I had to go to the local hospital to get a physical done so I could get my ID card. I also had to have an HIV test, which apparently is something very rare to ask for in Korea because most hospitals we called didn't offer it. I'm not sure if it's something every person entering Korea to live must get, or just Americans. Apparently Americans are dirty sluts or junkies.
We finally find a hospital nearby that will give my skanky self a physical. We head into the lobby and there are patients in hospital gowns roaming around holding saline bags on top of their heads. Eveyone is just carrying around their saline bags on their heads. Patients are everywhere; the lobby, outside, the hallways, in and out of random rooms. Do they actually have rooms for the patients? I have to have a blood test and the phlebotomist (I assume??) is in the basement of the hospital by himself. There are vials of everybody else's blood all over the place. There is a cardboard box on his desk in front of me that has big splotches of blood all over it and it's full of used syringes.
He pokes the inside of my arms with his fingers looking for good veins. I hate having my blood drawn. I have really tiny, deep veins that roll. It's a huge pain in the ass and quite painful.
He pulls a needle out of his top drawer and all I kept thinking was, "Please, oh please God, let that be a clean needle!" There was a plastic cap on the needle so I hope I'm right to assume the needle was clean before the cap was put on.
Luckily he finds a vein the first time and he quickly extracts a syringe full of my blood. He puts it in a vial labeled with my name and tosses the dirty needle into the cardboard box. Little speckles of my blood stain the box.
Please, please don't ever let me get sick or hurt in this country.
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
First Day of School
This post is slightly out of sequence, but I had to share the penis viewing!
Oct. 26th was my first day of school and I was supposed to go to each of my classes and observe.
Throughout the day I hear a lot of "What's your name? It's nice to meet you, my name is...." All the students, ages 6-19, have English names, which for some reason I find strange. However, it does make things a lot easier for me. Their English names have nothing to do with their Korean names, which I also find intriguing.
I also hear a lot of, "Wow! You are very tall!" I just smile at them and tell them I am considered tall in my country too.
Classes start at 2:30 p.m. and are 45 - 90 minutes long. There are classes until 9:30 p.m. every weekday. Students come to the private English academies after attending regular public school all day. I really have no idea when students have time to study or sleep. But education and learning English are very important concepts to the Korean people and Korean parents are willing to pay lots of money to ensure their children learn English.
There are Hogwans (private English schools) everywhere. The first level of buildings are made up of Hogwans and restaurants and the other levels are apartments. There are tons and tons of Hogwans everywhere! Mine is called "Talking Club".
Each student has their temperature taken as soon as they enter Talking Club with a digital thermometer that is placed in their ear. H1N1 is quite an epidemic and I'm pretty sure it originated here too. EVERYONE wears masks over their nose and mouth.
The same thermometer is used daily on several students and there is no sort of protective cap on it, nor are there any swipes of alcohol between temperature readings. I find something incredibly gross about this. But I guess it could be worse, it could be a rectal thermometer.
There are a total of eight teachers at Talking Club. Six of those are native Koreans, one is from India and then there is me. We are all female. Mirue is the best at speaking English, she just graduated with a degree in pre-pharmacy from a university in Portland, Oregon and she is waiting to hear if she'll be accepted into Pharmacy school and returning to the U.S. She's a friggin doll and I can talk to her like she's an American and she knows what I'm saying. I don't have to carefully calculate every word with her. It's fantastic!
Jennifer is also really good at English. She spent eight years in New Zealand before coming back home several months ago to teach.
I had one middle-school aged student ask me what my favorite flower was and he told me his was "mara-johnna". Umm, what?! If you're going to try to be a typical snarky teenager then at least pronounce marijuana correctly. I thought Korean children were considered highly naive and the Korean culture VERY anti-drug?
At one point, the Korean teacher in charge of "mara-johnna" boy's class allowed the students to throw Jenga game pieces at each other and all over the classroom while she stared at the table. WTF?!
I sit in on the 6:40 p.m. class. There are two students there and they are fairly advanced at English. I keep waiting for the teacher to show up and nobody does. Finally Agnes comes in and tells me I'm responsible for this class. Ummm.... Good to know. We played "Hangman" and "20 Questions" for the entire duration of the class.
I was solely responsible for the next class too. They were pretty advanced at English too, so we just talked.
I'm overwhelmed by my complete ineptitude by this point and the amount of time and effort I will need to invest just to figure out what is going on.
Do all new ESL teachers in a foreign land feel this way? I feel like I've been thrown to the wolves.
I make it back to my apartment at 9:50 p.m. I lie face down on my bed with my feet hanging off the foot of the bed and my arms outstretched on either side. My first day of "teaching" is finally over
I don't think I've ever felt this unprepared, uncomfortable or completely clueless in my entire life. I'm the only native English speaker at the school and I was given absolutely no direction or instruction from the school director about how to teach the children English. The first three classes I went to were spoken entirely in Korean. The previous Western teachers had no teaching experience either (from what I'm told) and they managed to make it through, but how? I would love to ask them, but no one at the school will give me Alex or Emily's e-mail address because it's "confidential information".
Oct. 26th was my first day of school and I was supposed to go to each of my classes and observe.
Throughout the day I hear a lot of "What's your name? It's nice to meet you, my name is...." All the students, ages 6-19, have English names, which for some reason I find strange. However, it does make things a lot easier for me. Their English names have nothing to do with their Korean names, which I also find intriguing.
I also hear a lot of, "Wow! You are very tall!" I just smile at them and tell them I am considered tall in my country too.
Classes start at 2:30 p.m. and are 45 - 90 minutes long. There are classes until 9:30 p.m. every weekday. Students come to the private English academies after attending regular public school all day. I really have no idea when students have time to study or sleep. But education and learning English are very important concepts to the Korean people and Korean parents are willing to pay lots of money to ensure their children learn English.
There are Hogwans (private English schools) everywhere. The first level of buildings are made up of Hogwans and restaurants and the other levels are apartments. There are tons and tons of Hogwans everywhere! Mine is called "Talking Club".
Each student has their temperature taken as soon as they enter Talking Club with a digital thermometer that is placed in their ear. H1N1 is quite an epidemic and I'm pretty sure it originated here too. EVERYONE wears masks over their nose and mouth.
The same thermometer is used daily on several students and there is no sort of protective cap on it, nor are there any swipes of alcohol between temperature readings. I find something incredibly gross about this. But I guess it could be worse, it could be a rectal thermometer.
There are a total of eight teachers at Talking Club. Six of those are native Koreans, one is from India and then there is me. We are all female. Mirue is the best at speaking English, she just graduated with a degree in pre-pharmacy from a university in Portland, Oregon and she is waiting to hear if she'll be accepted into Pharmacy school and returning to the U.S. She's a friggin doll and I can talk to her like she's an American and she knows what I'm saying. I don't have to carefully calculate every word with her. It's fantastic!
Jennifer is also really good at English. She spent eight years in New Zealand before coming back home several months ago to teach.
I had one middle-school aged student ask me what my favorite flower was and he told me his was "mara-johnna". Umm, what?! If you're going to try to be a typical snarky teenager then at least pronounce marijuana correctly. I thought Korean children were considered highly naive and the Korean culture VERY anti-drug?
At one point, the Korean teacher in charge of "mara-johnna" boy's class allowed the students to throw Jenga game pieces at each other and all over the classroom while she stared at the table. WTF?!
I sit in on the 6:40 p.m. class. There are two students there and they are fairly advanced at English. I keep waiting for the teacher to show up and nobody does. Finally Agnes comes in and tells me I'm responsible for this class. Ummm.... Good to know. We played "Hangman" and "20 Questions" for the entire duration of the class.
I was solely responsible for the next class too. They were pretty advanced at English too, so we just talked.
I'm overwhelmed by my complete ineptitude by this point and the amount of time and effort I will need to invest just to figure out what is going on.
Do all new ESL teachers in a foreign land feel this way? I feel like I've been thrown to the wolves.
I make it back to my apartment at 9:50 p.m. I lie face down on my bed with my feet hanging off the foot of the bed and my arms outstretched on either side. My first day of "teaching" is finally over
I don't think I've ever felt this unprepared, uncomfortable or completely clueless in my entire life. I'm the only native English speaker at the school and I was given absolutely no direction or instruction from the school director about how to teach the children English. The first three classes I went to were spoken entirely in Korean. The previous Western teachers had no teaching experience either (from what I'm told) and they managed to make it through, but how? I would love to ask them, but no one at the school will give me Alex or Emily's e-mail address because it's "confidential information".
Monday, November 2, 2009
Holy Hell! I just saw a Korean man's penis!
He didn't even try to hide it, he didn't even react. I was walking home after school and got between the building where my school is located and my apartment building and he was just standing there --- peeing!
His wee, little wang was whipped out full stream and he was putting some paper in his wallet. He looked up at me rather non-chalantly and then returned to his wallet.
WTF?!??
He didn't even try to hide it, he didn't even react. I was walking home after school and got between the building where my school is located and my apartment building and he was just standing there --- peeing!
His wee, little wang was whipped out full stream and he was putting some paper in his wallet. He looked up at me rather non-chalantly and then returned to his wallet.
WTF?!??
Sunday, November 1, 2009
Waking Up in Asia 10/25/09
There's definitely some funk in the air. Can't quite put my finger on what the smell is, but it's rank. Seoul smelled horrible like feet, gnarly rotten food and the way Missoula smells after it rains.
I woke up from my first night in Dangjin raring to go. Those magic pills kick ass! Thanks, Chris!
Agnes was going to take me around Dangjin today, but that wasn't until 1 p.m., so I decided to go for a walk to see what I could see. The previous teachers (Alex & Emily, a couple from Canada) had left me their cellphone and Agnes had pre-programmed her cell number into the phone. I figured if I got too lost I could just call her.
I headed out and ended up walking in the downtown area of Dangjin and considering it was Sunday, not too much was open but there were a lot of people out and about. Everyone I passed stared at me, but I didn't feel like they were being rude, just curious. I smiled at everyone I saw. The women would usually smile back, except for the older women, but men would almost never smile back.
I was looking for an internet cafe so I could e-mail everyone letting them know I'd made it safely. I went into a little convenience store and asked about an "internet cafe". The man didn't speak any English and he had no idea what I was talking about. Found out later, they are called "PC Rooms" here.
I eventually made it back to my temporary apartment in the library. I didn't get lost!
The previous teachers left some things behind when they went back home. They even made me pancakes and left them in the fridge for me! They left a bunch of cooking utensils and baking supplies, some bathroom stuff, food and a couple Canadian magazines. I don't have to go shopping right away :) ! They even left their pet fish. Or maybe that was just lunch...
I suddenly feel very isolated. Nobody knows if I've made it to Korea safely and I can just imagine what my mother is doing right now. I told everyone it would probably be about 2 days until they would hear from me. It's definitely been over 48 hours since I left the states.
Agnes drives me to the local department store where I can buy food and household items. I'm admittedly shocked at the grocery store. There is so much there -- a lot more than I expected to be able to find. I can easily walk to the store, too. It's called Lotte (Loh-tay) Mart, but I just call it "Lottee" because I'm an ignorant American. Apparently "Loh-tay" is a rich fella because there is a hotel called Lotte too, but you have to be somewhat of a high roller to stay there. Going to have to find myself a sugar daddy...
Agnes also took me to the outdoor market in Dangjin. I couldn't find it again if my life depended on it, but that is nothing new with my ridiculous lack of a sense of direction. The market gave me sensory overload. So many people, colors and objects. Toothbrushes, live eels and octopus in big tubs of water, food vendors, fruit (the fruit is HUGE), vegetables, pots & pans, toys, clothes, everything. One lady stopped us and asked us to try her food. (I assume that's what she said.) It was a sort of rolled up rice paste with spices and green onions and then deep fried. It was very good.
My toothbrush was in my carry-on so I bought a new one at the market. We stopped for a drink at "Family Mart", like a 7-11, and they're on every corner. Agnes and I watched the people at the market, she knew several people there, most of them were parents of Talking Club students. We also watch the insane drivers nearly hit pedestrians, market stalls and several cars. Drivers in Korea are nuts. I thought Vegas drivers were bad.
Eventually it's time to move into my apartment and it's only a half block from the school, awfully convenient. It's quite possibly the dinkiest apartment I've ever seen, even smaller than Lindsey's studio in Waikiki (which I didn't think was possible). But it's clean, has a washing machine and I don't need that much anyway. And it's free! Can't really beat that.
The landlord, the old tenants and Agnes all helped me move into my apartment. We had to move a bed, a table & chairs and a few smaller items into the apartment from the library. It was incredibly nice of everyone to help me. Although moving is a royal pain in the ass when you have to take off your shoes each time you enter a house.
I was so hungry and for some reason I just needed something comforting and familiar. I went on the lookout for some American cuisine. I rationalized that I had an entire year to eat the local Korean food, but at that moment I needed something familiar.
It's very odd to order American food in an American food chain from someone who doesn't understand a single word you're saying and you haven't the slightest inkling what they're saying. A whole lot of pointing and sign language occurs.
I had ordered a sandwich and the girl kept crossing her arms at her wrists and saying something over and over again. This is no time to practice your "Wonder Woman" act, girly!! I'm hungry! I honestly (idiotically) thought she was asking to cut the sandwich in half or something. Yes, I'm a moron. Something finally clicked and I realized she was trying to tell me they didn't have what I wanted. I had learned the sign language for not having something! I placed another order and went on my merry little way.
I woke up from my first night in Dangjin raring to go. Those magic pills kick ass! Thanks, Chris!
Agnes was going to take me around Dangjin today, but that wasn't until 1 p.m., so I decided to go for a walk to see what I could see. The previous teachers (Alex & Emily, a couple from Canada) had left me their cellphone and Agnes had pre-programmed her cell number into the phone. I figured if I got too lost I could just call her.
I headed out and ended up walking in the downtown area of Dangjin and considering it was Sunday, not too much was open but there were a lot of people out and about. Everyone I passed stared at me, but I didn't feel like they were being rude, just curious. I smiled at everyone I saw. The women would usually smile back, except for the older women, but men would almost never smile back.
I was looking for an internet cafe so I could e-mail everyone letting them know I'd made it safely. I went into a little convenience store and asked about an "internet cafe". The man didn't speak any English and he had no idea what I was talking about. Found out later, they are called "PC Rooms" here.
I eventually made it back to my temporary apartment in the library. I didn't get lost!
The previous teachers left some things behind when they went back home. They even made me pancakes and left them in the fridge for me! They left a bunch of cooking utensils and baking supplies, some bathroom stuff, food and a couple Canadian magazines. I don't have to go shopping right away :) ! They even left their pet fish. Or maybe that was just lunch...
I suddenly feel very isolated. Nobody knows if I've made it to Korea safely and I can just imagine what my mother is doing right now. I told everyone it would probably be about 2 days until they would hear from me. It's definitely been over 48 hours since I left the states.
Agnes drives me to the local department store where I can buy food and household items. I'm admittedly shocked at the grocery store. There is so much there -- a lot more than I expected to be able to find. I can easily walk to the store, too. It's called Lotte (Loh-tay) Mart, but I just call it "Lottee" because I'm an ignorant American. Apparently "Loh-tay" is a rich fella because there is a hotel called Lotte too, but you have to be somewhat of a high roller to stay there. Going to have to find myself a sugar daddy...
Agnes also took me to the outdoor market in Dangjin. I couldn't find it again if my life depended on it, but that is nothing new with my ridiculous lack of a sense of direction. The market gave me sensory overload. So many people, colors and objects. Toothbrushes, live eels and octopus in big tubs of water, food vendors, fruit (the fruit is HUGE), vegetables, pots & pans, toys, clothes, everything. One lady stopped us and asked us to try her food. (I assume that's what she said.) It was a sort of rolled up rice paste with spices and green onions and then deep fried. It was very good.
My toothbrush was in my carry-on so I bought a new one at the market. We stopped for a drink at "Family Mart", like a 7-11, and they're on every corner. Agnes and I watched the people at the market, she knew several people there, most of them were parents of Talking Club students. We also watch the insane drivers nearly hit pedestrians, market stalls and several cars. Drivers in Korea are nuts. I thought Vegas drivers were bad.
Eventually it's time to move into my apartment and it's only a half block from the school, awfully convenient. It's quite possibly the dinkiest apartment I've ever seen, even smaller than Lindsey's studio in Waikiki (which I didn't think was possible). But it's clean, has a washing machine and I don't need that much anyway. And it's free! Can't really beat that.
The landlord, the old tenants and Agnes all helped me move into my apartment. We had to move a bed, a table & chairs and a few smaller items into the apartment from the library. It was incredibly nice of everyone to help me. Although moving is a royal pain in the ass when you have to take off your shoes each time you enter a house.
I was so hungry and for some reason I just needed something comforting and familiar. I went on the lookout for some American cuisine. I rationalized that I had an entire year to eat the local Korean food, but at that moment I needed something familiar.
It's very odd to order American food in an American food chain from someone who doesn't understand a single word you're saying and you haven't the slightest inkling what they're saying. A whole lot of pointing and sign language occurs.
I had ordered a sandwich and the girl kept crossing her arms at her wrists and saying something over and over again. This is no time to practice your "Wonder Woman" act, girly!! I'm hungry! I honestly (idiotically) thought she was asking to cut the sandwich in half or something. Yes, I'm a moron. Something finally clicked and I realized she was trying to tell me they didn't have what I wanted. I had learned the sign language for not having something! I placed another order and went on my merry little way.
Saturday, October 31, 2009
Flight
I got to the airport at about 6 a.m. for a 6:45 international flight after NO sleep the night before. Nearly got to the airport without my passport too. There was a slight bag mix-up, which required a drive across town from where I was and way the hell across town from the airport.
I got through baggage check with bags weighing 50.5 pounds and 51.5 pounds and the ticket counter lady didn't charge me for being 2 pounds over the limit!!!
Went through the metal detector and my carry-on had to go through the X-ray twice and then the security lady opened my bag, rearranged the contents, opened the canisters where I put my jewelry (I put my jewelry in film canisters and old Body Shop lotion containers, it's safer and more compact) and she exclaimed, "Oh! You were trying to trick me!" while she pointed at the lotion container, which is over the 3-oz limit. Yes, lady, I have all the time in the world to hash out plans to try to pull a fast one over airport security. She put my bag through the X-ray for the third time and finally gives me the green light. She plops my bag on a seperate table and leaves me responsible for returning the contents of my bag to their original locations after she so skillfully ransacked it. I make it to my gate, I'm the last one on the plane and they close the door behind me. Onward to Denver!
I get to Denver and suddenly my carry-on is too big for me to have on the plane. The airline staff says I have to check it. I'm not ok with this, but I can't argue. My carry-on has my Korean school contract, my immunization records, copies of EVERYTHING (which I realize now is really stupid, but I had every intention of having these things on me the whole time), it also has my Banff pants (the comfiest fleece pants on the planet, Abby will agree), ALL of my jewelry (!), a few of my favorite books, my toothbrush, and ALL OF MY JOURNALS (OH MY GOD!), among several other items. Regardless, the airline staff took my bag and said it would be there when I got off the plane. Foreshadowing, anyone?
The flight to San Francisco was pretty uneventful and I even slept a little, which is next to impossible for me to do on planes. Must be that complete exhaustion.
I get on the plane to Seoul and I have a window seat, which I hate because I can't stretch out my legs. But I was able to sleep against the window in 20-minute spurts. The flight was REALLY long and I watched a couple movies and listened to a lot of music and a book on tape. (Thanks, Alan!) My friend, Chris, game me a supply of Ambien but I'd heard so many crazy stories about what people did while on Ambien that I decided it was best not to take it on an international flight.
When I finally got to Seoul I went straight to baggage claim praying I would see my carry-on. Of course I didn't see it and I knew I wouldn't, but I found my curling iron... It was randomly making it's way around the conveyor belt in one of those gray tubs. One item, just one, sitting in one of those tubs all by itself. It was odd that I even saw it and recognized it as mine and it was far away from my bags. Odder still that it wasn't in my bag as was its obvious original location.
I was given instructions to catch a bus from the airport to Dangjin, which was to leave 2 hours after my plane landed. After I reported my missing bag, I went off to find my bus. It was actually very easy to find. Every taxi driver in a 2-mile radius asked if I needed a ride. That's funny, they really didn't seem to be asking anyone else from what I could tell. Apparently white females are suckers and easy prey for taxi drivers in Seoul (or any other city for that matter). I was also asked to donate money to a Korean Christian network.
The shuttle vehicle I was supposed to catch was called an "airport limosine." In reality, it was a gnarly old bus, but luckily there were only about three people on it.
On the way to Dangjin, I saw a public bus pulled over on the highway and all the men from the bus were peeing shoulder-to-shoulder on the side of the road. I thought that was incredibly odd. I thought Korean people were shy and modest?
It took about two hours to get to the main bus station in Dangjin from the airport. My school director, Agnes, was supposed to meet me at the bus station. I had no idea what she looked like and it was about 10:30 p.m. after 24 hours of traveling. I did see one thing in English though, a Baskin Robbins. Luckily after 10 minutes Agnes showed up.
Poor little Agnes attempted to help me with my bags and they easily weighed more than she did. She takes me to my room for the night. I'll be staying in the library above the Hogwan (private English school) where I'll be teaching. It's 5 minutes from the bus station. Agnes lives in the apartment above the library with her parents. My apartment won't be ready until 6 p.m. the next day. But the library is just like a regular apartment, but with a bunch of children's books in the living room area. There was a bed and that's all I cared about. I took a shower and took one of Chris's magic pills (I wanted to make sure nothing was going to wake me) and I promptly passed out.
I got through baggage check with bags weighing 50.5 pounds and 51.5 pounds and the ticket counter lady didn't charge me for being 2 pounds over the limit!!!
Went through the metal detector and my carry-on had to go through the X-ray twice and then the security lady opened my bag, rearranged the contents, opened the canisters where I put my jewelry (I put my jewelry in film canisters and old Body Shop lotion containers, it's safer and more compact) and she exclaimed, "Oh! You were trying to trick me!" while she pointed at the lotion container, which is over the 3-oz limit. Yes, lady, I have all the time in the world to hash out plans to try to pull a fast one over airport security. She put my bag through the X-ray for the third time and finally gives me the green light. She plops my bag on a seperate table and leaves me responsible for returning the contents of my bag to their original locations after she so skillfully ransacked it. I make it to my gate, I'm the last one on the plane and they close the door behind me. Onward to Denver!
I get to Denver and suddenly my carry-on is too big for me to have on the plane. The airline staff says I have to check it. I'm not ok with this, but I can't argue. My carry-on has my Korean school contract, my immunization records, copies of EVERYTHING (which I realize now is really stupid, but I had every intention of having these things on me the whole time), it also has my Banff pants (the comfiest fleece pants on the planet, Abby will agree), ALL of my jewelry (!), a few of my favorite books, my toothbrush, and ALL OF MY JOURNALS (OH MY GOD!), among several other items. Regardless, the airline staff took my bag and said it would be there when I got off the plane. Foreshadowing, anyone?
The flight to San Francisco was pretty uneventful and I even slept a little, which is next to impossible for me to do on planes. Must be that complete exhaustion.
I get on the plane to Seoul and I have a window seat, which I hate because I can't stretch out my legs. But I was able to sleep against the window in 20-minute spurts. The flight was REALLY long and I watched a couple movies and listened to a lot of music and a book on tape. (Thanks, Alan!) My friend, Chris, game me a supply of Ambien but I'd heard so many crazy stories about what people did while on Ambien that I decided it was best not to take it on an international flight.
When I finally got to Seoul I went straight to baggage claim praying I would see my carry-on. Of course I didn't see it and I knew I wouldn't, but I found my curling iron... It was randomly making it's way around the conveyor belt in one of those gray tubs. One item, just one, sitting in one of those tubs all by itself. It was odd that I even saw it and recognized it as mine and it was far away from my bags. Odder still that it wasn't in my bag as was its obvious original location.
I was given instructions to catch a bus from the airport to Dangjin, which was to leave 2 hours after my plane landed. After I reported my missing bag, I went off to find my bus. It was actually very easy to find. Every taxi driver in a 2-mile radius asked if I needed a ride. That's funny, they really didn't seem to be asking anyone else from what I could tell. Apparently white females are suckers and easy prey for taxi drivers in Seoul (or any other city for that matter). I was also asked to donate money to a Korean Christian network.
The shuttle vehicle I was supposed to catch was called an "airport limosine." In reality, it was a gnarly old bus, but luckily there were only about three people on it.
On the way to Dangjin, I saw a public bus pulled over on the highway and all the men from the bus were peeing shoulder-to-shoulder on the side of the road. I thought that was incredibly odd. I thought Korean people were shy and modest?
It took about two hours to get to the main bus station in Dangjin from the airport. My school director, Agnes, was supposed to meet me at the bus station. I had no idea what she looked like and it was about 10:30 p.m. after 24 hours of traveling. I did see one thing in English though, a Baskin Robbins. Luckily after 10 minutes Agnes showed up.
Poor little Agnes attempted to help me with my bags and they easily weighed more than she did. She takes me to my room for the night. I'll be staying in the library above the Hogwan (private English school) where I'll be teaching. It's 5 minutes from the bus station. Agnes lives in the apartment above the library with her parents. My apartment won't be ready until 6 p.m. the next day. But the library is just like a regular apartment, but with a bunch of children's books in the living room area. There was a bed and that's all I cared about. I took a shower and took one of Chris's magic pills (I wanted to make sure nothing was going to wake me) and I promptly passed out.
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Thursday, October 1, 2009
In the hustle and extreme bustle of the last-minute items on the "must-do" list, such as attain that oh-so-necessary Korean visa, I feel I am overwhelmed by the details and won't get to treasure my last remaining weeks at home with my family and friends. I'm feeling so rushed and discombobulated. I really want to enjoy my last few weeks state-side.
I don't think I've quite grasped the all-encompassing prospect of what my life is to become very soon. I don't think I will fully realize it until I set foot on Korean soil. I have so much to do that I'm forced to focus on the logistics rather than the relationships right now. The relationships between family, relationships between friends, relationships between co-workers, relationships between the guy that sells jewelry on the corner of Front Street and Higgins Avenue, relationships between the baristas at my favorite coffee shops and the relationship between my dog and me. Perhaps I've become one of those creepy people who talks too much about their pets, but he really has been a constant companion by my side for the last five years and it's going to be very, very strange to not have him underfoot at all times. Not quite sure how I'm going to handle that. At least with friends and family I can write, call and e-mail when I get lonely or homesick, but a dog is a whole different story. I feel that will be the hardest thing.
I've had some fun (used loosely) challenges acquiring my Korean visa and it still hasn't technically been "acquired" although it's been overnighted to Seattle and I'm hoping the visa gods smile upon me.
I was afraid the Consulate General was going to require I physically be present for my visa interview in Seattle on the 6th of October. Seattle is a good 8 hours away from Missoula and Oct. 6 is the day before I fly out for my good friend's wedding. A wedding I purposely stayed in the country so long for and a flight that left at 7 a.m. Quite a logistical nightmare. However, thankfully, the kind employees of the Korean visa department allowed me to submit a DVD interview of myself. However, attempting to make said DVD will someday be comical, but in the ridiculous stress of this week it seems not so funny. However, when all is said and done, my visa application and materials were promised by the lovely man at the Missoula United States Post Office to arrive safely by noon tomorrow. Please, visa gods smile upon me.
Next up... vaccinations!!!!
I don't think I've quite grasped the all-encompassing prospect of what my life is to become very soon. I don't think I will fully realize it until I set foot on Korean soil. I have so much to do that I'm forced to focus on the logistics rather than the relationships right now. The relationships between family, relationships between friends, relationships between co-workers, relationships between the guy that sells jewelry on the corner of Front Street and Higgins Avenue, relationships between the baristas at my favorite coffee shops and the relationship between my dog and me. Perhaps I've become one of those creepy people who talks too much about their pets, but he really has been a constant companion by my side for the last five years and it's going to be very, very strange to not have him underfoot at all times. Not quite sure how I'm going to handle that. At least with friends and family I can write, call and e-mail when I get lonely or homesick, but a dog is a whole different story. I feel that will be the hardest thing.
I've had some fun (used loosely) challenges acquiring my Korean visa and it still hasn't technically been "acquired" although it's been overnighted to Seattle and I'm hoping the visa gods smile upon me.
I was afraid the Consulate General was going to require I physically be present for my visa interview in Seattle on the 6th of October. Seattle is a good 8 hours away from Missoula and Oct. 6 is the day before I fly out for my good friend's wedding. A wedding I purposely stayed in the country so long for and a flight that left at 7 a.m. Quite a logistical nightmare. However, thankfully, the kind employees of the Korean visa department allowed me to submit a DVD interview of myself. However, attempting to make said DVD will someday be comical, but in the ridiculous stress of this week it seems not so funny. However, when all is said and done, my visa application and materials were promised by the lovely man at the Missoula United States Post Office to arrive safely by noon tomorrow. Please, visa gods smile upon me.
Next up... vaccinations!!!!
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