Orientation was great! ... but long. We had 10 days of training from EPIK, an organization that hires foreign English-speakers to be placed in teaching positions in public schools across Korea. It was clear that EPIK spent an extraordinary amount of money on us; they: housed us at the university campus, fed us all meals, gave us a bunch of gifts, brought us on a field trip, and trained us.
The gifts were great! We got a box lunch when we first arrived to the university. We also got slippers, a towel, an alarm clock, a hoodie, a pen, a note pad, and other little things.
One of the best parts of orientation was the field trip. We went to a folk village in _____________. We got to see what old Korean huts looked like and old village houses. They even had some animals there, like horses and pigs. We also saw a traditional dance. And we ate meat on a stick! It was wonderful.
Our next stop was Icheon, the pottery town. We visited a pottery place and got to paint our own piece of pottery for free!! Brian and I both chose to paint plates. Can you guess which one is mine and which one is Brian's?
Our next stop was Icheon, the pottery town. We visited a pottery place and got to paint our own piece of pottery for free!! Brian and I both chose to paint plates. Can you guess which one is mine and which one is Brian's?
The actual training classes were okay. Some were a bit helpful (they explained the curriculum and taught us some games we could play with the kids), and others felt like a waste of time. Our welcoming and farewell dinners were the best. We got to see some amazing performances by Korean kids, including Tae Kwon Do, traditional dancing, and drumming. These kids were the cream of the crop-- incredibly talented.
Because Brian and I had arrived in Korea a week before orientation even started, we were really looking forward to going to Daejeon, the city where we'll be working for the next year. We wanted to know where in the city we'd be living, what grade level we'd be teaching, and who our co-teacher would be.
We were incredibly fortunate! I would be teaching at an elementary school and Brian would be teaching at two elementary schools. His main elementary school was just a 10min walk away from mine! We'd also be living near new downtown, and right next to the subway station! We're incredibly fortunate and happy to have gotten schools near each other and in a nice part of town. :D hurrah for us!
-P
We were incredibly fortunate! I would be teaching at an elementary school and Brian would be teaching at two elementary schools. His main elementary school was just a 10min walk away from mine! We'd also be living near new downtown, and right next to the subway station! We're incredibly fortunate and happy to have gotten schools near each other and in a nice part of town. :D hurrah for us!
-P
