle of the Gyeongju Cultural Expo Center.

Though we didn't get to go up in it this time around, it was still cool to see.

While downtown Gyeongju looks basically like every other city in Korea, the one thing that is stunningly unique about this place is the mounds. Oh boy do they have mounds.And mounds.Mounds and mounds of mounds.

What are these oddly shaped hills you say? They are the tombs of literally hundreds of Silla Kingdom kings, queens, and dignitaries. And they were EVERYWHERE. You could not turn a corner in Gyeongju without stumbling head over heals into a giant heap of tombs. Some are more culturally important than others, but they are all equally impressive. What's more, it was all me, Sara, and our friend Katie (pictured above) could do to not run up them and roll down like giddy 4th graders.

Aside from the mounds of kings, there were also mounds with trees.Mounds you could go in.
And mounds you couldn't.
The ones above are the tombs of the founder and first king of the Silla Kingdom as well as the 2nd, 3rd, and 5th kings of the Silla Kingdom. No word on where the 4th king ended up, but in Korea, if they don't talk about it, it can't be pretty.

After Sara, Katie and I were finished investigating all of the tombs, our friend Andrew showed up and we all rented bikes, a popular way to travel around Gyeongju.Our first stop was to Gyeongju's national museum, which was small and unimpressive, but entrance was free so I can't complain. The buildings were certainly cool.
It was also fully equipped for the handicapped, old, and WEAK. I was pretty tired from all that biking. Does that count?After that we stopped off at Anapji pond, which is a man made pond formerly used as a leisure spot by the Silla royalty. Like nearly every important, historical, and beautiful building in Korea, most of the buildings there were destroyed long ago by numerous invasions by the Japanese.
After a long day of biking, we sampled one of the other fine things Gyeongju has going for it.You can sit at home and talk about how you could live without McDonald's all you want, but spend 7 months of your life without a hint of authentic western food, let alone a decent cheeseburger, and then we'll talk. I had McDonald's 3 times in the span of two days, and I don't regret it one bit. My only regret is that we didn't get to visit the Gyeongju KFC.

On our last day in town, Andrew, Katie, Sara and I decided to trek out to the must-not-miss Bulkuksa Temple and Seokguram. The former is considered the No. 1 historical and scenic site in Korea by the Korean government. It was certainly beautiful and scenic, but it was also marred by more tourists than I've seen anywhere in Korea.
The temple wasn't terribly different from many others I've seen before, including in Andong, but it was nestled nicely into a mountain, away from the hustle and bustle of the city. And while there were a lot of people (including screaming children) it was still a peaceful and beautiful place to spend the afternoon.
It was especially nice to see it in the fall, since all of the leaves in Korea are now bursting into full color.
Our last stop, Seokguram, is a very old Buddhist grotto which contains an enormous statue of Buddha built into the mountain. Built in the 8th century, it has stood the test of time and now stands as a great monument to Buddhist culture in Korea and around the world. Since we aren't allowed to take pictures of the actual Buddha, I am borrowing this picture from Wikipedia to give you a good view.

Upon leaving the grotto, visitors are met with a spectacular view of the East Sea (Sea of Japan), which was a great site to see right before leaving Gyeongju. It is a good reminder for me that I need to return to this beautiful city.

Youngnam

Youngnam Elementary School is a very different environment than my 4 day a week school. It is 6 times larger and much, much busier. I go there on Tuesday, my busiest day, and teach 6 straight classes, at the end of which I am exhausted and ready to quit teaching all together. It's not that I have a terrible time there, it's just that teaching elementary school kids for 6 straight hours can really drag on you.

Negatives
The size of my secondary school is undoubtedly its biggest downfall. Because there are so many students, I am constantly mobbed, surrounded, attacked, shouted at, and sometimes even harassed by students who are downright dumbfounded to see a foreigner in their territory.

Also because it's so large, the teachers are very busy. Yet for reasons that I cannot figure out, I am asked not to prepare a lesson. Each week I am supposed to assist the Korean teacher by helping with their lesson plans. Initially, the arrangement was set up so that the Korean teacher would start class for 5 minutes, I would be given 25 minutes to teach the lesson and play a game, then the Korean teacher would review and end the lesson with the last 10 minutes. Unfortunately, it doesn't work out that way. Instead, the teachers usually come into the classroom with either a lesson plan that is mostly in Korean or no lesson plan at all. And since none of them really speak more than 10 words of English, they have a very hard time trying to explain to me what they want. Usually, they just say, "Ok, you teach now!" As if I'm some kind of teaching cyborg that can fly by the seat of my pants for 6 hours.

Positives
I have to say, I don't always enjoy my time at Youngnam. It is exhausting and the students literally never leave me alone (even if I want to get a drink or go to the bathroom). But there are some shining moments in the darkness. I teach three 3rd grade classes and three 4th grade classes, so I am able to teach essentially the same thing a few times in a row. This allows me to improve it and refine it, and makes me feel accomplished at the end of the day.

Positive number two is a little girl in my 3rd hour class. She's a 3rd grader, and every time she's in my classroom, she stares at me until I look at her, at which time she reveals a giant, adorable smile that makes my day every time. To make it better, she waits until everyone is gone at the end of class and comes up to me with one of her friends to remind me that they love me. So cute!

Positive number three is the food. I don't know what it is, but the food at Youngnam is just fantastic. It always tastes fresh, they give me the perfect amount, and it is very rarely something that I just don't like. I know this has nothing to do with teaching, but it is one of the better aspects of my second school.

Closing
And that's all I have to say about them. Youngnam is a good school with a dedicated and talented staff. Unfortunately, I'm not there enough to ever get totally used to the environment, and as a result am usually tossed around a bit between the teachers, who aren't quite sure how to handle my presence either. But damn...they serve some good bulgogi.

Teachering

We're now nearly three months into my first year as a teacher, and for those who are wondering, I think I've gotten the hang of it. It's obvious to me that every single teaching job, even in the same school and grade, is so vastly different that they never match up perfectly. One teacher can never be compared to another and every situation is unique in both positive and negative ways. My next two posts will deal with this issue in my two schools. Here are the negatives and positives of working in a small school like Dongbu.
Negatives
Because Dongbu is so very tiny (about 140 studnents), I am only able to use each lesson plan I make once. This means that lesson planning can be harder for me because I have to make sure it's perfect the very first time. I don't have the luxury or experimentation or guinnea pig classes, since I only see each class once or twice a week. Even if I do see them twice a week, the lesson has to be new each time. This is a challenge that I accept, since I think that teaching the same lesson over and over can be boring. But it is also very difficult since I need my lesson to go flawlessly on the first run without any sort of rehearsel. I can say that it does not always go that way.

The other major drawback is that I am the only full-time English teacher. Most other schools in Andong have several Korean English teachers and one native English teacher. This allows the other foreigners to spend more time planning and preparing with their co-teachers, since none of them have homerooms to manage. At Dongbu, all of my co-teachers are also homeroom teahers. HB teaching 5th and 6th grade with me, but he is also the 6th grade homeroom teacher. Mrs. Lee teaches 4th grade, and Mr. Kwan teaches 3rd grade. This leaves precious few moments in which to talk with them about lessons, and pretty much leaves me on my own when I have to plan one. This also means that when they prepare a lesson, I usually find out about it at the start of that class. It can be very hectic, and also very lonely, since they are teaching their classes most of the day while I am alone in my office.
Positives
Though the size of my school can be taxing because of lesson planning, it also allows me to bond more with the students. I know the faces of every student in my school, and I have started learning many names (a feat which most of my foreign counterparts will never accomplish). I have a core group of students (mostly 6th graders) who visit me in my classroom during breaks and after school. I don't think I teach them much during this time, but it's still fun to stumble through single-word conversations and see what they've learned since I've been here. They also do me favors like arranging the chairs in my classroom for the next lesson and the occassional shoulder rub, which is a real bonus. (Side note: yes, the first time a 6th grade girl started rubbing my shoulders I about peed my pants and ran to the office to tell them I didn't mean it. But I soon learned that this kind of student-teacher interaction is acceptable and common in Korea. It isn't uncommon to see a teacher grab a student and hold him/her tight to their chest for a few moments to calm them down.)

Also because it's small, Dongbu stays out of the lens of the Andong Office of Education a lot of the time. I am sometimes not subject to the politics and policy BS that other foreigners are, and I am eternally grateful for that. While some other foreigners in Andong are never allowed to leave early or just relax for awhile at school, I get a good deal of free time. They also sometimes seem to care more about my needs than my job performance, though I never let that get in the way of being a good teacher.

The school treats me very well and the staff understands that while I am in Korea, I am as much a student as I am a teacher. They are gentle, considerate, and at times forgiving when I do or say something that isn't totally appropriate. They also try their hardest to make me feel at home and help me learn about their culture and language. Yesterday, Mr. Kim (our special education teacher) sat me down on the mats in his classroom and brought out some flash card puzzles with Korean words on them. He taught me the words, then separated the words from the pictures and had me re-join them. I think I owe that kind of treatment to the fact that Dongbu has fewer staff members than the average elementary school classroom has students.

Closing
And these are my currrent thoughts about working in a small school. It can have its drawbacks, but I think the perks outweigh the downfalls. I am very happy to be at Dongbu four days a week and Youngnam only one. More on the situation at Youngnam tomorrow.

(The pictures in this post were taken during my open class, several weeks ago. That's why you can see some of the other teachers in the back of the room watching. We don't usually have an audience like that.)

Thoughts On a Month of Teaching

A new job can be scary for anyone. A new teaching job can be terrifying. A new job teaching in a foreign country where only a handful of people speak your language is downright enough to stop your heart. But here I am, over a month into this new gig, and my heart is still pumping hard. What I've realized now after starting a small handful of new jobs in my life is that there are always people there to help you, and they always understand just how scared you might be. If you get the right group, they will even find ways of harnessing your anxiety into positive energy. At Dongbu Elementary, that's exactly what the students and teachers have done for me.

You might say I got lucky here. I'm at a school with only 150 students, so I have ample opportunity to get to know each and every one of them. I may not know their names, but I recognize them all, and I feel like I've built some lasting bonds with some of the kids already. It's easy to fall in love with a school when the students seem so eager to learn and the staff are so excited by everything I do. If I bring in a chocolate bar from America or show the kids some pictures of my university, everyone is ecstatic. Literally everything I do is a learning experience because I'm so foreign to these kids. And the teachers are so excited to have me that I sometimes think I can do no wrong. Of course, that just motivates me to continue giving them a high caliber of results. I want to impress people every day, and am driven to show my students (and the staff for that matter) that I am excited on a daily basis because of that.

(Unfortunately, lately that has been hard to do. Because of my lingering bronchitis from being sick a few weeks back, the teachers all think I'm very sick and weak. I'm not, but that's hard to explain in a culture where your health is valued above almost everything else. Because I have a raspy voice and nagging cough, the teachers want to give me time to rest. They will sometimes take over more of the class or cut class short. Anyway this is a tangent, let me get back to teaching...)

Yes, I am stuck to the same boring and occasionally downright pitiful curriculum that is provided for all English education here. And yes, sometimes its hard to motivate students when the material is dull or doesn't make as much sense as it should. But finding ways to make that material fun or interesting is the best part of this job. For example, last week after the 5th graders had learned the prepositions on, under, above, inside, between, and next to (after 3 classes), I took the opportunity to teach them parts of speech. What good will random phrases do these kids if they don't understand how English works? So, with a lot of help from my brilliant co-teacher Mr. Choi, we talked about nouns, verbs, and prepositions. Now this week I am devising games to help them understand why they need to know parts of speech.

But none of it would be any fun, or productive in any way, if the students weren't so excited about learning so much of the time. I click most with the 5th and 6th graders, only because they can communicate the most with me. But I still love the 3rd and 4th grade students and their enthusiasm for learning even a new word or two to say to me in the hallways. In particular, there are a few 6th grade students who will come to my classroom between breaks or after class is done for the day just to point at things in the room and ask me what they are. Or arrange letters on my Velcro board to show me words they can spell. They also take the time to teach me a little Korean, though I make it clear that my classroom is an English only zone. These are the kids that send me home with a smile every day.

And so there you have it--any job is wonderful if you are surrounded by the right people. And at my job, I am surrounded by the perfect group of mentors, co-workers, dedicated students, and friends. I couldn't ask for a better situation.

Youngnam, on the other hand, is a completely different story--a story that I will tell you in the coming days.

The Plot Thickens

So Hyun Bum found a document about the teaching class at Andong Elementary that I had no idea I was teaching. It was sitting around the staff room and has a date stamped on it from before HE even arrived at the school. It says I am to teach a 3 month teacher training course every Tuesday and Thursday from 5:30-7:10. What's more, it says nothing about any kind of payment for the course, except that Andong Elementary will get 300,000 won for hosting it.

Aside from the fact that 3 months is a long time to teach a course when you've only been in the country for 2 weeks, this schedule prevents me from going to my Korean language course on Thursday nights, which makes me a might unhappy.

Luckily, since I have the best co-teacher that ever lived, HB is calling the POE for me to find out more details and if we can either shorten the class or get another native teacher to teach part of it.

Aside from this minor setback, things in Korea are going well. Today, Sara and I are getting cell phones and (hopefully) bedsheets. We also plan to go up to the Andong City Dam and see the sakura trees blossoming.

Woot!

My Classroom

Since I'm a loser and can't figure out videos yet, here are some pictures of my classroom.

My new touchscreen blackboard and computer desk. BDCafe Dongbu

And the view from my room.So...not a bad life here in the Capital of the Korean Spirit. (That's Andong's slogan.)

Teaching Class

I will spare you the gritty details, but after about a week of quiet chatter from different people about me possibly going to Andong Elementary School on Tuesday night for a teacher training course, I found myself in the Andong Elementary School courtyard completely unaware of where to go or my purpose there. I was told to go to the cafeteria. So I went to the cafeteria. I said hello and asked the man at the front door if anyone spoke English. He said, "No, no no," and turned me away. Baffled about this situation, I tried to go the school's main office, but since it was 5:30, the school was locked up and no one was there. So, a little pissed off and quite lost, I decided to wander around the parking lot to see if anyone looked like they might know something.

After 15 minutes, I was confronted by two very nice Korean English teachers. They asked me if I was an English teacher and told me that we were in the building behind the main building, which I didn't know existed. They also automatically knew what school I was from, so it was clear I was the only one without all the details.

Once I got inside the room, I was greeted by about 15 smiling Korean English teachers, none of whom seemed purturbed that I was late. I was then promptly sat down next to someone who began chattering in Korean for 10 minutes until I was asked to introduce myself. I did, and we went around the room doing introductions in English. Most of the other teachers introduced themselves directly to me, which I thought was strange, but figured it was because I was foreign and they were interested. The woman next to me continued to talk then for about another 5 minutes, turned to me, and said goodbye. The room was then silent for what seemed like 2 or 3 minutes.

Everyone was looking at me bewildered.

And it hits me.

I wasn't supposed to attend a teacher training course. I am supposed to TEACH a teacher training course.

Now, pardon my language, but all that went through my head at this point was "shit shit shit shit shit shit shit." I was sitting in a room with 15 Koreans, all waiting for me to "start," without a single clue what they want from me or what the topic for discussion is. Plus, I find out we are supposed to be there for 2 hours. Though I walked carefully through the next 20 minutes, I am quite sure I made a fumbling ass of myself as I apologized profusely and tried to figure out from a group of half-fluent English teachers what, exactly, they wanted from me.

Somehow, by about an hour and 15 minutes in, I had pulled it together and I was telling them strategies about how to run an English class entirely in English. We went over setting an agenda and how to take attendance in English. But for the most part, it was a total disaster.

The best part: I get to do it all over again tomorrow.

Thankfully, Sara will be going with me, and we WILL have a plan.

This whole "Dynamic Korea" thing went from quirky and amusing to dreadfully inappropriate last night, but after a brief conversation with Sara, my spirits returned, and today is another school day.

C'est la vie.


ps
I WILL have videos up later today. I am working on it right now.

Youngnam

I am currently in the middle of my first day at Youngnam Elementary School. At about six times the size of Dongbu, this is a more hectic day than the rest of my school days combined. It is 1:12pm here, and I have already taught 4 classes, with two more coming this afternoon. And as if that weren't enough, I am somewhat of a celebrity here. It's difficult to walk through the halls without being crowded like I'm Bono or Paul McCartney.

At lunch, which was supposed to be my "break time" I shook hands with so many children that I barely got to eat anything. During second hour, I signed about 35 autographs. I told the kids to hang onto the signaure--that it would be worth something some day. I don't think they understood, but I'm unclear as to whether that's because the language was lost on them, or because it already means a great deal to them now. When I walk around this building, girls swoon and boys try their hardest to be "America cool."

Even as I sit here writing this, in their brand new English lab (similar to, but larger than, Dongbu's), students are crowding the door for a glimpse of me. Some are even brave enough to push open the door to mutter a "nice to meet you!" They probably don't know I can hear them muttering in half Korean/half English outside my door while they discuss the most appropriate way to greet me.

I'm still not sure whether I want things to calm down next Tuesday or not.

Elementary School

For those who might not know, I'm teaching elementary school here. I teach 4 days a week at Dongbu Elementary, grades 3-6. It is a small school (only about 120 students), but they are great kids. Each and every one is dedicated and friendly. Of course, they are children, and they do get out of line, but they are quick to fall back in and are laughing off their disobedience right away. Plus, they bring me chocolate. (score!) On Tuesdays, I will be going to Yeongnam Elementary. I haven't been there yet, so I'll post impressions when I do.

I just witnessed my first school assembly. I was asked to introduce myself, so I gave a short speech about where I'm from and why I'm here. It was translated by my main co-teacher Che Hyuen Bum. The students seemed mildy excited to see me, even though they have seen me many times before, but that isn't the reason for this post.

These kids are in the frickin' military! They stand, single-file, with as little movement as possible. Then, a lead student shouts commands at the students and they fall into a militaristic trance as they stand straight, salute their flag, and stand at ease. Hyuen Bum tells me that this is a tradition lasting from the Japanese invasion and occupation of Korea in the early 20th century. Since that was not a very pleasant time for Korea, it shocks me that they still practice it. Perhaps as the older educators retire and young, Korean blood is brought into the schools, this is a tradition that will fade, and new traditions will arise.

Now, I must go, as my daily milk has arived, and I must enjoy it.

Facilities

We were told to expect the worst in Korea in terms of facilities, both in the classroom and at home. Everyone told us that the schools were falling apart and the apartments were so small one person would barely fit. I must be living proof that it's a case-by-case situation. My classroom was finished 3 weeks ago. Although my school itself is 90 years old this year, my classroom overlooks downtown and the mountains. Inside, it is lined floor-to-ceiling with new oak paneling. On one side of the room is an 85" touchscreen blackboard with computer connectivity. On the otherside is a 50" LCD HDTV (likewise with computer connectivity). I also have a brand new computer, digital laser printer and all new furniture including computer desk and chair, podium, multi-colored leather stools, a huge map of the world (pacific-centered), and cabinets lined with plastic food which comprise a supermarket and restaurant. Did I mention the 3 brand new student computers, world clocks from London, New York, Seoul, Moskva, and Sydney and the PA system with wall-to-wall speakers?

Then there's our apartment. After all of the preparation of lowering our expectations for what we assumed would be a chicken coup with a squat toilet, we were taken to our apartment building which was completed in January. Keypad entry system, air conditioning, brand new appliances, huge bathroom, and a patio overlooking the river and downtown Andong. It does not come with a TV, but that's about the only drawback there is. It is also exactly halfway between Sara's school and mine. Wow. We got LUCKY. It is a studio, but a large studio, and Sara and I don't need much room. Even for being a studio, it is by far the largest apartment we've seen. And I'll take one huge room over 2 tiny ones any day.

So thank you, Korea, for proving so many people wrong. Pictures and vidoes to follow in the next few days!

PS

Check out http://www.addongbu.es.kr

Sweeeeeet.

update April 3rd:

Make sure you have popups enabled for this site, otherwise, you'll have no idea what I'm talking about.

Orientation and Andong

The last day of orientation was wonderful. We were taken to the National Museum of Korea, which is quite literally the largest building I think I've ever been in. (For such a small country, they sure like big stuff.) Then, we went to the oldest palace in Seoul, where the kings of the Joseon Dynasty ruled from inside guarded walls and with a venerable city around them inside the larger area. We then got to see a contemporary performance called Cookin' Nanta, where Sara was brought on stage to help the cooks prepare dumplings. She was pitted against someone from the other side of the theater, and lost, but it was certainly a photo finish. Plus, she got to keep the chef's hat. Bitchin'.

I could talk for ages about that last day, but only pictures can do much of it justice, and right now I'm more focused on what's going on now. Yesterday, Sara and I were shipped off to Andong. After a 3 hour bus ride (during which Sara thought she was going to wet herself for the last 2.8 hours), we met our co-teachers in Gumi. As expected, they were all wonderful people, even if Sara's spoke far more fluent English than mine. I will admit that I nearly had a heart attack when my teacher slammed on his brakes in the middle of the highway and started backing up into oncoming traffic, then later asked me if I "had any way of contacting your girlfriend." But my fears were put to rest when Sara showed up safe and sound at my school, from where we were taken out to a delicious dinner.

After dinner (for details, see http://anythingbutsquid.blogspot.com/) we were told our housing was not ready yet, and were instead taken to a swanky hotel in downtown Andong. Regardless of the hooker postcards by the elevator in the parking garage and the complimentary condoms by the bed (not to mention the glowing red light emanating from below and above our bed), the hotel was actually very nice.

And of course, I've seen even more White Sox hats. I'm not sure if they know who the White Sox are or if they just like the logo. Honestly, I don't really care. I'm breaking my Crede jersey out tomorrow. I'll be a superstar.

Come back later for impressions on my first day at school.

Orientation

ㅑ엏ㅅ허솟

That doesn't mean anything. I'm just using a Korean keyboard and thought it would be cool to use a few Hangeul sumbols. Aren't they neato?

Orientation has been fantastic. When we got here, even though I was ready to barf, I was shocked and happily surprised by how organized and friendly the orientation was. The process was smooth. After 20 minutes we had all of our orientation materials (including sandwich, bottled water, orientation guide, tourism guidebook, and free hoodie and embroidered towels!!!) and a quaint but clean room on the first floor of the dormitory. The next morning, we awoke to smells of scrambled eggs and fresh kimchi. Ok, there wasn't actually any kimchi at breakfast. But there is at every other meal. The food has been great, for the most part. I think I will survive here well, though I fear for Sara and her crusade against meat. Vegitarian food is rare and abnormal here.

As for preparing me to be am EFL teacher, I think they've done a fine job. We learned on the first day that the main reason for this program (besides English being a major economical language) is that people were having to send their children overseas to English schools in order to truly learn the language. Here they learned grammar and punctuation, but not pronounciation or communication skills. Koreans were devastated by this process of having their families torn apart in the pursuit of language learning. The solution? Tear the Westerners away from their families and bring them here!

What we've learned about the classroom themselves is encouraging. I won't be required to produce grades, nor am I put under an immense ammount of pressure. There are dozens of websites chocked full of EFL lesson plans that I can draw from, and I have 18 hours a week (minimum) of "free time" to lesson plan for the other 22. Since lesson planning can't possibly take 22 hours, many people end up on Facebook and Youtube for a large part of their day.

In addition, though I don't know how my specific school will be, many EPIK teachers are not required to come to school during the students' breaks (July/August and January/February). Essentially, this extends my vacation time to 4 months, assuming my school works under these rules. If not, I will be there diligently, on Facebook, every day.

Today we depart for downtown Seoul, the Korean National Museum, an old Korean palace, an internationally renowned Korean show called "Nanta Cooking" where chefs perform and cook for you, and a fabulous dinner at a seafood restaurant called Marisco. Then, we finally get an oppurtunity to walk around for a bit and experience the city. Of course, there are plenty of frat boys and sorority girls here who have been--ahem--"experiencing" the city nightly. I'm not sure how they got into this program, but I hope they act more like teachers when they get to their schools. Teachers have a wonderful reputation in Korea. I'd prefer it not be my countrymen who ruin that.

But I can't be too sour, because this place is magical so far (as is any new place), and I'd like my honeymoon with it to last as long as possible. I hope the charm doesn't wear off any time soon, but if it does, I want to remember these first weeks exactly as they were--fresh, exciting, foreign, and filled with new chances to explore the world and myself.

Now it's off for a quick shower and a healthy breakfast. Good morning to me and good afternoon to all of you. The sun is finally rising over the mountain tops that are mere city blocks from my window.

I think I'm really beginning to like it here.

Flying

Yesterday I experienced sunlight for 21 straight hours. In case my point isn't obvious, that can really screw you up. I expected to be prepared for this journey because I'd been to Europe several times and had survived pretty well. But for anyone who might be in my same mindset, be aware that traveling to Asia is much much different.

Somewhere around hour 15 of daylight, my insomnia began to set in. I don't know if it's because I can't sleep in airplane seats, or because I just really wanted to see the thrilling conclusion to Eagle Eye on my seat-back entertainment center, or if it was the gentleman behind me who opened his window every 3 minutes, supposedly to check and see if the Pacific really was still out there, consequently flooding the entire cabin with blinding light. But whatever the cause, I think I gathered myself about one full half hour of sleep during the flight(s). By the time we got to Incheon International Airport, it was starting to seem to me that we had just gotten on that plane. Somehow, time had just bent itself and propped us right up in the future. I was definitely going a little stir crazy.

And then I saw the airport. And the people. And the mountains rising everywhere out of the giant panes of glass windows. I think it was finally the slogan on a restaurant called Kraze Burger in the airport that finally snapped me back into reality--"It's my burger more than a burger!" And somehow my weariness and hunger just faded away because I was finally here.

The ride to the University where our orientation is being held was not pretty since I was in a constant state of pre-barfing (my first ever motion sickness!), but after making it here with no major problems, with all of our luggage, I was finally consumed by this whole experience.

So I guess it was all worth it, and I guess this really was the right decision since I am finding it impossible to stifle my enthusiasm. I was actually up (and fully rested) at 6:30am Korean time today because I was so excited. Now here we go, Sara and I, into our first day of orientation in this new world. I'll tell you more about it as soon as I know.

The Beatles said it best:

I don't know why you say, "goodbye." I say, "annyonghaseyo."