Back to the Ole Camp Days

As part of training, we have to teach lessons for a camp held at our university, where students from all over Korea ranging from elementary to high school, beginner to advance, spend two intensive weeks learning and speaking only English.  Today, I taught my first lesson of three.  It was chaotic and tiring (and pathetically only an hour long), but hopefully the kids had fun!  The students in my class were incredibly advanced--one girl randomly asked me to define "vivacious" (thank youuu violin lessons and all those "vivace" music commands!) which sort of caught me off guard.  But if you know anything about the Korean education system and the 16-hour days these kids put in during their grade school years, I guess that's not too surprising.

Anyway, this week has been a blur so far.  So much running around and planning and working and oh dear Zeus SWEATING (air conditioning in other countries is a wee bit spotty, I've come to realize). A couple meetings here, a few lectures there, throw in 2-4 hours of Korean language class each day and you've got yourself a full on schedule.  But it's good to keep busy.  I'm sort of enjoying it.

One thing I wasn't enjoying as much though, regrettably, was the food.  It just hasn't been working out as well as I'd hoped...and yea...I'll leave it at that.  But then yesterday some concerned (and amazingly thoughtful) friends bought me peanut butter and bread, and I got free pizza tonight at the "Being Korean American in Korea" talk.  So today, thankfully, has been much easier than the few days preceding it.

We spent the weekend in Haeinsa at a Buddhist temple, which awesomeee.  We watched them perform chanting and drumming rituals, were given a tour by a monk who had studied in the States, and  ate a silent vegetarian lunch there one of the days, during which we were required to eat everything on our plate (to the last grain of rice).  It was beautiful and interesting and kind of brought back memories of times I'd spent with my family traveling to temples throughout Asia (I think it was the incense).  A relaxing weekend calm before the storm, I guess.

Well, as I mentioned, it's go time, so I still have a busy schedule that stops around midnight tonight.  two more meetings, a reflection to write, and one last assignment before I get to sleep!

And now, for your viewing pleasure, some pictures from Haeinsa...

So Surreal

This is where I'm living and taking classes right now, and let me tell you, it is UNREAL to me.  A week has gone by and I'm still kind of in disbelief.  THIS IS AN ACTUAL PLACE.  I keep having to remind myself that because literally every time I walk outside I think I'm in a warped wonderland.  So mystical and beautiful and so much green!  Everything is shiny and big, too, but I haven't been able to fully capture that with my camera yet.

There is actually a photography class going on right now with Michael Hurt, a professional street photographer, blogger, and former FKE and I really wanted to go...but it's raining, I'm tired, and we have a LOT to do.  So my roommate and I are taking the day off to lesson plan, study for our Korean quizzes tomorrow, answer our second cultural adjustment check question set, and do *sigh* laundry.  Oh, and I'm updating my blog (obviously) :)

So...where do I begin?  It has been a week now, which I think is crazy.  But man has it been a LONG one.  We arrived in Incheon airport around 4am Sunday morning (Korean time of course) and had a 3 hour bus ride to the university, then orientation commenced!  Ever since it has been pretty much nonstop learning and listening and working and interacting.  Korean language class meets for four hours in the morning, followed by daily meetings, lectures and seminars on Korean culture, Korean history, former FKE's experiences here, and (naturally) teaching.  Soon we'll also begin our extracurriculars, which we had the option of signing up for (I chose caligraphy, archery, tea ceremony, and English club).  We eat three meals a day in the cafeteria here, which has been...interesting.  Lots of rice and kimchi and soup.  And we eat share a room with another FKE in the gender-segregated dorms here on campus.

The people are AMAZING--in this program, our Orientation leaders, the Jungwon students, the speakers and teachers we meet--everyone!  I kind of have a HUGE crush on all of them, especially my roommate :)  She's a hilarious, quirky, sassy girl from Pennsylvania and I'm so lucky (once again!) to have a good roommate.

Anyway, I feel like I had so much to say before, but I've gradually grown accustomed to some of the things I initially thought were really weird--so I've forgotten what I originally planned to post about!  Hmm...guess I'll think on it and post later.  Until then, missing everyone but loving Korea!