Novel of my first few days in Korea

I like it here in Korea. I wasn't too sure the first few days. To be honest, I was a little scared and nervous knowing that Dusty and I had committed our lives to this place for a year. It was so hard to leave all that was comfortable and familiar and step out into the unknown. Saying goodbye to my dog, Legend was the hardest. I just sat with her and cried. Saying goodbye to friends and family was hard too. We have such a great support network in Arkansas. I had to fight my tears with nearly everyone I said goodbye too. Since arriving, I've been dealing with all the culture shock. Everything is so foreign and weird. Things don't make sense. I don't understand the way things run. I don't understand what is going on around me. But I'm learning so much everyday. I'm trying to be like a sponge and absorb everything other people tell me. The following is my account of our experiences the past few days.

Saturday evening we arrive in Seoul after a great flight on Korean Air. Their airline far exceeds any American airline in service. We were given several meals, several snacks, wine, and had about 20 new release movies that we could watch at any time from our own personal TV's planted in the seat-back in front of us. After arriving we picked up our luggage. Luckily, all of it got here with us in one piece. Then came the challenge of figuring out how to maneuver five rolling luggage bags, one 50lb. duffel bag, and two personal bags between the two of us. Dusty figured out some very amazing and interesting configuation that allowed him to pull three rolling suitcases and plop his 50lb. bag on top. So all I had to worry about was the other two rolling suitcases.

We knew when we arrived at the airport that nobody was coming to pick us up. We had some directions on how to get to the village but they were a little difficult to understand. Even though we had already been traveling for 26ish hours and had barely gotten any sleep, I couldn't let myself relax until we made it to the village. We hopped on an airport limo-bus which got us as far as Suyu Station. It dropped us off at a very busy bus stop in the middle of the road. Dusty again had to figure out how to get the luggage across the street and to the curb where we could wave down a taxi. We entertained a Korean audience who watched us struggle. It took Dusty three our fours tries before he finally succeded but with perseverence and a valient effort, my amazing husband was successful. We tried to be patient with ourselves but it was difficult with all the hustle around us. People were running all over the place. This is a crazy city. There is not much respect for personal space. It is not uncommon for the old ladies to simply push you out of their way. Horns are honking all over the place. They are crazy drivers. How they don't get in accidents all the time, I don't know. How pedestrians don't get run over by cars, buses, and taxis I don't know.

Anyhow, we made it to the curb and Dusty waved down a taxi. We stuffed the luggage in and gave him the directions we were given written down in Korean. Luckily, he knew where to go. He drove us right to the front door of our apartment. We were so happy to finally be at our new home. From there we walked into our apartment. The first thing I said to Dusty was, "We live in a closet". It feels so small compared to our three bedroom house we just moved out of. We have a kitchen, small living room, medium size bedroom, and small bathroom. But you know what, it's plenty big enough for the two of us. It's all we NEED. However, the Koreans idea of furnished is a bit different from my definition. I thought we'd have more storage space, maybe a couch, and some furnishings to make it more comfortable. Instead we arrived to a place with the bare minimum. We were given two extremely small wardrobes for clothes, one table, two chairs, and a very "firm" queen size bed that is too big for our sheets to fit. We were told it was a double so the sheets we brought just don't make it. Actually, I think our bed is an in-between size. And guess what, fitted sheets don't really exist in Korea. So... right now we are using a flat sheet to cover our mattress. We have two comforters but both are only single-bed size, so Dusty and I each snuggle up in separate blankets at night. But you know what, we have all that we NEED. I thank God for what he has given us and I'm realizing how spoiled we are in America. What an excessive lifestyle I've been living all along. I've been told how fortunate I am but I never really grasped it or fully appreciated it until now. Right now, I'm thankful for the bare minimum. And of course, God blesses us with more. There is another young couple that works here from Jonesboro, AR. They just happen to be leaving this week to go home for a month and can bring us back some sheets that fit. Thank you, God. You truly are amazing.

After we arrive and check out our place we realize that we are starving. We take a walk to get some dinner. All I want is something familiar that will bring me some comfort. Although we see many restaurants, they are all Korean. Korean food is... strange and unfamiliar and at this point I don't want to order off a menu that I can't read and try to speak to someone I can't understand. I'm growing more and more tired and grumpy. Dusty is grumpy too. Thankfully, we find a restaurant called Pizza School. That will do. I don't even care what kind of pizza, just something that tastes... normal. Of course, it tasted different than pizza in America. Dusty warned me that American food in Korea still tastes different. All I want is my bed. We eat quickly, walk back to our new home and crash. I don't know if I've ever slept so hard. We both woke up around 2am and felt wide awake. It took a little while to fall back asleep.

Saturday morning we wake up to a lullaby being played over the loudspeaker outside. The village had about 750 kids here over the weekend and I guess that's how they wake them up in the morning. It's funny. We stumble out of bed in search of breakfast. I feel rested. We walk and find a Korean bakery and get some tasty bread and muffins. Of course I had to get some milk to go with it. I was extremely disappointed when I tried it and found it tastes weird. What a bummer! How can I survive without my milk? To me it tastes sort of like milk straight out of the cow. I'm not sure if it's pasteurized the same way. And it's very creamy which I like. I just can't drink very much at a time. After breakfast, we walk around the campus and explore for awhile. All the teachers are busy teaching classes. We feel somewhat alone and abandoned. We have yet to meet anyone here. After a few hours we are both exhausted. We come back to our little place and crash for a few hours. We wake up around lunch time to 'Thriller' by Michael Jackson playing over the loud speaker. What? Where are we? Apparently halloween was celebrated here over the weekend and they played theme music at lunch. So heard ghostbusters as well as some other Halloween themed music. Lunch here is 1.5 hours long everyday and American music is played over the loud speaker during that time for the kids. We spent the rest of the afternoon cleaning (our place was a little dirty), unpacking, and settling in.

Around dinner time, one of our neighbors came over and introduced herself. She is 35 from Texas. She was really friendly and helpful. She offered to take us into Suyu to a place called Home Ever which is equivelant to Wal-Mart. It poured rain for several hours which apparently is normal here. We got soaked. Anyway, we found some bare essentials but were still somewhat conservative in what we bought. Things aren't as cheap there so we decided to hold off and shop around for things we didn't need right away. I'm so used to one-stop shopping in America. They don't really have that here. You may go to nearly a dozen stores to get what you could find at one store in America. But it's just part of their way of life and I kind of like the simplicity. There is no stocking up. You just get what you need. And if you run out of something, well, just walk down the street and get whatever it is you need. I can walk a block and pick up fresh fruit from a number of street vendors. I've been a little surprised at how compact things are. There is no gallon of milk. The largest they sell is a 1/2 gallon. I'm okay with that. It's all I really NEED. Again, we rolled into bed exhausted. Woke up again around 2am, wide awake and had to force ourselves back to sleep.

We don't typically have to be at work until 9:30am. Since we live on campus and have about a two-minute walk to work, we have plenty of time to enjoy the morning. Today was our first day of work. We woke up and went to breakfast around 8am. Breakfast is typically the only "Western" meal and it is made especially for the teachers. Breakfast will likely be my largest meal of the day. Then Dusty and I came back to have some quiet time together. I think we will make this a consistent part of our day. Since we've been married, neither one of us has had a consistent quiet time, let alone at the same time. Already I'm enjoying how much time we have to spend together. It's a nice change from the hectic schedules we're used to. I think we'll have lots of great quality time together. We work for 7-8 hours and then we're done. We can do whatever we want. It's so amazing to get to explore and share another land with your best friend and the one you love. I just feel like we have so much time. I finally have time to do all the things I've been wanting to do for so long. I can sit and read a book, uninterrupted and with nothing else pulling at my attention. I can crochet a blanket or scarf. I can play on the internet. I can go for a hike or a climb. We live at the base of a mountain and if I walk five minutes up the road, there is a dead-end that leads to trails that branch out in all directions. I can go exploring all by myself at any hour of the day and feel safe. I feel so safe here. So far my favorite thing about the Korean culture is the trustworthiness and honesty of the people. There is almost no crime. People don't steal. Men don't try to hit on you. Police don't even carry weapons. They carry a whistle instead. It is common to see young children out at 10pm by themselves running around the streets and hopping on and off the bus. It is amazing to me that they don't get lost. To me, everything looks the same at night. All the lights blend together and one street looks just like all the others. It doesn't help that I don't read Korean.

Today was our first official day of work. We got to meet all the teachers and administration. It was nice to finally meet everyone and hear some English again. The group that works here is very close. We all live here in apartments on one side of the campus. There are about fifty of us and we come from all over the globe. Many are from the US and Canada but a few are from South Africa, Australia, England, and New Zealand. I love all the accents and mix of cultures. There is a lot of diversity within our group but everyone is so friendly and helpful. It almost feels like family. Everyone in an administrative position started as an English teacher also so they are all understanding and patient. The other Seoul English Village departments work here on campus too but they are all native Koreans and don't speak much English.

Every Monday morning a new group of kids come in. They stay here in dorm-like housing through Friday evening. On Mondays we get them organized, take them on a tour, they go through "immigration" and then it's lunch time. Lunch was actually good today. Occasionally we have American food and today happened to be one of those days... although they combine strange combinations. For lunch today was chicken cordon bleu, spaghetti, rice with vegetables, clam chowder, salad with a weird yellow sauce, and some weird corn salad. But I ate it and was thankful. The afternoon consisted of orientation for us. Just going over the basics of how things are run.

Tomorrow afternoon we get to start shadowing classes. The classrooms are so cool. Some of them include a doctor's office, fire station, chess room, cooking, science, music, dance, ultimate frisbee, restaurant, grocery store, clothing store, post office, art, hair salon, and bank. There are lots more but those are the ones I can remember right now. Each teacher is assigned to teach 2-3 classes. We are given a new schedule of classes to teach every week so we don't get bored. Each class had a lesson plan but they are so simple. Basically we work on vocabulary with the kids through games and activities related to that class. For example, in cooking they usually make cupcakes. We are allowed to get creative in the games we play and the way we teach, as long as what we teach is related to the class we're teaching. Sometimes a class barely speak English and you need to have easier curriculum, sometimes they are almost fluent and you can get more advanced. But they must do it all by speaking English. The number one rule for the kids is no speaking Korean. That is also our number one rule as teachers. We are only to speak English around the kids. It is all supposed to be a lot of fun for the kids. I think it will be fun for us too. The kids are adorable but come with a lot of excited energy that is somewhat difficult to contain at times. Our classes consist of 12-15 kids. The kids basically have a structured day from 9am-9pm and they must only speak English the entire time they are here. They have lots of fun but by Friday afternoon they are exhausted and ready to go home. We often have groups in on the weekends too which means sometimes we will be working a Saturday or Sunday. But we always have two days off a week. I think it is written in our contract that they can only make us work 7 days of overtime a year. We can volunteer to do more, but we don't have to. Dusty and I will always have the same work hours and the same days off. Our classes are 45 minutes a piece and we teach 6-7 classes a day. There are 15 minutes in between classes. Korean staff are hired to be here all day. They supervise the children before class, during mealtimes, between classes, and in the evenings. The company we work for is the largest corporation in Korea for teaching English which means we get paid consistently and they abide by our contract strictly which is great. There is no room for debate or manipulation.

Tonight I had my first experience eating out at a Korean restaurant. It was different. You take your shoes off at the door and step up onto a wood floor. The floors are heated and felt so good on my feet. Since we sit at the base of a mountain, it gets cold here in the morning and at night. We took our seats on some mats on the floor. We ordered Bulgoki which is a traditional Korean dish. It's like a lettuce wrap with pork, sticky rice, garlic, onions, kimchee and a whole bunch of other veggie mixes that I've never had before. Of course I had chopsticks to wrestle with... metal chopsticks. The meat is cooked over a fire that is built into the middle of the table. It's all so fresh and healthy. I don't know what all I ate but it tasted GOOD! Everything is served family style. It cost about $7 a person. There is no tax or tips here. It's almost rude to tip. And the Koreans have been very friendly so far. They smile and say hello. I'm learning basic Korean quickly. They don't speak much English and for some reason they assume we can speak Korean. I just give them a blank stare when they ask me things in Korean and I'm trying so hard to figure out what they're asking. But it feels satisfying when I understand what they say and I can reply back in Korean. I caught them watching me struggle with my chopsticks. They just smile and laugh. I'm sure it's amusing to them. Oh well, I don't care. There are not as many foreigners as I would have thought here. We get some stares sometimes. Especially the babies. They don't know what to think of our white faces, light hair, and eyes. Especially me having blonde hair and blue eyes. It's so rare here. But I don't ever feel uncomfortable. They don't want to be impolite so they try to keep from staring too much. The children here are not shy at all. They will run up to us in the streets and say, "Hello, what's your name?" They are so excited to practice their English. To know and speak English is a symbol of status here. They will try to carry a conversation with you as long as you're willing to speak with them. When we pass kids in the hall here they all say, "Hello teacher" and wave. They ask if Dusty and I are a couple and if we're married, when we say yes they giggle, especially the girls. It's funny.

So I'm finished with my novel. It feels good to write and get unclogged. I'm writing as much for my own enjoyment as I am for anyone else who may read this. But if you're still reading, I hope you enjoyed it. See, I've been sitting here for about two hours, uninterrupted. When would this have been possible at home? I promise, these will get shorter. I've decided I really want to write every few days about my experiences even if it's short. I think it will help me feel more connected to people at home and our friends and family will feel closer to us and get to share in our adventures.

Love,
------- <>< ------- Rebs

The Big Move

So here we are at last, the end of one journey and the start of another. For those of you who are uninformed, Rebecca and I are moving to Seoul, South Korea to teach English. We have signed a one-year contract and are unlikely to return to the United States until our committment is finished.

While we are over there, we hope to get a chance to work with some of the North Korean refugees who have defected (run away) from North Korea into China and then into South Korea. We don't know what is in store for us with them, but are trusting that if it is supposed to happen, doors will open for us. If you are interested to know more about North Korea, we found a couple of videos on youtube. The videos are somewhat gruetesque and hard to take, but very mind opening. They tell about the holocost-like concentration camps and show truthful images of starving people and orphaned children. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ajATPo-HUfY http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uEY_b81F0Uo http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OrQllR5uA9U http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FJ6E3cShcVU

Our primary responsibilities, though, will be working at the Seoul English Village. We will be working with South Koreans children ages K-9 who want to be immersed in an English Speaking culture, but are not ready or financially able to live away from home. We will be teaching in situational classrooms such as a hair salon or the inside of an airplane in roles such as the flight attendant. We may also be playing games, sports, or just spending time with the children. The idea is that the more time they spend with native English speakers, the better their English will be. Our roles are invaluable because most Koreans, unless born in an English environment, develop dialects when learning English. And since the Koreans are so fanatical about learning English, they want the way they speak it to be as close to perfect as possible.

To give you a background, the Korean culture is fanatical about learning English because it is the language of business. Therefore, English = financial gain. It is also somewhat of a social status for them. If you are Korean, the better English you speak, the more well-to-do you are. People think more highly of you.

See the attached link to find out more specific details about the SEV, our roles, and what it looks like. http://www.ybmecc.co.kr/index.asp?sub1=loca&sub2=2&seq=65


Now many of you already know all of these details. The next thing is that all of this is happening very soon, meaning tomorrow! That's right. We just got our flight details two days ago and will be flying out at 7:05am from Tulsa. We'll have a layover in Chicago, and then fly at 1pm Friday until 5pm on Saturday, straight from Chicago, USA to Seoul, South Korea. Though there is a 14 hour time difference, we will still be in the air for approximately 14 hours! Luckily Rebs and I bought season 3 of "The Office" and plan to watch it along the way on our new Macbook. So as long as we don't end up sitting next to a very large person, the flight should feel fairly short.

So here I am, sitting at my parents house, getting ready to fly to the other side of the world, with no house, no car, and no regular expenses. It is a very freeing feeling to not be enslaved to anything of this world. But at the same time, we have experienced the hospitality and friendships of many since moving out of our house last Sunday, which makes it hard to leave. Sitting with my parents at the dining table, a fire in the fireplace, talking about past memories, makes it harder than ever to know that we aren't going to be here for Thanksgiving or Christmas. We spent two days at my sister and brother-in-laws, much of the time playing with my 2-year-old neice India and smiling at my 8-month-old nephew Jude. We listen to Jude scream with joy to hear his own voice, and "play a game" with India consisting of "you be the baby; I be the mommy." They are such good kids and so much fun to experience. It makes me sad to know that when we come back Jude will be talking and we will have missed so much. We are closest now to that which we will be missing, so we recognize what it is we will miss. I love my family.

But we know that this is right. So as hard as it is, I am sure Korea will be good to us and we will continue to have many more stories to share.

-----dusty--<><--