Teaching Elementary

Teaching in a public elementary school is one of the greatest experiences one can have in South Korea. If this job was in the states, it would be the perfect job. I only say that because of all the adapting that is required with living here, such as learning the language and culture. It can be difficult at times, but also very rewarding. For example, today I bought some groceries and other much needed items for my home. Coming back to my apartment, I asked an elderly lady (an ajumma) on the street how much something cost. I even understood what she was saying! She said "il-ch'on" which means one thousand wons (about $0.82). No tax even! Street vendors are the way to go.

Tomorrow I am getting an internet connection in my apartment! They say that the internet here is fastest in the world. So far I've been using a signal from a place down the street (shhh!). It's "free," but too slow to stream TV or radio even at times. With my new internet I'll also have to have a cable running across the floor to connect my computer. I won't be paying for a router though since the guy that lived here before left his for me.

Seems like anyone under the age of 13 knows me in town. (Quick side note: you are born here one year old, so in the states it would be anyone under 12.) When walking into school, I usually get "hi" and "hello" coming from each direction. I try to respond and give an occasional "How are you doing?" to each inquiring student. They like to respond with "OK," "fine," or "very, very happy." Normally when they see an adult teacher, they bow. With me they just wave, and the ones that know my name say "Hi, James." They think it's funny, and I do too most of the time.

Today I found peanut butter and 우유 (milk) butter! It was expensive (6,500 won each), but well worth it. Maybe I'll stop by the store on the way home to get some bread. I haven't eaten bread in about 3 weeks. Eating bread at a meal is rare here, since rice is a staple for Korean meals. Actually, 밥 or "rice" is synonymous with "meal" here. So in Korean, when you say "Do you want to get some rice?" you really mean "Do you want to get some dinner?"

On Friday, I am going to Seoul for a five-day orientation. I was late arriving and the only foreign teacher in town (out of 15) that hasn't been to it yet. I have some teacher friends helping me out though. Pray that it goes well!

Mmmm.... delicious.

This was my dinner last night: an original Domino's pepperoni pizza. It was delicious and I'm so glad of Korea's Western influence to offer such food. The night before, I had corn dogs which was also great and made me feel like being back at home for a moment.

This is a packet of dried seaweed and my apartment came pre-stocked with about ten of them. I actually ate a whole packet of them when I first arrived. It tasted almost like seafood-flavored baked potato chips, but I'm sure they use them here for cooking in some way.



This is a tofu soup meal that was served at a Korean restaurant about 20 minutes from my apartment. I ate the Meat Bun, non-vegetarian soup with a group of "foreigners" that teach English here in town.

I have to get used to calling myself a foreigner, but that is what I am here. As a matter of fact, last week I just received my "Alien Registration Card" allowing me to get a cell phone, internet hook-up, cable and anything else that would require a Korean ID.

Ridin' the Rickshaw

Welcome to my first blog post ever! Maybe it's because I've never really had the desire to or maybe it's because I never had the time. Now I have both, and being in a different country with new and exciting things may be that reason to start a blog. Also as an English teacher in a foreign country, I am starting to adore my language more and more. Writing and communicating in English is what I get paid for, but this is just for fun. So ENJOY!

Anyway, I titled my blog "Ridin' the Rickshaw" since my dad mentioned that it could be my new mode of transportation here in Korea. I ran across this picture of a guy riding a rickshaw and imagined if this was my mode of transportation around here. "Imagined" is the key word here, because my main mode of transportation, since I arrived 11 days ago, has been by foot. It's good exercise though and I'm proud to be in decent enough shape to walk 6 miles without being sore the next day.

The town I have been placed in is Taebaek which is supposedly the highest city in elevation in Korea. It has mountains surrounding it and is beautiful for those who like to hike and explore the scenic part of the country. The town is also relatively poor, since it was at one time supported by the coal mine industry which recently went under. It has pulled through though becoming a popular spot for tourists and a great location for skiing and Korean festivals.