To the right, a picture of my "before apartment". Don't get too depressed...it gets better.
Although I was supposed to get a week off to acclimatize to my new surroundings, I was thrust into the school on the very day after I arrived. I suppose this is a good thing (…what else would I be doing?) but I was a little freaked out. The staff room is just like any other staff room in Ontario…full of teaching paraphernalia, papers stacked sky-high, and telephones a-ringing. Ah, I was home. I really do love the school environment: little people trying to be beautiful, trying to be adults, looking like they are traipsing around in mom’s heels. I love teenagers. They are so vulnerable and wonderful. So after just a few days, since I am the only “native speaker” as they call me, in the school, I have achieved celebrity status. Hells yeah. Kids are really nice here though. Having perfected the Bergamo Stare early in my teaching career, the Koreans respond to it EXACTLY like the Canadian kids did: they’re afraid, very afraid. Honestly, food and other traditions aside that may set them apart slightly, I’m assured that all teenagers are really just the same creatures, just on different sides of the world.
On Wednesday (the day after my arrival…sadly, I’m missing Canada Day for the first time in my life), my co-teacher took me shopping for what I was missing in my apartment: sheets, a kettle, dishes, utensils. They SELL forks here, but they are hard to find. I end up with a set of two spoons and four chopsticks. I must say, I am so incredibly grateful that Laura bought those chopsticks for me while she was in Asia (where? I can’t remember). Whenever I made THE stirfry, I used them and actually got pretty good at it. Sure, they have since corrected my style, but at least I can pick food up. While we were out driving to the bank for our next stop, he HIT a woman’s arm with his CAR (clearly accidentally). And the response to this is totally priceless, “did you feel a bump?” I was like, “well, yeah, you just HIT someone.” He stopped, called out the window to ensure she was alright and when she gave him the slightest head nod, and that was it. She was juuust fine. People litter the streets here, as do randomly parked cars. You are supposed to yield to the automobiles, not like in Canada where the almighty pedestrian rules the road. You can hit cars all day long: they will still run you down if you aren’t careful.So I got my apartment all set up. The first pictures are from when I first got here, the second set (all dressed up and colourful) are after my makeover and unpacking was done. Enjoy!
This is the view as you walk into my apartment box. I said it. The wardrobe is to the right (the only closet space), my new plant is straight ahead, surrounded by the Girls, and that is my kitchen table. The window on the left has my computer in front of it, and to the left of that, my wickedly small bed. The head of the bed is along the same wall as the windows, and if you lie in it, you can see the kitchen. It's an entirely efficicent use of space, certainly hard to adjust to at first. I haven't had any crazy house parties ust yet, so I'm sure that will be the next adventure.
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