Overdue Entry, Been Trying to Settle In...

Well my plan of blogging every Sunday has fell through, and I won't try to recap the last 3 +(!!!) weeks all in one entry, but I will say that there have been plenty of ups and downs and I am happy to be here.

I'll break this down by category, so you can skip any section you're not interested in.

The School

Teaching is why I am here. And after some tiring and stressful first days, I feel like I'm beginning to get into the flow. That goes for everything, from planning the week, knowing what happens each day, the way I conduct class, and the relationships I have with the students. I am hoping to improve each week, and so far that has been the case.

The most difficult aspect of the job is the long hours, being in school for basically 50 hours a week, but only getting paid for 30. They do this by implementing 10 minute breaks throughout the day, as well as an unpaid lunch. The 10 minute breaks are hardly relaxing, as I am likely cleaning the class or preparing something the for the next lesson. However, the job overall is good (so far), and I haven't freaked out (yet).

The Band

Yes, you read correctly, I've joined a band. I mentioned this in the last entry, but I can now say that it's official. The name of the group is Yeo Sook, or You Suck, and features an array of colorful tunes only meant for those socializing in smoky bars. Not all the songs are this age-appropriate, just most. One of my (clean) favorites is "The Last Pirate of Saskatchewan", who, after losing his job, pirates the River Saskatchewan for fertilizer and grain until having to go south to New Mexico for the winter. In the band, I'm drums/percussion, depending on where we are and what's available. But I've also helped "write" a song on guitar, and even bought one of my own this past weekend. My fingers are sore but I'm motivated to practice in order to contribute to the band.

One story I have to relay happenend a couple weeks ago. Our bassist Ryan was able to procure rehearsal space at a local high school, which we use Saturdays at 11am. This space is in the music room of the school, which is actually a small building of its own. Anyways, I was not in the band the first time we performed for the director of the music department, but apparently she thought enough of us to allow the space to be used. Well one day Gene (percussion) and I arrive planning, and prepared to rehearse. He and I (not showered or shaved) are greeted by four well-to-do music teachers, as they AND the entire concert band are waiting for us to PERFORM. Well, the rest of the guys finally show up, all in the same condition, unshowered or shaved and fresh in from a night on the town. Ryan was the only clean one, as he works Saturday afternoons.

So here I am, nervous to be in the band to begin with, and am now expected to perform songs I barely know, some none at all. My part in this ended up being a couple congas, and we made due with about 6 or so songs. Needless to say, some of the music teachers were not impressed at all, some of the songs we struggled to get through, but we did have a couple highlights and one memorable experience!

Other News

I've just upgraded bicycles, after using one that was too small, and am enjoying cruising around Gyeongpo Lake (mentioned in the very first entry, more to come when the trees blossom), the beach, the cement roads through the rice fields and other small pathways the weave through the town.

There is a cool little hiking trail near the apt that leads up a hill that features an exercise park. These are actually common here in Korea, and I'm happy to take advantage.

Every weekend, I meet more and more foreigners here in Gangneung, there was recently a big party with foks from all over the province, and most people are pretty decent. I'm looking forward to meeting more people and building relationships as I continue my Korean experiment.

Till next time!

Settling into Gangneung

Well, this past Wednesday evening I arrived in Gangneung. The following couple of days I got to observe classes, meet my fellow teachers, and also become familiar with my neighborhood.

The school is really nice, there are a tremendous amount of resources there: a computer lab, new books for the students, and a large "backyard" with 2 small soccer fields, a golf net, pull-up bars, trampoline and pool for the kids. I intend to break up the day playing sports and doing some pull-ups. Lunch is provided by the school, so its nice to get a hot meal each day, though it's really a lot of food.

My apt. is a small one room, but more importantly is located close to the beach - about a 15 min. walk. I've gone down to see the sunrise a couple times, and am certainly looking forward to summer time. Here are a couple images from Gyeongpo Beach, the first of a sunrise and the second from yesterday afternoon.
The top of the beach features a nice boardwalk, and the strip is loaded with restaurants and motels. The establishments with outdoor seating are the most expensive. Most of them also have water tanks with live seafood that you may choose to have for your meal.
This past weekend I went to a couple bars downtown that are popular with Westerners, and most of the people I met were pretty cool. They seem to have a nice camaraderie with each other. A few of the guys have a band, and on Saturday night they were playing at one of the bars. They didn't have a drummer, and after playing some drums (along with the house music) at the same bar the night before, I was feeling bold so I asked to sit in. They were obviously nervous, probably fearing that I would bang the hell out of them and make a huge mess, but I was able to fit in with the music and they've asked me to practice with them. I'm really excited about this, because despite my love for music, I've never been part of band, and it is certainly as good a time as any to start.

This brings me to today, where I will begin teaching in a couple of hours. I am definitely a little nervous, but the kids are young so I won't be dealing with anything too complex. I'm excited to have my own classroom and hope to have a successful year with the students.

Thanks again for reading!

Greetings from Seoul!

Well I've finally made it to South Korea. It's been a long road but I am here. Right now it is 5 am Tuesday morning, and I am writing from my motel room. At 9am I will be going across the street to begin two days of orientation and training. Wednesday night, I will take the 2 hour bus ride to Gangneung to begin my Korean teaching experience.

This motel is quite nice: internet, lights controlled via remote, heated floors, hot/cold water dispenser, and....oh yes, condoms at the bedside and a huge flat screen preset to the adult channel. Lovely! I won't get into great detail about what I witnessed on the tv, but lets just say these people aren't models, and the women don't seem to be enjoying themselves too much. A quick scan through the rest of the channels showed programs that are shown everywhere: gameshows, soap operas, pop music, news, and sports. I settled on soccer, with a Korean broadcast team recreating the most exciting moments from Eurpoean competition.

Moving on, the room also has space for shoes level with the floor in the hall. There a "shoe horn stick" for removal, and then you make a step up (through another door) into the room itself. I will be here for two nights, but unfortunately I cannot leave all my stuff here. I'll have to lug it back and forth from the school, but again, it is across the street so it is not a huge deal.

Upon my arrival, there was some confusion. I heard through the grapevine (another teacher at my school) that I would be training here in Seoul. However, I was never officially notifed of this, so I couldn't be certain. Anyways, there was someone at the airport to recieve me, but rather than drive to where I needed to be, he instead put me on a bus (a very nice one) and said "one stop".

He said something similar to the driver, b/c after I arrived at my destination, he pointed to the terminal, but I thought he meant the hotel. After 30 min or so, the girl finally found me at the computer lab in the hotel. She said she spotted me earlier, but lost me in the crowd. I was not happy about this at all, but the girl, Ja-yun was very apologetic and hoped my initial impression of Korea was not terribly negative. She was surprised to hear that I was not informed about the plan of where to meet and what I would be doing. Obviously there was some miscommunication.

Well, I'll be writing again soon about my orientation and training. After a long flight and years of dreaming, I'm just happy to be here.

Anticipation, and anxiety, is building...

Hello everyone, and welcome to my blog. This is my first attempt at one, and Greetings from Gangwon will chronicle my time spent in Korea as an ESL teacher.

I decided to setup the blog up prior to my arrival, as it will detail the major emotions and significant moments I have before leaving.

My feelings right now are excitement and anxiety. Currently, I am awaiting to receive my college transcript in the mail, so that I may bring it to obtain my visa at the Korean Consulate in Boston. My target date for arrival in Korea is the end of February, which is only a few short weeks away!

Now for a little background: The idea of living and working abroad is one I have had since college, specifically after spending a semester in Ireland. While in Maynooth as an Education major, I decided that I wanted to have more international experiences before I became a school teacher. As someone who is interested in geography and culture, I felt I would be a more effective teacher if I had personal experiences to speak from in my Social Studies class.

In December 2004, I received my Certificate in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) in Costa Rica. Following that 4 week course, I had a job offer from a Spanish school (one I had studied at for 1 week prior to my TESOL course), but I did not take it. To this day, it is probably the biggest regret of my adult life. Now, over 4 years later, I am preparing to embark on a quest that should have happened already. But, I cannot change the past, only go forward.

Why Korea??? Many of you may know people, or know of people, that have gone to Asia to teach. From a job standpoint, the offer is great: In addition to a normal earning wage, instructors (usually) receive free housing, free airfare, and paid vacation. This allows many people to pay off debt and/or save money. (This was certainly a factor with me. I hope to erase my debt, and save money that I can put towards returning to school once I return).

I will be teaching at a private school (K-6), so my vacation is quite minimal (a week in the summer and over Christmas/New Year) compared to a public school job, where they receive a normal summer recess, and sometimes an extended winter break.

With this in mind, I am hoping to get public school job if I decide to stay for a second year. This will allow me the time to travel to other countries in Asia and the (west) South Pacific. For a long time, New Zealand has been atop my wishlist. I would love to visit other Pacific Island nations as well (Marshall Isls, Macronesia, etc). I also have a friend from my TESOL course in China (he is never coming back), and college friends in Singapore.

As for Korea itself, I am looking forward to several long weekends to get to know this small country. I have found a company, Adventure Korea, that organizes outdoor activites (skiing, hiking, biking, etc) throughout the year. They also do trips to North Korea (strictly supervised) and Jeju Island, known as Korea's Hawaii.

The outdoor activities are why I chose Gangwon Province, some of the nicest mountains and coastline are located there, as well as many college towns. After living in New York City for nearly 3 years, the prospect of living in another large, urban area makes me nauseous. While the city of Gangneung is no one-horse town (pop. 300,000), the natural features of the country are far more accesible, and I just get a good vibe from that area of the country.

One feature of Gangneung that I am especially excited about is the coastal lake Gyeongpo and its hilltop pavilion, Gyeongpo-dae, originally built in 1326. Here is an excerpt from Moon Handbook's South Korea guide detaling this scene:" In the old days, yangban of the area (poets, calligraphers, and scholars) would gather here for good-humored banter and entertainment. They said that while sitting on the cool floor of this pavilion, you can see five moons: the white orb in the sky, and its reflection in the sea, in the lake, off the wine in a wine cup, and in one's lover's eyes. Picturesque in all seasons, Gyeongpo-dae is perhaps best dressed when the cherry trees push forth their blossoms and swath this hilltop in a robe of pink." I realize that all of Korea won't be this romantic, but a little sure sounds nice!

Well, I will wrap things up at this point. Already this writing exercise has eased some of my stress, so I hope to keep it up with worthwhile text.

Thanks for reading!