Greetings from South Korea! I am no longer the only American (more specifically, the only English speaker) in Hanam City! Five new teachers arrived over the weekend! Ever since Saturday evening I've been entertaining new teachers and taking them all over (well all over to the places I know about and am familiar with) Seoul. I'm exhausted. School is starting, officially, in a less than a week and on top of finalizing lesson plans and making sure that I have all of the materials that I might need, I'm trying to be as much of a help, as I can be, to the new teachers. This week, the students have been coming in for "demonstration week". It's basically orientation, but for a week. The children are really cute and very eager to learn. I have a class full of 7 year olds (really they're 5, but Korean age is completely different from American ages). This weeks classes have been fun, but I think my lessons for this week were a little ambitious. The children can speak some English and they can write their names, but for the most part they do not understand a word that I say. I've been going through lesson plans, making sure that I've created the lesson in such a way that the basic conceptual ideas are being discussed with the least amount of words. It's really hard to sum up, certain concepts, with a short 5 or 6 word sentence. Other than a few minor anxieties, which I've been able to keep under control by running, every evening, around Seoul, things are going well here. With that said, though, the novelty of being here has subsided and I am starting to miss my life in Nashville. I took some of the new teachers out with me last nite, to celebrate Mardi Gras, and while it was nice to be out, it wasn't the same as being out with Carrie or Danielle (they are after all irreplacable). And I miss the kids! I miss the chaos that comes with having kids with me all of the time. I realize that will change soon enough, as school starts next week, but still, It's not the same as being with my little dudes. Things are good though and I'm just settling into life here. Spring is on the way and I can't wait to see what the next week, month, few months have to offer!

Olympic Park and the Upcoming Week

Perhaps I'm the only one who really feels this way but, sometimes you just need to get outside and run. I have a love/hate relationship with running... I love how it makes my body feel but I hate pushing myself; and maybe I'd enjoy it more if I didn't set such unreasonably high expectations for myself...who knows, but earlier this week I had the urge, and uncontrollable urge to just run-run until I couldn't run anymore. After work on Wednesday I hopped on the bus and headed straight for Olympic Park. It really is a runner's dream...I'm not exactly sure about the mileage but it's flat and it's long and there are uphill trails. I arrived at the park around 6pm on Wednesday evening and just started running (I was channelling Sandy Cornelius) and then after I'd run the perimeter of the park I just kept running; to the next subway station and then on to my friends house, past that subway station, for Bible study. It was amazing and it allowed me to see a side of Seoul that I had yet to encounter. When you're traveling the city by bus or by car it is so easy to ignore your surroundings, but running through the city allowed me to embrace the city and stumble upon places and building I hadn't noticed. It's only been a couple of days but I'm looking forward to getting off of work to run and I'm also looking forward to checking out some of the other great areas, this city has to offer, for runners (or those of us attempting to be runners).
It's Friday, here in Seoul, and tonite the first of the remaining 5 teachers will be arriving. I'm excited to finally have some other English speakers around (in my building) but I'm not looking forward to playing tour guide. I'm settled, I have friends and plans and I hate running errands; especially in Seoul, where you can never find a seat on the bus or metro (because it's always so freakin' busy) and you have to stand in line for everything and then whatever you buy you have to carry back with you-I will never again complain about going to Kroger or Target and having to grocery shop and then have to unload from the car-there is perspective everywhere-I'm experiencing it on a daily basis. I mean, I've already run my errands for the week; I've already fought through the masses of Koreans, who would very easily push you in front of an oncoming bus just so they could be first in line to get on the bus (it's very much like being in 1st grade and fighting over who's going to be line leader to go to recess). It's exhausting. However, I am completely aware that I've been here for 3 weeks and that if the situation was reversed I'd be forever grateful to the person that showed me around and helped me get settled; so with that said, my attitude is that of a servant's heart and I am looking forward (kind of) to helping out the newbies and getting to know them...on Sunday (they arrive Saturday sometime)-Saturday nite I have date number 2 with the nice Korean boy I went out with last week....!

Lemon Margaritas...?

I've been here for ove 3 weeks and quickly approaching a month! I can't believe I've been in S. Korea for almost a month-time has really flown! Everyday life for me is improving daily and I'm really starting to find my way. This last week has proven very interesting and I can honestly say that I feel pretty comfortable here. This past week I was in desperate need for chips and salsa. Anyone who knows me knows that I love Mexican food and honestly if I could have chips and queso/salsa I'm a happy girl-it's not unusual for me to go to SATCO or even grab some togo from Las Palmas (Carrie-you and I have spent many a nite staying in with take out from both of those places-good times!). I started asking around and I found out that there is an On the Border, at Coex Mall, one of the larger malls, close to my side of town. At first I couldn't find it and thought that maybe Mexican food in S. Korea was really, just a myth, but as I turned the corner of the mall coridor and found the marque displaying a sombrero and the name, I knew all would be well... Obviously I don't consider On the Border to be true Mexican; I mean it's decent Tex-Mex at best, but beggars can't be choosers and they had chips and salsa and I had tacos and best of all they had Margaritas (again I say-Carrie, we have spent many a Sundays hosting "Margarita Sundays"-good times!). As I eagerly await my margarita, a pleasure I haven't partaken of in several weeks, imagine my surprise when upon taking my first glorious drink that it wasn't lime, but rather lemon...? I know this may not seem like a big deal to most, but margaritas are lime (sweet and sour-mainly lime, triple sec, and tequila). I've had fruity margaritas before but lemon was quite different and honestly not my favorite. So this week was pretty good, one of my cravings for food, from home, was satisfied. I've heard there are, in fact, a couple of other Mexican restaraunts around... I'll find them...

Valentine's Weekend

In America women are all too familiar with men that won't approach or even call when they say they will, hell, sometimes men don't even pay for dates anymore...In Korea, though, chivalry is alive and well! Laugh all you want, say what you will, but I went on a date with a (tall) Korean man on Saturday evening. I had completely forgotten that it was Valentine's Day, when I'd accepted the invitation the evening before, but hey, why not? He took me to a traditional Korean restaurant and I enjoyed Korean food, for the first time (it's pretty good!). He speaks English and we had dinner and talked for over 2 hours. We went for a drink afterward and then to what is called a "dvd bong". A dvd bong is a place where you can watch movies. Instead of renting movies and taking them home with you, you choose a movie and then watch it in a private screening room at the dvd bong. Apparently, going to the dvd bong, in Korea; on your first date, is very scandoulous. Honestly, it was the most innocent date I'd been on in ages. He was a perfect gentleman and I had a wonderful time! It was far different than any date I've been on in the States.
On Sunday, I was finally able to make it to the foreigner church. It's about an hour away, but there isn't one much closer, so it works. The church has a presbyterian background and it welcomes people from all nationalities and countries to worship. The same girls I had joined for Bible study last week also attend here. The church's name is Youngnak-IWE (International Worship in English). Pastor Bill Majors is the head pastor and I was finally able to meet him, after exchanging several emails. Interestingly enough, his daughter is at Vandy, studying elementary education. The service was very contemporary and I enjoyed it. There are only about 150 members of IWE, so it's a little bit smaller than what I'm used to but it was still very enjoyable. After, I joined the girls from my Bible study and few others for dinner. We went to traditional Korean restaurant and ate really spicy food-it was delicious! Overall, the weekend was great! I feel like I'm making friends and I'm starting to adjust and acclimate, to being, here well.

An American Girls Guide to Korean Club Nite:

Going to the Korean club can be exciting event...American women beware, though, if you're unfamiliar with men that actually take initiative or who won't go out of their way for you, this will be an experience you'll never forget!
When we arrived at the club, on Friday evening, I wasn't sure what to expect. My Korean friends kept trying to prep me for something but I couldn't understand what it was they were getting at. They kept referring to going to a guys table and needing to come back to our table when I was finished. They kept stressing this and I kept thinking and trying to tell them that I was all too familiar with how clubs work. But what they were trying to tell me didn't even come close to preparing me for the nite that was to come. After enjoying the new movie "He's Just Not That Into You", Helen, Bonnie and myself made our way to a Korean club. They had given me the option of going to the more American style club in Itaewon, but I thought, how bad could the Korean club be...? I was thinking techno type music and bad karaoke... It was that and so much more! When we arrived at this particular club, I was just trying to take it all in without gawking. We were seated on the upper level, of the club, where I had a birds-eye view of everthing. From where we sat I could see the stage in front of us, the dance floor immediately in front of the stage and then the rest of the floor was covered with tables. Above us was a beautiful domed ceiling, it looked like we were at a ballroom in a hotel and I felt like I was at prom! On the stage was the house band, singing and dancing in Korean and putting on the cutest show. People were dancing, we had great service at our table (fruit and Cass beer-the local stuff) and then all of the sudden I'm being pulled from my seat... Not to dance, but what Helen and Bonnie had been attempting to prepare me for. The servers or attendants at the club scout out potential interested girls for men at tables and in private rooms. The attendants grab you, drag you to a table or room and then deposit you there so that you can sit and talk to a man or men. Helen, thankfully, came with me, but it was a very weird experience. I was taken at least 3 different times to 3 differnt rooms before we settled in one room with 3 nice gentlemen. Before settling I found the entire act completely disturbing, archaic even. I mean to drag a woman to meet with men, who had sent after her, all because they wouldn't come and introduce themselves in person and to really not give the woman any explanation as to where she was going and who these men were; it was very weird and if that attendant had grabbed me one more time, he would have regretted it. But this is Korea and I was told, that this was Korean culutre and this was how it was done. Korean clubs are not only for meeting men. Had we been able to leave out table we would have been dancing and I doubt we would have been wisked away. I never felt unsafe, but maybe a little unsettled, I mean, to be grabbed and dragged to a room or a table with men I didn't know is a little peculiar. All in all, I had a wonderful time and met some very nice people.

It's been a few days since I've written; I'll try and catch everyone up on the goings on of my life in Seoul! Last weekend wasn't too bad. Saturday I had a lazy day and it wasn't until the late afternoon that I finally felt motivated to get out of my apartment and see some sites. I went to an area called Myeongdong Market, an area of Seoul known for its shopping and also because it's basically a huge open market with all kinds of stuff (i.e. bags, purses, hats, tights, bangles, hair clips, short-order cooks making Korean food, japanese food, french fries, or anything you can make with a potato). While I wanted to check it out I knew it would be a gamble, mainly because there are so many people here! I only stayed long enough to walk around the bulk of the market before I'd had enough and fought my way back through the hords of people to the subway station. While I was there though, I noticed some very interesting things...A protest was going on-I'm not sure what they were protesting; it was peaceful; a group of people walking around with signs were chanting something (it was definitely a protest), and they stayed together, but by the time I made it back to the bus/subway stop there were a lot of police officers standing around....? Also, they have hip-hop/pop concerts in the market as well. The people on stage aren't really singing, it's more like a talent show. Different groups get up on stage and have dance routines, in front of the masses, to different Korean and American pop music. It was kind of funny. They love Britney Spears over here (weird). I found the a couple of American stores over here, which initially had me excited, but when I finally made my way into the Gap and found out that they basically marked everything up ($40 shirt in America=$140,000 Won not = to $40; more like $140)! No shopping for me here-the Gap is my best bet at clothes since I'm so tall. So, Saturday I learned that going to Myeondong Market is not a good idea and not because it was Saturday-it's crazy busy there anytime of the week!
Sunday was another adventure out. I met up with my director, Helen, and another teacher I work with, Bonnie, to go to a different mall-Coex Mall (near the World Trade Center)-to find an Apple Store. I was in luck, they have an Apple store here, so I was able to find another converter for my Mac (that was exciting for me-it's the little things)! Then, Helen and Bonnie took me to the Korean Kingdom and museum, where I was able to get a crash course in Korean history, in about an hour. I have a ton of pictures, but am having trouble getting them on my compter (I'm not really sure how to work the camera-it's new-I've just been lazy). I will have them up as soon as I can... Later that evening, after having been all over Seoul (or so it seemed) we went to Hongik University area and walked for a bit. This area of town is full of college students (obviously) and very trendy and up and coming. It was fun and lively. We found a Japanese restaurant and had dinner and I was finally able to try Soju. Soju, for those of you who do not know, is a traditional Korean beverage (with a very high alchohol content) made from rice and other grains. We dined on soju and some other Japanese dishes and had a wonderful day!
This past week has been normal. I've been out most nites, going to one of the nearest subway stations, so that I can run errands or grab a bite. Work is going well too. I'm getting prepared for the upcoming school year...I have to plan the social studies curriculum for the entire school and that means that some of my lessons will have to be differentiated to fit the needs of each age group-there's a lot of preparation and research involved. On Wednesday I was finally able to hook up with some American girls, all here teaching as well. One of the girls, Sharon, holds a Bible study at her apartment. I met them through the pastor at one of the big English speaking churches, here, Youngnak Church (http://iwe.youngnak.net/) and hope to attend this Sunday. This weekend should be fun and eventful...I have a girls nite out tonite, with Helen and Bonnie. We're going to see "He's just not that into you" and then dinner and dancing at the Korean club-I'm excited! Saturday is up in the air but I'm sure I'll venture out...although I'm coming dangerously close to screaming at the masses of Koreans here-individually they're very nice, respectful and polite, but as a group, they have safety and strength in numbers and are rude and ugly and don't even get me started on the bus drivers! UGH!!! Sunday I'm hoping to attend the Youngnak Church and meet up with my new friends.
I was telling the girls I met, the other evening at Bible study, that I don't regret coming, and that I haven't felt that I've made a mistake, I miss everyone tremendously, but I feel like I've made the right decision and things are going to get better. I'm opitimistic about what the future hold and honestly I'm really excited! I can't wait to see what happens in the next few weeks or months, I kind of want to rush ahead and see what's going to happen, but I keep telling myself to slow down and enjoy the moment that I'm in because life flies by and if I don't stop to appreciate where I am and savor what's around me I'll regret it. Happy Valentine's Day!!!

As advanced as S. Korea is and all of the technology they have, they do not use dryers. Dryers, as in to dry your clothes. For the last 4 days I've been washing laundry and then hanging it on my nifty drying rack that takes up a lot of precious space in my already tiny apartment. For the rest of my time here I will be doing, at least, a load a day as to ensure that I'm not overwhelmed and eventually take over by the laundry hanging in my apartment. I'm trying to embrace my drying rack and accept it as a new piece of furniture or art even, but every time I walk into my apartment or open my eyes, in the morning, all I can think of is how ugly it is! Upon my return back to the states I will not complain about the laundry, ever again.

I am at work, but I don't have much to do yet... It's difficult being at work and not having much to do. I ask if I can help with anything but I am told that all is fine. I think that it's easier for them to just do whatever it is that they are doing instead of having to explain to me, in English, what I could help with. I do have a small project on my plate, but one that is easily managed within a few hours and a trip to a craft store. On February 23rd, we are having what is called a "demonstration class". This class is not a class in which we demonstrate or give a preview to what the class will be like, but in actuality is a class to get the children excited about coming to school! When children are young, it has been my experience, that children really enjoy going to school (I have only met a couple of kids who at the age of 7 didn't really enjoy going to school). For one of my demonstration classes I am going to read Where the Wild Things Are? and have the children create their own "wild thing" while I am reading. Of course I only have 30 minutes to read the story and wrap it up; so as to avoid confusion, my Korean partner Lindsay will be explaining to the children, at the beginning, that they are to decorate their paper bags and use their imaginations! Unfortunately I cannot use this same theme for my other class, even though it's a completely separate class, and have to come up with another 30 minute lesson. This isn't a hard assignment to complete, however, when you're in a foreign country, unaware of where to find certain materials and attempting to engage children in a language other than their own, even the easiest lessons concepts seem a little perplexing. I'm looking forward to the challenge and hoping I don't come across as redundant and boring. My first class is still, nearly, 3 weeks away and I'm the only English teacher here. Although I have been told that they will be hiring a 6th teacher and as I type, the director of the school, Helen, is interviewing another Korean teacher. That doesn't necessarily help me at all, as he is a Korean teacher. For the most part my worries and anxieties are those that won't subside until the day we start teaching.
On a completely different note, I didn't bring any electricity outlet converters (I thought that I could get them here) I found some here, but they don't quite work as well as I thought they would. Apparently instead of converting from 110 to 220? the converters I found convert from 110 to 240? so there's a small risk and maybe even a good chance that I could fry whatever I have plugged in and maybe even set a small fire; all because I needed to plug in my gameboy DS. If CNN is reporting a power outage and city burning outside of Seoul be rest assured that it was me desperate to charge and play brain games on my DS. I'm just kidding of course, so now I'm in search, once again, for electricity converter thingys so I can plug in the rest of my gadgets-that's this weekends adventure.

A few observations about Seoul… I think there might be something in the water; something good, because my skin has never looked better (shallow, I know)! I’ve noticed, today, while traveling around Seoul, that couples are very affectionate towards one another. Not affectionate, as in all over each other making out, but affectionate as in you can tell that they adore one another; it seems different here, I don’t notice that about Americans; then again, it’s not very often that I have the chance to just sit around and watch people interact with each other. Now to the important stuff! To all of my fashion-forward, purse-seeking friends… I have found the purses! And wallets, belts, hats, luggage, sweatshirts (Abercrombie-who knew?) and socks, lots of Gucci and Prada socks! I found all of these things on my trip to Itaewon, today. Itaewon is the very foreigner friendly part of town. I even found a Nashville pub there! Oh, and a sign for the “Grand Ole Opry”. I couldn’t get to the building where the sign was, but I’m very curious to see what goes on there…? There were mostly American establishments there and several other foreign establishments as well. Also, it was a small comfort to see other Americans even though I did not interact with them. For the most part though, I walked around Itaewon, taking it all in. Today, while I was walking around, I didn’t feel as sad as I did on Saturday. I was able to enjoy being in a new place and experiencing a new city! The weekend wasn’t so bad… I found a bookstore, became more acquainted with Seoul and learned the bus and metro routes…not bad for my first week. Goals for the upcoming week-finally get the cable installed (that’s up to the cable guy and whether or not he decides to show), get the Internet installed (I could probably live without t.v. if I had the Internet), and figure out how to work the freakin’ washing machine!

01.31.2009
Today has been a hard day. The cable guy was supposed to show today, but did not…again. After waiting most of the morning for the cable guy I decided to take the bus into Seoul (Cheoungho). Of course, before leaving for my adventure, all was not smooth sailing. I neglected to go to the bank yesterday to exchange currency because I assumed that the bank would be open, until noon, on Saturday. I assumed wrong. The bank is not open at all on the weekend, which made it pretty much impossible for me to exchange currency. No worries, I have won to get me through the weekend, but I wanted to have a little cushion. On a positive note, it forced me to budget (not a word I like to use very often….but…). What made today hard wasn’t the fact that I couldn’t exchange currency or even the cable guy not showing up, but rather me feeling so isolated from the world I left behind. As I rode into Seoul, I couldn’t help but wonder what everyone else was doing and if I’d be doing it with them…? I wanted so badly to have a friend with me to experience this new city and new culture and I became really sad. I was listening to my iPod and a song would come on that would be peppy and cheer me up but then a song would come on that would remind me of home or how alone I am here. I am lonely. This feeling will pass as I meet new people, and hopefully once my Internet connection is established in my apartment; and I know that I am not alone, but still, it’s hard not to feel lonely when you are on the other side of the world alone. There are quite a few differences that I’ve picked up on, between Koreans and Americans. Koreans are very busy they have places to go and are in a hurry to get there and very unapologetic about it. As I walked the streets of Seoul, today, people were brushing past me and bumping into me with no regard for me at all. I am very cautious of others and tend to be far too polite at times, when I’m in public; no one even batted an eye though, when I’d say, “excuse me” to people as I approached or bumped into them. Also, Koreans take there jobs very seriously. It doesn’t matter what their position is, whether it be the parking attendant at the parking garage or the server at the T.G.I. Fridays (yes they have one here and yes I was happy to eat American food, even if it was Friday’s, which I don’t particularly like). Whether these individuals are content in their positions, I have no idea, but they did come across as proud of the work they were doing. I don’t think I can say the same for workers, of any profession in America. I’m not insinuating that American workers don’t take pride in their work or take their positions seriously, I think though some employment positions are looked down upon and here it does not resonate the same.
This afternoon, before I went to T.G.I. Fridays, I had gone down to the school that I work at, to hop online so that I could check my email and email my parents. Upon arriving, I found my director, Helen, at the school working and she offered to go to a movie. She, along with another teacher we work with, took me to a part of Seoul (Jamsil, I believe) where there was a huge mall (Lott Plaza) and movie theater. The mall was housed in this huge high-rise that resembled the Mall of America inside. There was an ice skating rink, and more or less a theme park inside. I would have taken pictures but the offer to go the movie was so last minute, I didn’t have time to grab my camera from my apartment. The shops were one on top of another; very different from what our malls look like-big stores with plenty of room to walk around-they were very small with tables, in front, displaying sale items and such. The number of people was astounding as well-kind of like a tax free weekend at Opry Mills but 5 times worse-people going every which way with no concern as to who they run into. While I wasn’t crazy about the amount of people that descended upon Lott Plaza, I was pleased to find several American stores-Starbucks, McDonalds, KFC, Dunkin Donuts and Krispy Kreme! I had no idea that Krispy Kreme was so international! While we were at Lott Plaza, Helen was able to take me to the bookstore, which had an extensive foreign book section and I was able to buy some books. If I can’t watch television and/or get online, I might as well read. Earlier today, I was walking through Cheongho and was really down, I even started crying and was saying a little prayer, for strength, that I’d be able to get through this weekend (at the time it was looking quite grim) and within 2 hours I had plans to see a movie. I am so thankful that my prayer was answered! Since arriving, not even a week ago, today has been the most trying day. And while a few hours ago, I was sad and not quite sure how to cope, everything turned around and I ended up having a pretty good day!...the only thing that would make my weekend complete would be if I could figure out how to make the washing machine work (all of the words and settings are in Korean)!

So, it’s 7:45pm, Friday. I’m in bed. I don’t really want to venture out because it’s cold and I don’t know my way around to feel secure enough to go and I have been sick since I arrived. It’s the first nite, since arriving, that I feel lonely. The last few nites I have been tired from shopping or running around everywhere with my boss. But today, I was at work and then home. I made a brief stop at the grocery, but I almost don’t like going because it’s so confusing. There aren’t many people who speak enough English to help you and everyone here is in such a rush, that you, almost, feel like an inconvenient shopper; unable to decipher what one thing is from another and not being able to find the things you want. I never realized how much our grocery stores had to offer, before this week. I can’t find butter or romaine lettuce. Stupid to be complaining over two small items, when they have 5 other kinds of green leafy items resembling lettuce, but still. I don’t feel alone, just lonely, and I only feel this way at nite. I don’t really feel anxious about being here or feel like I’ve made a mistake. I guess the best way to describe it is lonely. I remember as a kid, when my dad’s job would move us, I would feel so sad and would cry every nite. I don’t feel that way. I just feel lonely. My mom told me 2 weeks and 2 months; I just need to give it time.