week 1: arriving

well, world. i made it to korea. i can hardly believe that it's been a week. time is a funny thing; i feel as though i just arrived, but i also feel as though i've been here for months.

the departure and travel were not without tears and frustration, which is unusual for me, the world traveler that i am. in all the years that i have left home and country to travel and live for various amounts of time, i have never struggled leaving home like i did this time. many prayers were offered by me and for me, and somehow, i managed to fall asleep on the plane. this was a miracle and a much needed blessing.

my life in suitcases...just how i always imagined it.

not bad after a 20 hour travel day.

goodbye mr. washington...hello korean figure heads i don't know.

i kept one, just to have a piece of home.

hanging out in the incheon airport in seoul. waiting on mr. kim.

my first korean angel. mr. kim (one of many) picked me up at the airport and put me on a bus. he was so nice. made my first moments outside of the airport quite reassuring.

on the bus ride from seoul to mokpo (about 4.5 hours), i found myself forgetting that korea was an unfamiliar place. in moments, korea already felt like home, particularly when i saw the sea. i knew, instantly, that i would be just fine.

bus ride pics:












my first look at mokpo:

my transition from that point to this has been mostly seamless, despite being ridiculously sick and spending hours and hours and hours and hours cleaning my apartment that still isn't clean. i meant to take more pictures of the grossness of my apartment (which has a mold problem that i have a feeling i will be battling for a year), but it was so gross that i didn't want to stop cleaning in order to take pics. unfortunately, these few pictures do not tell the story well. alas, they're all i have:

bathroom floor under washing machine. sick.

bathroom door...before.

bathroom door...after.

other than cleaning every surface with chemical products that, i'm sure, have done lasting damage to my body, i met some pretty cool people my first week in korea. the teacher who i replaced at the school stayed in korea for a week, and introduced me to the city. on sunday (september 18th), i went to lunch with a slew of english teachers from the states, england, south africa and canada. one of these teachers, lindsey, works at my sister middle school. she lives in the building, and we walk to and from school together every day. having her around has made for a much easier transition.

my first week at school was filled with giggly girls that were wowed by pictures of my family, friends, car, and house. they would all sigh in unison, awww, at pictures of ryder, thought maiyah was the most beautiful american they had ever seen, and peppered me with questions about my love life. i laughed the whole week. one of the english teachers told me that having a social life here is crucial to being happy. he said that he wanted to help me meet people so that i will like it here and want to stay. most of the teachers tolerate their jobs for the experience. honestly, i'd stay here just for the job. it's my favorite part of the korean experience thus far. i love these girls (all 700+ of them), and i'm excited to spend a year teaching them.

the girls in one class had made me a welcome sign when i walked in...i love them.

tangerine peel she put in her hair to look like a flower. (also a good example of what all of my classrooms look like).

that is a picture of me that this girl drew for my first day in her class. presh.

super awesome cup...made to look like a camera lens. even more awesome, shy korean high school girl, nervous about getting her picture taken.

how it works: i teach all the girls in a privatized public high school. it's actually a christian school, which i kinda dig. there are familiar (subject not artist) paintings of christ's life all over the school. makes me feel at home. so, the school has 3 grades (1, 2, and 3) (essentially sophmore, junior and senior). the classes have about 30 girls each. i teach each class once a week, 5 classes a day. it's a lot of talking, a lot of teaching and a lot of girls. but, i love it.

my desk at work

here's to a beginning a new adventure!!