University Redux

When I landed in Incheon, South Korea, the weather app on my phone blared with a bright red warning: CAUTION- the temperature and humidity have reached dangerous levels. Be sure to avoid direct sunshine and outdoor exertion.

I was reminded of this warning as I lugged my three massive suitcases through the crowded streets of central Gangnam, one of the most populous parts of an already crowded city.

Needless to say, my first few hours in my new home were not the most enjoyable.

Korean summers are notorious for being scorching hot. Located along a river and amongst towering mountain, for three to four months of the year Seoul is literally an oven. And this summer is no exception.

Stepping outside the first morning of training felt like walking into a sauna. The added heavy rain did nothing to dispel the moisture that seemed to permeate everything you touched. It was so steamy, after exiting the (thankfully) air-conditioned bus that took my whole training class to our medical exam, my glasses completely fogged up. I had to walk into the world of Korean medical science quite literally blind.

Like the rest of the upcoming week, our medical exam for our teaching visas was both efficient and rushed. Somehow, the staff at the KMI office were able to get all 45 of us future teachers through nine (9!) medical tests in one (1!) hour. This included x-rays, EKGs, blood draws, and a visit to the dentist. It was confusing and exhilarating, being shuffled from purple suited nurse to purple suited nurse.

After being released from the medical office, we were taken to the training location for my company, Chungdahm Learning. Chungdahm has a week long general training for all incoming teachers. We learn how to use the amazing smart tech platform, which includes personal tablets for the teachers and paperless textbooks for the kiddos, as well as the curriculum we will be teacher for the following term.

This is getting a bit repetitive, but to say that this last week has been overwhelming would be the under-statement of the century. Learning a whole education platform, new technology, plus a new curriculum made me feel like I was back to my first week of school at Harvard. It felt like I had been thrown into a world that I was not prepared to deal with, no matter the training or experience I had gathered previously.

And just like at Harvard, I was luckily not alone in this struggle. I got placed with the most wonderful roommate, Aly, and had the best training group. Together, our fivesome fought through tech problems, vocabulary conundrums, and figuring out Seoul’s sprawling public transit system.

A final exciting development- I moved into my new apartment! It is located in the district surrounding Konkuk University, a lively student district packed with cute cafes and funky bars. While moving in was a bit of a hassle (try communicating with a slightly picky landlady while not speaking the same language, and you’ll understand my struggle), the apartment itself is perfect.

My new place is on the third floor of what Koreans call a “villa”, which is essentially an older apartment building. It’s a divisional, which means there’s a sliding glass door separating my kitchen and living space. The kitchen has bright blue tiles and the wallpaper in my living space literally glitters. It is PERFECT.

Now that I am all moved and getting settled, it is finally time to start doing some actual teaching. This Monday, I start teaching my first 8(!) classes. Most of my kiddos will be late elementary, early middle school. I am so looking forward to getting to know them!

I also hope to start doing some real exploring. Seoul has so many fascinating bits and pieces of history hidden amongst the techno-modern world it presents. I can’t wait to start hiking the mountains scattered throughout the city, and finding as many museums as I possibly can.

In conclusion: SO much has happened since I landed in Seoul, it has been hard to keep up. But now, with an apartment and a work schedule, hopefully I will figure out what “regular” life will look like from now on!

OH, also, here are a whole bunch of random assorted photos from the past few weeks! Enjoy!