For the first time ever, I am blogging from inside the school. For some reason I could not get it to log on to the blog before today. Oh well, here I am.
Updates to your burning questions:
1. Yes, my hot water was fixed again. Terry, the school's vice president, said if it happens again, he will take me with him to show me how it works. I wish he had taken me with him today in case it happens over the weekend.
That's because ...
I just found out that we get Monday AND Tuesday off. I thought it was just Monday, but thankfully we get the extra day as well. It's nice to get here and immediately have a vacation. Maybe I can catch up on all the sleep I need. Although I highly doubt that will be the result.
As far as cable and internet goes ... I was supposed to have internet yesterday but found myself still forced to steal it. I was told today that cable is now installed and ready to go. All that is left is a cell phone and a bank account.
I've had a few hours to kill tonight at work since My last class ended at 6 p.m., but I can't leave until 9:05 p.m. That's sort of a bummer, but I can deal with it. I look at it this way: I now have three hours to study Korean on Friday if I want. I spent about an hour and a half studying tonight, then we all went to eat dinner.
It sounds like four of the six Korean teachers are having a ladies' night out and going dancing somewhere. If only they knew of my robot. They wouldn't have cared that I'm a dude and invited me for sure. Of course, they might have left without human Aaron, because all they will see is the cyborg that I become when I start my super dance machine body.
On the downside, it doesn't sound like there are many (or rather any) places in Korea that play 80s American/British pop music. So Belvedere's in Pittsburgh has no competition over here. It's just as well, I suppose. I will need to find some creative outlet on Thursdays that is the equivalent of drinking a lot of cheap beer and dancing to 80s tunes with goth-like kids.
Not to bore you, but some of my non-exciting plans this weekend include buying an extra pillow or two, buying an extra towel or two and doing a load of laundry. I know the laundry thing isn't exciting for you readers, but when you can't read Korean, it's an adventure any time I put a load in.
Besides the day off, one of the perks of a Korean holiday is that, at my school, the boss always gets the teachers a gift. Mr. No got us all a box of pears. Nothing wrong with a box of fresh fruit. I asked if I am supposed to get him something and the other teachers just kind of laughed. I guess the giving doesn't necessarily go both ways.
On top of that generosity, the teachers continue to be very supportive and welcoming. Tonight during dinner, a group of them came in with some rice/veggie/seaweed rolls and some other stuff of which I don't even remember the name. They all were very forward in offering it to me, and still get a kick out of the fact that I insist on using chopsticks because, I tell them, "I need to practice."
That's it for now. One hour to prepare myself for my first holiday weekend. I'll try to add pictures throughout the entire weekend, so keep checking back. To my family in Pittsburgh: Get well soon! And to my family getting together in Masury on Sunday: Have fun!!!
Friday, September 12, 2008
Thursday, September 11, 2008
One Week Down, 51 To Go
It's Friday over here and I only have three more classes for the week. It's been really good so far, even with a few minor snags.
I woke up Wednesday morning to find that my hot water was not working. Chris and I told the people at the school, because his also was only sending out cool. Fortunately, they got it fixed Thursday evening, so I only took a couple of cold showers.
I finally figured out my stove and washing machine as well, sort of. I think only one burned on the stove works, but I doubt I'll use it that much anyway. The washing machine is all in Korean, so I just played around and I think I produced one successful load of clothing.
Other than that, things have really been a whirlwind.
Teaching has continued to go well. The kids are pretty good with their speaking, for the most part. They are all fascinated by me as a person. The younger kids want to rub my arms because of my arm hair. They especially LOVE my beard.
They all want to touch it and then laugh because they've never felt anything like it before. In one class, the students were playing a game where they were drawing on the board, and the student actually drew a beard. So the kids all yelled, "Teacher's face!"
Also, the students are very creative when it comes to their American nicknames. I have taught a Unicorn, brothers named Lion and Tiger, and a class last night with students who called themselves Baskin, Robbins, Cinderella, Rapunzel and Tigger.
The fun thing to realize is that kids are pretty much the same everywhere. I do feel bad for them because they go to school all day and then have to come to the academy at night. They all look very tired. I can understand when they don't want to work. I try to get through the lessons and then we can chat a little. It is beneficial for them just to have the conversation, so that is okay to do.
The nice thing about this weekend is that we get Monday and Tuesday off because it is the national holiday of Ch'usok, which is seen as the second most important holiday in Korea. It is a thanksgiving festival where they all pay respects to their ancestors.
That also means that the westerners all have big weekend plans. We are going to see Incheon's SK Wyverns baseball team Saturday, followed by a trip to the beach Sunday.
As far as going out goes, however, the week of work doesn't make much of a difference. As I said before, most people simply work from 2 to 9 p.m., then go out until 2 a.m., then go to sleep until noon. Then the cycle starts over. There's very little downtime, but that is simply how they do it here.
On Monday I went out with one of the Korean teachers, Cindy. We went to an American-style bar in my neighborhood. It had big statues of Elvis, the Blues Brothers, cowboys and Indians. I asked if this is how they though of America, and she said that they were all American symbols. It still made me laugh.
The cool part was that they brought out pitcher of beer and it was smoking from the spout. They put dry ice tablets in it to make it do that. It was really cool.
Tuesday, I went out again with Cindy. This time, Chris came along, as well as two of the other Korean teachers, Vicky and Ally. We went to Incheon Harbor University, which is right up the road from our neighborhood.
We went to a Korean-style Hof and ordered a big thing of beer that came out in a giant, metal soccer ball. It was so great. Of course I didn't have my camera with me.
After we got fairly polished-off there, we went to a singing room. It's karaoke, only you're in your own private room. I cut my chops in places like the huge Franklin VFW, and the Jai-alai in Sharon. This was just Chris, Cindy, Vicky and me in a tiny little closet of a space.
Cindy and Vicky were pretty good singers, even though the songs they picked were either Korean, or Avril Lavigne. I guess I didn't understand any of their choices.
I sang some songs too, but none of the ones I wanted. The American list of songs was pretty low. I couldn't find any good Meatloaf or Neil Diamond. I did do a little Elvis at least.
Wednesday was a night with the boys club known as the western teachers. I went to Dan's. Chris and I, along with another American named Mike, went to Dan's neighborhood to watch the North Korea versus South Korea World Cup qualifier. I wore my South Korea jersey that my coworkers so generously got for me. Surprisingly, I was the only one there showing national pride. Go figure, the American is the only one wearing the jersey.
Thursday after school I met up with James Choi, the Korean recruiter who brought me over here. He took me out for a beer and a meal that was a noodle dish with little octopus tentacles in it. It wasn't too bad.
That brings us to today. I'm sure I'm leaving things out, and will add them in whenever I think of them. I will have my camera out this weekend, so look for picture updates.
Like I said, it's all happening so fast. I'm just trying to keep up.
I woke up Wednesday morning to find that my hot water was not working. Chris and I told the people at the school, because his also was only sending out cool. Fortunately, they got it fixed Thursday evening, so I only took a couple of cold showers.
I finally figured out my stove and washing machine as well, sort of. I think only one burned on the stove works, but I doubt I'll use it that much anyway. The washing machine is all in Korean, so I just played around and I think I produced one successful load of clothing.
Other than that, things have really been a whirlwind.
Teaching has continued to go well. The kids are pretty good with their speaking, for the most part. They are all fascinated by me as a person. The younger kids want to rub my arms because of my arm hair. They especially LOVE my beard.
They all want to touch it and then laugh because they've never felt anything like it before. In one class, the students were playing a game where they were drawing on the board, and the student actually drew a beard. So the kids all yelled, "Teacher's face!"
Also, the students are very creative when it comes to their American nicknames. I have taught a Unicorn, brothers named Lion and Tiger, and a class last night with students who called themselves Baskin, Robbins, Cinderella, Rapunzel and Tigger.
The fun thing to realize is that kids are pretty much the same everywhere. I do feel bad for them because they go to school all day and then have to come to the academy at night. They all look very tired. I can understand when they don't want to work. I try to get through the lessons and then we can chat a little. It is beneficial for them just to have the conversation, so that is okay to do.
The nice thing about this weekend is that we get Monday and Tuesday off because it is the national holiday of Ch'usok, which is seen as the second most important holiday in Korea. It is a thanksgiving festival where they all pay respects to their ancestors.
That also means that the westerners all have big weekend plans. We are going to see Incheon's SK Wyverns baseball team Saturday, followed by a trip to the beach Sunday.
As far as going out goes, however, the week of work doesn't make much of a difference. As I said before, most people simply work from 2 to 9 p.m., then go out until 2 a.m., then go to sleep until noon. Then the cycle starts over. There's very little downtime, but that is simply how they do it here.
On Monday I went out with one of the Korean teachers, Cindy. We went to an American-style bar in my neighborhood. It had big statues of Elvis, the Blues Brothers, cowboys and Indians. I asked if this is how they though of America, and she said that they were all American symbols. It still made me laugh.
The cool part was that they brought out pitcher of beer and it was smoking from the spout. They put dry ice tablets in it to make it do that. It was really cool.
Tuesday, I went out again with Cindy. This time, Chris came along, as well as two of the other Korean teachers, Vicky and Ally. We went to Incheon Harbor University, which is right up the road from our neighborhood.
We went to a Korean-style Hof and ordered a big thing of beer that came out in a giant, metal soccer ball. It was so great. Of course I didn't have my camera with me.
After we got fairly polished-off there, we went to a singing room. It's karaoke, only you're in your own private room. I cut my chops in places like the huge Franklin VFW, and the Jai-alai in Sharon. This was just Chris, Cindy, Vicky and me in a tiny little closet of a space.
Cindy and Vicky were pretty good singers, even though the songs they picked were either Korean, or Avril Lavigne. I guess I didn't understand any of their choices.
I sang some songs too, but none of the ones I wanted. The American list of songs was pretty low. I couldn't find any good Meatloaf or Neil Diamond. I did do a little Elvis at least.
Wednesday was a night with the boys club known as the western teachers. I went to Dan's. Chris and I, along with another American named Mike, went to Dan's neighborhood to watch the North Korea versus South Korea World Cup qualifier. I wore my South Korea jersey that my coworkers so generously got for me. Surprisingly, I was the only one there showing national pride. Go figure, the American is the only one wearing the jersey.
Thursday after school I met up with James Choi, the Korean recruiter who brought me over here. He took me out for a beer and a meal that was a noodle dish with little octopus tentacles in it. It wasn't too bad.
That brings us to today. I'm sure I'm leaving things out, and will add them in whenever I think of them. I will have my camera out this weekend, so look for picture updates.
Like I said, it's all happening so fast. I'm just trying to keep up.
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
Two Days of Teaching Behind Me
It's hard to really gauge my teaching career so far after only two days of classes. After all, I still have three more days to go just in my first week.
If the rest of my time goes like my first two days though, the teaching part of this experience should be decent. Out of my 11 classes so far, only one was a miserable experience because a couple of the kids were really rude. It was a class with some 12 and 13 year-old kids.
I've also had some really great classes where the students' comprehension level of English was very advanced, making it easy not only to do the lesson, but also to have conversations with them. There were, of course, some classes that fell in between, where the level of comprehension was incredibly low, making the lessons much more difficult.
Unexpectedly, I had zero training here before I started. On day one, I went into my first class with my lesson workbook in hand and preceded to teach. Their thinking is that I've had 25 years of "training."
For some of the younger classes, our goal is to have discussions and conversation. For the older students, we have to focus on writing. The writing is obviously a harder skill to teach. Many of the kids have enough speaking skills that they could survive speaking English, but their writing is very poor. That's just how language works. I know that from my years of studying German.
The schedule at the school is classes begin at 2 p.m. and end at 9:05 p.m. The foreign teachers (me and my colleague and friend, Chris) are expected there by 1:30 p.m. at the latest to prepare for our first class. I have been going at 1 p.m. the first two days, but once I get into a routine, it won't be necessary.
Class are 50 minutes each, so we have 10 minutes between periods to prepare or rest if necessary. From 6:50 to 7:15 p.m. there is a short break for us to eat or relax. The school provides us with lunch and dinner, which is very nice. It's typical Korean food with various kimchi, pork, rice and noodles. We also had curry on Tuesday. It's certainly more than enough to replenish me.
I only have four classes today, which is very nice. The only downside is that I can't leave when my last class finished at 6 p.m. I have to stay there until the end of the day at 9:05 p.m. It is still a little rest from speaking and entertaining all day, though.
The most fun so far about teaching is probably the fascination that the kids have with me as a new American in the school. They all ask how old I am and if I have a girlfriend. And a favorite saying is to tell Chris and I that we have Beckham hair, because they all know David Beckham. The kids love it that I have a beard, too. In one class, they were drawing on the board, and a student actually drew a beard. They all got a kick out of it. So did I.
Besides Chris and me, there are only two other male adults at the school. Mr. No is the president, but is not there all the time. Terry is the vice president and teaches two classes a day as well. Other than that, it is six Korean women. The Koreans teach grammar, sentence structure and things like that. They teach the technical side of the language.
It is the job of guys like Chris and me to give the kids a true speaking experience so they can use what they have learned from their Korean teachers.
All the teachers have been very welcoming so far. I went out Monday night with Cindy and Tuesday with Chris as well as Cindy, Ally and Vicky. It seems the lifestyle here is to go to work from 2 to 9 p.m., go out until 2 a.m., go to sleep until noon, then do it all over again.
I'm just fine with that, but am still adjusting from the plane ride, so I haven't been able to fully recharge yet. I'm sure I'll get the chance soon enough. There is a holiday this weekend so we get Monday off. It is the perfect time for a break after arriving here.
That is it for now in the teaching area. I'll add a post later today about going out the last two nights. I do want to add that Chris has been extremely helpful so far. I'm fortunate to come to a school with another American who could show me the ropes. None of the Koreans really do that for you when it comes to getting you ready for the classroom. Thanks so much, Chris!
Check back later for my nightlife adventures over the past two days.
If the rest of my time goes like my first two days though, the teaching part of this experience should be decent. Out of my 11 classes so far, only one was a miserable experience because a couple of the kids were really rude. It was a class with some 12 and 13 year-old kids.
I've also had some really great classes where the students' comprehension level of English was very advanced, making it easy not only to do the lesson, but also to have conversations with them. There were, of course, some classes that fell in between, where the level of comprehension was incredibly low, making the lessons much more difficult.
Unexpectedly, I had zero training here before I started. On day one, I went into my first class with my lesson workbook in hand and preceded to teach. Their thinking is that I've had 25 years of "training."
For some of the younger classes, our goal is to have discussions and conversation. For the older students, we have to focus on writing. The writing is obviously a harder skill to teach. Many of the kids have enough speaking skills that they could survive speaking English, but their writing is very poor. That's just how language works. I know that from my years of studying German.
The schedule at the school is classes begin at 2 p.m. and end at 9:05 p.m. The foreign teachers (me and my colleague and friend, Chris) are expected there by 1:30 p.m. at the latest to prepare for our first class. I have been going at 1 p.m. the first two days, but once I get into a routine, it won't be necessary.
Class are 50 minutes each, so we have 10 minutes between periods to prepare or rest if necessary. From 6:50 to 7:15 p.m. there is a short break for us to eat or relax. The school provides us with lunch and dinner, which is very nice. It's typical Korean food with various kimchi, pork, rice and noodles. We also had curry on Tuesday. It's certainly more than enough to replenish me.
I only have four classes today, which is very nice. The only downside is that I can't leave when my last class finished at 6 p.m. I have to stay there until the end of the day at 9:05 p.m. It is still a little rest from speaking and entertaining all day, though.
The most fun so far about teaching is probably the fascination that the kids have with me as a new American in the school. They all ask how old I am and if I have a girlfriend. And a favorite saying is to tell Chris and I that we have Beckham hair, because they all know David Beckham. The kids love it that I have a beard, too. In one class, they were drawing on the board, and a student actually drew a beard. They all got a kick out of it. So did I.
Besides Chris and me, there are only two other male adults at the school. Mr. No is the president, but is not there all the time. Terry is the vice president and teaches two classes a day as well. Other than that, it is six Korean women. The Koreans teach grammar, sentence structure and things like that. They teach the technical side of the language.
It is the job of guys like Chris and me to give the kids a true speaking experience so they can use what they have learned from their Korean teachers.
All the teachers have been very welcoming so far. I went out Monday night with Cindy and Tuesday with Chris as well as Cindy, Ally and Vicky. It seems the lifestyle here is to go to work from 2 to 9 p.m., go out until 2 a.m., go to sleep until noon, then do it all over again.
I'm just fine with that, but am still adjusting from the plane ride, so I haven't been able to fully recharge yet. I'm sure I'll get the chance soon enough. There is a holiday this weekend so we get Monday off. It is the perfect time for a break after arriving here.
That is it for now in the teaching area. I'll add a post later today about going out the last two nights. I do want to add that Chris has been extremely helpful so far. I'm fortunate to come to a school with another American who could show me the ropes. None of the Koreans really do that for you when it comes to getting you ready for the classroom. Thanks so much, Chris!
Check back later for my nightlife adventures over the past two days.
Sunday, September 7, 2008
Here Is the First Set of Pictures
This is my first series of many pictures that I'll be adding. Enjoy!
Korean pictures, series number one.
Korean pictures, series number one.
Thursday, September 4, 2008
Made It Safely and All Is Well
The title of this post says it all. I'm happy to say I made it on time on Friday and got to my apartment without a problem.
First off, when it comes to flights I'm now convinced of something. If I'm occupied for the trip, the length won't matter. I learned that when the five-hour flight to San Francisco was way more excruciating then the 12-hour flight to Incheon. That's because on the flight to Incheon, every person had their own monitors with a variety of movies music and games. The service from the flight attendants was also very good on the Asiana Airline trip.
When I got off the plane and went through customs, the president of my school was there waiting for me at the airport. His name is Mr. No, which is not to be confused with the James Bond nemesis who earned his evil medical degree.
He speaks very little English and my Korean is probably worse, so the hour car trip back to Okryun-dong was rather quiet. When we got to my place, we met up with Sunny, the school official who interviewed me on the phone. Her English is pretty good, so we had a translator for the rest of the night.
They first took me to my apartment, which is on the sixth floor of a building that is only a block and a half away from the school. I don't have the actual address yet. I have to get it from the other English teacher who lives down on the second floor.
Sunny and Mr. No took me to a Korean-style restaurant where we took our shoes off and sat at a sunk-in table. The cook then brought out hot coals and a grill to place overtop, which we loaded up with pork. There were also a ton of side dishes including rice and, yes, even kimchi.
The thing is, the Koreans eat kimchi with EVERY meal. There are about 20 different varieties and it's always on the table. Every Korean meal I've had so far has included it. It really isn't that bad. I'm kind of neutral on it. It's mostly just a very salty cabbage.
After dinner, they bought me some groceries and left me at my apartment. I got in touch with Dan, and he came over to meet up with me. We then went back to his place in Dongcheon-dong and he showed me where to buy a power converter for my laptop.
That night, we went out to a square in Incheon where there are a lot of popular restaurants and bars. Two of Dan's Canadian friends were with us and all three of them helped introduce me to the area. It turns out we really are like celebrities over here. It's pretty incredible. Everyone seems to be fascinated with us.
After the square, we went to a Western-style bar owned by a Korean guy with whom they are friends. We stayed out a little later than I expected after my long plane ride, but I made a lot of friends and had a good time.
On Saturday, two of the Korean teachers at my school took me out to lunch. They were 26 and 27 in Korean years. So the one girl was also born in 1983, just like me. Stacy and Chelsie took me to another restaurant that required removal of shoes and sitting at a very low table. Once again, the meal was pork and kimchi.
After that, I went to lay down for a bit before Dan and Mike, an IUP friend of Dan's who lives about a block away, came to get me. We went back to Dongcheon-dong to prepare for a trip into Seoul.
The city is like nothing I've ever seen. Where we went there were just so many people walking the streets. It was like walking through Manhattan during midday, except we were there at 11 p.m. It was just a zoo. We went to a place called Bar Boom, where a 1500 won cover charge got us free drinks for two hours. Well, it was supposed to be for two hours, but the bartenders didn't charge us anything the whole time we were there. While it's not common to tip here, that generosity certainly deserved one, which I happily gave.
Dan and I went with two Canadians again. One hold over from Friday night was there, along with a guy I just met that night. We decided it would be fun to place darts as teams. Naturally we went with U.S.A. versus Canada. And naturally the U.S. put the country that is affectionately known as our "hat" in its place.
We started making our way home around 3:30 a.m. after Dan secured us a taxi back to Incheon for 40,000 won. That's only 10,000 won apiece, which was a great deal considering the trip we took. The driver didn't really know his way to my neighborhood, and was lost for a good portion back. It may have taken us a bit longer than it should have, but we got it for a steal.
I got to Skype with Bethany and mom for a bit before hitting the bed and getting some rest for the first time since I got here. Needless to say, I'll be regrouping all day today before beginning work tomorrow.
So far, everything has gone really well. I got along really well with the president of my school, the school official and the other teachers I've met. I've made friends with quite a few English teachers. I've also gotten a whirlwind tour of the area.
The only tough part is lack of official Internet connection and no phone of any type. I'm just using somebody else's wireless, which makes it really unreliable. The lack of phone has made it hard to communicate with anybody effectively. All of that should be fixed on Monday, however.
Like I said, it's been a great trip so far. But my main priority here starts tomorrow at work. The school is located on the fourth floor of a building that houses a bunch of businesses on the other five floors. Those businesses include a little convenience store, a cell phone store and even a Dunkin Donuts.
I'll try to upload some pics, but it might be tough until I actually get a reliable Internet connection. I hope all is well at home. Feel free to Skype me or get me on AIM or e-mail at abruckart@gmail.com.
Time to get some rest!
First off, when it comes to flights I'm now convinced of something. If I'm occupied for the trip, the length won't matter. I learned that when the five-hour flight to San Francisco was way more excruciating then the 12-hour flight to Incheon. That's because on the flight to Incheon, every person had their own monitors with a variety of movies music and games. The service from the flight attendants was also very good on the Asiana Airline trip.
When I got off the plane and went through customs, the president of my school was there waiting for me at the airport. His name is Mr. No, which is not to be confused with the James Bond nemesis who earned his evil medical degree.
He speaks very little English and my Korean is probably worse, so the hour car trip back to Okryun-dong was rather quiet. When we got to my place, we met up with Sunny, the school official who interviewed me on the phone. Her English is pretty good, so we had a translator for the rest of the night.
They first took me to my apartment, which is on the sixth floor of a building that is only a block and a half away from the school. I don't have the actual address yet. I have to get it from the other English teacher who lives down on the second floor.
Sunny and Mr. No took me to a Korean-style restaurant where we took our shoes off and sat at a sunk-in table. The cook then brought out hot coals and a grill to place overtop, which we loaded up with pork. There were also a ton of side dishes including rice and, yes, even kimchi.
The thing is, the Koreans eat kimchi with EVERY meal. There are about 20 different varieties and it's always on the table. Every Korean meal I've had so far has included it. It really isn't that bad. I'm kind of neutral on it. It's mostly just a very salty cabbage.
After dinner, they bought me some groceries and left me at my apartment. I got in touch with Dan, and he came over to meet up with me. We then went back to his place in Dongcheon-dong and he showed me where to buy a power converter for my laptop.
That night, we went out to a square in Incheon where there are a lot of popular restaurants and bars. Two of Dan's Canadian friends were with us and all three of them helped introduce me to the area. It turns out we really are like celebrities over here. It's pretty incredible. Everyone seems to be fascinated with us.
After the square, we went to a Western-style bar owned by a Korean guy with whom they are friends. We stayed out a little later than I expected after my long plane ride, but I made a lot of friends and had a good time.
On Saturday, two of the Korean teachers at my school took me out to lunch. They were 26 and 27 in Korean years. So the one girl was also born in 1983, just like me. Stacy and Chelsie took me to another restaurant that required removal of shoes and sitting at a very low table. Once again, the meal was pork and kimchi.
After that, I went to lay down for a bit before Dan and Mike, an IUP friend of Dan's who lives about a block away, came to get me. We went back to Dongcheon-dong to prepare for a trip into Seoul.
The city is like nothing I've ever seen. Where we went there were just so many people walking the streets. It was like walking through Manhattan during midday, except we were there at 11 p.m. It was just a zoo. We went to a place called Bar Boom, where a 1500 won cover charge got us free drinks for two hours. Well, it was supposed to be for two hours, but the bartenders didn't charge us anything the whole time we were there. While it's not common to tip here, that generosity certainly deserved one, which I happily gave.
Dan and I went with two Canadians again. One hold over from Friday night was there, along with a guy I just met that night. We decided it would be fun to place darts as teams. Naturally we went with U.S.A. versus Canada. And naturally the U.S. put the country that is affectionately known as our "hat" in its place.
We started making our way home around 3:30 a.m. after Dan secured us a taxi back to Incheon for 40,000 won. That's only 10,000 won apiece, which was a great deal considering the trip we took. The driver didn't really know his way to my neighborhood, and was lost for a good portion back. It may have taken us a bit longer than it should have, but we got it for a steal.
I got to Skype with Bethany and mom for a bit before hitting the bed and getting some rest for the first time since I got here. Needless to say, I'll be regrouping all day today before beginning work tomorrow.
So far, everything has gone really well. I got along really well with the president of my school, the school official and the other teachers I've met. I've made friends with quite a few English teachers. I've also gotten a whirlwind tour of the area.
The only tough part is lack of official Internet connection and no phone of any type. I'm just using somebody else's wireless, which makes it really unreliable. The lack of phone has made it hard to communicate with anybody effectively. All of that should be fixed on Monday, however.
Like I said, it's been a great trip so far. But my main priority here starts tomorrow at work. The school is located on the fourth floor of a building that houses a bunch of businesses on the other five floors. Those businesses include a little convenience store, a cell phone store and even a Dunkin Donuts.
I'll try to upload some pics, but it might be tough until I actually get a reliable Internet connection. I hope all is well at home. Feel free to Skype me or get me on AIM or e-mail at abruckart@gmail.com.
Time to get some rest!
Last post in the U.S.A.
The zero hour is here as I sit in the Pittsburgh airport waiting to get on a plane. As I said before, my first flight goes to San Francisco, where I'll have an hour-and-a-half layover before jumping on a plane toward Incheon, South Korea.
One snag so far is that I only got my ticket printed for the first leg of the journey. The people at the information desk, however, said I can just go directly to my next gate and get my second ticket there. Let's hope that's how it works. I'm certainly cutting it close for an international flight.
I'll miss all of you dearly and I hope you have a good year. I'll be thinking of all of you while I'm there. Please keep in touch. It's always nice to hear from a friend.
Next time I post, I'll officially be in South Korea! Until we meet again ...
One snag so far is that I only got my ticket printed for the first leg of the journey. The people at the information desk, however, said I can just go directly to my next gate and get my second ticket there. Let's hope that's how it works. I'm certainly cutting it close for an international flight.
I'll miss all of you dearly and I hope you have a good year. I'll be thinking of all of you while I'm there. Please keep in touch. It's always nice to hear from a friend.
Next time I post, I'll officially be in South Korea! Until we meet again ...
Monday, September 1, 2008
Time Converter
If you're thinking of calling me -- and I know you are -- use this handy time converter to make sure you're not waking me in the middle of the night. We're 13 hours ahead of the Eastern time zone in the United States. That time difference leaves a lot of opportunities for catching up without that awkward, sleepy hello.
Time Converter
Time Converter
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