October

I know, I know, it’s been ages since I last wrote. The thing is, that after a while, things started to become a little more common place to me and it wasn’t as interesting to write about my every day activities. Then, once I was out of the habit of it, even when I started doing some more interesting things, I kept forgetting to write. By now there is so much to tell, too much really. I don’t even know where to start.

I guess I’ll start with telling you about my everyday stuff. Work has its ups and downs. Some days it’s a piece of cake and other’s it’s a real struggle to get through. I think that my school is poorly organized and under funded. In addition, most of the kids don’t really want to learn English, but rather are being forced by their parents to come to my class. It doesn’t make for easy teaching. I was having some real problems with a few very disrespectful girls a few weeks ago and threw one of them out of my class. It caused a big scene and I felt a little embarrassed that I blew up, but it ended up being a good thing. I was able to explain to the other English teach- who is a native Korean- and to the director what kind of crap my students put me through on a daily basis. The next day I had off and the other teacher had a long talk with each of our classes. Since then, the students have been a lot more respectful to me. My coworkers, at least, are very nice and we get along well. Although, I don’t get invited to lunch as often because I think they are catching on that I don’t really like most Korean food. It’s an OK pay off as far as I’m concerned.

Outside of work, I have made friends with a ton of Westerns. They get together on Thursday nights for a pub quiz at Ozzy’s bar. It’s a fun time to get together, meet new people, and challenge my brain a bit. I can get very competitive! It’s also the one time a week that I’m guaranteed to get to hang out with other native English speakers. Sometimes I’m jeleous of them because most of them work at big schools where they can see other Westerners every day. Don’t get me wrong, the Koreans that I’m friends with are some of the nicest, most giving people I’ve met, but it is difficult to become really good friends with any of them because of the language barrier. Sometimes I feel a little lonely.

One thing that might help is a Korean class that I just started last night. I had tried taking a class before, but it was difficult because the teacher didn’t speak any English and it wasn’t really at a good time. I learned to read Korean easily enough, in those few weeks, but nothing more came of it. This new class is taught by a really great Canadian guy named Stefan. He’s been here for a long time and can speak really well. Also, many of the people from the pub quiz are also in the class, so it’s nice to practice with friends. I don’t hope to become fluent in the 8 months I have left here, but I think I can get down some conversation skill at least.

On to the more exciting events of late… I’ve been to Seoul enough times to know my way around a bit. It’s a pretty city and some nice places to walk around. Lots of parks. I went to a drum festival a few weeks ago and had a really great time. It’s festival season now, so I’ve been to a bunch in the past month. In addition to the drum festival, I’ve also been to a belly dancing festival and a fashion festival. All were fun and interesting. And cheep. I don’t know how Seoul got rated one of the most expensive cities to live in, because everything is really affordable here. I’m doing something fun and interesting every week.

Perhaps one of the best things I’ve come across here is a group called Adventure Korea. It’s a group geared toward English speakers living in Korea and they go on outdoor adventure trips, all sorts of fun places. It’s really ideal because it gives me a chance to meet new people, it’s more affordable than it would be if I booked a trip on my own, and it’s easier to do things with a group because I don’t have to try to get around on my own in Korean. I haven’t actually gone on a trip with them yet, but I’ve got three trips booked in the next 6 weeks. I’m going to Seorak-san National Park in two weeks for a weekend hiking trip. It’s on the east coast of Korea and high in the mountains. It should be at the height of the fall leaf season. I think it will be beautiful. The week after, I’m going to another national park in the middle of Korea for a weekend of rock climbing. It will be my first time rock climbing and I’m really excited about it. The last weekend trip is in December and it’s to a ski resort. There are tons of places to go skiing here, though they are not very close, but with this group, I think I might be able to get in a number of trips this winter. I’ll report back on my trips as they happen. (No, really, I will!)

Maybe the most exciting news I have is that Eric is coming to visit me in December. He’ll be here for 3 weeks. I can’t wait to see him. And, I’m glad to have someone from home to be here with me over Christmas. Anyone who knows me knows that I’m one of those sappy Christmas people. I’m really going to miss all the traditions. I don’t even have an oven in my apartment to bake cookies! But with Eric here (and lots of emails from home), I know that I’ll get through just fine.

Lastly, I know I’m totally bragging, but I have to tell everyone that I’ve lost over 30 pounds since I’ve been here! In addition to looking so much better, I feel so much healthier. Losing weight is something I’ve struggled with a lot for years and more than anything it’s for my health that I care so much about it. I’ve still go a way to go. I can be really lazy when it comes to exercise, but I’m getting there. One day at a time.

So, that’s it for now. More to come soon!