Orientation: Day one

Korean time: Tuesday, August 25th, 6:32 A.M.

Well, so far, orientation has been...interesting! I found out that I will be teaching Elementary school, which really excites me. I love kids, and I think that I'm going to have so much fun! We are quarantined on this campus, but that's okay with me. It feels like a good transition before I'm released into the crazy streets.

I awoke yesterday at 5 A.M. due to the sun in my face and the fact that I was still on Texas time. I couldn't force myself to go back to sleep, so I went downstairs to smoke, where I found several other people in the same boat.

Breakfast was traditional Korean style, kimchi and fish-ball soup. Afterwards, a group of us went to walk around and explore campus. I would like to say that this area is scenically beautiful, but unfortunately it isn't. See for yourself:



The first thing that stood out to me was the pollution. The campus did, however, hold a few treasures. Wall murals, botanical gardens, and caged animals. Yes, there were caged chipmunks and ducks.

By the way, Asian ducks are somehow way cooler than American ducks, in case you wondered.

Lunch was more kimchi and some type of weird Spam omelet.



After lunch, we had our first round of actual orientation. The ceremony opened with a group of women in traditional dress playing these odd 24-stringed harps. They opened with what they knew the white people would like: Canon in D and Let It Be, among other things. The next three grueling hours came in the form of lectures... keep in mind that for my body, it was like trying to listen to 4 hours of class from 11 P.M. until 3 A.M. You should try it sometime. They chewed the fat on serious issues such as Korean history, SMOE history, and how to get a cell phone.

After that, dinner, and a few optional classes (Korean Culture, Survival Korean I)... I really tried to make it, but was falling asleep and decided to leave.

Today, I have my medical check in the morning, so I can't eat, drink anything (including water), or smoke until it's done. I am going to be so much fun to deal with until then!

The people here are OBSESSED with stopping the spread of H1N1 (Swine Flu). As I mentioned, we are being quarantined, though I'm not sure if it has much to do with health. However, we're required to take our temperatures every day and submit some paperwork to the office.

Otherwise, things are really nice. The people are friendly and they are really taking care of us. I am already sick of kimchi, which I need to get over ASAP, since it is a staple of the cuisine... I WILL LOVE IT.

Today, real teacher training actually begins. I am curious to see who is going to take it seriously, and who is going to buckle when they realize we aren't here to party. Also, let's pray that nobody gets sent home with the HIV.

I'm here!

Korean time: 10:18 P.M., Sunday, August 23rd

Hey everyone! I made it to Seoul! I'm super tired right now, since I haven't slept in nearly 35 hours... but everything is great! Here's a summary of my last 2 days...sorry for the sleepy-rantness, but you know...

I got a call from American Airlines at 7 p.m. Friday telling me that my flight to LA had been cancelled! I was completely stressed about it, but we were able to work it out to where my mom would drive me to OKC and I'd fly out from there instead... so... we woke up at 2 A.M. Saturday morning and made the drive.

My layover at DFW was extremely short (30 mins between landing time and boarding time) but I figured I'd be alright. So, I'm chillaxin' on the plane, ready to take off from OKC, and I realize that people are unloading luggage from the plane. I'm like whutttt and these people behind me were like whuttttt that's our luggage! And the flight attendants were being all rude about it, like "I don't know where your freakin' luggage is and quite frankly I don't care"... anyway... so the flight was delayed TWENTY MINUTES! And, I didn't even know if I had my luggage!

So I showed up at DFW at 8:20, and the flight was boarding at 8:30. I ran so fast but still had to take the SkyLink, which was taking its sweet time. I made it to the gate JUST as they were doing the "all passengers now boarding" call.

Then, my flight from DFW was delayed for a few minutes, but I made it in time. I had to go re-claim my baggage (which did show up...yay!!!) and then re-check into Korean Airlines. I made it in plenty of time, though.

The flight from LA to Seoul was loooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooong. Yes, I would like to illustrate how long it was by the use of that adjective. Loooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooong. 14 hours. Thankfully, though, Korean Airlines is badass and provided free wine and some glorious meals. The first one was a type of bibambap with seaweed soup and some fresh fruit. Then we had this odd sweet bun with meat and cheese for a snack... Did I mention there was free wine? And lots of movies to keep us entertained?

To make things even cooler, I was seated next to another girl who is working for SMOE (Kristin) and another English teacher (Amanda), so we talked pretty much the entire time.

When we got to the airport, it really finally started to set in that I was on another continent. Everything was so homogeneous and pure. They had a lot of American things at the airport, like a Dunkin Donuts.

We rode an un-air-conditioned bus 1.5 hours to get to the University where we are training, and checked in. I am rooming with Kristin (yay!) we are staying in dorm rooms... they are small and cute. And the elevators are very futuristic.

I wish I could be more descriptive but things are still setting in. I will have pictures once I can use my own computer. Stay tuned!!!

The day before.

It's now Friday, August 21st, as I'm sure you can see in the date stamp. But I just want to point out the date because it's an important one - the day before I leave. How am I feeling about that?

"OMGOMGOMGjaksdljfasdfewyru..........EEEE....whoa." That SORT of sums it up.

I've had the luxury of not being nervous about it until last night, thanks to on onslaught of anxiety dreams. For example:

I receive a letter in the mail from my recruiters based in Seoul. The letter reads: "Dear Stacy, we are writing to inform you that we do not think you are a very nice person. You recently ruined your recruiter's vacation by constantly badgering her with your silly questions. Also, our records indicate that you highly enjoy Drew Barrymore movies. This is an offense we do not take lightly; therefore, we are adding one point to your criminal record. Should you do anything to jeopardize your job in the future, you may be eligible for termination."

I think it's a perfectly logical fear to have - Asian employers seem to drop potential employees for silly and unfair reasons, but I am hoping my fondness for 50 First Dates doesn't poorly influence my teaching ability or value as a human being.

In all seriousness, I have been reading in various forums that the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education (my employer) has been making last-minute job cuts for its English teachers. Like, LAST minute. Orientation begins Monday and some people are just hearing about this today. Please, hope and pray that I still have a job when I get to Seoul! I believe I will have other job opportunities if SMOE becomes unavailable, but it will be a real pain to have to go through the application process again. So, for now, I'm just going to go in there pretending I know nothing of these cuts.

To sum things up... it looks like even in other countries, there is no such thing as job security!

I leave tomorrow morning from Tulsa, OK at 6 a.m. I have a layover at DFW, then I arrive at LAX around 9... and depart for Seoul at around 12:30, arriving at 4:55 P.M. Korean time on Sunday (which, in case you are wondering, is 2:55 A.M. Central time... nearly 24 hours straight of travel, bring itttt).

At the moment I'm about to finish packing, and then I have about a bajillion errands to run today... I need to buy rain boots. Apparently monsoon season in Seoul is somewhat moist.

I will try to update once more before I leave the country... love you all and I will miss you SOOO MUCH!