Well, here I am. After flying home for two weeks, going on an awesome family vacation in Canada and the US, and returning to Korea, I am finally living in Suncheon. I have now been in town for about a week, and so far it is going really well.
My new apartment is on the third floor of Shidae Apartments, the complex where nearly 60% of the foreigners in the area live. Although the apartment is old, it is much spacier and allows for a lot more freedom. Romi, my cat, and I are enjoying the extra space. I've dropped a few bucks cleaning it up and decorating, but it has really paid off. I'll make sure to post some pictures shortly.
My school is also very nice. The elementary school has nearly 1500 students and is right downtown. I now share an office (originally I had my own) with a Korean English teacher who's English is actually really good. This first week I've only had to deskwarm and prepare for next week's classes , which start on Monday. I teach 3rd - 5th grade, with about 6 classes of each. Then, on Tuesdays, I travel to my country school to teach there for the day. I'm definitely looking forward to starting classes next week (to an extent) and to introduce myself to the kids. They usually get a kick out of meeting new English teachers!
The weather lately has been a bit insane. Let me explain. On Monday, Typhoon Bolaven hit the coast, with harsh winds and a ton of rain. Schools were let out (even though teachers were required to go to school), and the southern and western areas of the country were hit pretty hard. My area has some wind damage, but nothing to severe. However, just two hours west, roofs were torn off, windows shattered, and flooding was in many part of the cities and towns. Then, Tuesday was good weather. Now, today, a second, smaller typhoon is taking almost the exact same path. While the winds here aren't half as bad, further west the flooding, which hadn't had a chance to recede, is getting worse. So that has been our weather lately. I'm definitely looking forward to autumn coming and bringing some good weather along with it.
One cultural adventure that I can share actually has to do with the typhoon that came through on Monday. In Korea, taking a day off of work, for anything, is basically absurd. Sickness, family emergency, whatever else you can think off, cannot guarantee a day off of work. This usually isn't due to company regulation, but instead, to the fear of being judged as "lazy". So, as the typhoon rolls around on Sunday night, school is cancelled... for the students. The teachers are sent a message stating that they must come to school and remain at school for 8am to 5pm to "protect" the school from inclement weather. Well, Monday morning around 6am I am awaken by my windows rattling violently and the winds whipping outside. I text my co-worker, telling him that I would wait for the winds to die down before attempting to drive to work. I then get a response saying, "You are right, do not attempt to drive to school. Instead, take a taxi." After reading this, I simply placed my palm over my forehand and hit it very firmly.
Around 9:30, after stalling as long as possible to not drive in the awful weather, I get a call saying I don't have to come in. Well, I was one of the few. Many of my friends did have to make their way to school. They then proceeded to sit there for 8 hours while the students were at home, relaxing during the storm. This is just one of those situations where we think they are insane, and they think we are insane. The fact that I refused to come in during a work day absolutely blows their minds, regardless of the situation. The fact that they have to go pointless sleep / drink coffee all day at school and risk driving in 100mph winds blows my mind. And no matter what, I could never understand, and neither could they. Culture at its extreme. 12 people died in our area on Monday. 4 at their homes or in the streets, and 8 at work, mostly in shops or docks along the ocean.
In the upcoming weeks, I have to start teaching, get into a routine, and start saving money for next year. My car is still running well, I have lots of new friends in the area, and plenty of old ones to spend time with. In fact, on Saturday, I invited some friends over for drinks at my new places. By 1am, my place was full with over 30 people, making for quite the unexpected night. I even got to meet new people... at my apartment. So as this year kicks off, I'm looking forward to what it might bring with it! I'll try my best to get some pictures up soon!
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