So School's been in session for a little over two weeks now. Today started the third week of classes already and it's crazy to think I've been living here in Seoul for about a month now!!
Things have been kicked into high gear and are definitely up and running school wise! Last week was our first "full week of classes", so after-school groups were in the process of being "set up" and "getting started". On Tuesday the 24th, I held the first "Psalms Choir" rehearsal. Psalms is made up of both faculty and high school students and meets from 5-7pm. The first half hour and the last half hour are dedicated to "praise time", where everyone comes together to sing worship songs. It's kind of like a mini contemporary praise band - the hour from 5:30-6:30 is choral rehearsal time where I go over repertoire with the group and rehearse them as I would any other choir. Our first rehearsal proved to be a successful one and I was so glad that I was able to keep the pace of the rehearsal (and the attention of everybody) at a solid level! I was glad when my mentor and colleague, Ken Caldwell (the band teacher here at SFS) complimented me on my "quick rehearsal pace" and "no nonsense" technique! I was really glad he and others complimented me regarding the rehearsal because I'd been VERY nervous leading up to it and was afraid it wouldn't come together, but it definitely did! I hope this week goes just as well, if not better!
The next night on Wednesday, the 25th, I held auditions for the top choir "Moonlight"! This audition-only ensemble has only 16 members and performs at the APAC (Asia Pacific Activities Conference) Choral Festival (this year, the festival will be held at Concordia International School in Shanghai, China!!) The auditions were supposed to be from 5-7pm with each kid doing an individual 3-minute slot audition, but we definitely got behind schedule....I felt really embarrassed because me and the other teacher I had helping with auditions (Darrell Roddick, the Director of Performing Arts Facilities) realized the sightreading portion of the audition was WAY too hard....so after the first 4 or 5 kids came in, we switched up the sightreading so that it'd still be challenging, but somewhat easier ;-) I ended up posting the results of the auditions on Friday at the end of the day - turns out not all the kids that had been in it last year made it into the group this year....oh well! I feel solid about the kids I chose and I'm looking forward to our first rehearsal together, which will be this Thursday, Sept. 2! Praying it all goes well....
Aside from being super busy with school stuff, I've had a chance to see many spots in Korea the last couple weekends! Last weekend especially was a blast because all of the new teachers were invited to go on a "Seoul CIty Tour"! While we passed many places to and from our destination, the "hot spot" that we really spent a good portion of our time at was the North Seoul Tower! It's located on the summit of Mt. Namsan and had spectacular views! I got some great shots of the city from up on the observatory deck! Later on, we all ventured to Itaewon, a part of the city known for having many "foreigners" since it is near to the U.S. Army Base~ We enjoyed a tasty lunch, a manicure/pedicure (of course!) and then headed back on the subway towards SFS! I loved being able to get out and see more of Seoul! It's great to have the chance to get out and see what's around!
This past weekend, me and 3 of my closest friends I've made since being here (hye-sin, Joy, and Jason) all teamed up to make a traditional Korean dinner on Saturday the 28th! Being that Hye-sin is Korean/British and Jason has been living here in Seoul for the past 11 years, they helped Joy and I to create a delicious sam-gyup-sal (Korean grilled pork chops) meal, complete with kimchi and all ;-) It was a great time to hang with new friends, eat some Korean food, and just relax over the weekend!
Then on Sunday night, all the new teachers were invited to a "Bulgogi Dinner" (bulgogi is a Korean style of marinated meat) - we traveled about 45 minutes from the school in two buses with our pen-pals (the people who'd been assigned to us prior to our arrival in Korea to answer any questions, concerns, etc.) and truly enjoyed a night out together!
There's been lots of eating, lots of praying, and lots of loving since I've been here~ Korea is an amazing place, as are the wonderful people I've met, the food I've tasted, and the God who's been with me day-in...and day-out....
Peace to all back home~
Monday, August 30, 2010
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
First day of School!
Well it's almost 10 o'clock p.m. here now and as I sit at the kitchen table in my apartment, the sounds of Korean T.V. and a blowing AC echo in the background.
It's been a great day, yet one filled with anxiousness and nervousness! Being that the director of the Fine Arts Dept. lives right next door to me, I was glad to have Marion ring my bell this morning and have someone to walk over to school with from the apartment - it definitely helped put me more at ease!
The morning was filled with assemblies, introductions, and opening remarks and it wasn't until the late morning/afternoon that I actually had students! But during the assemblies, etc., I was astonished at the students' behavior! There was not a PEEP throughout the Assembly Hall and all student remained attentive and focused! I leaned over to one of my colleagues at the Middle School Assembly to state my surprise and she remarked with "oh...this is ALWAYS how it is....that's just how the kids are! They know when they need to listen and be attentive!" - I couldn't believe it....
When it finally came time for my classes, I ended up having one section of 6th grade choir and three sections of 7th/8th grade choir~ the kids overall seemed great and, being that they're middle schoolers, had some interesting personalities! ;-) I only hope that I can continue to establish good repor with each of them and be able to maintain a well-disciplined classroom.
Tomorrow I'll have one more section of 6th grade choir and one more of 7th/8th grade choir, as well as my one and only section of High School choir. The middle school periods are 45 minutes and the high school periods are 85 minutes - I hope I can make the best use of our time together and again, establish a good and meaningful repor with the students so as to show 'em "I mean business" for the year, but also that we have a great year ahead of us! Classroom management is key to a well-functioned classroom and while everyone's been telling me (and I witnessed it today) that the "kids are great here", I still want to make sure things get done with well organized routine and structured class system.
Over the weekend, I had a chance to meet up with a fellow friend of mine from back home in Arlington Heights, whom I went to Middle School with back in the day! Andrea has been living here in Korea since the end of April and we found out soon after my arrival that she literally only lives down the block from Seoul Foreign School! She's here for a year teaching English to elementary age kids and I was glad to meet her for dinner Saturday night and hear about her experiences thus far. Later that night, we both met up with a "couple of couples" (ha!) and took a bus to Itaewon to enjoy an Indie Music/Poetry/Art Performance at a local bar - the show venue was small and cramped with people, but it was still fun to get out and enjoy a night on the town! Here is a picture of Andrea and I:
On Sunday, I ventured with my friend Hye-sin (who teaches in the British School here at SFS) to the "Hongdae" area, near Hongik University campus here in central Seoul. On weekends, the area is bustling with shops, vendors, performers and more! Because it is near the University, there are MANY young people here - I was dazzled by all of the lovely jewelry and clothing for sale, and yet, I felt like a giant amazon woman in comparison to the small, slender korean girls I saw all around me! It almost felt like I was trying to shop for clothes that would more likely fit a Barbie Doll than they would a 5'10" American girl! It's like when you're a kid and your mom takes you to the candy store, but you know full well she won't buy you anything and so you're stuck gazing and gawking, wishing with all your heart that you could get something....but you can't...
I guess I shouldn't be so dramatic tho because I eventually tried on a somewhat "vibrant" looking skirt that miraculously fit me!! I contemplated buying it for about 3 whole seconds, until I realized it was definitely way overpriced and not something I was in love with....especially considering the young, Korean saleslady raised a single eyebrow as I entered out of the fitting room in a somewhat disgusted manor....yikes....point made, lady...point made. ;-) haha!
Hye-sin and I soon made our way further down the streets to the Hongik University Free Market (aka "Hongdae Market") where we saw several more street vendors and musicians. This video was of a few drummers we saw playing (hope you like my awesome dance moves, too!):
So the year is up and running and I'm looking forward to an exciting first school year here in Korea! Hope everyone is doing well back home in the states! Sending my thoughts and prayers to each of you~
It's been a great day, yet one filled with anxiousness and nervousness! Being that the director of the Fine Arts Dept. lives right next door to me, I was glad to have Marion ring my bell this morning and have someone to walk over to school with from the apartment - it definitely helped put me more at ease!
The morning was filled with assemblies, introductions, and opening remarks and it wasn't until the late morning/afternoon that I actually had students! But during the assemblies, etc., I was astonished at the students' behavior! There was not a PEEP throughout the Assembly Hall and all student remained attentive and focused! I leaned over to one of my colleagues at the Middle School Assembly to state my surprise and she remarked with "oh...this is ALWAYS how it is....that's just how the kids are! They know when they need to listen and be attentive!" - I couldn't believe it....
When it finally came time for my classes, I ended up having one section of 6th grade choir and three sections of 7th/8th grade choir~ the kids overall seemed great and, being that they're middle schoolers, had some interesting personalities! ;-) I only hope that I can continue to establish good repor with each of them and be able to maintain a well-disciplined classroom.
Tomorrow I'll have one more section of 6th grade choir and one more of 7th/8th grade choir, as well as my one and only section of High School choir. The middle school periods are 45 minutes and the high school periods are 85 minutes - I hope I can make the best use of our time together and again, establish a good and meaningful repor with the students so as to show 'em "I mean business" for the year, but also that we have a great year ahead of us! Classroom management is key to a well-functioned classroom and while everyone's been telling me (and I witnessed it today) that the "kids are great here", I still want to make sure things get done with well organized routine and structured class system.
Over the weekend, I had a chance to meet up with a fellow friend of mine from back home in Arlington Heights, whom I went to Middle School with back in the day! Andrea has been living here in Korea since the end of April and we found out soon after my arrival that she literally only lives down the block from Seoul Foreign School! She's here for a year teaching English to elementary age kids and I was glad to meet her for dinner Saturday night and hear about her experiences thus far. Later that night, we both met up with a "couple of couples" (ha!) and took a bus to Itaewon to enjoy an Indie Music/Poetry/Art Performance at a local bar - the show venue was small and cramped with people, but it was still fun to get out and enjoy a night on the town! Here is a picture of Andrea and I:
On Sunday, I ventured with my friend Hye-sin (who teaches in the British School here at SFS) to the "Hongdae" area, near Hongik University campus here in central Seoul. On weekends, the area is bustling with shops, vendors, performers and more! Because it is near the University, there are MANY young people here - I was dazzled by all of the lovely jewelry and clothing for sale, and yet, I felt like a giant amazon woman in comparison to the small, slender korean girls I saw all around me! It almost felt like I was trying to shop for clothes that would more likely fit a Barbie Doll than they would a 5'10" American girl! It's like when you're a kid and your mom takes you to the candy store, but you know full well she won't buy you anything and so you're stuck gazing and gawking, wishing with all your heart that you could get something....but you can't...
I guess I shouldn't be so dramatic tho because I eventually tried on a somewhat "vibrant" looking skirt that miraculously fit me!! I contemplated buying it for about 3 whole seconds, until I realized it was definitely way overpriced and not something I was in love with....especially considering the young, Korean saleslady raised a single eyebrow as I entered out of the fitting room in a somewhat disgusted manor....yikes....point made, lady...point made. ;-) haha!
Hye-sin and I soon made our way further down the streets to the Hongik University Free Market (aka "Hongdae Market") where we saw several more street vendors and musicians. This video was of a few drummers we saw playing (hope you like my awesome dance moves, too!):
So the year is up and running and I'm looking forward to an exciting first school year here in Korea! Hope everyone is doing well back home in the states! Sending my thoughts and prayers to each of you~
Thursday, August 12, 2010
The Korea Creed
What a crazy last few days it's been! School starts in a mere 5 days, and the hustle and bustle around the SFS campus has been non-stop! I was grateful for an exciting weekend to help get me through the rather...mundane week...ha!
Saturday was definitely a blast~ all of us new teachers were invited to a delicious Korean dinner at "On the Border Mexican Grill" - ha! We walked a good 20-25 minutes (many of us in heels) to the restaurant and enjoyed each others company as we sipped Korean-made margaritas (yikes!) - afterward, we took the subway to the main "hub" of downtown Seoul to the Chungdong Theater, where we later saw an inCREDible original Korean "musical" - the show ended up being more of a dance-story that centered around two young lovers~ the dancing was traditional, Korean dancing that included the use of drums, fan-dance, Kayagums (harp-like instruments), and more! It truly was a spectacular show - I don't remember the last time I saw anything so amazing! The video below was en route to the theatre, when our group paused to take a look at downtown Seoul. In it you'll catch a glimpse of Deoksu Palace and City Hall. My friend Tim (him and his wife, Bev, are older than my parents - ha!) helped film it for me (just ignore his over-eager "laughter"...you'll see what I mean...). At the end, you'll notice our large group of "foreigners" hangin' out by the edge of the street:
Prior to the show starting at Chungdong Theatre, there was a "wardrobe area", where visitors could try on the traditional Korean garment called a hanbok. When I went to try one on, the young Korean girls tried to gesture I could chose whichever garment I wanted...I chose a lovely, royal blue hanbok, only to find out later I'd chosen a male hanbok, one that particularly might have been worn by a Korean Emperor.....the headpiece they made me wear was giNORmous and didn't help my cause for seeing like a non-obnoxious American who can't tell a male hanbok from a female hanbok....yikes! Friends kept referring to me as "Emperor Allison" for the remainder of the evening...haha!
Monday began with an opening "praise worship" time, as we welcomed back all the returning teachers and introduced all of us "newbies" to the rest of the crowd. It was fun because I had the chance to get up on stage right off the bat and sing with the praise band - I had lots of people come up to me later and say they were grateful I'd shared my music with the faculty, etc. Tomorrow, we will end the week with a closing praise worship time. I couldn't believe on Monday morning that we were starting our week in PRAYER...in WORSHIP! Granted, I know SFS is a Christian based school, but these people REALLY live out that message of loving one another and seeking the goodness of God - it's such an incredible environment and I feel my faith growing stronger everyday.
Despite the fact I think I'm "meetinged out"(we honestly have been having non-stop meetings during the day ALL week - my butt hurts from sitting so much!), we had a bit of a refresher yesterday during the day. We all took buses to the NE part of town, right near Bukhansan Mountain, for a retreat at Dobong Forestville - kind of like a retreat center with plenty of space inside, including a lecture hall, meeting rooms, and a lovely patio area for eating, picnicking, etc. It was an all faculty/staff retreat where we heard the author, Scot McNight, talk about a book we'd been required to read over the summer entitled "The Jessus Creed". Scot hails from Chicago and his discussion point regarding the book centered around the main, Christian idea of "loving God" and "loving others". It was so interesting to hear Scot talk to a room full of educators, especially when he highlighted the importance of community, communication, and caritas (latin word meaning "love")
At the lunch break, I had the chance to sit and talk with Scot and his wife Chris - we talked Chicago of course, which reminded me of home, and they asked how I'd come to live in Korea. They were impressed with my "bravery", although to me it didn't seem like a big deal, and that I could be so comfortable with who I am and where I'm at in life that I'd risk it all to go overseas. I told them they were making a bigger deal of it than what was necessary, but it meant a lot to have this impressive, theologian writer and his wife think I was brave and that I was really making something of my life. I told both Scot and his wife that the idea of Scot's book, to love God and to love others, was such a good theme for all of us teachers as we prepare to begin the school year, and as many of us adjust to living in Korea! "The Jesus Creed" Scot talks about in his book goes like this:
"Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heard, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength. The second is this: Love your neighbor as yourself. There is no commandment greater than these."
And so, I've decided to establish a "Korea Creed" - it's more a way of thinking, really....a mentality of contentment and knowing that I am meant to be here and experiencing these moments at exactly the right time - a mentality and a promise that I will always have these experiences, that I will always be able to look back and say I lived in Korea, and that I lived my life there, and always, to its fullest.
Saturday was definitely a blast~ all of us new teachers were invited to a delicious Korean dinner at "On the Border Mexican Grill" - ha! We walked a good 20-25 minutes (many of us in heels) to the restaurant and enjoyed each others company as we sipped Korean-made margaritas (yikes!) - afterward, we took the subway to the main "hub" of downtown Seoul to the Chungdong Theater, where we later saw an inCREDible original Korean "musical" - the show ended up being more of a dance-story that centered around two young lovers~ the dancing was traditional, Korean dancing that included the use of drums, fan-dance, Kayagums (harp-like instruments), and more! It truly was a spectacular show - I don't remember the last time I saw anything so amazing! The video below was en route to the theatre, when our group paused to take a look at downtown Seoul. In it you'll catch a glimpse of Deoksu Palace and City Hall. My friend Tim (him and his wife, Bev, are older than my parents - ha!) helped film it for me (just ignore his over-eager "laughter"...you'll see what I mean...). At the end, you'll notice our large group of "foreigners" hangin' out by the edge of the street:
Prior to the show starting at Chungdong Theatre, there was a "wardrobe area", where visitors could try on the traditional Korean garment called a hanbok. When I went to try one on, the young Korean girls tried to gesture I could chose whichever garment I wanted...I chose a lovely, royal blue hanbok, only to find out later I'd chosen a male hanbok, one that particularly might have been worn by a Korean Emperor.....the headpiece they made me wear was giNORmous and didn't help my cause for seeing like a non-obnoxious American who can't tell a male hanbok from a female hanbok....yikes! Friends kept referring to me as "Emperor Allison" for the remainder of the evening...haha!
Monday began with an opening "praise worship" time, as we welcomed back all the returning teachers and introduced all of us "newbies" to the rest of the crowd. It was fun because I had the chance to get up on stage right off the bat and sing with the praise band - I had lots of people come up to me later and say they were grateful I'd shared my music with the faculty, etc. Tomorrow, we will end the week with a closing praise worship time. I couldn't believe on Monday morning that we were starting our week in PRAYER...in WORSHIP! Granted, I know SFS is a Christian based school, but these people REALLY live out that message of loving one another and seeking the goodness of God - it's such an incredible environment and I feel my faith growing stronger everyday.
Despite the fact I think I'm "meetinged out"(we honestly have been having non-stop meetings during the day ALL week - my butt hurts from sitting so much!), we had a bit of a refresher yesterday during the day. We all took buses to the NE part of town, right near Bukhansan Mountain, for a retreat at Dobong Forestville - kind of like a retreat center with plenty of space inside, including a lecture hall, meeting rooms, and a lovely patio area for eating, picnicking, etc. It was an all faculty/staff retreat where we heard the author, Scot McNight, talk about a book we'd been required to read over the summer entitled "The Jessus Creed". Scot hails from Chicago and his discussion point regarding the book centered around the main, Christian idea of "loving God" and "loving others". It was so interesting to hear Scot talk to a room full of educators, especially when he highlighted the importance of community, communication, and caritas (latin word meaning "love")
At the lunch break, I had the chance to sit and talk with Scot and his wife Chris - we talked Chicago of course, which reminded me of home, and they asked how I'd come to live in Korea. They were impressed with my "bravery", although to me it didn't seem like a big deal, and that I could be so comfortable with who I am and where I'm at in life that I'd risk it all to go overseas. I told them they were making a bigger deal of it than what was necessary, but it meant a lot to have this impressive, theologian writer and his wife think I was brave and that I was really making something of my life. I told both Scot and his wife that the idea of Scot's book, to love God and to love others, was such a good theme for all of us teachers as we prepare to begin the school year, and as many of us adjust to living in Korea! "The Jesus Creed" Scot talks about in his book goes like this:
"Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heard, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength. The second is this: Love your neighbor as yourself. There is no commandment greater than these."
And so, I've decided to establish a "Korea Creed" - it's more a way of thinking, really....a mentality of contentment and knowing that I am meant to be here and experiencing these moments at exactly the right time - a mentality and a promise that I will always have these experiences, that I will always be able to look back and say I lived in Korea, and that I lived my life there, and always, to its fullest.
Friday, August 6, 2010
Taxi, please!!!
It's definitely been a crazy week! One of non-stop action and full of orientation sessions as we're getting to know the "ins and outs" of Seoul Foreign School! With approximately 35 new teachers, there are quite a few of us that are doing the very best we can to make sure we're somehow maintaining the information that is being thrown out at us, not to mention making sure we'll be ready for the start of school in a little over a week! But through some of the long, tedious (but necessary!) orientation gatherings that have taken up most of our days this week, I've found small joys in a couple interesting things....
First let me say that the staff, faculty, administrators, and facilities of SFS are incredible....they truly are out of this world! I can't believe that there is such compassion for each and every person here - people go out of their way to help one another, and the administrators treat every faculty member as equal. When I stepped into my Choir room late Monday night and again Wednesday afternoon, I truly was taken aback - what an amazing space! One of my fellow "newbie" teachers snapped this picture of me on our "all school tour" on Wednesday after I played a little something at the choir room's piano - too much fun!
Aside from amazing facilities and such, we have amazing equipment!! There is a recording dock in the choir room, as well as a separate room full of African drums and hand bells for added choral music "flair"! Plus, we were all given brand. new. MacBook Pros!!!!!!! Obviously the computers belong to the school, but now I have TWO MacBook Pros, since my personal computer is also a MB Pro :-) This was another photo someone snapped of me upon the distribution of our new computers (a little frighting...I have to admit...)
But the real clicker was TODAY...this afternoon...when I (not intentionally) took my first cab ride in Seoul!!!! I was TERRIFIED!! But, after talking all week about the "Friday COSTCO Trip", where fellow new teachers were looking forward to buying plenty of household items and foods to stock up on for a while, I misread the time we were all planning to meet and found myself running around like a crazy person wondering if I should still try and make it out to COSTCO or not! And so, like any other daring person, I decided "What do I have to lose? Why not try and catch a cab with a cab driver who speaks no english, listens to obnoxious Korean radio talk shows, and kindly turns on the AC when he sees you're sweating from running around like a crazy American?" and so that's exactly what I did. I got in the cab and I immediately said "COSTCO, ga-seh-yo" which simply means "COSTCO, please" - and for what seemed like a 30 minute cab drive (when actually it was more like 20 in the rush hour traffic), I only payed the equivalent of $9 U.S. dollars! Nine dollars!!! For a 20 minute cab ride????? INSAINE!!! I almost thought I was going to have my heart pop out of my chest I was so nervous the driver wouldn't bring me to the right COSTCO - I saw him enter the address (in Korean Hangul characters, of course) and prayed it was the same one my foreign teachers friends would all be at! I was nervous when we went south of the Han River (SFS is NW of the Han River, which divides Seoul into North Seoul and South Seoul....not to be confused with North Korea and South Korea...ha!) but all the way, despite my nerves, I couldn't help but think I was on a great Korean adventure in my little yellow cab!!!
Nevertheless, I made it safely and soundly to COSTCO (the right COSTCO, of course...thank heavens!) and when some of my fellow teacher friends asked where I'd been, I smirkingly told them the story of how I'd hailed "Taxi, please!"...;-)
First let me say that the staff, faculty, administrators, and facilities of SFS are incredible....they truly are out of this world! I can't believe that there is such compassion for each and every person here - people go out of their way to help one another, and the administrators treat every faculty member as equal. When I stepped into my Choir room late Monday night and again Wednesday afternoon, I truly was taken aback - what an amazing space! One of my fellow "newbie" teachers snapped this picture of me on our "all school tour" on Wednesday after I played a little something at the choir room's piano - too much fun!
Aside from amazing facilities and such, we have amazing equipment!! There is a recording dock in the choir room, as well as a separate room full of African drums and hand bells for added choral music "flair"! Plus, we were all given brand. new. MacBook Pros!!!!!!! Obviously the computers belong to the school, but now I have TWO MacBook Pros, since my personal computer is also a MB Pro :-) This was another photo someone snapped of me upon the distribution of our new computers (a little frighting...I have to admit...)
But the real clicker was TODAY...this afternoon...when I (not intentionally) took my first cab ride in Seoul!!!! I was TERRIFIED!! But, after talking all week about the "Friday COSTCO Trip", where fellow new teachers were looking forward to buying plenty of household items and foods to stock up on for a while, I misread the time we were all planning to meet and found myself running around like a crazy person wondering if I should still try and make it out to COSTCO or not! And so, like any other daring person, I decided "What do I have to lose? Why not try and catch a cab with a cab driver who speaks no english, listens to obnoxious Korean radio talk shows, and kindly turns on the AC when he sees you're sweating from running around like a crazy American?" and so that's exactly what I did. I got in the cab and I immediately said "COSTCO, ga-seh-yo" which simply means "COSTCO, please" - and for what seemed like a 30 minute cab drive (when actually it was more like 20 in the rush hour traffic), I only payed the equivalent of $9 U.S. dollars! Nine dollars!!! For a 20 minute cab ride????? INSAINE!!! I almost thought I was going to have my heart pop out of my chest I was so nervous the driver wouldn't bring me to the right COSTCO - I saw him enter the address (in Korean Hangul characters, of course) and prayed it was the same one my foreign teachers friends would all be at! I was nervous when we went south of the Han River (SFS is NW of the Han River, which divides Seoul into North Seoul and South Seoul....not to be confused with North Korea and South Korea...ha!) but all the way, despite my nerves, I couldn't help but think I was on a great Korean adventure in my little yellow cab!!!
Nevertheless, I made it safely and soundly to COSTCO (the right COSTCO, of course...thank heavens!) and when some of my fellow teacher friends asked where I'd been, I smirkingly told them the story of how I'd hailed "Taxi, please!"...;-)
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
Annyeong-haseyo!
Well, I've made it! Safe and sound and already done with my second full day in Korea - what a ride! It's still not fully real to me that I'm HERE - it's almost like I've decided to go off to summer camp in a far away foreign city because it hasn't gotten through to me that this is my HOME for the next two years....not just a little vacation or holiday....the place I'm actually LIVING....amazing!!! And so with that, I say "Annyeong-haseyo!" or simply "hello" from Seoul!
My 15 hour flight over to Korea (after leaving at 1 a.m. on Sunday, August 1st and arriving at O'Hare Airport at 10pm Sat., July 31st) got me into Incheon International Airport via Asiana Airlines around 5 a.m. Monday, August 2nd! The landing here in Korea was so flawless, I hardly felt the plane touch ground! The flight attendants all looked like porcelain dolls with their thin figures, perfect make-up, pressed uniforms, and slicked back hair that was bound back tightly in a bun - I couldn't have asked for a more comfortable flight!
After landing at Incheon, I had to wait for a while before getting through Immigration and then on to picking up my luggage from the baggage claim....
2 large carts and 7 pieces of luggage later, I made my way to Customs, where I breezed through, heading out the sliding doors to meet both the Middle and High School principals who were waiting to pick me up and take me to Seoul Foreign School (SFS)!
After a nasty hour and a half drive out of Incheon to Seoul (traffic was TERRIBLE...it was rush hour by this time), we finally made it to SFS! Both principals, Lynn(MS) and Kevin(HS), helped carry my 7 pieces of luggage to my "F" building and carted it onto the elevator. It was such a relief to have help and soon enough, I made it to F-42....my apartment room! This year I'm living in an apartment of another SFS teacher who happens to be on sabbatical this year, so everything is ready and rarin' to go! ;-) However, at the end of this year, I'll have to move again and buy all my own "stuff".....hopefully by then, I'll know my way around a bit tho!
Day 1 proved to be an exhausting one of unpacking, putting away, and box condensing, but it was nice to have it all pretty much taken care of before things got underway with the Orientation Week -
Now at the conclusion of Day 2, I've had a chance to meet many of the the "new hires" here at SFS, some of which even live in my same apartment building! I've met people mostly from different parts of the U.S., but there are also many people I've been meeting from the Phillipines, France, South Africa, Canada, and the UK! It's incredible to hear the stories about where some of these people have been and where they've lived! Many of them have lived and worked in other International Schools prior to their SFS contract, so it's quite fascinating!
We ventured out this morning to Yonsei University Severance Hospital: International Healthcare Center, where we were given physicals and other check-up procedures - there were so many Koreans in white doctors' coats, and many of them looked no older than me!
Later this afternoon, we went on a walking tour of the Yonhi-dong area (the "hub" of town where SFS is located) - it was crazy to walk down the street and not be able to really read what ANYthing said! But for the most part, I've been very impressed with how many English translations there are for so many of the signs, markets, shops, etc. here in Seoul - I know too there are certain parts of the city that are more "Americanized", but for now the impact of everything "Korea" is incredible~
I know this is a pretty long post and I don't intend for them to be this long all the time, but I know these first few days will be pretty crazy, and so there will be lots to share! I can't believe I'm in Korea.....hopefully I can get over this initial "shock" sooner rather than later...I'm more concerned about being ready for the school year! I know I have some pretty big shoes to fill as the new SFS Choral Director....I hope I can continue to instill the level of excellence with my students that SFS prides itself in~ then again, the hardest part is always getting started ;-)
My 15 hour flight over to Korea (after leaving at 1 a.m. on Sunday, August 1st and arriving at O'Hare Airport at 10pm Sat., July 31st) got me into Incheon International Airport via Asiana Airlines around 5 a.m. Monday, August 2nd! The landing here in Korea was so flawless, I hardly felt the plane touch ground! The flight attendants all looked like porcelain dolls with their thin figures, perfect make-up, pressed uniforms, and slicked back hair that was bound back tightly in a bun - I couldn't have asked for a more comfortable flight!
After landing at Incheon, I had to wait for a while before getting through Immigration and then on to picking up my luggage from the baggage claim....
2 large carts and 7 pieces of luggage later, I made my way to Customs, where I breezed through, heading out the sliding doors to meet both the Middle and High School principals who were waiting to pick me up and take me to Seoul Foreign School (SFS)!
After a nasty hour and a half drive out of Incheon to Seoul (traffic was TERRIBLE...it was rush hour by this time), we finally made it to SFS! Both principals, Lynn(MS) and Kevin(HS), helped carry my 7 pieces of luggage to my "F" building and carted it onto the elevator. It was such a relief to have help and soon enough, I made it to F-42....my apartment room! This year I'm living in an apartment of another SFS teacher who happens to be on sabbatical this year, so everything is ready and rarin' to go! ;-) However, at the end of this year, I'll have to move again and buy all my own "stuff".....hopefully by then, I'll know my way around a bit tho!
Day 1 proved to be an exhausting one of unpacking, putting away, and box condensing, but it was nice to have it all pretty much taken care of before things got underway with the Orientation Week -
Now at the conclusion of Day 2, I've had a chance to meet many of the the "new hires" here at SFS, some of which even live in my same apartment building! I've met people mostly from different parts of the U.S., but there are also many people I've been meeting from the Phillipines, France, South Africa, Canada, and the UK! It's incredible to hear the stories about where some of these people have been and where they've lived! Many of them have lived and worked in other International Schools prior to their SFS contract, so it's quite fascinating!
We ventured out this morning to Yonsei University Severance Hospital: International Healthcare Center, where we were given physicals and other check-up procedures - there were so many Koreans in white doctors' coats, and many of them looked no older than me!
Later this afternoon, we went on a walking tour of the Yonhi-dong area (the "hub" of town where SFS is located) - it was crazy to walk down the street and not be able to really read what ANYthing said! But for the most part, I've been very impressed with how many English translations there are for so many of the signs, markets, shops, etc. here in Seoul - I know too there are certain parts of the city that are more "Americanized", but for now the impact of everything "Korea" is incredible~
I know this is a pretty long post and I don't intend for them to be this long all the time, but I know these first few days will be pretty crazy, and so there will be lots to share! I can't believe I'm in Korea.....hopefully I can get over this initial "shock" sooner rather than later...I'm more concerned about being ready for the school year! I know I have some pretty big shoes to fill as the new SFS Choral Director....I hope I can continue to instill the level of excellence with my students that SFS prides itself in~ then again, the hardest part is always getting started ;-)
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