Arrival

The migration to Jinju is complete.

Last night I started getting settled into my homestay. Composition: working father, stay-at-home mother, brother (14), sister (11). Their combined level of English about equals my Korean so you can imagine what communicating is like - lots of gestures and flamboyant body language. Everyone is nice, the apartment is comfortable, and I've been able to get food and water so I can't complain too much. I'll tell you that I miss the Jungwon "air con" more than I knew I would. Somehow sleeping with an electric fan blasting hot air on you just isn't the same - especially when your host mother tries to set the fan to turn off in 30 minutes. See fan death for a more detailed explanation.

My co-teachers and school are very solid. All of the English teachers speak very well and my individual co-teacher is basically fluent. We've already begun to get close and I'm pretty sure his son (4 years old) is obsessed with me. It looks as if I'll have my own desk in the foreign language office with air-conditioning and an internet connection so I should be able to be productive there and get some things done. The only downside is that transportation to be school will have to be arranged by another teacher. The bus system doesn't seem to be convenient and it's too far to bike or walk. This means I'm always on another teacher's timetable which is super stressful. It would be nice to be able to come and go to school as I please based on my schedule. Maybe some detailed research about the bus schedules needs to occur...

So much thanks to those of you that have written me letters or kept in touch through email since I've been at orientation. They really have been a bright spot for me whenever I've felt a little down. I promise I'll write back as soon as I can.