The update.

First off, I'm sorry. I promised all of you I would keep in touch and frankly, I shattered that promise. But hopefully I can redeem myself with this blog.

My first month here in South Korea has been amazing and completely different than anything I have ever experienced in my young life. I spent my first 3 weeks of orientation at Korea University in Jochiwon about an hour and a half away from Seoul alongside 300 students and graduates from all over the world [South Africa, New Zealand, Australia, the UK, and Ireland]. These people are some of the most incredible, smart, funny, and cultured people I have ever met and I have grown very close to them in this short time. During those 3 weeks, I attended lectures given by previous scholars who had renewed their contracts and professionals in the education field. I will admit, most lectures were somewhat of a bore, but few were indeed what I needed to help me prepare for the task of teaching that I will embark on come Monday.

We spent a few hours in class, but for the most part we were out experiencing Korea. My first day was spent at a jjimjjilbang with the people I had met just 12 hours prior and if any of you have the slightest idea of what a jjimjjilbang entails, you know how I felt. [Jjimjjilbangs are gender-segregated public bathhouses complete with hot tubs, showers, saunas, and massage tables. Many Koreans go to escape the weather or just go to relax]. It was a little nerve racking at first but we got over the embarrassment real quick and enjoyed ourselves.

We also went on many cultural field trips including a traditional Korean folk village to see how Koreans once lived. Unfortunately, the day we went was the coldest day I have ever experienced! I had never felt pain and anger at the same time. I had plenty of layers on, but the weather bit right through and chilled my bones. Here we shared a traditional Korean meal [the one where you sit cross legged on the floor and they bring you more food than your body can ingest in one sitting.] It was delicious! Korean food is comforting and healthy and I have adjusted well to it. I love spicy food and thankfully Korean food is packed with flavor and spicy kick. Some of the food I never thought I would have tried are dried squid and octopus and these tiny, hard, salty fish that I have no idea what are called. Interesting to say the least, yet very enjoyable.

We also had the opportunity to go to Seoul for our opening ceremony at the main campus. [The university we were staying at in Jochiwon is a division of Korea University.] After the ceremony, we went on a scavenger hunt through Seoul taking pictures next to famous sites in the city. It was truly wonderful to see Seoul at night. Seoul is a __________ [insert adjective here] city. IT'S AMAZING! The lights, the people, the food, the markets, the music, the cars...EVERYTHING! I absolutely love Seoul. It is by far the cleanest city I have ever seen. There is something for every taste and within every district is something special. The metro system is efficient and will get you anywhere quick. One of the stops is linked to an underground mall and is fully equipped with a movie theater, aquarium, food court, bookstore, and pricey hotel. If you are ever in Seoul, you must make a stop at Co-EX. It's a total maze and you can spent hours in there!

Fashion dominates here! Not just within the capital but in every corner of the country. Women and men alike follow the hip trends and are impeccably dressed even for a simple stroll down to the local supermarket. Trust me, I feel under dressed every time I go outside.

Another great aspect of Korean life that I have begun to appreciate are the infamous Norebangs, also known as KAREOKE! Here you can eat and drink and sing your heart out! It's wonderful especially when the room you are in has a couple of different disco balls moving about and people are jamming with you on the tambourines. After you go so many times you begin to repeat the same songs, but it truly is a lot of fun.

Now, the real fun begins.

I have finally settled into my apartment in Suncheon City. Sucheon is a small town of about 250,000 people on the southeast coast of the country. It is known for its food, especially it's seafood considering that it is a coastal town. Suncheon is also close to Boseong Tea Plantation, which is one of the best green tea fields in the country! I had the opportunity to go and visit it a couple of weekends ago and was stunned at how breathtaking the view is. I cannot wait to see what it looks like in the spring! It has lovely pine trees that surround the fields so it looks like a combination of farm and forest. The rolling tea bushes are really interesting to look at from far away. I am anxious to discover more of the south when the weather begins to heat up!

I am teaching at Byeollyang Elementeary School about 10 minutes away from Suncheon in the small town of Byeollyang. I visited my school last weekend and was introduced to the staff. They all approached me, graciously bowed [like all Koreans do], and escorted me to the lounge to have lunch with them. Before I knew it I was sharing fish soup with the vice principal, secretary, and third grade teacher! Thankfully, I was introduced to Korean family style eating a couple of weeks prior so it didn't bother me much. Remember, if you ever come to Korea and have a meal with Koreans keep in mind that they love to share!

I am adjusting to living on my own in this tiny studio apartment and since I do not officially start teaching until next Monday, I have had some serious time to myself. It has been occupied with lesson planning, perfecting cooking rice in a rice cooker, teaching myself Hangeul [the Korean alphabet- it's no easy task!] and discovering new streets in my neighborhood on my rainy evening strolls.

Of course I managed to get myself helplessly lost last weekend after returning to Suncheon from the metropolitan city of Gwangju. After exiting the bus terminal I figured I would take a bus home instead of a cheap taxi. What a horrible idea! I hopped on the number 52 [a bus that I had seen pass by my apartment numerous times last week] confidently thinking it would drop me off close to my home. Well, it started taking turns I had never seen before and before I knew it I was at the last stop of the route. I approached the bus driver and he yelled at me to get off. I had no other option but to follow orders and dramatically throw myself off the bus. i can only imagine what a site it was for the people watching this stupid tourist! I began to walk in the direction that seemed like home praying that a taxi would come along and save me. I walked about ten minutes arguing with myself about how foolish I was to have gotten on the bus in the first place. I finally saw a taxi, flagged him down, got in, muttered my address [in broken Korean of course], and 7,000 Won later ended up at my doorstep. Yes, things could have been a lot worse but I was just happy to be home! Note to self: LEARN SUNCHEON BUS ROUTES!

Anyway, here I am, happily sitting in my apartment on a rusty little chair eating rice, a carrot, and seaweed, listening to music typing away a brief summary of my Korea experience. I hope you enjoyed reading it and I have also attached some pictures of my time here. I miss you all and you are more than welcome to send me mail. You can email me your address at: karla_piacentini@yahoo.com and I will send you some snail mail!

PS: Excuse the typos :)

Love always,
KP!