48 Hours in...

Many people have asked me how I like it so far, or what my impression of Korea is so far. My answer continues to be "I have no idea." Not to say I don't like it, but to be honest, I have been so busy just taking it all in, learning so much, observing so much, EATING so much, that I can't tell what my reaction is yet. I need to explore more, learn more, eat more, and maybe after a week or so, I will be able to share with you all how I like it so far. Until then, I can tell you what I've learned and experienced thus far.

I live on the outskirts of town in a community that has only recently been developed with plenty of construction still going on. It's an odd neighborhood filled with studio apartments, random community crop gardens, construction sites, a small Buddhist temple, several Christian churches with giant red illuminated crosses, mini-marts, and restaurants. It's not exactly aesthetically pleasing, but it's not the pits either (although the streets are littered with trash since we have no trash pick up in this neighborhood).

I was feeling pretty overwhelmed when I first arrived. My apartment was lacking essential furniture that was promised in my contract, and not knowing where the heck I am was not a good feeling. I immediately missed all of my friends and family so much it hurt in my stomach. But after my first day at school, and now that I see it's not scary here, I'm already feeling much more comfortable. Don't get me wrong, I still miss everyone so badly it hurts, but I'm no longer freaking out.

I've already learned a fair amount about manners and etiquette in Korea, especially regarding food. It's important to finish all of your food at a restaurant, especially your rice! Food waste is frowned upon, and I got lectured by the dish lady during lunch today about not finishing all of my food. She was speaking in Korean, but I knew exactly what she was upset about, and all I could say was "Mee an ham ni da!" (I'm sorry) Lesson learned. It's important to pour drinks for your elders (and it's also important to know everyone's age, because your elder is ANYONE older than you, even by a year). Luckily for me I'm one of the oldest teachers at my school! Be sure to hand something to someone using both hands. And I think my biggest struggle will be the rule that you can not turn down drinks offered by your authority figures. Hopefully I won't be going out to eat much with my school directors, because being a non-drinker will cause some problems!

My fellow teachers have been great in welcoming me to the school and community. Some of them have gone out of their way to show me around town, take me out to eat, and supply my apartment with much needed furniture and accessories. It seems that the foreigner community in Pohang really looks out for each other and have a nice community. I've already met about 8 or 9 English teachers from other schools.

Today was my first day at school, and I spent the day observing the teacher I will be replacing. She is truly a great teacher, and I'll have big shoes to fill! The first half of the day is teaching a class of 10 kindergartners, who are of course absolutely adorable! And they can read and write MUCH better than most American kindergartners. This is probably due to the fact that they spend much more time studying than most American kids. They even spend their summer breaks going to academic camps. Sleep or playtime are not big factors in these kids' lives, and I find that unfortunate, but it's just how it is out here. The kids were excited to meet me, and seemed particularly fascinated by my "golden" hair, and especially my arm hair! Some kids were petting my arms. Luckily in Korea, teachers are encouraged to show physical affection to their students, so I can let them pet my arms and not be accused of being a child molester!

The second half of the day is working with several elementary school classes. These classes are all small, ranging from 4-12 students. Am I making any American teachers jealous? It's ok, be jealous! The curriculum is given to me by the school, so I don't have much planning to do, just following the books. It's not ideal, but since I'm teaching for 10 hours a day, I'm grateful I don't have to spend any time planning lessons.

The food has been quite an experience. To tell you the truth, I don't really know what I've been eating. Lots of kimchi, lots of beef, some duck, fish, and lots and lots of unidentified veggies. We sit on the floor at most of the restaurants, and the food has been cooked in the middle of our tables. Usually we have cooked it ourselves, the restaurant just gives us bowls of ingredients and we mix it all together in a big skillet. I'll be sure to photograph some of the foods and upload them to a blog.