First Day at 안락덩 (Allak Dong); Breaking and Entering

What an interesting day.

It starts out with a 6am wakeup so I can get in a run before work - I definitely needed to calm the nerves, especially since I haven't had a significant workout for a few days (actually longer than that but we can pretend otherwise). So I get up, go out, and try to run on a main road for a long time so I don't get lost. My alternative motive for this run was to find a subway station as well, since I can't really get that information easily from my co-teacher since she advocates taking a bus to the subway since it is a decent walk. But I don't want to spend the extra money, and I like walking...so I started to run and discover.

About 15 minutes down the road at probably 7:15-7:30 pace I saw the first subway - although it ended up being quite far on the subway map from my apartment (the subway map has no street names so that does no good for me trying to find other stops near me) - I mean, 2 miles to a subway stop in a city - clearly I'm missing something. But at least I located one.

So I turn around, run back, found the bike/run trail...(SO excited to hit that up on the bike!), chilled on that for a bit, then turned around and ran home. Yea, I wish. So at about 40 minutes, when I should have been just about back to my motel, I start to look around and feel like I am in an unfamiliar place...I didn't catch the street name of the road from which my motel intersected with the main street...because there was no sign...and I forgot the landmarks...so I'm running...its 7:15. I have to leave for work in an hour... ... so after 10 minutes of trying to find my way around, I asked someone for directions to my school - first encounter asking for directions, and it worked out pretty well. I ran back, and ended up having just enough time to make it to school all sweaty. Whee.

I get to school - meet the rest of the teachers very briefly, because it is their first day in a while too, because everyone is just coming back from break. So everyone is kind of frazzled. I'm chillin in the teacher's office, waiting...soon I am introduced to the Principal. Brief encounter - very nice man, looks very professional, intimidating in a very intriguing and yet gentle way. After this introduction, I get taken down to the media-ish room for morning announcement Apparently, they have televised morning announcement...and I was to be introduced over the screen. YAY. I speak no Korean, have no idea what they are saying, and I still have remnants of sweat on my face and hairline. I ended up getting introduced, and then apparently asked to repeat some things in Korean...which took me a few seconds to realize that that was the case...whatever. No problem.

Next, I'm shown to my room. Sweet! So it's my room when I am not teaching, like an office - pretty darn big, with an oval table in the middle of the room that has green felt under the clear glass. PERFECT - a transformable poker table. :) They show me to my room and have me clean it, which is cool with me, I'm all about that. Then I was invited to have cold beverages with the teachers on my floor after first period. That was really nice. :)

Next, I was to wait until 3rd period to introduce myself to one of the classes that I will be co-teaching, and repeated that for 4th period. After that, we had lunch, and then Crystal took me to get a bank account, and then to move into my apartment. It is really nice! Although it wasn't clean or furnished...and we had issues getting in with the electronic lock...but lots of people came and helped clean and get furniture in there. At about 3:30 we were supposed to go back to school for a teachers' meeting, but the lock decided that it was going to shut down and stop working. After trying for about 20 minutes, we called a lock man and left for the meeting, where the principal introduced me again to everyone, and Crystal did a small bio for me. Everyone is SO nice.

After that, Crystal and two other teachers took me shopping to get a crap load of other stuff that I really didn't need but they wanted me to have. Like mats, a shoe rack - they had also gotten me a rice cooker, a toaster, microwave, blender/contraption, hot water heater...etc, etc. This is crazy! We got back to the apartment, and the lock man was there. He tried manually to fix it for a few minutes, then decided the best way to go was hammering a few sharp objects into the lock to violently remove it, while also successfully breaking at least one screw driver. That actually took about 10 minutes. It was a strong lock, I'll give it that.

We got back in, and while he is installing another lock, the teachers and administrative head are helping me put furniture together. Keep in mind it is 7p and people haven't eaten since 12p...I felt so bad! But after the lock man finished, we headed out to dinner at a classic Korean restaurant, tables 6" from the floor with the chairs that you have to sit cross-legged in.Family style dinner, they give you raw meat and there is a grill-type contraption right in the table. We cooked it, cut it with scissors, and ate along with an array of other side dishes. SO delicious!!

After that, the administrator went home, and the two remaining teachers took me to go get a fan. It was about 9:30p when they dropped me off here to use the computer. I can't believe how nice people are being to me. It's almost too much to handle!

Now it's officially way to late for me to be up. I have to wake up early enough to find my way back from getting lost on tomorrow's run...