Medical Exam!

So today was a pretty fun filled day... well, minus the fun. I walked to school with my coworker Joanna to meet up with Mr. Ryu who then drove me over to a Korean hospital. In short I got a blood test, pee test, went to the dentist, optometrist and did some strange other test which included holding my breath for as long as I could (I'm sure there's a word for it I'm just not too sure what it is). This whole medical exam took about 2 hours to complete and each test was done in a separate building so Mr. Ryu and I literally RAN from building to building as if we were contestants in the Amazing Race. At least I got all that over with... now I await the results... hoping I pass with an "A"!
Once that was all finished with, Mr. Ryu ordered me some lunch to the school. I had a big soup with 5 different kinds of meat in it, along with a bowl of rice and some kimchi on the side (Koreans LOVE their rice and kimchi). By the time I was done it was about 6pm and I was scheduled to shadow Joanna's class from 6:45 to 7:30pm. I sat in the back of the classroom and watched as Joanna took attendance and got the kids in order (you have to be pretty strict with them or they will walk all over you). Also, I just found out that in Korea it is normal to hit kids. Mr. Ryu told me that if the children are misbehaving I should send them to the office to learn their lesson. The korean teachers at the school walk around with sticks popping out of their pockets and they hit the kids on their rists and behind their calves. I seriously don't think I would be able to sleep again if I sent a kid to "the office".
Now, if you think that's twisted, listen to this... as soon as the kids stopped talking they all raised their arms anxiously awaiting to be chosen. Joanna chose a girl first and she jumped up in excitement, walked to the front of the class... and started doing............ push-ups?!?! Joanna counted to 10, and then the next child ran up and continued the scheduled work out. It was VERY strange to say the least. After that things got somewhat back to normal. She played a 5 minute movie clip, had the kids answer some questions about what they saw, and did some reading comprehension. Each class lasts for 45 minutes and we have 10 minute breaks in between. I only shadowed one class today (grade 2's) but tomorrow I have a full day of shadowing, so I'll be able to write more about my observations. Typically I will be teaching from around 2pm to 9pm, but the first week I get to leave around 7pm, which is great!
Going for coffee with a new friend tonight, so gotta get ready.
p.s the shower really isn't as bad as it looks!!

Write more soon.

Signing off,

Gillian

Thanksgiving in Korea

My bathroom- notice the shower head in the left hand corner of the room

My kitchen!

This is basically the gist of my apartment...sorry about the mess!

On our walk to the Supermarket

The 2 Korean men who wouldn't stop taking pictures with us... infront of "street meat" outside of the bar

Downtown Gwangju

I have officially left the building!! That's right, I built up enough courage to actually leave my quaint apartment and tour around my neighbourhood. I'm glad I did because I had no idea that there was a gorgeous resevoir down the street and a huuge mountain in my backyard!! That's right, I live just beneath one of Koreas largest and beautiful mountians that has become extremely popular to hike up! It's so nice to wake up, walk outside and see a mountainous view... I love it!

So last night my co-worker Ryan who lives just above me in my apartment came down to say hi and showed me how to use the shower, stove, etc. You wouldn't think a shower is that confusing just to turn on! He also told me that there was a big party tonight because of Thanksgiving and that I pretty much had no choice in the matter... I was going. I took a quick nap, got dressed and headed downtown with both Ryan and Leigh (another co-worker of mine). They are both super nice and literally did not let me pay for a thing! They kept saying that I would need the money because I won't get paid for the first 5 weeks!! eek!! Anyways, we stopped for some authentic Korean food...KFC! haha. There is also a Berger King, McDonalds and a starbucks! I was definately happy to see some familiar restaurants! Once we finished eating we headed to a bar called "Songs" where all the foriegners hang out and that was where I was introduced to a lot of other native teachers. It was nice to meet so many other people in the same position as you! Right off the bat, you have something in common.

The bar scene in Korea is definately more wild then I thought! Technically, last call is at 4am, but when we left at 6am, I'm pretty sure we were being served beer haha. Naturally, I was hungry after we left and my co-teachers decided I should try some Korean street meat... MUCH different from home. I was served fried vegatable tempora, spring rolls and kimchi... cooked right in front of me in the middle of the street! Yum! As Leigh and I were waiting for our food, 2 Korean men came up to us and started taking pictures of us with their camera phones... it was soo strange! I guess since I'm tall with curly hair and Leigh is blond we definately stand out in a crowd! Oh well, it was kinda funny at the time. After our delicious "street meat" we hopped in a cab to go back home. Cabs are ridiculously cheap here! Our 15 minute cab ride cost 6,000 won ($6)!! Also, I figured out quite quickly that Korean drivers are NUTS!! Let's just say a red light is merely a suggestion!

So today i conqured a Korean supermarket and actually bought myself some groceries! The grocery store is right beside the Olympic stadium, so we went on a little tour around the area... it's really pretty! The grocery store itself was kinda hard to manouver around since the signs in each isle are Korean, I basically weaved in and out of each one trying to find something somewhat familiar to eat. They also have loads of samples so lunch was extra cheap today :)

Anyways, I just got back to my apartment and I have to unload my groceries and finish/start unpacking... I keep procrastinating my unpacking... it's just too overwelming!!

Write more soon!

p.s- My tv has 1 english channel...CNN! So i'm keeping myself up to date on the politcal and economic world! Dad, you should be proud!

Signing off,

Gillian

The first 24...

WOW where to even begin? Well after I endured 2 long plane rides and a 4 hour bus ride I finally made it to the place I will call home for the next year; Gwangju, Korea. I guess you can say my adventure really began when I got to the Incheon airport in Seoul. I got my 2 huge suitcases and wheeled them around on a trolly until I found the Transportation Information center where I purchased a one way ticket from Seoul to Gwangju. The nice lady at the counter let me borrow her "hand phone" so I could call the Principal of the school who was going to meet me at the Gwangju bus terminal. We had a quick conversation, telling him I arrived safely and was boarding the 5:30pm bus which means I should arrive by 9:30pm. The woman at the counter urged me to move fast as the bus was departing in exactly 3 minutes!! I ran as fast as I could with the trolly, loaded up my bags under the bus and sat down with a sigh of relief... I was finally finishing the last part of my journey!! Suddenly, something clicked in my head... how the hell was the Principal going to find me at the station? We did not come up with any meeting spot and I was told that the termial was huge! I started to worry a little... that was until I loooked around the bus and realized that I was literally the ONLY caucasion person there. Clearly the principal would have NO PROBLEM finding me. Once I arrived, Mr. Ryu (the principal) helped me with my bags and drove me directly over to his school (which he kept referring to as his "institution") so I could email my family and let them know I arrived alive. He then dropped me off at a motel which was literally 1 block away from the school, since the teacher I am replacing did not move out until this morning. I woke up around 6am (jetlagged) and decided to watch a movie on my laptop. My Ryu came to pick me up around 10am, we had a bite to eat at the school and then he dropped me off at my new home!! I can't really complain... I means yes, its small, but it pretty much has all the necessities (bed, stove, oven, washing machine, tv, microwave, fridge, etc..). However, the bathroom is a whole other domain that I haven't tackled yet... the shower head basically rests ontop of the toilet so the seat must stay down while I shower or its soaked! Ill let you know how that goes once I try it out...
Anyways I think I pretty much filled you in on everything so far... i'm going to start unpacking and then take a nap! I'mn still unsure of how I feel... there isn't one emotion that is surfacing more than the other... just a range of emotions I guess. I am really excited about what's to come though! Another foreign teacher at the school lives just above me so he is going to stop by later tonight and we may go out with some other foreigners... its thanksgiving here so big parties tonight!! Write more soon...

Signing off,

Gillian