I have now been in Korea for a week. Korea is similar to Japan in some ways and different in others, but the biggest difference for me is not between the two countries as much as between the different jobs. In Japan, I was in a Japanese-speaking environment all day, but here, I work at an office (and live) with mostly native English speakers. Also, I'm still teaching English, but now I'm teaching very small classes (my smallest class is one student, my largest class is 4) and most of my students are between the ages of 7-10, instead of being high school students (in classes of 40).
Starting Tuesday, I will teach 5 classes a day. The class I'm most nervous about is phonics, because I've never taught it before, but I know it will be a great learning experience for me. Four of my 5 classes are the same students every day. Isn't that incredible? I'll get to know those students so well, and I will get to watch them learn! My 5th class is a middle school class- two days a week I have a one-on-one class, and three days a week I have an Advanced English Conversation class with two students.
The best thing about the apartment where I live is that there is a very close hiking trail. I have been exercising there about every other day, and it's a great way to reduce the stress of moving to a new place. The apartment is in kind of a rural area- there are lots of gardens and there's a Korean cemetery in the proximity- but it's still near a train station that has trains every 15 minutes into Seoul. It takes about an hour to get to Seoul, which really isn't too bad. The apartment is about a 20 minute walk from the office, and the office is located in the center of Deokso, our city, so there are lots of stores in the area where I can get almost anything I need. It has been fun to see some of the different American brands that are here but not in Japan, like Playtex, Clean & Clear, and Sun Chips.
On the weekend I went to Hongdae with my roommates, and we shopped for 8 hours. In Korea, a lot of stores don't carry different sizes- they just have one size! I thought I was in consignment shops at first. I also noticed a few differences between Japanese fashion and Korean fashion: in my observations, Koreans wear more sandals, tuck their shirts in more often, and (for women) wear tighter jeans.
On Sunday, I went to Grace and Peace Mennonite Church with some of my roommates. I really liked that church and felt comfortable there, so I think I'll keep going. I met some Korean young people my age, finally, at church, and it was great to get to try and use the Korean I've been studying. Hopefully I'll be able to get out more and make more Korean friends.. once I get my bearings better and get a phone, that will be easier.
Prayer requests:
-Adjusting to my new job and living environment
-Opportunities to learn and use Korean
-My relationship with God and acclimation to a new church
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