Here is a list of the things that have taken up most of my time since leaving, in order from the thing that has taken up most of my time to the thing I have done least:
Being uproariously drunk with friends, both old and new
Trying and failing to understand any form of Korean
Smiling and nodding apprehensively while wondering if this is an appropriate response to the Korean I just failed to understand.
Bowing to anyone who might be older, wiser, more accomplished, more respected or just cooler than me. So just about everyone.
Trying to decide what the strange new food on my plate is while desperately attempting to grab said food with my chopsticks and simultaneously peering out the corner of my eyes at the native Koreans around the table to see if I'm doing it the right way, which as far as I can tell I am almost certainly not.
Sleeping.
These activities have constituted approximately 99.7% of my total time allotment in Korea, which began on the dubious note of an all-nighter followed by a 38-hour day most of which was spent in some sort of excruciatingly uncomfortable airplane or abord the subsequent 3-hour bus ride, after which we all had to wake up at 8 am to go pee in a cup and have blood taken out of our bodies. It was a less than desirable way to start the journey, but adrenaline mixed with the knowledge that things couldn't possibly get any worse from here helped keep me going.
I knew I was tempting fate with such thoughts, but fortunately for me fate turned a blind eye to my arrogant thoughts and things did not get worse. In fact, they got considerably better. Considering the above description was almost certainly an exaggeration, that means things have been pretty damn good. My first week was spent at the orientation for EPIK (English Program in Korea, my program). Although they kept us on a military-like regimen of 13-hour days, we all still managed to squeeze in a good deal of socialization as well, mostly by going to the local bars and experimenting (with mixed results) with soju – cheap Korean liquor made from sweet potatoes. I made many friends, most of my time being spent with T.J. and Amanda, who are pictured below:
A particular highlight was our visit to Hanok Village, where we all went as part of our “field trip” day. T.J. and I tried out the Korean version of teeter-totter, where you basically jump straight up as high as you can and try to catapult your partner into the air using the leverage of the teeter-totter board. It requires precise timing and we failed a couple times, but we experienced some nice jumps too:
I have to give props to Amanda for the pictures above, both of which are hers. I lost my camera sometime during orientation and only got a replacement in the last couple days, otherwise I would have a lot more to show you from orientation, which was a blast.
But all good things must come to an end, and finally we all said our goodbyes and headed off to our destination cities. Mine was Jeomchon, and from the moment I stepped off the bus I knew I had landed something special. I knew because I was greeted by this man:
His name is Shin Soon-Sig, but his unwieldy-but-appropriate nickname is “Best co-teacher in the history of mankind.” No sooner did I get off the bus than Mr. Shin was grasping my hand, greeting me with warm words, embracing me and saying how glad he was that I was here and how proud he would be to have me at his school. Immediately afterward he rushed over to the truck with all our baggage and proceeded to unload it almost unaided. Mind you, there were about 150 people's bags on this truck, most of which were very heavy. After standing around awkwardly for a minute or so I threw my bags on the ground and went up to help him. Later he would tell me he knew I had a big heart because instead of just watching I went up and helped him, just like my predecessor, Joshua, had two years before.
Oh, I didn't mention Joshua? You can see him in the picture above, but here is another for good measure:
Joshua has been the other half of what has made my introduction to little Jeomchon so special. When I first met him he raced up to me, crouched low like some kind of tiger-airplane combo bursting with hospitality. Just like Mr. Shin he wasted no time with formalities, just embraced me with a huge smile and welcomed me into town.
It is rare enough to be preceded by such a caring, vigorous individual who shows so much passion for teaching his students here in Korea. It is surprisingly easy to do this job with a relatively small amount of effort and it pays comparatively well, especially given the current global economic situation, so a lot of people don't put much extra effort into their classes. The vast majority of these people are dynamic, adventurous individuals who just don't want to spend all their time lesson planning, which I can totally understand. But Josh and Mr. Shin's motto is, “Live with passion,” which both exemplify on a daily basis.
It is an infectious lifestyle. For example, Josh tirelessly campaigned for EPIK to allow him to stay an additional month in Jeomchon just so he could train me to take his place. I have never heard of any other Korean English teacher doing that. On top of this help at work, Josh spent many hours the first couple days taking me to meet all the other English-speaking residents of Jeomchon, which has allowed me to settle in exponentially quicker than I would have done on my own.
I have been so lucky to end up with a co-teacher like Mr. Shin and a predecessor like Josh, not only because of their help but because they are great people and priceless friends. I can say with all my heart that one of my greatest wishes is to meet and exceed their hopes as one of the West's few (but ever-increasing) ambassadors to Jeomchon.
The reason for that ambassadorship, of course, is teaching. Soon after my arrival, Mr. Shin took me to my school, Munchong high school or, in Korean, “Munchong godeung hakyo.” Here are some pictures of my workplace:
My desk area complete with my Korean language study materials
My classroom
View from the front of my school. A mountainside view of the entire city and a brand new soccer field – the only non-dirt soccer field in all Jeomchon. Could I be more lucky?!
Last weekend Valerie, an American teacher here in Jeomchon, hosted a get-together for the local foreigners. Like most Korean apartments, room was scarce, but we made do by scrunching side-by-side along all four walls of Valerie's living room around an impressive spread of food.
What started as an innocent but inexplicably-named “brunch” (it started at 2 pm) ended up as a 10-hour soju (including some of the famed Andong variety), makguli, tequila, wine and beer fest. Bluegrass music, trance-like dancing and a dramatic toast to unrequited love were all part of this spontaneous celebration of all things Konglish. A turning point in all our lives was when Carolien discovered that the sound of swishing vodka is among the most transcendental things a person can experience. We were all mesmerized by it.
After we slept off our hangovers on Sunday, we went to Mungyeong Saejae. What's that, you ask? Why, only a historic mountain pass that was used as an escape route from Busan to Seoul many of the approximately 4,887,182,874 times Japan invaded Korea. It's a beautiful climb and there are three very old and very majestic gates, but we stopped at the second and had some food and more makguli.
Candace and I spontaneously decided to dance a sexy dance, which we pulled off with aplomb.
A bombastic middle-aged Korean was delighted we had stopped by and proceeded to launch his entire arsenal of English vocabulary at our table in the guttural drunken roar only middle-aged East Asian men can execute. His belligerence would have been intolerable if it had not been accompanied by a jovial spirit and an ample portion of natural charisma. And more makguli, which he poured in our bowls with great magnanimity.
Over all it's been an excellent first couple weeks. I have had many more adventures, some of which will perhaps make it into this blog at a later date. As for now, though, the stories above will have to serve as your snapshot into my life here in Jeomchon, where the next adventure is just over the next mountain, in the next bar or even on the other side of the doors to the nearest Kosa Mart. I hope you have enjoyed. Further updates will be forthcoming soon.
Elucidating descriptions my friend; I feel like I'm right there with you. Good luck teaching the students and stay away from the number 18!
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