My Tuesday School: Singwang Elementary

     Hey folks!  It's a beautiful Saturday morning in Hampyeong.  Unfortunately, I did indeed spend my first Friday night in Hampyeong, as working with upwards of 500 kids takes its toll, I was a little too sick to hit the road and travel right away.  Feeling better this morning after about 2 liters of Powerade and orange juice, so time to hit the road soon with the one and only Erik Gray.  But before I do, here's a post about my Tuesday school, Singwang Elementary.

     Mondays, as you might have read, I'm in Wolya, which is about 15 miles northeast of Hampyeong.  Tuesdays, on the other hand, I'm a little bit closer; I teach in Singwang (pronounced Sheen-Gwahng), which is a small, small town about 7 or 8 miles straight north of Hampyeong.  It's a bit closer, and I actually catch a ride with my co-teacher, Ben, every day.  Getting up at about 7:30 for an 8:15 car ride beats getting up at 6:30 for a 7:30 bus any day of the week.  Speaking of my co-teacher, here he is:

In this photo, we have Ben (my co-teacher at Singwang) and I engaging the 5th graders in what's thankfully their favorite thing to do: participate and challenge each other to some games.  We had a standoff during which we'd show pictures, and they'd have to make up sentences to ask each other in 10 seconds.  The other team of 2 would have to answer back in about 10 seconds, and so on, and so forth.  From left to right: William, Scott, Sally, and Judy.

     My co-teacher Ben is a really cool guy.  He's straight out of Muan (pronounced Moo-Wahn), which is a short drive south of Hampyeong.  He is 30 years old, lives with his family, and has a girlfriend who lives in neighboring Gwangju.  As you can probably tell, he's a pretty tall, athletic dude.  In that way, we make a pretty cool team, as we really like playing sports with the kids, and generally have the energy and athleticism to run around with kids all day.  His English is very good, and he's always really willing to talk about anything and ask questions about how to improve his English skills.  We both generally bring a lot to our lessons and we seldom have those awkward, unplanned moments in class.  We sometimes play some 1-on-1 basketball after school when the kids leave and the weather is nice enough.  Ben usually smokes me with his post moves and smooth mitts.  

     Our typical day at Singwang Elementary looks something like this:

3rd Grade, 9:10 - 9:50 am

4th Grade, 9:50 - 10:30 am

5th Grade (same class, two periods) 11:00 - 11:40 am & 11:50 am - 12:30 pm

Lunch and Relax, 12:30 - 1:30 pm

6th Grade, 1:30 - 2:10 pm

Review, Lesson Plan, Relax, 2:30 - 5:00 pm

     Unlike Wolya, Singwang is a small school; in grades K-6, I would estimate about 70 students total.  There are eight 3rd graders, six 4th graders, eight 5th graders, and sixteen 6th graders.  All students are really energetic and pretty well behaved, with the usual exception of a few.  Unlike Wolya, we are temporarily teaching in the library, as the new "English room" is still being finalized and beautified.  I am told we can start working in there soon, though, which will be a great time for the kids.  For now, here are a few pictures of the room in which I teach every Tuesday:

This is looking at our teaching area...pretty simple set-up, with our TV, computer stand, a few tables and chairs, and some dry erase boards.  Still a little unlike your average classroom, but probably my simplest environment.  Still plenty of room to run around and play games, or act out dialogues in front of class.  Truth be told, the kids are always loud and fun, with the exception of the sometimes awkward, often quiet 6th graders, so we generally get the room rowdy.

Either punching myself in the face to get some laughs from the 6th graders, or pointing at my ear and telling them to listen carefully.  Sam Teacher and Ben Teacher in action.

     I should also mention that Singwang Elementary was the real origin of my new moniker in Korea, Sam Sam or Sam Teacher.  "Sam" is a shorthand identification for "teacher" in Korean, so students will often raise their hand, looking for some help, and yelling "Sam! Sam!"  It was only a matter of time before students put 2 and 2 together, and realized my first name, Sam, was also what they can call me informally.  Thus, at Singwang, and eventually all other schools, I am Sam Sam.  More formally, depending on student preference, I am Sam Teacher.  

     Here are a few more pictures from around the Singwang classroom:

Ben Teacher helping the 6th graders with their introductions.

Playing a board game.  Candy is on the line, so finally the 6th graders perk up a bit.

"What do you want to do?" "I want to study English."

     Life is pretty good at Singwang Elementary.  The kids generally get excited, and when they have trouble doing so, the top students in the class really do challenge them to match their English level.  Kids at Singwang are loud and competitive, and I wouldn't have it any other way.  The classes are small, but the students really push each other.  They're actually really approachable after class as well; some students help me practice Korean phrases and writing, some students want to read and do puzzles together, and some just want to play games on my phone.  

     So there you have Monday and Tuesday, with three more schools to come.  Again, it sounds weird to say, but even though all these schools are in the same county of Hampyeong and just miles away from each other, they all have very different vibes, very different traditions, students, and personalities.  It'll always be a mission to keep finding those little details and differences, and I'm looking forward to that part of the job.  Up next is my Wenesday school, Sonbul Elementary!  Look for a next post on that sometime in the next 48 hours.

     Thanks so much to friends and family, reading at home and abroad.  Thinking of you more and more this time of year.  All the best, and all my love,

Sam Teacher

     

     Welcome back to the blog, folks.  As promised, it's probably time for me to talk a little bit about my schools--I am here to work a bit, after all.  I'll post some pictures from each school, whether the staff, kids, or just the school itself...they're all a little different, and I definitely have come to appreciate each in its own cool way.

     It's probably best to start at what we can call my "main" school, Wolya Elementary.  Although I have 5 schools, this is the school at which Kim Sang-hee, my assigned co-teacher, works.  I take a "500" labeled bus every morning at 8:05; the bus's final destination is Gwangju, but it makes stops in just about every rural township en route to Gwangju, and Wolya is one of those stops.  It's about a 35-minute ride to school, and it's always very scenic--I sometimes get to nod off for 15 minutes without the worry of missing my stop...the middle school girls usually make sure that I exit with them every day and, although I understand my route to school from the bus stop, they always make sure to point me in the right direction of the Elementary and wave good-bye.

     Wolya (because the Korean language doesn't really distinguish between an "l" and "r" sound, the "l" in Wolya becomes a little bit obscure and you just sort of glide over it..."Wolya" sounds similar to saying "Wor-dya" really quickly) is a small town about 15 miles (or 25 km) northeast of Hampyeong, about halfway between my hometown of Hampyeong-eup and Gwangju.  The school is right on the edge of town, and it's an absolute beauty.  There are about 160 students, give or take about 10.  Each grade pretty much has one class, with the exception of the 5th grade, for which there are two different homerooms.  That comes out to about 20 students per class, but sometimes this number can be a little higher or lower--I think my smallest class is a 5th grade class of 16, while my largest is the 6th grade class of 28.

     While most of the school in Hampyeong looks the same as the next (a lot of these schools blend together in inner appearance...the teachers' lounges are similar, the classrooms, cafeterias, etc. are also very similar), the English Center has its own unique vibes.  It's essentially a giant room, about 80 feet by 40 feet, which is divided into a colorful instructional area on one side, complete with a computer and giant touch-screen wall projector, little stage in front and a "virtual studio" to the side.  You might be able to see some of that in this picture:

Apologies for the pillar here...the giant gray box in the center of the far wall is the screen/projector, there are computers to the left, another foreign teacher (Hallie) sitting at the desk, and the "virtual studio" is that blue area on the right with the orange lettering above it.  This is more or less the view from my desk, where I can lesson plan and relax a bit between and after classes.  Also note the student crawling under the table in the foreground...almost positive we were playing a game that I wasn't entirely aware of.

     There's a quick look at what my stomping grounds look like, now here's a picture of a few co-workers:

Here is a picture of Hallie (on the left) and my co-teacher, Kim Sang-hee (on the right).  Hallie is straight out of Bucks County, PA, the stomping grounds of much of Papa Hurd's family!  A real cool Philly girl who teaches at Wolya 5 days a week, Hallie is here through a different program and lives in Gwangju.  And the much anticipated photo debut of my co-teacher!  Kim Sang-hee is such a sweet lady, and I can't thank her enough for being as helpful and kind as she has been to me, especially with all she has to manage as a teacher and a mother.  

And here's the two of us!  Take note of the swagged out sandals...they're not otherwise worth talking about, but one thing I hadn't yet mentioned is that it's a Korean custom to remove one's shoes when entering a school.  I finally found some sandals that are more or less my size, and I bring them every day (the sandals they have available at school end at about a men's 8, to be generous).  

     My schedule at Wolya is usually pretty consistent; I teach 3rd through 6th grade, with the occasional 1st or 2nd grade class thrown in.  I teach 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th consecutively in the morning, from 9:00 until about 12:30, with a 30-minute break halfway in between.  After lunch and another half hour to relax, I teach one more 5th grade class at 1:30.  By about 2:15 every Monday, I'm back in my desk and able to lesson plan for my other schools for much of the day.  Sometimes, there is volleyball; the principal loves to play volleyball (explanation and pictures of this activity still coming), and classes will be moved up in the morning so as to make room for playing with the staff in the afternoon.  Often, too, there are snacks in the teachers' lounge, or the occasional staff meeting that we sometimes attend.  More often than not, I'm at my desk keeping busy while Hallie does some singing, dancing, and game playing with the kids in the afternoon.  Between classes, I get a chance to socialize with some of the students, too, so that's really nice.  It's a little different at Wolya, being that Hallie is there every day and I am only there on Mondays (at my other schools, I'm generally the only foreign teacher), but it's always a great start to the week.

     All things considered, I can't say enough how happy I am to have a good relationship with my co-teacher, and a co-teacher with very good English and plenty of energy to help me with anything I need.  Mrs. Kim helped me set up a bank account, track down a phone with a reasonable plan, get my internet working, familiarize me with my apartment, take me to the hospital and buy me medicine on a day that my stomach was absolutely on fire, and even lend me extra money and cover my medical expenses when I lost my wallet (oh yeah, forgot to mention that!) in early September and had a really financially desperate 2-3 weeks to start the semester.  

     This is a nice, slightly sun-obstructed view of Wolya Elementary as I walk across the school soccer pitch and back toward my bus stop.  There are always plenty of kids on the playground waving good-bye, holding my hand, and walking to my bus with me on their way home, to academies, or taekwondo practice.  

Riding off into the sunset.

     Just a really pleasant start to my week.  Energetic kids (sometimes a little too energetic!), a friendly staff, and nice countryside surroundings make Mondays a little more manageable.  The next post will cover my Tuesday school, Singwang Elementary.  Hopefully I'll be get that done tomorrow, and we can keep things moving swiftly.  Thanks for reading!  All the best, and love to all,

Sam

     

     

First Weekend in Gwangju

     Hey folks, it's been almost a week since I chirped about my dorm-sized apartment, so here's a recap of my first real weekend of travel and play in South Korea.

     Having moved into my apartment on Thursday, August 25th, and given the fact that Hampyeong Elementary classes did not start until the following week, I decided to kick the traveling off as quickly as possible.  In all honesty, Hampyeong is a great, quiet place to live during the week...but I can't see myself staying on any given weekend--I see enough of it during the week that I think it'd be a shame if I ever felt like I couldn't get out for a weekend.  Ya dig?

My first bus ticket purchase in South Korea!  At the top, just above the date, is written Korean for "Hampyeong -- Gwangju."  This ticket costs 3,400 Won, which is roughly $3.50 for those of you back home.  Travel here is really cheap, and it's great to know that, although I'm out in the sticks, I can get to the big city so quickly and cheaply.

Here's a shot of the Hampyeong Bus Terminal, in all its glory.  Always plenty of old people chirping, staring, and occasionally touching my face or asking where I'm from.  This particular Saturday morning was a little busier than usual, as it was a market day in Hampyeong (market days run on all days ending in a 2 or 7...this Saturday, August 27th, for example).  All buses that run throughout the county, as well as a few of the buses that run to other counties and cities, have the signature white frame with the blue, gold, green, and pink highlights you see on the sides.

     Anyway, first thing on Saturday (August 27th) morning, Erik (fellow Hampyeong teacher from the Yukon Territories, one of the nicest people you'll ever come across) and I decided to hike to the bus station and grab 2 tickets to our orientation stomping grounds of Gwangju, about a 35-minute bus ride to the east.  Erik's co-teacher Mina, as well as her friend Ahhn Mi (co-teacher of another Hampyeong English teacher, our friend Erin), decided to meet us at the Gwangju bus terminal and take us out to lunch.  Not only was lunch delicious, but it was my first experience eating true Korean barbecue.  It's a little different than the barbecue with which we're familiar, so I'll do my best to explain:

     Korean barbecue would usually start with a customer asking for their choice of meat--we've pretty much seen chicken, pork, beef, and duck so far.  I'm sure there are plenty of other creative options, but these are the four I can say I've had.  I think duck has been my favorite (the flavor of duck in the first place is just unreal), followed by beef (can't go wrong here), followed by chicken (not as flavorful when barbecued, but still great), followed by pork (obviously still awesome, because it looks like giant slabs of bacon, but it's just a little too fatty and cooks awkwardly on the grill).

     Immediately, before the meat is brought out, there will be several side dishes (sometimes kimchi, sometimes seaweed soup, sometimes just mixed greens, etc.) as well as materials for supplementing the meat--this includes various lettuce and leaves, sauces, garlic, red pepper paste, mushrooms, cabbage and other simple greens.  When the meat is brought out, it's completely raw and ready to be cooked in the middle of the table; there's generally a hole in the middle of any given table, into which a portable grill with hot charcoal and a grilling rack is inserted.  So you just throw your desired grill materials (the meat, often times mushrooms, garlic, and even kimchi) and do it all yourself:

This is our particular creation, or at least a sample of it--mushrooms and a little garlic hanging out in the oil on the sides, and our beef in the middle.  You can see the flame from the charcoal in the little holes in the grill.

These are various kinds of lettuce in which to wrap your beef, or other meat.  More often than not, this is the preferred way of eating barbecue--by wrapping it in these leaves along with other condiments.  In the middle are some peppers, in the foreground are some romaine leaves, and the darker leaves in back are sesame leaves, which are a bit stronger in taste.

These are a couple kinds of sauces to throw on your beef, chicken, pork, etc.

This is an important addition to any lettuce wrap: basically cole slaw materials like cabbage and greens, soaked in a mango sauce.  You'd take your chopsticks and add a little of this to your lettuce and piece of meat.

Finally, here are two other options: garlic chunks (grilled or not, always good) to add to your wrap, as well as some red pepper paste (gives it a little bit of a kick, I add it every time).

Some more red pepper paste as well as some milder peppers.  The smaller peppers served on the lettuce plates seem to be hotter, whereas these larger ones are more mild.  I've learned the hard way.

     So there's your crash course on Korean barbecue.  Here are a few more pictures of us devouring our beef.  I should mention that, at just two weeks into our Korean experience, Erik and I felt pretty cool to be hanging out with two young, beautiful Korean women and getting the full tour of Gwangju.  We felt like we more or less had it all figured out!

Erik with Mina and Ahnn Mi, enjoying our barbecue.

Loving our lives.

     The next stop on our tour of Gwangju was, at the suggestion of Mina and Ahnn Mi, a board game cafe.  This is essentially a one-room restaurant and place to play cards, games, and watch movies.  Coffee drinks, beer, soda, and snacks are served, and the expectation is that you at least order a few of those, as the cafe doesn't charge for time logged gaming.  We learned a game the girls play often, in which the loser of each hand has to wear some kind of embarrassing hat.  Erik and I lost quite a bit...

Ahnn Mi finally lost a hand.

Erik digs it.

One of many losses.

     After getting rocked at cards for a couple of hours, we made our final stop on what was a great day in Gwangju.  This time, Erik and I made the suggestion, and we knew we had to check out a Kia Tigers baseball game.  Erik came to orientation a little too late to go to the game the rest of our group saw, and Ahnn Mi had never been to a Tigers game, so our choice was an easy one.  After purchasing all the fried chicken and beer we could carry, we grabbed some cheap seats in the outfield and had a great time.

Digging the scene.

Tigers warming up en route to a 8-2 stomping.

     And thus ended a really solid Saturday with two really cool Korean ladies.  We made our rounds at Bubble Bar, our favorite bar in Gwangju, and headed back to Hampyeong on Sunday afternoon ready to finally get a little serious and start work.

     Thanks, as always, for reading, and I'll be back with another post really quickly--I'll break down my schools for all of you.  Given that I have 5 schools, they're all really different and have their own quirks.  That aside, I know some of you may also be wondering if I even came here to work, considering all I've done is wine and dine and travel and have fun for two weeks.  I can assure you that I do indeed work here as well.  Wait and see.

     Love to all,

     Sam

My Apartment in Hampyeong.

     Back again to tell you folks a little bit about where I live.  While there isn't anything too striking about my surroundings in Hampyeong (pronounced HAHM-PYONG), I'll get to the terrain and the town itself in a later post.  For the time being, it's all about my living space.  

     On Thursday, August 25th, my co-teacher, Kim Sang-hee drove me to my apartment for the first time.  I signed up for my Alien Registration Card (ARC), which basically certifies that I am who I say I am, and that I am indeed here to teach English in Jeollonamdo Province.  It's pretty much my ticket to getting basic things set up, like internet, utilities, a bank account, and all that fine paperwork that comes along with it.  Once we left the immigration office and Nong Hyop Bank (NH, for short...my new financial institution), we made our way out to Hampyeong.  I must have picked up some wrong signals somewhere along the line, because I was certain I'd be living in Gwangju and commuting to Hampyeong, as a handful of English teachers in the county do (many Hampyeong Elementary schools are only 15 miles/25 km from Gwangju itself, so living in the city and commuting to the countryside makes sense).  What I wasn't aware of is that the vast majority of my schools are further away from Gwangju, some of them just a stone's throw away from the ocean--literally.  This meant that my apartment was, in fact, out in the county of Hampyeong.  It was a little bit of a shock at first, and here's why.  Gwangju's population is listed at somewhere around 1.5 million, making it the 6th largest city in South Korea.  So it's big, but it's nowhere on the scale of, say, working in Seoul and taking the subway to work, etc.  I would've loved to live in a city that size.  Hampyeong County (the nearest county directly to the west of Gwangju), on the other hand, contains a whopping 44,000 people--in the entire county.  So my town, which is the "county seat" of Hampyeong County, we might say (it's referred to as Hampyeong-eup in the larger Hampyeong-gun, or county), has maybe anywhere between 5,000 and 15,000 people if that.  There are many smaller towns scattered throughout the county, all of which appear to have only one main street, a post office, a bank, a convenient store or two, and farms as far as the eye can see.  All things considered, I'm lucky to live in Hampyeong-eup and not one of the more remote towns in which I teach English.  Also, it's always great when I remember that Hampyeong is literally a 30-minute bus ride from Gwangju.  

     So our long day of paperwork and red tape was finally winding down, and Mrs. Kim pulled into the driveway of Nabi Villa (literal translation: "butterfly village") in Hampyeong-eup.  I saw larger apartment buildings that dominate what skyline Hampyeong has to offer, and those are about 10 to 15 stories.  Most Koreans in Jeollonamdo that do not live on farms live in apartments, often cramped and vertical.  My apartment complex only has a few stories, and let's just say I'm lucky that I don't share this apartment with anyone else...it's pretty small.  Here are a few pictures I was able to snap after a couple hours of unpacking and settling in:

Looking in through my front door.  Bed and dresser on the left, desk, chair, and small TV on the right, sliding door and small sun room where my kitchen/washing equipment is located...and minus the bathroom, that's really all there is to it.

A view from the sliding door area, looking toward the entrance.  Think in terms of dorm room size and you're in the right ballpark of my apartment's size.

View of my bed, which is pretty narrow but surprisingly long.  Dig the purple comforter that was left here by Josh, the previous tenant.

And this is maybe the strangest part of the whole place: if you look closely, the shower head is actually mounted on the wall of my bathroom--my entire bathroom.  There is no separate area to shower, and I'm forced to get the whole bathroom absolutely soaked every time I need to get clean.  It all works surprisingly well and I hardly noticed it after a few weeks of use, to be honest.

Here is the first of two kitchen photos.  My kitchen is a room about 4-5 feet by maybe 8 feet...no room to really move around, just a small table in the middle where I keep my rice cooker, make food, and iron clothes.  These are several cabinets, a miniature sink with a dish rack, and a propane stove that I haven't used much--no oven to speak of.

Facing the opposite side of my sunroom/kitchen.  Pretty decently sized fridge on the left, complete with nice toaster oven on top.  My washing machine is to the right--the biggest adventure my apartment came complete with, besides the occasional GIANT centipede, was figuring out how to use the washing machine properly--everything is written in Korean, and it's all about trial and error.  There's really no concept of a dryer in Korea, so my apartment came furnished with a rack on which to dry my clothes once they're washed.

My first meal at the apartment, made in the rice cooker.  Eggs, toast, orange juice, and green tea.

This picture was actually taken about a week ago.  I decided, with hockey season right around the corner, that it was time to represent my alma mater a bit more--and what better place to hang that Wisconsin pride than from my air conditioning unit?

These are a few photos of family and friends I keep over my desk.  Nice to look at every morning and evening, reminding me where I come from, what I miss, and what I'll look forward to seeing when my experience is all said and done.

     I'm trying to think of any other useful information about my apartment.  Thus far, I've encountered 3 centipedes (referred to as chine, CHEE-NAY), all of which were upwards of 6+ inches and a freaky neon orange color.  They bite, but as far as I can tell, I haven't come down with anything suspicious.  I haven't been cooking very often at all--eating at restaurants is inexplicably cheap here, and often times it is cheaper than eating at home.  I've experimented with the rice cooker, but I usually keep it simple and eat breakfasts of eggs, toast, juice and tea.  I've kept some posters up to make it feel a bit more like home, besides the family pictures and Wisconsin gear--my John Coltrane, Dave Matthews Band, Cool Hand Luke, Jeremiah Johnson, and Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid posters have done the job so far.  I keep my diploma in a nice and tacky spot on my bookshelf, along with my journals and tourist information.  I've had more than enough Ethernet internet access to keep me happy, and I usually load up some internet T.V. to watch before bed every night.  I'm just about to go do that, now that I mention it...

     I'll make sure to blog a bit more about the actual town of Hampyeong and its surroundings in future posts, but I hope this helps paint a basic picture of my life in rural South Korea.  Now that the introductory stuff is out of the way, I can start blogging about my schools and my travels.  I think the next blog post will be about a series of weekend adventures--either that, or an introduction to my busy school schedule.  

     Thanks so much for reading, and please let me know if there's anything more you'd like to know.  I'm glad I finally got this beast started, and now I can move on to blogging about more fun things here, like cute kids, crazy food, and weekend travel.  All the best, love to all.

-Sam

The Final Days of Orientation

     Hey folks!  Time to start the final stretch of orientation blogging.  The details from the most recent post make for a tough act to follow...who doesn't want to drink beer and rice wine with their co-workers and supervisors in the hotel lobby?  Anyway, the next couple days made for some great sightseeing.  As much as we all liked Gwangju (a big city, with plenty to offer, about 1.5 million people or more, the 6th largest city in South Korea), suffice it to say we were eager to see what else Jeollonamdo Province had to offer.  And the province delivered some great stuff:

Suncheon Bay, about an hour-long bus ride southeast from Gwangju. 

The Bamboo Park in Damyang (about a 20-minute bus ride north of Gwangju) at sunset.

Another shot of Suncheon Bay, with a tour boat cruising by.

Atop Suncheon Bay. From left to right: Julia (another Ontario native), Sam (Calgary), Aaron (Wisco brother, Muggsy (Ontario), Nichole (Ontario), Toni (Ontario), Megan (Ontario...pattern here?) and me.

 Hiking around Suncheon Bay. 

Had to get a picture of this beauty.

Nagan Folk Village, nestled in the mountains southeast of Gwangju. Old 18th-century Korean houses and a beautiful lotus pond.

Chilling at the giant lotus pond.

 Checking out Nagan's famous walls from the Choson Dynasty (1392-1897) era.  These walls were more or less used to keep Japanese invaders out of small villages.

Nichole digging the bamboo wine near Damyang's Bamboo Park.  They even serve it in a giant bamboo stalk!

At dinner, even rice was served in a bamboo shoot, alongside raisins, dried beans, ginseng, and plenty of water chestnuts.  I even got to keep it, and I now use it as a coin jar.

     We had one giant field trip, which started at Nagan Folk Village (see above), continued with a 2-hour hike at Suncheon Bay (see above), and finished at Damyang's famous Bamboo Park with a bamboo-oriented dinner.  It was definitely nice to get out of the city for a day, meet some new folks, and enjoy some new company and new foods.  

     The next set of pictures is from our final days of orientation.  The first batch of pictures were taken on a hike that Muggsy and I went on on our second to last morning of orientation.  We figured a nice 6:00 am hike was in order after some late nights, and found a trailhead quite literally in the backyard of our hotel.  After about 50 minutes of solid vertical, we reached the top and were treated to some great views of Gwangju.  It put our small lives into perspective a bit...

     The next few are of various future teachers enjoying some time at Wa Bar, which is one of Gwangju's 4 or 5 really easily recognized foreigner-oriented bars downtown.  Plenty of familiar tunes, decorations, and beers on tap.  Wa Bars are actually found all across South Korea, but I can't say I've been to any others.  It's usually a pretty mellow place where people can just socialize and drink a bit before moving onto bigger, louder, drunker places.  

View of Gwangju from atop our climb. Oh baby.

View of some mountains close to our hotel.

The South Korean flag flapping. 7:00 am.

Successful morning hike.  Got a nice lady to snap a photo of us at the top!

Muggsy and Sam at Wa Bar.

More happy people at Wa Bar.  From left to right: Toni, Julia, Mike (Ontario), Lindsay (Ontario), Melissa (Ontario), Amanda (Ontario).

Aaron and me enjoying some brews.  Might as well be back in Wisconsin!

More fine people of the Canadian Connection program on our last night in Gwangju together.  From left to right: Rozanne (South Africa), Brad (Florida), me and Shari (Ontario).

     All things considered, orientation was probably the most interesting 10 days I'd had in some time.  In just a week and a half, I'd met 85 brand new strangers/friends, tried dozens of new foods, and been able to see and do many of the things Koreans themselves are proud to see and do.  I can honestly say that everyone I've met here seems to have a similar personality and a similar mindset--about teaching, traveling, and life.  Even nearly two months later, I still cannot for a second believe that I'm 6,995 miles from home.  These people, however, make me forget that distance on a daily basis.  Although I haven't met too many South Africans, Brits, Australians, and even Canadians in my life, it turns out we're all generally kind-hearted people who came here for the right reasons and want nothing more than to have the best year of our lives traveling with each other and making kids laugh, smile and speak English.  

     The final day of orientation was by far the most nerve-racking.  Although the butterflies were fluttering hard for those first few days, nothing could compare to that moment at which I actually met my co-teacher and was officially assigned to my new job.  Thursday, August 25th was our final day of orientation, and it all happened quickly:

     We were to have our bags packed, room cleaned, ready for check-out and looking as professional as possible at 11:00 am.  Aaron and I were pretty packed up the night before, but definitely made sure we were looking as fresh as possible for our co-teachers.  At 11:00, all 85 teachers lined up according to school/county between the hotel elevators and the main events room, our co-teachers eagerly awaiting us to join them for one final orientation lunch.  I wish I'd snapped a picture; imagine 85 people, some of us hungover, some of us barely awake, sweating bullets in suits, skirts, blouses, you name it.  We joked about it, but it felt like a draft!  As if my ticket to that conference room was "...and with the 53rd overall pick in the 2011 Jeollonamdo Language Program draft, Hampyeong Elementary selects Samuel Hartley Hurd, 22-year-old recent history graduate of UW-Madison who has NEVER TAUGHT A DAY IN HIS LIFE AND HIS THOROUGHLY NOT CUT OUT FOR THIS POSITION."

     I joke, but I really can't convey just how awkward we all felt.  There was the lottery analogy, there was even a cattle-being-herded-to-the-slaughterhouse analogy.  Our schools/counties (my home school is Wolya Elementary, which is in the town of Wolya, which is in the county of Hampyeong, which is in the province of Jeollonamdo, the same as Gwangju) were assigned tables, and we were given a number.  Upon arriving at our table, Erin, Erik and myself (the three of us in Hampyeong at our orientation) met three relatively young Korean women, nervous as ever.  One particularly friendly woman among these approached me with a big, nervous smile on her face, and introduced herself as Kim Sang-hee.  I knew this was my co-teacher.  I had never been so nervous, excited, or sweaty in my life.  Nothing can really prepare you for the moment you meet your primary Korean lifeline for the next 11 months.  We'll stop there, on a nice cliffhanger.

     So there you have it.  Orientation was a blast, but nothing could entirely prepare me for what came next: actually teaching children and living the life I came here to live.  My apologies for the heavy load of pictures and not a lot of explanation, it's another late Sunday night of lesson planning here in Hampyeong, and I should get some sleep.  I'll be right back tomorrow with a new post about my apartment. 

     Thanks for reading!  All the best, and love to all.

     -Sam