Home Sweet Home!

Well I started my adventure for about a week now and so far so good! The flight took about 24 hours although I'm still a little confused on how to figure that one out because of all the time changes. On my flight from Halifax to Toronto I started to chat with the man that was sitting next to me before the plane even took off (you know me). He ended up being an off duty pilot that was on his way to do his regular testing down in Miami. When he asked me where I was going, he was surprised to hear I was off on a one year adventure to teach english in Korea. He then told me that he had a cousin that has been living in Japan for 10 years. It always surprises how many people know people that have come over here... anywho as corny and made up as it seems, just as the plane lifted off the ground the man turned to me and said "well, welcome to the start of your adventure!". I sware, it was like something out of a movie.

When I finally touched down in Busan all I could think about was the ability to lay vertically and sleep, and how much I was looking forward to it. At that point, tired from all the traveling, I tried not to over think things too much (as I tend to do) and just focused on what I needed to do next. So, I got my bags with no fuss at all and the next thing on my mind was finding my director. I was a little worried he wouldn't be there because I had missed one of my earlier flights due to a delay. When the doors opened to a crowd of people in the arrival lounge all eyes were on me - I forgot to mention I was the only westerner I had seen in hours by now. There was a sea of signs for almost every name in the book... everyone except me! I took a breath, found the closest information booth that was conveniently labled "?", and before I even had to try to explain anything the woman asked me if I needed her to call someone for me. She must have seen the same look on my face a million times and knew exactly what I needed. She got my information, made the call, and asked me to wait 20 minutes and someone would come get me. I did, and then a man come up to me with my name on a card. I thought it was my director who I knew had spoken english so I started to talk to him right away but then stopped quickly when the only thing I got in return was a puzzelled look. He took my bags to a taxi car and I got in. I took in all the sights and sounds on our drive and wondered where he was told to take me. 40 minutes in, I really started to question it and by that time I was straining to stay awake. Not too long after we arrived at a beautiful hotel in Centum City. Perfect! This was pretty much a garentee that I would be enjoying sleeping a nice plush comfy bed in no time! After checking in, the conceirge helped take my bags to my room. As soon as I got in I took a quick shower, changed into some pj's and plopped into bed... hard as a rock - but unusually comfortable. It wasn't what I expected, but it did the trick and knocked me right out.

The next day I wondered around a bit - ordered my first coffee americano (which is just a regular coffee here) and called the school - they were sending someone to pick me up around 2pm. I had just enough time to go to a japeness restaurant in the hotel. I was so excited to taste the sushi cause I thought it would be that much better because i'm so close to Japan now. The menu had a bit of english on it but when what I ordered arrived it wasn't what I expected at all. It had a million side dishes and the chef himself had to explain how to eat it. He said it was sushi Korean style - I was a little dissapointed but managed to eat enough that it filled me up. At this point, I should really mention how nice and patient everyone has been with me that i've met so far. I know its probably cause I was in a part of town that they deal with foreigners alot, but I was happy none the less.

When I met up with the girl from KJC she took me to the school via the subway and I got to meet all my co-workers. I also sat in on a few classes with the girl that i'm taking over her classes (and apartment) to get a feel for what teaching was going to be like. All the teachers ended up going out for supper after work to celebrate our arrival (there was another guy that started the same time as me) and also said goodbye to the two teachers that we were replacing. I like how social everyone seems to be - that's definitely something I knew I would miss about back home. The foreigners at my school really seem to look out for one another cause I guess in a way that's the only family we really have here.

I ended up going out for Halloween on the weekend and dressed up as the bearded lady. It was an easy, cheap costume! Since then, i've moved into my apartment, and tought my first class. Being completely scared to get up infront of a crowd of people, I even survived my first day teaching! I have no idea what they think of me, but at the end of the day, they're only kids. The one thing I will say is that its frustrating not being able to really communicate with them and I have a hard time understanding their english when they do speak it. I'm not even sure how much they really understand. I get a lot of puzzeled faces but I'm sure these are all things i'll learn over the next coming weeks. I do worry though cause I have no idea what i'm doing but I try not to let that show - atleast to the kids anyways. I ask my co-workers questions constaintly! So far my experience has been pretty positive. There have been bumps, but nothing I haven't been able to handle. I'm sure it'll get harder when I'm over my "honeymoon phase" of being here, but at this point i'm still glad I decided to take the chance to do something 100% different. My eyes are in this to open up.

This morning i've tasked myself with rearranging the furniture in my room. It needs a little feng shui! Oh, and I didn't end up finding my camera so it might be a while before I can post any pictures.

... stay tuned!