Christmas in Ulsan

Merry Christmas!

This year the holidays have been a little different than they have been in the past. Christmas in Korea is very interesting. Stores go all out with decorating the inside and outside of their businesses along with playing Christmas music that is typically in English. You see this especially downtown. Many Koreans follow the western tradition of gift giving, but with many non-Christians here it is not celebrated like in Canada.  

Christmas eve was a fun day as I gave my co-workers their gifts and we had a games day at the academy. It was a little funny how we all got together and planned various games but after all was said and done we pretty much just played limbo and the zombie game. The kids had a really good time and the director, Jenny, made a dish called ddeokbokki, which is basically ramen noodles, rice cakes, fish cakes, and cabbage in a spicy sauce. It probably doesn't sound too appetizing but it is actually delicious. My 6:30pm class of boys wanted me to take them to the park to play tag because I took them about a month ago and now they always want to play it. Jenny said it's because they are not used to a teacher who will take them outside and actually play with them. Anyways we went and it was a lot of fun. I was wearing the wrong footwear but I still managed to catch a few of them. I would also scream and sing while chasing them so they started calling me "Crazy Teacher" hahaha. It was too funny. After work was finished, Kelly had plans for the evening and I was about to head home for a quiet evening until Jenny's son came after me insisting that I have dinner with them. I guess they felt bad I was going to be alone on Christmas eve. It was a really nice sentiment and we had a nice dinner that was pork short ribs marinated in something delicious (probably soybean based) with various side dishes. It is a type of Korean BBQ. After dinner I came home and had a quiet evening until turning in for the night. I had a plan to wake up early to call home but I slept in a little longer than planned (oops!). I did manage to talk to my dad for a short while though, which was good.

This afternoon, Kelly and I went to Samsan where we had dinner at a bistro called Black’smith. It is a very westernized place and it reminded me a lot of the Bauer Kitchen. Kelly loved that place and decided that we should get steak, pasta, and pizza to share. Apparently she wanted to roll out of there. The food was delicious. Afterwards we wanted to go see the movie Les Miserables, but the next two showings were sold out. Movie theatres are different in Korea than in Canada. There is assigned seating that you can choose from, and you can bring any kind of food or drink you want into the theatre with you. Also, it’s only about 8,000 won, which is less than $8. We decided not to wait another four hours for the movie so we went shopping instead. I spent a fair chunk of change as I have been becoming more and more aware of how few clothes I actually brought with me and how important layering is in the winter months in Korea. I also bought some fleece pajamas that fit well apart from the bottoms being about four inches too short. This made me laugh when I put them on at home. After this, Kelly had an appointment with a friend and I decided to come home. Overall it was a different Christmas, but it was nice. It was low key, which I like. Next week we are off Tuesday-Sunday and although Kelly and I were planning to go to Jeju-do Island, we weren’t able to find accommodations for the length of time we wanted, so we are still deciding what to do. We will figure it out though! I survived my first major holiday across the world from my family and friends. I think I managed pretty well. I took some more pictures of the lights in Samsan because they are so pretty. I hope everyone had a safe and happy Christmas!! Sending love from Korea!

Sunday Shopping Adventure

Today I ventured out and did a little shopping!
I ventured out to a new area of Ulsan called Seongnam-dong. It is usually referred to as "old downtown". While on the bus one of my students came on and said a quick hello. And questioned my being alone. I don't think many young adults do anything alone here. I made it to Seongnam and it was pretty cool. There were many shops and the streets were so tiny but with crowded with people and all kinds of shopping places. My mission today was to find some gifts for my co-teachers and the director and her family. I also wanted to go to this stationery/art supply store in Samsan to get supplies so the kids can make Christmas cards this week. I went to the bus stop to wait for the bus that would take me to Samsan from Seongnam but it ended up driving right passed me so instead of waiting another half hour I decided to walk there. This took me about an hour and I was a little lost. For some reason it escaped my mind that I packed a map of Ulsan in my purse... While on my walk a small dog started to follow me for about a mile and he was so cute! I had to take his picture. After a while I was starting to think that I was walking a little too far and if I was going the wrong way it would take a great deal of time to find my way back where I came. However, the next street was labeled Samsan-ri. I did it. My usual lack of directionality was not evident for one. I found the stationery store and was in heaven as it was 4 levels. I was able to find red and green paper but there wasn't much else Christmas-y. We will figure it out tomorrow though. I ended up spending about 50,000 won there after all was said and done but it was worth it. I managed to find gifts for my co-teachers but still nothing for my director. I was able to buy myself a few items as well (of course). One thing that I love and have bought a few of it scrunchies. These are seen as a thing of the past back home in Canada but they are quite popular here in Korea and I am in love. I also got myself some warm socks and an infinity scarf, or what they refer to as a "muffler". Eventually I made my way back home to make some dinner but was happy to see some nicely lit trees before leaving that put me in a good mood.

One Month In...

I have been here over a month now!
Time really flies. I am starting to settle in nicely and it is starting to feel like home.

This week went by pretty quickly but I have to say that I am happy it is over. We did "Class Arrangement" or "Class Placement" testing. I covered the interview (speaking) portion of the testing and was surprised in both good ways and bad. Some of the students who did really well I expected the opposite and those who did poorly I had high hopes for. Overall the speaking level of the students is lower than we would like. This is the same for the writing assessment. This depressed me a little bit and had me questioning my teaching style and looking online at resources for any assistance in improving my teaching ability. I expressed my feelings to my director and she told me not to let it get to me as I have only been there for a month but that she needs to look at how the classes are structured and how to improve her own teaching and the other teachers' as well. We are looking at introducing new books where all skills will be addressed using one central topic. Currently we use many different books with a wide range of topics. This could be what is causing the students to struggle. We will have more meetings to discuss this.

Unfortunately last weekend I was quite ill and stayed in bed for most of it. My roommate was amazing through this and made me rice soup along with pumping tons of vitamin C into my body through clémentines and various drink concoctions. She was like my surrogate mom when I really wanted my mamma haha. On Thursday after the arrangement testing was finished and we had discussed a little about the results and some solutions we went out to dinner and to a norebang (karaoke room) afterwards. This is always fun and my co-teacher Eric and I sant the song "A whole new world" from the movie Aladdin together. It was hilarious. It loosened us up after the week we had.

Today I had planned to go downtown and do some shopping and get some supplies for teaching this week as I want to do some christmas activities with the students. I found out there is a 4-level stationery store downtown that could be very dangerous yet amazing. I am still having problems falling asleep at a decent hour and was up until about 6am and slept until almost 3 so that didn't happen. Tomorrow I will go though and experience that store and downtown in all its glory. Its supposed to be sunny too so that will be a bonus.

Next week we have Wednesday off as people don't go to work on election day which will be nice. Kelly and I are going to take Jenny's kids to the movies. Should be fun!

Happy Day = Happy Emma!

Today I had a REALLY good day. I thought I would share it.

It started off with getting up early to go with my director to Busan to declare my passport lost/stolen (still not sure what the hell happened) and to apply for a new one. This was fairly painless. We go a little lost in Busan but that turned into a brief tour of the city so all was good. Busan is really pretty and I plan to go back, maybe in the spring/summer. I hear it's only 45 minutes on the train from here. All the driving we did was a good opportunity for me and Jenny to talk and get to know each other more. I feel very comfortable with her and she opened up to me which was nice. She didn't seem like my boss which is a nice feeling. Coming home from Busan gave me the feeling of "home sweet home" for the first time which was a really good feeling. It still doesn't beat Kitchener but I am definitely starting to feel comfortable here. The trip to Busan also made me appreciate that I chose to come to a smaller town. With downtown Ulsan a bus ride away it really is nice. When we got back I took Jenny out for lunch to show my appreciation for taking me to the Canadian Consulate. We went to the Japanese place that is literally 20 paces from my apartment. It was quite good. A different experience from our Ye's back home. It was simply better haha. and the price was significantly less.

Teaching today was also good. After having an odd schedule for the last couple weeks, I am finally back to my regular classes which means I get to see all the kids again. My first class was full with 12 students and it was quite a riot. I like to get them to say words in English and then have them teach me what it is in Korean. The kids love it too. This one student, Jackson, was in a silly mood today and laughed uncontrollably at my pronunciation. Just thinking about this is making me laugh a little because he has the most infectious laugh. Eventually we were all laughing and had a pretty silly class. My second class was with younger students and they are always so cute. We were working on telling time and by the end I think they got the hang of it (yay!). Our middle school kids are having exams right now so I had two extra spares which is always nice and I finally changed my classroom's decor a little bit. Korea has an English newspaper for kids called The Kids Times and they have really cool articles about a range of topics. We had a bunch from over the years, so I flipped through them and cut out some articles on animals because the kids love them and some other articles I thought they'd enjoy and posted them on the bulletin boards in my class. I am really starting to feel comfortable which is also good! Just before leaving work I realized that I hadn't seen Jenny's daughter lately but knew she was somewhere at the school. Then I saw her and I guess she was sleeping in a vacant classroom and had just woken up. She then proceeded to come up to me and hop in my lap and cuddle for about fifteen minutes. It was incredibly cute and well needed on both ends haha.

By the end of the day I was hungry but really didn't want to make anything for dinner. Luckily about  minutes after that thought Jenny said that she would like to have dinner with everyone tonight. That worked out perfectly. It just happened to be Jenny and Crow's 14th wedding anniversary so we were all out celebrating with them. It was really nice. We went to this restaurant that was very good. We sat at a round table that had a grill in the middle and the girl serving us cooked up pork, onions, garlic, and jalapeño peppers marinated in this slightly spicy but delicious red sauce. It think this is what it is called: Daeji Bulgogi  (spicy marinated pork) 돼지불고기 It is served with lettuce for wrapping (I am pretty sure I have talked about something similar before) and various side dishes like kimchi of course and onions. I am surprised with how much spicy food and onions I have been eating that my tummy has not acted up at all. I am quite thankful actually. As an appetizer we had this amazing spicy marinated tofu. I could have eaten a ton of that stuff. I have also grown a liking to having a beer or two when we go out, but mixing soju with it. It is quite tasty and common. During dinner we chatted about all kinds of things and our server was super cute and said that she wanted to learn some English because she plans to go to New Zealand soon. Crow asked a lot of questions about Canada which was nice. I always appreciate when they try their English with me, just like the appreciate when I try using Korean. I can ask for water at a restaurant officially! haha. The are all so surprised to hear that I like to do the same things they do like bowling and sledding and skiing. Its humorous for me to see how surprised they are haha. They are also impressed how I have adjusted to eating Korean foods. I am too.

Crow came up with a really cool idea that we are going to start in the new year. Once a month we will choose on class who has behaved the most, brought their books, done their homework, and participated and Jenny and Crow will put 100,000 won ($100) in each month and on either a Saturday or Sunday, I will take that class on an outing. It might be a hike, to the movies, bowling, out for lunch, on a picnic etc. I love the idea and so does Jenny. Crow was worried that it would take away from my weekends, but it would be a lot of fun and I enjoy spending time with the kids so much anyways. This idea will also be good for business so its a win all around. Another thing that made this such a great day was that Jenny and Crow said to me that if I want to travel somewhere in Korea to let them know and if it is possible we will all go together. I think that I have this independent mind set because I travelled here on my own that I think I have to do things alone. It is nice to have them plus my roommate Kelly to do things with and ask any question that arises. I am truly grateful. After dinner we all walked to the convenience store and got coffee. I know this may sound strange but its a thing here. You purchase a cellophane wrapped cup with the mix all ready to go and once you've paid you unwrap and add hot water from a dispenser and mix 'er up and drink. I got a Mocha Cappuccino and it was quite tasty! It also warmed me up because it is hella cold here right now. Seoul got snow last night and we saw some ice here tonight. I will have to start wearing my heavy jacket and scarf. The temperature drop from afternoon to evening is so significant and I am still not quite used to it.

That was my good day. Sounds pretty awesome eh?
This didn't happen today but it is still something happy so I'll add it. The dates for my winter break have been finalized. We are off on December 25th as it is a holiday, and The 1st of January is a holiday too which is not taken away from my 8 days of vacation I get over the year. The 2-4 is my vacation. This means that Tuesday-Sunday I am a free woman! haha Kelly and I are going to go on a trip. We are thinking either Seoul or Jeju-do Island. Google Jeju Island if you can, it looks amazing. At first I said that we should go to Jeju because it looks like it will be great scenery, but Jenny suggested we go there for our summer break where we will get 5 days off. So now I am thinking Seoul for the winter break, but Kelly and I will have to talk about it :). We might have an end of 2012 party/get together on Christmas day with everyone from work since I don't have any plans. I thought it was a nice gesture on their part.

Overall I had a good day, and I am starting to really settle in which is a good feeling. I have had some doubts over the last few weeks but they are slowly dissipating which is good! Now I can enjoy Korea in all its glory!

Tip: Don't Lose Your Passport While Abroad

Yes, that's right folks, I have lost my passport. I realized this after being here for a week. Naturally panic mode set in and I tore my room apart looking for it going through every pocket and item I own. Nothing. It took me a few days but I finally had the courage to tell my director that I couldn't find it. She called Korail which is the company we rode the KTX from Seoul to Ulsan in but they hadn't found it. She also cheked her van that we rode in from Ulsan station to my apartment. Nothing.

So this is what I remember. I remember putting it into my back pocket of my jeans after customs at the Incheon airport and because I didn't sleep well on the plane and had been up for almost two days after everything was said and done my memory is a little foggy. I think I might have put it into a pocket in my suitcase which was later open but can't be sure. Finally I called the Canadian Consulate in Busan and asked them what my next steps have to be. First of all I had to go to the police station and report it lost. Thankfully Jenny offered to take me since I didn't know where it was and knew conversing would be difficult. Then I had to get new passport photos because the ones I have from when I was applying to teach in Korea are too small. This was a mission too because they gave me the wrong size initially and I had to go back the next day and get the proper size. This meant that I had to venture there by myself before work. I mean I'm a big girl and can travel to places on my own, but it was more the directions and trying to remember how we drove there haha. Eventually I found it without getting too lost.

The paperwork that the Canadian Consulate emailed me was first the declaration of a lost or stolen travel document, and second was an application to get a new passport. I was hoping that I could simply fill out the renewal form, but unfortunately I have to go through the whole shebang as if I were getting my passport for the first time. This actually makes sense but means that I had to fill out the paper work and send it to Canada where my parents get my doctor or dentist to be a guarantor and fill out the application form and sign the back of one of my photos. From there my parents sent everything back to me and then finally I can go to the consulate to apply for my new passport!

The director of my school was kind enough to offer to drive me to Busan because she thought it would take too long if I tried by bus or train. We got lost a little bit but it turned into a tour of Busan. My first impression of Busan while driving into the city over the bridge was WOW. Busan is really beautiful and BIG. I would definitely like to go back to take pictures and wander. As much as I liked Busan, when we returned home to Onyang, I was really pleased. I had a wave of relief and the feeling of "home sweet home". This was the first time that feeling came over me and it felt nice. Driving to Busan and back was also a good amount of time for me and my director to talk and get to know each other. Everything is all set with my passport now, just have to wait for it to arrive and then go to immigration to get my visa all sorted. We are going to see if I can open my bank account and get my medical check with just a photocopy of the passport I lost. Otherwise I have to wait another three weeks for my passport to arrive which is a couple days before my winter break. Making things a little tight as I do want to go on a trip during that week so a bank account is necessary. All in all, I think I am on the smooth sailing part of the process.

Now that this is all said and done, it seems simpler and not a big deal, but the time that I didn't have my passport was rough and really ate at me. I didn't like the feeling at all. BUT that's in the past! :)

Weekend Numero 3

Hello!

So I seem to be making blog posts on a weekly basis right now. I hope that is enough for my readers out there, and if not I guess that's just too bad! haha

I just had my third weekend here in Namchang and it was pretty good. Thursday night I met a few of the other foreigners or "waygooks" that are here. Three of them and I met up and walked around until they picked a restaurant that they liked. This place was pretty nice and had some westernized food. All of the foreigners are from America originally and have all been here for varying amounts of time. Zac has been here the longest with just over a year. He also knows the most Korean which comes in handy. He works at the local Middle School. Joe has been here for about 9 months and works at an Elementary School. And Soma is the last one that I met and he has been here for about 5 months. He works at a Hagwon or Private Academy like I do. They are all pretty nice and were able to welcome me to this city nicely in English. They were also great for easing some of my worries that I was feeling as a foreigner because they felt the same at one point. It will be nice to spend some time with them as my time here progresses.

Friday night was pretty quiet. I did some shopping at the larger grocery store in our area and then made dinner. After that I talked with my parents and some friends over Skype. I also called a friend since it was her birthday. It was really great to hear her voice. My plan was to go to sleep earlier that night as I wanted to get up early and venture out. I ended up staying up super late again (grr) but I set an alarm so that I would still get up. By noon on Saturday I was out of the house and walking to the bus stop. I wanted to check out the Costco that is here. It was quite the journey. I took two buses and had to make sure I got off at the right stop in order to transfer. I checked it out the night before on the map (thank you google maps!). I made it to Costco a little over an hour later and when I stepped through the doors I thought I had teleported home somehow. This Costco looked almost identical to the ones back home. It was great. It was also great that my membership from home works here. The place was a zoo with it being a Saturday afternoon and so close to Christmas. I didn't walk through the whole thing but here are some things worth mentioning. Beauty products such as shampoo, conditioner, body lotion, anything for the face should be bought here because they are a fraction of the price and there are more varieties than at the grocery store. There were many kinds of chocolate and goodies from back home as well which was comforting but I was good and didn't buy anything bad! Electronics there were priced significantly lower than back home. I read up before leaving and was told the opposite but oh well. The biggest difference between the Costco here and home is that they sell alcohol. After all was said and done I walked out of there with a ridiculous amount of white board markers and my favourite cereal from back home. I realized that I did not plan this as well as I could have as I didn't bring my knapsack and I had to take everything I bought on the bus...hence only buying two items.

After leaving Costco, there was a LotteMart beside it that I checked out. I knew I wanted to buy a toaster and a second set of bedding. We don't own a dryer and everything is hung dry which takes a while so a second set of bedding it necessary. The LotteMart was a very large department store with about 5 levels. There was even a Toys'R'Us inside. I was able to find a toaster no problem. Finding bedding was a little more challenging but I got there eventually and the ladies helping me were absolutely great. I pointed to the display bed to let them know what pieces I was looking for and then they showed me the varieties and colours I could choose from. I ended up with this pretty vibrant pink duvet cover with two white cat silhouettes on the front and lime green on the back. It might be meant for a kids bed but I like it nonetheless. It also brings colour to my room and it is pretty white and boring. I need to find posters to put up or something. After all my shopping was done I had quite the haul to bring back with me on the bus. Eventually I made it home and then received a text message from Soma asking if I wanted to meet him and Zac for dinner. We went to this cool place and had a variation of Korean Barbecue. We also had this amazing soup that was delicious and then I realized there was squid in it...and the thing was that it actually looked like squid too, which freaked me out a little bit. However, I "manned up" and decided not to think about it and ate it and did like it. I also tried a little octopus which wasn't too bad either. I actually haven't had anything I haven't liked yet which is good. After dinner we went to a cafe that is a chain here called Paris Baguette. They have tasty treats and good coffee. We played this language game while there that was pretty fun. It's a little complicated to explain but basically you try to communicate with using only Korean or sign language. No English. I wasn't sure how I would do it but we played for a while and it ended up being fun!

Some of the other foreigners were meeting to go to a new bar that opened downtown called JJ's, but I decided against it as I wanted a calm evening and did some chores at home. Sunday was pretty lazy. I caught up on some tv shows and worked on learning some Korean. Its funny how excited my students get when I say anything in Korean.

Here I am awake at almost 3am again...blast! I will get this sleeping thing under control eventually.

Next weekend I am going with Kelly to her friend's wedding and to the director's house to learn how to make kimchi. Should be fun!

Second Weekend.

My second weekend in Ulsan was pretty uneventful. I don't think I have fully adjusted yet. I have been staying up super late (5am, 6am) so I have been sleeping in a bit. Saturday Kelly had to work at Prolangs to help some of the elementary students prepare for their exams. I slept in pretty late, made myself breakfast and had a pretty lazy day. Did some laundry though so the day wasn't a total waste. Sunday we had intentions to go hiking a little further away from home, but with my staying up and not able to fall asleep, I slept in until almost 4 in the afternoon. Needless to say, we didn't go hiking and did not do too much Sunday either. I felt pretty bad, but Kelly said that we can go next weekend. I do have an entire year here and should not worry too much about wasting one weekend :).

My job is going pretty well. I am starting to get a hang of  it and have a lot of names down pat too. My schedule this week has been a little skewed with the exam prep and one class has only one student! Naturally I am getting to know her very well haha. I have also been trying to work on my Korean too. Its slow but I can say that I know more today than I did yesterday so that is good, right?

After being here for just over two weeks, I was beginning to think I was the only foreigner because I hadn't seen anyone else around in my area. I decided to post a comment in a group I have joined on facebook called "Ulsan Online". I literally just wrote "Anyone in Namchang?" Immediately I had a couple people answering me and removing my doubt that there were any foreigners here. They all seem very nice and we are going out for dinner on Thursday. I am a little nervous as I always am when meeting new people, but I will have to get over that haha. I am sure they are all really nice people. Many of them are from the States.

Today I decided to dress up for work as it was nice and sunny outside. This was a mistake hahaha. Today was the coldest day yet since I arrived. I wore a black dress with a cardigan over top with stockings of course. By my last class I was so cold my nail beds started to turn blue hahaha. Figures I would do something like that. I remember many a time wearing sandals/flip flops to school on days where it rained. I should really get into the habit of checking the weather in the morning.

Tonight Kelly made us a delicious meal of water dumplings (steamed) and broad noodles in this quite tasty dark beef sauce. And of course we has kimchi and white radish (kkakdugi) on the side. Maybe tonight I will go to sleep early and that way I can get up early and head to the post office to mail off some letters I have written :)

Missing home! But, loving Korea!

Em's First Weekend

Friday:
Friday night we went out for my welcome dinner. All the teachers from Prolangs and Jenny's kids came  and we went to a pork place where we grilled our own pork and garlic and had many side dishes including kimchi, seaweed (fresh), spicy bean sprouts, tofu, onions, and an array of sauces. This dish is called samgyupsal. It all was quite tasty. During the dinner it was a little strange because Mr.Crow was talking for about twenty minutes straight in Korean and no one was saying anything and everyone had a very serious look on their face. I had no idea what was going on and then Kelly, my roommate started to cry. It was a little awkward and strange but then Jenny explained things in English to me. The school has had a couple students quit because Kelly is too strict. This made her upset, and the way Crow was talking probably didn't help. He was also saying that Eric, the other teacher was too lax but now started to get more strict like Kelly. And then there's me who comes from Canada and discipline is completely different. If a student doesn't do their homework I haven't done anything because A) I am not sure what I should do and B) I have always been surrounded with the mentality that if a student doesn't do their homework it is only going to hurt them. I guess I will have to change my view/ways a little while I am here. He also said that our teamwork isn't the greatest and I agree. The only problem with that is that I wasn't given any real training or chance to get to know how it all worked. I am told things that I am supposed to do as we go along and I make a mistake. I am sure in time I will begin to get the hang of things and understand that I have to tell the homeroom teacher when a student misbehaves or anything else of importance happens. Anyways, after the bad was said, the good came along and apparently I am doing really well and the students really enjoy my classes. This is good news :). After dinner, we went to a Karaoke Room! This was lots of fun and made the evening feel a little lighter. They had English songs too which was nice. I sang Somebody to Love (of course), Everybody Dance Now, and we all sang Gangnam Style together hahaha. Well I sang the Hey, and Sexy Lady part hahaha. Crow got pretty drunk but he was quite funny. He said that he wants to have a good relationship with me over the next year. Its a little strange in Korea how people say what's on their minds and there is no filter. People are also brutally honest. This is good, I am just not used to it.  By the time Kelly and I got home and went to sleep it was around 2:30am and I was wiped.

Saturday:
I finally slept in!! I didn't wake up until 11am today. Maybe I am finally conditioned to the time change.   Kelly and I went for a walk up the mountain behind our apartment. It was so beautiful and unfortunately I forgot my camera at home today, but next time I will be sure to take tons of pictures. The scenery is wonderful as there are lots of trees that are still changing colour and there are two lakes and some streams along the way. The air smells so fresh and it is quite relaxing. There are workout stations along the path, which I had been told about but seeing them in person was cool too. The mountain gets quite steep and I actually had to stop because I was short of breath and getting a little dizzy. This was probably because well I don't climb mountains at home, and being high up affected me. Kelly was really worried because my face was quite red but we started to descend and then she took me on a tour of Namchang which is the area of Ulsan we live in. She showed me where the post office is and a bunch of other places including where she gets her hair cut, popular food places, and other supermarkets that are a little bigger than our local Top*Mart. Walking around in higher traffic areas was a little different than my quick walk from home to work. I got quite a few stares as well because of my skin colour. I actually never really gave much thought to how white I am until I came to Korea. The kids mention it daily, along with how large my hands are. After my tour of the city we came home and cleaned the apartment. Afterwards we ordered hamburgers and fries that came via delivery. This was quite different from home but still pretty cool. We paid about $6 for a burger, fries, and a coke. I know this meal was quite Westernized but Kelly likes hamburgers too. The fries came with a seasoning that you can put on them which is a creamy onion seasoning that makes the fries taste like sour cream and onion chips. The burger was quite good and came with breaded deep fried cheese. Jenny told me that I was going to lose some weight while I am here but so far I don't know how that will happen with things being deep fried, there being a to die for bakery right outside my place, and the kids bringing me chocolates and goodies every day haha. The rest of the evening we spent watching Korean Dramas, the EMA's (European Music Awards), and just hung out.

Sunday:
Slept in again! Success! :) After a couple hours of lazing around and eating some breakfast, we showered and headed for the bus stop on our way to Samsan which is downtown Ulsan. It takes about 40 minutes on the bus to get there. Before getting on the bus, Kelly took me to a store to buy my bus card. Its really cool actually. Its really hard to explain what it is so I've added a picture of it. So I just go into this shop and add money whenever I want and when I get on the bus i just flash the card and money gets taken off. It is quite high tech compared to Kitchener's bus system. Oh and to take the bus its only 1,500 won which is $1.37. That's less than half the cost of being at home. The bus has comfier seats too. The bus
ride to Samsan was quite nice and their was quite a bit of scenery to look at. Once we arrived it was clear that downtown is quite different than Namchang. There are very tall buildings and at night so many flashing neon lights. It was a good day. We started with a general tour from Kelly, and then we popped into the Lotte Department Store. We went into a cheap clothing store which I would pair it with H&M. I bought a couple sleep dresses. Yes, ladies and gentleman I have found clothing my size here. They are a little on the tighter side, but they are quite comfy. One is thermal wear too so its fleece lined. Then Kelly showed me where the Lotte movie theatre was. Right now they are playing Skyfall and Breaking Dawn and some Korean movies. It costs about 8,000 won to see a movie which is still pretty much half the cost of seeing a movie back home. After this we went into this really cool bookstore that reminded me of Chapters, except all the books were in Korean of course. They had a huge stationery section though and I picked out some paper/envelope packages to write home :). I also got a cool box set so that I can move my cosmetics out of its carry case and make my room feel a little more at home. After this we walked around a little more and then went to this Outlet place that has 12 floors. Craaaazy. They had a lot of nice things and the one floor was kitchen and bed supplies which had this great christmas section and display. I bought a spice rack and come glass containers so that I could transfer the spices and teas and hot chocolate mix I bought at Bulk Barn from their quite unattractive plastic bags. After the Outlet Mall, we walked around the area a bit more and I took some pictures. We decided that we were going to have dinner there and found this Indian restaurant that Kelly really liked. It was called Namaskar. We shared a salad, a plate of rice, lamb curry, and some naan bread. One of my favourite things about Korea so far is the whole sharing of food. its great because you can try everything and have as little or as much of you want of something. The lamb curry was my favourite, which was a shock considering I am not normally a lamb person. After dinner we came home and now I am just chilling out getting everything set for the week. Overall it was a really great first weekend. I'll end this post with a couple more photos that  I took while in Samsan :)

First Week in Ulsan

Hello family and friends, and strangers who may come across this,

I haven't been here quite a week yet, but I wanted to update before I forgot some things :)

My week has been pretty boring for the most part. Well not boring to me but maybe to some of you. It has pretty much been work and sleep all week, but that is normal. I think I am finally beginning to become adjusted to the time change. I was waking up incredibly early at the beginning of the week and not being able to fall back asleep which wasn't fun. Hopefully that is a thing of the past for me now.

Working at Prolangs is a lot of fun. The kids are really great and incredibly cute. My favourite English word they say is "delicious" just the way they say is makes my heart melt. I am beginning to talk at a slower pace than usual, and I have noticed that I say words differently to emphasize the enunciation. I enjoy all of my co-workers and they are quite pleasant and nice. Eric is particularly nice to me and speaks great English. He has hooked me up with a foreign teachers group in the area, and hopefully I can meet up with them at their next meeting. He said to me that the director doesn't want her foreign teachers to meet lots of other expats, which I found odd, but it may be because of the reputation of heavy drinking. I really don't see me having time for that during the week with working until about 9 and by the time I get home, unwind and have some dinner its time for bed. Probably a good thing :)

My roommate Kelly and I had a good conversation today about each other's lives. It was nice. We haven't really had time to do so yet. She told me how old she is and I was stunned! She looks about 15 years younger than she actually is. Her family is from Seoul but she likes it here in Namchang (Ulsan) because its quieter. This weekend we are going to go for a hike in the mountains behind our apartment and maybe head to Downtown Ulsan. It takes about an hour to get to downtown by bus. All the kids say we live in the "country". All in all it looks like it will be a fun weekend and it has been a really good first week. Tomorrow night we are all going out for a welcome dinner which should be fun! next week I plan to start seriously working on learning Korean. It will make life a lot easier!

First Day of Teaching

Hello All,

As I am writing this I am incredibly tired as my sleeping habits have not fully conformed yet.
Today was my first day of teaching and it went very well!

It was a little crazy as there was no real training or orientation. I was released to go and do my thang. I was given an idea to what my predecessor, Lisa had done with the kids in the last week but there was not much detail. There are 4 teachers at the school in total. Me, my roommate Kelly, the director Jenny, and another Korean teacher named Eric. Everyone is so nice and welcoming. It is a little difficult as they all communicate to each other in Korean because it is easier, but hopefully my Korean starts to improve from all of the exposure. The kids are absolutely great. Their ages range from about 8-15. Some of the classes are called Free Talk where we basically just talk about whatever topic is on our minds or we want to discuss. There is also a debate class where we debate on a specific topic. Other classes are focused on listening and writing and speaking. Speaking is definitely the key and most important part.

There are 7 classes that we teach per day and we all teach the same classes but on different days so all students get to learn from all of the teachers. I gave out pencils today and the students LOVED it hahaha it was funny how no one would volunteer answers to me but as soon as I had the pencils out everyone was game.

I did a lot of answering questions and playing various games with the classes today to give them a break and to help myself not be overwhelmed. I find the curriculum and teachings to be pretty relaxed and I am able to be pretty independent. This will be good in the future but a little intimidating right now.

My roommate bought me a welcome tea mug which was really sweet :)

The kids wanted to play this crazy game in one class called "Zombie" where one child is blindfolded and the lights are turned out. The "zombie" is spun and has to try to touch the other kids, meanwhile these kids are standing on desks and yelling at the zombie. It was all really crazy and finally I had to put an end to it lol.  Played some more sensible games like hangman and pictionary that were a little more resemblant to somewhat learning English hahaha

Until next time...toodles!

Arrival!

Emma’s Note: I started writing this post on Friday November 9^th, but it was posted days later when I had internet connection :)

Stage One: Arriving at my Gate (Friday Nov 9, 6am Toronto)

As I am writing this I have been up for about 23 hours. My body is starting to hate me a little bit, but it’ll get over it. They run things at Pearson Airport a little differently than I remember… We found out where I was to go and get my bags weighed and tagged and from there I was directed to another lineup for customs where I had to say goodbye to my parents and brother quite quickly (too quickly actually). Saying goodbye was a little easier than I was expecting but that might be because of how fast everything all happened.

Saying goodbye to my family also meant that I now had to somehow manage two suitcases plus my carry-on luggage and my knapsack. This wasn’t too bad once I figured it out but the line for customs was huge as always and I was wearing full winter getup. I was so hot but taking things off meant messing up my system haha. I felt like everyone was looking at me strangely because I had the most luggage. The officer I had at customs was very serious but nice enough. I tried to get him to smile but that didn’t happen.

After customs I was directed finally to ditch my checked baggage. This was quite relieving. Then going through security was strange all over again. Everything had to be removed. Well not EVERYTHING but more than I was expecting. Shoes, jacket, belt, computer out of my knapsack and even out of its sleeve. And that brings me here to my gate. I feel as though I am about to crash but that might be a good thing for this flight. Until the next stage…

Stage Two: San Fanscisco! (Friday, Nov 9, 10am (actually 1pm to me))

The first flight from Toronto to San Fran went well. I was so tired that I don’t remember taking off and must have already been asleep haha. Two hours later I woke up and was in and out for most of the rest of the flight. Arriving at San Fran was cool. Seeing the land from the air was pretty neat. The airport at SF was also really nice and well designed.

The plane to Seoul was hella packed! I was hoping to get a little more leg room, but that was not the case, I think I had less leg room for this flight than I did for my other flight. Which made things a little uncomfortable. However, one of the seats next to me was vacant which made it a little better. Again during this flight I was in and out of sleep for a few hours at a time.

 The entertainment on the plane was an interesting mix. There were a few television shows such as The Office, Friends, Everybody Loves Raymond, and a few movies. The first was Ice Age, the second was an interesting movie with Ted from How I Met Your Mother in it, and they also played The Amazing Spiderman. I would have liked to watch some of these but I don’t know that I made it through one movie without passing out haha. I was very grateful to have the neck pillow my parents purchased for me.

The flight seemed to last forever but finally we arrived at Seoul (Incheon).

Stage Three: Arrival in Korea (Saturday Nov 10, 4:30pm (2:30 am to me))

My first thought of Korea as I am walking off the plane into the airport is that if I didn’t know it and didn’t see hangul everywhere, I wouldn’t know I was in Korea. Actually at this point I still hadn’t processed that I had just travelled across the world. Going through customs was pretty basic and getting my luggage was pretty simple. The first different experience I had was that before I could walk off and take my luggage with me, an officer with a golden Labrador came up to me and the dog sniffed all my luggage before I was free to go.

Once I had all my belongings on me and was travelling through the airport to find the train to Seoul Station I realized that I packed too much! Lugging everything around was kind of a nightmare and I actually woke up with a bruise on my left arm from it and my arms are a little sore too haha. The next time I make a trip like this I will not be packing half as much as I did this time. Live and learn I guess! Finding my way to the train and purchasing a ticket was easy enough. The train ride lasted about an hour and while on the train I received a number of glances at my luggage and at me which I am thinking I will have to get used to. I also had two men stare and try to talk to me in Korean which was interesting haha because I am pretty sure both were a little tipsy.

Arriving at Seoul Station was easy enough, but trying to get up to the main level to meet my director, Jenny was challenging. The elevators don’t go up all the way, but to the highest basement level where you have to pass through another gate and find some escalators or another elevator. Well trying to get through the gate was not happening when I flashed my ticket, so I put it in this feeder that I thought would make it work and it turns out no dice. Then I spotted these machines where I think I was supposed to put my ticket in and get an exchange ticket. Without my original ticket anymore I couldn’t do this which got me a little worried because I was now stuck in the basement levels. After a little bit of fretting and calming myself down I waited and made eye contact with a man about my age and asked if he knew English. He knew a little and I was trying to explain what happened when another man came who knew more English and got the gate opened for me thank goodness! I knew that I had to get to exit 1 to meet Jenny, but getting there I still had no idea. I asked a woman at an information desk and she was able to tell me which floor to go to. Finally I found where I should be and parked myself. At this point it was about 6:30pm in Seoul. Jenny was a little late which was making me nervous because I had no idea what she looked like, but finally she found me and with her she had her very adorable 6 year old daughter. We found a seat and waited for the KTX (train) that would take us to Ulsan.

Jenny is very nice and her English is very good. One of the first things she said to me was that with eating Korean food I will be able to loose some extra weight. This was pretty much the nicest way for her to say that I need to lose weight. To us it seems weird but I have heard some other interesting and horrific stories about comments on weight so this was quite pleasant. As soon as we sat for a few minutes her daughter started to warm up to me and sat on my lap. It was pretty cute.

The KTX was like riding any other train and took about 2 hours to get to Ulsan. Jenny’s daughter picked out a snack and drink for me and we had this sweet flavoured milk and dried fish which was interesting but very good. Once we arrived in Ulsan, we were met by Jenny’s husband who we call Mr. Crow and her son who is about 11. Both of Jenny’s kids names I am having a very hard time pronouncing and remembering but hopefully I can get a hold of them soon. Before we were able to come to my apartment Jenny said that Mr. Crow’s aunt had passed away and he had been there with family all day but Jenny and her daughter who were in Seoul all day wanted to pay their respects so we went there first. I was a little worried about going there and if it would seem disrespectful to his family but it was fine. I mostly sat on the floor at a table with some family along with Jenny. Everyone was very nice but seemed timid to approach me. Jenny said that this is quite common. Jenny played interpreter with me and a few other women so we were able to have a nice conversation. After this Jenny wanted to take me with her family out to eat because she thought I would sleep better with a full tummy. At this point it was well after midnight and I was very surprised how restaurants were open so late and Jenny told me that they are open 24hours. The food at the restaurant was very good. I think it’s a variation of Korean Barbeque. I also had pork stew with rice which was quite tasty. Baked kimchi was also quite good. After this we went to my apartment.

The apartment is rather larger than I was expecting. The kitchen is very big and has everything I might need in it. The living room is quite large as well with couches and a television. The bathroom is about the size of the one I shared at home with my brother and there is a bathtub! This I was not expecting but it was a nice surprise. My room is actually quite roomy with tons of storage space. Once Jenny and her family showed me how to work a few things they left me to sleep and just before I unpacked and put things away. By the time I went to bed it was almost 3am here which would make it 1 in the afternoon at home. I was wiped. I woke up at 9 this morning, but might go back to sleep.

All in all I made it! And think that I am going to really enjoy it here. I will try to keep everyone updated on my adventures as best I can.

I have posted some pictures of the apartment here: https://plus.google.com/photos/108080094162280120728/albums/5809556091207795281

One Week to Go!

One more week until I fly out! I am starting to get quite excited and just thought I would share with everyone where exactly I will be located in the country.

Where you see the Red 'A' marker is where I will be  for the next year. This weekend is full of family and friend get togethers that I am very excited for. It will be great to see everyone before I head off! Also, tomorrow is my last day of work at Central! I am very pleased that the day has finally come! It is definitely time to move on.

Visa Acquired...Check! Plane Ticket Acquired...Check!

Today is a happy day! I have successfully completed all steps required to prepare for my big journey to South Korea!

My Aunt and I made the trek (with minor detours..) to the Korean Consulate once again to pick up my Visa. This was fairly quick and painless as usual and feels really good to have it in my hands. I officially have my ticket into the country.

I have also recently received my plane ticket. I leave Friday November 9th at 7am. The timing is a wee bit early for my taste but it will have to do :). I will arrive in Seoul (Incheon) by 4:15 on Saturday. One stop over in San Fransisco and about twenty hours later I will have arrived.

It feels very surreal to think that in about two weeks I will be on my way and this dream will become a reality. I am starting to get really excited and it is sinking in that this is actually happening. Along with these feelings there are also feelings of nervousness and a little bit of fear. Also sadness in leaving everyone that I love. But the good feelings outweigh the bad and that is what matters.

I made another trip to the Korean Consulate this morning as I had received my visa issuance number and had to hand in my application to the Consulate. I like going there. Its a really neat building and cool inside. I drove down Chaplin Crescent in Toronto to get there and wow there are some beautiful houses on that street. My visa should be ready for pick-up in about a week and then I am ready to go! No more documents to prepare. Just pack and spend time with loved ones!

Suitcase

Today I pulled out one of my suitcases that I will be taking with me and started collecting things that I will be taking with me (yes it is leopard print!). Also my documents have arrived in Korea and are on their way to immigration to get my Visa :) AND, I finally received the battery for my new camera so I can take pictures. I just took a couple. I added them here to find out how to add photos to a blog post. Pretty simple. Most of what is in there now is just teaching supplies and toiletries. I am sure dreading the clothing part, and shoes...how does a girl decide? Tons of time for that stuff though.

53 Days until my contract starts!

43 Days left of work!

Happy Days!

Documents on their way to KOREA

Today I visited the Korean Consulate in Toronto to get my notarized copies of my degree and Criminal Records Check verified. The Consulate was different than I was expecting and looked really neat. The woman who served me was very nice and I was in and out within 5 minutes. From there, Mom and I went to a print and copy place that was also a FedEx depot just around the corner. This was very convenient and easy to do. I was a little worried since I haven't sent anything via FedEx before, but it was a cinch! Another added bonus was that it was significantly cheaper than I was expecting and only takes 1-3 business days to arrive.

The hard part is now over and I just have to wait until my visa is processed before I can do anything else.

I am starting to get really EXCITED! Now that my documents have sent it feels like it is going to really happen. One of the members of the recruiting agency I have been working with, Aggie, has been so helpful through all this with answering any questions I have promptly and today she sent me a couple emails with great links and attachments to look into while I wait for the visa confirmation.

:)

Farewell Central...(soon)

Yesterday I gave the owner and head cashier each a card stating that I would be officially done at Central as of November 2nd. I mentioned in the cards how grateful I am for the experiences and opportunity I have been given while working there.

Overall they went over well! The head cashier really appreciated it and gave me a hug which was nice. She also told me how much she was going to miss me. Always nice to hear. As for Mike, he said I was breaking his heart haha but he soon realized that we will need to train some people to replace my duties in the office. This made me smile because that was the purpose of my far in advance notification. I know that I shouldn't worry about that kind of thing since I will be gone but I do worry about that stuff because that's just who I am.

It now feels real that I will be leaving Central. It is bittersweet. As much as I am ready to move on and am tired of being a cashier, I have met some really awesome people at the Fresh and maintained some really great friendships that I truly cherish. You know who you are. (I am getting a little emotional).

Central got me through College and University and I have really grown over the last 5 years.

I am so excited to be starting a new exciting chapter in my life, and will take my experiences and memories with me wherever I end up.

Cheers!

Socks

So I am standing at my till at work today just staring off because there were no customers at that moment and what do I lay my eyes on? A table of socks. And then it dawns on me...HOW MANY PAIRS OF SOCKS DO I TAKE WITH ME FOR A YEAR? I have NO idea. Then of course my mind goes through everything else and how many or how much do I need. How often do I go through a stick of deodorant? No idea. How much toothpaste do I use in a year...and so on. I had a mini panic attack at that moment but it soon passed as I calmed myself down and decided, WHO CARES?

I will guestimate what I need and take that and try to keep within my weight limits. If needed Mom and Dad can send me what I need. I feel like this mindset will only last so long and I will become a basket case while actually packing...but let's not think about that right now.

I have no other news to report as of yet, still waiting to get my Criminal Records Check. Then let the notarizing begin!

Followed by a visit to the Korean Consulate...

For those of you reading this who don't actually know me, I am not a crazy person...maybe just a little quirky ;)

It's Official, I am moving to Korea...In 2 Months

Korea, here I come! I have officially accepted the position in Ulsan. It feels weird to type that actually.

Let's backtrack a bit so you can get the full story. I think we left off with me being neurotic and wanting to hear back instantly (haha). I was hoping to hear back Sunday night my time, as it would be Monday morning there but had no such luck. Monday evening I ended up picking up a shift at work until midnight and afterwards checked my email of course with no news. I was okay with this and had thought at that point that maybe the other interview she had went better than mine and I was going to have to continue my search. At around 1:00 AM I received an email stating that the director wants to work with me and a contract was attached. At this point I had to go onto my actual computer because I just didn't believe that it was true. Silly of me to think the email application on my phone would lie to me... Anyways, I read over the contract and was quite pleased with everything and knew (more so) that I really wanted this job and was going to accept. At this point it was now close to 2:00 AM and had no one to tell! It was killing me a little bit. I made sure that I messaged my Momma over Facebook because she would be getting home at 7:00 AM as she works nights and I knew that if she wasn't the first person I told, I would be in trouble! Funny enough, my Dad was one of the last people I told (Sorry Dad!).

As far as I know now, My contract runs from November 12, 2012 to November 11, 2013. November seems far away right now, but I am sure the next ten weeks are going to fly by. There is quite a bit I need to do to prepare and people I want to see before I go! Currently I just have to wait for my Criminal Records Check to come in before I can do anything else to get started on preparing documents to get my E2 Visa. I will be sure to keep everyone updated with this process and anything exciting that happens!

Side note, I treated myself and bought an e-reader which came in the mail today. I LOVE IT. It is going to be great for travelling.

Waiting Game 1 : Emma 0

I usually consider myself a pretty patient person, but waiting to hear back if I got a position in Korea is killing me. I have become a crazy person checking my email constantly to see if I have received any good news. I can't sleep properly at night either because it's day time there and I am always thinking I am going to get an email through the night. This has all been happening even though I know its the weekend, even in Korea. I have been trying to send good energy into getting the second job I interviewed for. Hopefully it works :)

Ulsan?

I had the interview with the director of a school in Ulsan, South Korea tonight. I think it went really well and after talking to her I REALLY hope I get the job! It sounds like it would be great. I know I said to cross your fingers for me earlier, but now cross your toes too! I have good feelings about this!

Another Interview?!

It's after midnight and I decide that I should try to get to bed considering I have to work at 9am tomorrow morning. However, being as neurotic as I am, I have to check my email every time I hear my phone buzz. No response yet from the job in Gimhae, BUT another contact of my Teacher Representative emailed me with a job opportunity in Ulsan, South Korea. Ulsan is also on the coast and is very close to Busan (Yay!). Again this job would start early November, working hours 1:30-8:30 pm. The only "catch" is that I would have a roommate to live with for my accommodations. The roommate would be Korean, but also teaching English. Yes, this might have a downfall when I want to be "alone", but I feel like she would be great to have around as a resource and someone to spend time with. I heard from my interview last night that it is easy to get bored and lonely and having a roommate would definitely help with that. Maybe she can even teach me some Korean!! Anyways, I have the interview tomorrow night at 11:30. I am going to have to nap when I get home from work so I have more energy! Haha. Maybe I will experience what a traditional interview will be like (talking slow, only lasts 5 minutes). Now I am completely wired and excited, sleep will have to wait.

Interview Time

I have come to realize that the process of using a recruiting agency and getting an interview is very different in Korea than here in Canada. I am working with a company called Teach ESL Korea. So far they have been great to me. They are so helpful in explaining all the details of getting my documentation ready and things I need to consider. I have a Teacher Representative, who I work with that helps me with the above, and a School Representative who I talk to almost every day via Skype and he gives me possible jobs and sets up interviews. When I talk to Scott, its interesting because it seems like he is doing a million things at once. I can hear conversations going on in the background and multiple phones going off and he answering them, it seems crazy to me but it's how he works. Unfortunately the job in Andong, did not work out as the school decided they wanted to hire someone who is already in Korea. That was a bummer, but understandable considering the cost of flying a student to their school. At first I was disappointed but then was a little relieved because of the reading I had done about the place stated how it is a little secluded and travelling out of the city can be a little difficult and time consuming. Scott gave me a couple more options he had for me and he contacted the school with my resume and introduction video that I made. Last night I had an interview at one of the schools, It is for a place called Kids College, in Gimhae which is 30 minutes away from Busan. Considering I really wanted to go to Busan to begin with but heard it is very difficult to get a position there, I was ecstatic. The interview was very casual and lasted for about 40 minutes. Apparently this is unusual for an interview for a teaching job in Korea. Usually they interviews are quite formal and last maybe 5 minutes. My interview was with the current foreign teach who's position I would be taking over. She was super nice and gave me a lot of information about life in Korea. I also liked that she didn't sugarcoat it for me. She flat out said that it is going to be challenging especially for the first few months. The hours are 10-6 and mornings are with Kindergarten students (aged 3-6) who are the most challenging, and the afternoons are with Elementary students (aged 7-11). She explained that breaks are not likely, and that the students especially the young ones can be a lot to handle, but you have to keep your cool and control and make the best of it. In the end she said that she would put a good word in with the directors. I really liked her. So now it's just the waiting game. Keep your fingers crossed for me!

Oh Mark Twain, how wise art thee!

"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover." -- Mark Twain

It actually began quite some time ago, but it's starting to get real. Undergraduate degree...CHECK. TESOL Certification...CHECK. Application to teach ESL in Korea...CHECK. I have been given an opportunity to interview for a job in Andong City, South Korea. It is pretty close to Daeju and would start in December. This would give me a sufficient amount of time to tie up loose ends and sort everything out. My only setback is that Andong is a smaller city compared to others in South Korea. Its population is under 200,000 which can be seen as big, but compared to Seoul's 10,000,000, it is small. Not that small is a bad thing, its just the ability to easily travel the country. Andong does have outlets to travel such as the bus or train, but can take a good chunk of the day to travel to cities such as Seoul or Busan. Also, I am not sure how many other foreign teachers there are there. I would really like to go somewhere where there are other foreign teachers to have someone who can relate to you and knows what you are going though. A support system. I am still researching and thinking about it, so we will see what happens. Sometimes all this seems surreal but it feels right. I feel like this is the path that I want to take. That is what matters.