Life in Korea

It's now been more than a month since I arrived in Deokso. It's easy to remember my arrival anniversary, because it was my birthday. I don't remember what time it was when I walked out of Incheon International to meet the cab driver sent by the school. I was bleary-eyed and dog tired, near the point of hallucination. Somehow, I forgot to check the time. In fact, all I really remember of that cab ride was the feeling of taking in all the red neon crosses that top every church in Korea. In a country that averages more than 1200 people per square mile, you can find a church every few hundred yards, so when an exhausted traveler crosses 30 or so miles of it as the passenger in a car that is out late enough at night on a weeknight to be almost alone on the road, he will find himself in a surreal landscape of bright, ominous Christian symbolism in an otherwise blurred together mass of cityscape. It felt like we were travelling from cross to cross, the way a monkey swings from branch to branch. They were everywhere. I can see four red neon crosses from the balcony of my apartment, each to a different church.

So, anyway, that was my first impression of the country. The next thing I remember was arriving at Mark and Emma's apartment in Deokso at about 1 AM, October 13th. It seemed perfectly timed. It felt symbolic that I would be starting a new year surrounded by new people, exploring new places.

It's pointless to try to accurately recall the first week. I was jet lagged all to hell after 20 hours of flying, and, like most people who do this, I got sick almost right away. Between the ordeal of traveling and the sudden exposure to the unique strains of cold of a different region of the world, first week illness is almost a given. So, between those two things, and the sheer overwhelming nature of a new job in a new country with a different language, different food, different everything, it's all blurred together.

I remember that teaching kindergarten seemed crazy hard. I thought that there would be a Korean teacher in class at all times. It turns out, that's mostly just in public schools, and that I'd be on my own every class, every day. That had me thinking "Oh, shit!" until everyone assured me that I would be fine, and everyone figures out the teaching eventually. I remember finding it very easy to get along with Mark and Emma right away, and going with them on a great trip out to Seoul where we wandered into a brand new exhibit on Korea's most legendary monarch, King Sejong, and then visiting the nearby Imperial Palace, where the grounds, which are vast and beautifully landscaped just took my breath away. Beyond that, things are a little sketchy.

I remember my general state was one of being caught between excitement and stress. So much of what I was experiencing was wonderful. The restaurants are great. The view from the apartment. The river that lies just past the train station (that's a pic from some tall grasses along the bank up at the top). On my second day at school, we had a field trip up in the mountains. The views were so gorgeous. I wish I'd had a camera. I wanted to be able to share it with everyone. But then I remembered we were only 30 minutes from where I lived, and I could go hiking at places just like this almost any weekend I choose.

All of this was amazing, but I still had some sources of anxiety. Would I really be able to figure out teaching kindergarten? And, although I liked the teachers at school and felt confident I'd be able to make plenty of friends, I hadn't done so just yet. It's a little scary not to know many people when you're in a new place.

Since then though, things have just gotten better. I'm meeting new people all the time. Just last night I went to big meet-up in Seoul of foreigners and Koreans who want to meet foreigners. I went by myself, but that was no problem at all. I immediately found people who seemed really good to talk to, and spent the next 3 hours chatting with Dan from Canada, Rob from Boston, and Chris and Mika, sisters from Korea. That's the way it's generally been with regards to meeting people here. It's a cinch.

As for teaching, I've discovered you get what you give. If I take the time and plan my lessons, so I always have something to do, and always have a back-up plan in case my first plan isn't working out so well, then lessons are a blast. When you know right what you're doing, you can have fun and teach effectively at the same time, and work is like play. When I'm not prepared, improvising just doesn't cut it, and I get this fish-on-land-thrashing-around type feeling. This weekend (just today, in fact) I wrote up lesson plans for the entire upcoming week. I've learned.

OK, so that's it for now! I'll be updating this blog every Sunday, and maybe other times too. I will continue to use facebook for pictures.

Until next time,
Randy