Taipei: My Way

Just to give some of you a quick update, I recently booked my New Years trip to... Taiwan! I'll be backpacking/staying in hostels from 12/30-1/02.  I'm currently mapping out my trip but so far, the itinerary goes like this:

I will be flying in to Taipei in Thursday.  Then I will immediately be taking the Bullet Train doing to Taitung County where I will be doing some site seeing and a bit of island hopping. That afternoon/evening, I will venture over to Yushan National Park and stay the night there.  I will be watching the sunset over Sun Moon Lake and also visiting the famous Wen Wu Temple, and Tsen Pagoda.

The next morning, I'll travel to the western side of the island.  I will try to get as much done there as I can.  One place I will make sure I visit is Fo Guang Shan Temple, the worlds largest Buddhist temples in the world.  I think that temple is probably the #1 must-see place on my list.  I am also really eager to go to Dapeng Bay and Little Liuqiu a little farther north of the temple, but it really depends on if I have enough time. I'm hoping. A little farther north up the coast is Paochueh Temple but it also depends on if I have time or not.

From there, Taroko Gorge in Hualien County.  I will travel to Taipei, the capital of Taiwan and spend New Years Ever there.  Taipei is famous for Taipei 101, the second tallest building in the world.  There is a huge fireworks and New Years celebration so it's going to be nice to experience a bit of the city life after traveling in more remote regions of the island.

That leaves me with two days left in which I will be spending them traveling around the northern parts of the island.  I plan on making a stop at Lion Head Mountain which is near Taipei.

Again, this itinerary is tentative and I'm not exactly sure what route is best to make sure I see as much as I want.  But I do know is that I am starting in the south and working my way up.  I just wanted to give you guys a heads up of whats new in my life-- ya know, since my last post last week.  I'll keep you posted about anything else thats new and for almost all of you in America: I'll see you in 27 days!

The Flood

Real quick: Here is a picture of the flood I experienced in Seoul over my vacation.

I was pretty much swimming home.

Shortest. Blog. Entry. Ever.

Adjusting and Returning

Ever since I took this job, I feel like I've neglected my blog.  So, I'm taking some time from work and school to update you guys.

The past two months at work have been good, but it's definitely taking a toll on my sleep schedule and social life.  Granted I've got to grow up sometime, but it's definitely hard work.  This month has been pretty good, though.  I've really enjoyed my schedule-- I work splits everyday but I feel like my schedule isn't that rough.  I have really enjoyed all my classes.  The students have been great! So, it has definitely made my month more enjoyable.

On top of juggling a full-time job that has me awake 17 hours a day and has trained me to run on five hours of sleep, graduate school started August 30.  It's not that difficult but it has a lot of tedious work.  For example, I have to keep up with discussion boards in both of my classes.  This discussions are a big chunk of my grade but it can be easy work.  Each class is broken up into different modules-- some run one week, others run three or four depending on the module course load.  Despite that, though, I've really enjoyed studying again and it really helps that I am seeing what I am studying in the classroom.  So, I get to utilize what I am learning immediately. ^^ I really feel like I've chosen the right MA program, so it's turning into money well spent-- which is what is supposed to happen, right?

Well, I've got approximately 50 days until I return to America for the first time in a year and six months.  I didn't really experience culture shock when I got to Korea, but I am expecting to experience reverse culture shock. They say this is really common.  I am going to 'freak out' when I am able to read and understand everything around me-- English overload! I am looking forward to seeing everyone even though it's going to be for only eight days. But I guess that's the sacrifice I have to make for choosing a career that has me live and travel abroad.

I've been on vacation for the past three days so I've really tried relaxing as much as I can.  I got back to work tomorrow which is depressing since I just set my alarm for 5:20 am... ugh.  

Six day work weeks are getting pretty difficult, too, but in October and November I am only working half shifts-- four hours on Saturdays.  So, it's going to feel really nice to feel like I gain another day on my weekend.  Now that I'm one month into graduate school and I feel like I've got a pretty good grasp on things, I am highly considering enrolling in a Japanese class at my school.  I really want to learn to read and write it if at all possible.  They say that learning Japanese and Korean at the same time definitely makes things easier-- especially speaking and formulating the correct sentence structure.  Then, I will enroll in a free Korean class in November that is free.  It's at the Global Village behind our school, so I am going to take a level test then do that in a month.  So, we'll see how that goes. ^^

Well, I am going to get going.  Just wanted to give you guys a small update and let you know that I'm still alive (if I haven't talked to you in a while).  Hope all is well!

OH, before I forget. I just started this new hobby.  I am starting to collect postcards from all over the world.  How? Go to Postcrossing. It's free and all you have to do is sign up.  You just send postcards to random people all over the world and people will in turn send you a postcard from their country.  I just received two-- one from Denmark and the other from Finland.  It's just nice to get kind words from people, even if it from someone you may never meet.  You should check it out! It's a cheap, fun way to make someone smile all the way across the globe. ^^

Still Going Strong

Well, now that is has been a month since I moved to Seoul and started my new job at YBM Premier, I figured I'd give you an update on how my life is thus far.


The schedule is much different than expected.  Actually, it's a bit less stressful than ECC's schedule.  While I thoroughly loved my sleeping schedule, we all have to admit that lifestyle was toxic.  So far, I have no criticisms about my job.  Everything is structured, organized, communicated, and professional.  Yes, I do wake up at 5:30am every morning and work six days a week, but the money is good and the training and experiences that I'm going through is strongly developing my teaching style.  Last month I taught a full split schedule meaning that I went in at 6:30am and finished early to mid-afternoon then went back in the evening until 8:00 or 10:00 pm depending on the day.  This month, I work a half-split-half-block schedule.  Somedays I do the normal split like the previous month and other days I finish by 1:00 pm for the entire day.  The schedule was the most difficult to get used to but I'm definitely adjusted to it and enjoying having a "big boy" job.


Outside of work, things are going great! Katelyn and I are enjoying Seoul. And when I mean enjoying, I mean indulging ourselves in any type of ethnic food possible.  I can't tell you how many times I have eaten Mexican food since I have been here.  I also found a wonderful Thai food restaurant and it will definitely turn into a recurring visit.  Because of my work schedule, I haven't had a lot of time to "go out" with friends or anything, but I definitely have a good time on Saturday nights.  If I don't give myself some free time, I think I'll go crazy!  I haven't done anything too touristy, but I plan on going to some photography and art exhibits that are on display this month.  I figured I'd try to get a little more cultured and experience some things I wouldn't get the chance to experience back in Kentucky.


And on a completely different topic, I saw "Inception" and I thought it was a masterpiece.  So, if you're wanting to see a good movie, I highly recommend it.


Well, graduate school starts August 30.  I just registered for classes a few weeks ago and just received my books.  Thank God the books weren't as expensive as they were in my undergraduate! I am really looking forward to being a student again and ready to get my Masters started (and finished).  I am curious to see how my time-management skills will be with working full-time and going to school part-time.  But I REALLY have no excuse to complain since I do get my days to finish my homework, read, etc.  Ask me in a few weeks or a month about my progress and how it is going...


I don't have much else to say except that I miss you all and in three months I will be home for Shea's wedding! Looking forward to seeing everyone!


Take care!

Go Big or Go... Back to America?

Well, one week into the the move to Seoul, I've finally found time to sit down at a coffee shop across from my apartment and write a thoughtful, more-than-a-paragraph-in-five-minutes blog.  Sorry for my excessive laziness, but it was due time... as this blog is.

Let's start out by recapping my final days and weeks at ECC.  While it was a difficult decision to make, I knew that while I love the job, I needed a change in environments.  One of the hardest things to do was saying goodbye to my students.  Some of these kids I treated like my own, especially Mikey as some of you know.  A lot of these kids I had taught for over a year and have developed strong relationships with them.  My middle school class was one of the classes I most-despised in the beginning, but they became one of my favorite classes in the end.  Some students were probably glad to see me go (and I'm okay with that), and some were not so happy (which made me feel like I did something right).  As for the teachers, I am really going to miss most of them.  Especially the Korean teachers that I became really close with like Sue, Sun, Monica, and Ashley.  ECC was an amazing first job.  I whole-heartily admit that if I didn't have such a great experience, job, friends, and management during my first year, I would have probably would have called it quits, came back to America, and resumed my life there.  Instead, I've discovered what I really want to do with my life and that is the biggest reward in itself.

Fast forward to last Friday night/Saturday morning.  We went out for our farewell/moving to Seoul party at Millertime in our area and then downtown to say our last goodbyes (Note: these "goodbye" parties have been occurring for, oh, the past few weeks).  Anyways, it turned into a pretty fun night that ended in my phone dying in my sleep and Katelyn sleeping through her alarm. We originally wanted to wake up at 5:30 am and get into Seoul by 10:00 am to get our apartments figured out.  But, waking up at 8:15 am instead didn't really allow that unless we discovered a space ship.  We got into Seoul around 1:00 pm and met our realtor where we got our apartment information settled.  We spent all Saturday unpacking, picking up boxes we had sent to our job that we couldn't fit into our suitcase, and going to Lotte World (much like Walmart but 10x bigger) to pick up a few things we needed.  The rest of the night was spent exhausted and calling it an early night.

Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday was spent training.  It was nice to actually have training sessions, multiple orientations, and observations.  It felt like a "real" job as opposed to ECC.  It's nice to have proper training, disciplinary actions, and finally, to dress business-like.  I have to wear suits everyday, be clean-shaven, just to name a few.  We get observed once every month for our first three months, then after that, quarterly.  I work six days a week. That's right. Six.  I work split-shifts this month because I am teaching adults which range from business men and women, university students, and house wives.  The classroom setting is a lot different than teaching children (obviously) and it's a lot to get used to.  I really have to change my teaching style.  The lesson plans are all planned out for you but sometimes it's difficult because it is too structured.  I like my classroom to be flexible, available for more conversation because I believe having conversation is the best way to improve a student's English-speaking skills.  

Right now, on average, I work from 6:40am - 10:00 am and 5:00 pm to 10:00 pm, depending on the day. Sometimes I will finish earlier on Fridays. Those are for classes on Monday and Wednesdays, too. Then on Tuesday and Thursdays, I will work from 6:40am - 12:00pm and 5:00pm - 8:00 pm.  So, while the hours are awkward during the week, but at least I get my days to work on graduate school, go to the gym, and get other things done that I normally wouldn't at ECC.  As for Saturdays, I work from 9:00am-6:00pm for an extra $200 every Saturday.  So, the pay is going to be quite nice.

Enough about the job.  Today is my day off and for the second year in a row, I've yet to celebrate America's birthday in the States.  Last year, if you remember, we had a rooftop party, but this year the party was non-existent.  So, Happy 4th of July everyone from Korea!  I'm basically spending my day off relaxing, hanging out at the coffee shop, doing laundry, working out (later tonight), and preparing for this week's work.  

The area (Gangnam) is wonderful! Everything is hustle and bustle and constantly moving! It's so busy!  I haven't had a lot of time to travel around Seoul since I've moved here but I plan on doing that maybe in the near future, hopefully within a couple of weeks.  I have yet to make in definite travel plans except coming to American in November (which, by the way, MOM AND DAD: We need to discuss the time and days of this because I've got tell my supervisor).  

Well, I don't have much else to say.  I hope everyone is doing well! I am doing great and I know that this move and job is going to be great personally and professionally! Talk to some of you soon!

My New Home

Next weekend, the big move to Seoul happens! Today, Katelyn and I went to Seoul to find our apartments in Gangnam.  The area is similar to downtown New York with big buildings everywhere.  The apartment is loft-style and fully furnished. In the building, there is a free gym, washer and dryers (although community-- it's next to the gym so it will give me motivation to do both at the same time), a Tom N' Tom's Coffee Shop (my favorite coffee shop in Korea because they serves soft pretzels with cheddar cheese), a hair salon, a pool hall, and a bar.  So, I'll never have to leave my apartment :).  Anyways, I'm super excited and I can't wait to move in next weekend!  Below is a picture.

 Thanks and wish me luck with the move next weekend! 

"One Thousand Dollars - All That Money Can Buy."

I had to share this with everyone.  Below is a book report from one of my best classes.  It was on the book/essay "One Thousand Dollars - All That Money Can Buy" by O'Henry.  I actually got teary-eyed reading this report.  So, enjoy.  I'm going to miss these kids.


"Which one is more important in your life?  I think love is more important.  Because if I have a lot of money I want to buy all of things I wants.  But we can't buy something with money. First it is love.  Love is very important in people's life.  Because when you love one person it is very good for you. Because love made by family. And second is family or person.  Because each person has equal chance.  But in America when Lincoln is president they bought or sold people.  But not white human race only black human race.  I don't want buy or sell the people.  Because when people are die maybe we can't make a family.  And people will be disappeared.  I love Lincoln because Lincoln stopped the racial discrimination.


Dear Lincoln
Hello? My name is Wendy.  I like you because you stopped the racial discrimination. Thank you."


I don't know about you, but that is an amazing book report coming from a 13-14 year old girl learning English as a second language.  

A Seoul-ful Update

This is going to be a super fast update just to fill everyone in.


As much as I loved working at ECC and I love my kids, Katelyn and I were fed up with some stuff and we needed a change. We were offered a job in Seoul (Gangnam to be exact-- one of the most expensive and populated areas in all of Korea).  I will be teaching adults and university students in downtown Seoul starting July 1. The hours are going to be a lot to get used to.  I work from 6:40am - 11:00 am and 6:00 pm - 10:00 pm.  The hours will deprive me of sleep, however, I am going to get paid more which is always a good thing. So, Google Gangnam if you want to get more information. The school is YBM Premier.


Also, on another note, I am officially going to graduate school. I am attending The New School.  It's out of New York and I'll be working towards my Masters in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages.  I was offered a merit scholarship of 25% of my tuition so I'm not complaining.  I'm hoping for more of course.  I'll be making enough money with this new job to pay for my school as I go so I won't have to take loans out.  So, I'm pretty excited about that.  


Well, sorry to keep this so short but I've got to get going on my TESOL certification-- I'm ready for that to be other with!  I'll update more later.  Thanks and miss you guys.


And lastly (before I forget), this new job puts my return visit to America non-existent this summer. (Sorry, guys!) I'll be coming home for Shea's wedding in November but for a longer period of time-- maybe two weeks.  I'm not exactly sure yet, but I'll let you know when I find out!

A Taste of Korea

Greetings from the Land of Miracles! I found this really interesting link that I thought some of you may want to take a look at.  Korean food is, as some of you may know, traditionally comprised of chili spices and peppers, a lot of vegetables, and meat.  Well, I am quite fond of Korean food-- probably more so than Japanese and Chinese food.  I've discovered this amazing website (thankfully in English) that tells you the recipes of Korea's most famous dishes.  You can access the website by clicking this link: Korean Kitchen. I'm going to start practicing my Korean cooking skills so when I come home, I can cook my family delicious food.  I'm thinking of mastering the Bulgolgi recipe because it is by far my favorite dish.  So, check out the website and become a Korean chef! :)

End of March Update

I really don't have a lot to say.  This month has flown by and I can't believe it's already April! It's even more shocking that I've been in Korea over ten months.  This month, I was given a Wake Up 1A class again, meaning it is their first months of English.  I thoroughly enjoy the class.  There are 13 student students, all completely adorable and a lot of fun to teach!  This past weekend was an 80's theme night so a lot of people dressed up in their best 80's attire (all of which can be bought in Korea and is considered quality clothes.  :)  I chose not to partake in the dressing up but I had a great time dancing my butt off to some classic 80's music.  Next weekend, Jo's band "Feed the Boats" is playing in Seoul so the Gwangju Crew is going up to support.  It should be really fun going up their with everyone.  A bus tour is a possibility so I'll get to see parts of Seoul I haven't yet.

Anyways, hope everyone is doing great! I'll be coming home July 24-31! Four months away! Take care!

Lunar New Year Vacation

I don't see how February is the shortest month of the year, yet it seemed to drag on for about 1.2 billion years.  After Intensives finished, you would think I'd settle down to a very relaxing, easy-going month (also known as the typical, repetitive month as an ECC English teacher), but think again.  Instead, I took on the MC role at the Kindergarten Graduation variety show.  Granted it wasn't as stressful as I'm probably making it out to be, but being a prop in the Korean Education system had yet another opportunity to shine again.  

On occasion, I'd have to wake up one or two days a week (if that) to practice my script with Aden, my fellow MC.  (I should add that Aden is a seven-year-old Korean boy who had to memorize all his lines, be calm, and be cute all at the same time; the former two difficult and the latter ridiculously easy for a Korean child).  Fortunately, I did not have to memorize my lines.  Basically, I got up four hours early to play with cute kids and on occasion play the role as the very confused foreign teacher because almost everything was being spoken in Korean.  Below are some pictures of one of the practices I went to, as well as the actual graduation and variety show.

Aden, my MC. Cutest kid ever.

Aden and I on stage.

Some of the graduate performed 사물노리. It was really cool.

 

Finally graduated!

February was a big month for Koreans as Lunar Near Year is a highly celebrated holiday.  For Koreans, this is a time they spend with their family and literally say, "Show Me the Money!"  The parents, grandparents, etc. give money to their kids as tradition.  Also, this holiday marks the time where every Koreans turns one year older.  If you don't know, Koreans have a different aging system than the rest of the world.  Basically, you're one year older Korean age than your "actual" age.  So, on February 14, I turned 24.  (I loathe this idea, but I accept the Korean way).  

Anyways, because of this holiday, we got a four day weekend.  Katelyn and I decided to head to Busan, SK.  Busan is the second largest city in Korea, home to approximately 3.7 million people.  It is the fifth largest port city in the world and is famous for the beautiful but quaint Haeundae Beach.  It is nothing like the beaches I'm used to visiting in the Caribbean or even Florida.  It was still an awesome thing to see.  Sam and Steph visited Busan back in September (I think) and they said it was one of their favorite places in Korea.  I can believe it.  So, when it gets warmer and beach weather, Katelyn and I are going to go back to experience the beach life.

 

The famous bridge in Busan.

While in Busan, we also visited the aquarium.  It was pretty much like any other aquarium I've seen, but we definitely saw some pretty cool things.  Especially penguins.

 

  

  

 

I will do some backtracking now and mention that Katelyn and I stayed in Seomyeon the nights we stayed there.  It was an adventure from the get go, as we really had no plans or idea where to go. We got into a taxi and told the driver to go to Seomyeon-- one of the biggest provinces in Busan.  He was as confused as us.  We finally made it a point to say "Downtown Seomyeon" in Korean which made things a little less complicated.  He dropped us amidst the bright glowing lights and bustling streets of Seomyeon where we found the first "love motel" we could find.  

The room was very nice.  It was big with a large bathroom, king-sized bed, and a 40" plasma screen TV.  It also had a computer with internet.  Keep in mind, however, that these motels are typically used for Korean couples who need a night alone, whether it be away from their parents (because Koreans typically live with their parents until they are married) or a night after heavy Soju drinking-- Korea's firewater.  We were pleased with our decision to say there, as it was only about $50 or so each night.

The next day, we made our way out towards Lotte Department Store-- the Walmart/Bloomingdales/Louis Vuitton of Korea.  Lotte owns everything in Korea (I thought Walmart was bad!) Anyways, we had received Lotte gift cards from ECC, as well as a hefty paycheck the day before, so I decided to splurge on a very nice, albeit expensive SLR Nikon digital camera.  I got the Nikon D3000.  It's an awesome camera, which took the above pictures of the beach and aquarium. This is the second camera I've bought since I've been in Korea.  I justified my actions and splurge with my hard-earned extra money I earned in January from teaching Intensive courses.

We also made it out to Nampodong, which is famous for shopping, just as Myeongdong is in Seoul.  We didn't see much there, just a few shops, got something to eat, etc.  

Overall, Busan is a very interesting city and I loved my time there.  The only downfall Katleyn and I found was that (as expected) the foreigner population was much higher than Gwangju.  As stated in previous posts, I prefer making more Korean friends than foreigner friends, as I believe it enhances my experience here much better.  I love my foreigner friends I've got, but I just have no strong desire to really befriend any more.  

I'd definitely live in Busan, especially Haeundae Beach.  I thought I'd really enjoy my time there, especially being so close to a very nice and heavy-populated beach.  Busan is even more highly plausible as my next residence in Korea next March than it was before.  I just hope the fate of Busan is not accurately foretold as it was in the blockbuster movie Haeundae... at least while I'm living there.

Living in the Land of Miracles

I supposed you're wondering what my title is all about.  There isn't really any particular reason except for the fact that I'm reading a book by Simon Winchester titled "Korea: A Walk Through the Land of Miracles."  Now, we call assume I'm biased and probably can relate to what Winchester discusses more so than those of you that have never lived or traveled in Korea, but I must say that this book is amazing.  It recounts Winchester's travels through South Korea in the 1980s.  I was telling my mother how awesome it is to know exactly what he is talking about whether he is talking about the people, the land, the culture, or even Gwangju, which he devotes an entire chapter about the political movement and killing of over 2,000 three decades ago.  Anyways, Winchester traveled from Jeju Island all the way up to Panmunjom, which is just south of the DMZ.  He traveled by ferry (only to get to the main land from Jeju) and foot.  This book is one of the best non-fiction books I've read.  So, if you're interested in reading and learning about what I'm experiencing here, pick it up here.

This post is really about nothing so if you want to stop reading, I understand.  Anyways, I took some pictures of my Playground 1 class last week.  You've probably seen a lot of pictures of these kids, but they're really the only class that gets super excited when I pull out my camera.  Below are some of the pictures I took.

Other than that, the only plans (as said numerous times before, but I feel I should continuously remind you) is that I am going to Busan this weekend, now with only Katelyn.  Again, I'm looking forward to it.  Next weekend (2/20), I'm going up to Suwon and Seoul to hang out with my friend Chang Wook, so that should be a pretty good time.

Well, enjoy the pictures and duly note how cute these kids are if you haven't already.

Higher Education and Nivea Lip Care

Finally, the day came and we said goodbye to Sam and Stephanie.  I am so happy for them and I wish them the best of luck in their travels.  It won't be long until Katelyn and I are traveling to California next summer to attend their wedding :)  

Not a lot has been going on, so this post will be brief.  I can't remember if I told you in the post (and I very well could go back and see, but I'm lazy), but I have applied for The New School's Masters Program in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages.  Everything is almost submitted, so in a few months or so I'll know if I've been accepted into their program.  It is an online program and the school is located in New York.  As my dad always told me (and I thoroughly agree), you can never go wrong with higher education. Currently, I'm still working on my TESOL certificate and I'm over three-quarters finished.

In two weeks, Katelyn, Brad, and I are going to Busan.  It's Korea's Lunar New Year holiday so we're going there to celebrate and tour the city. I'm really excited because as said earlier, I want to eventually live there.  Plus, you can never go wrong with living near a beach. In September, our school gave us nine days off for Chusok, so Katelyn and I decided to go to Bangkok and Phuket, Thailand.  We've booked our round-trip flight from Bankgkok to Phuket.  Our plane tickets were $57 each-- so CHEAP! Our round-trip tickets from Seoul to Bangkok are extremely cheap, too.  We have them reserved at $461 through our travel agent.  Normally, tickets to Bangkok can run anywhere from $600-$800, sometimes more. So, it's nice to have that scheduled and we're both looking forward to it.


Intensives are finally over. But the payout will be nice in two weeks.  So, no more waking up early-- except Monday (tomorrow), and probably many days this coming month.  Why? Well, I am the MC for the Kinder Graduation Program at ECC.  The kids all put on dances and songs, as well as the teachers.  So, although interesting and more than likely embarrassing, I'm sure I'll get some videos to post after.  


And with that I leave you.  But before I close, I want to share with you a very popular Korean commercial about Nivea Lip Chapstick.  I was a sucker and bought some because the ever-so-popular Brown-Eyed Girls sing a very catchy song which makes Katelyn and I want to dance.  Below is the video.  And if you're wondering, the chapstick is wonderful.

Confirmations

I apologize for not writing sooner, but the past few weeks have been pretty hectic.  This was not expected.  Just as I did in August, I am working Intensives this month which means I start work at 9:00 am and I don't finish until 8:40 pm.  It's not as bad as last time, though, because I am not at ECC until 10:00 pm every night.  The pay out at the end of the month is well worth it.  I normally would not have worked Intensives a second time but because I am flying home for one week in July, I am going to need all the extra money I can scrounge considering the plane ticket is just under $2,000.  So, this is partly why I've been lazy with writing in my blog lately.

On another note, New Years in Japan was a good time.  We arrived on Thursday then went out that night to celebrate the upcoming 2010.  We went downtown Osaka, had some dinner, and then bar toured.  We ventured to Kyoto on Saturday but it was kind of a 'pointless' trip as we barely got anything accomplished.  It took a bit longer to get there than expected and by the time we were ready to tour some temples and such, dusk had set.  But our trip to Japan wasn't a complete loss; we had a really good time, some good memories and as always, traveling with Jo is never a bore because I definitely had some good laughs (even though I was not in picture mode all weekend and barely have any documentations of those laughs).  It was really nice to get out of Korea for a while; however, going to Japan made me realize how much I really do love Korea. It confirmed even more that Korea is my home now, at least for a while.  Plus, I really missed Korean food among other things. :)

So, the New Year came and went and my busy schedule began.  I am two weeks away from finishing Intensives.  This week has been the most eventful thus far and here is why: As I was walking to school on Friday (the 8th), I noticed they were doing some construction on the abandoned building next to the school.  I walked on and didn't think anything of it.  Well, a normal day began and was beginning to end.  I was teaching my Playground 5 class and was nearing time to dismissal.  All of a sudden, the fire alarms went off in the hallways.  Confused, I walked outside along with a Korean teacher, Carol, only to find smoke.  Deciding this was no longer an unscheduled fire drill, I went back into my classroom and told my students to gather their things.  Next, Stephanie walked out into the hallway and said there was a fire outside.  I ran to the window and lifted the blinds only to see the abandoned building completely ablaze! It was like a volcano! It was so large!  Seeing this, I yelled at my students: 가자가자! 바리바리! (Go! Go! Quickly! Quickly!) The school was in complete chaos.  As you can see from the picture above, the school is right in front of the fire.  

A lot my students had fled the building because I could keep tabs on them.  One of my students, Stella, stopped in the hallway and was crying, so I had to pick her up and carry her out of the building.  It was even more frustrating and chaotic for the foreign teachers because all of the orders were being told in Korean and we didn't really know what to do.  When we went outside to get out of the building, all you could see was the embers and and fire being blown down the street in the direction that the students and teachers were running.  We all took refuge in this small parking garage for a while until me and some other foreign teachers decided to run across to the opposite side of the street to get a better look of the fire. I immediately called Katelyn who had gone home to change clothes on her break and I said (word-for-word): "Katelyn, don't leave the apartment! ECC is ablaze!" She made fun of me later for my choice of words.

The word on the street was that there were a total of 200 firefighters and 50 firetrucks at the scene.  It was a very stressful time and honestly, really sad.  I saw a lot of students crying and Tanya, the Korean Head Teacher, very upset.  It made me really sad seeing her like that because she has devoted so much to this school.  But, knowing me, I decided to crack some jokes which made her laugh.  Luckily everyone made it out of the building unhurt.  The next day, Mr. Kim and Mrs. Lee, the school owners, hired people and were already cleaning the building.  ECC didn't succumb to too much damage.  Some of the teachers cars that were parked behind the school were damaged pretty bad.  The fourth and fifth floor bathroom windows were broken because firefighters were fighting the fire from the school.  I must say, the Gwangju firefighters did an EXCELLENT job fighting this fire and preventing its spreading to the school.  It was a really big eye-opener and a confirmation that things like this can happen at anytime.  I am just really glad that minimal damage was done to the school and more importantly, all of the students and teachers made it out of the school safely.

That same weekend, we said goodbye to one of our good friends Ji Ho who was leaving for the Korean Navy.  If you don't know, all Korean between the ages of 20-30 must complete two years in the army.  I can't imagine how this must feel; to know that you have to devote two years of your life to something you necessarily may not want to do.  But, nonetheless, it was Ji Ho's time and we through some good parties for him and took him out all weekend before he left on Monday of last week.  We're all going to meet up in March when he has his first army vacation. 

A lot is about to change in the next two weeks.  I am very sad to say that two of my best friends in Gwangju are leaving at the end of this month.  Sam and Steph got here four months or so before me and I can't believe it's already time for them to leave Korea.  They're ready, though, as they should be: Recently, they got engaged.  I am so happy for them and couldn't wish them enough luck and happiness.  For the next three months, they are traveling Southeast Asia and Europe and I couldn't be any more jealous! I definitely plan on keeping in touch with them after they leave, as well as going to their wedding.  Also, Katelyn and I plan on moving to California when/if we move back to America, more than likely next door to them.  They'll get never get rid of us...  But I will miss them so much! Work won't EVER be the same without them.

Sam and Steph

I didn't do a whole lot this weekend.  I got a stomach bug on Saturday so I stayed in and watched a movie and slept for twelve hours.  It was quite nice, I might add.  But on Saturday afternoon I had a meeting with the director of the English Department at Chonnam University about employment and graduate school.  Nothing was a surprise about graduate school, however, I'd have to major in Education as most of their literary classes are taught in Korean.  Understandable.  I have recently been thinking about getting my MA in Teaching English as a Second Language-- just another confirmation that I am really loving my job and my life here in Korea.  In the past, American literature was my love and still is, but teaching ESL has been such a big part of my life I can't imagine giving it up anytime soon.  

Speaking of education, Katelyn and I just bought our online TESOL certificate program.  We started the class this past week and have six months to complete it.  We're already on unit five so I don't see any difficulties in beating the deadline...  It's just one more confirmation that I love what I'm doing.  I am really wanting give my students one of the best classroom experiences I can and I have a feeling I'll gain a lot from this class as long as I continue to take it seriously.  Also, being TESOL certified opens up a lot of doors in this area including job opportunities, salary increases, etc.  So, it's going to be money well spent.

Tomorrow, Katelyn and I are going to have a meeting with our school.  Because the information I got from Chonnam University was not exactly what I wanted to hear, I've decided to extend, once again, with my school.  This way, I know I will get a bigger ending bonus, a raise in July, and more importantly, the dates I need off for my sister's wedding.  I know the school will do whatever they can to keep me here since they are saving a lot of money by doing so.  Katelyn is going to do the same.  So, as of tomorrow, I'll be with ECC until March of 2011. We thought it over and decided this was the best move for us because public school jobs start hiring around that time and that we way, we can make a pretty easy transition between schools.  Also, the deal we have at ECC is too freakin' good.  We get a good salary, good hours, a great work environment, we're guaranteed payment on time, and they treat us very well.  It's too good of a situation to give up.  At least not right now.  And yet again, another confirmation that proves how much I love my job, my friends, my students, and my life.