The Ten Most Important Things I Learned In the Past Two Days

1. How to prepare all different types of Korean food (I made Seung Yeon, the girl I met on the plane, read and translate all of the labels of everything in the grocery store to me) although I probably won’t remember most of it.
2. I AM able to cook chicken all the way through on the first try!
3. How to take the subway to salsa/bachata clubs!
4. The same address (mine specifically) will be written a different way every time you ask a different Korean to write it.
5. Plugging in a DVD player from the United States will cause it to pop and smoke uncontrollably, even for a few minutes after you unplug it and rush it outside.
6. A truck goes through the streets here once a week to “kill all the bugs” (but I literally just killed a mosquito so I don’t think it works very well).
7. There are no rules or guidelines for teachers at private schools in this country.
8. There are two choices for footwear in gyms: gym shoes or slippers. They make you take off any other type of shoe and wear their not-at-all-protective slippers in order to walk by the weights section.
9. Giving blood and urine, as well as taking many other medical tests, is hilarious when you have no idea what anyone around you is saying or why you’re doing whatever they asked you to do.
10. Farting is public is not uncommon (I was told this yesterday and then today a middle-aged woman proved it as I passed her in the street).

... Living in Korea is fun.

I can sleep again!!

Deciding to move somewhere that I didn’t already know I loved and where I really only knew one person truly was a CRAZY idea. Getting here was like having the first-day-at-a-new-job jitters…but it was actually my first day at a new job, apartment, alphabet, language, transportation system, way of eating, way of thinking….everything! So my jitters were like regular jitters times a thousand, which is why I was too wound up to sleep for the first couple of nights. It is fun though and I’m really glad I decided to do this! (Plus, I slept 11 hours last night!)

I didn’t want to study the language before coming because I wanted to see what it would be like to be completely immersed in a culture I didn’t understand. The answer? I can’t even choose a word to describe it. Confusing for sure. Bizarre? Definitely somewhat nerve-wracking. Awesome because I know I’ll learn a lot every day that I’m here. I feel like I’m playing some kind of game, though, because real life as I know it isn’t anything like this.

I can’t read anything around here so it’s hard to do much without help. If Megan hadn't shown me, I wouldn’t have a clue about how anything in my apartment worked or how to get ANYwhere. As of yesterday, I can get myself to the grocery store, the subway station, the dollar store and my bank. However, I can’t read anything so I can’t really buy anything at the store or go anywhere on the subway. Plus there are zero dollars—excuse me—zero won in my bank account because I haven’t started working yet, so there’s not much point in knowing how to get there.

It’s also hard to get around because all of the buildings look the same to me. They all have signs outside of them that I assume say different things, making it easy for natives to get around. I, on the other hand, have to make mental notes like “okay, to get home later I will: turn left onto the busy street, then turn right by the chicken place, then take a left after the brick building with a white car next to it.” No joke…that’s actually how I get home from the grocery store.

Looks like I need to go start studying my Korean!! :D

Day Two (8/26/11)

My body is running on straight adrenaline. Even though I am still completely sleep-deprived, I only slept six hours and couldn’t fall back to sleep when I woke up early this morning. Still...it was nice waking up in this cute little apartment with lots of wonderful messages on facebook from all my friends!

I went to work in the afternoon to observe a couple of the classes that I’ll be teaching. Before coming, I was under the impression that I’d be teaching with another teacher which isn’t actually the case but it’s alright…I got it. It’ll be interesting to see how it goes though because the schooling here is different than anywhere else I’ve ever taught. Apparently my school uses corporal punishment and the teachers basically have no rules. I’m not sure what it will be like to teach in a place like that but I officially start this Thursday so I can let you all know then.

I also thought before coming that a lot more people here would be able to speak English. I’m told that, in other parts of Seoul, there are a lot of English speakers…but not in the neighborhood that I live in. Today I had to go get pictures taken for my ID card and I’m proud to say that I made it to the store, used charades to explain what I needed, and made it back to my school without getting lost! I consider today a Korean success!!

The Move to Korea (8/24-8/25/2011)

        Trip Highlights:

9:00 a.m. - My wallet converts from dollars to won!

11:45 – I board my flight and am seated next to my(one-year-from-now)self …Seung Yeon, a girl who went to a foreign country she’d never been to before to complete a one-year commitment and is on her way home. (My first new friend here!! And we’re going to hang out soon! Yay!)

3:30 p.m. – My first experience with Korean food…

3:45 – Seung Yeon laughs at me because I ate it incorrectly. Oops.

9:15 – We hit turbulence just as I am sitting down to pee…interesting experience.

Midnight – Seung Yeon teaches me how to write my address and gives me my first taste of Korean music.

2:34 a.m. – Land in Korea!! * BUT it’s actually 3:34 p.m. the next day!

4:40ish p.m. –Jooyeon & my taxi driver are waiting for me outside the gate.

5:00 – Taxi engine overheats and we spend half an hour at the mechanic’s.

5:20 – Jooyeon teaches me to say “I don’t speak Korean.”

5:45 – We get to my school…I meet my boss, take a quick tour, get my house keys and go home to my new apartment!

Well it’s definitely been an interesting day. The plane ride was great because I had so much fun talking to Seung Yeon. Landing was awesome too…seeing everything for the first time was really exciting. Then I got to see my friend, Jooyeon, at the gate (which was awesome) and she’s totally saving my ass here. I don’t know what I’d do if she weren’t here because there’s no way I’d be able to navigate this city alone.

Eventually, as the night went on, overwhelming feelings kept taking over me. My mind would switch from an anxious “I really hope I like it here” to a nervous “omg I can’t leave for a whole year, whether I want to or not” to an amazed “this is so cool!” Side note: being exhausted really isn’t helpful when you’re trying to control your feelings.

Within 20 minutes of getting to my apartment, Jooyeon and I left to go to dinner with her friends. They were nice but I spent the majority of the night listening to them speak Korean and having absolutely no idea what was going on. I think my decision to come without knowing any of the language was kind of dumb now…but Jooyeon’s friends taught me a little and told me I’m learning fast so hopefully they aren’t lying and I can learn quickly.

After dinner, we walked down to a beautiful river and where we hung out and watched a concert. The view of the water, the bridges and the city is amazing and it really calmed me down. Actually, it eventually it calmed me to the point where I was starting to pass out so I knew it was time to go home (Jooyeon helped me get there, of course. Without her help, I’d still be at the river).

Everyone I’ve met has been super nice so far and my apartment is really cute. It doesn’t feel like home yet but that’s probably because I can’t shower yet (I’m towel-less), I don’t have bed sheets and all my stuff is packed in my suitcases. I think as soon as I unpack and put up my pictures, things will be different. I think I know how to get to the metro stop by my house now, which is good, but I seriously have a lot to learn. Thank God for Jooyeon and Megan and everyone else who will be helping me out this year. Apparently I’m going into work tomorrow and, since I haven’t had more than two consecutive hours of sleep during the last three days and have a lot to do tomorrow, I’m going to bed right NOW (11:15 p.m. in Korea but 10:15 a.m. in my head). Goodnight from South Korea!!

The first time I tried to blog...

...everything was in Korean. But I've figured it out now! :D

“Preparing” To Move (8/22/11)

Catching up with friends from Mexico, Italy and California these past few days in Chicago was a blast! Now that I’m on the bus on the way back to Cleveland, though, I’m forced to actually start thinking about my move to Korea. I still haven’t started packing (even though my flight leaves in less than 36 hours) and I know that I won’t do it tonight either because I’ll be busy spending time with friends and family. Whatever…if you ask me, packing is what the last few hours in any given country are for.

When I try to picture my life in Korea, nothing very specific comes to mind. I know I’ll be learning a lot and having fun, but I have no idea how anything will look or sound and I don’t know for sure how I’ll feel about being there. I expect it to all be different than everything I’ve ever experienced before, but I don’t really know how. I don’t ever waste my time trying to plan things ahead of time, but I do have a general idea of things I want to learn about this year: the language (I currently don’t even know how to say “hello”), taekwondo (as well as of all other aspects of the Korean culture…which I also currently know nothing about), and how to cook their food (because I have to eat something while I'm there). I don’t plan to perfect any of it but I want to learn as much as I can. I also, of course, plan to continue traveling to new places, dancing salsa and bachata, and making new friends! Hopefully me moving to Korea works out as well as the rest of my random, crazy ideas because here I go!

It’s a Small World After All (8/18/11)

A few days ago, I found out that my only Korean friend will be living less than a 20-minute bus ride away from where I’ll be living in Seoul! I can hardly believe it…I mean what are the chances?? Facebook is making this small world even smaller all the time. It seems to me that it’s actually becoming more difficult to have adventures now because I can’t go anywhere without knowing people. (I also found out somewhat recently that two other friends I studied with in Italy will be in Seoul this year as well…not to mention that seemingly everyone I talk to has a friend there that they want me to meet.)

I’ve never truly experienced culture shock and I had been planning on experiencing it in Korea. However, without really even trying, I’ve already made 10+ contacts there and I have a good friend that I’m excited to see and will probably see the first day I’m there. In a place with so many English-speakers and very friendly people offering all kinds of help to me, I just can’t see it being very hard to adjust to. I assume I’ll be singing a different tune in six days when I get off the plane in Korea and have no idea where I even live (weird that I still haven’t been given an address, right?) But we won’t know until I get there.

Road Trip to Pittsburgh! :D

Road trips are my favorite because I get so many hours alone to blast my music and sing as loud as I want until I have no voice left…and then once my voice runs out I have time to think. As I was driving home from Pittsburgh today, I felt like I was about to burst from happiness. I was thinking about what a great weekend I’d just had and how my friends make my life so amazing. I got to catch up with Seton Hill friends that I am very proud of (Becca, who recently started writing awesome articles for www.HelloGiggles.com, and Judith, who has the most beautiful new baby daughter). I also got to hang out with two of my most creatively sarcastic and hilarious friends, Liz & Allie. Unfortunately, I don't get to spend enough time with any of those friends so the time we had together was amazing! Of course there were some hiccups in my trip, as there always will be (the bitch at the toll booth not giving me change so I almost couldn’t afford the toll, a 12-hour post-gall bladder surgery stomach ache, hydroplaning next to a semi and seriously thinking I was about to die, and following my outdated GPS’s directions onto the biggest one-way street in Pittsburgh, going in the wrong direction…for the second year in a row). But these little issues are completely forgotten when you're with friends that make each other laugh to the point of tears on a regular basis and who inspire you to be ridiculous. I couldn’t be more grateful for my life or the people in it. I just spent an amazing year in California with a lot of truly incredible people who taught me so much and then I got to come home to loving family and friends who make it seem like I never even left. I have one small trip left (to Chicago) in the States and then in just 10 days, I’ll be off to Korea, where I’ll get to spend time with my friend and ex-roomie from Italy, Jooyeon! Thank you to all of my amazing friends and family who make my life ROCK!! I love you guys!! :D

Unlike the students I work with at an elementary school, people in airports make me feel like I’m actually a patient person. No matter how many times I travel through airports, peoples’ impatience never ceases to astound me. There’s always the man in line two people behind you in security who continuously rolls his eyes and shakes his head, sighing about the slow-moving line. It’s almost as if he doesn’t realize that, unless he is late (in which case he wouldn’t be in this line because they would rush him through in a different line), he got here at least two hours before his flight so he has nowhere to go and plenty of time to get there. Then, once it’s time to board, there are the people who act like they’re in some sort of life or death competition involving getting on the plane first. If you’re lucky enough to get a front-row seat in the waiting room, you can sit back and watch this competition and experience the same level of entertainment you get from watching crappy reality television. The people that jump up as soon as boarding starts are all the same. They don’t make eye contact with one another because they are enemies. They hold their suitcases with a death grip and try to get as close as possible to the person in front of them without actually stepping on them. They shimmy through the pack, practically elbowing little kids out of their way, and cut off as many people as they can, stopping at nothing to make it to the front of the line. I so badly want to understand these people, but I never will. The sooner they board, the more annoyed they’ll get once they’re in their seats. They’ll have to get up that many more times to let someone pass and they’ll have to sit in those uncomfortable seats even longer, where they will use the old “sigh and head shake” to show everyone how annoyed they are that the plane hasn’t taken off yet. Sometimes I like to join the pack and purposely let people go in front of me in some sort of an attempt to prove to people that it doesn’t matter when they get on the plane because, in the end, we will all get on…but no one ever buys it. They know deep down that if they don’t make it onto the plane before everyone else, they will lose their seat on the flight and then die in the airport waiting room…and there’s nothing I can do or say to change that.

Leaving Cali (August 2, 2011)

It’s always so surreal leaving a place that you’ve turned into your home, even if it was just for a few months. Leaving Cali after spending the last ten months there with yet another group that became my temporary “family” is strange. It never feels like I’m actually leaving places to not go back…“but this is where I live” is what I think when I try to convince myself that I’m actually moving away. The fact that it takes so long for it to hit me each time makes it easier for me to leave, though. By watching my friends get upset as they go through the same process, I’ve realized that I’ve actually gotten quite good at leaving. I remember crying a lot a time or two when I left Mexico because I didn’t know when I’d be back or when I’d see my friends from there again. Since those times, though, I’ve kept in touch with everyone and I’ve ended up seeing them again much sooner than I thought I would. By understanding that it’s not really “goodbye” to my friends but more like “see you in some other country for an adventure so awesome that we couldn’t even dream it up right now,” I’ve been able to turn moving into an almost completely positive experience. I’m the one that doesn’t cry when we all say goodbye, which I’m proud of (even though “crying can be healthy and blah blah blahhh”) because I hate crying. Another thing that helps is that I’ve barely even left myself five minutes to be sad about leaving; I packed my last days in Cali with dancing and hanging out with friends and I have trips to Cincinnati, Chicago and Pittsburgh planned during my three-week stay in Cleveland before I pick up and move to Korea. So here’s to having an awesome, busy life, filled with amazing people and cool adventures and absolutely no room for sadness!

Blogging Again! April 24, 2011

Although I love sharing my stories with others, I know that no one else will ever care about them as much as I do. Still, Erin said she would read my blog so I’ve decided to start writing one, even if it’s just for her entertainment. Plus, every ridiculous adventure that I’ve had has taught me something new and made me appreciate even more the life that I already loved living, so why not write about it? As my plane is currently stranded on a runway in Texas, waiting to taxi back to the next gate that opens up so our engine can be fixed, I know that this already-over-two-hour delay is giving me a chance to exercise patience, as well as providing a little extra time for my new friends in San Francisco to wake up to my texts asking if someone can come pick me up when I finally get to the airport. (Maybe one day I’ll completely plan a full trip ahead of time…but probably not because what would be exciting about that?)

After spending 18 years Ohio with my awesome 7-person family, independence was just what I needed so I took it and ran – first to Pennsylvania, then to Mexico, Italy, Spain, England and Ireland. Finally I graduated with a BA in Spanish (you may ask “What the hell are you going to do with that?” and, to be honest, I still don’t really have a concrete answer) and I am currently volunteering for AmeriCorps for a year in Redwood City, California.

While I enjoy learning new things in any form, I know from experience that there is no better way to learn than by trying as many new things as possible and then taking opportunity that comes your way, no matter how ridiculous. Although it’s probably the opposite of what my loving parents would want, my rule of thumb is to say yes to everything – conversations with the aptly-named stranger next to me, cab rides in the not-clearly marked taxis in Mexico, partying with anyone and everyone I meet, climbing ancient pyramids even though I’m in heels and a skirt from the night club the night before, staying out until the next day with people from all different places that I met earlier that night in my hostel, showing up to places of obligation even when in a slightly-less-than-sober state, having the time of my life despite being robbed hours earlier, and taking long, cramped bus/train rides with a bursting duffel bag with broken wheels to whatever city new friends and I have decided to visit on a complete whim, even though we have no idea where to go when we get there. I say yes 100% and never look back and, because of that philosophy, I’ve learned more in my travels than I ever thought possible.

Our plane is finally about to take off and the stewardess is ready to punch me in the face so I need to turn off my computer. I will continue to add to my growing list of adventures and life lessons though so that I can blog about them (partly because I want to and partly to give Erin something to read at work).