Today was the faculty retreat. To start I was able to sleep in until about 6:00am which was nice. During my morning time I video chatted with Gina (my former roommate), messaged Christina (my former roommate) and started to read the faculty handbook.
The retreat was about 40 minutes away and we were bussed there. It was a lovely facility and while the retreat was different than what I was expecting it was still very nice. The faculty was supposed to read the book "The Jesus Creed". I say supposed to because I somehow missed out on that memo. Lucky for me the retreat was more of a series of lectures so my lack of preparation went unnoticed.
I was able to borrow a screwdriver from another teacher and finish securing my TV to the base. I had a dinner of leftovers while watching the end of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone in English with Korean subtitles. I have a lot of channels and but as expected most of them are in Korean. I am sure that I will eventually figure out the ones that show English programs. So far I have found Oprah and a Queen Latifah movie.
Tonight is dedicated to reading the documents sent my way and starting on my first day handouts. Talk about fun. I might even go crazy and put away clean laundry.
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
Adjumonie, swimming, and sharepoint videos
Today was a long and full day.
My newest habit of waking early naturally is still going strong. This morning I awoke around 5:30 am unable to go back to bed. So, what did I do? Cleaned up my kitchen, straightened my hair, and called all of my former roommates looking for some morning time. Gina was confused enough by the number calling her that she answered out of curiosity and we had a lovely conversation.
With my newly straightened hair and a so-so iced coffee I headed off to breakfast and a morning of meetings. The first segment of meetings were school-wide and were helpful. The second set of meetings was supposed to be with our mentors although mine turned into a department meeting. Lunch was really tasty fried chicken with honey mustard sauce and white rice. Not as healthy as I would like but darn good.
The afternoon was not fun. We watched over 2 hours of video tutorials on using SharePoint (educational technology). Some of the information was helpful, but most of it was common sense to me. Sitting 'engaged' but not active for that long was a real test for me.
After the meetings were over my day improved. I met with my new adjumonie (house keeper) to discuss my needs and expectations. Basically I am looking for help with basic cleaning and laundry. My adjumonie will be helping me for four hours a week and I am really looking forward to it.
I also had the chance to do some swimming which was lovely. The pool is huge compared to my parents pool and the pool at my gym in Baltimore. I love the facilities and I am looking forward to the start of faculty morning lap swim which will start the middle of next week.
After swimming Allison ( the choir teacher) came over for dinner. She helped me to finish off some leftovers and we had a lovely visit. After Allison left my new buddy, Myleah, came over for some chocolate and girl time. While she was there my TV was delivered.
Before I knew it, it was time for bed. Another day passed with no work done on my classes. Crunch time is almost upon me.
My newest habit of waking early naturally is still going strong. This morning I awoke around 5:30 am unable to go back to bed. So, what did I do? Cleaned up my kitchen, straightened my hair, and called all of my former roommates looking for some morning time. Gina was confused enough by the number calling her that she answered out of curiosity and we had a lovely conversation.
With my newly straightened hair and a so-so iced coffee I headed off to breakfast and a morning of meetings. The first segment of meetings were school-wide and were helpful. The second set of meetings was supposed to be with our mentors although mine turned into a department meeting. Lunch was really tasty fried chicken with honey mustard sauce and white rice. Not as healthy as I would like but darn good.
The afternoon was not fun. We watched over 2 hours of video tutorials on using SharePoint (educational technology). Some of the information was helpful, but most of it was common sense to me. Sitting 'engaged' but not active for that long was a real test for me.
After the meetings were over my day improved. I met with my new adjumonie (house keeper) to discuss my needs and expectations. Basically I am looking for help with basic cleaning and laundry. My adjumonie will be helping me for four hours a week and I am really looking forward to it.
I also had the chance to do some swimming which was lovely. The pool is huge compared to my parents pool and the pool at my gym in Baltimore. I love the facilities and I am looking forward to the start of faculty morning lap swim which will start the middle of next week.
After swimming Allison ( the choir teacher) came over for dinner. She helped me to finish off some leftovers and we had a lovely visit. After Allison left my new buddy, Myleah, came over for some chocolate and girl time. While she was there my TV was delivered.
Before I knew it, it was time for bed. Another day passed with no work done on my classes. Crunch time is almost upon me.
Monday, August 9, 2010
Faculty meeting fun
Today was the first day that the whole faculty was gathered together. We started with breakfast. There was fresh fruit and cinnamon rolls. As I had eaten yogurt with homemade granola for breakfast I just had coffee. After breakfast we all gathered in one of the 3 theaters on campus for devotions and school wide messages. The devotion was inspiring and energetic. In addition to a spoken message we sang several songs. I knew two of the songs that were sung and followed along to the others as best as I could. The words to the prayers and the songs were projected on a screen on the stage. After the devotional there was a morning of speaking by the administrators. Mostly good stuff that everyone needed to hear. Before lunch a staff photo was taken. It reminded me of taking club photos in high school.
During the lunch break I came home and took time to book my flight home for Christmas. I was told that I should book a flight early because near the holidays flights out of Seoul can fill up. It took a little longer than I expected, but I am very happy to have my holiday trip booked. I will be in Florida a little over two weeks. I hope that I'll be able to make it up to Baltimore in that time, but I'll have to see who will be around.
After lunch of Bulgogi and rice there was a presentation by the school nurse. The school has a full time nurse and two EMT's on staff. They are available during the school day. We are lucky however to have a huge teaching hospital a few short minutes away on foot. The hospital has an international clinic that is very familiar with the school and takes good care of us. The school also presented us with instructions on what to do if we need medical help after the clinic is closed and they gave us a letter to assure payment that we can present to the hospital should anything go wrong with our credit cards. It is nice to know that in an emergency I will be well taken care of.
The last meeting of the day was our divisional meetings. The high school faculty came together for the first time. The other high school teachers seem great and I am very excited to get to know them. The meeting was loads better than the last two years of faculty meetings. It is nice to have a principal that can fully and efficiently articulate his thoughts.
The newbies had another shopping trip lined up at the end of today. We visited two used furniture stores and a food market that is similar to a farmer's market. In the second furniture store I found a used microwave that was about 50% less than I had been seeing. I quickly purchased it and arranged for delivery. The food market was good and after many hand gestures and a few words I came away with a small selection of fresh fruit.
This evening I dined alone in my almost presentable apartment. I whipped up some sloppy joe's, rice, and corn. It was not a meal I would serve anyone aside from my former roommates and myself. The sloppy joe's turned out very very sloppy, but very tasty. I now have enough left overs for the rest of the week.
I am happy to say that I am feeling more at home each day and my shopping list is getting shorter. The things left on the list are things I would like to have but can survive very easily without.
One week from tomorrow classes start. I have a lot of work to do between now and then so don't be surprised if these posts become shorter and fewer in number.
During the lunch break I came home and took time to book my flight home for Christmas. I was told that I should book a flight early because near the holidays flights out of Seoul can fill up. It took a little longer than I expected, but I am very happy to have my holiday trip booked. I will be in Florida a little over two weeks. I hope that I'll be able to make it up to Baltimore in that time, but I'll have to see who will be around.
After lunch of Bulgogi and rice there was a presentation by the school nurse. The school has a full time nurse and two EMT's on staff. They are available during the school day. We are lucky however to have a huge teaching hospital a few short minutes away on foot. The hospital has an international clinic that is very familiar with the school and takes good care of us. The school also presented us with instructions on what to do if we need medical help after the clinic is closed and they gave us a letter to assure payment that we can present to the hospital should anything go wrong with our credit cards. It is nice to know that in an emergency I will be well taken care of.
The last meeting of the day was our divisional meetings. The high school faculty came together for the first time. The other high school teachers seem great and I am very excited to get to know them. The meeting was loads better than the last two years of faculty meetings. It is nice to have a principal that can fully and efficiently articulate his thoughts.
The newbies had another shopping trip lined up at the end of today. We visited two used furniture stores and a food market that is similar to a farmer's market. In the second furniture store I found a used microwave that was about 50% less than I had been seeing. I quickly purchased it and arranged for delivery. The food market was good and after many hand gestures and a few words I came away with a small selection of fresh fruit.
This evening I dined alone in my almost presentable apartment. I whipped up some sloppy joe's, rice, and corn. It was not a meal I would serve anyone aside from my former roommates and myself. The sloppy joe's turned out very very sloppy, but very tasty. I now have enough left overs for the rest of the week.
I am happy to say that I am feeling more at home each day and my shopping list is getting shorter. The things left on the list are things I would like to have but can survive very easily without.
One week from tomorrow classes start. I have a lot of work to do between now and then so don't be surprised if these posts become shorter and fewer in number.
Sunday, August 8, 2010
Family times, Peter Pan, a market and more
Today was not the restful Sunday that I hoped it would be.
Per my new routine I awoke around 6:30 and got to work on getting things sorted out in my apartment. I put things away in the kitchen and ironed for about 3 hours before heading off to church. Catholic Mass is held on campus in one of the theaters. Unfortunately I didn't get the memo that it would begin next week. Another new family also showed up not knowing there was no Mass. The five of us decided that we should have coffee and a treat so we headed off to Peter Pan.
Peter Pan is a lovely bakery a few blocks from my school. There are dozens of treats to try and a lovely selection of bread. Each one of us selected a pastry and had them cut into little bits so that we could try several of them. Although some were unique, all were good. I also had the opportunity to teach this family some of the Korean that I had picked up during my Korean lessons. Knowing milk in Korean is helpful when getting coffee.
After consuming most of the treats it was decided that we would brave the city to go to a large Korean market. It took 1 bus and 3 subways, but we made it without getting lost. Not knowing what I was getting into I assumed it would be a farmer's market. In reality it was a massive flea market. Upon first look it seemed like a street of booths, most of which weren't open. We decided to go down a flight of stairs to see a few more booths when we realized it was a maze of streets lined with booths. I ended up buying two pairs of socks, a hat, and some food storage containers. On our way back to the school we decided to stop for lunch at Starbucks knowing we would find something we would enjoy. It was a lovely morning and made me realize that I can successfully navigate public transportation here, which is a great feeling.
A few minutes after returning home I once again went down the hill. This time however it was to purchase some electronics. At the base of the hill there is an LG store. I feel that I will benefit from having a microwave, a camera, and a tv. After much internal debate I decided to get the TV so that I can relax and crochet when I want to. We ran into another couple from school that had done a great deal of comparison shopping and with their notes we were able to have them reduce the price of the TV we were all interested in by about W50,000 (roughly $45.00). So, I purchased my first adult TV today. It will be delivered on Tuesday. Now I need to find a DVD player that will read my DVD's.
I puttered around my apartment for the rest of the afternoon and made my first real dinner. I made pasta with "rose sauce" (that I think is very much like a vodka sauce), grilled chicken, and a side salad. I called my apartment buddy (we share a landing so I made her my buddy for when we go out in big groups) and another new science teacher. My buddy wasn't available but Colleen joined me for dinner. We ate, talked, and enjoyed ourselves.
Following dinner all of the new high school teachers had dessert at our principal's house. It was lovely to sit around and chat with the other new teachers over decaf coffee and more goodies. It was a great way to end the week of new teacher orientation. Tomorrow starts the week of orientation for the whole school. I am looking forward to meeting about 150 new people.
Per my new routine I awoke around 6:30 and got to work on getting things sorted out in my apartment. I put things away in the kitchen and ironed for about 3 hours before heading off to church. Catholic Mass is held on campus in one of the theaters. Unfortunately I didn't get the memo that it would begin next week. Another new family also showed up not knowing there was no Mass. The five of us decided that we should have coffee and a treat so we headed off to Peter Pan.
Peter Pan is a lovely bakery a few blocks from my school. There are dozens of treats to try and a lovely selection of bread. Each one of us selected a pastry and had them cut into little bits so that we could try several of them. Although some were unique, all were good. I also had the opportunity to teach this family some of the Korean that I had picked up during my Korean lessons. Knowing milk in Korean is helpful when getting coffee.
After consuming most of the treats it was decided that we would brave the city to go to a large Korean market. It took 1 bus and 3 subways, but we made it without getting lost. Not knowing what I was getting into I assumed it would be a farmer's market. In reality it was a massive flea market. Upon first look it seemed like a street of booths, most of which weren't open. We decided to go down a flight of stairs to see a few more booths when we realized it was a maze of streets lined with booths. I ended up buying two pairs of socks, a hat, and some food storage containers. On our way back to the school we decided to stop for lunch at Starbucks knowing we would find something we would enjoy. It was a lovely morning and made me realize that I can successfully navigate public transportation here, which is a great feeling.
A few minutes after returning home I once again went down the hill. This time however it was to purchase some electronics. At the base of the hill there is an LG store. I feel that I will benefit from having a microwave, a camera, and a tv. After much internal debate I decided to get the TV so that I can relax and crochet when I want to. We ran into another couple from school that had done a great deal of comparison shopping and with their notes we were able to have them reduce the price of the TV we were all interested in by about W50,000 (roughly $45.00). So, I purchased my first adult TV today. It will be delivered on Tuesday. Now I need to find a DVD player that will read my DVD's.
I puttered around my apartment for the rest of the afternoon and made my first real dinner. I made pasta with "rose sauce" (that I think is very much like a vodka sauce), grilled chicken, and a side salad. I called my apartment buddy (we share a landing so I made her my buddy for when we go out in big groups) and another new science teacher. My buddy wasn't available but Colleen joined me for dinner. We ate, talked, and enjoyed ourselves.
Following dinner all of the new high school teachers had dessert at our principal's house. It was lovely to sit around and chat with the other new teachers over decaf coffee and more goodies. It was a great way to end the week of new teacher orientation. Tomorrow starts the week of orientation for the whole school. I am looking forward to meeting about 150 new people.
Miso, the Oregon Trail, and a street fair
The production last night, Miso, was beautiful. Miso is the story of two young Koreans in love and the challenges they faced. Most of the production was dancing to live music. There were a few times when a narrator sang bits of information, but as it was in Korean I haven't the slightest clue what was said. The music and dancing were amazing. It looked like the female dancers were gliding around the stage.
After the production 6 of us decided to grab a drink in Sinchon (I spelled it wrong yesterday). We set out with no particular place in mind and simply picked an alley. For a point of reference someone compared Sinchon to Times Square. It isn't quite as big, but there are lots of flashing lights, busy alleys, people, and vehicles. The first thing that I noticed was that once off the main road in Sinchon there were carnival games EVERYWHERE! As with most carnival games guys were trying to win stuffed animals for various ladies. It was just so weird to see so many game booths down every alley.
We ended up at a bar called the Oregon Trail. It was dark and somewhat dreary. The group of people near us were sharing a yard of beer that was being dispensed by a crazy contraption that had ice contained in the main tube to keep the beer cold. It was quite impressive, although from what I tasted wasted on low quality Korean beer. Once settled we reviewed the menu (an English version with photos) and ordered our drinks. Jack Daniels seems to be the available whiskey of choice here, which is good for me. In addition to the standard drinks of beer and cocktails we also ordered soju, the Korean version of saki. It doesn't taste any better, but I have experienced it. We also ordered some appetizers. We ordered a lovely fruit platter and a potato platter. The fruit platter had pineapple, melon, apple, banana, grapes, tomatoes, an orange, fruit cocktail, and something that was tasty, but that I had never seen before. The potato plate was a combination of all things good. There were tater tots, waffle fries, regular fries, and seasoned fries. These wonderful things were served with ketchup and honey mustard. Needless to say there was nothing left over. Also, we were given bowls of little puffed treats. Apparently these treats are often served for free at bars here in Korea. These treats tasted like fruit loops. We had two rounds of those.
On our way to catch a taxi we passed a photo booth shop. A little shop with 4 photo booths big enough to hold groups larger than 6. We went it and had a blast taking silly pictures. After we finished with the photos (six in all) we had the opportunity to photo shop them. While I didn't participate in that portion there was a great deal of fun to be had adding special effects to the photos (such as stars and crowns). It was only once they printed out that I realized each photo was the size of a stamp and was actually a sticker. Can you imagine the fun stickers like those would be to put on student work?
All in all it was a memorable first Saturday night in Seoul.
After the production 6 of us decided to grab a drink in Sinchon (I spelled it wrong yesterday). We set out with no particular place in mind and simply picked an alley. For a point of reference someone compared Sinchon to Times Square. It isn't quite as big, but there are lots of flashing lights, busy alleys, people, and vehicles. The first thing that I noticed was that once off the main road in Sinchon there were carnival games EVERYWHERE! As with most carnival games guys were trying to win stuffed animals for various ladies. It was just so weird to see so many game booths down every alley.
We ended up at a bar called the Oregon Trail. It was dark and somewhat dreary. The group of people near us were sharing a yard of beer that was being dispensed by a crazy contraption that had ice contained in the main tube to keep the beer cold. It was quite impressive, although from what I tasted wasted on low quality Korean beer. Once settled we reviewed the menu (an English version with photos) and ordered our drinks. Jack Daniels seems to be the available whiskey of choice here, which is good for me. In addition to the standard drinks of beer and cocktails we also ordered soju, the Korean version of saki. It doesn't taste any better, but I have experienced it. We also ordered some appetizers. We ordered a lovely fruit platter and a potato platter. The fruit platter had pineapple, melon, apple, banana, grapes, tomatoes, an orange, fruit cocktail, and something that was tasty, but that I had never seen before. The potato plate was a combination of all things good. There were tater tots, waffle fries, regular fries, and seasoned fries. These wonderful things were served with ketchup and honey mustard. Needless to say there was nothing left over. Also, we were given bowls of little puffed treats. Apparently these treats are often served for free at bars here in Korea. These treats tasted like fruit loops. We had two rounds of those.
On our way to catch a taxi we passed a photo booth shop. A little shop with 4 photo booths big enough to hold groups larger than 6. We went it and had a blast taking silly pictures. After we finished with the photos (six in all) we had the opportunity to photo shop them. While I didn't participate in that portion there was a great deal of fun to be had adding special effects to the photos (such as stars and crowns). It was only once they printed out that I realized each photo was the size of a stamp and was actually a sticker. Can you imagine the fun stickers like those would be to put on student work?
All in all it was a memorable first Saturday night in Seoul.
Saturday, August 7, 2010
The E-Mart and manicures in Shincon
The title pretty much sums up my morning and afternoon. A few of us went to the E-Mart which I will compare to Super Target for lack of anything else. It is a store with 8 floors, each a different department. I walked out with trash cans, a toaster, a slow cooker, some spices, tomatoes, trivets, and more. It was the best shopping experience I have had thus far. Not too many people there as we arrived as the store was opening. It also helps that I have had a lesson on Korean manners and some important phrases.
Upon returning from shopping I literally dropped my stuff in the front door and met up with my friends to get manicures. We walked through Yonsei University into Shincon and sought out a place to get our nails done. The first place we went was booked for hours but was in a mall with many familiar stores (Lush and the Body Shop to name two). The second place was able to help 3 of the 5 of us right away. My new friend Allison and I took to the streets for some lunch. After much walking and debating we ended up at 7-11 as we wanted something to grab and go. Allison had the last ham and cheese sandwich. I had some cheese and "peanut cream" sandwiches. They were little pockets of white bread which I thought would be filled with peanut butter. There were filled with a peanut flavored cream. It looked like I was eating Marshmallow Fluff sandwiches. They were quite good after I got over the sight of the cream.
The lady that did my manicure knew a bit of English, and I know a bit of Korean so we were able to exchange a few words. After all was said and done the manicure was W10,000 which is less than $10.00. I hope that I can find my way back there next week for a repeat.
Allison and I made our way home by ourselves despite a few missed turns. The fact that my school is located above the largest hospital and university in the area is a huge help.
Tonight we will be going for dinner and theatre. I believe we are having dinner at On The Boarder. We will also be taking the subway for the first time. I can't wait to figure out the Subway system. Tomorrow we may be going to Itewan, exciting times.
Upon returning from shopping I literally dropped my stuff in the front door and met up with my friends to get manicures. We walked through Yonsei University into Shincon and sought out a place to get our nails done. The first place we went was booked for hours but was in a mall with many familiar stores (Lush and the Body Shop to name two). The second place was able to help 3 of the 5 of us right away. My new friend Allison and I took to the streets for some lunch. After much walking and debating we ended up at 7-11 as we wanted something to grab and go. Allison had the last ham and cheese sandwich. I had some cheese and "peanut cream" sandwiches. They were little pockets of white bread which I thought would be filled with peanut butter. There were filled with a peanut flavored cream. It looked like I was eating Marshmallow Fluff sandwiches. They were quite good after I got over the sight of the cream.
The lady that did my manicure knew a bit of English, and I know a bit of Korean so we were able to exchange a few words. After all was said and done the manicure was W10,000 which is less than $10.00. I hope that I can find my way back there next week for a repeat.
Allison and I made our way home by ourselves despite a few missed turns. The fact that my school is located above the largest hospital and university in the area is a huge help.
Tonight we will be going for dinner and theatre. I believe we are having dinner at On The Boarder. We will also be taking the subway for the first time. I can't wait to figure out the Subway system. Tomorrow we may be going to Itewan, exciting times.
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