Moving in...... after being quarantined for a week!

I arrived in Seoul a day early so I was fortunate enough to have 24hrs of freedom before all 400 employees were bused off to SungKyunKwan University (skku) in Suwon - 20mins south of Seoul. I was sharing a dorm room with a cool guy from the states (Loren) and we went over some basic training on work, culture and etiquette. At the end of the week, we were treated to a taekwondo demonstration from the Kyung Hee University team...it was really fun as u can see! These guys are pretty amazing.

...so my one week orientation (swine flu quarantine) is finally over and I moved into my new apartment. Its pretty cool here. 12mins from the centre, but with a buzzing environment....its right next to the University of Seoul so tons of students to mingle with. But my street is set back into the hills which makes strange but great viewing of modern buildings right next to the mountains.

So I met my co-teacher Miss Lee (but I call her Kay)...she's 40yrs old but looks and acts 27! Once we got to my apartment I met the landlady who invited me to hers for tea, and introduced me to her english speaking daughter. Its a studio apartment in a brand new building with great views from the roof....iv got the quickest Internet service imaginable and free cable tv, tons of storage and a HUGE desk!

So once i'd got my keys sorted we went off to see the school (which was closed as it was Saturday)..... throughout the 15min journey, Kay kept telling me what to expect from the students and that they would go crazy because I was British and black! She told me she was so happy to have me as a teacher as they will learn British english (as opposed to American). The middle school that I would be teaching at (Dongil) is 65% girls, but the girls high school and the girls vocational college also share the same campus, and as this was the entrance I would be using to get to my office Kay told me to prepare for lots of questions I would get from the students (in Korea male teachers are rare!). Finally got to the school, its got the most high tech classrooms iv ever seen.....touchscreen interactive white board connected to the student desks, all of which had there own computers. The school is next door to the largest mountain in Korea and a Buddhist temple, which gives such a tranquil setting....

School is around the corner from the University of Seoul (largest university in Korea) so im sure i'll meet a few of the students..... back i my neighbourhood everyone is so friendly, and I guess it helps that I speak a little Korean too (ordering my Dunkin' Donuts this morning would have been a nightmare in English!) So tomorrow is my first day and am not nearly prepared yet. so back to books for now....