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!
