some additional photos

Marah, you know which one's for you :)

Tap dancing in Seoul

After Mango, Yerin, Laine, and I indulged ourselves with some late night Korean Barbeque in Apkujeong, we headed to Kangnam for some hip hoppin' until the wee hours. The best part was seeing Korean girls blush at the sight of our wild dance moves, and then get so excited when finally feeling comfortable enough to join in on our group! We left around 2am, inhaled a few ice creams on the way home, then called it a night.

Today was the final round of teachbacks (yes, it's Saturday here). We have the day off tomorrow, and Laine and I are planning to check out a traditional Sunday Korean festival. I begin teaching on Monday and will be teaching the fundamentals of reading and writing this month. I spent a few hours preparing my lesson plan after work today (there is A LOT of preparation outside of class), and then walked home (about three or four miles). I'm thrilled to finally get in front of the classroom and have a NORMAL working schedule.

For those that care, I got an A in Biology and Chemistry... one fabulous semester down, three to go.

Enjoy the photos! LOVE!

"Since you've been gone" Thank you Jerimiah!

FOOD!

I heard produce here was expensive, but 49,000 won for a few grapes is absurd.

Annyong Haseyo!

Gweh-song-heh-yo (sorry) it's been so long since my last post, but this is the first opportunity I've had to update. The last two evenings we've had to stay at the testing center until 9pm to complete our training courses. It's been tiresome, but despite the complaints echoed across the walls of the teacher's lounge, I've actually been having a fantastic time.

Last night was fabulous. A group of us had Korean bbq and decided it was less desired, rather imperative that we cut loose.  We indulged ourselves with bottles of soju- in essence the vodka of Korea, complemented by Hite- bud light's second cousin removed... which paired, made for some good times to follow.  After dinner, we went to a Karaoke Bang called Cheeto Karaoke. Unlike the western experience, we were given our own private room where a screen of Korean pop stars and lyrics in Korean Characters dominated nearly an entire wall. I'm still trying to figure out how to get sound on my camera, but I'll post a hilarious video of Jeremiah singing Kelly Clarkson, along with some other photos tomorrow.

Today we did "teach backs"- i.e. we gave a one our lesson to a full classroom. I was very impressed with the quality and confidence of my comrades, particularly because for many, this was the first time in front of a classroom. The most painful part was watching the video of my lesson on a huge projection screen... with my boss! 

Tomorrow morning I'm meeting Laine for a jog down the main drag. This morning we received some very curious stares...

Good night!

Bedtime

It's about 10pm in Seoul, nearly 6am in San Diego, which means I've slept 1.5 hours in the last 48 hours. I'm completely delirious but have been sung many praises by my peers for still managing to be a bit effervescent.

Training was long today. The 60 summer teachers were split into four smaller groups and we received our training in the english writing section of the SAT. I guess I'll be teaching some writing/reading along with biology, which means I better teach myself some proper grammar- stat!

For lunch I had PAPA JOHNS. Can you believe it? Yuck! But lunch was provided for us and by the time it came around I was starving and submitted myself to two slices of american goodness. 

After the training was over, we had to go to the local hospital to have a health check. They took several tubes of blood, a urine sample, eye and ear exams, and a chest xray. The best part of the day was meeting some fantastic people and having authentic Korean Barbeque for dinner in Apgujeong. We sat on the floor, cooked our own food at our table which included amazing kimchi, grilled garlic, pork, salad, and all kinds of delicious sauces. We took the subway which is air conditioned and in pristine condition to Samseong Station, then walked about a mile and a half to the local landmark "Bang Bang Market" where I turned right and eventually found my accommodation through a maze of side streets. It's a large studio that I'm sharing with a girl who recently graduated from a small school in DC.  

The day was incredible  and everyone I've met is a pleasure to be with.  

I must retire to my sheets... duty calls at 9am tomorrow.

Goodnight!

I've arrived!

It's 7:45am in Seoul and the sky is foggier than a damn vanilla milkshake. I haven't been able to see further than 100 feet in front of me.  

I've slept 2 hours and start my teacher training at 9am, today is going to be a wild one!

I must be quick, but I'll just say that for breakfast I had green tea porridge with seaweed sprinkles and pickled radishes... a far cry from my kashi go lean crunch with soymilk and blueberries....

I love it!

I should probably start packing

Many thanks to the Homel family who had the genius idea for me to write a blog. It is far superior to sending out mass emails, plus this way I can use pretty colors!

Today is May 24, the day my journey begins. I depart for Los Angeles at 6:40pm, and then have a long layover until I depart for Seoul at 12:30 am.  I am scheduled to arrive in Korea at 5 in the morning on Monday, and begin my teacher training later that day!

As it stands, my communication is limited to two expressions: "anyong haseo" ("hello", formally), and "kyopto" (cute). I'll keep you updated as my repertoire expands. I've bought a korean phrasebook as well as some audio books that I'm sure will keep me cozy on lonely nights.

Thank you to everyone who stopped by for pizza and beer last night! I love you all so much and hope that you'll keep in touch.

love love love!