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