Boemgye on Christmas Eve

Korea Definitely Got This One Right!

10,000 Won, your own grill, and all you can eat meat.  Need I say more?

  

                   The Source                                                    The Grill                                                              The Feast

My Students

I finally got around to using my camera in my classroom.  I took these pictures on December 23 and 24 so the kids are just working on a Christmas project.  I was very surprised at how camera shy most Koreans are.  I only got one group of girls to actually pose for a picture.  The rest are taken without them seeing, at least at first.  Unfortunately, I didn't get any pictures of my youngest class yet.  I'm sure they would love it.  In Korea, just about everyone that speaks English has a Korean name and an English name (usually from when they studied English).  I have included my kids' English names here.

Maria, Eima, and Shona                                             Sam, Chris, and Willy                                              Erin, Sarah, and Julie

Koreans sure do love flashy lights...

Anyang at Night

This is the street my school is on at 10pm.  If you think there are a lot of lights here, wait until I get a picture of Beomgye at night.  It is like daytime in the nighttime.

The First Week

I have been in Korea for a week now and it has definitely had its share of adventure.  I have had to get used to traveling by bus, subway and taxi.  All are very cheap.  I can get across town for about $1.50 in a cab.  I began teaching on Monday.  I have 5 classes between 5 and 13 in size including ages 9-15.  It has been fun and relatively easy.  The kids are curious about my beard, my blue eyes and whether or not I have a girlfriend. 

Last week, I had to get a medical examination at the hospital for my Alien Residency Card (This allows me to get services like a cell phone, Internet, etc...).  I have never had such a crazy experience at a hospital.  As soon as I walked in I had a gentleman in a suit taking me to the proper area.  He then escorted me to every step along the way, holding my bag and coat whenever I had to write or be examined.  Whenever a person was not at their station, like radiology, he would run around and find the guy.  After they drew some blood, with a syringe mind you, they gave me a wad of cloth to stop any bleeding just like in the States.  However, they didn't give me a bandage, so I had to hold it on myself.  We rushed up to dental and they sat me right down in a chair.  They took the wad of cloth to throw away and began examining my teeth.  It didn't take long for them to realize that I hadn't stopped bleeding from having my blood drawn yet as it was running down my arm.  It had only been like 3 minutes and I had been running.  It was pretty funny.  Everything was so quick and efficient.

Anyway's, I included some pictures I took from the hospital.  It is up on a mountain-side and has a tremendous view.  Things are going very well and I am becoming more acclimated to life in Korea.  Thank you all for your prayers and know that you are all in mine.  You can call me at 920-964-1880.  My Internet is not up fully yet, but just leave a voicemail and I will get back to you  (usually between 6 and 10pm CST).

Pictures from Anyang Hospital

The main street by my apartment and the side road to get to my building

This building is on my walk to work...

Finally Here...

Well, I arrived late on Monday night (about 11pm).  Right when I arrived, I was greeted by a group of foreign teachers from my school.  They were very welcoming, even bringing me some Korean food to eat.  My apartment is pretty nice.  The whole building is being remodeled and will eventually house all the foreign teachers at my school, YES Youngdo.  One interesting thing is the shower.  There is no stall; just a piece of glass separating the shower faucet from the rest of the bathroom.  There is a gap below the glass and the water runs below the sink where there is a drain.  I just have to be careful to not get too much water towards the toilet.  It is no fun stepping in a puddle of water when you gotta go.  

My first day at school was fun.  I got to know a lot of the teachers, learned about the curriculum at the school and observed two classes.  I didn't feel any jet lag until the second observation at about 8pm.  It was a struggle after that.  Today will pretty much be a repeat of yesterday, just discussing more material and watching different classes.  I'll start teaching on Monday.  I am looking forward to exploring more of the city this week.  My biggest task will be finding a church to attend.  Other than that, everything seems pretty available and easy to access.  My Vonage phone is working now but I am not always online because I don't have my own Internet connection yet (I need my alien residency care first), but I can access some wireless networks in the building.  So, just leave m  e a message and I will call you back when I can (usually 6-10pm CST).  My number is (920) 964-1880.  

       

  Views from my apartment.

And it begins...

I just received my contract this morning for my new job teaching English in South Korea.  I should be able to save money quickly to pay off loans (hopefully 2 years) since I won't have to pay taxes or rent.  I will also gain valuable experience teaching English in a foreign culture, learn Korean (which will apparently help me learn Mongolian) and hopefully visit my friends in Mongolia from time to time.  In any case, my first day of training is November 25 so I don't have a whole lot of time left here in the states.  I am excited about beginning this journey that God has graciously arranged for me and ask for continued prayer as I prepare for life in South Korea. 

Korea blog

I decided to create this blog to keep friends and family up to date with what is going on with me in Korea.  I am hoping to update it at least once a week, but we'll see how well I do once I am working.