12/14/16

I am in Korea. After a few weeks, I find that as much as I’ve settled into daily life, this bare fact still jolts me every once in a while with a rush of excitement. When I wake up in the morning, the view outside my window is looking down at Suwon, South Korea from the twelfth floor, not suburban Virginia. I don’t want this to lose its freshness.

To everyone out there, annyeonghaseyo (hello)! This is my first blog post about life as an English teacher in South Korea! I’m already a few weeks in, so I regret not having started sooner. I have much to discuss.

This post will serve to outline the basics of my living and working situation. To my friends and family, sorry that it took me this long, and to the general reader, this will shed some light on teaching in Korea!

Teaching

I teach at an English academy called Ewha American Language School. We are a private after-school academy that serves kindergarten through high school students. Monday through Friday, I work from 2 pm – 10 pm. I’m quite fond of the later schedule – I can sleep in or do errands in the morning, and I avoid the crowds at peak times of day.

On any given day, I will teach between 5 and 6 classes, 40 minutes each. I have an hour for preparation at the beginning and end of each day. I use that time to outline classes and grade essays. We work hard and stay busy throughout the day, so the time goes quickly!
I will have classes ranging from kindergarten through middle school, so the variety keeps it fresh. I teach all my classes completely in English, so the kids benefit from immersion by a native speaker.

The work environment is great! Moving across the globe and taking a job in a school I had never visited was not an easy jump, but all my preoccupations have been assuaged. The school is very modern and comfortable, with up-to-date books and resources. Our boss is professional yet kind. The office has a friendly and collaborative vibe – I have three other foreign co-workers, from South Africa and Ireland! I am the only American 🙂 We also teach alongside about ten other Korean teachers, who have been welcoming and supportive.

The kids are adorable as well. The class sizes are small, between 2 and 10, so I can give them lots of individual attention. For the most part, they are very well behaved, motivated, and have great English skills for their age. They work hard, but we also have some fun events like Drama Day and Craft Day 🙂

Living Situation

Apart from the work conditions, the other biggest concern when moving to a new country is the housing situation. I’m happy to report that my apartment is exactly what I was hoping for and more!

First off – the location. It. cannot. be beat. My apartment building is literally next door to the school. My commute is less than five minutes long, walking, starting from the time I exit my room, go down the elevator, and walk next door. Talk about a dream commute.

I have a single studio room all to myself, and though it may not be huge by American standards, it fits my needs perfectly. It’s modern and efficient, with a nice bed, big window, kitchen, and even a washer/dryer combo machine. Here’s a picture looking in from the doorway.

It also came with a bit of character as well! I found a… charming placard on the wall when I arrived, and have decided to keep it. The bathroom decor is also… eye-catching 🙂

Thus, I have dubbed my abode Strawberry Homestead Farm! All who enter shall revel in its Fragarian succulence.

All of my foreign coworkers and other English teachers from nearby schools live in the building as well, so a friend is only an elevator ride a way. It almost has a college-dorm feeling of camaraderie, but with all the privacy and convenience of your own room!

My other favorite thing about the apartment is the roof access – the entry is unlocked and it’s a great spot for views of the city or for some high-altitude revelations! (or strange dance moves)

The first photo is the view from the roof! In the foreground, you can notice a constructed folk village. This is not real – it’s been built for a movie set.

Suwon

To wrap up, I’ll report a bit about my new city of residence. Suwon is the capital of the Gyeonggi province and has a population of about 1,200,000 people. It lies only 19 miles from Seoul, the capital of South Korea. Cities are very densely packed in Korea. Getting to Seoul is not too difficult – it’s a little over an hour away by subway. However, everything I could want for modern life is right here. Plus, I avoid some of the crowds and turbulence of the true metropolis type.

These are some pics of some of Suwon’s major streets. This is during the afternoon, so not peak time. It’s a sleek, comfortable modern city. Any convenience is never more than a few blocks away – department stores, gyms, grocery stores, home goods, the movie theatre – you name it. I have to say that I’m a fan of building things vertically.

Suwon’s other big claim to fame is the fortress dating back to the 1790s that covers the entire center of the town! I had a brief exploring session a few weekends ago, and I’ll plan to do a more detailed one later.

In later blog posts, I may delve deeper into a few things I’ve just touched on today. I’ll try to keep them a bit shorter in the future, this one is just longer because I wanted to get all the introduction out of the way.

Overall, this post is only scratching the surface of the wonder and excitement that is Korea. Rest assured, I’m loving it so far, and I can’t wait to dive in deeper. I could not have imagined my job, apartment, or adopted city working out better.