Adventure is my middle name

So since I have been in Cheongju I have seen 2 other foreigners, other than the missionaires who I have seen once each for the sisters and elders.  that is all.  I go out everyday and bus all around and see masses of people and have only seen 2 other foreigners.  I find that quite incredible. No sheets.  They sleep differently.  It seems it is most common that people sleep on super soft balnkets on the heated floor.  there are the occasional beds it seems but they only sell very few 'mattress covers' the equivalent of a fitted sheet, and I paid W35000 for mine, which is 100% cotton. Barely any big towels.  They use towels the size of NZ hand towels.  I had no idea. T said he was warned of this, but in all my research and reading, I had not heard this.  I did eventually find a few larger towels but I must say it has made me wonder why we have so many options, colours, sizes, thicknesses in towels that we clearly don't need. Shower curtai...

So apparently i am either too busy to write or things aren't as interesting now and I haven't really written to anyone for days.  I have been in my apartment for 6 days, have been teaching for a week and attended church again today - I found out it is the Heungdeok Ward.  I ran into the Sister Missionaries on the bus just yesterday.  I noticed a blonde head as I settled in for the ride, and then noticed another blonde head in front of her, so I eased forward to look for Missionary badges and yes! there they were.  It was just a quick conversation as we were nearly at the stop they were looking for. This coming week at school is the beginning of what this school calls Intensives.  The kids are actually off from public school for 3 weeks and to reward their hard work they get to come to our school ALL DAY!!! How sad is that?  there are kids there from 8.30am till 11pm - though none stay that whole time.  We have to be there at 9.30 for a 10.30 start. ...

So it turned out that the apartment wasnt ready until Tuesday and I was so ready!  I had the codes (they don't use keys here, just a pin code to get in the first entry and then another to get into the room).  My room is 202.  I was so excited, I just wanted to jump in a taxi and go without waiting for Ms K.  S had talked to the landlord or super about access to wifi and says there is some but I didn't know how good it would be.   I have an app to tell me the current weather here and this morning it said -12degrees.  yes Celsius.  Yesterday it was -10 when I got up so I dressed in fleecy lined leggings (Men's size I bought the other day for about W4000) under my regular pants.  Socks and fleece lined shoes I bought here (W10000).  My long merino under a long sleeverd purple top I bought in Melbourne, then a massive knitted scarf I bought here (W9900) and the new down jacket (S read the label and said it was 5% down, 10% feather and then s...

I got up in time to catch the bus to church today.  I used google translate to give Mrs K a message - I typed in "Im going to church today.  I will be leaving at 9 and get back after 2"  and I showed her the translation. She motioned that she was also going to church from 10-1, and I wondered if she was also going to an LDS church... I left home at 9, and after 40 mins on the bus got off at the right corner.  As I walked around I noticed a woman wearing a skirt and wondered if she was going to church, but she crossed the road to a shop so I guessed not.  I found the chapel and found 2 sets of Elders in the foyer.  They reassured me that lots of members speak english and many have attended BYU and served missions and immediately introduced me to several sisters.  They were incredibly welcoming and friendly and invited me to stay after church for some "korean rice" with the bishopric and families. While I was being introduced to them the sister i...

I found an outlet type mall yesterday- Eversave.  Jackets are still well over $100 with several in the 300 400 500s. It makes me think I'm reading the prices wrong, but no.  And btw there are barely any clothes other than coats and jackets anywhere.  it is so wierd. But then I found the chucks and sketchers.  Got me a pair of go walk 1s for 41000W, that's $48NZ - great price and something I had been wanting to bought them just to feel like I was making progress really!.  And they gave me these cute striped socks that match the runners I bought for the trip perfectly... See them on my feet? There were lots at around W50 000 as well so I'm thinking that's the normal price. I also got some gloves, socks and a pair of fleece lined leggings for under things. I got the men's size since I am fairly sure the women's won't fit me.  For any who don't know, I am about a 14-16 in NZ sizes, and I think I will be lucky to find XLs that will fit me here.  And a...

Yay only 4 more days until my apartment is ready and yesterday Mrs K showed me how to catch the bus to school and she has gotten my food portions right at least.  At lunch I told her as politely as I could that I didn't like the soup with seaweed and little shellfish (too small to be mussels) that tastes like wet cat, and she didn't give it to me again.  So dinner was eaten up completely.  I think they got the bread and jam just for me and she gives me some every meal.  Hilarious really since I don't eat either.  I'm watching the scales and havent gained anything from all those carbs so far, which is a relief. Looking forward to figuring out some exercise I can do in the apartment since it's so damn freezing outside.  There is always the stairs of the apartment building to try. And I'm going to assert my independence today and go out for a few hours before catching a bus to school at 3.  I think they are doing something I read about and assuming it wi...

I asserted my independence today since I can catch a bus now, caught a bus on my own, almost got off at the right stop, asked 3 complete strangers for directions (by showing them my paper with the address of the school written in Korean), actually found the school, taught another class (yes I have already taught one!! if you can call it teaching when you are thrown in with no warning or preparation), a 7yr old this time, had McDonalds and caught the bus home at like 10pm at night!!  I felt perfectly safe - there were 10 other people waiting at the station with me and the bus was so full I had to stand half the way home! at 10 at night!  I loved it, it was like being on the boat to the barrier again and did I mention I LOVED that?  I also managed to get fed a second dinner by Mrs K when I got home even though I said as soon as I got home. " I've already eaten dinner so don't worry about me" to which she nodded and went away to finish preparing my dinner.... And I got ...

So Mrs K took me in a taxi to the school today.  Mr K leaves earlier and teaches some students before the school opens at 3.30.  They don't have a car.  And then S drove me home.  I will try to insist on getting a taxi myself tomorrow.  I would like to just walk even in the snow, but I can't figure out the way yet. I sat in and observed a couple of classes but they are letting me ease in very gently... only observing a few classes a day.  Teaching the younger ones will be a breeze but I'm a little nervousness about the older ones, just because of the content required, not the kids themselves.  Their english is way more advanced than I imagined. I began to make friends with S and she thinks her English is terrible but it isn't at all.  I'm excited to have connected with her.  She offered for me to call her and to go out for a walk, not sure if she meant exercise or hang out shopping etc, and she is the one I have to see about getting my wif...

So.... Just wanted to let you all know that I'm going to be a little tricky to get hold of for a week.  I'm staying with Mr and Mrs. K at their apartment on the 15th floor until my apartment is ready on 22nd dec.  and I don't know how hard it will be to get internet there until I am there!  they don't have internet at Mr K's home (I still can't believe it) but there is wifi at school, however I don't exactly have free time at school yet so no time to make contact.  I hope when things settle down I will have some free periods but at the moment I am just observing whatever classes are on. So I'm really hoping my apartment won't be any longer than 22nd, because as much as I appreciate the hospitality and am interested in the opportunity to see korean life and taste korean food, you all know how I feel about being social, even with people I know, and who speak my language!!  Now I don't know them and Mrs K speaks very little English if any, so you c...

It's just after midnight here, yes about 4 am NZ time.  I'm in a warm lovely hotel room in Cheongju and I can't get to sleep. So just thought I would write a quick message.  Yes my power adapter is working to charge the iPad, and there is free easy wifi so i can keep in contact!  Hope I can sleep now and that my many hours sleep all along the way don't stop me from sleeping now! I managed to sleep!  and now it is tomorrow!  Sunday. Don't know why I'm in a hotel instead of apartment. Or how long it will be.  But the heated floor and spa bath will satisfy me in the meantime. I've spent the morning and afternoon wandering around what appears to be 'downtown'.  I think I will only be 15m or so from here.  Finding the bus and buying the ticket at Incheon International Airport was a breeze.  I Found "Information" (right next to dunkin donuts ha!) and the woman there spoke perfect English and called Mr K for me when the roaming on my ...

Saturday 13 December 2014. 2.30am. I wake an hour before my alarm. But am clearly not going back to sleep so I have a shower, zip up my bags, strip my bed, blow dry my hair, and pack the car before waking caylah. Mum and dad also got up to say goodbye. 3.35am we head up Auckland 10m earlier than planned. Shortly after 5am. Stress when they weigh my bags individually and even my carry on and say I have to move weight around. Sadly my brain is not working and I just can't figure out what I need to do or remember any weights of bags immediately after taking them off the scales. Caylah saves me! And I take my camera bag out and carry it, leaving almost exactly 23 kg in each of my 2 bags and 7 in my carry on. Despite my second flight requiring 20kg for each checked in and 10 for the carry on. They strongly suggest you need to conform to the lowest common denominator but truth is, if you are checked on to both airlines and won't need to pick up your bags half way then it doesn...

So I thought I should document the long journey leading up to December 13 2014 when I winged my way to Cheongju. I decided in about April that I was going to pursue this idea to teach english in Korea.  I found the ad in Seek when looking for options for Caylah (who quite quickly decided it wasn't for her!).  The ad put me in touch with G at NZIE.  They do a 3 week TESL course that meets the Korean Government's requirements, and as part of the course they assist you to get all your paperwork sorted, then they arrange interviews and support you through the whole process.  or at least that is the plan. They run this course monthly and I decided to do the June version, as we were heading to the States for 3 weeks in July.  I anticipated, as lead to believe by G, that things would happen swiftly after that and I would likely be gone in August.  The course was... aaah needed, and valuable in preparing me for the whole process but very light on the teaching s...

Hello friends and family.  Yep this is the blog I promised to keep you all up to date with my crazy adventure.  I want to show you enough so you know what's up with me and I also wonder if I might be of help to others who are interested in coming to Korea too. I read a lot of blogs in preparation, and there's heaps out there, but I didn't find a lot of the information I hoped to find so maybe this will help. I know there are at least two I know of who are definitely interested in the teaching English in Korea adventure (Violet and Maraea) and a small minority of people who claimed jealousy rather than fear when they found out about my decision.   So right now I am watching streaming TV in a hotel in Cheongju.  I arrived late last night and was brought here from the bus station by the Director of my new school, Mr K (hmmm do I use peoples names in the blog or are there privacy issues, potential problems etc? I think initials will do for now).  He said he ...