Caroline and me. We are going to Busan to teach!

This was my first full day in orientation in South Korea, so I have a lot to update you on. First, I want to mention that my flight totaled about 20 hours in the air. I flew from Miami to Chicago, from Chicago to San Francisco, and finally from San Francisco to Seoul. The flight from San Fransisco to Seoul was 20 hours. If you come to South Korea, fly on Singapore Airlines! The food was pretty good. There were some choices, but I had this Korean dish that tasted like chicken noodle soup. For the second meal, I had a dish that tasted just like my grandmother’s roast beef and veggies. Oh, and they served king-sized ice-cream sandwiches for desert.

About EPIK Orientation in Jeonju

OMG! There were so many teachers and the line at the airport to get registered was extremely long. The airport was warm in the summer. Someone told me that it was air conditioned, but I didn’t think so when I was there.

I then took the 3 1/2  to 4-hour bus ride the Jeonju University where orientation was located. It was hot, and we all were sticky, felt grimey, and were tired. I was concerned about lugging my baggage to my room at the university, but it wasn’t so bad… the bus took us near the area where we stayed and there were two elevators.

Women and men are on separate floors. We have a 1 a.m. curfew, but I think that just means that we have to be in the building by that time. There are convenience stores right on campus. There is a 7-11 here. I spotted cookies, orange soda, Coke, most things that you will find in an American convenience store.

About the Rooms at the University
The rooms are uber nice for dorm rooms! Bedding, shampoo, conditioner, and soap were provided. There were towels there, but they were about the size of hand towels. Bring your own towels if you are coming later, because I am thinking that it is true that Koreans do not use large towels.

The doors have security codes and you will have to learn how to reset the code if you stay here. Ask other people for help if you need to. I only caught part of the directions, and my roommate got the rest… But EPIK soon posted written instructions in the buildings for us. Very helpful. We have internet in the rooms for people who brought a laptop. We didn’t have it when we first arrived, and EPIK had to work to get it set up for us. The connection is not wireless, but it is a good DSL connection (I think it’s DSL). There are six computers downstairs, but people are always on them. There is also a computer lab on campus, but it is only open during business hours.

The EPIK Schedule
In our class, August 2009, we have class every day for nine days (including weekends). So far, we have had a tour and an opening ceremony where we watched Korean performers and listened to speakers give us advice on working in South Korea. We also had a banquet. I was so tired from jetlag that I struggled to stay awake. It started to rain on the way to the banquet and then it poured while we were there, but it was beautiful. The spread was awesome. There was plenty of seafood, sushi, and good Korean food. I think that you will like it. Yes. There was a lot of food, so look forward to the banquet if you are coming later. Tell me your impressions if you were there! Oh, and for those of you who want to know. Yes. We have free time during EPIK orientation, but we cannot leave campus without permission. We are having so much fun together and meeting each other here. If you are reading this and see me during EPIK orientation, say “Hi!” Tell me where you are from and where you are going. It’s cool to meet you in person.

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3. Teaching in South Korea, Communicating With Korean Teachers
4. I Got the Job! Contract for EPIK Teaching in South Korea
5. My EPIK Interview for Korea