Some Happenings in Seoul!

Palace Grounds

It’s been a while since I’ve written an update about the comings and goings of Korean life! I’m sorry!! I’m finally snuggled up in my warm apartment, drinking a hot cup of Rooibos tea and ready to share a little of what’s gone in the last few months!

One of my big excitements was finally getting Internet hooked up in my place last week Friday. Hopefully this will help me keep in better contact with everyone back home.  I’ve made frequent trips to local coffee shops and PC Bongs (computer houses that provide Internet for 1,000 won an hour) but it's not the same as being able to access internet at home.

Palace Guard 

The city is slowly becoming more familiar and I’m realizing more and more that there is SO much to do here. Some of my favorite moments have been the simple ones like going for long walks in Olympic park, shopping at local markets or having long coffees. I've spent most of my exploring time in the downtown core, which is about a 45 min subway ride away from where I live. There are so many different sections to explore, each with a slightly different focus - shopping districts, university areas, the foreigners hangout or areas dedicated to traditional Korean things. 

I have found a solid church to be a part of. It’s so wonderful to slowly start making new friends and meet people from all over the world and with so many stories to share. It’s a smaller church with a good mix of ‘white’ people and Koreans. The English service meets Sunday afternoons and is a whole day affair with the main service, Sunday school and a second service dedicated to praise and testimonies. The day ends with small group prayer time. With so many of us being English teachers that have crazy schedules and live far away, it's nice to be able to spend some concentrated time together one day a week. 

The Korean Alphabet

Traditional tea 

Every Monday and Wednesday morning my cousin Joanna and I get up early and brave the busy rush hour subway traffic (we are slowly learning that sometimes the only way off or on the subway is to push and shove – and Koreans don’t take offensive – it’s just normal!) to attend Korean classes.  We have learnt the entire alphabet now so can read all the signs around us and have started learning some basic greetings and phrases.  Its has been another neat place to meet people from all over the world like Sweden, Pakistan, Australia, Ireland, etc. Hopefully we will soon be able to say enough to feel comfortable ordering food and asking basic questions.

Kimchi pots!!

School life has started to become a nice routine and I’m starting to feel like I know my students a little more than just their names. We just finished up preparing for the pop song competition. Every class learned an English pop song and I'm happy to report that one of my classes successfully won a pizza party out of the competition, so we are all looking forward to enjoying it on Monday. Today we are celebrating Halloween with lots of candy and a special 'market' where students can trade their hard earned stamps, that they received for doing homework and good behaviour, in for small toys or stationary items. The end of the first term is slowly coming which means all the teachers are busy writing student comments and the students are getting ready to write their tests which will determine if they are able to 'level-up' to a higher class or not. When I'm not teaching or preparing for class I have been preparing 'book-club' lesson plans for next semester. It's been fun to read through lots of children's books and has brought back so many memories of reading as a kid. 

It's hard to believe that I've already been here for over two months. So much of it still seems so new and strange yet at the same time I feel like I've learnt so much already! 10 months to go!!

A view from Seoul from the mountain we climbed.