An EPIK beginning

After a long traveling experience, I have finally arrived in Daejeon, South Korea for a week long orientation. The final days in the U.S consisted of last minute goodbyes, frantic trips to the store for last minute supplies, phone calls and of course, packing. It took the better part of three days to pack up the stuff I wanted to take, realize that it would never fit in my decided upon luggage (two large hard shell suitcases, a backpacking pack and a small messenger bag) and then weed out the necessities from the "But I MIGHT need this!" There was a brief moment where I tried to convince myself that both of my red heels needed to come with me (despite the fact that I have only worn one of them once in the past year). The verdict? Neither made the final cut.

Finally the bags weighed in at 50.4 lbs each and I was off to the airport early on the morning of February 19th. I was sweating by the time I made it to the gate as I wore my heaviest clothing items on the plane, and the walk to the gate was not a short one. The plane rides were decent enough, however 12 hours is really quite a long time to be on a single airplane. This one was a giant one that had two levels. Unfortunately, passengers had to pay upwards of $1,000 extra to be able to enter the upper deck, so I didn't get to check it out. Instead I was on the aisle of a cramped economy row with a mother and son. They were pleasant enough and that coupled with the many other EPIK teachers on the flight to get up and chat with and the in-flight movies, the time passed quickly enough. Unfortunately I didn't sleep much so I landed in Seoul with about a few scattered minutes totaling 3 hours of sleep over the 20 hour period. Once we made our way through customs, we made our first purchase in Korea: Jamba Juice. Yes, unfortunately, I fulfilled the American stereotype of finding American food upon arrival in a new place. Despite the fact that we had hardly left the country, we clung desperately to our frozen cups of home and headed towards the EPIK desk.

Now, if you have not read my first blog post, EPIK= English Program in Korea. It is the official government program of the Ministry of Education that hires native English speakers to teach in public schools around the country. I now know that it was started in 1995 and now there are over 9,000 native English speakers in South Korea in public schools, thanks to this program. So really, a solid place to get started if you are looking to teaching English in Korea for the first time.

The opening ceremony complete with detailed slideshow of events

If I could describe EPIK in one word, I know what it would be: Organized. This is different from efficient, but we'll get to that later on.

Once we checked in at the desk with our visas we got a number and waited for another hour or so to get a spot on the bus. We arrived in Daejeon at the KT conference center around 10pm and promptly went to sleep.

So for the next week there are around 300 EPIK teachers from around the world (ok, seven countries, the U.S., England, New Zealand, Ireland, Australia and South Africa) stuffed into one dormitory building.

Over the course of this time here we are learning the basics of teaching in Korea, working in the public school system, vacations and pay, organizing summer/winter camps, classroom management, Taekwondo and going on a field trip the cultural city of Jeonju. Oh and the most important part, learning Korean! But first, we needed to have a demonstration on Taekwondo.

The eight day orientation passed in a blur, here are a couple of highlights in picture form!

The dorms where all 300 or so of us foreign teachers were housed for 8 days

At a temple on top of a hill in Jeonju

Overlooking Jeonju

Watching fancy paper being made!

Our fearless and fun group leaders, Jun and Suzie

Playing in the bamboo gardens

Bibimbap, yum!

Pencil case making

Wandering around and noticing the cute city signs

Drum class that was really just us hitting a drum and laughing a lot

Finally we made it through to the part we were all waiting for: The school placements. All of the EPIK guest teachers who were placed in the city of Busan sat in a room and were handed an envelope containing our contracts and our region/school assignment. I am pleased to announce that I am in the Haedunae region of Busan at the Haedong Elementary school. That may not mean anything to you, so check out this link with a map!
 http://wikimapia.org/9616980/Haedong-Elementary-School

From what I can tell, I will be nearby the famous Haeundae beach and the worlds largest department store. Basically I will be in the school quarter that is just next to the central downtown area. Whatever that means, I will find out tomorrow when I get there! Right now there is only a closing ceremony, dinner, possible karaoke and a 3.5 hour bus ride between myself and Busan.

Last night celebrations in a neubang (Karaoke bar)

I'm ready to go! An-nyeong-hi-ke-se-yo Daegeon, An-nyeong-ha-se-yo Busan! (Translation: Goodbye Daegeon, Hello Busan!)

Step one: Don't count the steps

Welcome to the blog of my new adventure! To start off, I am writing this first post prior to leaving the US. This is because the process of getting myself to the airport with a one way ticket to Korea is an adventure as well.

I first began thinking about teaching English in South Korea in August of 2013, after the glow of getting a college degree had receded enough for reality to set in. My thought process went something like this:

 So I don't have a job and I'm not yet tied down to a lease, what do I want to do with my relative lack of adult responsibilities? Go abroad!

The decision of South Korea as my destination of choice came relatively quickly and from there I began my research.

Note: Looking for teaching jobs in Korea is a rather time-consuming and confusing task. It took me the better part of three months to research the types of jobs available, what I would need to prepare myself to apply, prepare (by getting a credible TESOL certification and as much in classroom teaching experience I could get), and finally apply to my top choice jobs with precision.

Oh but it didn't end there. After the application (which was comparable in length to most grad school applications) was submitted, there was waiting. For the month of December and the beginning of January I waited for my interview, then the results of my interview. Both of my interviewers told me, " Great, well we will contact you in the first or second week of January, in the meantime, relax and happy holidays!" Needless to say, relaxing was quite difficult while my fate was being decided.

Fortunately on January 12th  I was offered a teaching position with EPIK in the city of Busan with a departure date of February 19th. The past month has been a blur of preparation, more paperwork and saying goodbye to friends and family. Over the course of this now 6 month process, I have been asked many questions about Korea and teaching English. Anyone who is reading this probably has similar questions, so I decided to do an FAQ of my favorite questions thus far so that you have a better idea of what I'm about to do.

FAQs about Korea!

Sooo….are you going to North Korea or South Korea?

South Korea. You can’t, in fact, visit or live in North Korea if you aren’t a North Korean or Dennis Rodman.

Why are you going to Korea?

Some of my closest friends have been Korean immigrants/of Korean descent so I know a bit about Korean culture (such as they listen to K-Pop, eat Kimchi and speak Korean for starters). I also wanted to live in Asia and South Korea seemed like the best option in terms of secure teaching positions.

Where are you going to be living?

In an apartment in Busan. I have zero idea where it is exactly as my school decides where I live, but I will find out as soon as I arrive in Busan. Busan is 2 hours away from Seoul via high speed train and a ferry ride away from Japan. There is also a giant beach and everyone has told me that Busan is a great place to live! It is known as the “summer capital of South Korea,” has the famous Haeundae and is known for amazing seafood/street food and beautiful seaside temples. Basically, its great during the summer and probably pretty cozy in the winter as well.

Will you have internet?

Yes, Korea actually has the fastest internet in the world and it's also available everywhere. Except in my apartment for the first month, as I have register as a foreigner and get a residency card to set up internet/phone/bank accounts. The Koreans prioritized internet speed almost a decade ago and so are leagues in front of us. Check out this CNN article, it’s pretty interesting and explains why its faster there than in the US.

http://www.cnn.com/2010/TECH/03/31/broadband.south.korea/

What exactly are you doing there?

I will be teaching with the EPIK teaching program. Its a government program that hires native English speakers from around the world (England, Ireland, Scotland, Australia, South Africa and New Zealand), to teach English in public schools throughout the country. They hire us, the teachers, then they ship us out to Korea, give us some tips and such and assess our teaching style. After orientation ends we are assigned a school and leave to meet our Korean co-teacher who will help us get settled in our apartment and school. Oh and they help us buy food and bedding, which is really great as I know that will be a daunting task right away.

Are you qualified to teach in a classroom?

Well that is debatable, but I think I am as qualified as I can be. I am armed with a quality TESOL certificate (which was not taken online and came with graduate level credit, already on my way towards a masters!), years of experience teaching swim lessons, being a child myself and working in several ESL/ELL classrooms for the past 5 months. I feel comfortable teaching any level of student and can create lesson plans without fear. I guess I’m a bit qualified but with teaching there’s always more to learn! If you are curious about my TESOL certificate or what that means, check out the school where I got it, the School of TESL, which has many excellent resources if you are looking for a place to get your TESOL certification or just take some classes.

How long are you going to be gone?

My contract is for one calendar year (February 25, 2014- February 23, 2015), however I am hoping to either extend my contract for another year, or find another job in Korea so that I can really immerse myself in Korean culture.

Can you speak Korean?

Nope! I am trying though. Currently I can say “hello” “I’m an English teacher” and some other phrases, but I don’t remember which ones are which. I will make progress though and intend on taking a Korean language course once I get settled in Busan. I also want to take music lessons and join a kickboxing gym in order to force myself to use Korean. Plus I need musical and exercising outlets.

What is the weirdest Korean food you've heard of so far?

Eating live octopus. That sounds awful and scary, because the suckers can get stuck in your throat and people have died from this. However Korean food is quite delicious in general, so I think I will have a good edible experience.

What is the one thing you’ll miss from the US?

My friends and family. Luckily I will have this blog and the many means of communication that the internet offers to stay in touch. Please feel free to send me emails, comment on this blog or message me while I am away!

If you have made it all the way through this first entry, thank you for reading! The next installment will come once I have finally arrived in Korea, stay tuned!