Tag Archives: Gyeonggi English Village

My Serene Seollal Celebration

10 Feb

It’s Sunday.  Just an ordinary day for most Americans.  But for Korea it is the celebration of the Lunar New Year called Seollal.  I can’t say that I really know that much about it.  I know it is an important holiday for Koreans and that traditionally people travel to be with their families and prepare and eat traditional foods.  I have heard that Seoul is a ghost town during Seollal since so many people depart to go be with their families.

According to Wikipedia (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Korean_New_Year), the Korean New Year is traditionally celebrated by eating Tteokguk , a soup with sliced rice cakes. It says the Korean New Year is similar to a birthday for Koreans, and eating tteokguk is part of the birthday celebration. Once you finish eating your tteokguk, you are one year older.  But for me, mostly, it’s just another day.

I went to Seoul yesterday for a meeting with my SGI Buddhist group.  It was great!  The chapter I participate in is a small group of mostly foreigners (remember, that’s me!) but also a few Korean folks too.  We had a study group together yesterday and then a potluck to celebrate the New Year.  I brought a fresh spinach dip to the celebration.  Here is the recipe if you’re curious.  I used soy sauce instead of the Worcestershire sauce and didn’t use any mayonnaise.  Next time I think I’ll use greek yogurt instead of sour cream.  At any rate, it was a hit and it was a nice gathering among friends new to me.

After the meeting the leaders of the SGI group traveled with me back to Paju to “enshrine” my Gohonzon.  For those of you not familiar with SGI Buddhism, the Gohonzon is a scroll with Sanscrit writing and is the object of devotion in the practice.  I received my Gohonzon when I became a member of SGI two years ago, but as I have been traveling for most of the past two years, it is just now that I am a little more “settled” and I am able have and use and practice with my Gohonzon again.

It was fun for me to lead them from Seoul to my new “home” in Paju.  They had no idea what to expect from English Village.  They were tickled and delighted to discover English Village is like a small theme park, complete with a giant mock Stonehenge at the entrance!  “So you live in there?”  they asked referring to behind the gates entering English Village.  “Yep” I said.  Not your typical Korean abode! They were like kids in a candy store as we entered through the gates and I began to lead them through the campus to my room.

They were generous in their description of my little “home” in English Village.  “It’s cute”  they said.  “So cozy” and “It’s like a little hotel room.”  All little affirmations that were nice to hear and in fact, for me it is cozy!  We spent a little time together in my room, hung my Gohonzon in its new cabinet and did a little chanting together.  It was really sweet for me to have them all there and to spend that time together.

As it is the New Years holiday, we have fives days vacation this week at English Village.  This is time that many staff use to travel to near-by (and not so near-by) destinations – Thailand, Japan.  As I am a recent arrival I was not yet prepared to take a trip but look forward to having a nice low-key week and doing a little sightseeing in Seoul.

I am not alone in my New Years respite at English Village.  We have a staff potluck/New Years celebration tomorrow night and it will be fun to share food and time together in the midst of the slow-paced holiday break.

And today, the day of  Korea’s New Years celebration, I find I have time to rest, relax and have time with myself.  I have indulged in a little on-line video streaming, plucked around on the internet, as well as my typical respite of Reiki and yoga.

A fresh coat of snow in last week... about a foot. Not a Blizzard or anything... just regular winter life in Paju South Korea.

A fresh thick coat of snow last week.  It wasn’t a blizzard or anything – just regular winter life in Paju South Korea.

I was told not too long ago by a young Korean man I met on the subway (who was excited to see a “foreigner” so he could practice his English)  that according to Korean tradition, I am 44 years old.  Now I don’t know exactly how that works… but somehow in that process I gained two years! (I am 42 in American years)  And so it is.

The sun is starting to set and the quiet evening is making itself known.  It is so peaceful here right now that the only sound I can here is the hum of my heater blowing overhead.  We remain cold  here with a hearty blanket of snow on the ground unwilling yet to go away.  And so, this is the context and the landscape of my Korean New Year.  My only question is… with this New Year, am I now 45?

Top Photo:  Toto, we’re not in Korea anymore!  Stonehenge?  The unexpected welcome at the entrance to Gyeonggi English Village in Paju City, South Korea.

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Being at Ease

2 Feb

It’s been a great Saturday for me.  Nothing too exciting.  It’s the weekend and I spent the day taking it easy.  Cleaning my apartment, sorting things, going to the grocery store.  I gave myself a Reiki treatment, did some yoga and put some black beans in the crock pot.  Tonight I will watch a movie.  I have to say it has been a great day!  Just what I needed.

I realized today as I was walking to the grocery store that I am starting to move out of  “survival phase” in my integration to life at the English Village in South Korea.  I have been here long enough that I am now fairly content that my basic needs will be met.  I have a kitchen full of foods that are healthy and satisfying.  I have a fluffy pillow and warm blankets.  I order regularly from iherb.com to get the healthy foods I want and need but can’t get in South Korea (delivery only a flat fee of $4.00!).  I have some basic spices and seasonings in my cupboard and with the assistance of my lovely crock pot I am able to cook some yummy meals for myself.

I can also get myself to Seoul without too much distress and make my way around a bit on the subway.  I have overcome some simple, but necessary challenges of traveling by myself to and from Seoul… like making sure I exit the subway at the exit number where the bus stop for the bus home is located (this is very important!  A few times I exited at random exit numbers and emerged on the streets of Seoul and had no idea where I was, let alone where my bus was!) And I am now confident that I know my bus stop well enough that I won’t accidentally miss it or pass it by, even at night.  It’s the little things!  So I am starting to feel a more… relaxed… and at home.

I am very grateful for my connection to the SGI Buddhist group in Seoul!  They have been a wonderful respite and a place to connect and meet new people when I want on the weekends.  This weekend on Sunday I will be traveling to Seoul to join them for their monthly world peace chanting.  Afterwards I will join a few members to go grab a bite to eat.  Really nice.

It’s a quiet winter day here on the English Village campus.  The snow has mostly melted and today this sun is shining.  While it is warmer, there is still a descent bite of cold in the air.  Our busy month of January programming and teaching is complete.  We have had a few days of light teaching this week and I am told a light week to come before our upcoming 5 day holiday (It is the Korean New Year).

As you may know, I am in Paju, south Korea which is a small community of about 250,000 just an hour north of Seoul.  The surrounding area is pretty spacious… much wide open land with little clusters of business – stores, restaurants and other things I can’t tell what they are since I don’t read Korean.  I am told this area is agricultural  and has a Korean military base not far away.  Paju Premium Outlet mall is just a short bus ride away (shockingly similar name to the outlet chains in the United States) with American movies and some familiar brand names and shops.  We’ve had a few days of weather here where it’s not so cold that I am huddled into my own being like a turtle seeking its shell. I am actually starting to look around and notice my surroundings a bit more.

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A quick look at the area surrounding the English Village in Paju, South Korea, the land still barren in the dead of winter.

The English Village campus is somewhat remote.  While we are located in the city of Paju, we are surrounded by much land and are a 5 or ten minute walk from the grocery store and a fifteen or twenty-minute walk to nearby restaurants, post office and other commerce.

We have pretty easy access to “getting around” with the bus stop just outside the English Village grounds and a bus that goes directly to Seoul.  There are other buses that take you to nearby shopping areas and cities and with the assistance of our friendly security staff, we can easily catch a cab when needed.

I was at a clothing swap earlier this week.  A staff member is leaving and she hosted a swap as an opportunity for her to give away clothes and other items that she won’t be taking with her when she leaves Korea.  When we were chatting she mentioned that living at English Village is like “Korea light”… which is true.  Nestled in the comfort of our English-speaking environment, we get to experience many of the comforts and ease of home.

That said, we don’t have to go far to be immediately immersed in the world and culture of  South Korea – just beyond the Hollywood-like sign of the English Village.  For me, I find it’s a nice balance… as I continue to ease my way into life and work in South Korea.

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Egg-citing times

24 Jan

Hello everyone!  Well it’s been a great week here in South Korea!  I happily made it through the big flu and cold epidemic among students and staff at English Village with just a few days of sniffles and fatigue.  Now we are practically in a heat wave with three days in a row of weather above freezing.  Amazing!

I made my way to Seoul again last weekend and was so grateful to connect with a local  Soka Gokkai International chapter, a buddhist group of which I am a member.  It was so much fun!  I joined the International group of SGI in Seoul.  There were members from the United States, Japan, and South Korea.  The nice thing for me is that everyone speaks English and it felt like a little taste of home.  It was comforting to connect with a new group of people who were so welcoming and open.

I learned about this SGI group through a connection from a friend and great  SGI supporter back in New Orleans.  She heard that there was an SGI member who used to live in New Orleans who now lives in Seoul.  So she reached out to him and let him know I was here and within a day I was connected by email with other SGI members in the area and within a week I was directed to the meeting closest to me.

We met in the private home of one of the members who lives on a US Residential base for the military in Seoul.  Their spacious apartment had all the comforts of “home”… a kitchen stocked with American food, a dishwasher, and plenty of good company.  What was on the menu that day?  Good ol’ American chilli!  What a treat.

I thoroughly enjoyed meeting every member of the SGI group and look forward to attending regularly.   They could not have been more generous, supportive and welcoming with their time, energy and attention.  I am so grateful and it will be nice to have connections in Seoul outside of my English Village life in Paju.

This week of teaching has been good, but has felt busy to me. At English Village we get new students every week, therefore my schedule changes very much from week to week.  This week I have taught elementary students and high school students from South Korea.

Here at the English Village our curriculum is developed for us and our job is to teach it.   Many of the classes here are created to be fun and engaging for the students with topics like Drama and Cooking.  This week I assisted with a class that learned about gravity.  They were given a piece of newspaper, string, tape and straws to create a “home” for an egg.  At the end of the class they drop it from a second story and hope it lands safely on the ground… in one piece… (some do… some don’t…)  We teach all classes only in English and students are encouraged to only speak English and not Korean (or whatever their native language is)…  This, as you can imagine, can be challenging for some students.

It is Thursday and it has been a full week for me and I must say I am looking forward to the weekend.  Friday is a light day for us as our students have classes just in the morning and then leave in the afternoon for home. This weekend I will be heading to Seoul again.  It is nice to teach and work during the week… and then satisfying to have a few days off to do something different!

Thanks for reading and for staying connected!  As always, I would love to hear from you!

Top photo is a truly foreign sight in Seoul – Girl Scouts!  And Girl Scout cookies!  Yes it’s Girl Scout cookie time, even in South Korea!  Here are a few Girl Scouts I spotted selling cookies on a US Military base in Seoul.

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Special Programs

12 Jan

Well it has been another week of growth, new opportunities and challenges here at the English Village in Paju, South Korea.  It’s hard to believe that I have been here for almost a month already!  I certainly don’t feel like a seasoned staff member yet, but I at least feel like I am more comfortable and familiar with the basics… which is good.   There is still more to learn, that’s for sure!

This past week I had the opportunity to work in a different area of programming at the English Village called Special Programs.  I was told early on by another staff member that the one thing you can count on at the English Village is change. So far I have found that to be true.  It seems that one must always be open for things to be different  – your daily schedule, what area you will work in, who you will teach with…

So I was moved over to Special Programs.  I am not sure for how long… perhaps a week, perhaps for good.  Time will tell.  So far I really enjoy it.  There is quite a bit of diversity in the students and curriculum in Student Programs.  There are also sometimes opportunities to work with and teach adult and college level students, which I like. In this past week I taught elementary and high school students from South Korea, Japan, and even a few students from Russia.  I also taught classes for a group of visiting adult teachers from South Korea, Japan, Thailand and Russia!

It was really fun for me working with and teaching the adults!  Their English level is so high and of course discipline isn’t a problem – so the focus gets to be more on teaching and learning English.  I taught subjects this week like “phrasal verbs” “idioms” and “slang”.  I am finding that beginning to teach English is also serving as a refresher course for myself.  Speaking English and teaching it to others are two different things.

I had to laugh while teaching slang… to notice how confusing the English language can be – words that typically mean one thing, but when used as slang mean something else.  One slang word on their worksheet was “the John” which many of us know is an informal word for the bathroom ( or the toilet, the WC, the Loo… depending on where you are from…)  A student asked “why is it called the John?”  I have no idea.  So I googled it and I learned that the slang term comes from Sir John Harrington who was the inventor of the first flushing toilet.  Who Knew!?

At the end of the week we had a closing ceremony for the adult students and I was surprised to find myself tearing up a bit.  The students all had such bright energy and were such kind people.  Their enthusiasm and appreciation for learning was really wonderful and it was fun to have the experience of teaching and connecting with them.

The cold weather continues on with a new dusting of snow arriving last night.  And so with the cold weather, outside of teaching time it is still mostly hibernation for me.  I am doing my best to cook up a storm in my tiny little kitchen thanks to the wonders of my new crock pot, my latest purchase in South Korea.  Today I am making Jamaican Fish.  Here is the recipe if you’re curious!  Since I don’t have an oven, I am learning there are MANY things you can cook in a crock pot that you would typically bake… sweet potatoes, even brownies!

As always, thanks for reading and stopping by!  Life is good in the frozen land of English Village as I stay warm and settle a little bit more into my world of newness and change teaching here in the northern peak of South Korea.

Photo of Korean women cooking up a storm at an indoor market in Seoul.

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Leaving the nest

6 Jan

After being in Paju City living and working at the English Village for the past few weeks, it was about time to leave the nest. Nothing dramatic, mind you, but a little outing. It was my first trip to Seoul. It was rooted in a practical matter – shopping. With the freezing cold temperatures outside, I was glad to get out, but for just a little bit. With my long down coat, three pairs of socks, gloves and scarf… I was ready to go!

I joined my friend Chris, one of the American staff here at the English Village. He and his wife have lived and worked in South Korea for the past three years. As they eat a strict gluten free diet, they are perfect guides and companions for my adventures in healthy eating in South Korea. With his wife’s nudging I was invited to join Chris on one of his regular shopping excursions. We stood outside the grounds of the English Village and waited for bus 2200, the bus that travels to Seoul practically non-stop about every 15 minutes. The journey takes about 45 minutes.

We traveled on the cold bus across the frozen land. About half way through the journey I was asked by the bus driver to be quiet. It was a simple gesture. The bus had stopped and when she walked by me she looked at me, put her finger to her lips, and made a “shhh” sound. Okay… was I talking too loud? Chris assured me that it was in part because we were foreigners but that also in general it is considered rude to talk loudly on public transportation. Koreans in general have much quieter speaking voices then Americans. In class we are always encouraging Korean students to speak up so we can hear them. My traveling companion Chris has a more soft-spoken voice. And me, well I had flashbacks to my 7th grade teacher letting me know in the middle of class that my voice carried…as well as my inability to whisper to my sister or my mother when I was a child in church on Sundays. Chris let me know that his wife had the same problem. Loud voice – good for teaching – I guess not so good for South Korean public transportation. I did my best to lower the volume and the journey continued.

In no time at all we were in Seoul. The bus stops at a subway station stop and we made our way down stairs the underground transportation system. Chris hooked me up with a “T-money” card, an electronic card when loaded with a little money is a fast and easy way to pay for the subway and other public transportation.

Chris was a good steward of the subway system giving me little tips for when I might negotiate the system on my own. The subway system in South Korea is quite well planned and seemed almost more scientific in its organization then the European systems I had become more comfortable with. We traveled about 7 stops away and then we arrived at our destination. What was on the shopping list for today? Baking goods. As Chris and his wife eat gluten free, they did a little research and found an area where local bakers go to buy gluten-free flours and specialty items as well as baking materials and goods. We wove through little streets lined with outdoor shops until we arrived at our destination.

I was impressed that Chris and his wife had found this area on their own. Just past rows of shops selling carpet, yarn and other unimaginable materials was a cluster of shops with a variety of fresh baking related products. I had come along in part out of curiosity and thinking perhaps I would find something that I wanted/needed for myself as I am still building my little “kitchen” in my small studio-like apartment on the English Village campus. My cooking tools are currently a dependable two ‘burner” hotplate and a crockpot. Our little apartments don’t have ovens as is typical in smaller South Korean apartments. So while baking is not currently on the agenda for me, I thought it couldn’t hurt to check things out.

We arrived at Chris’ favorite little shop filled with fresh flours, sweeteners, nuts, sprinkles, you name it. I found I eagerly dug in like a child happy to purchase more items to feed my budding little home. I bought some almond flour… for… who knows what, fresh coconut, raw pumpkin seeds, walnuts, and oats. They also had some spices so I bought some bay leaves and cloves. And they had a few random canned products, more “american style”, including tomato paste and black olives. I had not seen either of these products in Korean grocery stores so I snatched those up too! I was happy with my little purchase. We made our way through a few other shops in the area then headed back out to the main street.

I found this neighborhood, a maze of tiny shops and my first impression of Seoul, to be… beautiful. Not beautiful in any way that is particularly lavish or breath-taking. But beautiful mostly in its utter sense of foreignness to me. Just amazing.

We walked across the street and took a stroll through a local indoor market. We found dozens of little stands busily preparing food. Most of the food looked similar – something that looked like a potato pancake, and other items that looked egg based with some vegetables and meats. The Korean women knew just enough words of English to invite us to have a seat at their stand. We wove around a bit and settled into a small little informal restaurant/stand.

Chris and I stayed for a quick bite, sharing a large bowl of soul with eggs, dumplings, noodles and green onions. We also shared the potato like pancakes filled with seafood. After lunch we made our way back to the subway station. Seoul was beautiful but… it is just too cold for me to linger. In no time at all we were on the bus, this one heated, and soon on the interstate returning to Paju City and English Village.

On the ride back I noticed rows upon rows of similar looking high-rise buildings that ran for it seemed perhaps miles. What is that? I asked. Chris said they were high-rise apartment buildings. In truth the scene kind of gave me the creeps… like something from a futuristic science fiction movie or something. But Chris shared that something like 45% of the country’s population lives in Seoul and the surrounding areas. Many people!

On the ride back we listened to two Korean girls giggling uncontrollably about something…bahavior that seems typical for Korean little girls. One of the girls turned around and took a good look at me. I am told it is not unusual for Korean children to stop and stare at Foreigners (yep, that’s me! I’m a foreigner!) as it is not all that usual to see non-Koreans in Korea (although more common in the Seoul area…)

And now I am back safe and sound in my mostly warm apartment. The cold is leaking through the windows and underneath the door but I do my best to stay warm. It is the weekend but the halls of my apartment building and streets of the English Village and calm and quiet. I cooked a nice dinner for myself on my hot plate.  It feels good to be warm and settled in for the evening.

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Two weeks in South Korea

30 Dec

It’s a chilly winter morning here in Paju South Korea. On Friday we had a small “break” in the weather. The winter cold didn’t burn through your skin on that day. I was walking on campus with a colleague and she said whenever it’s warm for a day like this, the next day is always snow. And, sure enough, I woke up Saturday morning to see a coating of snow with flurries falling from the sky. The snow has continued over the weekend and on Sunday morning it appears we have a fresh coat. It’s really quite beautiful and, funny enough, although it is snowing outside, it doesn’t feel “that cold”.

I am enjoying a quiet weekend at home after my second week of working at the English Village in Paju South Korea. My apartment is warm and cozy and I have been cuddled up with a variety of movies for the weekend. While I say it is “not that cold” outside, I have to say I am still not inspired to go out and explore in it. All in good time.

I am feeling a little more settled in some ways. I am comfortable with the little walk to the local grocery store down the street, E-mart, and am finding my way more easily through the array of some familiar and much foreign food. I have settled on some staples for now as my repertoire continues to grow and expand. I am waiting to go on a “Costco- run” with other teachers from the English Village. Costco in South Korea is connected to the chain many known and love in the United States. I am told it sells a bevy of goods that “foreigners” like me love. As someone who is sensitive to sugar and eats a healthy, non-processed food diet.. .having access to some healthy comfort foods (with labels that I can read) is definitely high on my list!

I haven’t yet eaten any Korea food since I have been here. It seems a shame since at least part of the experience of being in a foreign culture is eating their food. But I am highly sensitive to sugar and I am told that Koreans use it in much of their food. I am also told that culturally the don’t have a good understanding for allergies or adjusting food to tailor meet someone’s needs. So, generally so far I have just been staying away. We will see if I can discover some Korean foods that I might be able to eat.

My job here continues to be a good place of balance – someplace that helps me continue to step out of my comfort zone and grow as well as a laid back work atmosphere and work load. After speaking with other teachers about their work experiences at other teaching jobs in South Korea, I find I feel very lucky to be working here. The work load is very reasonable, the pay is decent, and the other benefits are goods.

The English Village in Paju South Korea is a mock English Village that was created in 2006 from the tax money of the local citizens. As Koreans began sending their children to English-speaking countries to learn English, the idea was “why not create an English village here where Koreans of all ages can be immersed in the English language.” And so English Village was born.

I say it is a “mock” English village… it is…a little “disney-esque” in some ways with a large mock Stonehenge greeting guests at the Entrance. There is a local “market street” complete with a coffee shop, a few restaurants (pasta, pizza, and hamburgers) as well as a local pub. The heart of the village is filled with classrooms and the large administrative building is called “city hall”.

I am one of I would guess about 70 English teachers working and living here on campus. There are English teachers here from the United States, Cananda, New Zealand, Australia and South Africa. Teaching staff here work a variety of different programs. The program I work in is called the “One Week Program (OWP)”. It is the main entrée shall we say of the English village for mostly local middle school students. They arrive on Monday morning stay in “hotels”  on campus and leave on Friday. Their week is filled with language lessons, English content lessons such as cooking and drama, and games. While they are here they are encouraged to speak only English. Basic hours for staff are from 9am – 6pm, although some staff work from 1 – 9 pm. There is also a weekend shift where staff works a regular 5 day week that includes the weekends. Teachers generally have anywhere from 4 to 6 classes a day and the rest of the time is for teachers to plan and help out with projects that need to be done.

There are also special programs for children of all ages and adults.  There are also staff called Edutainers. They are professional performers and actors who create live professional quality performances for the students that are also fun and educational. There is a large concert hall on campus where their shows are performed.

We are about to start a special month-long program here known as “VIP”. This longer program is for students while they are on their school break. Ages will vary from 3rd – 8th grade. As teachers we will be with them for the whole month until, in February we get a little break with the 5 day vacation of the Korean New Year.

So all in all, things are going well here as I adjust to my new job and world in South Korea. I am settling in, doing my best to stay warm, and getting more comfortable with the lessons I am teaching in the classroom.

Thanks for reading my blog! And as always, I’d love to hear from you! Feel free to leave a comment or drop me a line!

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Christmas in South Korea

23 Dec

Happy almost Christmas from South Korea!  It is already Sunday here.  Today is the last day of my weekend before returning to work for a full week on Monday.  While Christmas is celebrated here, it seems to be a rather informal holiday.  I am told it is not a big family celebration like it is in the States but more of  a special night out.

So, alas I will be working on Christmas eve and Christmas day.  It will still be a few days of rest in some capacity as there are no school groups scheduled on those days and there are no classes to teach.

My first week of work and classes overall has been very positive.  I will receive two weeks of training here at the English Village in Paju, South Korea before I am “let loose” on my own.  My task this week was to follow and watch other teachers teach.  A good way to ease into my new job and role as teacher.  I saw a lot of good teachers and got a feel for the style and way of teaching here.  I also got a dose of the sometimes needed discipline in the classroom and good strategies to re-establish order and generally maintain the classroom rules.

This coming week while I will still be in training I will start contributing to teaching the lesson plan.  Admittedly I am a little anxious about being in front of the class and teaching… but also excited about it.  Another teacher here encourages me that you just need to get up there and do it.  And, while I am nervous to do it, I agree.

This weekend has been mostly quiet for me.  It began with a little trivia game/party Friday night at the English Village pub with other teachers.  Christmas trivia was the theme.  The rest of the weekend for me has been time to relax and continue to settle into my new country and place of residence… caring for the simple things like filling my kitchen with good healthy food.

I had to smile when on Saturday I left my apartment in the English Village and was suddenly surrounded by a half-dozen smiling and giggling Korean girls about 9 or 10 years old.  Apparently they were on a scavenger hunt of some sort and I guess when they say me they found what they were looking for.  Enthusiastically they asked me what my name was and had me sign their worksheet.  It was cute.

I imagine today will be another easy day for me.  Tomorrow night there is a potluck holiday celebration for staff here on campus.  It will be nice to continue to get to know the other teachers and staff living here at English Village.

So, here I am… one week in South Korea!  I am grateful to be here!

I am also grateful to the friends and supporters who have contributed to my Indiegogo campaign “Gypsy Woman Goes to South Korea.”  The support I have received so far makes a big difference to me personally and professionally as I transition to my life here in South Korea.  Thank you!  Thank you!

My Indiegogo Campaign comes to a close on December 24 at midnight PCT.  Will you support my campaign?  Any contribution, no matter how big or small, makes a BIG DIFFERENCE!  Click here to check it out and watch my video www.indiegogo.com/southkorea.   Thanks so much!

From the chilly and snow dusted land of South Korea, I wish you all a Merry Christmas and Happy Holiday!  Thinking of all of you wherever you are and wishing your warmth and cheer!

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Back to the Basics in South Korea

16 Dec

I am writing from the teacher’s work area of my new “home” in South Korea.  If you’ve been following my journey you know that I have now landed at an “English Village” created by the Korean government as a place for Korean children, adults and families to visit and have a hands on learning experience in speaking English.  I have been here since Thursday evening.  So far, so good.

After some delay en route to Korea, my twelve-hour sojourn over the Pacific Ocean went fairly smoothly.  I received a seat upgrade as compensation for my delayed flight and enjoyed some extra leg room and a non-packed flight as I made my way to South Korea.  Me (and my luggage!) happily landed around 5pm South Korea time.  After going through immigration and baggage claim, I was grateful to see my name written on a sign in the hands of a Korean taxi driver.

Admittedly a little nervous at arriving in a new country, I appreciated the gentle but firm squeeze the Taxi driver gave my hand as a silent welcome to Korea.  He loaded me up in his taxi and we were speedily on our way.  After driving about an hour away from Seoul, I arrived at the Gyeonggi English Village (GEV) in Paju City, South Korea.

I was quickly greeted by a staff member and led to my new room.  After a few delays (the heater wasn’t working in my assigned room and I had to relocate down the hall) I began to settle into my new “home”. One of the “perks” of my new job is that all staff are provided with their own apartment.  Granted for entry-level teachers like me, it is quite a small apartment, lovingly referred to as “the matchbox” and less loving names, but after a year and a half of traveling and communal living it is nice for me to have a bit of my own space.

The biggest adjustment so far, which is not so much cultural as geographical, is the cold weather.  Brrrr!  I am grateful for my long down coat to help keep me warm.  After my first day of freezing weather, rain, and ice-lined streets it was a relief to travel to the local store to purchase an electric heater and a pair of boots.  Both wise investments.

I have found the people and the staff at GEV to be kind and welcoming.  With a culture where most teachers are here for a one year contract it seems that hardly anyone has forgotten what it was like to be a newcomer here.  While I have met teachers who have been here for four or five years, many of the teachers are here for a one year contract and after 6 months seem like a seasoned teacher here.

Many of the administrative staff are Korean and of course the general student population is Korean as well.  The GEV is created as a place where 7th and 8th grade students come and live for a week of intensive and fun experiences in the English language.  There are other programs as well that I am slowly coming to know including weekend workshops, one day workshops as well as a month-long stay and other special programs.

Tomorrow will begin my first full week of work.  I will be working Monday through Friday from 9am – 6pm.  My first week I shadow other teachers and just watch, listen and learn.  The second week I am a co-teacher but still in learning mode.  And after that I believe I am still a co-teacher for a few more weeks before I am let loose to teach on my own.  I am glad for the adjustment phase easing into the experience of being a teacher here.  Generally I find folks are pretty pleased with working here and while they note frustrations or shortcomings, it seems generally staff think this is a good place to be.

And so it is 6:00 pm my time and I am finding that sleep is already wanting to pull me under.  My body clock has not yet adjusted to being on Seoul and my sleep is not yet on a regular pattern.  I have spent most of my time so far tending to the basics… learning where to buy food and beginning to stock my kitchen and talking to other teachers and learning the road and the ways of how to take care of my basic needs while I am here.

When shopping I have found that many of the fruits, meats and vegetables are not recognizable to me.  And nearly everything is written in Korean.  I have found a few Korean people who speak English when out shopping, but I am told that many Koreans are shy about speaking English.

But all in all, the learning curve is going well.  I feel generally good and at ease here and am allowing myself to get my feet wet one step at a time, one day at a time.

My Indiegogo campaign “Gypsy Woman goes to South Korea” continues through December 24, 2012.  Funds raised will help support me during this time of transition – the gap between now and when I receive my first paycheck at the GEV.  Any contribution is greatly appreciated!  You can view my campaign at www.indiegogo.com/southkorea.

Thanks to everyone for their support so far!  I would love to hear from you!  Feel free to write and say hello!

Photo above is a quick snapshot of  the “City Hall” building in my new home, a mock English Village nestled in the lands of South Korea about an hour outside of Seoul.

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