Hello Seoul!!!

 My apt

 Itaewon

 moreeee BBQ!!!

Seoul Tower

I arrived in Seoul, South Korea less than a week ago and so far, so good!  My flight here was cake...had an open seat next to me, sitting next to a Korean Buckeye (boooo), slept a little, watched some movies, ate some kimbap (I had to watch my neighbor to figure out what went in where, but I caught on quickly!).  I arrived and got picked up by someone from my school and was brought to my apartment, which is a decent size, the yellow floors aren't so attractive and the twin bed is definitely less than ideal, but it is paid for, so oh well!  I turned my apartment into my home almost immediately!  It still has some work to do, but it does feel like home.  I live in the same building as a few other teachers, one of whom lives directly across from me and has recently arrived to Korea as well!  I live literally ONE minute from my school, the thought of not having to commute to work makes me so happy I can't even explain it!  The first full day I was here I had to go to the medical center to get a medical exam and then I went to school and had lunch with my coworkers!  Every day our school provides a delicious Korean lunch, which is quite lovely!  My first night out a few of the teachers took me to an area called AK plaza for some good old Western food and a beer, they loves themselves some Hoegaarden here and I'm beyond thrilled about that!  We went to this bar called Travelers where all the foreigners in our area go to, my exact location is Bundang (pronounced Bundong), which is about 30/40 minutes outside of the heart of the Seoul.  The public transportation here is fast and easy, the bus drivers are a little insane, but who wouldn't be driving a bus around all day!?!?  The first thing I noticed was that you are allowed to smoke in bars here ughhh, come on Korea!!!!!  I had a great evening getting to know my new friends, all of whom love to party as much as I do...boy do I fit in here!!!!  The next day I went to work, woohooo!  I am observing my fellow teachers for about two weeks, but apparently they are having me teach a few classes as well, the schedule is beyond confusing so I am going day by day and doing whatever I'm told to do!  The kids are beyond adorable!  The kids ages range from about 5 to 8 or 9 years old, but apparently in Korea when you're born you are one so they are technically younger than they say...it's weird!  They all speak English to some degree, some better than others, but you are 100% able to communicate with them.  Each class has a Korean co-teacher that helps with homework checking, giving spelling tests, etc.  She's not in the class all day with you, but pops in and out.  I will have my own classroom and will have the classes come to me.  They have a weird schedule, but pretty much I have the youngest group from 9:30 until 2ish and then get an older group for two hours and then another group for two hours, so it's a long day, but that's what I'm here for!  All the other teachers are so nice, some have been at the school or in Korea for a few years, so they are great resources for me to use!  The Korean staff is also really nice, they all speak English to a degree and are willing to help you with anything you may need.  I have one class starting this week that I'll be teaching, it's a small group, three girls and then I'll get three more in September, so I am jumping right in which I'm very excited about because sitting around and observing can be veryyyy boring!

I went out on Friday night in Itaewon, which is the area of Seoul where all the foreigners hang out.  They have lots of pubs, clubs, American chains...you name it, they got it!  It's pretty much just one long street of nightlife and everyone is pretty hammered every where you turn!  There are a lot of military people in Seoul because they have a base a few minutes away.  Friday turned into a VERY late night, which ended with 5am Korean BBQ, yummmmm!!!!  It was the healthiest drunk snack I've ever had, lettuce wraps with meat and vegetables, perhaps I'll get skinnier by having my late night snack be meat and lettuce, fingers crossed :)  Saturday afternoon after only 5 hours of sleep a few of us went back to Itaewon and ended up staying out all night, again another VERY late evening.  We took cabs home, which are around 20 bucks, so not too bad at all!  I'm looking forward to getting involved in some serious karaoke and will be sure to upload some videos when that happens!

So far things are going really well and I'm loving every minute of it!  I feel a bit like a kid at Christmas with my eyes wide open taking in everything I see!  I've already began discussing heading to Thailand for Christmas break and am very excited about that!  We have a few days off here and there throughout the year and hope to travel as much as I can during those long weekends, our first one is next weekend!  That's all I have for now, I just wanted to give a rundown of my life so far.

Sending lots of love from around the world!!!!
xoxo

Here is my contact information for anyone that wants to send some love my way!

Apt landline: 82-31-715-9682

Address:

LCI Kids Club, 2 & 4 Floor

46-4 Jungja-dong, Bundang-gu, 

Sungnam, Kyunggi-do, 463-010 South Korea

Phone Number: 031-599-0584

Attn: Ashley Jones