Hello everyone!
Appypollylodgies for the lack of posts but I think after you read about my daily schedule you will forgive me! :) I got the dreaded and rare ABC schedule. Usually SDA teachers get and AB or BC schedule meaning from the morning-afternoon or afternoon-evening. Well, this guy works from the morning until the evening. Yes there is a monthly bonus for this obnoxious schedule so I guess it's okay! Here's what my average Monday-Thursday looks like:
5:30-6:00- Wake up! I shower, shave, eat an orange or banana, but usually I just have enough time to get dressed and head out.
7:00-8:00-Level 4 adult class. I teach anywhere from teens to seniors.
8:00-9:00-break time! I always go to my favorite local coffee shop on the first floor of the building I work in, 커피에 반하다. I go with my coworker and neighbor, Ryan, from Canada. The barista Terria (sp?) has some awesome music, insane coffees, and perfect bagels.
9:00-10:00- Another adult level 4 class. This one I'm a little buzzed on caffeine so it's a lot of fun lol.
10:00-11:00- adult level 2 class. One of my favorite classes. We have so much fun in this class!
11:00-12:00- break time! This is when I get most of my grading and lesson planning done. I also go shopping, go to another cafe (Koreans love coffee), go home and clean or do laundry, or nap!
12:00-13:30- Lunch, provided by the Bundang Institute's personal chef, Esther. All the food is so great! Traditional Korean, but all vegetarian because Seventh Day Adventists don't eat meat. For those of you who don't already know I work for an English institute which is based in the Seventh Day Adventist (SDA) religion. They don't eat meat, drink caffeine, or drink alcohol. Although the Adventists at my institute seem to be much more relaxed about this.
16:45-17:30- Junior class (Trampoline 4). These students are a little misbehaved., but with the help of a Korean coworker we are working on it!
17:30-17:45- 15 minute break to review the next lesson, chill out on the couch in the foreign teachers lounge, or check my Facebook.
17:45-18:30- Another junior class (Trampoline 1). These are my favorite students ever! I just want to adopt all of them! They're so excited about learning English and they make me laugh so much!
18:30-19:00- Half an hour break. Sometimes I just chill on one of the couches in the foreign teachers lounge (it's starting to become known as my couch haha) or if I'm super hungry ill run down to the street and grab some quick Kimbap (kind of like a Korean sushi but I'm only saying that to give you reference.. They're NOT the same... I lovvve kimbap and it is so cheap!).
19:00-20:00- level 2 adult class.
20:00-21:00- level 4 adult class. I actually teach one of my Korean coworkers in this class, which is kind of weird but good at the same time. I'm glad she chose me as her teacher! :)
~21:30-24:00- HOME! I make dinner and chill out until bed time!
Woof! That's a schedule! But I love it, I love my job, I love my crazy busy and exciting life, I love being a working man, I love having my own place, I love my students, I love my coworkers, I love my coffee shop, I love Korea! :)
OH! Almost forgot! Fridays I only teach the same schedule until 11:00 and then I'm off for the weekend yay!
Thursday, January 24, 2013
Saturday, January 5, 2013
Bundang Beginnings
Hello everyone! So I since the last time I posted I have officially moved from Guri to Bundang in Seongnam SE of Seoul but still considered part of the Seoul Metropolitian area. Bundang is one of the only areas of the Seoul Metropolitan area which was planned out, which means that the streets actually make sense, there are nice parkways and a riverwalk which I have yet to explore due to being so busy and it's so cold! I might try and find a bike on craigslist when the weather gets nicer so I can bike along the river park. Bundang is also much cleaner and much more organized that the inner city. I think this will be a great place for me to live and work, because Seoul and my friends there are just a subway ride away!
All of my coworkers and my director and assistant director are sooo awesome and helpful and down to earth. For those of you who don't know, my company is affiliated with the Seventh Day Adventists, so during orientation all meals were vegetarian, they don't drink coffee, and definitely not alcohol. But here in Bundang the SDA's seem much more chill about everything and way less strict about the dietary things.
My apartment is about a ten minute walk along the parkway to get to work in the morning, and there are plenty of restaurants and shops along the way. My work is right next to the subway and bus terminal so there is a ton of shopping, restaurants, and bars around there. My apartment is brand spankin new, I litterally had to take the plastic off my cabinets, fridge, toilet, mattress, etc. The heated floors are amazing, and I have enough room to practice yoga and/or have a small dance party lol
My students are AWESOME! I added them to kakao talk (a korean texting/calling app) and I have groups for my classes so we can all talk together in a sort of chat room. They are so nice! The first day of class one of my adult businessman students asked me to go out drinking with him, of course I said I couldn't (company policy), so he says we should just have a small beer party at his place and no one would know. Hahaha I had to decline again. But I'm sure I will be going out to dinner or doing fun things with my students because they seem to like me and I for sure like them!
Alright time to talk about my big big mistake I made yesterday... So it was my second day at work, and I set my alarm at 5:45 and 6:00 to start teaching at 7:00. I was also supposed to wake my neighbor/coworker up when I got up because he doesn't have an alarm yet. So I wake up thinking it's the middle of the night and I look at my iPod to see what time it was........ 7:04!!!! I jumped out of bed swearing up a storm, ran to the door in my boxers and run to my neighbors door and ring the bell a few times, no answer. So I figured he must have left thinking I forgot him. I throw on some clothes (except I forgot my underwear) and run down the parkway still putting on my tie and tucking in my shirt. Got to work at 7:15 and apologized profusely to my adult students, kind of blaming it on being sick (which I am). They just made jokes about it and all was good! I have an hour long break after my first class which I usually use to go to the coffee shop on the first floor of the building in which I work. This time my coordinator was in the coffeeshop as well so I was a little nervous about you know, getting fired or deported or something! But she offered to buy my espresso and breakfast and then she told me about how she overslept when she was new too, except her director showed up at her apartment and accidentally saw her butt naked rushing to get dressed. (Koreans will open any door if it is not unlocked). Haha so I'm really glad that it was not really a big deal, and I am going to buy the loudest, most annoying alarm clock I can find so it never ever happens again!
Okay I think I've written enough for one post. I have a hundred other things I could say, but I have to be off... grocery shopping and then off to meet some friends in Gangnam for dinner and going out!
All of my coworkers and my director and assistant director are sooo awesome and helpful and down to earth. For those of you who don't know, my company is affiliated with the Seventh Day Adventists, so during orientation all meals were vegetarian, they don't drink coffee, and definitely not alcohol. But here in Bundang the SDA's seem much more chill about everything and way less strict about the dietary things.
My apartment is about a ten minute walk along the parkway to get to work in the morning, and there are plenty of restaurants and shops along the way. My work is right next to the subway and bus terminal so there is a ton of shopping, restaurants, and bars around there. My apartment is brand spankin new, I litterally had to take the plastic off my cabinets, fridge, toilet, mattress, etc. The heated floors are amazing, and I have enough room to practice yoga and/or have a small dance party lol
My students are AWESOME! I added them to kakao talk (a korean texting/calling app) and I have groups for my classes so we can all talk together in a sort of chat room. They are so nice! The first day of class one of my adult businessman students asked me to go out drinking with him, of course I said I couldn't (company policy), so he says we should just have a small beer party at his place and no one would know. Hahaha I had to decline again. But I'm sure I will be going out to dinner or doing fun things with my students because they seem to like me and I for sure like them!
Alright time to talk about my big big mistake I made yesterday... So it was my second day at work, and I set my alarm at 5:45 and 6:00 to start teaching at 7:00. I was also supposed to wake my neighbor/coworker up when I got up because he doesn't have an alarm yet. So I wake up thinking it's the middle of the night and I look at my iPod to see what time it was........ 7:04!!!! I jumped out of bed swearing up a storm, ran to the door in my boxers and run to my neighbors door and ring the bell a few times, no answer. So I figured he must have left thinking I forgot him. I throw on some clothes (except I forgot my underwear) and run down the parkway still putting on my tie and tucking in my shirt. Got to work at 7:15 and apologized profusely to my adult students, kind of blaming it on being sick (which I am). They just made jokes about it and all was good! I have an hour long break after my first class which I usually use to go to the coffee shop on the first floor of the building in which I work. This time my coordinator was in the coffeeshop as well so I was a little nervous about you know, getting fired or deported or something! But she offered to buy my espresso and breakfast and then she told me about how she overslept when she was new too, except her director showed up at her apartment and accidentally saw her butt naked rushing to get dressed. (Koreans will open any door if it is not unlocked). Haha so I'm really glad that it was not really a big deal, and I am going to buy the loudest, most annoying alarm clock I can find so it never ever happens again!
Okay I think I've written enough for one post. I have a hundred other things I could say, but I have to be off... grocery shopping and then off to meet some friends in Gangnam for dinner and going out!
Tuesday, January 1, 2013
Goodbye 2012
Sorry it's been so long since my last post, I've been busy training for my job and going out with my orientation group members.
Well 2012 is officially over and so is my orientation. What an amazing experience it's been! I've met some of the most amazing, brilliant, diverse, and wonderful people ever. I am so lucky to have met these people through orientation, and as we all ship out to our respective company branches tomorrow I hope we can all stay in contact and meet up throughout our stay in Korea and after. I had to say goodbye to these awesome folks and also say goodbye to a wonderful year.
2012 started out with my student teaching semester and my graduation from college in May. Then I spent time in Wisconsin and San Francisco and Sonoma valley for the summer. I spent so many good times with friends and family, I grew and learned a lot in the past year. So much has changed and I definitely did not think I'd be spending the last moments of 2012 with a bunch of amazing new friends in a Korean BBQ restaurant in Seoul, but I'm so happy I did.
I also found out my placement for my job. I will be living and working in Bundang, just SW of Seoul and still connected to the Seoul metro. Kind of disappointed I won't be more central but it's supposed to be one of the richest neighborhoods in Korea, and the only neighborhood in the Seoul metropolitan area that was actually planned out rather than just built sporadically. I guess that means I should probably change the name of my blog since I won't technically be a Seoulite after tomorrow but rather a bundangian or whatever they call themselves in Bundang (pronounced pundahng).
2012 ended and 2013 began, and I am so lucky and happy to be where I am in life right now. I have an amazing job, I live in an awesome country, I have the best friends and family in the world, and I'm just so excited for 2013!!!
Well 2012 is officially over and so is my orientation. What an amazing experience it's been! I've met some of the most amazing, brilliant, diverse, and wonderful people ever. I am so lucky to have met these people through orientation, and as we all ship out to our respective company branches tomorrow I hope we can all stay in contact and meet up throughout our stay in Korea and after. I had to say goodbye to these awesome folks and also say goodbye to a wonderful year.
2012 started out with my student teaching semester and my graduation from college in May. Then I spent time in Wisconsin and San Francisco and Sonoma valley for the summer. I spent so many good times with friends and family, I grew and learned a lot in the past year. So much has changed and I definitely did not think I'd be spending the last moments of 2012 with a bunch of amazing new friends in a Korean BBQ restaurant in Seoul, but I'm so happy I did.
I also found out my placement for my job. I will be living and working in Bundang, just SW of Seoul and still connected to the Seoul metro. Kind of disappointed I won't be more central but it's supposed to be one of the richest neighborhoods in Korea, and the only neighborhood in the Seoul metropolitan area that was actually planned out rather than just built sporadically. I guess that means I should probably change the name of my blog since I won't technically be a Seoulite after tomorrow but rather a bundangian or whatever they call themselves in Bundang (pronounced pundahng).
2012 ended and 2013 began, and I am so lucky and happy to be where I am in life right now. I have an amazing job, I live in an awesome country, I have the best friends and family in the world, and I'm just so excited for 2013!!!
Wednesday, December 26, 2012
Merry Christmas from Korea!
Christmas Eve we went out to the bars around Hongik university. If you're going out on Christmas Eve look out for the "special Christmas menu" which basically means everything is super expensive. But we found a bar with really good live music and unlimited drinks for 20000 won. I got to hang of with a lot of Koreans which was awesome, they're so cool and so nice!
Christmas Day my company set up some tours for us, so we toured a Joson Dynasty royal palace and the Korean National Museum. It was cool to see some Korean art and history. Then after that I went out with some guys for a few beers and Christmas dinner. A couple Canadian guys, an American, a Welshman and an Irish guy. Over all Christmas was not very Christmassy in the Western sense but it was a lot of fun! Merry Christmas to you all back home or wherever you are!
Christmas Day my company set up some tours for us, so we toured a Joson Dynasty royal palace and the Korean National Museum. It was cool to see some Korean art and history. Then after that I went out with some guys for a few beers and Christmas dinner. A couple Canadian guys, an American, a Welshman and an Irish guy. Over all Christmas was not very Christmassy in the Western sense but it was a lot of fun! Merry Christmas to you all back home or wherever you are!
Saturday, December 22, 2012
First Friday Free Day
Well I'm back at the Paris Baguette writing this post. Super tires, Seoul nightlife is intense and apparently never stops!
Yesterday I set up my Korean bank account, and then my company have us all money for the weekend and a transit card to get around which was nice of them! So a big group of us got together and headed to Hoegi station so we could get to city hall. Once there we realized there were too many of us so we split up. We walked around a giant street market and wandered around the city. We got dinner at this Korean restaurant where the food was nice and spicy like I like it, but a little too spicy for everyone else. Since the food it cooked at your table the spiced filled the restaurant and a lot of people were coughing from the spice in the air haha. The food was AMAZING! After a long time of trying to figure out where we were we ended up in a university district with a bunch of bars. We met a Canadian who had been living here for a year so he was our guide for the night. He was so much fun!
The bars in Korea are different than the ones in Chicago in the sense that there are such diverse bars. We went to a pool hall bar, an underground hookah lounge, a chill lounge where you took your shoes off and sat around a shallow pool with floating candles and incense, an underground trance club that looked like a cave where some people were filming me holding a candle and telling me it's the winter solstice, and then a dance club. All in all it was the craziest night out I've ever had, and I've had a few crazy nights! I met so many awesome local Koreans who were all super nice and so friendly. I can already tell that I'm going to LOVE living in Seoul! Today were going shopping for apartment essentials and then who knows what!
Yesterday I set up my Korean bank account, and then my company have us all money for the weekend and a transit card to get around which was nice of them! So a big group of us got together and headed to Hoegi station so we could get to city hall. Once there we realized there were too many of us so we split up. We walked around a giant street market and wandered around the city. We got dinner at this Korean restaurant where the food was nice and spicy like I like it, but a little too spicy for everyone else. Since the food it cooked at your table the spiced filled the restaurant and a lot of people were coughing from the spice in the air haha. The food was AMAZING! After a long time of trying to figure out where we were we ended up in a university district with a bunch of bars. We met a Canadian who had been living here for a year so he was our guide for the night. He was so much fun!
The bars in Korea are different than the ones in Chicago in the sense that there are such diverse bars. We went to a pool hall bar, an underground hookah lounge, a chill lounge where you took your shoes off and sat around a shallow pool with floating candles and incense, an underground trance club that looked like a cave where some people were filming me holding a candle and telling me it's the winter solstice, and then a dance club. All in all it was the craziest night out I've ever had, and I've had a few crazy nights! I met so many awesome local Koreans who were all super nice and so friendly. I can already tell that I'm going to LOVE living in Seoul! Today were going shopping for apartment essentials and then who knows what!
Friday, December 21, 2012
Arrival
So much has happened since my last post! Right now I'm sitting in Paris Baguette Cafe (a coffeehouse chain in Seoul) because it has free wifi and hot coffee (it is so cold in Korea!).
Well I arrived at incheon international airport and found the guy with my name on a sign. He didn't speak a word of English and he grabbed my luggage and bolted for the van with me running to keep up behind him. An hour ride from the airport later and I was on the doorstep of the company headquarters in Seoul. After a very confusing 15 minutes I was set up in my temporary apartment with my roommate. The rooms are bigger than I expected but the kitchen is kind of small. We have heated floors and a terrace almost the same size as our entire apartment. It's only temporary but I like it a lot! Great location and everything.
I've completed day one of orientation which consisted of three huge meals. Introductions, the most thorough health check up I've ever experienced, and lessons on Korean history, culture, and language. After orientation my roommate and I took the bus to the mall to look for some things I forgot to pack. Walking around the city was so much fun and so interesting. I've never ever been in a city like this before. It's so surreal. Sometimes it feels like I'm in a video game or a movie or something lol. After that I enjoyed my first Korean beer on the terrace and then went to bed (still jet lagged!). Now I'm about to begin day two of orientation (banking) and then the weekend starts! Everyone I've met so far has been super cool and so nice. I'm so happy and excited and can't wait to start teaching!! :)
P.s.- sorry for any typos I'm typing this in a cafe on an iPod with limited time. Once I move to my permanent apartment I will have better access to Internet and I can do this more properly!
P.p.s.- photo is of a Christmas tree outside the mall by my apartment and some metal tree sculptures. (I love Christmas! :) )
Well I arrived at incheon international airport and found the guy with my name on a sign. He didn't speak a word of English and he grabbed my luggage and bolted for the van with me running to keep up behind him. An hour ride from the airport later and I was on the doorstep of the company headquarters in Seoul. After a very confusing 15 minutes I was set up in my temporary apartment with my roommate. The rooms are bigger than I expected but the kitchen is kind of small. We have heated floors and a terrace almost the same size as our entire apartment. It's only temporary but I like it a lot! Great location and everything.
I've completed day one of orientation which consisted of three huge meals. Introductions, the most thorough health check up I've ever experienced, and lessons on Korean history, culture, and language. After orientation my roommate and I took the bus to the mall to look for some things I forgot to pack. Walking around the city was so much fun and so interesting. I've never ever been in a city like this before. It's so surreal. Sometimes it feels like I'm in a video game or a movie or something lol. After that I enjoyed my first Korean beer on the terrace and then went to bed (still jet lagged!). Now I'm about to begin day two of orientation (banking) and then the weekend starts! Everyone I've met so far has been super cool and so nice. I'm so happy and excited and can't wait to start teaching!! :)
P.s.- sorry for any typos I'm typing this in a cafe on an iPod with limited time. Once I move to my permanent apartment I will have better access to Internet and I can do this more properly!
P.p.s.- photo is of a Christmas tree outside the mall by my apartment and some metal tree sculptures. (I love Christmas! :) )
Tuesday, December 18, 2012
En Route: The First Leg
This is it! It's actually happening! As I write this post I am sitting in the international terminal of San Francisco International Airport (SFO). This past weekend I had to say a lot of goodbyes, something I hate doing. But all of your visits, texts, calls, cards and gifts mean so much to me. I know I'm really loved by my friends and family back home! Thank you all!
Yesterday afternoon I finished packing (and repacking) just in time to head to O'hare for my flight to San Francisco. *Travel Tip #1: do not overpack your carry on, and make sure to measure the dimensions!* Minutes before I left I realized my carry on was a bit on the bulging side and over the acceptable dimensions. At the ticket gate however the lady told me it would be fine. Then, going through security check, my bag gets stuck in the scanner, oops! Haha but I get through and have my last meal in Chicago (Italian beef, dipped, with hot peppers) and board the plane. Basically slept through the whole flight (thanks for keeping me up so late Katie and Jen!) haha. I got a sweet view of San Francisco and the Bay Bridge as we landed at SFO. I then proceeded to find the warmest, safest looking terminal to sleep in. I wrapped my arms around the straps of my bag and got roughly two or three hours of sleep before the hoards of people came in and the shops and cafes opened up at 4am local time. Right now I've been here for seven hours with four more to go before I take off for Korea. I wont land until 4:15pm local time the next day! This is my goodbye to the USA! See you all in 2014! The next time I post I will have arrived in Asia!
Yesterday afternoon I finished packing (and repacking) just in time to head to O'hare for my flight to San Francisco. *Travel Tip #1: do not overpack your carry on, and make sure to measure the dimensions!* Minutes before I left I realized my carry on was a bit on the bulging side and over the acceptable dimensions. At the ticket gate however the lady told me it would be fine. Then, going through security check, my bag gets stuck in the scanner, oops! Haha but I get through and have my last meal in Chicago (Italian beef, dipped, with hot peppers) and board the plane. Basically slept through the whole flight (thanks for keeping me up so late Katie and Jen!) haha. I got a sweet view of San Francisco and the Bay Bridge as we landed at SFO. I then proceeded to find the warmest, safest looking terminal to sleep in. I wrapped my arms around the straps of my bag and got roughly two or three hours of sleep before the hoards of people came in and the shops and cafes opened up at 4am local time. Right now I've been here for seven hours with four more to go before I take off for Korea. I wont land until 4:15pm local time the next day! This is my goodbye to the USA! See you all in 2014! The next time I post I will have arrived in Asia!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)