Welcome to Korea!

It’s really hard to believe, I’ve been in Korea for almost a week already!

Honestly, when I decided to go to South Korea, earnestly, I had no idea what I would be getting myself into. I knew it wouldn’t be Japan, and I knew I would be back at square one, language wise. I was absolutely terrified of the language barrier, the people, the crazy neighbours to the north… I’m a rather anxious person, when my mind really sets itself to it.

And to be quite honest? My first 24 hours in the country? Played into every fear I had. When I was taken to my hotel, I realized I was going to be staying in a love hotel for two nights. For those of you not familiar with them… Love hotels are exactly what they sound like. You can rent them by the hour, if need be. And I would be there for two nights.

…Keeping it classy.

Within my first few hours in Korea, I’d already stuffed my face with Korean barbecue (which is like God’s way of saying he loves me and wants me to be happy) and the city I was staying in got beaten to death by a rather huge typhoon that knocked the power out. I stumbled into work against the ridiculous wind and rain to find the power out there, and a cluster of Korean teachers using their Asian Logic to panic over the AC being off, not realizing the wind was blowing enough outside that opening the windows would have cooled the room down just as quickly.

On my flight to Seoul, I spoke to another girl going to teach the opposite side of the city as me, and a man from Texas who was going to pick up his wife in Korea and bring him home with her.

Mail order brides, love hotels, barbecue, and typhoons. Welcome to South Korea.

Of course, this was all just within the first 24 hours. Everything seemed crazy then, to everyone. Since then though, things have been rapidly improving. My apartment is gorgeous and huge and amazingly well situated. I can see Anyang station from my window, which is the main subway station in Anyang-city, according to Wikipedia. I’m within walking distance to the main downtown core, with fast food and movie theatres and neon lights and all the things about city life that I adore. The city itself is cute, surrounded by mountains and apartment buildings.

I REALLY like my job, so far. Working with about 20 other Canadians makes a HUGE difference on my outlook in the country. When I was in Japan, I would go days and days without speaking fluent English at a native speed in person. At my school, I can talk normally during my breaks, and even during some of my classes! My kids, for the most part, are smart, and I’m really looking forward to getting to share my stories with them.

I’m hoping that, in the next few days/weeks, I’ll be able to go into more detail about where I am and what things are like in Korea. Honestly, there is so much to share, I didn’t know where to begin. So hopefully, now that this second adventure has officially started, I’ll be able to get the ball rolling on here.