New Life

So, I've been living in Gumi, South Korea for four days now but it feels like it has been far longer than that...in a good way. My whole life is different. The food I eat, how i cook dinner, the style of how Asha and I set up and organize our apartment, the roads/outside/directions, walking, communication/language barrier, and of course the fact that I am not an English teacher! This will be an experience of a lifetime. 

Asha and I spent the weekend reuniting with friends who live here and trying to get our place set up so we can feel settled. The school has provided for us a two bedroom apartment with a kitchen, bathroom, living room, and balcony/outside/laundry area. It is a very nice apartment and we're really enjoying it. We're waiting to receive the furniture of the previous teachers so we can actually get settled. We have one room with blankets on the floor which is where we have been sleeping and the other room is a massive explosion of five suitcases. The bathroom has a shower curtain all set up which is typically not Korean culture so it cracks me up every time I see it. Our fridge is full of fruits and veggies from the market plus about 15 yogurts....totally normal right? So, needless to say it will be another week or so before we're totally set up. Pictures will follow soon.

A fun cultural fact: when Koreans are done with furniture in their house, they put it on the street with their trash and it's up for grabs by anyone who wants it. If no one claims it, then the trash people will take it away. So, in an attempt to get furniture, we have been scouring the streets for shelves and we found a small dining room table that we will put inside as soon as we have the rest of our place set up! 

I've wondered around the city a lot to know my way home from all the main places but of course I still feel the need to explore. There is a coffee shop about 5 minutes away from us that's called "Angel in us" and it's a legit coffee shop that is really an American style even though it's owned by Koreans. Everything that I have tried here in Korea, I've enjoyed...however, I have been choosy about what I tried :) no seafood please! 

Teaching has been good so far! At the end of the day, i'm very tired which has given me a greater appreciation for teachers. It's a tiring job. In the morning MWF I teach kindergarten at one school and then travel to the school in Gumi to teach Academy which is elementary aged kids.Those days i teach about 8 classes and T/TH I'll teach just my afternoon kids. I've just been shadowing the last two days and that has been a blessing in itself. Typically, when teachers move overseas they are just thrown in, but Asha and I have had the opportunity to get to know the teachers we're replacing and shadow their classes. Meeting the kids really helps me understand the purpose in teaching. I'm SOO excited to start taking over classes and see how it goes. I enjoy teaching so i'm anticipating it will be a good experience. I'm a teacher. whoa.

Cultural fact: no one wears shoes inside the schools. Everyone wears socks or slippers. I actually like this a lot. It's very comfortable. They call me "Meagan Teacher". So, the name and title are actually backwards from what Americans would say. It's been fun getting used to that. 

blahhh...i'm very tired

I wish that I could fast forward to when things are normal and routine is established. The hardest part of moving is getting used to everything new at once. The currency is about 1000 won to 1 USD. I'm still getting used to the conversion. South Korea is first world and so there aren't a lot of "luxuries" that we'll have to give up which  I think is maybe the perception people had when I told them I was moving here! It's a beautiful country and it's really a matter of learning the different cultural customs and routines. I'm up for it. It challenges me and that's where I do the best. 

I'll post pics in a few days

Thanks for the prayers and encouragement! If you have any questions about specific things just leave a comment! :)