Typhoons, Roof parties and failing at life - Week 4

The week

On Monday - Typhoon warnings were out - so it was too dangerous for the kids to go to school!
Ahhh so great - no early morning for me.....right? Oh wait. All the teachers have to go into school and deskwarm. **read - facebook** - but hey, I have no students so today is going to be a real easy day. Then it hits me. With no students.......there is NO SCHOOL LUNCH.

Now - the food at school is just THE BEST. I would go as far as saying that it is my highlight of my school day. I would take photos to give examples - but well I just can't wait long enough before I start eating. We have had smoked duck, a school lunch style Korean BBQ and lots more!

But don't worry. I didn't starve....we ordered in food and it was soooo good! There was so so much...I ate until I physically couldn't eat anymore and I still had half of my portion left.....and I can eat a lot!

We then go back to 'deskwarm' and get told that we can leave at 2 to get home before the worst of the storm comes.

So how bad was this storm you're asking?! Well from what I have seen personally - it felt like a regular bad weather day in England - wind and rain. Butttt I have seen some pictures where it looks pretty intense. So I guess I just got lucky :)

Oh and the dinner that we were going to have for the new principal was cancelled - Monday was a giant food disappointment day! (Well, minus the food we ordered... mmmmm)

One of the kids drew a picture of me <3

Friday

Grace threw a party on her roof for Alica's Birthday. She lives in a brand new building and the roof is so pretty - great view - and fairy lights - what more could you want in life?! Well of course we added alcohol - lot's of alcohol. We played some drinking games, listened to some music - pretty quietly....the next thing we know......the police are here....telling us to be quiet. My first ever party that was broken up by the police haha......apparently this is quiet common in America....but I was loving it haha.

Then we headed into Chilgok and went to a Beatles bar....... now I'm not 100% sure when I went from being really drunk to getting 'White girl smashed' and falling over on numerous occasions.....but yeah it happened.

I wasn't the only one really drunk - this Korean lady was knocking back the shots and befriended Winnie.

 

Now...... Saturday morning was the day I had been looking forward to......Bungee jumping...all paid for....super excited....... and I go home...... by battery is low...... finding a charger seems like to much effort and well the next thing I know....I wake up.....it's 8am.....the bus left at 7.

Fuck.

I fail. 

I woke up still pretty drunk - jumped in the shower - tried to see if I could still get there.....then I realised that I had no money to get there....so basically I was just screwed...... oh welll better luck next time.

Saturday

So, now I have a Saturday in Daegu instead of Inje - which I am pretty excited about - as I haven't been out in actual Daegu in what feels like forever (2 weeks) ....and this means that I can get a cocktail in a bag :) :)

I get some water on my phone case before I go out..... it is not drying as fast as I would like in my room - so I decide to balance it over my candle (yeah, I'm not too sure what I was thinking either).....and yeah I forgot about it....until I could smell something funny......

Now....it's payday on Tuesday...so I am suppperr skint atm....like actually no money. So I do this super cheap..... I buy myself a big bottle of beer...and drink it alone in my room before getting the bus into town - I then only buy 1 cocktail in a bag.....but once I'm out I decide that I'm actually feeling really hyper and it will be better not to drink....(don't ask)...... but thennnn everyone else seems to be pretty drunk and then start flagging at 3....when I just want to go to the club and dance (I have to wait until 6 to get my bus haha) - but in the end up on a hostel roof having a couple of drinks, waiting for 6am to arrive.

Yeah walking around Korea in last nights outfit is an experience. Totally fell asleep on the bus.....but luckily that's pretty common here....like people sleep in clubs.....and I wake up before my stop.....so all was cool.

Just a casual nap in the bar

Sunday and what's coming up next week

So I woke up early afternoon - it was soooo sunny and nice - I decided that I really shouldn't waste my day - but with no money - my options were limited - so I went on a walk around the rice fields in my area.

I was a bit homesicky for Switzerland today (I think it was the weather...and that I wanted to stay out partying last night- I needed my Buzz buddies back!) and my internet has stopped working - i'm back to pushing my laptop against the wall to steal internet - so I basically just sat and scrolled through gay quotes on Pintrest and yeah that was my crazy Sunday.

I'm a bit scared to write about what will happpen next week....as I managed to Jinx everything that I wrote last week...... so I will just say one word....... NAMHAEEEEE

Ambulances, a new phone and 'quiet' nights in - Week 3

The week!

I started teaching the 1st graders this week - now I find the third graders super cute - so this class KILLED me. They were just so freaking adorable!!

Seriously, I was like all like awwww. Then had to remember that I was the teacher and had a job to do haha. We sung the 'Daddy finger, daddy finger - where are you? - Here I am, here I am - How do you do?' song - and I got them all to shake hands and yeah they were pretty awesome.

Their level of English was a lot higher than I expected - so I was under prepared for my very first lesson. But I managed to blag some games and I made it. This was my first lesson without an actual coteacher - so I was a bit nervous - but there was nothing to fear!! (Apart from my broodiness - if there was a way to have a kid - minus the baby baby years - and then a way you could pause them when you wanted to go out and have fun - then I would be all over this! With the way phones are advancing - I am sure that they will create a child pausing app soon!)

Thursday lunch time we were sat eating (of course) and suddenly - out of nowhere - an envelope appears addressed to us! Now we have been waiting for our Alien Registration Card (ARC) for what felt like a LIFETIME (it had only been 2 weeks....but yeah)......so our excitement levels were very high. I am pretty sure I started jumping around with my chopsticks still in my hand. Now....why the excitement you ask? So without the ARC card.....you cannot open a bank account......or get a phone.

ARC and Bank card...... I am starting to feel like a real person again

So I knew that this meant that a phone would soon be coming my way!!

 Yu Jung (one of my coteachers) came with me and Matt and helped us to set up our bank account and help choose a phone contract. Having someone to help translate and explain everything to use was soooo good - I knew that I 100% wanted the Galaxy S3 - so after checking out a couple of stores I signed on the dotted line. Yu Jung stayed with us until we had our phones in our hands and they were working - and this was like at 7pm - so we were super thankful of her going out of her way <3

Matchie Matchie..... who is the loser with the S2? lol

I plan on doing a seperate blog post on the benefits of having a smartphone and useful apps later - so I will not say too much. But yeah I freaking love my phone!

Friday

We decided to give our livers and purses a rest and have a quiet night in at Laura's place! (Of course this plan actually failed)

The plan was to meet around 7ish.......by the time I had messed around in my apartment and cooked some food.....I was already running late....and I still had an hour bus journey ahead of me. So I set of on my way with my rucksack with my pillow and quilt ready for our movie night and sleepover!

As I'm walking to the bus stop - I see a woman on the opposite side of the road just collapse - she drops her bag and purse - hit's her head and I can see it is bleeding - and she is on the side of the road.
I look around to see if anyone else saw - but I am the only person around. SHIT. I am in a new country - I don't speak the language - and this would be a scary enough situation without those factors thrown in!

I cross the road and try and say 'Hello' - she doesn't respond (and it wasn't even because of my bad Korean language) - there is a Paris Baguette 2 seconds away - so I run in - and basically mime that I need them to help - I am looking quite frantic and scary I'm sure....and they were probably wondering what the crazy foreigner was trying to say. But she comes and helps - and I manage to explain what I saw. The Paris Baguette calls the ambulance and collects the womans purse and bag together - the woman start's to come around - and looks shaken but ok. I realise that I am not adding much to the situation by still being there, so I say my goodbyes and try to do my 'I hope you are ok' face - and then go for the bus.

So with my good deed of the day done.....I then go to get the bus (really late now) and just miss the next one by around 1 min.....Grrrrrr.

I arrive - and after seeing 20 bottles of soju - I realise that this night might not be so quiet after all haha. We drink drink drink and then decide we should go out. Half of us decide to go to the Norebang (Karaoke room) and the other half go downtown.

This was before the big drinking started

 I didn't realise how much I would actually love Norebang......I'm sure most of you know how so verrrrry bad I am at singing haha! But the song choices are basically a list of all my favourite songs haha - Britney, Backstreet Boys, Jo Jo. So yeah, we have a big sing song - drink more soju. Not bragging or anything but me and Mehab scored 100% on 'Circle of Life' hahaha. (Basically I think the lowest score you can get is 80% - and I am pretty sure the scores are randomly generated....but shhhhhh haha)

The others who were meant to be sleeping at Lauras - actually go home - so I am in Laura's house alone - and therefore get the bed all to myself....perfect! Then Laura comes back - greets me with 'hey guysssss' - I manage to reply that it's actually just me and we have some drunken chat and then fall asleep!

So yeah, our sleepover and movie night didn't quite go to plan....... but I am pretty glad haha!

Saturday 

 We woke up and decide to make our way into Daegu. We go for some lunch and take some pics outside the Hello Kitty Cafe - once I am paid again I NEED to get a coffee from there - it is SO ADORABLE!

I make my way home - ready to make my house look a little bit more presentable for the people that are coming to mine. Sam and Laura were meant to be going to Busan - but well the hangover was a little bit too bad....but I was happy as this meant they got to come for another 'quiet night' at mine!

People came round - we ate chicken burgers, we drank and played with my exercise bar than the guy who lived here before put up (Yeah, we were not very Korean this weekend....) . We played Ring of fire (I still hate Laura for the 'No words that begin with T rule!!).

This is how we entertain ourselves in Chilgok

 Mina - a friend of some of the guys - who I hadn't met came - which you know me, the more the merrier. Now one of my favourite things about Korea is how FRIENDLY and kind the people are here! She brought us a chocolate cake for letting her come.......ahhhh I just love people here!

The original plan was to either go to a Norebang - or check out Chilgoks nightlife. We leave mine quite late and walk into Chilgok....in the rain (did I mention the 2nd Typhoon is on it's way - haha).
We get to 'Lotteria' - a burger bar - order food - and then decide we are tired and go home. FAIL.
Laura and Sam sleep at mine - we start with three in the bed all squashed - then Sam gives up and sleeps on the floor....yet me and Laura don't realise this and sleep the rest of the night hooked up together haha..... until I realise at like 7am!

Sunday and what's coming next week

 Today has been a super lazy day. We spent some of our morning looking at shit on the internet. Then I walked them two to the bus stop. I had a nap. I tidied my place up. I ate an omlette (again) and skyped my mum and dad!

There is a chance I won't have lessons tomorrow as the kids might not be coming in due to the Typhoon......but we teachers have to go in. I will prepare a game anyway...just in case I actually do have a lesson!

Tomorrow night I am going out with all the teachers to celebrate the new principal (I am very happy for the food - money is getting tight atm!)

Next weekend I have an 'Extreme Sport and BBQ party' weekend coming up......I will be going to the Gangwon province and Bungee jumping and eating Korean BBQ :) :)

 

 

This could be the start of something new

Starting by quoting High School Musical songs is surely the right way to go...right! Haha!

My update from Orientation was not all that detailed, as you might as noticed....but well my memory is not what it used to be. So I thought that instead I should just start with all the actual details about the things that are happening now....things that I remember!

So..... let's break this down.

Week 1

First week at school

During the first week my teaching pretty much involves me talking about myself to a class of 30 odd kids..... but hey, you know me.....any excuse to talk about myself.....I showed them pictures of me in Switzerland, me and the kids, me and my friends from home and basically things that I liked and we played some True or False games about me!
They loved finding stuff out about me and were impressed that I liked Korean food. Their most common questions and comments that they came out with were -

Teacher teacher - are you married?

Do you have a boyfriend?

and finally 

Have you had plastic surgery?

It was mainly in this order.....so I am wondering if the think that I need plastic surgery in order to get a boyfriend hahaha. I have had just two kids declare their love for me....which is tiny compared to a lot of the EPIK teachers here. But the kids are so adorable and the little bow wave that they do when they are not sure whether to bow or wave to me just makes my heart melt haha!!
I walk down the corridor and get my name shouted and 'Hello Laura teacher' all the time - which I just love haha,I feel like a mini celeb!!

 I got to create a role play for the kids to act out with my coteachers to practice the vocab..... 'I can'

I bought some English chocolate for the staff room.....but I seem to be eating a LOT of it.....good one Laura, buy a present then eat all of it  yourself!!

After a very quick week....the weekend is upon us!!

The weekend partying in Daegu

Friday

So Friday night arrives and the plan is to meet everyone at the subway stop 'Banwaldong' - now I don't have a subway near me - but I check on the internet and work out which bus I need to catch to make my way there and make my way. Well yeah, I get to the bus stop and realise that I have no clue what I am doing AT ALL. So I jump in the taxi - say the stop name and show the writing in Korean........ the driver has no idea what I am trying to say.....and drops me around 3 mins away from my house in the center of Chilgok!
It's getting later.....I realise that I have NO phone - so I can't contact anyone, and I have no idea how to get to where I need to be.

I take a breath.

I see a Korean girl of around 14 close to me near the bus stop. She is shy at speaking English....but I manage to get across that I need to get to the subway stop..... she said she would show me where the bus stop was...but I realise that a taxi would be my best bet right now..... but she tells me it will be 'big big money' - I decide to see how much - because a Friday night in, does not seem like an option right now................ turns out it is around £10! She walks me 10 mins to a taxi.....tells the driver where I need to go and shows me how much to pay. This girl saved my partying life!

My favourite thing that I have found here is how friendly and helpful everyone is. Poor lost English girl my most worn look at the minute haha!

I arrive there, and seeing everyone from orientation just makes me feel so happy. It had been 4 days....but it felt like we hadn't seen each other in FOREVER.........annnnd we had NO CURFEW! Woooo!

So of course....we get our PARTAYYYYYY on. A large group of foreigners wandering around the streets of Daegu....of course we find the cocktail in a bag place and successfully get very drunk.

And then comes the fun of trying to get home. So the very nice previous teacher had printed me out the name of my school so that I could show this to the taxi driver and then make my way home.

Well that was the plan.

But add alcohol. The dark. And losing my sense of direction. And well...... I kinda forgot where I lived.......but after wandering the streets for a 'little' while.....I manage to find my house!! Woo me!!

Saturday

I wake up without a hangover - which seems to be a theme so far in Korea.....let's hope it keeps up! If it does....good luck trying to make me return back to the UK haha!

I decide to man up and try and figure out the buses.....I take a longer than I now know is needed route.....but at least I get there. I go for a pizza (nice and Korean I know!) and end up meeting some people from Orientation......and a mid day game of 'Ring of fire' and 'I have never...' seems to be the best plan..........

As you can imagine.....me + lack of sleep + afternoon drinking - ends up with me getting all sleepy/not fun! I fall asleep in the taxi on the way home........ but I do find my way home.....check me out!!

Sunday

We go to the Daegu bodypainting festival and then go to a Korean resteraunt to all eat together before we go home to get ready for week 2 at school! Whilst at the body painting we get taken to a stage and made to pose for photos in front of around 50 Korean photographers.....we are still not sure why haha, but it was a funny experience!

Week 2

This weekend we went to 'Korea Burn' - which is a free festival where no money can be exchanged. So you take goods to exchange and all just share.
Of course I had another transport nightmare...... me and Cat had arranged to meet at Dongdaegu station (again we still don't have phones) ....... but as I have to take the bus it takes me to the Dongdaegu train station.....not the metro.....so I was just wondering around a bit...then tried to get to the Metro....where I found some people who said they had just seen a girl who was looking for a girl.....but they didn't know where she had gone......... haha but we met and all was good in the world!

We set off at 9pm and a 2.45am we arrive at our destination......there is a wind storm.....so putting our tent up is super cool haha! But some awesomly friendly people help us put is up and we get into bed!
Then at 6am.....I wake up to a noise.....my first thought is....someone has fallen over and is in a lot of pain....as all I hear is screaming. Then I start to wake up and realise it is a girl having a LOT of fun with a guy haha. Me and Cat then both wake up and like children burst out laughing.
When the performance is over the entire camp that could hear....I am guessing there were quite a few of us....... starts cheering!

We then go back to sleep and wake up ready to get our burn on.

Us enjoying a free cheese toastie.

Now we have only been here a short time, and were not really prepared....but the kindness from people was awesome!! We were facepainted, body painted, fake tatooed, given food, drink, friendship bracelets and got to dance on the beach at two different dj stands! We drank soju out of a water pistol and pretty much had an awesome weekend!!

Such a pretty beach

Week 3.....coming up :)

Big loves to everyone xx

Catchup on my Korea Journey

So, the last time I wrote in here was when I was on a roller-coaster ride of emotions - and you might be happier to know that I am in a much saner place right now! haha!

Quick catch up of life from my last post until Korea

• I got the Swiss Summer camp job - and this was one of the best things that could have happened. It made me feel a lot more comfortable with the idea of  teaching - and made me realise that 11-16 year olds are actually not that scary after all! We all had an amazing time and even though we were only together for a short amount of time, I feel like I met some people that I will be friends with for a long time.

•  I had a week at home - I managed to catch up with friends and family. I might not say it often enough but I feel really lucky to have such an awesome group of friends and family who are still here for me when I come back. It was a majorly rushed week so I'm also sorry to those people who I didn't get to see!!

The start of the journey

After a catchup with Suzi at my hotel the night before leaving - me and my parents make our way to the airport. I have two large suitcases, my rucksack and handbag and it suddenly starts feeling very real. I will be away for an entire year...... no trips back to say hello, just me in a foreign country! I start crying as I go through the 'ticket holders only' part and say my goodbyes to the fam......**wah wah what a cry baby**
Flight from London - Paris is simple enough - short, sweet - minus the baby crying, but hey - it was only an hour.

Flight from Paris to Seoul - so after thinking I was getting Business class, only then to realise I had an Economy ticket - I then get upgraded to Premium Economy on the flight. **Phew, I was getting worried about sitting with all those common people haha** I had a really good flight - watched some awesome movies, ate Scallops and was constantly given chocolate......... this had started off well.

Arrived in Korea

After leaving at 7am GMT and arriving in Korea at 7am Korea time - I am running on complete excitement. Even just being at the airport, I am really starting to feel excited about the next chapter of my life - I meet Annie and Uly at the airport and we make our way onto the coaches to orientation.

Orientation

 Orientation surpassed all of my expectations......like seriously.

From the lectures, to the field trip, Korean lessons and even the Chicken bar.

Meeting so many people..... especially class 3 woo..... has made me feel straight at home!! I haven't had time yet to feel even slightly homesick.

Arriving at school

After what felt like a Freshers week - the awesomeness that was Orientation had to come to an end. And as we were all sat lined up waiting for our coteachers to call out or names....I think it hit us all that we would soon be actual English Teachers in Korea.

It turns out that I will actually have another native teacher with me at my school, so we wait to be called out - and our coteacher takes us to our apartments.

Click here to watch my apartment video

We make a quick list of what we want to buy and they take us straight to the school to meet everyone. I felt really scared at this point, but I really didn't need to! Everyone was super friendly and even came with us shopping to help us settle in.

We went for dinner with most of the other English teachers before they dropped us off at home ready to start our first day teaching the next day.

Korea was on Tornado alert the next day - so we even got to start school at 10 instead of 8.20.....SCORE!

My school

I am teaching at Hagnam/Haknam Elementary School - it is the largest Elem school in the whole of Daegu......so it's pretty big. I teach the 3rd Graders and the 5th Graders and the other teacher teaches the 4th and 6th Graders. I see each class once a week.

I have my 5th Graders in the English zone....where we have the smart boards and whiteboards - and then the 3rd graders on the floor below with chalkboards.

Our office.......my seat is the red one on the same side as Matt.