Bus to Busan

I officially departed Jeonju University for Busan on Monday morning, bright and early. The bus ride was about 4 hours, most of which I just stared out the window or read. I had so many questions regarding how the day would turn out. Would we go to our school today? What does my apartment look like? What floor will I be living on? Most importantly...is this my real life now?!?

First stop on the roadtrip of destiny was at the BMCOE, Busan Metropolitan City Office of Education. We met our co-teachers, more like advisers in this case, and they took us to our apartment building. There are 6 of us living in the same building just on different floors. My apartment is a spacious studio with an enclosed shower (lots of apartment come with just a shower head attached above the toilet) and a large wall of windows. Furthermore, I am on the 16th floor and can see the amazing skyline, especially at night. The only downside is that my apartment does not have Wifi at the moment, so definitely expect some sporadic blog posts for the next month!

The first night was me unpacking all of my basics and trying to decorate to have some semblance of a home feeling. I had packed sheets from home so I made my bed and put up pictures of friends and family. Having absolutely no desire to cook, I grabbed a quick dinner at Lotteria, the Korean version of McDonald's, and hit the sack.

Haeundae English Education Center

Collaboration space

Indoor play area

Tuesday started bright and early at 7am. I was officially meeting all of my administration at the school. I just have to say, I am quite the natural at riding the subway now. I was a little hesitant to navigate the transportation system here (even though there are 6 of us commuting together), but it was an absolute breeze to figure out. The ride itself is about 20 minutes followed by a 10 minute walk to the English Center. When we met the administration, they were so kind and excited to have us working for them.

The rest of the morning was spent learning our roles as teachers and the layout of the building. The center is absolutely spectacular and has so many areas for classes, such as an art room and a theatre stage, and plenty of space for student collaboration. There were little tents they could study in and a whole indoor play area. I found out I will be instructing a mix of elementary and middle school students throughout the day (can't wait for that middle school attitude), leading an online book club, teaching adults once a week, and teaching board games on Saturdays. he load work seems intense, but I have lots of prep time throughout the week. Now if you all are reading this and wondering when I finally have a day off, my schedule is Tuesday-Saturday with Sundays and Mondays off.

After lunch, we all headed out to the immigration office to apply for a Foreign Resident Card. This will recognize me as a resident of Kora, for the time being at least. We headed back to the office after the appointment and sat around planning right until 6pm hit. The rush hour traffic is no joke here, and it was standing room only on the subway. Thank goodness I'm not placed in Seoul; it would be even worse! Luckily, the subway station is a 1 minute walk from my apartment building, and I was quickly able to get home and unpack a little more. I also started compiling a list of K-dramas I want to watch when I finally have Wifi, thanks to some friends I had over.

Bedroom

Kitchen

Living room

Bathroom

My view

Wednesday was another day of looking through previous lesson plans and trying to gain some semblance of normality in the work place. I start teaching on Friday (eek!), so I quickly designed a powerpoint introducing myself to the class. We then had to leave early (again) to get blood drawn (again) for another TB test. Don't worry guys, I am still just as healthy as I was last week. I then went out with two of my co-workers for dinner

and ate some fried chicken and tried Soju for the first time. While I may have had some fun times in college in relation to to some adult drinks, I have to admit Soju is not for the feint of heart. I took tiny, tiny sips and still gagged. I think I'll stick with fruity, sugary drinks for now.