Time to catch up

Ok, so let me give the rundown of everything that has been going on thus far:

I got into Incheon last Monday night. Mr. Park picked me up from the airport (he's my boss Linda's husband) and he drove me to the school in Paju. He's a very sweet man and very fatherly. The first couple of days he was very worried about my runny nose, my lack of sleep, and my ability to take the bus. I haven't seen him a whole lot since Tuesday when he took me to the hospital to get my checkup, but he's around. So anyway, he took me to the school in Paju and Linda met me at the door and hugged me. She showed me my classrooms and my desk and then she and Mr. Park and one of the Korean teachers Aska (also known as Junghee) and I left together to go to Ilsan. Linda asked me what I thought she was going to be like and I told her I pictured her to be very pretty (she's gorgeous) and she laughed and reiterated the fact that she is very popular, too.

Linda is pretty much AWESOME. She only wants to help and she doesn't second-guess anyone's abilities. She came into one of my classes the other day after I openly expressed that I did not think these students knew one bit of English and she yelled at them to stop speaking Korean and that she was going to tell all of their parents how they weren't speaking English. Then she turned to me and said, "Elizabeth, if you have any problems, you send them to me." Then she left. She wasn't just pretending to be on my side (like those snakes at St. Augustine Youth Services). She IS on my side. Talk about refreshing!

Anyway, I don't think I'll really need her, anyway, because my kids are WONDERFUL. They are incredibly respectful and except for the older ones, they actually like learning English.

Ok, back to my narrative: Linda and Mr. Park showed me my officetel (it's screaming for a makeover to put it lightly) and they left me to get situated. My co-worker Heather, who oddly enough graduated from Flagler, came by when she got off of work and we talked a bit and then we went to her room so I could borrow her iron and ironing board. In the morning, Heather and I went to Starbucks and then she showed me the different buses I could catch to work. She was extremely helpful. (And she had only been in Korea for 5 or 6 days so this was all new to her, too).

My first day was pretty easy because I had to leave and go to the hospital for the checkup (and also, I have big breaks on Tuesdays and Thursdays). The rest of the week was just as simple. The books are really simple and good, the kids know what they're doing and listen well, and the school is just set up in an organized fashion so that there's not a whole lot to worry about.

As for food, I've tried some Korean (I usually just point to a picture that looks good) and for the most part, I've liked it. So far, I do not like kimchi. I dislike it so much that I've gotten to the point where I won't try it anymore even though people keep saying you just have to eat it until you find one you like. I think that's terrible advice. I ate at KFC last night. I'm sorry, I had to. I just wanted to see what it was like. I didn't see Original so I had Crispy. It was good :). Thursday night I went with two of my co-workers, Zach and Abueng, to eat Indian food at La Festa in Ilsan. I met Abueng's friends that were displaced from Nova in Japan when it shut down. They were extremely fun and cute. They invited me to go with them on an overnight trip down south but I ended up not going because I had to recover from Big Bang.

So on Friday when I got off of work, I took the subway to Hongdae. This sweet little Korean woman came up to me to talk and use her perfect (but slow) English and she told me I was brave and cute. I wanted to hug her. The subway is really clean and the seats are lined against the walls so there's a big aisle and everyone faces eacother. And you can go from train to train while it's moving. Once in Hongdae, I met up with Jenna and her friends from Incheon and we stood in line for 3 whole hours to see Big Bang. We almost didn't get in. Once we were in, we stood another 3 hours waiting for them to come out. Then they did 3 songs. It was fine with me, though, because "Haru Haru" is the only one I know. It was really fun. I took a cab home to Ilsan and slept all day Saturday. Then I woke up and went to Lotte Mart to buy a shower curtain for my officetel. I bought it to use as a regular curtain so I could peel the hideous Winnie the Pooh tape off of my windows. I really, really hate Winnie the Pooh.

Anyway, at the Lotte Mart this cute Korean guy followed me all around the store, upstairs and downstairs, just feet away from me, pretending to text message on his phone. At first I was totally irritated but then I just found it hilarious. I tried to talk to him but he didn't speak English. He followed me for a whole hour. Then, when I was walking out, he ran up behind me and offered to carry my bags. On our little walk back to Daewoo City Plaza, he told me I had a "prettyeu smileu." We used a lot of hand motions during the "conversation" that ensued. I found out he was 27 and that his name has a lot of those r/l Korean letters in it that I can't pronounce. I told him I was sick and pointed to my nose and throat--he told me the Korean word for it but of course I can't remember. When we got back to my place, he asked for my number. I told him I didn't have one and shrugged. He looked at the sign next to the elevator to figure out where I lived and pointed to the penthouse. I shook my head and said, "sa." Four. I wanted to ask for his number but for some reason I didn't. I just took my bags, said thankyou, and went upstairs. Then I immediately regretted it. I thought about how we could've gone to a Sunday movie. We could have seen "Australia" together and then discussed our opinion of the movie by shrugging or giving the thumbs-up sign. I went back outside, but he was gone. I've been looking for him all weekend to no avail. I'm seriously bummed about it. He was tall and cute.

Sunday Heather and I walked around LaFesta and went to eat Korean. We went to a coffee shop afterward and had a big delicious waffle with ice cream on top. Then we went back to the officetel and she let me use her computer. Sunday night I went to 7 Monkeys at the Western Dom and met up with my Korean language study group. One guy, Maarten, is from South Africa. Danielle is from Detroit. Chad is from Knoxville, Tennessee. And Bunny is from the Phillipines. We are all going to Costco this week for some outrageous savings and some hot dogs. Good times! On my way home from the meeting, I bought a calling card and called Mama and Daddy (and Ashley but she didn't answer). It was good to hear their voices. I want everyone to visit me and see how cool Korea is!

Today was my first Monday and it was a fantastic day. I'm so excited about my life here. I just feel like I belong in some weird way. And I feel all warm and fuzzy when I'm on the bus and the driver is playing talk radio and I don't understand any of it. For some reason, it feels safe.

Ok, that's the first week update!!!!!!