Since I've arrived...

Hmm, where do I start. It's been a whirlwind of activity since I touched down here in the Land of the Morning Calm.

The flight from San Fran to Incheon Airport was much longer but particularly uneventful. I was fortunate enough to be place in a window seat next to an enterprising fellow who was heading to Korea on business as a representative of Hyundai. Although he was a Bostonian and a pretty avid fan of the Sox and the Pats I managed to overcome the severe ideological rift to make for a rather pleasant experience.

With the flight over and 20 hours of my life behind me I was finally in Korea- a destination that was a full month in the making. Still, the journey wasn't over. As I exited the terminal and sought out the Kraze Burger that my Korean recruiter and I had previously arranged as our meeting spot I encountered his proxy, Lee. Lee was a quiet sort, reserved yet industrious. Brandishing his sign that said "Mr. Liam Quinn" he quickly came to my aid by relinquishing me of my cart full of way too much luggage and leading me out into my first breaths of Korean air. From there he took me to a sign that, though unintelligible to me, indicated that this is where I would find the bus to take me to Gwangju. It was here that I discovered that another five hours of travel lay ahead of me before I would finally be where I needed to be. Fortunately, coach buses in Korea are far more luxurious than their American counterparts. Fully equipped with legs rests and ample personal space the bus seats recline beyond the awkward half lean that has become so characteristic of our buses back home. Needless to say, although I was intrigued by the prospect of catching a glimpse of Korea's verdant countryside, my first five hours in Korea were spent sleeping rather than sightseeing.

When I reached Gwangju proper I was touched by a short spell of desperation when I considered the four bags standing in my midst and the two hands that I had in my possession. Alone and bogged down with too much luggage to move by myself I was, in effect, stranded at a bus stop in a foreign country well beyond the reach of any familiar contacts. Desperation was quickly replace by relief when the director of the school arrived on the scene, took two of my bags and led me to his mid-sized Hyundai "Galloper" and started driving to my new apartment with nothing more exchanged than "Are you Liam?" and my respective response. Upon reaching my apartment any further exchanges were equally succinct with the director only using dialogue to illuminate me on the finer points of turning on the floor heater and, using the stove-top and showing me how to divert the water from my sink to my shower head. The director showed me around my one-room apartment in a matter of a few minutes and I was left alone shortly after to reflect on my peculiar situation. My life in Korea had begun.

The apartment was and is nothing to write home about but I will anyway, mostly so can talk about the bathroom and the floor. While the technology is readily available to the Korean people, they have an aversion towards effective methods of heating. Hailing from cultural tradition dating back hundreds of years, the method for heating a room is to heat the floor and let it rise. Though very cozy when putting your feet on the floor after waking up on a cold morning, there are very few other redeeming factors to this outdated heating system. As for the bathroom, the jury is still out whether I approve or not. Instead of having a tub or shower isolated from everything else in the bathroom,the entire bathroom IS the shower stall. When you want to shower you have to divert the water from the faucet to the shower head and just let it fly. It makes for a rather difficult time trying to keep things dry in other parts of the bathroom but makes it much easier to multitask if you so choose.

(It is currently midnight and I am still blogging at a cafe, so at the risk of omitting certain details the remainder of this post will be progress more quickly. Thank you for you continued cooperation and understanding.)

After a somewhat surreal night in my new apartment and in a new country the next day (Sunday) was spent sleeping and recovering. I met with the head English teacher at the school and he gave me a brief tour of the area surrounding the my apartment building and took me shopping for food and other necessities. When I got to the E-Mart, which is essentially a Wal-Mart on steroids if you can imagine that, Jeremy (the head English teacher) explained that while it's good to shop for certain everyday food items the cost of dining out is considerably less over and here more worthwhile when you are only looking to feed yourself. On top of that, it's the best way to try out the local cuisine.

So far, in school, I've pretty much been observing other classes. I've gotten the opportunity to teach here and there for short segments and while my first attempt was somewhat of a bomb I am getting increasingly more confident as I go. In fact, today I learned that a teacher will be in the hospital for a few days for surgery so I'll be taking over the helm for his afternoon classes in his absence. It should be a good opportunity to get the old feet wet. As for the morning class, tomorrow we're going a field trip, although no one has really told me where. Either way, it should be an interesting experience.

I'll explain more about the classes at a later date but for now everything is pretty awesome. It looks like my time and research has paid off. The other teachers are all pretty friendly and the director, although a little aloof at times, seems like a boss that you can really count on when it comes down to it. All in all, it's been a good first five days.

Once again, I apologize, this entry kinda whomped but it'll get better...pinky swear.

Tomorrow marks my first weekend here in Korea. Expect stories.