Settling in Busan

I've finally arrived in Busan! We arrived at the Main Education Office around 4:30pm (Friday). There we met our contact teachers. Contact teachers are your go-to people when ever you have a question or need help with anything. They can speak english and are basically responsible for you while you are settling in. My contact teacher's name is Mr. Lee. Nice guy. After collecting my gear we headed off to my school, Gaepup Elementary near the Susang-gu district of Busan (central west area). There I met the vice-principle who seemed very nice but unfortunately I can't remember her name. It was a little awkward because they were speaking Korean the whole time while I sat there twiddling my thumbs. I didn't really know what to say. The only Korean words I know off hand are AHN YONG HA SE YO which means hello and KAMSAHAMNIDA which means thank you.

After the meeting we drove to my new apartment! My apartment is about a 10 minute walk from my school, 5 minutes to the nearest subway station, and a hop-skip-step away from an E-mart where I can get all of my groceries and appliances etc... Speaking of which, after seeing my apartment for the first time we went to E-mart and picked up basically everything I needed. Dishes, cutlery, cooking pots, pan, dish soap, laundry detergent, clothes rack, mixing bowl, flipper, wooden spoon, shelf, microwave, water boiler, etc.... My studio apartment has a kitchen, gas stove, a washing machine, a small fridge, a brand new TV and a bathroom. My bedroom and kitchen are just one big room. I still need a table and chairs but that is supposed to arrive later today.

My only complaint about the room is that it was pretty dirty when I arrived. I spent most of the night cleaning the floor, walls, cupboards and bathroom. It's pretty clean now but the floor still feels a little gritty.

I'm at an Internet cafe right outside of my place. It costs about 1,000 KRW for an hour. I'm going to spend this weekend settling in and exploring the area. On Monday we have an opening ceremony at my school. Classes start on Tuesday. Wish me luck!!!!

20/08/08 - 6.10am at the Winnipeg Airport

I am bound for South Korea where I will be teaching for a year. At least that is the plan. Whether I survive the duration of my stay, let alone this flight, is yet to be determined. Am I ready for this adventure? That is a good question. I have no idea where I'm going or what to expect in the days ahead. There is so much uncertainty, but that's what makes these types of adventures so exciting. It's what makes them woth doing. The experience alone, whether good or bad, is the reason I am going on this trip. There is no turning back.

The Cattle Drive

Last Wednesday, after a day of travelling from Winnipeg to Chicago then Chicago to Seoul, I had the good fortune to arrive in South Korea. Upon my arrival I made my way through the Incheon International Airport with a fellow EPIK teacher, Brent, who I met while on the plane. My new found friend was actually a blessing in disguise since he had the directions to the meeting place in the Incheon Airport, which I carelessly forgot to bring. When we entered the terminal, we were quickly separated by a wave of people going every which way. My friend melted into the crowd within seconds, but not before I saw him entering the men’s washroom as he forded the river of travellers. I waited outside of the washroom for a few minutes and we were on our way bracing ourselves for another wave of wandering souls. After forging through the masses, we picked up our bags and made our way to the EPIK desk in the main lobby. There we signed some papers and were immediately herded onto a bus like an old fashioned cattle drive. Unbeknownst to us, this method of crowd control would become a regular practice for the EPIK staff. Other notable labelling techniques include the infamous number system and the color coded group categoriser. My group - the BUSAN squad, got orange t-shirts! When amalgamated, all the teachers formed a beautiful rainbow. It is yet to be determined whether the orange squad is going to be made into hotdogs or ground beef. We shall see...