More on Yeongju

Yesterday we were taken to Andong to get our ACR (Alien Registration Card) and cell phone.

(For anyone who will be in this position soon, it’s important to know that you don’t actually get your card for a couple of weeks. Basically you need the card to be able to get a cell phone. If you are willing to pay a little bit extra (it is hardly anything) then they will issue a piece of paper with the number on it straightaway. You can use this to buy a cell phone on the same day.)

Samsung phones are much much cheaper than anything I have seen in South Africa and this is mostly because Samsung is a Korean product. Unlike South Africa, you can take out a year contract, which is deducted from your account at the end of the month and there is no initial deposit. So here is my Samsung galaxy S4! A big shout out to one of my coteachers who haggled with the guy behind the counter for a better deal.

Jet lag has eventually caught up with me. I figure you can’t go solidly for 2 weeks straight. Yesterday I slept through my alarm! It was incredibly embarrassing because the PE teacher is giving me a lift to school in the mornings, but eventually left yesterday because he couldn’t see me. I woke up to the sound of my door bell and jumped out of bed. Oh shit. It was my landlady kindly trying to wake me up.

The worst part is that I don’t even know how to say sorry in Korean. I eventually got my co teacher (Erica) to phone and apologize for me. I kind of figured that I had burnt that bridge and would be walking to school this morning but as soon as I stepped outside he was walking out of his apartment door and ushered me towards the car. So in all honesty I don’t know where I stand right now. I may or may not be walking tomorrow.

Was given this at school today. How does it look? Yay or nay?

My school

Last night I went out for Korean bbq with one of the people living in my block of flats Marais and another nice teacher Farhida. Basically, you sit on tables just raised above the floor and there is a circular whole in the middle of the table where they put coles and a grill. You sit there and take turns cooking your own meat and eating it wrapped in a type of lettuce leaf with sauces or other toppings. It’s pretty delicious.

I have been really surprised by how welcoming and considerate the foreigners around me have been.  I have had more than one person knock on my door and ask if I need anything or any help. It’s great because before I left, I had imagined sitting by myself having no concept of anything around me. When in reality it is the opposite. Looking forward to going out tonight to Mokolee bar (I think that’s what it’s called).

My school

My wonderful co-teacher Erica!!

One of the hardest things for me to get used to is bowing to everyone all time. No matter who it is, you just stop what you are doing and bow to a passing teacher. It is a little tiring but it is interesting to see how the dynamics of the school work.

Woman here are obsessed with how they look all the women got to the bathroom and brush their teeth and touch up on their make up after lunch. Its seems to be perfectly normal to take your makeup bag and toothpaste to work. In some ways I enjoy how everything seems to have an order here. They looked at me a little strangely when I didn’t do it as well. So the upshot is that mascara and eyeliner come with me to work each morning.

Anyway still pretty chilled :)

My view walking home:

Entrance to school

 

Around the corner for where I live.