3 months in Korea

Can you believe I've already been in Korea for three months? I can and I can't. Time is weird here, it has simultaneously dragged and flown by. It sort of feels like I just got here, but at the same time I feel like I've been here forever. But no matter how long I've actually been here, I have definitely gotten to see and do so much! So I'm going to try and tell you a little bit about what I've been up to lately.

Lotte World

Last month, we had a random Wednesday off for a Korean holiday. My original plan was to go to the beach, but then it was supposed to rain. So in our search for an alternate rainy day activity, we decided to go to Lotte World, which is a huge indoor amusement park in Seoul. It had everything, even an indoor roller coaster! It was a lot of fun, except for the long lines. Apparently everyone else in Korea had the same idea as we did!

Beach weekend

I did finally get to go to the beach! I went for the weekend with several friends from Icheon. We went with a tour group, so we got to meet lots of other cool people too. The beach was really fun, and on Sunday I got to go zip lining over the ocean! Scary, but so fun! (That's me!-->)

Gyeongbokgung

Gyeongbokgung is a palace in Seoul. As many of you know, I love castles, and this one was really cool. Also, I got to go with a great group of people, including coworkers and students. It was so much fun!

So I think that's it for all the big things that I've done lately. Check back for more soon though, because next week I'm going to Jeju Island! (Which I've been told is like the Hawaii of Korea!) I promise I'll tell you all about it! 

Japan!

I know, I know, I am a terrible blogger! I went to Japan like three weeks ago, and I'm just now telling you about it! But, better late than never, right?

So Japan was the trip that almost didn't happen for me. At that point, I hadn't been in Korea that long, and I didn't have my ARC (alien resident card). My boss was under the impression that this meant I couldn't leave the country and come back in without causing all kinds of problems with my visa. He told me this less than a week before we were supposed to leave. By this point of course I had already purchased my nonrefundable plane ticket. So needless to say, I was a little upset. But thanks to the help of my recruiter I found out that my boss's information was incorrect, and that I was allowed to leave the country after all. I found this out Tuesday afternoon, and we left Tuesday night! I was questioned thoroughly at immigration as I was trying to leave Korea- got taken back into their office and everything- but eventually they did let me out.

We flew into Osaka, which took less than 2 hours. We spent several hours after that in the airport, trying to figure out how to get around in Japan and trying to get some money. It turned out that my debit card was one of the only ones that worked. We didn't think that would be a big deal, we could just use our credit cards. So we decided to eat at McDonald's in the airport before we left, because of course they would take credit cards, right? Wrong! McDonald's, of all places, was cash only! It turns out just about everything in Japan was cash only, including our transportation and hostel. And, while there are plenty of ATMs around, it was extremely difficult to find ATMs that accepted foreign cards. We ended up finding enough money to pay for everything, but I learned an important traveler's lesson: always bring cash!

So the first afternoon, after we finally made it out of the airport, we visited Osaka Castle.  As many of you know, I love castles, and this one was pretty cool. Inside there was a museum, and from the top you could look out over the city.

After the castle it was time for dinner. We decided to go to a sushi restaurant- with a conveyor belt! We just sat down and watched different types of sushi go by, and then grabbed the ones we wanted. When we were finished, they charged us based on the number of empty plates we had. I don't normally like sushi, actually I usually refuse to eat it, raw fish and all that, but I figured since I was in Japan, well why not, right? And actually, it wasn't all that bad. Not my new favorite dish or anything, but okay every once in a while I guess.



After dinner it was time to head to our hostel. Lodging is usually pretty expensive in Japan, so we decided to stay at at one of the cheaper hostels. There was a reason it was less expensive- we slept in capsules! It looked kind of like an autopsy room or something out of a scifi movie. I actually really liked it. I thought I might get claustrophobic, but it was kind of nice to have a little privacy!

The next day we started off with a ride on a huge Ferris wheel that gave us some beautiful views of the city.

Next we went to the Floating Garden Observatory on top of the Umeda Sky Building.We all thought there was actually a garden up there- but after much fruitless searching we realized it was just a tall building with a good view. It was still pretty awesome though- it had some amazing views of Osaka, and we stayed up there to watch the sunset over the city. Beautiful!

The next day we went to Kyoto, which was only about an hour away. There we got to visit a temple. The buildings were really cool, and they happened to be filming a movie that day, which was awesome!

The last day of our trip started with a trip to the top of Mount Rokko in Kobe. Here we got to eat lunch overlooking Osaka and Kobe. This was seriously one of the most beautiful views I've ever seen.

Our final night in Japan just happened to be the night of a festival. Everyone was dressed up in traditional Japanese outfits. There was also a fireworks show. We were lucky enough to get to go to my friend's sister's old roommate's friend's coworker's apartment (or something like that!) which had a perfect view of the city and the fireworks! We were about 10 minutes late for the fireworks show, and I was afraid we would miss the whole thing. But it was okay, because the fireworks show was 40 minutes long! These were some of the biggest and coolest fireworks I've ever seen.

Overall, my trip to Japan was amazing. I got to see and do lots of amazing things. But the thing that really made the trip was the people. Everywhere we went, everyone was incredibly friendly and helpful. Strangers would go way out of their way to help us, even when we didn't ask. We probably wouldn't have made it to half of these places without their help!


So that's it! If you want to see more pictures, you can check out my facebook album HERE. And check back here soon, I have more to write about, including an indoor amusement park and a castle in Seoul!

Busy in Korea!

Hey guys! I'm sorry I didn't update this sooner, but I've just been so busy! I know, I know. I started my last post with pretty much the same sentence. But honestly, it's true! Here's a little bit about what I've been doing lately:

School

So I've taught by myself for over two weeks now, and I think I'm starting to get the hang of it. For the most part I like my students and classes. The only thing I really don't like so far is my schedule. On my very first day of teaching by myself, my director added four extra hours of classes to my schedule! Now it seems like I work pretty much all day, every day. For example, Monday I teach at a kindergarten from 11-1, I teach an adult student from 1-2, and I then I teach classes at my school from 3-9. That's my longest day, but the other days aren't much shorter. Tuesdays are easier because I only have 4 classes, but they are spread out throughout the day so that I still go from 12-8. I'm hoping my schedule won't stay like this for long, but I'm stuck with it for at least a little while I think.

Yeosu World Expo and Green Tea Fields

Two weekends ago I went to the world's fair! My coworkers and I left Friday night after work and headed to Seoul, where we met up with a tour group, which was basically a bus full of foreigners. It turns out that my friend Ashley from college who also teaches in Korea was a part of this tour group too, so that was really cool. We rode on the bus all night to get to Yeosu. It was a pretty miserable night. My friends and I thought it would be fun to sit on the back of the bus because it had a row of 5 seats. Bad idea! We were sitting right above the engine, which made the floor so hot that it burned my bare feet, melted the gum in my purse, and turned the chocolate I had in my bag to liquid. It made the already hot bus into a sauna, and it was miserable! I couldn't sleep at all.

So we arrived in Yeosu feeling tired and gross, and not at all prepared for the day ahead of us. But I actually still really enjoyed the expo. We started off at the aquarium, which was awesome. They had tons of interesting animals, including beluga whales! We spent the rest of the days visiting exhibits from different countries. I even got a passport that I got to get stamped at every country I visited! Most of the countries' exhibits were really cool, and it made me want to travel just about everywhere. We spent 14 hours at the Expo and still only got to see a little bit of it. There was so much more that we didn't have time to see.

That night we spent the night in an old Korean village with traditional straw-roofed homes. These were just small rooms where we slept on blankets on the floor. It was incredibly uncomfortable, but still really cool. I don't necessarily want to stay there again, but I'm glad I got to do it once!

On Sunday our tour group went to see green tea fields. It was absolutely beautiful! We spent several hours there, walking around the fields and enjoying several different green tea related treats including iced greet tea, green tea ice cream, and green tea milkshakes. So good!

Then it was time to get back on the sauna, I mean bus, to head back to Seoul. We got back late Sunday night and then it was time for another busy week at school.

I took tons of pictures that weekend, and posted all the good ones on facebook. You can click this link-
my pictures!  to see them!

Mudfest

Last weekend I got to go to Mud Fest. It is just what it sounds like- A festival with mud. They had mud pits, mud slides, mud painting, and just plain old tubs of mud you could use to cover yourself. This particular type of mud is apparently famous because it is very good for your skin. The festival was on the beach, so that was great because after we got muddy we could rinse off in the ocean, and then go do it all over again! It was so much fun, and I'm really glad I went. Unfortunately, I don't really have any pictures of Mudfest to share since I didn't want to bring my camera to a muddy beach.

So see, I am really busy! It's not just an excuse for me not to update my blog. I'm really thankful for it though- I've only been here 3 and a half weeks and I've gotten to see and do so much already! And the next few weeks should be a little calmer- no big trips until we head to Japan in the beginning of August!!! I will definitely tell you all about it!

Almost 2 weeks in Korea!

I can't believe it! I've been in Korea for almost 2 weeks now. Sorry I didn't update this sooner- but these two weeks have been really busy!

Last week I spent most of my time shadowing the English teacher that I replaced. It was a crazy week. I felt like I had so much new information coming at me all the time- about my job, about living in Korea. And on top of that, I was super jetlagged. So basically the week was really overwhelming! But I am really thankful because the teacher that I replaced was super helpful and informative. It was a crazy week but at the end of it I felt pretty ready to take on my new job. 

Over the weekend I took my first trip to Seoul with some of my coworkers. It only took about an hour by bus to get there, so that's pretty convenient. We stayed in a hostel Friday night in Seoul, and then spent Saturday shopping and eating (even ate at a Taco Bell!). 

This week was my first week of teaching by myself! It was a little stressful, but I don't think it will be that bad once I get the hang of it. The curriculum isn't that hard to teach, and the students seem pretty good. The hard part will be the fact that I have 12 different classes and I teach out of 13 different textbooks/curricula.  It's a lot to keep track of! 

This weekend I'm going on another trip! The World Fair is in Korea this year, and my coworkers and I are going. We will travel on a bus all night to get to the city of Yeosu, where the World Fair is being held. We get to spend Saturday at the fair, and then Sunday we are going to see some famous green tea fields! I'll definitely post pictures.

Also my coworkers and I have been making plans for what to do over our 2 upcoming school breaks. We are going to go to Jeju Island, which is a famous island off the coast of Korea AND we are going to Osaka, Japan! Crazy, right? I'm so excited!

I'm actually in Korea!

Hi guys! So- I made it. I'm in Korea! I got here Saturday night. I'll give you a brief overview of my trip so far.

My flight was long- 14 hours, and no good movies! I watched three anyway though. I slept and read a little bit too. Finally we landed in Seoul- it was 4:00 pm Korea time, but felt like the middle of the night to me! I was able to pick up my new cell phone at the airport, and then I had to catch a bus from the airport to my city. I was nervous about this part- finding the right bus and trying to buy my ticket. But it wasn't that bad. I got on the right bus with no trouble and then it was time for a 2.5 hour bus ride to my city- Icheon!

My school director picked me up at the bus station and took me to my new apartment. My apartment has 4 bedrooms,  and 2 bathrooms with a big kitchen and living room that I will get to share with 2 other girls who also work at my school. My new roomates/coworkers took me out to get my first Korean meal- I don't remember what it was called, or what was in it, but it was good!

Sunday I got to rest and unpack a little, and then one of my roommates showed me around my new city. We walked around and ate some more Korean food, went to a coffee shop, and visited a pretty park that's really close. Later we had dinner and then had this really great dessert with shaved ice, gelado, fruit, and cornflakes. It was delicious!

Today is my first day of work! I get a full week of training from the girl that I'm replacing, and then next week I start teaching by myself! I'm a little nervous, but excited, it sounds like it's going to be a fun job. I'll let you guys know how it goes!

I got a job! (again)

Welcome to my blog about my year in South Korea! For those of you that don't know, I plan to move to South Korea for 1 year to teach English. Just last week I accepted a job in the city of Icheon, which is about an hour and a half from Seoul. I will move there in June!

Originally I was supposed to move to Korea in the end of March. I accepted a job, signed a contract, quit my jobs here in the States, sent in my final visa paperwork, and even started packing my bags. Then I got an email from my recruiter one morning. The subject line read "Change of Plans". That was an understatement! It turns out that the school didn't get the number of students enrolled that they had expected, and they ended up having too many teachers. Basically, I was unhired.

So I began the job search again. I was hoping that I would find a new job fairly quickly, and that it would start in April or May. It didn't end up working out that way since I'm not going until June, but there are some good things about waiting. For example, I get to go to my friend's wedding at the end of May, and I might even get to go visit a friend in New York City. Also, I have lots of time to learn some Korean!

So that's what's up. Keep checking back, I'll update more when my departure date is closer!

More coming soon!