Wow, I really suck at blogging. I'll try again, here we go...
Last time I ended by mentioning the two German girls that were visiting, Chrissi and Enna. It seems like forever ago already that we went hiking, but it was a great trip to Seoraksan National Park where we did some hiking and exploring of the small sea city called Sokcho. I spent a fair amount of time remembering my time in Germany, and realizing the impacts of my time there. For many people who have done study abroads/exchanges the friendships created aren't usually kept, and to be honest it started to seem that way for me as well. Thankfully, Enna and Chrissi visited during the Chuseok holiday break from school, so we had 9 days to travel together and catch up with each other. Even though 4-5 years have passed since we had seen each other it really didn't seem like it. Perhaps thats why I describe them as sisters more so than friends from Germany. In any event I'm so grateful that they came to visit, and I can't wait to return to Germany to see them and their families!
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| View from our picnic location. |
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| Chrissi and Enna atop a mountain. The city of Chuncheon below. |
I'm also starting to get the hang of life in Korea. The initial stage of chaos and blind-happiness has worn off, and life is beginning to follow some sort of routine. Its hard to describe how life is here due to the language barrier and differences in culture, and sometimes its so aggravating that you only wish for a day of normal interactions. Simple things such as setting up a bank account or cell phone account are a hassle, and I feel like a small child being led around by my korean caretaker as they fix everything for me. But, there really is no other way, unless I want to spend 4X the amount of time to get the accounts set up. Also, this would be a proper time to point out how helpful Koreans are. Getting my ARC (alien registration card), cell phone, and bank account open has been a bit difficult. Actually, no, really its been an absolute bitch, and a burden on 2-3 teachers other than myself, along with the businesses that I am going to. However, they have demonstrated unbelievable patience and truly care that it all gets taken care of in as timely of a fashion as possible. They have made my life much smoother than it should have been, and I am much indebted to them for all of their hard work. All I can offer in return is a poorly pronounced 'Gamsa homnida" (thank you) and as big of a smile as I can muster up in crappy situations we found ourselves in. Thankfully everything is set up, and no one was hurt. =)
I've also met a ton of great people while in Korea, and I'm excited to meet more people. It was the one thing that made me nervous about coming to Korea, and it turned out to be one of the best parts so far. Everyone has been a lot of fun, and we seem to all get along really well. Unless I'm the guy that no one likes and everyone knows but this guy. I don't think thats the case, but if it is, SHIT!
Last thing for today... I chaperoned a 5th grade field trip to a science museum a week ago and had a good time. The kids LOVE kpop (korean pop music) and they watched kpop music videos for two hours and didn't make a noise (won't forget that). Not much to talk about, but I thought I'd show a few pictures of my students.
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| They followed me all day trying to teach me bad things to say in Korean. |
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| watching kpop videos. there were 65 heads in the isle before I tried to take the pic. |
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| Daniel, one of my funniest students. "Keith, give me a chance!!!" when I don't call on him in class. |
