So I have a stat counter on my blog. I just found out I can see what city people are from who visit my blog. There were some pretty surprising results! Someone in Spokane Washington is the top visitor.... not sure who that it. And then second is someone in Seoul... again not sure who that could be, unless it is Cho from the Flying Cows office in Seoul! Vietnam and Mexico also showed up. Some of them I look at and know who the person is, others I have no idea! Anyway I though it was pretty interesting.. here are the results.
(Click on it to make it bigger)
Make a comment and identify yourself if you want!!!
*** OO I have just found out how to find the referring link as well.. quite a few hits have come from searches for 'hair braiding in Ghana'. Quite a few from my facebook page but lots of direct links - obviously my more adoring fans!! The Mexico and Vietnam are from some website called the blog fantasy stock market?! Apparently I am valued at B$1,000.00... hmm interesting! Now I am obsessed as to stalking you all!
Well activity day is always fun day, but this one was prettty tiring. We did sports and games with the kids outside. I had to do the same games, trying to explain it to them, act it out when they didn't and also join in occasionally, for all 4 classes!
This is a pretty good video of a rely race and gives you a good view of the apartment complex that the students live in. The thing they run around is stairs leading down to where I work!
That night was Helen's last night in Gunsan, as she has a new job in Seoul. So we went out for a few beers which inevitably lead to Noreabang. I love it!! Although looking back at videos and hearing yourself sing is not always a good thing!
Then Saturday Jo and I were supposed to be driving to Mudfest. However there had been something in the news about children getting a rash from the mud and Jo decided not to go. Everyone else had already headed up. I wasn't sure about whether to just spend the weekend in Gunsan or to actually get on a bus and figure things out for myself for the first time! So I decided it would be a challenge and I needed to get to grips with the public transport as opposed to being a sheep and just following everyone else.
So made it to the bus station, asked for a ticket to Deachon, got on the bus and everything was going swimmingly. However, I began to realise this bus was taking far longer than it should do and realised I was heading to Daejon!! The guy had misunderstood me! So I ended up in Deajon, found out I couldn't get a direct bus to Deachon, I had to go to Gongju and get another bus. So what should have been one bus and about an hour ride, took 3 buses and about 6 hours!!!
The green route is the one I should have taken, and the red one is the one I did take!!!
The scenery was pretty spectacular - I saw a suspension bridge that had supports made out of huuuuge chillies.
I also made friends with a couple of Ozzies on the bus. One of the who used to Nanny for Sally who ran the Australia office for Cross-Cultural Solutions!!! Such a small world!
So finally made it there about 8pm at night, meet up with some of the others, had a few drinks and went to a overpriced dive of a night club!
On Sunday as everyone had already done the mud stuff and it was chucking it down, most people went home. Louise came back to the beach with me. We both went to mud jail, where we got buckets of mud thrown over us, then we went to the mud pit, where again people threw mud at you. The mud is not thick but more like runny grey water.
We then rinsed it off a bit in the rain and then ran into the sea. It was pretty choppy and windy and rainy but definitely a once in lifetime experience. I don't have many pictures as I was too muddy. But here are the few that I do! Then had a super short journey home and just put the washing on!
A very jam packed and entertaining weekend!!
Thursday, July 09, 2009
I had my first proper Korean lesson with Jo on Monday ans she set me the task of learning the alphabet. It is actually really difficult! First you have to learn what the symbol is, then what sound it makes, then what sound it makes with all the other. Each symbol can be combined with other symbols to make a syllable, you then have to put all the syllables together. Then you finally have the whole word and what is sounds like. Then you have to figure out what that sound means!! It is like learning something 3 times!!! Also some symbols are a G or K, P or B, or an L or an R. Which makes it even more difficult. This also explains why Koreans say lice instead of rice.
It has definitely made me respect my kindergarten classes for knowing their ABC's! And made me appreciate how much the students do know
I had to post this video. It cracks me up sooooo much. Daniel was trying to get the student to write their names but using their hips... the results are veryyyyyy amusing!
This weekend I am off to mudfest. Yes it does exactly what it says on the tin. Practically every foreigner from the whole of South Korea will be there! The mus is supposed to be really good for your skin. Here's hoping because my face looks like a pepperoni pizza at the moment!
Also on a reflective note.. this week 3 years ago I first moved over to NYC to work for Cross-Cultural Solutions!!! I can't believe that is was 3 years ago! So much has happened since then. I have visited 6 countries, 14 states, moved back to the UK, moved over to South Korea, changed career direction, met hundreds of fabulous people and those are just the main things.
I am very grateful to CCS and everything I learnt there. Especially in regards to cultural differences and being flexible. It is definitely serving useful in dealing with KM! It has also helped me to embrace new cultures and helped me to integrate more efficiently and with less culture shock. Moving to South Korea was a piece of cake compared to dealing with finding an apartment, sorting out my visa etc like I had to to in NYC! I just wish KM would realise that!
Oo, also managed to figure out how to get my pictures off my camera. Here are some from the Music Museum on Sunday.
These are the tins for needles for gramophones
Well off to bed, its activity day tomorrow, doing sports with the kids and discussing families with the adults. Let's hope I don't stress out to many foetus'!
So after chatting with Jo, I realised I may have been a bit hard on KM. I am her first foreign teacher and am also fiercely independent. We just need to learn each others boundaries and figure out how to work harmoniously with each other.
I went into work today. I answered all of her questions politely. Where did you go what did you do. How many boys were there. How old were they. How many times did you go to the bathroom this weekend... (ok maybe not the last one but nearly)
Then she began to discuss the adult classes with me. I had previous been told that my pub quizzes were stressing out the 2 unborn babies in the class. On Friday I had done an episode of Friends and got them to answer questions about it. It was pretty hard actually. There were no speakers, so they couldn't really hear anything and I realised that it was hard at the time.
She proceeded to tell me, my lessons were to hard, they were scared to come to my activity lessons on Fridays and it gave them all headaches. I am not allowed to introduce any new materials. I am only allowed to use thing from book. I am also not allowed to lesson plan any more.
I was gutted. I knew my class on Friday was hard. I don't know how much of it is true or how much she is just exaggerating. It really knocked my confidence and I was dreading the adult class. I really felt like saying ok you teach the class and I will just assist. She was just so patronising about it though. She was saying they are mommies they are not very good. For a start, they are mums and also they grasp of English actually very good. They are here paying to learn, so I am not going to be really easy on them as they are here to learn. They have to be challenged in order to advance.
Anyway, we will see if anyone cries on Friday.....
Also on the boy front. She was asking about the boys at the air force base from the weekend and did I fancy any of them. I told her no. She asked why not? Why did I not have a boyfriend. I tried to explain to her that boys were too much trouble and I wanted to be able to go and do my own thing. She responded by going oooo I see you like girls with a shocked look on her face. I tried to rectify the situation by saying, no I like men, black men actually. Her response what black and pretty much utter terror. At this point I was wondering what she would find more accepting.....
This week was lots of celebrations. On Wednesday it was Canada day so we got together with some Canadians, South Africans, Americans, Brits and Koreans to celebrate.
Friday Jo and I went to see Transformers. My first Korean cinema experience. It was great as the movies are in English with Korean subtitles!
Saturday was July 4th. So a few of us headed over to the airbase to be signed in by some guys called Swank, Slick and Riddler. There was lots of drinking, bonfires, dancing and merriment.
Victoria and I decided that we wanted to leave and tried to.... but we could as we had to signed out by Swank... who we couldn't find.. it was all very complicated and confusing and we ended up leaving with out our ID to come back later and get it.
We headed off to 'America Town' which was pretty seedy. There are bars, clubs and shops with 'American sizes.
I got a taxi home and the taxi driver proposed to me several times. I told him I was not interested and only went for black men. This did not deter him and he went in for a kiss goodbye when I got out of the taxi!!!
Today Helen and I had a date day. We went out for lunch, then had a stroll around Eunpa park. We went for a boat ride on the lake in a tiny little boat with a very very slow engine. We may have also broke the steering but it was all ok! Then we went to our fabulous little coffee shop.
(photo pinched off Helen! Thanks!!!)
They have a music museum above the shop. Basically as you can tell by the picture they collect a lot of stuff.I think the shop and museum is just a front so they have space to show everything.
The museum was pretty amazing. There were old gramophones, wax cylinders and photo lps, all kinds. The woman lived in Germany so she would speak to us in mixed Hangul and German and showed us everything. She kept opening the cases and making us old things from the 1800's! At the end she said htere is no culture in Gunsan, no culture!
Had a pretty funny/ embarrassing / culturally insensitive mishap today. The wheel on my chair broke yesterday, so I want to swap it for another chair that was also in the office. I was told I couldn’t because it was a cheap chair. It looks pretty swanky to me and I needed a chair. Again I was told was not allowed to use it because it was cheap. I have taken to telling KM what I think but really fast in English so she doesn’t understand. Makes me fell a lot better!! So my response was this is so silly, I need a chair, why can’t I sit on it, you are so silly and flounced off to teach.
So Daniel came over today to fix my chair, again I was like why can’t I sit in that chair. He also said no.
Then during the planning meeting Daniel said he would sort out the chair for and it was a cultural thing that no one sat in the Bosses chair. I was like ok fair enough but I was told I couldn’t sit in it because it was cheap. It turns out KM was saying Chief not cheap!!! Oooops!!!
It was Helen's Birthday, she stayed the night at mine on Friday night and Jo surprised her and came round with a cake about midnight. Helen and I were all showered and ready for bed and it descended in to a cake fight.
We finally got to bed about 1ish and then were in a taxi at 6.30 on Saturday to get a bus to go water skiing.
We took a bus to Seoul and got ther about 10.30, we then took the subway across Seoul to get a train to Cheongpyeong Lake and arrived about 1.30. We headed straight to the lake for a water skiing lesson. The guy who spoke English was not around until to so the girls went out on a 'peanut'
and the guys did fly fishing.
Slightly feared for my life here and am pretty sure this was not covered by my travel insurance but was loooooots of fun! Then we had the water skiing lesson and then into the water.
I managed to get the position right but I could just not hold on to the bar so face planted pretty much every time. It was really fun but very tiring!!
We were then taken to out cabin, it was a big log cabin that had about 4 apartments in them. It was such a beautiful setting, we had a BBQ and then a group of Koreans who were also staying there introduced themselves, which lead to soju drinking and drinking games. I headed to bed early as we were going to do more water skiing the next day. The boys however stayed out, judging by the smell of stale alcohol in the room the next day drank a lot more!!!
Day 2 of the water skiing was better, I could stay up for longer but still could not hold my grip.
Check out here for all the photos and I think videos of the many face plants and fun!
Videos to upload but don't seem to be uploading.. watch this space!
The past couple of days have been pretty trying.. Wednesday last class was pretty difficult. The last class of the day is a mix of low level 3/4/5/6. So it is difficult in general as they do not understand much. They are also just bratty kids. This was the group that was slagging me off in Korean last Friday. I finally got them to understand that I wanted the to repeat after me, so then they started repeating EVERYTHING!!!! In the end I had to pull Daniel in as it was just going nowhere. Lo and behold the class started to run more smoothly, I think they were just as frustrated as me.
After the lesson, Daniel told me he had some news.... it turned out they want me to work on Saturday at the University to help with interviews for English camp. Which would have been fine if they had given me more than 3 days notice and I wasn't planning on going water skiing north of Seoul for Helen's birthday. I feel pretty sorry for Daniel, he also seems to give me bad news and my response is normally err no, I am not doing that. He said it was out of his control and he would talk to Sean at the uni and we would talk about it tomorrow.
Seriously South Korea is definitely teaching me to say no when I don't want to do something and stand up for myself. So Jo came to pick me up to go and get a new phone, we picked up Helen from her house/Kindergarten as she lives at the Kindergarten and off we went. Ok to get a phone here you practically have to give blood! I had to sign millions of things, show several types of ID, all kinds. I finally got my hands on an an Ice cream phone!!
Because I did not get it until late, it wasn't supposed to register until today. We then went for some dinner. I love eating here. I never feel full and bloated. We had about 20 side dishes with rice and about 8 different types of lettuce leaves. You basically take a bit of everything, wrap in the leaves and eat!!
I spoke to Andy ( or Mr Long the guy who picked me up) he was trying to get me to change my plans for the weekend, I said I had already paid and if I did not go I would lose the money. He said there would be 300 students there, so obviously they have known about this for a while.. but give me three days notice! I stood my ground and he said he would speak to his boss and call me back.... I am still waiting for the call.. so who knows what is happening.
Speaking of calls, tried to use my phone and it still wasn't registered. t turns out that because the KM helped me open a bank account with my passport, the bank do not think I live here, so my phone wont work until the bank see my Alien Registration card. So I am also not even sure if I have been paid.... who knows really.
Fortunately Saint Jo is picking me up at 9am tomorrow to go and sort it all out. Everything is such a process here and because I don't understand anything I never know if things have been done correctly, I always end up relying on poor Jo as KM is so incompetent. She said she would take me to get a phone next week... not sure how to get out of that one. May tell her tomorrow that got one in the morning and that was how I found out that my bank account was a dud. But then there will be sooo many questions, who took you, how much was it.. blah blah blah.
Fortunately Korean lessons/invasion was cancelled tonight, so I am spending the night by myself with some chocolate chip cookies and trying to figure out things on my phone! Going to get some sleep in preparation for WATER SKIING!!!!!!
I love South Korea.. I forgot to mention but yesterday there was a Hite trailer giving out free samples! I managed to get a beer, a pen and a fan. I later swapped the pen with Jamie for 3 glasses. So I now have 3 mugs and 3 glasses!! During the course of the weekend I also managed to get an apricot off a little old lady, free shots and a balloon animal!!
So, my Saturday was preeeetty jam packed with fun things! Jo picked me up at about 9.30. She was supposed to pick me up at 8, so when there was a knock at the door at 9.30, I wasn't sure if it was going to be the big KM, fortunately it was Jo and we pootled off to Wolmyeong It was really nice walk, nice to see somewhere different get some fresh air and sweat a lot!
We then went to pick up her friends daughters from school. Yes school!! They have it from 9-12 every other Saturday! What is that about!! We went to Janghang, got some noodles. I had a go at some baseball and was awful, then Jo and I had a dance competition on one of those dance games at the arcade and we played arcade games!!
I then met Helen at Lotte Mart. (needed to replace the wine opener out of a cracker with one that actually worked.) I was waiting inside out of the rain for Helen. When my 'I speak to weirdos' neon sign must have flashed on. There were about 6 old men who were talking to me in very very broken English. It consisted of 'Husband? husband? no? Ok him him, me introduce you? He make mucho money'!!!! Fortunately Helen arrived before a vicar did to marry me off to the highest paid old man.
We went back to mine and on the 5 minute ride we got DRENCHED!!! But after a nice cup of tetely tea with my first ever (welcome) guest we were happy.
I got in the shower and could hear Helen talking, then my door close. Next thing I know Helen is at the bathroom door telling me I had a visitor..... yes you guessed the reign of the big KM! She knew I was going out but still came round anyway to tell me to go over to hers for dinner. So if you think that was bad enough, she did not even knock or ring the bell!!! She just walked straight into my apartment!!! She had a bit of shock when she saw Helen though. I am so glad I was in the shower. Note to self lock door and put on latch when in ALL the time. Repeat ALL TIMES!!
We headed out to a suuuuper cute coffee shop. It was like be in someone's lounge but in Europe, there were all kinds of knick knacks from around Europe, a grand piano, books and proper coffee. The owner played his flute for us, the piano, recorder and an ocarina. We were the only ones in there so we were chatting to him through his translator - otherwise known as Patrick his 8 year old son!!!
We were then trying to get a taxi back to mine for dinner, a taxi stopped looked at us and then drove off!!
Later on in the evening Helen and I headed out to meet some people on bar street. We went to a bar that was just full of foreigners and GI's, it was very surreal and I felt like I wasn't in South Korea any more! One of the bartenders was making balloon animals like flowers, teddy bears etc. Mine however was a flower with a dog 'hugging' it... obviously he looked at me and that was what he thought?!
We headed to some club and had a bit of dance, was hit on by some very sleazy GI's but it was fun. Managed to get a taxi home by myself and get dropped off outside of my building! Go me!!!
Today I think will consist of sitting around watching TV, I may go and buy a plant but am set for a pretty relaxing day after the shenanigans of yesterday! Click here for weekend pics!!
Friday, June 19, 2009
End of the second week! Well I am sooo surprised at how well everything is going!! (Discounting KM)But seriously.. I am loving my teaching, there are days when I want to strangle the kids but I am really enjoying it. I love having my own studio and own space. I have people to go out with. I have people to go away with and it is only my second week.
As I mentioned before I love my adult class, 2 of the ladies are pregnant. One is 7 months and one is 3 months. Also one of the guys is a fireman and said he will sort me out with some of his single firemen friends!!!
As Friday is activity day, we always do something fun... I did Karaoke with my adult class!!!
Then did role models with and drawing things that begin with certain letters with the kids.
My alien registration card was supposed to arrive today, I kept nagging Daniel about it and eventually found out of Isabelle that it arrived yesterday but was in Jeonju at the uni. I was told I would get it and my passport 'some time next week'. My response 'er noo, I want my passport now. I cannot get money out and I cannot get a phone'. A 3 minute phone call later, 'ok you will have it on Monday' I also kicked up a fuss about deciding to lesson plan after classes on a Friday. I mean seriously who wants to lesson plan at 7pm on a Friday night!!! After lesson planning I shouted ok see you on Monday and ran off, so KM couldn't accost me. Thinking I had got away, I was unlocking my bike, when I heard a Joss -eeee lyn Joss -eee lyn and is was KM. She asked me if I was going to her BBQ, I made up hundreds of excuses about what I was doing, and said I couldn't and rode off.
I then went out for dinner with Helen, Jo and Victoria, bumped in some other expats and went for drinks with them also in Bar street
Tomorrow if it is not raining, Jo and I are going for a walk around a park whose name I cannot spell, then out for leaving drinks for some guy I don't know on Saturday night. Then on Sunday catch the ferry to some island on our bikes for a ride round!! This is depends on the weather as it is just coming into rainy season!!
But everything is going swimmingly, so nobody worry as things are surprisingly great!!!!
This weekend I headed off to Gochang whihc was about an hour ride away on the express bus. The bus cost about £3 one way, which was a pretty good deal! We were staying at a hotel just outside Seonun Mountains Provincial Park.
We got into the park about 4pm and it was beautiful, the weather was gorgeous, there were some beautiful temples. We had a wonder round, did some cultural stuff, then plonked ourselves by a stream and sat, chatted and had a few drinks! Went and got some food, which is as always a huge adventure! You never know quite what you have ordered, what the side dishes will be, r what meat I will have to eat around!
We ended up with lots of things and barbecued eel. Which in fact was reaaaaly nice! We went back into the back with some drinks, and had a bit of a singsong and watched some fireworks
Our hotel room was that - a room, with mats, you rented the room and then squeezed as many people in as you wanted! We had 13 people on Saturday night which worked out as about £5 for the night! The floor was pretty uncomfortable but the underfloor heating kept you toasty warm!
Was a really nice weekend and the place we went was so beautiful! A good time was had by all!
I had told Isabelle about me going out. She was very concerned, asking where I had gone, who I had meet up with, what had I drank what time did I come home. She said that she was responsible for me and had to take care of me. While this is all very nice, that they are so concerned, it is not the first time I had moved to a different country!
After the excitement on Noreabang on Wednesday, I was going to have a quiet night in with some tetly tea and digestive biscuits.
I had locked up the school and Isabelle was going to come round at 8 to pick up the keys. she turned up at 10pm (even that is late by her standards) and we ended up going for a drink with her and a friend. (Her friend will be teaching me Korean, as I am not allowed to have them with Helen's co-teacher which was what I had wanted. Again, sorry my newly appointed and smothering Korean Mum!)
The bar we went to had an American guy in who we started chatting with. It turns out he knows Matty etc and are going camping this weekend. I had originally thought couldn't go because of a BBQ, but that was apparently just a figment of my imagination! So Aaron was giving me the details of the camping trip, when Isabelle demanded his number and told me I could not go as I had only been here a week. She also told me I was forbidden to tell him my address, it must be a secret. I was like whoooaaa, not even my mother has that control over me!
We then went onto another bar but Isabelle wanted to go home but would not leave me, she ended up falling asleep at the bar, so we had to call it a night. It was lots of fun despite the over protectiveness!!
Today I went over to Jeonju to sort out my Alien Registration card. Then did the whole immigration process with my adult class and older students. Fridays is activities day where all the class combine. e.G. I have 2 adult classes so on Friday they both come in etc.
I really love my adult class, first I was a little intimidated but I love them! They interact with me and are obviously there to learn. Made clay letters with the younger classes and did a couple of songs and general playing! Finished lessons at 7, then we lesson planned for the next week. Didn't finish until 9.30 - that is going to have to stop!!
Popped over to ..... yes you guessed it Lotte Mart to pick up some stuff for camping this weekend. Also bought an alarm clock - with illuminous numbers, so I can see in the dark and a bedside lamp. I was very excited about the bedside lamp, as it would mean I don't have to get out of bed to turn the light off! Got it home and is it was a a cheapo one - it didn't have a bulb!!!
Also bumped into Helen at Lotte Mart - It feels like I really live here, bumping into someone I know (after only a week - whohoo!)
So off camping this weekend with a bunch of Brits, Ozzies, Canadians and South Africans! Yay for English speaker people!
Well... teaching has been going ok. I had a slightly noisy class the other day, they laughed at/with me and interacted with me - at last normal kids!! Then the rest of the classes were pretty quiet! I also had another adult class. One of the student's English was really good, I later found out she was an English Teacher! She asked me to talk about my life, where I was from etc. I told her that it was my second day teaching. Her response was 'Oh you must be nervous then?' Well I wasn't but I am not thanks very much.
One thing I have found difficult is the different levels of proficiency, for most classes the books we use are pretty easy for them. I need to get into the swing of things and test them a bit more.
Last night I met Helen for dinner. We went to this tiny local place and ordered what we thought was no meat. I ended up with a bowl of soupy stuff, noodles, a few tentacles poking out, couple of muscles and mushrooms. Well I did say no meat. So I did end up eating a few tentacles. Which were pretty rubbbery and gross. I wish I had had something that was a lot tastier to end the 'none seafood eating'!!
We then went to a bar and had a huuuuge beer, in what I can only describe as a big bulbous vase thing. Which is very badly designed, as when you get to one of the bulbous parts, it creates some sort of wave motion and you end spilling it. Then one of Helen's co-teachers joined us.
We then went onto another bar and met up with some a big group of foreigners!! There were South African, Australian, Canadian and a scouser!! it was alll very surreal.
Helen, Jo and I decided to hit up a noraebang. OH MY GOODNESS!! So much fun, there is a stage, disco lights and al kinds. My sing was pretty bad but had such a good time! Ended up not getting home til about 3 on a school night! Eeek!
Isabel (Yes I have finally figured out her name it is not Elizabeth but Isabel!) picked me up at 9.30. Drove through a couple of red lights, pulled out in front of a few cars and then arrived at work. The school is still not really ready, or not what I would call ready. But there was a big arch way that had appeared for Immigration. We had a security check and issued each person with their own passport. Again the resources of this places completely overwhelms me! We had a an opening ceremony with more important people, cameras, tv cameras and ribbon cutting.
Then at 2 I had my first class. This was the adult class, which consisted of 3 people. The first thing I did with each class was give them an English name, this is such a odd thing to do but makes it sooo much easier for me! So I have Brooke, Chloe, Isabel, Edward, Ellis, Charlie to name but a few. To be honest I had loads of thing organised for hte class but needed to print, laminate etc. Unfortunately I was too busy trying the help make the place look presentable to do it all. The classes al seem to go pretty well. They were not as fun and interactive as I hoped. The sizes ranged from a couple of classes with just one person up to 6 people. The kindergarten class started off with 3 kids, 2 parents and a baby brother and ended up as just one little girl.
I believe it had some thing to do with one of the songs. It went like this:
Peel the banana (repeat twice), slice the banana (repeat twice), eat the banana(repeat twice), poo the banana(repeat twice), wipe the banana(repeat twice), flush the banana(repeat twice)'!!!!
Over all the classes were fine, despite me feeling really nervous and unprepared.. (my contract said training.. hmmm that didn't happen!) Finished classes at 7, then went to buy some materials for school. Then Isabel took me for dinner. I think she is really worried about me as she called in on Saturday evening and brought me water melon. I don't think she realises I am dying to get back to my studio, have a cup of tea, some alone time and catch up on emails!
Any way we went for Shabu shabu. This was my first proper Korean eating experience. We had to take out shoes of at the door, and sat on the floor at low tables. The food was great. They basically threw everything in this boiling pot of broth. Including the meat... yes I am just going to have to get over that one. It was pretty good though. Still struggling with the chop sticks, although I can use them at home, but the stainless steel ones they have EVERYWHERE seem a lot more difficult to use.
Finally got home about 10 and am shattered and ready for my bed!!
Well, Yesterday I had my health check. Elizabeth picked me up at 10, so even I know that by now this means 10.30. We went to the hospital which is only about a 5 minute driver, good to know. The was a big open room with different stations, height and weight, eye test, hearing, colour and a blood station. So my first issue was that everything was so open. My second issues was with the sight test, how did the nurse know whether I was saying the right thing, she didn’t speak English! Ditto with the colour blindness test.
Then I had to pee in a little beaker – with no lid, walk past all the stations with my open beaker of pee sloshing everywhere, place it on the window sill and then have my blood taken! This proved to be very difficult! They tied the rubber band around my arm and slapped one arm for about 4 minutes, then the same with the other arm. After about 8 minutes, she just stuck the needle in me and poked around under the skin trying to find a vein. Well if I was a vein, after this I would also hide, which is what it did.
So, they put the very tight band around my wrist and put a needle in my hand. She then tried to draw the blood out which took ages as obviously my blood does not like Korean Nurses! She finally managed to get enough and without fainting I was done!
I then went and have a breast scan/chest x-ray to make sure I wasn’t packing any drugs. As obviously I was not a heroine addict with my veins, so maybe I might have swallowed packets of weed instead.
After this was a very brief dental scan and 49,000 won (about £25) later, I was all checked out!
We went over to the Academy ,where I became a flash card making machine. Lots of people came to register and I was also in charge of marking all the test papers to sort out what groups people would be in.
We finished at work about 9 O’clock. I was hoping to go and get some food and stuff but no such look. We all bundled in to Elizabeth’s car, on what I was hoping was the on the way home. We stopped off at an English book store to pick up some posters to make the place look less like an interrogation office We all then bundled in the car again and they took the Michael out of me for having pasta for dinner last night.
Then Elizabeth parked up again – still not outside my apartment and we all got out. It turns out we were all going for dinner! I had risotto and they took the Michael out of me for being vegetarian again. This is a running joke. It’s like ooh you want food, you have bimimbap, that’s all you can have!
I finally got home about 10.30. Elizabeth was worried about me being ‘boring’ at the weekend and wanted to take me to church. Very sweet of her but at this point I was realllly looking forward to some alone time!!!
So Saturday…. I woke up about 10am after the best nights sleep I have had here so far. Went over to Lotte Mart and bought some food. I have realised living alone, means have a very pathetic and empty fridge.
Even after shopping all I have is some eggs, milk, tofu, peppers and bean sprouts! I was very proud of my self for during shopping, I nearly bought some apple cider vinegar thinking it was olive oil but other wise no mistakes! So dropped everything off, then decide to head to down town. While walking through a shopping area past Popeye’s Chicken listening to Mambo number 5, I though how surreal this all was!!!
Decided to see if I could found the sea/river some sort of water and wondered around. (Ok, I may have been looking for the airbase ;) ) I eventually found a bay and walked around it, over a bridge, along a bit more.
Then tried to find my way back to Lotte mart for the second trip. After about 3 hours, finally found my way back. Bought lots of exciting things like a bin, a mop, extension leads etc. I also bought 2 clocks which I was super excited to have, one for South Korea time and one for UK time. Unfortunately I found out I have cement walls and cant put them up…
My feet are killing me from all the walking, so just cleaned the floor and going to watch Judge John Dead on BBC Entertainment!!!
oo, just google earthed where I am and what bit of water I walked round. Turns out it is Eunapa Lake.
Well, after 4 hours sleep, I was wide awake at 3am. I caught up with lots of people on line and made lists of things I need to get. Essentials like bins, washing up liquid et, then fun stuff like a lamp, clock etc.
I got picked up by Elizabeth 20 minutes late to go to an opening ceremony at the City Hall. We drove into Jeonju and went to the university. I say drove more like.. speeded along the motorway, slammed on brakes before speed cameras. Elizabeth is a crazzzy driver. The speed limit was 90km/h and she was doing 133km/h, then would slam on the brakes just before a speed camera. Then at one point on the motorway, she slammed on the brakes, stopped and plugged her satnav in!!! she would stop in the middle of crossroad to decide which way to go and got really easily distracted!!! I should definitely check my insurance policy to see if it covers her driving!!! I would feel much safe on an ostrich!
So we got to the uni and the gut who picker me up yesterday was there, the Director, a Guy around my age and some other dude. Woosuk uni seems a pretty nice uni, it is a private uni and the campus is really nice.
I was then driven over to the City Hall. I walked into the room and was laid out with 3 people at the head and then 12 more seats in a U shape. One of the seats had my name on. The the Mayor of Jeonju came in and the President of the University and 2 Korean Mafia looking guys who sat at the head of the U. There was a video camera a about 3 photographers. It was all very formal!
At the beginning they introduced everyone and were going along my side of the U, so I assumed that I was next so stood up and say hi, as the previous people before me. OOPS! they were not introducing me!! They introduced the other people, then said something and they all laughed then introduced me! Oops!
There were some speeches, not that I understood much. The President mentioned Shakespeare. Apparently he said the best way to learn English was to have debates and get an English boy/girlfriend. So now Mr 'Dude up picked me up' said he should find an English girlfriend. He asked if I would marry a Korean man, what his qualities would be and took me out for lunch... hmmm. The was taken back to Gunsan to the school, Daniel and Elizabeth were there and were sorting things out. I got copies all the text books I will be using and 1 weeks of lesson plans.
so I think it looks like this: 2-2.50 - Adult class 3-3.45 - Kindergarten 4-4.45 - Grade 1/2 5-5.45 - Grade 3/4 6-6.45 - Grade 5/6
The classes are 12 students and the student only come for 3 days. They will come for 2 days during the week, then on Fridays, the groups combine for activity day. Every other Friday, I will be teaching 'over there'.... not quite sure where 'over there' is yet.
It all looks pretty fun, we are doing passports and immigration and have proper leather bound Woosuk Uni passports!! They also have hula hoops, footballs, loads of pens etc. It is a totally different field from Ghana.
The Classroom
Reception Area with Daniel on the left and Mr 'Dude who picked me up' on the right
Then went and opened a bank account. I will get a card with my Korean name on!!! Went back to the office, sat around for a bit and headed home at about 6.30. I was knackered!!! Had some dinner and moved some furniture around. Managed to find an English film and feel asleep during it!
I am so proud that I managed to pack the very bare essentials in just this and not pay any excess luggage!
Tuesday, 02 June 2009
12.00 GMT
So I am all checked in and sitting at the window with a nice cup of English breakfast tea, contemplating what the bleep I am doing! (And also watching 2 fire engines and a ambulance car screech on to the runway and hoping it does not delay my flight)
I always get this way. I go through stages, denial – it is not actually happening, it is all just a crazy dream, excited, nervous, terror, excitement, terror, then acceptance. I am checked in, I have my visa, the school is expecting me so no going back, so might as well accept it, get on with everything and see what happens!
I was talking to my beloved friend Sarah Del. She was comparing this to me moving to New York. She said that oo you actually have somewhere to stay when you get there ( I turned up at NYC with no where to stay that night), you also know you have definitely got job, (I was just interviewing for CCS when I went over), you have your visa sorted (no visa, when I went to NY) oo and you have a couple of contacts over there. (Ok so they are just facebook friends but still!!). That put things into perspective, so ok I don’t remotely even understand the language, I don’t really know where I will be staying, I am not sure who I will be teaching, I will not even be able to read the food packets – but hey it will be a lot better than NY!!!
So, as I sit here with nothing really do, I decide to look over my travel insurance. Apparently if I die that means I am allowed to cut my trip short. One would think that is a very good reason. I must also not participate in an ostrich riding, Zorbing or skeletons (what ever that is) to name a few, as that is against my policy!!
My first interactions with Koreans were some other passengers at check in. One guy when asked if he had packed his bags himself said no, several other girls just generally got in the way and another guy left his passport behind and a girl wearing a facemask … hmm first impression…..
My bag also nearly got searched because I had some batteries in my case that looked like bullets – damn you electric toothbrush!!
16.00 GMT
So made it to Frankfurt airport despite the 20 mile hike to Terminal 1. The plus side of all the Koreans is that they are obviously on the same flight as me, so just follow them. There are loads of students, I am assuming are returning home from uni. I also got felt up by a German security woman. The zip on my jeans always comes down, so I have the ring off a key ring on my zip which I hook over the button on my jeans, which set the security alarm off. The women thought it was a very good idea though!
I think I am could slightly reverted to the denial stage, as I sat and listened to Angelina at top blast on the plane, I flew through Frankfurt on the way to Ghana… what would happen if I got on the ‘wrong’ plane!!! I know I would have some very happy Ghanians!!
Wednesday, 03 June 2009 3.00am GMT
So finally made it to South Korea!! I was on the plane as we were landing and I seriously thought what the bleep am I doing? I have never had any interest in Asia, so what am I doing here. However I do remember that just before I was about to go to Brazil, I cried and didn’t want to go. I loved it in Brazil, so I just tried to shake of the feeling. I had to fill out a health form, saying tha I had no cold, runny nose, congestion, fever etc in the past week…. Was that cold I had last week or the week before! So I managed to slide past the men in Quarantine t-shirts and masks and traipse through the disinfectant mat.
I met Mr Kang who sat with me and sorted out my bus for me. My bus to Jeonju…. Where they had swapped me to living but then swapped me back to Gunsan… at this stage I was like ok where ever I live I live.
4.00am GMT
Got on the bus, super comfy –(like on a par with the Accra – Kumasi Bus on the way to Mole Liz!) Tried to stay awake to have nose but ended up falling asleep.
When I did wake up occasionally, everything seems very green and hilly.
8.00am GMT
Finally arrive in Jeonju, was met by Mr… something who drove me over to Gunsan, he kept asking me where we were, I was like mate, if you don’t know how am I supposed to know!!!
9.30am GMT
Finally made it to some huge blocks of apartments. There must be about 10 of them that re 13 story high, there is a HUGE Lotte Mart – whohoo. We got out of the car and he took me to these rooms that are sort of under ground the huge flats and introduced me to some people. I didn’t really know what was going one. Then Elizabeth I think was said oh your white board will be here tomorrow! It was my school! There is a classroom, an office another room I didn’t see in and a small room with sofas in. I was introduced to Daniel and Elizabeth (?)who will be my other teachers.
10.30am GMT
So after a lot of waiting around and trying to guess which is my apartment block we finally made it to it! It is about 10/15 minute walk form my school and sort of in the middle of a huge patch of ground. It is only about 5 stories high and a brand new building. I am the first to ever lived in my apartment and there is still brick dust etc on the floor.
It is super cute though!!! I am so excited. The glittery flowery wall paper is a bit much but hey never mind. Elizabeth and Mr….? showed me in and were trying to sow me how to use the washing machine, AC/ Under floor heating/Cable/Shower but I was too excited to take any of it in and just wanted them to leave so I could unpack and home-ify things! They left me to it and Elizabeth said she would be back in a couple of hours to take me shopping.
11.30am GMT
Elizabeth turned up with her friend Nessie (again not sure if that is her name but that is what I am calling her!) They took me over to Lotte Mart which is a huge supermarket that has everything I was worrying that I wouldn’t be able to get. We had some food there, I bought some water, toilet paper and iron. So much more stuff I wanted to get but had to play it cool and not get over excited about it all!
15.05 GMT
So got back unpacked. My clothes look very lonely, and soo many drawers with nothing to fill them with. Had a shower in with the huge shower head at the top, as opposed to the smaller one slightly lower down. Flood ed the bathroom, as you would expect to when there is not cubicle.
I have been up and about for nearly 32 hours, so need to get some kip for the opening ceremony at City Hall tomorrow. I am being picked up by Elizabeth who is in an apartment block just a few minutes away.
