Sep 2, 2008
I have arrived.
I apologize for the delay in this update. As many of you know I have had not regualr access to the internet. y post should become more frequent (hopefully a couple of times a week) now that they have set a computer in my office. I still don't have any access in my apartment and probably won't. But at any rate, my flight over here besides being godawfully long, was rather uneventful, I did manage to take some very nice aerial shots of the Japanese coast taken as the plane was preparing to land at Narita. Those will be posted here either today or very soon.
My first night here was, to put it very bluntly, terrifying. The flight did not get in until around ten Saturday night so by the time my baggage was claimed and I had gone through customs, it was roughly 11:30. After customs, I immediately changed my currency and then proceeded to the lobby of the terminal where I was greeted by the taxi driver who was to bring me to my apartment. The man was insane. Traffic lights were merely a suggestion. We flew through the central area of Incheon, down the coast, through forrests of neon signs and gas stations, over a number of bridges, and eventually arriving in the most isolated area one could imagine. It is pitch black and well after midnight. We finally arrive at my apartment after much travail. The taxi driver drops me off and one of the teachers, Joo-Nam greets me, shows me the apartment,talks to me a few minutes, and leaves. I am alone in a foreign country in apartment in what appears to be a remote village. The whole night I am struck with a feeling of total isolation and lonliness. The extreme jet lag definitely did not help. I was a complete ball of nerves and was unable to sleep for more than a few hours. However, when I awoke just before dawn and saw the the exact moment where the sun rose above the mountains behind my building, I knew that I had made the right decision.
Later that day Joo-Nam brought me to the schools, showed me around the area, and even bought me lunch. The countryside here is very broad, covered with rice paddies, and punctuated by a mountain here or there or an ancient fortification. Here it almost seems that if time stands still. I know it is a cliche but does reflect my impression of this place. It is one of the most beautiful and strangest places I have ever been.
Monday morning I arose, put my spot coat on and headed out into the torrential rain. As I was leaving my landlady came running out, shouting something in Korean. And as I as expressed to her in in gesture and slow English and a few Korean words, she pantomimed the opening and closing of an umbrella. With that I said, " chong mal kamsa hamneeda," and she ran back in and got me an umbrella. She and everyone else I have met here have more than hospitable. And when I arrived at the school, I was introduced to the principal, who gave the impression of being the the monarch of the school. The power structures here seem to be very well definined at least in comparison with the United States. I was also welcomed by the faculty who gave me a round of applause as a entered the teachers' room and then each in turn greeted me with a bow and then a handshake. It was a very odd feeling. As an American I am definitely not accustomed to that kind of hospitality.
Later that day, I taught my first class...first year middle schoolers. Their English is not at the level that I was initially told but it was not so bad. I had each student greet me and tell me their name in a full English sentence. Most had not trouble with that. Later I showed them a picture of the Public Garden and had them tell me in English what they saw. Most had extreme difficulty with that exercise so I gave them alot of help and eventually everyone was able to come up with something. But it seems I have alot of work to do. And with that, I think I should end this post. Until next time, anyoung hai-seyo.
My first night here was, to put it very bluntly, terrifying. The flight did not get in until around ten Saturday night so by the time my baggage was claimed and I had gone through customs, it was roughly 11:30. After customs, I immediately changed my currency and then proceeded to the lobby of the terminal where I was greeted by the taxi driver who was to bring me to my apartment. The man was insane. Traffic lights were merely a suggestion. We flew through the central area of Incheon, down the coast, through forrests of neon signs and gas stations, over a number of bridges, and eventually arriving in the most isolated area one could imagine. It is pitch black and well after midnight. We finally arrive at my apartment after much travail. The taxi driver drops me off and one of the teachers, Joo-Nam greets me, shows me the apartment,talks to me a few minutes, and leaves. I am alone in a foreign country in apartment in what appears to be a remote village. The whole night I am struck with a feeling of total isolation and lonliness. The extreme jet lag definitely did not help. I was a complete ball of nerves and was unable to sleep for more than a few hours. However, when I awoke just before dawn and saw the the exact moment where the sun rose above the mountains behind my building, I knew that I had made the right decision.
Later that day Joo-Nam brought me to the schools, showed me around the area, and even bought me lunch. The countryside here is very broad, covered with rice paddies, and punctuated by a mountain here or there or an ancient fortification. Here it almost seems that if time stands still. I know it is a cliche but does reflect my impression of this place. It is one of the most beautiful and strangest places I have ever been.
Monday morning I arose, put my spot coat on and headed out into the torrential rain. As I was leaving my landlady came running out, shouting something in Korean. And as I as expressed to her in in gesture and slow English and a few Korean words, she pantomimed the opening and closing of an umbrella. With that I said, " chong mal kamsa hamneeda," and she ran back in and got me an umbrella. She and everyone else I have met here have more than hospitable. And when I arrived at the school, I was introduced to the principal, who gave the impression of being the the monarch of the school. The power structures here seem to be very well definined at least in comparison with the United States. I was also welcomed by the faculty who gave me a round of applause as a entered the teachers' room and then each in turn greeted me with a bow and then a handshake. It was a very odd feeling. As an American I am definitely not accustomed to that kind of hospitality.
Later that day, I taught my first class...first year middle schoolers. Their English is not at the level that I was initially told but it was not so bad. I had each student greet me and tell me their name in a full English sentence. Most had not trouble with that. Later I showed them a picture of the Public Garden and had them tell me in English what they saw. Most had extreme difficulty with that exercise so I gave them alot of help and eventually everyone was able to come up with something. But it seems I have alot of work to do. And with that, I think I should end this post. Until next time, anyoung hai-seyo.
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