#teaching english in korea

it turns out the lady that interviewed me is friends with my head professor and coming to watch our school’s Korean speaking competition on Friday

Gotta practice harder lol

So a number of things have happened in the last few days to propel me further towards Asia. 

My contract (NOA) has had quite a journey around the world, from Seoul, to China, then to Germany and it’s now leaving France. I must admit, I haven’t really been impressed with the service of FedEx, for a start it was just sitting in Seoul over the weekend, whereas DhL contracts where already on their way. In the great scheme of things this isn’t a major thing. But when combined with months of waiting, and pressures on time it gets to you more than normal. Alas, it’s due to arrive tomorrow, at which point i’ll run on down to the post office to deliver it to the embassy, 

The next big development is….I’ve booked my flights! I managed to find an excellent deal through STA travel. It was £440 single to Kuala lumpur, with an 8 hour stop over in Doha. Then I paid around £160 for an Air Asia flight from KL to Seoul on the 18th August. 

It feels incredibly real now that i’ve purchased my flight tickets. I now hope the visa takes the 5 working days!

I am alive and well in South Korea. It’s been all a bit crazy, and I don’t think it’s really sunk in that i am here. 

First things first, the EPIK orientation was an intense process, which felt at times rather like a gulag. On the other hand, it was an amazing experience with some truly kind people. Overall I think it’s really handy having that as a buffer between teaching and living in Korea. 

EPIK orientation is a lot like freshers at university, a bunch of relatively young people thrown into a completely new environment. For the most part I really enjoyed it, but there is a sense that you are being treated as a baby, especially around the curfew and the rules. It’s also a great chance to meet new people and suss out those people you’ve been talking to for months on Kakao.

EPIK orientation days are long and tiring, and pretty boring. The exception being the field trip, which allowed us the opportunity to break free of the campus and feel like adults again. So for the most part your hand will be held, and you will feel a lot younger again. 

After getting used to living with a stranger and the canteen food, the bubble is soon popped. Towards the end you will find out where you are going. This prompted a mix of sheer terror and excitement. When I found out that I got east seoul, I was initially disappointed, but in reality i feel pretty lucky to live here. 

After that you’re thrown on a coach and then thrown on the side of the street where you will meet your co-teacher(s). My CT’s where a bit older, and seemed very nice. They drove me to my nice modern apartment and bought me a meal. One of them stayed with me for hours at immigration to help with my ID card. 

All in all, I can’t really complain about my situation. I have a good apartment, good CT and a good school. I certainly feel things could be a lot worse, and they may well do so. But for now it seems to be going well. 

It’s all been bit of a whirlwind, and I still slightly feel like I’m on holiday. It’s the small things that make your time here really nice, like a helpful monk, or having wifi in your room, or having a working phone. 

It’s tough moving here, and at times I found it really hard. I still find it hard sometimes, and I do cry on the odd occasion. However, I feel happy here, even know my money is dwindling quickly.