Training Week

I have now been in Korea for one week, and I'm still very glad to be here! It's been a busy week with training, but I'm enjoying myself even with the stress of training, and I've had some great experiences so far - in fact, looking back, I can't believe how much has happened in a week! I'll try to keep it short- 3 bullet points for each, as we say in Model UN (though we rarely stick to it, haha).

Friday (9/11)

• Training orientation and skills tests - I passed, and I like the other people I'm training with
• Went shopping for food to keep in the hotel fridge, since otherwise I'm living on Bibim Bap for every meal, since it's the one vegetarian meal I'm sure I can pronounce and eat!

Saturday - A Fantastic Day (9/12)

• Went to the park nearby and climbed the mountain overlooking Seocho-gu, Seoul. I sat on a bench and read Slumdog Millionaire. It was the most relaxed I've been been in ages.
• Walked to the Seoul Arts Center, where I wandered through the Seoul International Print and Photo Fair for about 3 hours. I saw some amazing artwork, talked to some very friendly and helpful curators, and enjoyed an afternoon completely on my time, in a setting I love: an art museum!
• In the evening, I joined another IC grad who teaches just outside Seoul, and we headed to the FC Seoul game against Jeonbuk-Hyundai. Another IC grad who teaches in Seoul joined us there, and we had a great time with the most hardcore Seoul fans in the loudest cheering section - and Seoul won, 2-1!
• After the game, the 3 IC grads headed to Hongdae, a university area known for its nightlife. The trains stopped running at midnight, and since it was my only chance to experience Seoul nightlife, we decided to stay out until the trains started running again - at 5:30am! I thought I'd be too tired, but we had a nice time, and I got to meet some of their Korean friends, and some foreigners, too. It was a very dynamic area, with so much to see and do, so I was glad I took the time to explore, even though I was tired the next day!

Sunday (9/13)

• Mostly I just relaxed at the hotel and enjoyed my last day before our intense training week, which was a nice contrast with my busy Saturday.

Monday (9/14)

• First day of training. It was overwhelming, but I'm glad this whole week has been so thorough.
• I found out I'll be teaching Listening and Speaking class to middle school students (approx.) and a fundamental English kind of class for slightly younger students/ older elemenatry kids.
• I popped my knee out after lunch, which put a damper in my step, literally. I've been icing it, putting Tigers Balm (like icy/hot) on it, and trying to stay off of it as much as possible - it's much better now, luckily.

Tuesday (9/15)

• Training went well - my trainer gave me mostly positive feedback, and good constructive criticism, so I've been able to improve each day in my mock teaching, which is great.
• Note: A big shout out to MTTP - thank you so much for more than adequately preparing me for this intense EFL environment, because without your training this week would be completely overwhelming!

Today (9/16)

• I accidentally bit into a piece of ham in my potato breakfast pastry, which ruined my morning. I was totally preoccupied with how weirded out I was, which made for a strange morning training section. Luckily, I didn't get sick, and I ate boring food the rest of the day instead of going out to eat just in case.
• Training is getting really intense, and tomorrow we're being assessed. I'm feeling okay about everything, but some of the other trainees don't have the experience (again, thank you MTTP!) in how to teach EFL, so they are really stressing out. It's making for an interesting and occasionally uncomfortable group dynamic, but overall we're all still getting along - it's just tough to be stressed out with strangers in a small space.
• I received word that my train to Busan leaves Seoul Friday at 6pm, so I'm pretty excited for that (assuming the next two days of training don't put me thorugh the ringer)! I can't wait to settle into my own apartment in my new neighborhood, and to meet the people I'll be spending the next year with. It's kind of hard to think about leaving the other trainees, since I like them and I'd like to stay in touch with them, but I'm so glad I'll be settled and I'm very excited about where I'll be living.

So, in sum, all is well here in Korea, and I'm looking forward to the adventures in the weeks to come as I start teaching and adjusting to life on the coast!