Whew, there is SO MUCH going on and so much to tell....But let me start with the most important stuff:
HAPPY BIRTHDAY BECKY!
Today, March 7th, is the BD of one of my dear friends from Atlanta. Becky love, I hope you have a magical and happiness-crammed day. You are so loved! Wish I could be there to celebrate with you...
Now, the less important stuff ;)
Up until the last day of our 9-day orientation with the EPIK program (the program that hired us), Adam and I were still in the dark about many really important details. We were in Korea, with hundreds of other teachers-to-be, but we were still wondering about all of the following:
- At which schools were we teaching?
- Were either of us teaching at more than one school?
- What was the age group of our students?
- In which part of town was our apartment located?
- Was our apartment anywhere near our schools, or would we have a long commute?
- Even more important (to me), was our apartment anywhere near the home of my dear friend Hyo Jeong & her family?
- how many classes per week would we teach?
- Would our students be separated by ability, or would they be mixed-level classes?
... The list goes on & on, but you get the picture. The only thing we knew for sure was that we would be living and teaching in the GwangJu area. That information was our first hint that things were going RIGHT this time.
We requested GwangJu because it's where Hyo Jeong lives, but the EPIK program that hired us didn't guarantee that we would be placed there. We applied in August and were informed of our placement city in ... December, I think, and thrilled to hear it.
After flying all the way out here and going through 9 days of orientation, we FINALLY got all the answers to (almost) all of our questions, on February 26th.
And as it turns out, la vie est tres tres belle!
- We are both teaching at middle schools. (Adam requested High school, so he was relieved to not get Elementary)
- We both have only 1 school each, when a lot of teachers have 2+.
- It's a 15 minute walk from our apartment to my school, and a 25 minute walk to Adam's (in the same direction!).
- We are teaching the same grades, using the same textbooks, with almost identical schedules.
- We both teach 18 classes per week, but it's the same lesson ALL WEEK LONG. ...And we collaborate on all the lessons. Lesson planning has never been so easy!
- Not ONLY is our apartment in the same neighborhood as Hyo Jeong, I could walk to her house in less than an hour! Or take a cheap taxi, or even cheaper bus. AMAZING! It's as if these people KNEW.
- Our pad is slightly bigger than our last Korean residence, but that's not what really matters: what really matters is that it's a 2-room apartment. We had been hoping for this more than anything else. Adam needs somewhere to write ALONE. The fact that I can close the door and read/study/watch movies/etc without bothering him is enormous.
- Oh yeah, and we have FREE cable and Internet. (!!!)
As I write this post just now, I've already taught 9 classes and feel comfortable proclaiming that every important desire we had has been met.
That being said, apparently things are never meant to be completely perfect (I might get big-headed or something).
The hilariously ironic twist to MY job is that I have been placed in a private, Christian "mission" school. The reason why this is so funny? Our last jobs in Korea were at private academies and THEY DID NOT END WELL. This is one of the main reasons why we went with the EPIK program in the first place - to avoid any jobs that might give us illegal visas, or breach our contracts, or neglect to pay us on time. Sad, but true.
So, my new job is highly ironic. But I like it, and I like all my co-workers so far, too. Because of EPIK's involvement, we know that this school is partially funded by the government and I won't be having any legal issues or pay issues, so irony is as far as the issue goes.
The real upset for me is in our apartment. If you know me even a little, you probably know that my favorite color is green. What you may not know is that my least favorite colors are yellow and pink. Especially if the pink is shiny, flowery and glittery.
Watch this video to understand:
(music inspired by a google search for "songs about wallpaper" and provided by youtube.)
