Even with the lack of shut eye, it's been a crazy, exhilarating three days. On Day 1, we had our first opportunity to gather with everyone in our city, and luckily for me there are 90 teachers going to Busan! Most are from the US (many Minnesotans, who woulda thought?!) and Canada, and then a fe Brits and Kiwis. We attended a welcome ceremony, in which the head of the national education institute for Korea gave an address about the importance of our role as foreign teachers and made us feel all warm and bubbly inside. We also watched a hilarious video called "Korea Sparkling" about Korean culture which, of course, illustrated just how fascinating it is. On Day 2 we began classes, which were surprisingly interesting and very well-planned. The subjects covered were Teaching Writing, Elementary Curriculum, Korean Culture and Music, and Classroom Management, all taught by local professionals such as teachers and professors. Only 4 more days and 16 classes to go!
Today, we finally had the opportunity to get off campus and see some of Seoul! We drove through the city and saw the Olympic park and then made our way to a traditional Korean Folk Village, which my friend Alexis and I decided was basically the Korean version of colonial Williamsburg. We had a great time seeing the old farm villages and Buddhist temples, and watching traditional Korean dances.
There is soooo much more to say about orientation, the people I've been meeting, and my experience thus far in Korea. We are all so anxious to finish this week and move to our cities so that we can really begin what is sure to be a spectacular year. Anyway, I miss you all and will post more soon...now I'm off to Noribang- Korean karaoke!!!
