Welcome to the S.K., where are you from?

It has been a while since I've updated. Honestly, though, there isn't all that much to say.
I, basically, am already in a routine where I wake up and go to work, teach, and go home.
Obviously, there are always odd happenings, but they usually are not consequential enough to mention.

Last weekend, I went to Chongdeokgung Palace with a co-worker and her friend. We had a really good time! :D I'll post a few pictures below. We had some Dolsot Bibimbap...which is now probably one of my favorite dishes. I don't really know how to explain it...there are a lot of vegetables, it's served hot, and a little spicy, but not unbearable. On our way to the palace we saw this elderly guy in the street. He had a tupperware of kimchi on his person. He then proceeded to try and give me the kimchi--to set the scene, he grabbed the cabbage in his hand and came towards my face with it. My 2 Korean friends were flipping out and yelling at him and they dragged me away. Although kimchi is good and all, I really don't think I wanted his kimchi.

I'd ballpark it to say that the average number, weekly, that strange things happen to me is around 10...about 1.2 per day. By strange things, I don't mean the usual stares, but people who actually decide that they think it is a sound idea to approach me. Usually, I get the question, "Where are you from?". I think I'm going to start deriving outlandish answers to this question. Beyond that, usually, when you talk to them, they end the conversation with "Welcome to Korea!"...thanks, but I've already been here a month.

So, Christmas is next week. It really doesn't feel like Christmas here, at all. Perhaps, it's because it's not really a big holiday here. Although, they do play a lot of Christmas music. Which is kind of funny, right now they play the song "Last Christmas" They play it, perhaps, with a little too much liberty. It's actually kind of ridiculous. Just like America, they play the same pop songs over and over again. Right now some popular songs you can youtube, at your leisure, if you so choose, are: nobody, but you (wondergirls), rainism, eat you up (boa), and, umm, there are others, however, those are the ones I actually know the titles to.

Although I suppose there has been a semi-negative tone to this post about my experiences here, I hope you all know that, honestly, I really love it here. This is by far one of the coolest experiences. The kids I teach are really awesome too. They all call me "teacher!" and usually I respond with "student!". I had them write auto-biographies for me this week...sooo cute. One of my students named himself Jesus...kind of funny. It was hard, at first, to say his name with a straight face. I had him in my debate class...they actually turned out to be my favorite kids. They were all 3rd years though, so I won't have them again. :( Anywho, that's about all for now, I'll try and update again soon.

So a lot has happened, but at the same time not a lot has occurred. This past weekend I visited Euljiro where the city just completed a river resoration project. You can stroll on both sides of the river and there are various bridges you can cross to get to the other side. Or, if you choose, you can cross the river on stepping stones. I want to go back when it’s warmer out. I actually walked around a little bit in the city area too and explored some shops. I saw a Christmas shop and various street vendors who specialize in certain products, like towels. I also want to go back to invest in some towels, they seem like they will be cheaper there than at E-mart. At E-mart one full sized towel can cost you about ten dollars.
After my individual exploration I met up with my co-worker and we headed to the Avalon Thanksgiving Party. Some of the teachers from the elementary school campus very nicely hosted the party at their apartment. It was awesome because I got to meet a bunch of other foreign teachers as well as eat some mashed potato, stuffing, and apple pie!
The next day I met up with a friend at Coex shopping mall in Samseoung. It definitely exceeded my expectations! The mall was huge and had everything you could ever want. Numerous western eating establishments. Naming just a few: Quiznos, Sbarro, and Uno Pizzaria. There’s also a huge movie theater that shows a variety of Korean and Western movies (with Korean subtitles, of course). I got a new book at the mall which is nice because I already finished all the ones I had brought with my from FL. Then I met up with one of my co-workers for dinner. We went to this cool Korean restaurant where they seve spicy chicken and rice. The thing about Korea is that oftentimes they cook your dinner right on the table. You kind of have to tend it yourself too. We ate dinner and then headed to get some icecream. My coworker ordered Korean icecream for me to try. I was skeptical at first, but figured, while in Korea…so I gave it a try and was pleasantly surprised by how great it was. The strange thing about the icecream is that they put redbean past in it…so it kind of throws you off. It comes in a huge bowl and on the bottom is very finely shaven ice, on top of that a huge variety of fruit (kiwi, banana, apples, pineapple, etc…), then the red bean paste, and then 3 scoops of icecream (vanilla and strawberry). You mix it all together and it turns into a smoothie like concoction. Delicious, truly.
My week at school has been nice. Kind of slow due to the fact that all the kids have final exams this week. The’re all busy studying and taking tests. The kids work ethic here though is really admirable. I taught my very first debate class yesterday. It was fun, next weeks topic is going to be Corpral Punishment in school. We’ll see how that goes. I might have some fun stories about that.

This is Kimbap. It's like Korean sushi!
I think I’m catching a cold too…so hopefully I can fight it off. Miss everyone lots.
Love,
Margaret

catching up...

Since I last updated, I have had two days of work.
Much has happened, but I'm going to try and keep it pretty basic.
I got my apartment now. I'll attach some photos here.
Honestly, I don't really know where to begin. I guess Thursday, which was my first day of work. Luckily, since work does not start until 4pm I got to catch up on some much needed sleep in the hotel. I woke up once too early, fell back asleep, and then woke up later, probably around 11am. I took a shower...cuz I didn't want to attempt the tub (which was a crazy spa thing). The "shower" was basically a shower head mounted above the tub, but not in the normal location... it was pointing towards the toilet and door. Anyways, as a result of that when showering the water goes everywhere. I guess that's normal though because there is a drain on the floor.
I went out and about around town after that and got to check out Olympic Park and such.
Then went to work...
Work seems like it's going to be the perfect mix of fun and challenging. I'm very much looking forward to it. Like I mentioned previously, the kids I'll be working with already have high English proficiency...so I'm going to be doing classes like writing, speech, debate, documentary, and maybe even a Literature class. :D
There have been some funny happenings...when I was on the subway yesterday a guy got on with a loudspeaker and was trying to sell pantyhose. Couples are funny. Many times a girl will be drunk walking around with her boyfriend...she'll be almost falling down and he'll be helping her along. I actually saw this in the middle of the day today at around 5pm on my way to the convenience store. Bananas are pretty cheap, I think. I got about 5 today for 1.18. It was funny when I said thank you (Kamsamidah) to the girl at the store she looked so surprised. I can't wait to pick up some more words and phrases!
The incorporation of other languages into almost everything here is mind blowing. On their money it is printed in English, "Bank of Korea". The name of my apartment building is called, Tres Belle. As far as my recent pallet endeavors, last night I ate some chicken butt...and seaweed soup...a good share of kimchi...oh, and I got some spicy ramen to cook at home today too. I'll try to take some more pictures as times goes on. If you want to mail me anything I'm going to attach a photo of my address. Yes, a photo...because part of the English version of my address is in Korean. The address I'm giving you is actually the school, but I think I'm more likely to receive it if it gets sent there. The bottom portion of the paper is the address in all Korean...you can try that too, if you like. It would probably be more accurate, but it adds a new challenge.
My email here is also acting up a bit...I don't really know what's up with that.

Mom and Dad, since that's the only way we have been communicating, it kind of messes things up. You may have written me back from the other day...and I haven't seen it. If you want try sending it to my FSU email...which, oddly, still seems to work. I'm also leaving myself signed on to AIM now...so you should be able to write me anytime.

Day 1

Before you read this, a slight disclaimer: I wrote this a few days ago...so the actual date it should have been posted was November 19th, BUT since I didn't have internet yet, it was delayed.

Technically, right now, I'm in a love hotel, and I do not have an internet connection.
But I'm afraid that if I do not write this now I will forget small details that I would rather not leave out.
Today was an adventure and I expect tomorrow will be too.
The first thing I had to do was remove tons of stuff out of my suitcase because both of them were overweight and would have cost $300. Aside from that, most airport business went off without a hitch. The plane I took to Seoul was HUGE. I was afraid it was going to be packed too, but I got the aisle seat in the middle section and didn't even have to share with anyone. The plane ride was really long and I didn't really have the attention span to watch any of the in-flight movies. Besides the fact that I was pretty jacked up about everything going on around me. I slept some (but not much), read, and people watched. Once I got to Seoul there weren't any real issues...customs was quick and easy, my baggage was some of the first on the carousel. I got a cart for my luggage and headed out to meet the person who was supposed to take me to Avalon. Well, I walk out of the doors and there was no one. I wasn't quite sure what I should do and I thought I heard my name on the announcement, so I went to the info desk. She said that they didn't call my name and to just wait near where I came out. I walked back and kept looking around. Then low and behold there was a new edition to the people who had signs. A man in a blue surgical mask...I took a look at his sign, and YES, it had my name! I'm not stranded in the airport after all! I waved enthusiastically at him and came over with my cart. We walked to the taxi/van and hopped in and we're on our way. Our ride to the school was quiet...with the exception of the TV/GPS going in the front. Apparently, they like to watch TV while driving here...maybe it helps distract them from the heavy traffic, I don't know. The little flat screen that he had was pretty crazy though and definitely one of the most high tech GPS systems I have seen thus far. We finally got to the school brought my bags in and I got introduced to a bunch of people. What I wasn't aware of is that I will be teaching at the upper level branch of Avalon. The kids I teach will be around 14-15 years old. Which means the classes I'm teaching are more complicated. I will bet teaching things like speech etc... There's also only a grand total of 3 foreign teachers at my branch. I'll explain more about the actual school once I begin (which is tomorrow, actually). I met the head teacher named Mike, he's pretty cool. We went over to eat Korean BBQ...which is different, but really good. It cooks right on the table for you. Oh and they have these awesome buttons on every table. If you have any issue you just push it and an attendant will come right over. After that I went back to Avalon to retrieve my belongings and 2 of the people from the school helped me bring my stuff to the "Bellagio" Hotel, not to be confused by the one in Vegas (time to start chuckling). It's a love hotel...which means people generally just come here by the hour to...well, I shouldn't have to explain. I found out why they have them though. Apparently a down payment for an apartment in Seoul is around 80,000 (upfront). Therefore, people live with their parents here until they are around 30 years old. Hence, the love hotel. Well, I'm pretty sure I left stuff out, but I'm exhausted so give me a break. :) Love and miss everyone!!!
xoxox -Marge.

Departure

So a real expeditious update. My flight to Korea is set for November 18th in the AM.
Kind of sooner than I had expected, but I'm excited!
Hope everyone is doing spectacularly awesome!
love,
Margaret
Oh, if anyone wants to get together before my departure, call/e-mail/facebook me, I'd love to see you.

The last step to Seoul.

I had an interview for my visa today. My mom and I drove to Atlanta this morning so we could be to the Korean Consulate by 3PM. I had never been to the city of Atlanta before (just the airport). I was surprised, it's really nice here. Although a little chilly right now. Anyways, my interview was a group interview with 3 other people. Kind of interesting...there was one girl in the interview who was completely fluent in Korean. The actual interview only took about 20 minutes...after driving about 6 hours to get here. I can pick the visa up tomorrow...then go back home.
After we got done with the interview, I met up with my Mom and we started walking to go check out the Coke Museum. On our way we were accosted by a guy who wanted to "help" us find where we were going. I was a little suspicious, but he seemed nice enough. He walked us down the street close to the museum and aquarium and when we got there he asked us for $8. Mind you, he walked us 3 blocks away from where we were originally. So much for southern hospitality. Guess that was something we had to learn first hand...never again. The coke museum was cute...there was stuffed polar bear that waved at us and we got to try 64 different flavors of soda from different countries.

My Mom and the large coke bottles.

This was supposed to be the two of us, but I cut off my head...I need to get better at these.
Peachtree St.; although I didn't see any peach trees....Mission accomplished.

Do you love to live or live to love?

So here's the latest and greatest:

I have my official contract with Avalon English located in Seoul.
The campus' name is: Songpa Nakjiwon

And it's in the area of: Bangi-dong Songpa gu (Picture Below). Apparently this is the area where the Olympic Park is. So I might be able to visit some high class gyms. :-)

I won't be leaving until late November it appears. So there's lots of time to prepare myself for this rather large excursion I am about to embark upon.
Until my departure, I have been attempting to plan for the future and socializing with the friends and family that I will not be seeing for a year. I'm going to miss everyone a lot!!
I'd love for everyone to stay in touch! I have msn messenger (margamelia@hotmail.com) and skype (margamelia) and of course, e-mail.
That's all for now!!!

Pushing the Envelope

So, as many of you know, I have decided to dedicate a year of my life to teaching English to children in South Korea.
I have been feeling a plethora of emotions as I have been mentally and physically preparing for my trip. I'm excited, nervous, exhilarated, and nostalgic- it seems almost all at the exact same time.
A lot of people say I'm crazy, I agree. This is probably the most absurd(and probably abrupt) decision I have made in life thus far. Realistically, I know that there will be challenges, but I'm also hoping that the good will outweigh the bad.
Saying goodbye to my friends, family, and car is going to be difficult. (I know I won't be driving once for an entire year!)
I think that no matter what though I will leave saying, "I did it"...and in 30 years I won't have to think back and say, "What if I had gone?"
Getting ready to go on this trip has proven to be and endeavor, however.
A few fun issues so far:
1) Figuring out how to obtain a background check that includes name and fingerprinting.
I was legitimately on the phone all morning talking in circles with St. John's County and State of Florida officials trying to figure out what kind of background check I needed. At the end of the conversation I somehow ended up with the number for the FBI. Needless to say I did not call them. Background check- done.
2) The South Koreans are on the hunt for my college diploma. I received it about a month ago and excitedly purchased a home for it, in the form of a 130 dollar frame. Promptly after I bought said frame, I happily put the diploma in it. Now I must either: A)wrench the diploma from it's happy home (with which it has been taped in), B) Make a copy of my diploma then have it notarized by a notary within town and after that huff it to a Korean consulate in Atlanta to have it notarized once more, or C) Find out if it is even possible to get a duplicate of my diploma and send that across the ocean thus avoiding the trouble affiliated with plan A and B.
One more issue here though, apparently there was a small flood at FSU yesterday that wiped out the majority of the phone lines. Thus, a hindrance lies with plan C.
Sooner rather than later though all of this paper pushing will be over and I will be on a flight to Seoul. I'd love to see a lot of you before I leave, so give me a call!!
I'll keep you all posted on my exact departure date.
Until then, Annyong-hi kashipshio (See you! [I think])