Why I Do What I Do (May 1st, 2009)

It's nearly midnight, and I'm sitting here realizing that in about 30 minutes, it'll be the first day of May. Granted, it would be the start of what would be a 4-day weekend, but it holds a little more sentimental value this time. It only felt like yesterday when I first got on that emotional long flight by myself to Korea, a place I had known little about, yet felt very drawn to. Arriving after 17 hours of being on an airplane, I quickly realized that for the first time in my life, I am alone by myself with no one directly looking after me, and being in a land where I cannot easily conjure up random conversations, or have the always dependable English signs and speakers to quickly ease any little to major concern. Though the latter statement, I can find quite a few English signs, but not so much the English-speakers unless I run across a foreigner. Yet more importantly, I was ready to start a job that I never thought I could do a couple of years back, and here I was, trying to give it another shot and doing it in a foreign land. Yes, those summed up many of massive concerns as I left O'Hare airport on that cold February day.

Yet as I write this, I feel like my life before Korea is eons ago. Unlike some of my fellow foreigner friends, I have yet to feel the homesickness that has gotten the best out of other people. In fact, I feel strangely detached from my homelife. I haven't been emotionally invested in my Chicago sports team. I haven't been listening to the latest music from the underground rock scene. I am not missing the fact that I am not going to any concerts/shows in America. I do miss the food here and there, but I've been more than content with the food that's accessible to me right now. My friends back home, I do miss, yet having Facebook and Skype has allowed me to soften the distant friendship blues. Granted, there obviously has been some disappointment and discontent with certain people, but I enjoy using the opportunity to be in a foreign land to wipe my slate clean, and make many more new friends.

I've been in Korea for two months, and never did I realize how much I have gained from being there. To say that it has been a life-changing experience is a severe understatement. I had spent most of 2008, and part of 2007 in the doldrums, and unfortunately feeling sorry for myself. That latter part was something that I had never succumbed to for the longest time. Last summer, being out of work and going through another round of unsuccessful interviews nearly drove me clinically-insane. I had yearned for the longest time to finally move out of my parents' home, and have a job that I can at least be proud of. So when the idea of traveling abroad came about, I listened and researched carefully. I knew that I had never done anything like this before, but I was sick and tired of feeling restrained, unproductive, and watching other people be able to live independently. So when I finally got on that airplane, I realized how much work I had done to prepare myself for what would be a long and rewarding adventure.

With my family, especially my parents, I have had many contentious moments with them for as long as I can remember, and I found myself having my worst fights with them during my job-hunt. Looking back, I am very thankful that my parents, especially my brothers, for being very supportive of me while I'm away. I never realized the magnitude that my presence had on them until I left. So, I left knowing that I am making them proud, and it is definitely an inexplicably great feeling that I carry with me to this day.

After visiting the EPIK booth to check in at Incheon International Airport, I found a few fellow EPIK people that were waiting for the charter bus to take us to our orientation venue. There, I found what would be two of my good friends, Melissa Smith and Ife Afolayan. To put this in a nutshell, I quickly became fast friends with them, and from that point on, I knew that I was going to be okay. I talked to Rob and Kate Cooke on the bus as well, and knew that I would be meeting many cool people from then on during my stay, and not as isolated as I had originally feared. In a nutshell, the orientation was everything that I could have hoped for, and then some. I left with such greater confidence being around a lot of unique individuals, and hearing many terrific speakers, and working closely with our orientation leaders who have helped many of us around the clock.

After leaving our orientation, we had a jolt of culture shock when we finally met our Korean co-teachers on a wet, cloudy afternoon. Luckily, those concerns were soon eased when I met Teacher Kim Eeunji, and the staff. Kim Euunji had never managed a native English teacher before, but I was quickly impressed at how kind and knowledgeable she was at helping me. I have heard horror stories about how native English teachers have clashed with their Korean co-teachers and school. Thankfully, this was not the case. My principal, vice-principal, my fellow Korean English co-teachers, and the entire school staff have embraced me with open arms, and I am eternally thankful for that.

I will never forget the first day when we had our assembly outside. They were introducing new Korean teachers, but being that I was the only foreign English teacher, I was given a special introduction. The students outside were clapping, but soon afterwards, I heard quite a bit of laughing and snickering. For a second, it really worried me, but then I realized that I either let the vultures in, or I find a way to take charge. From my very first class, I quickly took center stage and found myself earning the love and respect from my students. I'm no miracle worker, and in fact, I still feel like I have ways to go to becoming a better English teacher; however, I am more than pleased about how much confidence I've gained from working with my students and teachers.

Aside from watching my brothers when they were very little, as well as babysitting my younger relatives, I had never really gained any experience having a parental role with anyone. Teachers in Korea view their students as part of their own. We discipline them, we teach them, we encourage them, we listen to them, but most importantly, we love them. So I find myself taking on this new role, and learning to place my students ahead of myself. To me, it's not about just trying to earn a living, it's about having a job that benefits you as a person, and those are affected by your contributions. Though, I'm not old enough to be my students' parent, I do see them as more like my baby brothers as I mentioned quite often to a lot of people. I can joke with them, yet I command respect from them. Some moments, it's an epic battle; other moments, I feel like my school has made me feel like a kid all over again.

Before my camera broke :-(, I noticed how many videos and photos I have posted since leaving America. It's amazing how much I've been documenting my time since being here. Though all of this video blogging and such may make my Facebook profile look pretentious, I am not doing it to show it off though I was bragging about the good weather to all you Chicago folks back home LOL. The purpose of me doing all those vids/pics was to show what Korea looks like. I hear so many stories from people about where they want to travel. People that are interested in Asia talk about how they want to visit China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Japan, Thailand, Singapore, Vietnam, but oftentimes, Korea gets overlooked quite a bit. Korea is like smackdab in the middle between China and Japan, and unfortunately, it never seems to stand out as the country that everyone wants to visit. So, I have unintentionally become this unofficial spokesperson for the Korean tourist industry. A lot of my friends, and many other people are unaware of what goes on in a country like Korea. Heck, a year ago, the only thing I knew about Korea is bulgogi, kimchi, and Seoul being their capital. I knew nothing about Busan, it's 2nd largest city, nor was I really familiar with the culture, language, and history. So I felt compelled to capture a lot of unique moments, and to hopefully give a better impression about the wonderful qualities that Korea has to offer. The videos give you an idea about the encounters that a lot of my friends and myself experience on a daily basis, and how we are all in this together to make our experiences work positively for us.

I look back at my friends back home, and my friends that I've made here, and I want to say once again how truly thankful I am to have your support and encouragement. I don't recall ever being this happy for this long of a time, and I give all of you the credit for contributing to this euphoric feeling. I am thankful that my life in the US has helped me get to where I am now. I am eternally grateful that my family's survival in Cambodia and Vietnam have taught me a thing or two about giving back and understanding the importance of having a survivor mentality, and I am completely thankful that being in a country like Korea has given me a chance to resurrect my life, and the much needed ammunition I need to get myself going again.

Long overdue

My apologies once again for ignoring my fellow readers. Hard to imagine, but it's been a month and a half since my arrival in Korea. As my days are getting fuller, and going by rather quickly, I find myself in a situation where my free time will be rather limited very soon.

Recently, I am taking up a Korean language class that meets every Monday and Thursday nights, and I will be teaching English Conversation classes every other Saturday mornings. This will keep me rather occupied for the most part. However, I am excited to take on both of these responsibilities. I can't tell you how vital learning the Korean language is to my daily survival in this country. The city of Busan, despite being the 2nd largest city in Korea, has far fewer Korean-English speakers, compared to, say, Seoul. Despite the obvious language barrier, I've managed to survive fairly well, and utilize my Charlie Chaplin-like body language to communicate with many Koreans. So, I am definitely hoping that this class will allow me to expand my Korean vocabulary. As of now, I am picking up the language very slowly, but surely. Just the other day, I got a haircut, and was able to communicate to the stylist what I wanted. It went something like this, "Eebahl...Choguum mahn kah-hah juseyo." Translation: Haircut. Just a trim, please." I couldn't have felt any better when she completely understood what I was saying. The feeling you get when you are able to use the native language to a native speaker ia inexplicable.

With my Saturday morning classes, many people thought I was crazy to add this onto my list of responsibilities. There are obvious benefits to this: I am getting paid overtime, I love working with my students and school. I will get to use the brand new English-Only Zone classroom which is state-of-the art, and a change of pace from my standard classrooms, and I wanted to show my appreciation towards my school for being very helpful and supportive to me since Day 1. I am definitely looking forward to this new challenge. I will work with 15 students; thus giving me more leverage and creative freedom to work with my students in a greater capacity.

The other weekend, I had the opportunity to travel to Seoul. I took the KTX bullet train which only took less than 3 hours, whereas, it would have taken 6-8 hours by bus or regular train. The train ride was incredibly smooth. It felt like being on an airplane. There was plenty of space for your bags, the bathrooms were clean, and the ride was fairly quiet for the most part.

Seoul is quite an intense, but rewarding experience. I experienced culture shock like nothing before. I had never seen so many foreigners since arriving in Korea. It's a utopia of Western paradise; there are many Western shops and restaurants all over Seoul, specifically in Itaewon, affectionately known as "Little America." There, you can find Bennigans (it's still in business in Korea), Burger King (they do have one in Busan), Subway, Quiznos, and plenty of Western bars and Hofs. There are plenty of international markets, as well as flea markets which carries Western imports for dirt cheap. There are international stores like Tommy Hilfiger, Calvin Klein in the Myongdong area. I can go on and on about the craziness that is Seoul. However, I will say this, their subway map is like looking at a bowl of spaghetti. There are about 12-14 subway lines all scattered around Seoul. Google Seoul Subway map and you'll understand why. Luckily, Busan only has 3 major subway lines and is much easier to navigate around. All in all, I would go back to Seoul in a heartbeat, but in the end, I would prefer to have my bed in Busan any day. A place like Seoul can be quite stressful on the soul (no pun intended). It's a great place to visit, but I can never assimilate into the intense city life there.

Well I will try to post some links to my Facebook videos if I can. This will be a little tricky. I hope you get to see what I've been experiencing the last month and a half. Thank you again for your support and for keeping me in touch.

Hello all

My apologies for not updating my blog site recently. I've been keeping myself very busy with my new school, as well as creating and updating my lesson plan for my students, and hanging out with my close friends on the weekends. Also, I've been having a recent bout with the cold that has yet to disappear. I was walking around today wearing my health mask, so I promise I will show you a photo of me wearing one.

I am already entering my 3rd week of teaching, and have been in South Korea for about a month now. I find myself shocked each day as to how well I have adjusted to being a foreigner. Many Koreans I have encountered in Busan are very pleasant and kind. I am quickly familiarizing myself with the subway system, and of course, with the daily life grind such as buying groceries, going to the bank, and communicating with Koreans especially with taxi cab drivers (more on that later). My teaching experience has been both a rewarding and challenging experience. I enjoy teaching my middle school boys as they are very entertaining, lively, and the majority of them wanting to participate during class. However, they can also be a challenge. They are attention-seekers and will do anything to grab my attention in a very distracting manner. So far, I have remained consistent with my rules and policy in class, and have for the most part, gotten a better grip on my students. To establish your stance means being focused, consistent, and having swagger. I make sure I provide myself with a backup lesson plan in case there is a situation where my school laptop would not connect with the TV. I would do my best not to show nervousness and confusion as this can open up the door for students to use class time as a recess hour. Of course, a lesson plan will not always go over well with students, but it's about making those adjustments and taking notes of student progress after class that can lessen those errors. Case in point, my Monday and Tuesday classes tend to be a bit of a struggle because I'm testing a new lesson plan out, and this also means having to consult with 4 different Korean co-teachers as to what their role is during class time. This can become a headache, and my students can sometimes get a little restless if certain parts of the lesson plan is not motivating them. I make those adjustments afterwards, and see where certain activities may need further exploration. By then, my week tends to be much easier as my students are more attentive with the activities. However, this can get frustrating as I hate having to use my Monday and Tuesday classes as my rehearsal time, so this is something that I'm currently working on hammering out.

My co-teachers up to this point have been very supportive, and have given me more creative freedom to work on my lesson plans. I have been treated quite kindly by them as I usually see a snack or drink left on my desk whenever I get back from class. My co-teacher and her colleagues took me out for dinner at a traditional Korean restaurant in which I also tried stingray which was delicious.

This week, my school will set up my English Zone space for me which will allow students to come in during their lunch time to practice their one-on-one English skills with me. I am definitely excited about this opportunity as this will not only lighten the load on my class hours, but also give me more time to work with students on a more personal basis as this can help me determine my next criteria when working on my lesson plana.

Lately, I have been feeling quite confident in my daily life as a foreigner. Yes, there are some imperfections that go along the way, like missing the last train which leaves at 12 am (WHAT?!?!?!) twice already, my cab driver taking me to Haeundae Beach instead of Gwangalli Beach, and a few other clumsy situations, but those are bound to happen. As a rule of thumb as I've been making myself learn; be flexible, know that things are bound to change at the last second. Despite my class being 45 minutes, it's very common for Korean teachers to show up about a few minutes after class starts. I am beginning to learn more and more that Asians in general tend to arrive fashionably late. Another example, I was supposed to teach my one class on Friday, only to find out within minutes that I didn't have to show up to my class. Korea, as I've been told during orientation, is dynamic. Nothing is ever set in stone until the very last second. Learn it, live it, and accept it (or embrace it for that matter).

There are plenty more I can discuss, but I'm running out of time. Kamsa Hamnida!!!

Good Morning

Annyong Haseyo!!!

My apologies to everyone for keeping everyone waiting the last week or so since my last blog entry. I have been extremely busy since my last blog. I have been in and out of orientation classes, hanging out with my new friends, traveling around Busan and Cheonan, getting situated in my new apartment, and of course, keeping myself prepared to teach. So I'll start from today and work myself backwards, and this could end up being a longer blog, but I may have to cut it short since I have to wake up early in the morning for school.

Monday, March 2nd, 2009
Today, I started my first day in school. I am teaching English in Dukcheon Middle School which is about 30 minutes walking distance from my apartment. It's an all-boys middle school which generally spell mischief and testosterone galore. One of the school board members gave me a ride to the school. There, I met up with Kim Euun-Yi, my main co-teacher. I put on my indoor sandals on (you must wear sandals/slippers inside a school building). We met with my other co-teachers whom I'll be working with in some of their English classes. I spent some of my free time working on my introductory lesson plan for my first two classes. One is for 3rd year English students, and the other, 2nd year.

I was introduced as a new faculty member in front of my new colleagues by the new principal. He even made a little joke reminding teachers that I'm not Korean despite my last name. Soon afterwards, we headed outside for the opening school ceremony. During that time, students were a little out of order, and this is where it got fairly interesting. The principal made finger gestures towards the crowd on numerous occasions during the ceremony, and signaled to one of the teachers to take care of one student. As she reached toward one of the students, she whacked him across the head. Yes, so to answer any of your questions, corporal punishments still exist in the Korean public schools. Not too long afterward, my principal gestured one student to come over in front of him, and made him do push-ups in front of the school. During the assembly, we listened to the Korean national anthem as well as the school anthem. The weather was freezing cold that morning, and I was still recovering from the recent cold I've been getting. When it was time to introduce the new faculty, the principal introduced me in front of the students and I was given a very rowdy reception. Several students were clapping, others were laughing, and I had this feeling that the vultures were hovering over me. Either, I will let them eat me alive, or I'll just load up my shotgun. :)

I met with 3 of my other co-teachers, and they wanted me to plan an introductory lesson plan. During my free time, I spent some time coming up with some ideas and ice-breakers to get students to utilize the English language. Prior to teaching my two classes that day, I was told by my teacher that despite their previous experience taking English classes, their English-speaking level is still very low. I was headed off to my first class, and I quickly noticed the curious looks on my students' faces. After having them recite my four rules, and telling them where I'm from, I noticed that students were still struggling with basic key phrases. So, much of my time was spent trying to re-enact key words like "soccer", "singing", and other basic terminology. I was able to get one student to respond to "Do you like dancing?" He responded by saying "Yes, I like to dance." and I asked him if he can show me how he dances. We were able to get him in front of the class, and he busted out a break dance move. So, that moment somehow loosened some students up. I worked on getting students to work with each other on "how to greet people." I, then, would pick random students to demonstrate their greetings in front of the class.

The 2nd class, however, was night and day compared to my first class. The second I walked into the classroom, students were already trying to talk to me simultaneously. I was a little taken aback by their enthusiasm. I noticed that they have had some troubles much like the first class with their English-speaking skills, but they had more desire to speak in class. There were a few class clowns in that class, as my co-teacher threatened one student with a ruler. I had them do the same role-playing activity that the previous class did with a greater success. As I was going around the classroom working with each pair of students, I couldn't help but notice that one student was particularly happy to see me. He kept wanting to shake my hand which was a better feedback than having a student cuss me out; however, it was rather uncomfortable considering that I'm a teacher that needs to be firm and consistent with appropriate school conduct. By then, school was already over. I went over to the bank to get my check card, and headed back to school to get my belongings. On my way, I noticed that one of my students said "hello" to me. So, I realized after an interesting first day, I came away knowing that not all of my students think I'm some evil or dorky teacher from America.

Also, what I've come to realize after being in Korea for two weeks is that the Engish-speaking in their country is far lower than expected. They rank 134th out of 147 countries in English-speaking. Even going around a huge city like Busan, my friends and I encountered very little English speaking interaction. This experience as well as what I've seen in my first day at school strike home an important point that there is a real reason why the Korean government spends so much money on teachers like myself to improve their L2 abilities. I can only hope that I can justify a little of what many Koreans hope to accomplish in the near-future.

First Day in Korea

February 19, 2009; 8:30 am

I am in my first full day in Korea. I hadn't really slept at all the night before. My mind is still swirling with brain hyper-activity since my departure. I think I'll end up pulling the Guinness World Record for insomnia. I am quite excited about spending my first night in my new country. I enjoyed my hotel stay except the bizarre toilet experience. I took the shuttle van back to Incheon Airport. The weather this morning is rather dreary: cloudy and chilly. It's like I never left Chicago. I really enjoyed passing through the city of Incheon, and seeing the mini mountainous landscape. The streets are clean; however the pollution seems to be a problem considering that it's near a heavily-populated city such as Seoul, and by a busy airport. There were plenty of people walking around with their mask on. Plus, I happened to see a stray cat walking on the street. After arriving to the airport, I returned my rented phone, and headed over to the EPIK booth. They gave me a schedule of the orientation, and the exit gate for the bus departure. Right now, I'm waiting for the 10 am EPIK bus to arrive. I can only hope that there are no goofy surprises. It seems like I'll have a temporary roommate and orientation will seem quite intimidating, if not overwhelming, on top of the plethora of things going on.

February 20th, 2009; 3 pm

To continue where I left off, I started meeting up new colleagues when we were awaiting our bus. I met different folks from all over the English-speaking countries including Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Canada just to name some predominant ones. I met a few Chicagoans with EPIk as well. My recruiter came out of nowhere to greet me while I was waiting for the bus. Our bus ride to Dankook University; Cheonan campus in the Chungnam province was about a 2 hour ride. Getting our luggage was a phenomenal pain in the rear end. There were hardly any room so we had to sit next to our baggage. Outbound traffic was running smoothly , and the roads are very similar to Chicago. You have your tollways, but without the IPass though I don't know if they do it electronically. The tunnels are similar to lower Wacker Drive. Despite some of the similarities that Seoul shares with Chicago, the people there are quite polite, low-key, and pleasant for the most part, not to mention, the abundance of beautiful Korean women that lurks around the area especially in this campus. :-).

Our coordinator gave us directions during the bus ride. Meanwhile, I was talking to my new friend Ife who lived in southern Illinois, and Melissa who came from Wyoming, and shared our experiences and ambitions with our teaching abroad goals. We stopped by the Social Science building to pick up our gift bag. In it, we received an EPIK hoodie, a croissant, a small orange, two towels (they reeked of gasoline smell), a converter plug, and our orientation books. I walked into my dorm room, and I must say it was quite pleasant. The bathroom is normal, and the toilet is not what I came across from the night before, except one small thing. The shower is on the same floor so the entire bathroom gets very wet when you're taking a shower. We had our lunch and dinner in the cafeteria. The food was fairly interesting though they take their kimchi very seriously. Heck, they even serve it for breakfast. Korea 101: Kimchi is spicy cabbage, and it's their popular specialty. I will hopefully post photos on here, as I've been posting them on my Facebook. I definitely enjoy having Logan as my roommate as we've shared our interest in hockey (he's a Canadian), and of course, shared our experiences and goals just like what we've been doing with other new colleagues.

I woke up this morning still having issues falling asleep. They were announcing the schedule reminders through the intercom this morning, although rather pleasantly unlike the military-like reminders that people associate with intercoms. So far, the orienation has been nothing but pleasant. The view around the campus is beautiful. Mountains, snow-covered hills, and statues dwarf your typical American campus. I attended our first orientation session in which they discussed opening up a new bank account, handling culture shock, Korean mannerisms, and a preview of what the next few days would be like. Tonight, I'll be attending the opening ceremony in the auditorium, and this weekend, we will head out to a Korean Folk Village. Tomorrow, I have to go through a medical physical exam. Until then, thank you for reading my recent adventures. I hope to make this an exciting read for all of you. On a special note, thank you to the newcomers for reading my blog. I appreciate your comments. I am looking forward to posting more entries, photos, and video clips.

Randy

Flight blog

Tuesday, 2/17/2009; 10:10 am

So it is finally happening. The arrival to the airport was nearly painless. After getting my bags checked in and saying goodbye to my parents, I went through security check with little fanfare other than the fact that my toothpaste was more than the required 3.4 oz. rule. It is rather surreal that I'm finally at O'Hare Airport within two hours of takeoff. I'll be going non-stop to Narita International Airport in Tokyo, Japan, and arrive there at 4:15 pm Korean Time. This is certainly a flight that I'm hardly ever used to. I am dreading the fact that I'll be on a plane for an entire day, but more the fact that I can never sleep on a plane and the goofy time zone that I must adjust to. I am eager to see the "culture shock" and see the gluttony of foreign signs,and cultural interaction between travellers. The minute that I land in Korea, I'll find myself scurring over through customs, claim my baggages, exchange my money, and head over to an Internet cafe. I am uneasy with the fact that I'm carrying more than I need, but it's a result of my size and the high cost of shipping.

Though I don't plan on reserving a hotel/hostel, I am fairly certain that I will not be able to sleep overnight due to jet lag and over-anxiousness. I am supposed to stop by at EPIK early in the morning, and take a shuttle bus to Dankook University in Chungnam. I am a little emotional in some ways. I never thought it would be difficult to say goodbye to my family, let alone my friends. I received an overwhelming number of support from people, even from those that I've lost contact with. I am incredibly grateful to have lived this kind of life, and be afforded the luxuries and blessings that I've been given. Though my parents may drive me crazy, I know deep down that they have continued to do their best to help me out, and support me despite my pig-headedness. Now, I am less than 20 minutes away from boarding. Before you know it, I'm leaving the home I love, if only just for a little bit.

2/17/2009 12:15 pm

Plane has just taken off. Tears are starting to burn my eyes a bit. Apparently, they mentioned the the flight may arrive early than expected. After all, anytime you can shorten a flight that's about 14 hours long is welcome by me in my book. Last night, as I was saying goodbye to my friends, I happened to hear from my old friend Dave Gavin whom I worked with years ago at the center. He informed that he was also headed to Korea that week. So, I am undeniably happy that I have the opportunity to re-establish our friendship, and have someone to hang out with over there. I can only hope that I will gain some new friends, build my network, earn the respect from my school, my students, and the EPIK program, and my personal independence from this experience. Chances are it's very likely it'll happen. I also hope I won't run into a myriad of problems that other teachers have faced. Other goals that stand out include learning how to cook, travel throughout Korea, and if possible, in parts of Asia, learn the language and culture, and be a good English teacher.

As I'm watching the Chicago skyline disappear from my view, I cannot help but think how long that process had been to teach overseas. I am glad that I have had the courage to pull this off, and hopefully have the opportunity to be a host to my loved ones, and perhaps resurrect my career goals and ambitions that have been, if lack for a better word, knocked into a vegetative state.

2/18/2009; 8:15 am
I've been on the plane for about 5 hours now, and the day has gone by fairly quickly, yet the plane ride is an eternity. Right now, my plane is crossing through Sarah Palin land, and I'm looking at the majestic snow-covered mountains that permeate most of Alaska, specifically in Juneau. I have several more hours till I reach Tokyo. I have yet to fall asleep on the plane, and sadly, I don't think I can make myself sleep if I wanted to. The food is well...your typical airline food. Microwaved chicken with artificial teriyaki sauce and egg noodles to go along with a small oatmeal cookie, bread and butter, and a small salad with sesame vinegar sauce. Right now, I'm hearing Madonna's "Holiday" through United Airlines' "XM radio" channel. Life is good.

2/18; 1pm.
About 10 hours into the flight, I seemingly feel that I just wasted a day, perhaps even two with the time zone change, that should be productive, I feel like I've already been away from Chicago for a year with this flight. However, this flight has been, for the most part, smooth and successful. However, I stopped listening to XM radio because they were playing their songs on repeat. The movies that they were showing, I could not find the channel it was on through my headphones. I am eager to see Narita, and have my true taste of stepping on foreign land (besides Canada). The sad part is, I have a short layover that I may not be able to get a stickin souvenir from there. Plus, I have to fly to Incheon from Tokyo for another 3 hours.

The rest of the day:
My plane finally reached Narita Airport after being delayed for several minutes, and everyone had to go through customs to reach their connecting flight. I must say Japan's airport is beautiful. I barely had any time; in fact, I only had an hour before the next boarding flight. So, I was off and taking rapid pictures. I can only wish I stayed there long enough to try the food, get a souvenir, and soak in the atmosphere for a little bit. Japan, I hardly knew ya, but I hold hopes of being able to make that trip during my stay in Korea.

When I was getting set for the next flight, I ran into a lady that will be teaching in a private language school in Incheon. Her name was Jacqueline, and she came from Gary, Indiana (close to Chicago) and had worked as a travel agent for years. We had talked throughout the entire plane ride about our goals, and hopefully be able to visit each other when time permits. It was 9:15 pm when my flight landed in Incheon. The airport is stunningly beautiful. There were English signs to go along with thei Korean language. I went with Jacqueline to get our luggages, and she had a bit of trouble going down the escalator with her carry-ons. At one point, her stuff dropped, and it caused everyone behind her to push into each other. A little comical to say the least. We took the subway to reach our baggage claim, and I'll tell you this much; their airport subway is amazingly clean and efficient, however, it was packed with so many people that it makes a Chicago CTA rush hour seem like a ghost town. We then parted ways, and we exchanged money at the currency. The Korean Won has recently been going down, so I was able to get a lot of money in return with my USD. However, this will make it tough for me to bring back more money when I come back home, so I'm keeping my fingers cross that the Korean won will not slide any further. I rented a cell phone, and even their cheapest rent-a-phones are actually still advanced than the standard phones in the US. I also came to the conclusion that staying overnight at an airport would be a ridiculous idea, especially when I realized that I started to reek, and that I cannot be in the same clothes that I've been wearing on my flight. I was lucky enough to find a hotel courtesty of the airport information desk. The hotel service picked me up within minutes for FREE, and took me to Incheon Airport Hotel which was about 15 minutes. During that ride, the highways are very similar to Chicago, and very westernized.

The ride was peaceful and surreal. I am actually going to be living in this country. The hotel that I'm staying in is terrific. Heated floors, huge shower room, TV, free coffee, water fountain, internet access, and a good bed to sleep in. However, the toilet is very goofy. I pressed the left button to "Start" after finishing what I needed to do. Next thing you know. The ceiling rained on me, and I was all wet from it. Well I'll leave you guys with a laugh on this one, but I have more to look forward to, and I couldn't be any more excited. Peace out!

Randy

Half A World Away

In a matter of less than 36 hours, I will soon be moving away from the comfort confines of my own home, friends, family, town, Chicago, my home-state, country, and of course, Western culture. It didn't seem so long ago when I got laid off back in the summer, and was contemplating my next move when I stayed over at my friend's place down in Andersonville. In a matter of months, I had gone through the process of taking my TEFL certification classes, hunting down jobs, talking to various recruiters, mulling through job offers, getting the proper paperwork for my work visa, finishing off my travel checklist (i.e. bank account, shopping, bill payments), and trying to remain patient through my parents' incessant nagging. Now I'm within said hours from my 14-hr flight.

The popular question that I've been getting from many of you is “Are you nervous?” Truthfully, I haven't been feeling nervous at all during this whole time. In fact, I've been, for the most part, fairly subdued. If I wasn't getting the daily reminders from my friends and family, I probably would have made myself believe I wasn't going anywhere. As deeply excited as I am about this extravaganza, I have learned to remain humble, but more importantly, be appreciative about this transition. I have had quite a few things on my mind: 1) I am traveling for the first time by myself overseas, not to mention, working over there for at least a year. 2) I will be working for the first time in months, and will be doing full-time teaching for the first time ever. 3) I am living in a land where everyone kind of, sort of look like me, yet I'll feel somewhat out of place. I have this strange feeling that I'll end up attracting unneeded attention from the Koreans because of my height. For the record, there are hardly any Asians who reach above 6 ft. I'm sure the minute I land at Incheon International Airport, people will probably confuse me for Godzilla. Another downside about my uncommon Asian size is the lack of clothing and shoe size that would fit my need, thus creating more hell and agony by having to add more clothing and extra shoes and socks into my luggage. 4) Everything I'll be experiencing everyday will be new, rewarding, and imperfect.

On arrival, I'll most likely stay overnight at the airport, and await for my shuttle bus to take me to my orientation site. There, I will be training at Dankook University—Cheonan Campus in Chungnam which is approximately an hour south of Seoul for two weeks. "http://www.dankook.ac.kr/html/english/index.html). Originally, the training site was to be held in Seoul, but I was placed in the first orientation group to be trained in Chungnam. Though I would have loved to experience Seoul first-hand, I am actually more excited about being in the Chungnam province since it was an area that I was looking at before I accepted the position in Busan. Also, I am looking at the possibility after my first year to teach in that province.

Note: I will be rather busy for the first few weeks so I may not be able to make phone calls, or respond to email, Facebook, MySpace messages in a timely manner. I recently set up my Skype account. For those who aren't aware of what Skype is. It's an Internet phone/AIM/text service provider. It's free to install. The benefits include free calls between Skype users, low rates when calling a mobile/house number, and even cheaper rates internationally. Check out www.skype.com for further info. I highly recommend using it as I believe this will give me better outlet to reach many of you. You just have to buy yourself a microphone or headset.

On a sad note, I will be disconnecting my phone since it will not work overseas, and even if it does, the rates would be a little costly. I'm full of chagrin over giving up a number I've had for 6 years, but it is what it is. R.I.P. 630-776-0529. I don't have a phone number set up at the moment, but once that happens, I will keep you informed.

Lastly, I am thankful to everyone for taking the time to either attend one of my parties, hang out with me, send me your best wishes through email, Facebook, MySpace, and hear from you over the phone or on IM. It means that much to me and then some. You have made the last month incredibly memorable, and I couldn't have asked for better people to celebrate my upcoming journey with. As I've overstated many a times in previous messages, I am appreciative for the advice, love, and support that you have given me. I hope that I have done what I can to show my appreciation right back to you. I look forward to staying in touch and having the opportunity to share my new journey with all of you.