Explorations of Seoul and random acts of kindnessIlsan and Seoul, South Korea

Taking advantage of the long weekend before starting our new jobs on Wednesday, we decided to explore Seoul a bit with Mark. We looked on a huge map, saw two palaces and a large green park-ish looking area near the Anguk station, and decided to go there. It took about 20 minutes to get from Mark's apartment to the Anguk station, but as soon as we got off the metro, Mark realized that he'd left his backpack on the train. Oops. As the train had already departed again, we went to an information booth and tried to explain the situation. Utilizing a great deal of creative sign language, we got our point across and he told us to go to the Station Office, pointing behind us. Looking in the direction that he was pointing we saw (A) a huge flight of stairs going up and (B) a large corridor and some turnstiles on the same floor as ours. We started walking towards the stairs, looking confused, and an older man who had over heard our linguistically-challenged "conversation" with the booth attendant tried to explain how to get to the station office. We understood stairs, left, and walking from the ordeal, and made our way for the stairs. Halfway up, a younger man chased us down, and tried to explain that we were going the wrong way. We were confused, so instead of giving up, he motioned for us to come with him, and led us back down the stairs, down the corridor, and to the turnstiles.

On the other side of the turnstiles was a small room and he pointed to it, saying "Station Office". We were ready to use our metro cards to get us through the turnstiles again (as we'd already left the train area). However, the Very Helpful Man motioned for us to wait, and ran over to the information booth. He came back with a temporary ticket to get himself through the turnstile, went through, and went into the Station Office. After a moment in which we all stood shocked at the trouble he was going through for a few idiotic foreigners who'd left a bag on a subway train, he emerged with a station attendant, who used special tickets to allow us through the turnstiles as well. He led us to the Station Office and the Very Helpful Man waved as we showered him with many thanks (in English and Korean), and he made his way off to continue his day.

In the Station Office, we tried again to explain our situation to the station attendant, who spoke no English, and he called someone, presumably another station worker who did speak English, and Mark told her over the phone what had happened, providing the subway line, the direction, and a description of his backpack. The station attendant then told Jay and I to wait in the office while he and Mark went back down to the train area so that Mark could point out the spot where the car we'd been in had stopped. So we waited, rereading our schedules for the coming week, and amusing ourselves by watching the security cameras keeping tabs on various locations within the station. We saw Mark and the station attendant go down an escalator in Camera Four, and then bypass a turnstile in Camera Three. We counted the Koreans who escaped payments by ducking under the turnstiles in Cameras Three and Six, and then watched Mark and the station attendant return through Camera Five. It was very exciting, let me tell you. Mark came in and sat with us while the station attendant talked some more on the phone, and to our great surprise, Very Helpful Man showed up on Camera Three, entering the turnstile, and then going up the escalator in Camera Five. A moment later he'd re-entered the Station Office and talked with the attendant before leaving again. Apparently he'd come back to check on how things were going before (as we saw in the Cameras) going back down the escalator, through the turnstile, and boarding a train.

In the end, they found Mark's backpack about an hour later, at the end station of line 3, Suseo. We therefore boarded the train for the 40-minute ride to Suseo, obtained the backpack, and returned to Anguk after a short meal in Suseo. The point of this story? How kind and helpful the Koreans can be to foreigners.

...

...

...and don't leave your backpack on the frickin' train.

By the time we got back to Anguk, it was nearly 5 in the evening. We made our way to the first palace, only to discover that it was closed on Mondays (but the outside looked quite nice) and then proceeded to make our way around the perimeter of the park, as the whole thing was enclosed in a huge wall and the entrance was far away. When we finally reached the entrance, it was about to close and we were no longer allowed to enter. So basically, we spent the entire day in Seoul learning the intricacies of the Subway system. We'll have to return later for a trip to the park, and when we do, we'll keep our backpacks in our laps.

New apartment, schedule assignmentsIlsan, South Korea

We moved into our new apartment on Friday, after Sean left for Australia. The apartment is actually only temporary, as we will most likely be moving to a larger place in October. For now though, this is our new home. It has a large bedroom/office with a couch, dresser, desk, and bookshelf in addition to the bed; a kitchen equipped with a microwave, gas range stove, lots of cabinets, and a fridge/freezer. Additionally, the main room that has the kitchen also has a portable clothing rack and a side-closet containing our washing machine and the bike that Jay bought from Sean. Finally, the area by the front door has a large cabinet for shoes (appropriate, as it is customary in Korea to always remove your shoes before entering a home).

So, we're pretty much moved in and ready to prepare for our first week of teaching. We start on Wednesday, evenly splitting all the classes from Elaine and Sean. On Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, we both have 7 classes plus a summer intensive course and on Tuesday and Thursday Jay has 6 classes (plus the summer intensive) and I have 5 (plus the intensive). Basically, we're teaching elementary, middle school, and a couple of high school students, and next month we will be adding one or two Kindergarden classes apiece. We're already technically working overtime without the Kindergarden courses, so on the one hand, we will definitely be busy, but on the other hand, we'll have a great amount of teaching experience under our belts by the end of the year, and Jay will be able to make a large dent in his student loans.

In addition to our classes, we're excited to explore Ilsan and learn Korean. Already, Jay can read most of the Hangul alphabet and I'm looking into finding a Korean language exchange partner in the area. Depending on the business of our schedule, we'll have to see how much language progress we can make.

Lake Park and the passing of the torchIlsan, South Korea

This weekend is a five-day weekend, so Thursday was our last day to observe classes. By the end of it, we'd seen about half of the courses we'll be taking over. Elaine and Sean said their goodbyes to their co-teachers and students that evening, both very sad to leave them. Despite the difficulty of living and working in a foreign country, and any disagreements or difficulties, it was clear that they both were very attached to their students (and the students to them). Given this, we know that we have big shoes to fill, but on the other hand, we're assured that the coming year will be a worthwhile experience.

After school on Thursday, Sean showed us around his (now our) apartment to introduce us to its tricks and quirks. Afterwards, we went to La Festa, a huge shopping/entertainment district, for a couple beers and some last bits of wisdom before we embark upon our own teaching career. It's hard to explain exactly the change that has occurred in this past week - from our first day landing in Incheon to our first day in our new apartment... we've seen classes, gotten to know some of the students and teachers a bit better, gotten a glimpse into what we will be doing for a year, and obtained an immeasurable increase in confidence and ideas from Elaine and Sean.

Last night Mark came to visit us and the next day we all explored Lake Park (with a huge man-made lake) and Ilsan in general. While walking around, Jay and Mark worked on learning to read Hangul, using any and all signs we saw on our way as practice. I only needed to help occasionally, as both of them have learned to memorize most of the alphabet really quickly. We also got to use the subway for the first time to visit Mark and see where he lives as well. He's in about the same situation as us, with similarly-aged students, though a few subway stations apart.

I'll explain more about our apartment (with photos!) once we've settled in a bit more. 

First day in KoreaIlsan, South Korea

Well, we're here. We arrived last night. After a 12-hour flight (on a side note, I whole-heartedly recommend Singapore Airlines to anyone traveling across the Pacific). After collecting our baggage and clearing customs faster than in any other country, we emerged from the terminal to see tons of Koreans waiting, many with signs containing various names. Our driver, Mr. Li, had no problem spotting us (the only confused foreigners in the lot), and quickly herded us outside, where he and the majority of the Korean men exiting the airport immediately lit a cigarette. Welcome to Asia.

It took us about half an hour to reach our school, where we met our vice-president/director/head teacher/boss, Joe, and some of the foreign and Korean teachers. Joe showed us around the school, which has one floor in a giant building for the older (elementary - high school) students and a separate, new building exclusively for kindergardeners and some 1st graders. After the tour, Joe took us to our temporary hotel room - right across the street from our school - and then took us out to dinner and helped us find breads to buy for breakfast. We returned back to the hotel around 10 PM (which is 6 AM in California). We set our alarms fro 9:30 the next day, since we needed to be at the school by noon, and crashed.

We were both wide awake by 8 this morning, not quite able to internalize the fact that we're here. In Korea. To teach. For a year. Huh.

Having purchased breakfast-y breads the night before, we ate breakfast in our hotel room and learned to operate the shower (there is no curtain or door, but rather the entire restroom is made of plastic, the toilet paper is covered, and the floor itself has a drain to get rid of all the water). After getting dressed and acclimating for a while to Korean music videos, we headed over to the school for our first day of class-observing.

From around noon until about 6:00, we observed 4 classes with 3 different teachers (Joe and the two foreign teachers we are to replace - Elaine and Sean). We also met the rest of the Korean and foreign teachers, got mobbed by very enthusiastic (and not at all shy) kindergardeners, and checked out some of the available course materials.

During a break, we went to the same tiny Korean restaurant that we'd eaten at the night before, and managed to procure a delicious, spicy seafood and noodle soup with my poor Korean reading abilities and some creative signing. The waiter, who was amazingly indulgent of our inability to communicate properly, also brought us some kim chi and water. Korean word of the day: 짭뽕라면. Meaning: Delicious cheap noodle-fish-chili-soup that I can't pronounce properly.

After observing classes, we went and got our photos taken for the alien registration card that the school's owner will apply for on our behalf. Tomorrow, another day of observation - in the kindergarden as well as with some Korean teachers. For now, off to take photos and find food.

Preparing for South KoreaBerkeley, California

Our visas are ready, our tickets are purchased, our bags are (somewhat) packed... Jay and I are leaving in less than a week to spend a year in South Korea - in Ilsan, a suburb to the Northeast of Seoul, in the Gyeonggi province. We don't speak Korean to any usable degree, we have never been to Asia before, and we haven't met the people responsible for sending us there.

We will be teaching English for a year at a private school, which will pay for our airfare and provide us with housing. It would be an absurd lie to say I wasn't nervous, but, at the same time, I am tingling with excitement. Once again, I have the opportunity to travel, to learn a new language, and to experience a new culture... Why wouldn't excitement be the most noticeable emotion?

Right now, Jay and I are both trying to see our friends and families for a bit longer before he comes down to the Bay Area and then... we're off! Updates will be forthcoming, once we're across the Pacific.