What the hell have I been up to? Good question. Not so great an answer awaits you. I have a lot to catch up on and now it is almost time for bed so I figure during my desk -warming time I will update my blog. My laptop isn’t reading my pics which is pissing me off and that is also delaying me from posting. One reflective point I felt is necessary to say: I…
Today I met up with a few other English teachers who are placed in Gangneung. I am about 25 minutes away by bus. So this morning I set out early to leave and I asked to make sure I got on the right bus even though I knew it was the right bus. I like to double check these things. A middle-aged man befriended me and talked to me a bit on the bus and…
ORIENTATION AND ALLERGIES ABOUND The EPIK Orientation started on Tuesday and has been going through until now. The classes are long and informational, teaching techniques, tips, strategies and lesson planning. I have met a lot of new people in my class most of who are headed to 강원도 (Gangwondo) with me. There are also my friends that I made in 서울(Seoul) and new friends I am making here in 대전 (Daejeon). I am enrolled in…
Since I am arriving 5 days before orientation I needed to find a place to stay for the duration. Luckily a fellow EPIK person recommended Hong Guesthouse, now known as Kimchi Guesthouse to me. As I was in charge of booking a 4 person bed private room. The rate is 80,000 Won or roughly ($73) a night divided by 4, not so bad!
Finishing packing was very daunting as the suitcases were emptied and rearranged an additional two or three times. In the end I was able to cram my life into two fifty pound suitcases, a carry on bag, a backpack, and a small purse. All of it was heavy as hell.
I dread packing. I hate it. I always over-pack and wish I had under-packed. With that being said trying to whittle myself down to two suitcases,a small carry on, and a backpack is daunting. I give credit to those who can only have one suitcase. I don’t know how you did it. This will be the third attempt to try and pack my suitcases. The carry on needs a little shuffling work but is mostly…
Last Tuesday, I picked up fellow EPIKers one at the Train Station in CT and the rest in MA on the way to the Korean Consulate in Newton, MA. The ride up was a lot of fun and it was interesting meeting new people for the first time face to face. Nothing like getting to know each other than saying, “Hey….I know you on facebook, you wanna go to the consulate together?” *Gasps of horror*…
I was reflecting on my progress with learning Korean and if I think of how long I have self-studied the language it seems like a disappointment. I learned how to read Korean back in 2006 with the help of a Saturday Korean class run by Korean students at Amherst college. This helped me a lot when I went to study abroad that summer and placed in level 4 of level 6 for the beginner Korean…
One thing that has bothered me most about leaving is packing. I have no idea what to pack. Not only do I not know what I truly need to pack, but rather what am I required to bring. So I decided to make two packing lists. After talking to many people and reading various blogs about living abroad; most suggest to bring a piece from home or something to make your new place homey. With…
One item I have been requested to do before I leave is to eat all of the food that is mine. There are odds and ends in all of the cupboards for various types of cooking, but my mom wants her space back after I leave. So my job has been to create meals with the remaining ingredients. At times I am lazy that I do not want to cook anything or look for the…