Almost a Month...

 I've got some updating to do...

First off: I HAVE AN ADDRESS. So, if you'd ever like to send me a card, a note, or anything to say hello, my address is:

Attention: Cambria Teter
Seong-Seo ECC: 1250-16
I - Gok Dong Dal, Seo - Gu,
Daegu, South Korea
704-928        
                     :)


 The past two weeks have been a whirlwind, but have also felt like they've moved so slowly. I've been here for almost a month, and yet, at times, I feel like it could be four!

School has been going, well, I still love my little kids...they're adorable. I'm glad I had good practice with Mom's first graders. I've learned how to control them and ignore the ones that just really want attention.  I teach one class with just two little boys, named David and Ethan. They're super cute, and each time I come into class, we play hide-n-seek the first five minutes. They always hide in the same areas, and it's just desks in the room, so I can see them right away, but it's still a blast for them. It makes me smile as well. :)
I's still learning about the older ones though...sometimes, they can be a handful. So, if any of you have any suggestions, please, let me know!


On the weekend of November 12, I went and visited my friend from Manchester, Kate, in her town of Pohang. It's about an hour and a half from Daegu. I was SO proud of myself for navigating subways, streets and buses all by myself. :) It was such a wonderful accomplishment, and it was so great to see her again. She lives by the beach, and I felt so at home. I put my feet in the water and felt at peace. We walked around and drank coffee. It was perfect.

Then, this past week, I had to go to the hospital for a foreigner check up.  Every foreigner, in order to get our alien cards, has to do it. My boss, Mr. Do, picked me up and took me. When we got there, it was about 1:15 in the afternoon. Here's where we differ from the Koreans....the whole hospital had shut down for lunch! Literally. And then, at 1:30, all these workers come out and announced a little jingle about being open again. Super interesting. And then, I had to go through all the motions. They took my blood, chest x-ray, eye test, etc. Real fun. But, real efficient as well. We were out of there before 2pm.

And then, this weekend! :) Oh, so wonderful. I went to Seoul, and had an absolute blast! It was a super quick trip, but I have fallen in love with that city! I finally actually felt like a tourist in this country. I got to see palaces, and traditional dances, and tons of other tourists. It was perfect. Also, there was a lantern festival going on...and it was beautiful. I was in awe. There is a stream that runs through the city, and at nightfall, they sent lanterns down the stream and had these blow up lanterns lighting the whole way down. They were all different things, from animals to a traditional Korean wedding party. So pretty.  Unfortunately, that city is HUGE, and so I only saw a small part of it, but I cannot wait to go back.


And now, I want to continue my list of things learned so far...

15. Taxis here are very efficient, but, the drivers literally watch tv while driving. There are little tvs on the dashboard, and they will sit there and watch the shows. Crazy.

16. Toilet paper is not very common out in public areas, and so, carrying tissues or toilet paper with you at all times is a must, just in case you get caught in a sticky situation. :)

17.  The stationary here is the cutest thing on the planet. They try to write things in English, but the grammar is so funny, I have probably bought more stationary in these 3 weeks than I ever have in my entire life. My favorite purchase so far is a note pad with, "You can use half of the sheet if you want to make a smaller hat" printed at the top. :) Love it.

18.  KPop! :) It's Korean Pop music and it is played EVERYWHERE and anywhere. My little kids sing it all the time. These Korean pop singers have these famous songs where they say phrases in English, and I always crack up when my kids sing. My favorite line so far is, "I hate this love song." What?

19.  MATCHING COUPLES!!!! It took me awhile to notice it, and after a few, "Were they just wearing the same thing?" went through my mind, I have finally confirmed it. Couples, to show they are indeed a couple, wear the SAME thing!  I laughed the first time I saw it, and still get a kick out of all the combos I see. It's totally awesome. I'm still trying to get a picture to post on her, but I have to be covert, so when I do, you'll love it! :)

20.  The reason I believe most couples wear the same thing to prove they are a couple, instead of just holding hands like in other parts of the world, is because EVERYONE holds hands here. It's very common. Especially for guys to do it. I have a class with all boys and they are always holding hands, touching each other, and once, I saw them feed each other. It's just so normal.  It's kind of nice though. There's no judgement and they show their affection outwardly. Good for them. :)


I know there's still so many more to learn, but for now, that's what I've got.

I'm doing alright, still adjusting and still missing home SO much at times, but I know it'll get better with time. :) Hope you're all doing well and thanks for sticking with me. You are all so wonderful.


Here are some of the pictures I took while in Seoul...

traditional dances <- under the lights at the Lantern festival                            

.  

some of the lanterns down the stream 

                                     

Fall leaves in Korea :)

 the biggest palace in Seoul

 the entrance to one of the palaces  

Things I Have Learned....so far.

So, I've been mentally compiling a list of "Things One Learns While Living In Korea" and I'd love to share them with you all. I'm sure many more will be added within this next year, but for now, this is what I've got...

1.  Chopsticks are used for absolutely every single food...if you plan on coming here, learn now.     :)

2.  Ramen noodles are a life saver...I never ate them in college like the stereotype, but here in Korea, they're everywhere. They also have about every flavor under the sun. And they range in spicy to burn your eyes out...I usually cannot put the entire spice package in mine.

3.  Coffee Coffee Coffee! It is EVERYWHERE! Before I came, I deliberated over whether or not I should pack a coffee pot, because college screwed me over and I'm addicted. I'm so glad I decided against it. There are coffee shops literally on every corner! And they all have such cute names, like Coffee Coffea, Angels in the US, or even Sleepless in Seattle. I'm in love with the coffee!

4.  Here's a good one: The Koreans are obsessed with  LIGHTS and SOUNDS! Literally everything has lights and sounds on it. Even my washer plays a little jingle when it's done, or car alarms are actually pleasant to listen to! Everything is loaded with cute (sometimes REALLY LOUD) music.  And then there's the lights! They're everywhere. Like mini Times Squares every sign is flashing and neon. The karaoke bar across the street is one of the brightest lights I have ever seen, and I have now hung up another sheet on my windows to block the light! Last night, walking home from dinner, a motorcycle gang rode by. Every single wheel had a light or something flashing on it...it was like something out of a DisneyLand parade! Lights and Sounds...it's all so happy here!

5.  Orange Shops are magical! They're technically not called this, but it's what the foreigners say.  They must be a chain because they're all over, but thank god for pictures and hand gestures...it's the easiest stuff to order, and it's delicious! :)

6.  I am a celebrity! ... Not really, but I feel like it. Since I definitely stand out, everyone, and I mean EVERYONE, stares at me. For the first few days, it was super hard to deal with, but I'm starting to get used to it. I just pretend I'm famous. "This is what it feels like to be famous. This is what it feels like to be famous!" If it gets a bit uncomfortable, I tend to just smile and nod my head...mainly this just sends young girls into a giggle frenzy, but others tend to look away after. Even my hair is coveted. The other day, one of my students reached out and just "pet" my head and hair.  I kind of turned to her with a question in my eyes and she just smiled and that was it...so, I'm definitely still getting used to that!

Along with the celebrity status, I have finally figured out that awkward feeling that my parents (and all the teachers out there) have felt numerous times. When you run into one of your students outside of school.  I, of course, was wearing sweatpants and no make up and was carrying toilet paper. "Oh hello, uh...Alice? Oh yes, sure let's say hello to your parents who have no idea what I'm saying and probably think I look like a monster from the deep..." I can sympathize with you now Mom and Dad! :)

7.  The most common questions I have gotten so far are : 1. Where are you from? 2. How tall are you (in centimeters)??? 3. Do you have a boyfriend? and 4. What is your blood type?
If you're confused...so am I.

8.  The Korean co-teachers at my school are wonderful, and super nice, but they told me they get shy and nervous to talk to me because they don't want to mess up in front of me. I smiled and said, "I'd rather you talk to me and mess up than not talk to me at all!" This has seemed to help...we are starting to talk and joke a lot more.

9.  I have now done something that many people probably couldn't say they have done.  I have completed traffic school online in Korea. :)  I got a speeding ticket about a week before I left and now it's all taken care of, but it's definitely a cool story.

10. Parking...there is not such thing as lines. People park literally everywhere. Streets, curbs, sidewalks, wherever they want...and it's totally fine. That reminds me...the driving is TERRIFYING. I just close my eyes when I'm in a taxi. Too scary for words.

11.  EVANGELISM!!!! Oh man. The Christians here are loud and proud and they want you to be as well. One night, I was walking home from work and a van came off the road and cut me off on the sidewalk. Since the parking is crazy, I just figured he was parking and so, semi-irritated, I keep walking down the alleyway to my apartment.  All of a sudden I hear a man running behind me yelling, "Excuse me! Excuse me!"  I turned and this man just right there in the middle of the street at 10:30 at night told me I should come to his church, even though I would not understand any of it. I kindly told him that I had only been in the country for a few a days and that I was still getting settled. I kind of thought I'd never see him again. (Not that I don't appreciate the effort on his behalf, but it was just a bit too in my face at that moment).  Anyways, the next day, I was walking to the E - Mart (which is the big store like WalMart)...and again, a van jumped the rode and cut me off on the sidewalk.  Same guy.  This time, he told me that I should come and that I had said that I promised I would.  I smiled and said I'd try... I'm still thinking.  My foreigner friends told me this happens a lot and not to worry or stress, but it is one of those little things that keeps weighing in the back of my mind...

12.  Education Education Education....it means everything here. I feel bad for some of my students who go to normal school all morning and then come to my school until almost 10 at night! I understand the extremity of education, but my goodness...I kind of find myself feeling privileged for growing up how I did.  (But!...there is one good thing about classes going until 10 at night...I never feel unsafe walking home at night by myself.)

13.  Pepero Day....this is LITERALLY a holiday designed by a company where you just buy candy and give it to each other.  (side note: the Lotte company owns about everything in Korea) Anyways, there are these little pretzel sticks that are dipped in chocolate called "Peperos".  And, on every November 11, (since its 11/11 and they look like the candies) everyone buys these treats and exchanges them with their friends. This year is especially exciting because its 11/11/11...I went out and bought all of the ones in the picture for my classes. Apparently I will be getting a lot tomorrow, (one of my favorite students, Sue, already gave me a box) but I thought I'd surprise them with some as well.    


14. Finally, for now at least, Daegu is full of the nicest foreigners I have ever met. The people I have met here, and become friends with, are absolutely amazing. I don't think I would be as comfortable as I am now if it weren't for them.  I love walking into an Orange store for dinner at 10pm and knowing everyone will show up, we don't even really need to plan it.  It's like our very own Cheers bar or Central Perk off of Friends...My Irish, Northern Irish, Australian, British, Canadian and American "family" has been absolutely wonderful and I think I would have died of boredom (or starvation) if it wasn't for them...so if they ever read this, THANK YOU! Their expertise, for most have been here for awhile, is so helpful and wonderful!  Even sitting in an Australian pub until real late on a Wednesday night making stories up out of words we give each other is a blast with them...being with them makes this all feel like home.  I even tend to forget I'm in Korea at times...and then I walk to work and go get coffee and think, "Oh ya...."  :) 







   The other day I stumbled upon these two fortune cookie fortunes that I got at dinner a few nights before I left.  I remember tucking them away to give me the courage when I started to doubt myself...I'm glad I found them. I also found a quote that I had wrote down absentmindedly and now hits close to home.  


The quote goes like this, 


"There is a freedom I never thought I would love in moving alone to a foreign country."  


I really am starting to believe this is the right place for me...even when I want to cry because I miss home or I have a really bad class. :) 


I love you all and thank you for all your support...I appreciate it immensely. 


Until next time....

A Week in Korea

 Downtown Daegu

 Korean take-out (bagogi-bop - rice, meat, seaweed, and noodles)

 bedroom/kitchen

kitchenette 

bathroom/shower (disco light coming through) my washer

Well, I made it a week!
Here's the catch up...

On Thursday October 27, with barely any sleep, I said goodbye to my house for a year and drove with my parents to LAX. I was doing really well until we were at the airport and I lost it. I really did not want to leave. Everyone in the airport could see my emotions were high, and so the check in counter let my dad come to the gate with me, which helped tremendously. I then flew from LAX to San Francisco. On that flight, I literally sat there with one thing running through my mind, "What the hell am I doing?"
When I landed in San Francisco, I felt like a ghost. I just wandered through the airport crying and wanting to go home. I called my parents every 5 minutes and couldn't seem to shake the feeling that I was making a mistake. After a phone call with my grandma (thanks Grams) I felt better and made my way to my gate in the international terminal. When I got there, I was actually surprised to see other people that looked like me...scared. There was a girl who looked about my age and so I went and sat next to her and struck up a conversation. Grace and I became instant friends! We talked to the airline, and luckily our flight was not full at all, and so we had our seats changed so that we could sit next to each other, even with a seat in between us. Our flight was long, but good. Singapore Airlines is incredible, and I wish I could fly them all the time. I watched movies, tv shows, and listened to music - then all of a sudden, we were landing in Seoul.  I turned to Grace and we both were terrified, but I was really glad we had each other. When we got off the plane, we stayed together to make sure we had our bags and walked together. Luckily for me, Grace had a friend who was from Korea who met her at the airport. She helped me find my bus ticket and bus stop and explained to me when and where my bus would take me (to get to Daegu). I hugged Grace goodbye and we promised we'd see each other soon.

When I got on the bus, a girl who was on the same plane with me came up and asked if I was going to Daegu as well. Turns out, Alma and I are both from the same program Geovisions, and therefore, another instant friend. :)

When we got to Daegu, 4 hour bus ride from Seoul, we were both disoriented and tired. But, my director, Mr. Do, and an American man, Michael, who teaches at my school met me. They were incredibly nice and took me straight to a motel. The girls I replaced at my school, Seongseo ECC, were still in the apartments and therefore I couldn't move in. I was completely fine until they left me and I was alone. I cried and freaked out and just wanted to go home. I didn't have internet the first night and so that added to the hardship. I was convinced I was going home...until the next morning when a Korean teacher from my school, Belle, met me at my hotel and took me to the school. There, I got to meet the 2 girls I'm replacing (Megan and Tara) and I felt instantly better. These girls helped me so much and they were so kind. For the whole day I observed them in their classrooms and took mental notes. After work on Friday, the whole staff went out to a traditional Korean barbeque restaurant where you take your shoes off and sit on the floor. I was handed some chopsticks (which is a sink or swim business here, so now I'm very good at them) and you eat off of a hot plate in the center of the table. It was very delicious, but I was so jet-lagged and ready for sleep. After Megan and Tara showed me the apartments and how to get around a bit, I went back to the hotel and slept.
On Saturday I met up with the girls again for Halloween weekend. They promised me that they would introduce me to many people and that I would be shocked at how many foreigners there were here in Daegu. They were completely right. When we got to downtown, I felt like I was back in America. Everyone there was from a native English speaking country and they were all doing the same thing. It was wonderful to talk to so many people, and very comforting. It was also SO much fun. I have now celebrated Halloween in 4 different countries in my life : USA, Saudi Arabia, England, and now South Korea. :)
On Sunday, I got to meet up with a friend of mine from Manchester, Kate. She is here in Korea on the Fulbright Scholarship and it was just so wonderful to see a friendly and familiar face. I will never be able to repay her for the kindness she gave me that day. We got coffee and just talked and it was so nice to just "know" someone. After I got home from my morning with Kate, I met up with some of the girls I've made friends with and we went to Starbucks and then a DVD Bong. (Bong means room) These are everywhere and pretty much are just like Blockbuster or any video renting place, but you watch the movie there! They have little rooms they rent out and it was super fun. In honor of Halloween, we watched a scary movie. It was really fun.
On Monday, I observed Megan and Tara at ECC for the final time. I even taught a class by myself because Megan had to run errands. After work, Megan showed me how to navigate the subway system and get downtown. We then met everyone, about 15 of us, and went to dinner at a Korean bbq place again. This dinner was so wonderful. I got to really talk to the others and really had a good time.
*One of the coolest things about the night was during dinner, the owner of the restaurant brought over a live octopus and put it on the hot plate. We watched it sizzle and die before she picked it up and cut it into a lot of pieces. I really did not want to try it, but they all made me...and it was nasty. But, I can cross it off my list. :) After dinner we went to a place right across the street from my apartment called a Norae Bong, or in other words, a karaoke bar. Like the DVD Bong, you rent out a room and sing to your hearts content under a disco ball. I can see the lights from it flash outside my window right now.

Tuesday was my first official day of teaching on my own - and I made it. The kids didn't hate me. I was nervous to replace Megan and Tara, because everyone loved them, but this happens all the time, and I think I'm really starting to fit in now. My hours are weird, usually 3-9 pm, and so my sleeping and eating schedule is all turned around. In all, I have 16 different classes that I teach, usually 7-8 a day.  It's tiring, but I really enjoy it at times. My younger kids are absolutely adorable and I'd probably let them get away with murder. The students are technically not allowed to speak Korean at ECC, and so we have to get on them if they do...but I let it slide with the babies - they're just so cute. The older kids are another story...but, I'm working on it.
I also moved into my apartment on Tuesday, and I love it. It's a place to call home. This is what I needed - a place to my own. Having my apartment definitely made an impact on my feelings here, and I've started to decorate and make it cozy. :) It's tiny - but I love it. I have a washer that sits outside the apartment in a covered balcony sort of thing and a drying rack, a tiny kitchenette, a bathroom that doubles as a shower, and a bed with an ugly but comfortable blanket - the pictures show it all.

-I've gotten lost once, but it was good in the end because I have familiarized myself now. I've started to memorize different food names so that I can eat. I'll never go hungry because rice = bop. :) I have memorized a few Korean phrases so that I can be polite, hello and thank you. (hello = ahn yan ha say yo / thank you = come se mi dah)

I'm still adjusting, and I'm still homesick ... but things are getting better. :) My friend Sam is coming to visit this weekend and so I look forward to another familiar face.
I know this year will fly by, but there are still times where I question my sanity...but then I rethink what I would be doing at home and then I realize I'm happy to be here. :)

Thank you everyone who has supported me. You all are so wonderful. I love you all. Enjoy the blog and the photos...

Until next time.
Love,
  Cam.