So- work will start tomorrow. Or at least training. We have really been fortunate in that we have not had much going on for the past few days. It has been nice to have some time to adjust and to get acclimated to being here. Although I am still not sure that I am aware that I am here. I am guessing that it will feel like an extended vacation for awhile. Once we start teaching though and get into a routine, I imagine that will change.
So far, I really like Seoul. It has been AWESOME rooming with Jennifer. She has been such a help in navigation and interpretation. We have another Korean on our team who is from New Zealand. So we have 2 girls from the UK, 2 girls from the US, one girl and one guy from New Zealand, one guy from Canada, and one other American coming from Italy. Quite a diverse team. I thought that we had 15 people on our team- but so far we just have the 9. We all have a lot of questions about how things will work- so hopefully at orientation tomorrow- we will get more information.
So far, I have been out to eat several times, shopping in a market, and to the largest mall in Seoul. Yesterday, on the trip to the mall, we braved the subway. It was actually pretty easy to figure out as most of that signage is in English as well. Really clean and convenient. So even though Seoul is a HUGE city - you can get anywhere you want to within 20 mins. I LOVE NOT DRIVING!
People in Seoul are somewhat indifferent to us foreigners. Since so many English speakers come to teach every year- we really aren't that big a deal. When we get out of the city to our small
city to teach though, that may change. I am actually kind of glad that I won't be in the city all the time as the air quality here is not that great. We had snow yesterday and the snow clouds were a strange yellow color. It was mostly sunny today- but still a haze in the air. You see a lot of people walking around with masks on- either because they have a cold, or because they want to protect their lungs!
The food has been great. I really like spicy food- so that's a good thing as most things are at least a little spicy. Mostly chicken, veggies, noodles, rice, soups, etc. Of course, there are American restaurants everywhere. So- if I do get a craving for something- no problem finding it. I am trying to learn to recognize some of the characters so that when Jen isn't with me I will be able to order something safe! We have an open market a block away where they sell produce and fish. Nice to have that right outside.
Been trying to get used to slipping my shoes off when I come in the door. An awesome thing about Korea is that all the floors are heated. It is so nice to walk on a heated floor in your socks. Especially after coming in from the cold.
I am on skype now so I can call home on the Internet. Calls are free to others with Skype or 2 cents a minute to numbers without skype. Still debating on a cell phone here as it may be expensive.
Thanks for your emails and hope all is well! Love hearing YOUR news!
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