Yay!!! I finally have internet at my place. Kind of shady though...they are using someone else's ARC until I get mine on Friday. Whatever...mini-hiatus officially OVER!!!

Day 5:
It was a pretty average aka boring day. I learned about teaching techniques and ways to supplement the textbook. Probably one of the more interesting parts of training was when we found of which Multiple Intelligence we scored the highest in. Mine was Intra-personal. I think it describes me pretty well. I am very self-aware and reflective which is why I spend so much time lost in the jumble of my thoughts. Like all things being an intra-personal kind of person has its good and bad qualities. I am definitely a very internal human being. I went to sleep pretty early. I don't know what was up with me but I got tired sooo easily during orientation which made me miss out on the fun times after hours. My biggest complain was the beds. They are so hard here. It was/is like sleeping on a rock or something. Nothing exciting happened on Day 5. I ended the night working on my micro-teaching presentation with my partner Mitchell. Overall it was a very low-key kind of day.

Day 6:
I did my micro-teaching presentation with my partner Mitchell. Our topic was giving direction. We focused on simple vocabulary (straight, left, right), and used Zeeto trying to find his spaceship on a huge map as the focus of the presentation. We got a lot of positive feedback, but I think I could have done better. I learned a lot from watching everyone's presentations and it really gave me a lot of ideas on how to become a better teacher, especially when it comes to classroom management. It was cool seeing everyone's teaching styles vs. their personalities. Some were the same and others different.

With only two more days of orientation left. I kept on thinking about the budding friendships I was creating and whether they would last outside these orientation walls. When you are stuck together for a week, you are going to do your best to get along with everyone, but that might change once you all go your separate ways. My thoughts were that I wanted to hang out with people who would do more than party and drink every weekend. I can do that in the states if I wanted. I wanted to find people I can explore Seoul with, take Korean classes with, try new foods with, and just enjoy the year with. I knew that I had to be open minded and give people a chance. I've met a lot of people who are each unique in their own way. I just hope that these relationships grow and gain sustenance over the year. I also would like to make Korean friends and really get an inside look into Korean culture, food, and of course the language.

I told myself I don't want superficiality or drama around me. I just want good people and good times to make this year memorable for all the right reasons. So far it is turning out to be full of unexpected moments, and I have to remember to give as much or even more than I take. This isn't the time to be timid or doubtful. Instead I want to do my best to be bold and live a colorful and flavorful kind of life.

Day 7:
This day was probably the best day of orientation. We got to leave the fortress of solitude and visit a school to see a NSET in action. The school we went to was NICE. Had a lot of cool English areas and you could tell they made an effort to make their school stand out. The NSET was okay. They made her seem like the best teacher in the world..but she was teaching these kids improper English. The worksheets had grammatically incorrect sentences, and I was like if you are going to teach these kids English don't teach them the wrong stuff to say. After the observation we had free time:)! So a couple of us took the subway to Myungdong. I had my first subway experience and it was confusing and crowded. I got my T-Money card too. We ate at this place known for their mandoo (dumplings) and it was delicious. I had kimbap too. It was a nice and relaxing afternoon with some fun people. We ended the outing at the National Museum of Art, but by then I was so tired I just looked around, bought some postcards, and sat at the cafe eating ice cream with some other tired people. By the time we got back to the fortress of solitude I was actually glad to see the place. I found out what school I will be teaching at, and ended the day with packing and goodbyes. I realized that everything would start again tomorrow. My journey in Seoul would truly begin...

Day 8:
The last day was a hectic day. We woke up and loaded the buses with our luggage. This really nice guy helped me with all my luggage and put it on the bus. Thank goodness for all the kindness I have received so far in Seoul. We had the closing ceremony and ate the best meal of orientation. It was soooo yummy, and I realized after that they probably fed us so well because they knew we would starve for the next two days trying to figure out where to find food and getting situated in our apartments. It was in a way like the last meal.

We said our goodbyes and got on our buses. My bus was the Nambu district people. It took about an hour and a half to get to the meeting location. Once I got there, I waited for a bit for my co-teacher to show up. Once she shows up, we see that her car is super tiny and cannot fit my luggage in it. So we call a taxi, the first one arrives and says he won't take the luggage. So then she calls a call van. We waited for almost two hours before finally heading to my apartment. I got to the school at 2 PM and didn't get to my apartment till around 5 PM.

I barely got a chance to look at the place before we headed to Home Plus to buy necessities. The place is very spacious for one person. I'm hoping to get a couch/futon in there. So on we go to Home Plus and my co-teacher calls her mother to come help us shop, and she comes and take over. She pushes the cart, and is like you need this, you don't need this...etc. It was a pretty funny and cute situation. After all the shopping, they both come to my place and her mom makes my bed for me and puts away the things we bought. It was a nice moment to feel taken care of. They left after making sure I was okay, and then the silence penetrated my mind. In that moment I realized I was here. I was really doing this. In that moment there was loneliness and excitement bubbling inside of me. I had made it this far, and even though there was so much I didn't know. I was proud of myself for doing this, and trying to figure out my life by my own terms. So the journey in Seoul begins, let the adventures and mishaps begin to unfold.

Be Blessed,
~Lola O.~

PS: I promise pictures of my apartment and Korea So Far will be posted soon...I'm so sleepy but I wanted to update my blog for my lovely readers. Thanks for taking this ride with me:)!!! Enjoy the SMOE March 2010 video. There is a little bit of me towards the end.

SMOE March 2010 Orientation from SMOE Coordinator on Vimeo.

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.~

I finally have a moment to myself, and even though I am super sleepy I know I will feel a lot better if I do some writing. So lets start with the day before I left...

It was an awesome way to leave Arizona. Lots of friends and family came over to the house to visit, my grandma cooked all my favorite Nigerian foods, and I could just feel have loved and blessed I am because of the people in my life. I laughed a lot, cried a bit, freaked out for a second, and then just felt peaceful and excited to finally be making this happen.

 I had no problem with my luggages. I'm pretty sure all three of them were over 70lbs but the guy didn't even weigh them, and just asked me how much they way. I paid my excess luggage and was on my way. I had my carry-on, pillow, backpack, and purse as I went through security so that was a bit of a hassle, but no one stopped me when boarding started to tell me I had to much stuff. Once, I landed in LAX I got a bit stressed. That airport is huge and confusing. I had to take a shuttle from Domestic to International, and I had no clue where Korean Air was, but these nice people helped me find where I was going, and made sure it was the right area. I had to recheck-in, go through security all over again, and by the time I got to the gate they has started boarding people. I was sweaty, out of breath, and stressed, but I made it through, and got on the plane.

Thirteen hours is soooooooooooo long. I was beyond bored, and didn't find any of the movies interesting. We had soooooooo much turbulence and it freaked me out, because I am not fond of flying and the turbulence made it scary. I mean this was some hardcore turbulence we experienced and it came in increments throughout the whole flight. The food was yummy! I had bibimbap, some chicken and rice thing, and these yummy buns with some kind of meat inside them. I really liked Korean Air, the flight attendants were very kind of helpful. I sat next to three Korean girls and didn't really get to talk to anyone for the whole flight. It was a weird feeling of loneliness and excitement throughout the flight.

Once I got to the Incheon Airport, immigration took forever, and then I couldn't figure out where my luggages were. This nice man directed me to the correct carousel, and then I couldn't figure out how to get the luggage cart out, and this tiny little man comes over and does it for me. I must have that "I'm so lost and confused look" going on because I got so much help from people that day. So once I got my luggage, I exchanged some money, and then was on my way to find Gate F, which turned out to be quite the walk since it was on the opposite side of where I was. I found the meeting point, met my recruiter, and got my first meal in Korea. Don't get to excited it was just veggie kimbap. It was yummy and cheap!

I didn't really talk to any of the other people there because I was super tired and all I could think about was a shower and some sleep. We had to wait like an hour before enough people came and then we got on the shuttle. This nice man pushed my luggage cart for me to the shuttle and put everything on it for me. I didn't even ask, and felt kind of bad because everyone else was pushing their own luggages. Thank God for the kindness complete strangers have shown to me on this journey to Seoul. The shuttle ride was long, and that was due to the driver getting lost of something. It took more than two hours to get there. It was after 9 before we arrived there. I checked in, met my roommates (awesome and funny girls), and then took a shower and slept like a baby.

I have no jet lag, which is nice, and am already on Korean time. Orientation really doesn't start till Monday so we have A LOT of free time, which is good and bad. Good because we all need to relax before orientation starts. Bad because I get bored easily. I met a lot of people today, and even though I don't remember all of there names, everyone has been really interesting and nice. I met a lot of the girls from the FB Smoe Spring 2010 group, and we all seem to be meshing well. I just hope at the end of orientation we get placed in the same or nearby districts.

Today they took us to E-Mart. My first Korean shopping experience, and it was interesting trying to find snacks and things I would like. I spend like $10 bucks and got quite a few things. There was even a Starbucks there:)! After dinner, I went to this Survival Korean class and it was a waste of two hours because it was stuff I already knew. Hopefully the next one will be more useful. Now I am just relaxing in my room,  listening to music, and writing in my blog. It feels good to have this time to myself after spending the day around other people.

As far as how I feel, everything feels so dream like. I know I am in Korea, but at the same time I wonder if I need to pinch myself to make sure this isn't a dream. I have a lot of "WOW" moments; like when I see how different it is from AZ, or when I saw God of Study on the tv and was like I can watch dramas live now, or when we are eating and I just look around and am amazed to be here and really making my dream a reality. I feel a little overwhelmed and rushed just because everything is so new and different, and I want to capture every moment ,but at the same time give myself space to just absorb it all in.

I'm sure lots of other people must be feeling the same way. IDK, it is a weird kind of happiness I have right now. It really hit me that I am doing this, and am going to be here without my family for a whole year. I felt pretty sad about it, but at the same time I am happy to be challenged to do this on my own, for me.

I'm starting to fall asleep so that is it for now. I think I will be blogging either bi-weekly or weekly, depending on what interesting things happen in my life. I bought a journal for the everyday moments of reflection, and hopefully will get a chance to write in it soon.

Be Blessed,
~Lola O.~