Sara's in Seoul!

Hi Friends and Family Back Home!

    Finally!  I have been wanting to blog for so long and tell you all that has transpired.  I don't have my own internet in my apartment yet, but I am picking up enough signal at the moment to be able to write to you.  

    Where to begin...I feel like my life has been turned upside down and backwards.  There is not much in my life right now that is the same as it was about one week ago.  When I arrived I felt like my life was in pieces.  But God is putting the pieces back together and showing me how to life my new life here.  

      I left my house in Granger, IN with my family last Sunday morning, August 24.  About 24 hours later I arrived at my new apartment in Seoul.  My friend Holly and I landed in Seoul on Monday afternoon, August 25.  My very first day here was one of the hardest days of my life.  At the airport in Seoul, my friend Holly and I were greeted by some of our employers from the SMOE (Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education).  We also met several other native English speaker teachers that had also just arrived.  Then we were taken by a bus to an elementary school where our co-teachers picked us up.  You will be hearing a lot about my co-teacher.  My co-teacher, Pang Hwa, is a English teacher in my Korean Middle school, Karak Middle School.  She is in charge of my schedule at the school, and will also help me plan lessons.  She is also the one that helps me get adjusted to life in Korea.  I am very grateful for her! 

There are several reasons why the first couple days were very difficult.  When I met my co-teacher Pang Hwa who was going to take me to my apartment, I had to say goodbye to Holly.  Holly and I found out right that moment we were placed in apartments very distant from each other.  We quickly exchanged our new addresses, written in both English and Korean, and said goodbye not knowing when we would be able to get a hold of each other next.  When my co-teacher dropped me off at my apartment that night it was 10:00pm, and I had to be ready to go to my school with her the next morning by 8:00 am.  I was very tired, hungry, dehydrated, and extra emotional considering I had just said goodbye to my family and friends for several months, and now I was by myself in a foreign place.  However, I will have to say that I knew I was never alone...God was and is always present.

     That night I wanted so badly just to email my family or call them on Skype to tell them I had made it here.  But without an internet connection or a telephone, there was no way.  Let's just say I cried several times that night.

      One great thing is that there is another English teacher in my apartment building.  Her name is Kay.  I am glad to have someone living close to me that speaks English and someone that is here for the same purpose of teaching English.  During our first full day, Kay, her co-teacher and I spent time around our part of town getting us set up for life in Korea.  We tried to get a bank account and cell phone, neither of which worked.  We must have a foreign identification card first, which will take a few weeks to process.  We did, however, have a medical exam, which we needed for our ID card.  I was also able to exchange some US dollars into the Korean won.  And, I bought a T-Money card.  You need a T-Money card for riding the subways and buses...my means of transportation.  Then we went out to lunch and I had kem-bap--my first Korean food while in the country.  (My first bit of food after landing in Korea was a sandwich from Starbucks that my co-teacher bought me...kind of funny.)  There is so much more I could tell you about my first full day in Korea, but I will sum it up by saying I was COMPLETELY CULTURE-SHOCKED.  During the first couple days I thought to myself, "Could I actually live here for one year?"  Within the first 48 hours, if someone would have offered my a plane ticket home, I'm sure I would have taken it.  I eventually had to decide that I could not make any decisions based on the experiences of my first 2 days.  

Apartments.  To my great dismay, Holly and I were placed in apartments about one hour away from each other by subway.  Our employers never promised that we could share an apartment, but they said they would try to find us apartments near each other.  One hour away is not even close.  We were both very disappointed. After all, these are our placements for the whole year. For three days straight we tried very hard to find a way to live closer to each other.  We talked to everyone we could think of...our co-teachers and principals, our recruiters, our families, and other employers. We did everything in our power to see if one of us could be moved closer to the other.  We both became attached to our schools very quickly.  We love our co-teachers, our other co-workers, and the students.  Logistically, we didn't have many options of living closer to one another.  Plus, the people we talked to couldn't get us very far...we saw quickly how we were going in circles.  Every door of opportunity was tightly shut.  So, Holly and I decided to accept our placements, both our placements in our schools, and our apartments.   I'm at peace with where I'm at.  One thing is for sure...living in this gigantic city, we will have to get used to much travel time in the subways and on the buses.

         Now for the positives about our apartments.  I live in a brand new apartment building.  Both of our apartments are studio apartments.  My apt. is about the size of a large dorm room, but I have just about everything I need in my space. In Seoul there are many districts.  I live in the Song-pa district, which is on the southeast part of Seoul.  Song-pa is a quieter place than the downtown area, that's for sure.  It's nice. I feel safe here.  I'm excited to explore my area.  Holly lives in the downtown area of Seoul.  There is a lot more to do there, but it's also much louder and a little more polluted. It will be fun to visit both parts of Seoul that we each live in.  Also, one night this week Holly and I met at a subway stop between the two of us.  We found a nice little French coffee shop that I enjoyed very much. 

This is all of the time I have to write for now, but I'll hopefully write again soon when I have more internet service.  I am doing soooo much better than I was the first couple of days.  Remember how I said I felt my life was in pieces when I arrived? Well, God has been faithful in helping me to get settled and in putting the pieces back together again.  I'll write more about the good things that have happened this week when I get a chance.  

       Thank you so much for your thoughts and prayers!  I am thinking of you all too.  I love emails and comments!

~Sara