Day 2
On Sunday, we had a pretty relaxing day since we didn't have anything mandatory to do. So I spent the day lounging around and just being lazy accept when I needed to go down to the cafeteria to eat. As far as the Korean food we are eating goes, some days are better than others. However, in my opinion, for the most part everything is pretty good, sometimes even great. My only disappointment is breakfast time, I wish we had more fruit, but lately they have been giving us oranges which is great and makes me super happy.

So in the afternoon we went on another Korean cultural experience. We went to the BNJ Art Center which in one word was interesting. There was cool art, weird art, creepy art, and just what is this supposed to be kind of art. The weirdest one for me was these two canvases on the wall, and at the right and left bottom corners was hair...yes HAIR. Either stapled or glued onto the canvas. That really kind of grossed me out. That is the thing about art, you might dislike it and wonder how that can be considered art, while someone else is so touched and inspired by it. Art to me is all about your individual perception of beauty or ugliness, and sometimes your perception is the same as the artist's perception and other times it isn't.

Then we went to Suwon Hwaseong, which I guess is also known as the Fortress. I have pictures but I am too lazy to upload them right now. I'm waiting till orientation is over before I start messing around with all the pictures I have taken. The Fortress was pretty intense and it made me feel like I was in another century. This Korean haraboji (grandpa) was waving at me. I thought he wanted me to take a picture of him and his grandson, but instead he wanted me to take a picture with the two of them. The dad took the picture and thanked me after, it was funny and sweet at the same time. My friend told me this halmoni (grandma) who was waiting with us at the crosswalk also wanted a picture but was too afraid to ask me for it. I would have done it, because I know it would have made her day. For now, I am cool with things like that. Hopefully it doesn't become a constant request. I did encounter a bit of staring at there but nothing too bad...or maybe I just wasn't paying enough attention to people because I was so focused on how cold it was.

Lastly, Sunday night I watched this Korean romantic comedy Please Teach Me English, which was funny and corny all at once. Overall Sunday was a good day.

Day 3
It was the first official day of orientation. We had the opening ceremony and these ladies came from the Bloom Gayageum Trio and played Moon River and Let It Be. I loved it, it was soothing and I hope I can find their music on the internet. They were dressed in hanboks (I am determined to get one before I leave). All of the speakers were good, but the best one was the Korean history teacher who told us about Korean history. He was just so funny, that I ended up tearing up from laughing so hard. I ended the day with the Korean movie Welcome to Dokmangol and I really enjoyed it, it was funny and sweet, but I hated the ending because like a typical Korean movie/drama the ending was sad. I liked the meaning behind the movie, and the simple life that yielded happiness to the village people and in the end the soldiers since they sacrificed themselves to preserve that. I loved the instrumental music in the movie and am going to look for the OST to it.

Oh, most importantly, I found out I am going to be teaching elementary. Which was my first choice so I am pretty happy about it. If any of you are teaching elementary please give me lots and lots of resources, advice, and tips to not only being a good/great teacher, but also managing my classroom, and what to expect from my elementary kids, and the atmosphere of an elementary school .Kamsahamnida (thanks) is advance:)!!!


Day 4
Today was a looong day for me because for some reason I woke up at 3:36 AM and was unable to fall back asleep. I've been tired all day, which sucks because today was the first day of training in our specific grade levels. I learned about games/activities, classroom management, and co-teaching. Some information was relevant and helpful, and some was not. I really liked most of the speakers, and I feel better about teaching elementary after learning from them. I think though that elementary is going to take a lot of endurance to keep my energy and creativity flowing so the kids don't get bored.

I applied for my KEB bank account, since it seems to be the most foreigner friendly, and it was nice that they were here. Originally Hana Bank was supposed to come, but thankfully KEB came instead. For those with KEB, is the debit card for international usage, or is that something I have to ask for specifically?

I was super tired after dinner, so I took a three hour nap and woke up just so I can update my blog and let everyone know how I am doing. I have to say I feel blessed to be here, and I know it won't be all sunshine everyday, but I want to do my best to always stay positive and open-minded. I know it will make a difference if I choose to have a positive attitude vs. a negative one. I have to say it is a little lonely being here without my family and friends from home, but like one of my good friends said I've only gotten here, so I need to give myself time to find my way here. I am excited to move into my apartment on Saturday (granted I don't hate it...pray I get a good one), and pray even more I get a good co-teacher. I'm excited to leave this comfortable nest of foreigners and really know what it means to be in another country.

Alrighty, off to bed before another day of training begins. Goodnight!!!

Be Blessed,
~Lola O.~