week 1

This week I started teaching first thing Monday morning. Koreans do not hesitate to throw you into things right away. I talked to Don this week (the recruiter I went through, he’s Korean but lives in Maplegrove MN now) and he told me that one of Korean’s biggest downfall is training… Anyways, my first day ended up ok. It definitely helps that I have done a lot of coaching and know how to handle the kids and make them behave. The Korean teachers here are all super nice and are very willing to help with planning and help me out with my schedule – which is super confusing. There are many different adjustments that I have to make living in Korea. For example, at home growing up on a lake I’m used to raking seaweed. Here in Korea, they LOVE eating seaweed with their food. Having a sink/shower in the same faucet is new to me as well… it sucks when you get up to use the sink in the morning and have forgotten to turn the faucet back so the begins to come down on you fully dressed. I have definitely done that a few times already…  What I can’t understand is how Koreans are so advanced with things like technology but yet it’s not standard to have dryers, just washing machines that drain out the back into the floor. It’s also not typical to have an oven or microwave in your apartment. And when you go walk outside in the morning you will find old ladies sweeping the street crouched over with a broom made for a two year old! No wonder they have back problems…

 Elizabeth (the other foreign teacher at my school – she’s from LA) was telling me tonight that Korean culture is one of the hardest cultures to adapt to… now I know why! On a different note, I got my new cell phone this week. Amy (my director) gave one to me on Wednesday. It is a smart phone with a touch screen. It is super confusing and I don’t understand it. Now I know how my mom feels like with her non-smart phone! HAHA. I went shopping for a few things this week and was so happy to find my favorite toy I left behind in MN… the good old Rubik’s Cube! Of course that was the first thing to go in my cart! I have plans this weekend to go to Seoul again to hang out with Hadley and also see my Korean friend Hyemin Kim (Claire). I met Claire during my semester at Disney – the disney college program. Claire and I were lifeguards together. I’m super excited to see her again. She has come to MN to visit me at school and now I get to see her Korea! Hope you enjoy reading...

Julie