I'll be home for Christmas?

As of the 15th, I have been in Korea for three months. Wow! It feels like I have been here forever and only a week all at the same time. I haven't found myself homesick really, because I am in close contact with my family at home. Especially my sister, we skype every week for at least 2-3 hours. December is now upon us and this is a hard month not to miss home for me. I have so many traditions happening without me... This is something I think I knew would always happen, but not it is real.

It finally felt like December here on the 7th, because it SNOWED!!! I felt like a child the whole day at school waiting for the moment when I could leave and spend the afternoon enjoying the beautiful scenery. My students were also quite excited, because in Changwon apparently we don't get much snow due us being farther south and right off the coast. I looked away from my students for one second at school and they had flocked to the window to watch the snow falling down. My first reaction was to get them back into their seats, but instead I let them stay there for a minute before we began class again. Sadly, the snow only last for about 24 hours, but there were a glorious 24 hours.

Snow coming down over my lunch break.

In my attempts to make it more like home here, I had my dad send me some of my favorite Christmas music from home. Those albums have been on repeat on my iTunes and will continue to be until January. 

Another thing I am missing during the holiday season is the Concordia Christmas Concerts. It was easily one of my favorite concerts every year during college. Now this year, I not only would not be participating, but I could not see the concert. When skyping with Marta, I asked her so many questions about the concerts to try and imagine the experience for myself. Luckily while I was packing for Korea, I made sure to bring my Christmas concert DVD from 2009 when we filmed for PBS. I haven't watched it yet, but I think Christmas eve might be the perfect time. 

I know I will be missing my traditions from home, especially Christmas eve and day. I suppose this is part of growing up right? Making your own traditions or something like that. I will have to see if I can come up with something clever with a Korean flare for this Christmas. Something am taking comfort is the wonderful foreign community here. People will plan things together for Christmas eve/day, so we can be a family for each other during the holiday season. I do not know about other expat communities across Korea, but I have been and will continue to be so thankful for the one I belong to. I run into people I know all around town, and when you enter the bar it is really like "Cheers" where everyone knows your name. 

Well, perhaps I won't be home for Christmas, but I do know that my heart will be "home" with my family sitting around the tree on Christmas eve.

 

An island, a pig, and a bunch of foreigners

What happens when you put 30 foreigners on an island with a giant pig to roast? Well... many, many wonderful things.

This weekend I was invited to go with some people to Namhae. Namhae is an island just a two hour bus ride away.

You can see that Namhae is just west of Changwon, where I live. I met up with a couple people on Saturday at the bus terminal and we were on our way. It was so lovely when we arrived on the island, because the was shining, the ocean smelled lovely, and of course (as per usual in Korea) there were gorgeous mountains to look at. 

We stayed at a pension for the night. A pension is Korean, community style accommodations. This means you will sleep on thin mats on the floors with a small blanket and pillow. I know sleeping on the floor sounds awful, but Koreans have heated floor systems, which make it quite nice to stay on the floor. Also, since there were 30 of us, we had the entire pension to ourselves.

The pension was located right on the ocean with a beautiful view.

Being blessed with a beautiful day like this did not make it feel like December 1st at all. I just stood there on the beach enjoying the sun and taking in what a marvelous experience it was to be there at that moment.

But of course I had to take some pictures...

Just as the sun was beginning to set, the pig arrived and we were ready to grill.  I was so excited to have this roasted pig and just enjoy good company. This weekend was also a potluck, so we all stuffed ourselves with some good home cooking that tasted nothing like Korea. Some of the lovely dishes included: baked beans, potato salad, stuffing, baked ziti, bean salad, pineapple, bananas, pork of all sorts, and apple crisp.

I felt very "new" at this gathering, because most of the people there have lived in Korea for at least a year and many for multiple years. It was interesting to hear their stories of Korea and how it has shaped their lives or what role it played. I especially enjoyed talking with these people about their travels outside of Korea. I left this weekend with an itch to just hop on a plane and see the world right now....

Unfortunately, we woke up Sunday morning to some rain, which motivated us to leave quicker than we expected. By noon we had reached the bus station, bought tickets, and were waiting to return to Changwon. Finally around 3:30 we were back home and ready to relax some more before the week begins. This was when it hit me that Changwon really DOES feel like home. I was looking forward to being in my apartment and cooking dinner. Also, I knew exactly how I would get from the bus stop to my apartment and didn't have to question which bus to take or how I might tell a taxi driver to get to my apartment. I don't think Korea will ever be my true home, but for now it is feeling like a place I can call home.

It's my birthday!

It's official.... I am now 23, which isn't old at all. However, I did get to spend 4 days celebrating! Woo Hoo!

Honestly I wasn't even sure what I would do for my birthday, because it was on a Wednesday and everyone does different things on the weekend. My ideas of a small celebration turned into a marvelous birthday.

Wednesday, my actual birthday, I had some good old fried chicken with my friend Callie. It was such a blessing, because I didn't even have plans for that day, but she called and asked what I was doing. A HUGE thanks to Callie for being a great friend. I am excited to return the favor when her birthday rolls around in March.

Thursday I had two Korean friends from Jinju come and surprise me. It was so much fun! We went out for dinner and then went to see the Changwon Philharmonic play. I had so much just being silly and enjoying my birthday with Fred and Daniel. They are both close to my age, which makes it easy to relate and relax. I am excited to go to Jinju for Daniel's birthday in December. and celebrate with them again.

Friday I went out to eat with Jay, the Korean I do language exchange with, and it was very nice. We also were able to kill two birds with one stone and enjoy dinner while we did the language exchange. It was quite nice!

Saturday was the big celebration! I thought it would be fun to go to Korean style karaoke 노래방 (noraebang). When you go to 노래방 it is not like bar style karaoke in front of strangers. You go to a 노래방 and you get a private room for you and your friends to use. Also, there are couches, food, and drinks to make it very relaxed if you just want to chill and sing some songs. I invited some people and told them to bring their friends, because the more the merrier. It ended up being quite the global celebration with people from ALL over the world. Including: America, Canada, Poland, France, Germany, Russia, England, India, Spain, South Africa, and of course Korea. We spent a rousing 2.5 hours singing and drinking, which was a blast. Then we headed out to the local bars and finished our night there.

All in all, it was a splendid birthday and better than I ever could have imagined. Also, I don't know if I ever wrote about this in my blog before, but I booked my trip to Thailand for New Years :) I will be going to Koh Chang, Thailand for 5 days and I am really excited. Koh Chang means elephant island. There is a mountain in the middle of this island and apparently you can take elephant rides on the mountain... AHH. Anyways it should be quite exciting.

Time to meet some Koreans

Since I have been living in Korea for about 2 months now, one might ask, "Have you made any Korean friends yet?"

I can now say that I have. At first, I though this would be a an easy thing to do since I am living in a country that is home to Koreans. However, my idea of having Korean friends was met with some difficulty. 

First and most obviously, there is a language barrier. Although I know a few Korean phrases, it doesn't make it easy to communicate. I have found that many Koreans know a little English too, but they are SO shy when it comes to using it. Some even apologizing after they speak English saying, "Oh sorry! My English is so bad." Then I remind them their English is quite good, because nearly all the things they are saying in English, I cannot say in Korean.

Second, there is a cultural barrier. I want to learn so much more about Korean culture and simply by living here I have learned a lot. But it doesn't replace interacting with the people and having discussions with them about life around the world.

Luckily, in the past month I have met Koreans brave enough to use their English skills and spend some time with me. The first people I met were Fred (Seung Hun) and Daniel (Changhui). They were friends with other foreigners in Changwon and they helped us around Jinju for the lantern festival. Both guys attend college in Jinju AND it was nice to meet people my age. (I have met foreigners my age but many are a few years older.) These guys have awesome English skills and I am excited to hang out with them in the future.

Fred and I

Daniel (yes he likes to be silly and make jokes)

Next, there is Hojun Kim, an orchestra conductor in Changwon. I met him after a concert I attended in October. He approached me and ask why I was at the concert and I told him I studied music in college and just wanted to enjoy some music. He was so impressed that I had studied music, so he gave me his business card and told me to contact him. I emailed within the week and he was thrilled. One Saturday, we went to a play in a town outside of Changwon and had some dinner. It was so fun to talk with someone about music and to know they understand what you are talking about... and they don't think you are nerdy for knowing those things. He is a funny middle-aged man and I am excited to talk music with him again.

Last, there is Jay Jung, an english teacher. Jay grew up in Changwon, but after college he met a Canadian woman and moved to Canada for 7 or 8 years. Now he is back in Changwon teaching English privately. I met him through some other friends in Changwon, because he was looking for some to do language exchange with. Now we meet 1 or 2 times a week and trade language skills. Since he is fluent in English, I just assist/correct his language when he makes mistakes. I have also helped him learn many American English idioms. In return he helps me to develop my Korean skills, which is great to have! The other day I even used my Korean without even thinking about it, which was so COOL! I was only introducing myself, but it just rolled off my tongue before I even thought about what/how to say it.

There are many others I have met in passing and through school, but these are the ones that I would consider my Korean friends. They also provide such great insight into Korean culture that I would not know without have native friends. 

Also, my birthday is this week and the weather is still in the 50s. WHAT? This would never happen in Minnesota for my birthday. I have decided I am going to take part in a big Korean trend and go to a 노래방 (noraebong). aka: Korean style karaoke. When you got to a noraebong, you get your own room with your friends. You can bring in drinks and food as well. Then you get your own little karaoke party. 

Halloween

I almost forgot about Halloween until a staff meeting at school when the director told us we would have an all day Halloween party at school. YAY! This reminded me of my days of elementary dressing up, playing games, and eating copious amounts of candy. She also said that the students AND teachers would have to dress up all day. I almost wanted to jump up and scream with excitement, but I decided to save that for Halloween.

On the 27th was when I celebrated Halloween outside of school. Numerous bars were having some parties and an extravagant fireworks show was scheduled to happen in Busan that day. My friends and I thought it would be a wonderful way to spend the holiday. Costumes and fireworks! I found a great costume rental shop in town and decided I would be Snow White. 

Snow White, Lumber Jane, and 50s Housewife

(aka Britta, Allie, and Lesley)

That day we met at the bus station to head to Busan. It was nearly pouring rain, but we had heard last year it rained on the fireworks day and they still happened. Although we were suspicious, we decided to go for it and have some fun. Jan, our German friend, also came with us to Busan. The traffic was awful, and a normally 40 minute bus ride was soon an hour and a half. Once in Busan, we hopped on a Subway and headed towards the beach with the fireworks. Just 3 stops away a Korean woman informed us that they fireworks were post-poned until tomorrow. NO! We decided to make the best of it and treat ourselves to a burger and fries at a foreigner bar. 

While in Busan, I was able to see my friend from Concordia Ellen Raaen. She had just arrived in Korea two weeks before Halloween to begin a job similar to mine in Seoul. She had come to Busan for the holiday, I was thrilled to see someone I had known more than a month.

Snow White and Thing 2

(aka Britta and Ellen)

We got a chance to catch up and spend time talking to a friend. I cannot wait to take a couple trips to see her in Seoul.

We ended up going back to Changwon later that night and seeing our local friends in some lovely Halloween costumes.

When the 31st rolled around, it was time for our school party. I was so excited to see all the students dressed up and to spend the day having fun. During the day many games were played as the students travelled from class to class to collect their candy. The majority of costumes were Disney princesses, witches/wizards, ninjas, and superheroes. 

Here is the Lions class (my class) all dressed up for Halloween.

Birthdays were also celebrated during our Halloween party and I had three students with October birthdays, Ben, Sally and Sean.

 Ben, Sally and Sean

Our students left happy and full of candy. I was so pleased to just spend a day relaxing with these kids... After all, they are just kids who like to play.

What is my purpose in Korea?

5 weeks. I have been in Korea 5 weeks... Wow where has the time gone? It feels like yesterday that I was packing frantically to fit my life into two suitcases. Now, I feel like I am still trying to fill those two suitcases by establishing my life here.

The lifestyle here in Korea among foreigners is very unique. We all have finished college and have a degree of sorts. We are teachers and work full-time jobs. However, many refer to this job as fun and not work, which I would agree with. Sometimes teaching these children and living in Korea feel like college with money (an interesting analogy I heard.) 

I have found that this job does not seem like work, but pure fun. Yes, I do have to discipline the kids and grade a few worksheets. The curriculum at my school is already planned out for me so the planning is minimal and I am able to spend my time thinking of ways to make the lesson more fun for my kindergarten class. I think many people would say you should have fun and enjoy your job, which in this case I do. However, I am missing teaching music terribly. We do have music class once a week and I look forward to is with every time. Singing silly songs and playing rhythm instruments make me smile and the kids love it too.

To fill this musical void, I have been attending concerts in the area. A nice benefit of living in Korea is that there are classical music concerts almost every weekend and they are often FREE! I am so thankful that the Koreans appreciate the arts, and make it accessible to all people of all incomes. Last weekend following a concert, a Korean man approached me and asked me about the concert. He asked if I knew anyone performing, and I said I no, I was just there to enjoy the music. Next, I informed him that I studied music in college and enjoy concerts like this very much. He seemed so pleased to hear that I had studied music. He proceeded to give me his business card, told me he was the orchestra director in Masan (neighboring town), and said I should email him. I am not sure what will come of this, but I am hoping it will lead me to opportunities to be involved more musically here in Korea.

Overall, school is going well and I truly love these cute kids. They like to be silly and laugh just like me... YAY! Also, this weekend I bought a guitar from a girl who was selling her. I have gained one musical outlet and I couldn't be happier. Also, if anyone feels so inspired to write me a letter, I would LOVE the mail and definitely write back. My address is:

Britta Fitzer

642-832 Gyeongsan Namdo, Changwon-si, Sangnam dong

10-3 Sangwan Building 4F

Poly Language Institute

It is written a little backwards from American addresses with the state, city, neighborhood first, THEN the physical building address.

If you have any questions about life here please write a comment and I would be more than happy to respond. Thanks for taking a couple minutes out of your life to read about my day!

Love,

Britta

Finding Community

Since I have been in Changwon many foreigners have told me the foreign community is very close here and they were right. It has been so nice to have people who I can meet easily and be able to make new friends. What started all of this is my co-workers. I have been SO blessed to have 6 co-workers to start my friends circle. I ask them questions all the time about the city, getting places, and other Korean life things. Through them I was able to meet some of their friends AND then I found out that Facebook is where many connections are made.

In the states I used Facebook to connect, but mainly with those whom I already knew. However, when in Changwon, foreigners use Facebook to connect with those they know and don't know. There are at least 4 or 5 groups I have joined targeted at people living in my city and area. One for sports and activities, another for expats, one for shopping and swapping items, and the list continues. At first I found this to be quite odd, but now I realized that it is how people meet new people in Changwon. Yes I have gone places and met new people there, but where did I hear about these people and events... Facebook. Wow! I never thought it would play an even larger role in my life, but now it does.

Now that I have built a small friend base I am able to do more things! This past week was such a blast for me, because I met lots of new people and felt like I actually had a social life here... YAY!! 

Tuesday night I went for a night hike with some ladies. It was fun to see another part of the city I hadn't been to before and to get some exercise. We did a shorter hike of about 2 hours round trip and it was so much fun. We had great conversations about traveling the world, teaching, and life. I am excited because this same group of ladies is going to go hiking this week again and I plan on going!

Wednesday I met LOTS of new faces and played games. There is a cafe where many foreigners meet to play board games and card games once a week. I figured I would go and again, meet some new people. I learned two new card games that night: Set and Halli Galli (spelling?). Apparently I chose a good night to attend as well, because there were about 30 people there and we filled the entire cafe.

Thursday I went to play ultimate frisbee with some people and had a blast. This is the second time I played with them and it was great. I had never played or tried to play ultimate frisbee before, but I really enjoy it and more group associated exercise, which I LOVE!! 

Friday night I had quite the evening with some Europeans. A German, French, and two Russians. I found out that Changwon has a Philharmonic orchestra and they concerts are almost always free. Friday they played a lovely set of romantic music including: Tschaikovsky's Overture to Romeo and Juliet, Bruch's Violin Concerto No. 2 in D minor, and Prokofiev's Romeo and Juliet. Hearing an orchestra again made me feel like I was back at Concordia listening to lovely concerts. Following the concert we went to get some dinner and coffee. Finally we ended up at one of the foreigner bars just sitting, drinking, and talking. A simply splendid night!

Saturday I traveled with about a dozen people to Jinju for their lantern festival. It had been going on for two weeks now and I was very excited to go. Numerous people told me it was beautiful and that I must see it. We took an hour bus ride there and spent the day walking around and learning about the lanterns and the city of Jinju. There is a fortress there that is famous, because a battle against the Japanese in 1592 was fought here. The Koreans defeated the Japanese after 6 days. This is considered to be the establishment of Korea's military defense system. All over this fortress and along the river were large extravagant lanterns. Some I would almost call them sculptures, but lanterns none the less. Once night fell seeing them lit up was a lovely sight. It was like they came to life and sparkled in the night. 

These are the lanterns on the river.

While in Jinju, I met two Koreans who were friends with other people in the group I was with. I was so happy to finally meet some Koreans and talk to them, because it is hard to meet some willing to speak English and not be shy. You find that many Koreans will not use their English skills even when they have them. Most of the time their English skills are very good but you don't get the chance to find out because they are worried they will speak incorrectly. The two guys we met are just about to finish college. They were so nice and helpful taking us around the festival.

My life continues to grow each day I am here and now I beginning to feel like Changwon is a place I will call home. I am still working and praying to find out what God has in store for me here, but I know he will make his plans clear sometime... I just need to be patient.

Chuseok and Church

Recently I had a 5 day break from school for Chuseok, Korean Thanksgiving. I found out that this is one of the biggest Korean holidays and nearly everyone will spend it with their families. Koreans get together to celebrate their ancestors during this holiday. Families will visit the graves/tombs of their deceased family members and bow to them giving thanks for their lives. It didn't know a lot about this holiday until I read my students journals, where they discussed their Chuseok traditions.

Since I haven't been here long I was worried that this could be a very boring break from school, however I was able to find things to do. I made friends with some Russian girls studying Korean at the university in town and went out with them. I had a good time getting more acquainted with Changwon and meeting new people. Saturday (Sept. 29) I took a bus to Busan, which is the nearest large city in Korea. Here I met up with another teacher from the states, Callie. We spent the day exploring Busan and especially the beach. Haeundae beach is very popular and a lovely beach. It sits on the far west side of the city and is a huge attraction for Koreans and foreigners alike. Even though it was the end of September, I should have brought my swimsuit, because it was a beautiful day to be sitting in the sand. Callie and I also went to a couple other areas of town and met many new people. It was so nice to have a mini getaway and for a good price. I can buy a bus ticket to Busan for $3.25 and then ride the subway for about 97cents a ride. Have I mentioned how much I love public transportation here?

Once I was back in Changwon, I met up with a guy from the neighboring city of Masan. He showed me a great little island to go hiking at called Juh Doh. While taking the bus there, the scenery reminded me of driving to my grandparents house north of Puget Sound in Washington. It felt like a little taste of home and I loved it. The day of hiking was so beautiful and exhausting, but definitely worth it.

The other days of break I used to explore Changwon, meet some new people, and do laundry for the first time. I was a little worried about using my washing machine with buttons all in Korean. However, after watching a few YouTube videos and reading a couple websites I was able to wash my clothes on a standard cold wash cycle. 

I have been able to attend church twice now since I have been in Korea. I have attended a church called Hanbit International Christian Fellowship. They are a satellite congregation of Korean church in town and were very welcoming. The congregation frequently does things together and it seems like a very nice community. However, the service/worship style is not quite what I am used to and I have found it hard to focus the while at church there. Worship begins with almost 30 of standing and singing, which is nice because I love the music but it does get long standing and singing for that time straight through. Then there is a reading and then the message. I don't know about anyone else, but growing up as a Midwest Lutheran, I am used to sermons being 10-15 minutes in length. At this church it is normal to have a sermon be 30-45 minutes in length. AH! Also, the sermons are not written with anecdotes or stories I can relate to, they are taking the reading of the day verse by verse and reiterating it. 

It is hard to tell if God is calling me to worship here or challenging me to try and embrace another worship style. What I do know is that it is something that will take a lot of getting used to. I am happy to say that they are in need of musicians to help with worship and I volunteered my talents. FINALLY, a musical outlet that I have been looking for. I will be able to play piano and sing with their worship band, which will be a joy. I am thinking this will also make worship more exciting and engaging by being a part of the music.

On the whole life is going really well here in Changwon. I am excited to have started building a friend base and to know that it will only grow from here on out. I am also looking forward to traveling around Korea and Southeast Asia more! All in all, it finally hit me what a blessing this is to be living and teaching in another country! I was sitting in my apartment and the light bulb went off, Britta you have been provided with an awesome opportunity to use the gifts God has given you and share them with the people of Korea. How amazing!

You know you're in Korea when...

I am going to devote this blog post to some Korean cultural aspects of my life here. Some seem silly and others not but I hope this helps give you a small taste of my life on a day to day basis.

Food.
        Spicy food: Eating spicy food is an everyday part of life. Koreans use red pepper and red pepper paste in many dishes and you simply cannot avoid it. For someone like me who does not do well with spicy this has been difficult, however, I just gather up so courage and go for it. I figure the Koreans do it all the time and I should try to adjust. 

       Rice: Rice is a staple food here in Korea as it is in many parts all over the world. It is actually funny to think it is not a staple dish in the USA, but I guess we missed the bandwagon on that one.


Public transportation.
        Koreans have an extremely well developed public transit system. Taking buses, taxis, and subways is a normal part of everyday life. It is also easy accessible and affordable for all. I myself have utilized all of those forms of transportation in my 2 and a half weeks here.

Bathrooms.
       All bathrooms in Korean homes have one drain in the middle of bathroom floor for all of the water to drain.... from your shower! That's right folks, the water from your shower isn't contained in a bathtub but rather it flows freely on the floor to the drain. I am still having trouble getting used to the fact that I must wear flip-flops after I shower and squeegee the floor too. Also, Koreans don't flush toilet paper, rather you place your used tissue into a trash bin the in bathroom. I am not sure why, but I suppose in an effort to keep drains cleaner?

Greeting people.
      Upon entering most business establishments you can expect to be greeted with a hello and a slight bow of the head. At first it is a little shocking but now I have become used to it and like it. How nice that when you enter somewhere to do business they welcome you.

Convenience stores.
      On any given corner you can find a convenience store for your on the go needs. The common ones are 7-eleven, GS 25, and Family mart. Any one on choir tour can tell you that we prefer GS 25 but they are all kept very nice and clean, unlike some in the USA.

Staring.
     Koreans may just decide to stare at you and you just have to deal with it. I have found it is not an insult or that you are so repulsing they can only look at you, but rather the fact that Koreans as a whole look very similar. Where as Westerners do not all look the same and Koreans are just "checking you out."

Cell Phones.
    If you thought Americans loved their phones and technology.... Koreans are 100x worse than Americans. It is common to see people walking with headphones in their ears and staring at their phones. Just oblivious to the fact that they might run into someone, because they are absorbed in their phones.

Coffee shops and French Pastries.
    Koreans have a strange obsession with espresso drinks and french pastries. These little shops are all over and Koreans will always be there. The only downside of this to an American is that finding actually brewed coffee is near impossible. However, these pastries are quite delicious and very affordable.



These are just a few of the things I have noticed and I know there are many more. I hoped you enjoyed a little taste of Korean life.

Love,
Britta

Britta Teacher

Teaching elementary general classes is a a lot of work! I have to give a shout out to all my friends and family who do this, because it takes so much planning and patience. My first day of solo teaching was a little rough, but as this week has continued my teaching has become better. I am not sure why but I do very well with classroom management and discipline of 6 year olds. I am even able to get the rowdy class to sit quietly and listen to my lessons. Also, the vice director at my school watched me teach a couple classes and told me that my discipline was very good. :)

Today we went on our monthly field trip that the entire school takes. We visited Gimhae traditional village, which is home to some traditional Korean homes. There we explored the homes, a museum, and made rice cakes.

Here are two students mashing the rice to make cakes.

The students had a blast walking around the village and especially helping to smash the rice for the rice cakes. I really enjoyed taking the students outside of the classroom, because then I get to see them relax and just enjoy themselves.

Wednesday night two female teachers at my school threw a ladies night get together. We had wine, cheese, bruschetta, and edamame beans. It was so nice to just hang out with some ladies and enjoy each others company. I was also able to meet 4 other ladies who teach at another private school. Slowly but surely my friend circle is expanding here and it is exciting!! I had volunteered to bring dessert for us but was stumped on what to make since we don't have ovens in our apartments. After googling a few things I came across a recipe for apple crisp in the microwave. Granted it wasn't super "crisp" but it tasted like fall and home. Yum!

This weekend I have a 5 day break from school for the Korean Thanksgiving, Chuseok. Since I have only been here 2 weeks it didn't leave me much time to plan. However, I plan to do some more decorating in my apartment, exploring Changwon, and hiking. I was told there are many great hiking trails around the city so on Sunday I am going to hike with another American teacher and hopefully get some great pictures taken.

This transition to life as a foreigner has proved to be more mentally difficult than I expected, but everyday God continues to bring new things into my life that make me happy to be here!

Here is the Lions class I teach. They are 6 year olds.

Happy Chuseok!

Britta

Getting Settled

I have officially been in Changwon for one week now, but oddly enough, it feels like I have been here for ages. I am not sure if it's because I was in Korea before or if the adjustment is so large that it's consuming my mind?

School has been great and tomorrow I start teaching... AHH!! I am both excited and nervous to take over this class, because it will be totally new for me. However, there are lots of teachers (English and Korean) to help me and answer my questions. All of the English teachers went out for dinner Friday after school and it was so nice to just relax and chat with them. We went to a Korean BBQ restaurant, which was delicious. During our conversation that night, I found out that all these teachers are very well traveled and it seems like together we conquered the world. Wow!

Saturday some of the English and Korean teachers (including myself) traveled to Incheon for teacher workshops. Our workshops were held at a large convention center with hundreds of Poly School teachers from all over the country. I attended 5 sessions during the day, and was able to learn copious amounts of information about Poly Schools. I was so thankful for this, because it made me feel much more prepared about heading into my first week of teaching. Also, this workshop was very extravagant for a one day event. However, I viewed it as a thank you to all the teachers... and maybe a little bit of flaunting the money the school has. Poly Schools have very expensive tuition and only rich families can afford to attend.

Today (Sunday), I attended church with two others teachers from my school. It was almost weird going to an English church service. I really enjoyed meeting many more expats who are here in Changwon. Finally this afternoon I was able to buy groceries, unpack, and Skype with Marta for 3 hours. Now as I am about to head to bed, I am beginning to feel settled here in Korea and realizing what a blessing this year will be. 

Both of these pictures are the views from my two apartments windows. 

What am I teaching?

Before I left many of you had been asking questions, such as: what will you be teaching? What is the school year like? Do you get vacation time? What is the school day like? Do you know the curriculum? Today I was extremely thankful to have a meeting with the vice director of the school, and she went through and explained the teaching manual to me. I was SOOO happy to see my prayers had been answered. Last night I felt lost and confused as to what I was supposed to be doing here as a teacher, but after this meeting it is much more clear.

My kindergarten schedule looks something like this:

9:00-9:40- Morning Prep

9:40-12:00 - three 40 minute periods with 10 minute breaks in between

12:00-12:40- LUNCH

12:40-2:10 - two 40 minute periods with 10 minute breaks

2:10-3:00 - Afternoon Prep

During the afternoon/evening is when the older and more advanced students come to the school. These past two afternoons I have been observing other teachers classes. My afternoon/evening schedule is yet to be decided by the director and vice director of the school, which makes me a little nervous since I take over classes on Monday... yikes!

My official title is English teacher, which includes teaching: reading, writing, speech, social studies, phonics, grammar, music, art, and vocabulary. I was so happy to hear I would be able to teach music as well :) 

The school year for my school is year-round, because it is a private school. The new school year starts in March and second semester starts in September. We get breaks for Korean holidays as well as 2 weeks of paid vacation time. Chuseok, Korean Thanksgiving, is coming up very soon on the weekend of September 30th. We get a three day weekend, which I guess I could plan something fun for that weekend. Also, today I found out our weeks of vacation are scheduled, because the whole school is closed. Christmas break will be from December 29-January 6.

Alright, last but certainly not least is the curriculum. Korea Poly School has many sister schools all over Korea and the curriculum is same among all the schools. This means that all of the material I need to cover in a month is predetermined, and all I have to do is fit that information into each month.

Again, it seems I have blabbed quite a bit about school, but I learned so much today it is hard not to share. In completely unrelated news, I have my Korean cell phone, which is this small pink thing and has a stylus.

The Longest Two Days

I have now been in Changwon for 48 hours and what a whirlwind it has been. My day of traveling went well and my coordinator was there waiting for me with a sign that read "Britta." After a 30 minute drive from Busan to Changwon, I was dropped off at a hotel, because my apartment would not be ready until Saturday. I was able to quick change out of my flying clothes and into pajamas for bedtime.

Monday morning I was able to sleep in a little due to our half school day, but that quickly turned into an entire day off, because there was a typhoon which hit all of South Korea. It was my first encounter with a typhoon and boy was it crazy. Rain poured like I had never seen before and the wind was so strong I lost my footing a few times while I was out in the city. I was blessed to have an American teacher, Allison, from my school to take me out to lunch and show me around town a little bit. We went to a typical Korean restaurant with the grills in the middle of the table. She did the ordering and I proceeded to ask her numerous questions about town, school, and her experiences in Korea. When the server came back to the table and began cooking lunch on the grill, I noticed there was lots of red pepper paste, which is VERY spicy. That was when I decided I will eat all the spicy food, even if it kills me, because I live in Korea and this is what Koreans eat. HA!

Tuesday (9/18), I got to spend my first full day at school. I spent most of the day observing Allison's kindergarten class, because I will be taking over for her class on Monday. As I was just beginning my day of observation, Victoria (school director), took me to get a health check so I can get my alien resident card. I got back to school just after lunch and was able to see some afternoon and evening classes. I know that the observation will help me in the future teaching here, but gosh was it just tiring to sit and not participate.

One plus side of being new is that the students just love to come up to you and stare a little bit before asking, "Teacher, what's your name?" These kids are some of the cutest kids I have ever seen. I am sure if it's because they are young, silly kids or beautiful Korean children.... perhaps both. The kindergarten class I have is called the lions and boy do they live up to the name. My class is very loud and energetic, which will be a good fit for my personality and teaching style. 

Here is a few fun facts about my school:

-Korea Poly School

-English immersion school beginning at age 4

-12 maximum per class

-Chain of schools all over Korea under the same name

Although it has only been two days, it feels like I have been here much longer. I am eager to get more settled by moving into my apartment and to actually take over the class I will be teaching. I am also eager to get to know more people in Changwon, because for a social person like myself, not having friends nearby is a strange and uncomfortable feeling for someone outgoing and social like myself.

Ok, I think I have written enough for now and will have lots more to say once I become more accustomed to life here. 

사랑 (pronounced: sarang, which means love)

Britta

Packing for a year.. AH

What started out as a far off dream last March is now a reality. I am going to be teaching English in Changwon, South Korea for the next year. WOW! My visa is here and plane ticket booked to leave from the Fargo airport at 6am Saturday morning. These past two weeks have been a whirlwind of events with the interview, signing a contract, applying for a visa, and... packing! I have spent the past 24 hours trying to put as many clothes and shoes into two 50lbs suitcases. It has proven to be a difficult task, but I am sure I will figure it out somehow.

My leave time is less than 48 hours away and my mind is rushing with thoughts. i.e. What will my apartment be like? Do Korean children behave well in school? How will I learn this new language? What will I do without my closest friends for a year? However, I have been taking moments to stop, breathe, and remind myself that God has a plan and will provide no matter what side of the Pacific Ocean I am on.

I suppose I can tell you a little bit more about my school and city I will be in. Changwon is a city located in the Southern part of Korea right next to the coast.

The population is a little over a million, which for Korean cities is actually small. i.e. Seoul area is 36 million. The city was a planned city established during the 1970s and is a huge manufacturing center. I will be teaching at Poly Language Institute, more commonly known as Korea Poly Schools. They have many campuses around the country and hire lots of foreign teachers to teach English. I will have 5 sections of 7 year olds, which in Korea is still part of Kindergarten. At my school the maximum number of students in a class is 12... 12! I am excited to have such small classes and build great relationships with my students.

Changwon, South Korea

I am eager to find and hopefully join a choir while I am there, and I have found a choral school in the neighboring town, Busan, whom hopefully can help me figure that out.

This year is sure to be a roller coaster ride of adventures and I cannot wait to see how God will work through me to teach those darling Korean children. Oh and one more thing... I won't exactly be alone in this endeavor, because I know 4 other Concordia grads who are teaching English in Korea this year too! Perhaps we will have to have an American Christmas in Korea.


안녕히 가세요 (Goodbye)
Britta