Acupuncture and Noraebang

These two things are by no means related, but when I think back on the past month, acupuncture and Noraebang stand out in my mind as the most noteworthy.

First, my hand injury (I fell up some stairs in November) is still bothering me, so my host-mom recommended acupuncture, and I have had two treatments so far. Not sure if it has helped yet, but the experience in itself has definitely been worth it:

The first time I went to the oriental clinic, I thought I had misunderstood my host-mom, she didn't really mean this tiny little place, with old-fashioned wooden floors, and the smell of ginseng in the air? I was expecting a doctor's office with the clean smell of disinfectants....the nurse ushered me into the oriental doctor's office, and a tall man with salt and pepper hair shook my hand. He was dressed in traditional Korean clothes, and preceded to ask me about my injury. Best I could, and with the help of some translated text (thanks to my friends) I explained to the doctor what had happened.

The nurse then took me from the doctor's office to a large room with sectioned off beds. I took off my right sock (my hand injury is on the left), laid down on the bed, and the doctor entered to put two needles in my right hand, and two in my right foot. He then said I should open and close my left hand (the actual injured hand) for a half and hour. After said 30 min, the nurse removed the needles and I went home. The next treatment was similar.

It was amazing to see the needles in my hand and foot, but not feel them at all. Overall, the experience was simply fascinating, and it remains to see if my left hand will improve with time.

This month has also been characterized by Noraebang, because a few weeks ago my host family's extended family came to our house for a party. We went out for Korean BBQ, and after dinner my host mom asked me if we should have a beer. I readily agreed (though I really don't like to drink much, I don't mind, and in this case I wanted to spend more time getting to know my host family's family). So my host mom, her sisters and I went to drink a beer, while the men of the family remained at the BBQ place. After a while my host-mom decided we should go sing songs in the Noraebang. I had told them that I enjoyed it, and I think they wanted to do something they could include me in. After a few songs we were soon joined by my host dad, the uncles and grandfather. (The kids were with a babysitter at home.) They all proceeded to sing various songs loudly (and quite well). The grandfather belted Korean oldies, while swaying to the tune, motioning for me to join in.

This experience stands out to me because it was the first time I think my host parents realized that they are allowed to have fun around me too. Even though the language barrier still exists, the experience showed both of us that it is possible to have fun and get to know one another more without speaking each other's language fluently. Ever since our Noraebang experience, I have felt like my host-parents are just a little more relaxed around me, and my host-dad attempts to tell me jokes in Korean more frequently (I still don't understand most of them, I just smile) and this in and of itself feels like a Christmas gift.

Why do this?

As my American family gathers in Virginia to celebrate Thanksgiving, I ask myself, "Why do what I am doing?" Why take a year off, knowing full well I want to continue my studies in grad school? Why spend a year away from your family, missing your favorite family holidays like Thanksgiving, and Christmas? Why spend a year teaching children when I know I do not want to teach children in the future?

Turning for the camera! Beautiful fall leaves...

These questions have answers, though the answers are different than they were when I first applied to Fulbright.

 When I applied to Fulbright, as a burned-out senior in college, I thought this year would be my "year off." A fun way to spend a year in between undergrad and grad school. I was wrong. This year is not a year off, because I am working 40 hours a week, trying to navigate a full time job in a culture and language I don't speak. And yes, I am having fun, but I am also working very, very hard.

Here are some of the many reasons why I choose to spend a year away from friends and family:

• This year is a year that is allowing me to grow from a college student into an adult. (Even though college students are technically adults...they also are not. I'm learning that now.)

• This year is teaching me to respect my own teachers in life more (shout out to my Roanoke College professors), as I realize through experience how difficult it is to be a teacher. 

• This year is preparing me for seminary by providing very practical experiences in trusting God and giving me time to evaluate and grow in my relationship with Him. 

• This year is showing me things that I do and do not want in my future. I know now, that I do not want to teach children for my entire life. But I do want to go into teaching. This year (and living with 3 little Korean girls) is also showing me that I want children of my own....one day, definitely not yet. 

We are in the shadows, but I am sitting with two of
 my host sisters underneath the tree.

• This year is teaching me to be patient and content in the moment. Waiting for my co teachers to translate an important meeting for me, or waiting for my little host sisters to get ready for school (quite a lengthy process). And most of all enjoying this year, even though my heart very much longs to be at school studying again. 

• This year is an opportunity to grow in humility. I am not always a good teacher, I make a lot of mistakes, but people are very gracious with me. I am not that great at Korean. I do not always trust God, and I do let fear get the better of me. I am learning that there is so much to learn, and that it is a good thing. 

Autumn in Korea features amazing vibrant colors.

Update: Teaching, Volunteering and Gyeongju

These past few weeks have been filled with new experiences teaching, a weekend trip to Gyeongju and my first time volunteering with the North Korean defector program, where Fulbright ETAs can teach English. Let me dive right in to updating you all on my life:

Mid October I finished my first round of teaching 4th grade, and started teaching 6th grade. The difference between the children is so marked. In just two years they turn from adorable little kids to teenagers who are tired of the system and don't mind telling you and showing you that they don't really care. The first week teaching 6th was a struggle, but I have since adjusted and am really starting to enjoy this grade as well. It is more challenging, because I have to work extra hard at engaging them, and I also have to discipline them more, something I don't like to do, but is necessary.
One of my 6th grade students gets up in the middle of class and starts hitting other students. This is unacceptable, so I had to keep him after class one day, to address this. Another of my students will start tearing out pages of his textbook in the middle of class...

Teaching one of my fourth grade classes 

Mid-October, Fulbright held its annual Fall Conference in Gyeongju, South Korea. All ETAs are required to attend various workshops on teaching, and other aspects of our grant year. The conference was a great reminder that I am here to teach, and offered new ideas and insights into our daily life as ETAs.

On Sunday the 16th, we toured Gyeongju and visited several sites, one of my favorites was Bulguksa Temple, which is a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage site. Two reasons  this temple is so special is 1: Its size, and 2: It survived Japanese vandalism during the colonial period.  

Bulguksa Temple, Gyeongju

 My other favorite site was Daereungwon, where twenty-three ancient tombs of kings and noblemen of the Silla Dynasty can be seen. The tombs look like rounded hobbit hills, much simpler than the Egyptian tombs, but serving the same purpose. In one tomb over 12,000 artifacts including golden crowns, and jewels weapons, pottery and paintings were discovered.

Daereungwon, Gyeongju

Monday, the day of departure, a friend and I went to Wolji pond to spend a few hours journaling and sketching. Wolji pond used to serve as a "vacation" get-a-way for the royalty, and features beautiful buildings and landscape.

Wolji pond, Gyeongju 

 It was easy to imagine big gatherings of noblemen enjoying the finer things of life, while they gazed out across the water.

Wolji pond, Gyeongju

This past Wednesday, a friend and I took the bus to Cheonan, (about an hour away) where we volunteered with a North Korean defector program that offers English lessons to North Korean refugees for free. They are always looking for more teachers, and both of us have decided to commit our Wednesdays to volunteering. This means that immediately after work (4:40pm) we hop on a bus to travel the total 1 hour and a half to the language center. Then we teach one hour, and journey back to Cheongju. This means that we only come back around 10pm. So in other words, on Wednesdays I leave my house at 8:30am, and don't come back until 10pm. It's a long day, but definitely worth it! 

That is all for now! More updates to follow...

Fire drills in Korea

This past week our school had a fire drill. It was the most interesting and bizarre thing I've ever experienced. But by the end, I was convinced that we need to start replicating Korean fire drills in the States. It all started at 9:50am. The alarm rang, and my co-teacher and I quietly left our classroom.

Extinguishing the demo fire

The fire extinguishers 

My co workers attempting to light the box of wood. The lady in blue is my vice principal. 

We proceeded to merge with a vast column of departing students, who were all crouching low to the ground with handkerchiefs placed over their mouths. A few girls were giggling, but the majority of students took this drill seriously. All of us exited the front of the building and poured onto the sports field. After all students and teachers assembled on the field, two teachers carried a girl on a stretcher out of the building, to demonstrate the procedure if someone got hurt. 

The homeroom teachers took their classes to the back of the field, and lined up in orderly fashion, children still low to the ground. I understood now why there was a need for handkerchiefs, because red smoke was pouring out of the first floor windows. They had replicated fire smoke, because it certainly smelled like something was burning. A fire truck pulled onto the field to oversee the drill. My co-teacher, and another homeroom teacher lit a can containing wood and paper on fire. 

It took a few minutes to light up, and the fireman came and assisted them, but eventually the can was burning nicely, and after a few brief words from the principal, my co-teacher and the homeroom teacher proceeded to demonstrate how to use a fire extinguisher. After that the fire-department illustrated how to spray the field and the surrounding trees with water from a fire hydrant, to prevent flames from the burning building spreading. The drill ended at 10:10, after twenty minutes, and the teachers led their classes into the building once more to resume classes. 

When I think back to the fire drills at college, it's almost laughable. Because we knew it was only a test, when that alarm rang, my roommate and I would calmly put on our jackets, turn off the TV,  and stroll outside. I remember some people would finish their showers, or change from their PJs into regular street clothes, depending on the time of day. We definitely did not take the fire drills seriously. Because we never actually had a fire, this was not a problem. However, I think in the case of a real fire, we would have panicked. I admire the way the Korean system requires schools to perform at least two of these very detailed fire drills a year. After observing the drill last week, I think there would be a lot less panic in the case of a real fire. Maybe we need to start thinking of adopting such a system. 

In the back you see the children sitting on the ground, and in the middle one of the homeroom teachers is trying to light a can of paper. 

Balance

I am sitting at my desk, at the back of the fifth grade classroom. I just finished the first draft of the hand out for a workshop I am leading at the Fulbright Fall Conference. The workshop is about leading a balanced life in Korea. What I mean by this is trying to achieve a healthy balance between work-life and social-life, building new relationships here, but not forgetting old relationships in the States, etc. It is impossible to achieve the perfect balance, but I think it is important to strive for it. Too much focus on one area of your life will cause you to burn out.

I quickly realized this during the first weeks at my placement. Because it is my first time teaching, I spent the evenings at home occupied with planning out my lesson, and even when I was eating dinner with my host family, or watching a movie, thoughts of work would not leave me. Very soon after I started work I realized that I can not take work home with me or I'll go crazy, so now I try to restrict work to the 8 hours that I spend at school.

I experienced the same thing with my host family. In my eagerness to not be a burden, and establish a good relationship with them, I began planning my entire day around their schedule. The kids are very young, so they go to bed around 8pm, and so I also began making sure I would be home and in my room by 8pm, so as not to disturb them. When I was eating dinner out with friends, I would frequently glance at my watch to make sure I would be home at the time I told my host family.

My effort to please my host family is not bad, and I still try to be considerate of the little ones' bed time. However, I have realized I need to strive for a balance. I cannot focus my entire energy on living for other people, which I had in essence been doing up until recently. I need to be considerate of my host family, while also realizing that I am my own person, and it is ok for me to occasionally come home after 8 pm (as long as I communicate my plans with my host parents).

So in conclusion, what I mean by balance, is finding a way to carefully and consciously spend my energy on work, social life with friends, host family and myself in a way that gives equal attention to all aspects of my life. Only with balance, I think, will I avoid burning out in one or all areas.

Student life

It's been over two weeks, and teaching 6 classes of 5th graders, 3 times a week has allowed me a small insight into Korean students' lives.

A few days ago, my co-teacher gave each 5th grade class an exam, to test their knowledge of the unit we finished. Usually students sit in three rows of two students each, but on test day students came into the class room and upon instruction from my co-teacher immediately re-arranged the desks into six single rows of desks. This keeps students from being able to see what their neighbor is writing. What struck me about this was the familiar way in which students went through the action of re-arranging the classroom, taking the test and when finished, placing their hands on their head to indicate their completion. The comfortable way in which student performed all actions indicated to me that they were tried-and-true test takers. Their actions spoke of a weary resignation to dreaded exams. I have not taught in an American 5th grade class, but looking back to my own experiences as a 5th grader, I did not take exams and tests as seriously as they are taken in my Korean school.

Another observation:
Last week I went to the library a few streets from where I live. The library is close to my school as well. As I was walking up the stairs to the English section on the third floor, I passed the glass encased study room. Sitting at the tables were some of my students from 5th grade, diligently bending over their homework. My shock at seeing them working so studiously made me realize that, for me, 5th graders are still children. I don't think of them as serious students, trekking to the library after school to study. I certainly didn't think of myself as a serious student when I was in 5th grade. At that age school was about making friends, learning because it's fun, not more, not less.

The two observations above highlight an aspect of Korean student culture that (I think) differs from our own. In the US, 5th graders are certainly expected to learn much as well, however I think the US takes a more "what happens in school stays in school" approach. What I mean by that: US 5th grade students are expected to participate in school, and do their homework. But serious studying outside of school is not necessary. Instead, teachers and parents encourage students to balance studying with play outside of school. Here, in Korea, I think teachers and parents encourage students to study in school as well as out of school. Even in Elementary school parents pay for their children to go to academies for various subjects to study and learn so they will be ahead of their class. I think this is a big difference to the States.

However, I have also seen that more than anything, Korean 5th graders ARE still kids, and they joke and play as much as American kids do. It is just a different balance.

Working life

Okay, I admit it, I totally underestimated all the work my teachers did over all my years in public school. Teaching is so much more than just standing in front of the class talking about a certain subject. In my case English, and half the class is spent playing a game, in English. Teaching itself is so much fun!! But...then comes the rest of the day, when I am confined to my desk breaking my head over how to make the kids' rather dull textbook lesson interesting for the next day. Lesson planning...it's hard people!! I have been told, and do believe, that it will get easier with time. But for now, I spend 4 hours a day thinking about creative ways to make grammar and vocabulary fun. Only now am I truly beginning to appreciate the tremendous effort my teachers put into teaching me.

School officially started back last Thursday. For the next three weeks I will be teaching 5th grade, then 3 weeks 4th grade, and then 3 weeks 6th grade, and then switch back to 5th, and so on. Teaching itself is so much fun, and relatively stress free. So far the kids respect me, and I have not been confronted with the need for discipline. My work situation is also good. All my co teachers are very friendly, and the other teachers are polite and welcoming as well. Still, I think the knowledge that I am the only foreign teacher in the school, as well as the least experienced one makes me feel a sort of pressure in and of itself. I know that the teachers and principal expect certain standards from me and their watchful gaze makes me anxious. Especially because I do not speak their language and can not actually understand their communicated expectations.

In Korea, once or twice a semester, depending on your school, all teachers including the principal and vice principal go out to dinner together. Last Thursday this happened, and it was great fun! These dinners are largely designed to create a feeling of community and belonging. It is also a chance for co-workers to drink together, something that is accompanied by several cultural traditions. Pouring a drink for someone is considered extremely polite, and the younger should always pour for the elder first. When you pour, you must pour with two hands, and you must be kneeling (everyone is sitting on the ground, as is custom for Korean restaurants). When you receive a drink, it is also with both hands, and when you raise your cup to your mouth (with both hands) you also must turn away from your elder, because it is not polite to drink directly in front of someone. It was so interesting watching this happen at the dinner on Thursday. During the course of the dinner all teachers eventually made their way to the principal to pour him a drink. It all seemed like a well-choreographed dance, as people moved between the low tables, greeting each other, drinking together and then moving on.
As a foreigner people did not expect me to join in the tradition, and so I was left to observe quietly. It was a lot of fun, and my only regret is that I do not understand enough Korean to really know what is going on....maybe next time?

Settling into a New Life

It has been a little over one week in my new city, which I now call home for one year: Cheongju.

Last day at orientation, our orientation leaders are saying goodbye up front, as most of them are heading back to the States.
We owe them a lot for all the training they gave us! 

Last Friday, my wonderful co-teacher picked me up from Goesan after the Fulbright Orientation closing ceremony, and presented me with a beautiful flower bouquet from my school, Jeungan Elementray School, as a welcome present.

My host school welcomed me with a flower bouquet. 

She drove me to Cheongju and introduced me to my host family: host father, mother, and three little girls (3,5,7). The family welcomed me Friday night with a delicious cake and over the next few days showed me around the neighborhood. Our communication skills are limited, as they speak only a little English, and I speak only a little Korean. But with the help of a dictionary, we manage. I think as time goes on, it will get easier to communicate. My host sisters are full of energy and so cute I can't help smiling even when they are behaving naughty. As is part of Korean culture, the youngest always shares her food with me, and the others include me in their games as well. I don't think they understand that I don't understand them. Or maybe they just don't care. They speak Korean with me, and I think I will learn a lot from them.

My wonderful host family presented me with a beautiful cake, which we proceeded to eat with chopsticks!

Elementary school students don't begin the new semester until September, so this past week I have been helping another of my co-teachers teach the English camp. Tuesday welcomed third and fourth graders for one week. We sung Do-Re-Mi from Sound of Music and especially the boys participated with gusto! I also taught them a short dance from Zootopia, animals sounds and a Zootopia role-play. I had to practice the dance a lot...we all know how great I am at dancing! ;)
My co-teacher and I usually take our lunch hour at a local restaurant, as she is introducing me to various Korean dishes. I have promised myself to be courageous this year, so yesterday I tried larvae, fish liver and some kind of sea snail. It wasn't terrible, although I do not think I will willingly order any of the above again! Korean food has plenty of other delicious choices to choose from!

One of the three English rooms I will be teaching in. My desk and computer are in this classroom. I will have about 25-30 children per class. Overall, I will be teaching close to 400 students! 

There are over 8 ETAs in Cheongju. I am thankful for their presence and emotional support. During the week I do not see them a lot, although a few live in walking distance from me. However we are all trying to spend as much time with our school and host family as possible, to get used to each other and make the transition easier for all of us.

Last Sunday an ETA friend and I visited Sang Dang Church, which offers an English worship service. It was so good to have fellowship with others in a language that I understand! Both of us felt very welcomed and are planning on attending again!

This update has been a bit longer than most, but more has happened in the past week
than in the past six weeks! A new update to follow next week!
Peace out.

A day in Seoul and other thoughts

Recap of my trip to Seoul yesterday:
12pm-Gangnam
I am sitting infront of exit 11 in Gangnam, waiting to meet two friends from Roanoke college, I can't help pondering about this odd convergence of worlds. Three years ago I stood here as a study abroad student, my sophomore year of college, never dreaming or guessing that I would return to this very place as a teacher with Fulbright. Odd...nor would I have ever dreamed of meeting up with Roanoke college friends in Seoul, thousands of miles away from Roanoke college...odd...it is as if the me of the past: Sophomore me; the me of the present: recent Roanoke graduate; and the me of the near future: teacher; are colliding, becoming one, in another step toward adulthood.

7pm-Bus to Goesan
The bus is pulling away from the bus terminal, heading back towards Goesan. I ride through the streets of Seoul and think to myself, it has been a good day. I didn't know how much I needed it, but the day spent eating, talking and walking through Seoul with my two friends was a very good day. I remembered that the person I was as a college student is still the person I am today, even if circumstances and countries and cultures around me change, I am still me. I am so thankful for my friends who took an entire day out of their schedules to come visit with me!

Today:
After taking a 40 min walk through the small streets of Goesan, sweating buckets in the sweltering heat, I am sitting in my favorite cafe, blogging and catching up on my devotional. Less than one week left in this small town, and I make my big move to Cheongju where I will be teaching for the rest of the year. I am ready, nervous, but ready!

View of Goesan on my walk

Teaching 101 and a trip to Cheongju

Today's post features a brief summary of my first teaching experiences, as well as a day trip to Cheongju (청주), the city I will be living and teaching in this year.

View of Cheongju from a vantage point in a mall.
My school will be close to this area.

This is the end of the fourth week of orientation, which means I have been here for almost a month, and in only two more weeks I begin teaching at my school in Cheongju.....crazy!!!

These past two weeks I taught my first lesson plan. First I taught a class of 10 students who ranged between 5th and 9th grade. They were such great kids! I started off the lesson singing "If you're happy..." And the students participated loudly. The second lesson plan was co-taught with one of the other awesome ETAs, and we had the kids make moon colonies, to help them start thinking about the future tense.

Teaching both classes was a lot of fun, but it was also a lot of hard work. My respect for teachers has risen exponentially! I also learned that I have several teaching areas that need improving, namely class management and time management, but I think this next year will teach me a lot about teaching, and I will learn naturally to adjust and change my teaching style based on students' needs.

Yesterday a friend and I took a bus to Cheongju; the city I will be teaching in. We spent the day shopping for new "teacher" outfits, and enjoyed the air conditioned stores away from the stifling city heat. Cheongju is a city of about 800,000. My first impression was that it is a bigger city than I imagined. It will take me a while to learn how to navigate the many streets and alleys, but I feel ready to begin my adventure there.

This weekend we also went out for Korean BBQ.
My prediction for this year is that I will spend a lot of money on delicious food...

Weekend in Sokcho: Hiking and More

View of Sokcho from the hotel restaurant

Last week concluded with a weekend field trip to Sokcho, further in the north, on the east coast of South Korea. After a lecture on Buddhism in Korea and a trip to a temple, some of us ETAs spent the rest of the evening on the beach, listening to the waves break on the shore. I always find something oddly comforting about the water, as it connects all parts of the world together. The water that laps on the shore of Korea also touches the shore of Australia, Japan, and somewhere far off Europe. I know they are technically all different oceans, but the water is connected, and through that the entire world is. I like the thought.

Our lecture hall in the hotel

Saturday in Sokcho was spent enjoying nature as a big group of us went hiking in Seoraksan National Park. It was simply breathtaking, and if possible, I'd like to return in the fall to hike under colorful foliage. A few of us chose to hike to the waterfalls, about a 1.5 hour hike. Once achieved, hikers have the option of continuing on for .4 km, to the outlook. However, the .4 km are climbing straight up stairs. I am afraid to say I only made it half of the way before my head began to pound unbearably and my legs became jello. One of my many goals for this year is to one day make it back to Seoraksansan and conquer the remaining .2 km!

Korean hikers are so fit!!

After our hike, we payed 10 000 won ($10) to take the cable car up to the top of one of the many mountains in the park. The money was well spent, as I have never seen a more breathtaking view. The jagged cliffs, and the beautiful, resilient trees growing in high up places; the mist surrounding the mountains like a blanket. It was beautiful.

View from the cable car

View at the top of the mountain

Sunday we returned to Goesan for another week of orientation, Korean language classes and F.E.P. (Fulbright English Program, an English camp for middle school and high schoolers). Tomorrow and Friday are midterm days for Korean classes, and Friday I teach my first ever lesson plan in class for F.E.P. I am nervous...I think almost all of us are. But I am also very excited to finally meet students first hand, and begin the life long learning process of how to teach, something I think only experience can truly teach.

Survivor: First week

I survived the first week of orientation. Just kidding, it's really not been that bad. In fact, it has been one of the most fun weeks I've ever had.

Orientation started bright and early 5 a.m at Incheon airport. All 73 ETAs were picked up and brought to Jungwon University in Goesan. We immediately took a Korean language placement test, and were then initiated into the orientation process via several workshop sessions explaining the way the next couple weeks were going to go.

My daily schedule looks something like this:
7:30 am-wake up
8-9 am- breakfast
10-1 pm- Korean language class
2-3 pm- Korean language class
3-6 pm- various workshops
6-7 pm- dinner
7-9 pm- various meetings, Korean homework help, etc.

A Buddhist temple behind Jungwon University

The days are very, very busy and leave little time for anything else, but we are learning so much, and it thrills me! I have never been surrounded by a more invested, more enthusiastic group of people. All 73 of us want to be here. All of us have a passion for learning in one way or another, and through that a passion for teaching as well. I know, looking at the people around me, they are all going to make some pretty awesome teachers!

My Korean language class

On the flip side, it is intimidating as well. Having never taught an official language class before, I am unfamiliar with education terminology such as "scaffolding" a lesson, etc. I know I will love my students, and try and help them learn English to the best of my ability, but the question, "Will it be enough?" does nag me occasionally. Thankfully, I still have 5 weeks of orientation to prepare me for it!

The Airport World

I am here. I made it! After traveling from Brussels to Istanbul to Seoul, my inner clock is completely turned around, and I know, I know tomorrow I will be dead. But not yet. Today I am enjoying the airport world that is Incheon International Airport.

My flight landed this morning at 10 a.m. Because of pick-up scheduling, Fulbright is only picking all the ETAs up at 5 a.m tomorrow. So to save money, I decided to spend the night in Incheon. Uncomfortable, yes; but beneficial to my pocket book. I payed 15 dollars to have my luggage kept for me in a holding area and then, 70 lb lighter and accompanied by my trusty laptop, I decided to explore the airport. My km counter on my iPhone says I have walked over 5 km today. Not too unusual, except when you imagine those 5 km in an airport. On my adventure I discovered the ice rink hidden on the bottom floor of Incheon. Amazing! Later I stumbled across a movie theatre, and decided to stop in for a screening of the new Finding Dory movie. Not before eating dinner at one of the numerous restaurants on the 4th floor. While enjoying a very spicy dinner, I was serenaded by live piano and violin music, as the airport regularly entertains its guests with live performances, both modern and traditional.

The thing that impressed me most about Incheon was the attention given to educating visitors about the Korean culture. In only one day, I experienced traditional Korean music performances, saw exhibits of Korean art, and other activities. I think Incheon has the right idea, and more airports should make the effort to reach the travelers journeying through; thousands, and thousands every day. Many of us are only transferring to another flight, yet still, I think many travelers would like to learn about the country they are sojourning in.

D-10 Last stop Oxford

Last stop before I fly to Korea? Oxford, England.
I am currently sitting in a cafe across from one of the dozens and dozens of colleges at Oxford University. This is the last International stop on my journey before I fly to South Korea. On Wednesday I return to home to France to frantically begin packing a year's worth of deodorant (which is supposedly, outrageously expensive in Korea), vitamins (also very expensive in Korea), and shoes (because my gigantic shoe size (9) is not easily found in Korea).

I am definitely awaiting my departure with eager anticipation, and slight nausea. This mixture, of positive excitement and more negative nervousness is keeping me on edge. I recently completed the online TESOL certification Fulbright requires, which helped tremendously in giving me a more concrete idea of what teaching English will look like. My previous experience of teaching has been on a volunteer basis, and never in an official position. I am unsure what teaching English in an official capacity will bring with it. Will it be more structured? Will there be more pressure? Will the students be excited to learn? I suppose I just have to wait to find out! Not something I do so well...

D-25 Let The Preparations Begin

What do European cities have to do with Korea? Not much, except that I am currently living with my parents in France, as I prepare for my year of teaching English in South Korea.

The view from the restaurant terrace

Yesterday my parents and I took a trip outside of our city, to the small village of Cassel, settled on top of one of the only hills in the region. This Flemish-French village featured a long, cobblestoned road that rattled our brains as we journeyed to the top of the hill, however the view was reward enough. After a wonderful lunch on the breezy terrace of a restaurant, we walked through the city square where a music festival was being held. 

I returned to Europe, the place of my childhood, the beginning of May after graduating from Roanoke College in Virginia. As I prepare for my year in South Korea, I cherish the moments spent under the shadows of ancient cathedrals. The historic aura pervading all European countries wraps me in a familiar cocoon. I am leaving for Seoul on July 8th, and before then will have visited Ireland, Belgium, England, France (where my parents live), and Germany (where my grandmother lives). Sometimes I wonder what it would be like not to travel so much, but then I shake my head. I am thankful, so thankful for opportunities to travel and see the world, that I have had all my life. 

The restaurant 

When I first moved to France as a 15 year old, I had to learn French from scratch, and it was hard. I still do not speak French fluently, but spending the time here preparing for South Korea reminds me that I have lived in a country that I do not speak the language or know the customs before. If I did it once, with God's help, I can do it again. 

Music festival Cassel

This is my first blog post, of many more to come, detailing my adventures as an English teacher with Fulbright Korea. I hope that this blog will be a help to anyone considering to apply for a Fulbright ETA. If you have any questions, feel free to comment! I began my own process of applying to Fulbright May 2015, and I would have never successfully completed this long journey without the help from my professors at Roanoke College and friends who have gone before me as ETAs. So don't be shy!