Training in Korea

Day two of my Korean life... I arrived safely into the Seoul airport the night before last. I had one layover in Dubai, but otherwise I only traveled for 15 hours. Yesterday and today have been easy days to rest before the busy year begins. This morning Kara and I went hiking near the conference center where all of the native English speaking teachers are staying for the week. We discovered this secret path while walking yesterday and decided to check it out further today. We saw some helpful signs along the way to guide us as we dodged in and out of the jungle-like vegetation. We saw also some strange looking Korean bugs and I would have taken pictures if I hadn't been running away from them! :) After lunch, all of the new English teachers were required to attend a Korean dance/music workshop. We learned the steps to some traditional dances and had to put on a performance for the group. I thought it was a fun way to get to know people and to be introduced to the Korean culture. So far, everything is good. I feel really good and amazingly enough, no jetlag. The food is mostly delicious...but I don't always know what I am eating! I try to taste everything in small portions and there have been things I really like and some things that set my mouth on fire! I will find out later this week where I will be teaching and will meet my co-teacher. He/She will be Korean and will help me in class to teach. Next weekend I will get to see where I will live (fingers crossed for a good place) and will finally be able to settle into a place for one full year. I was thinking back to all my years away from home and I have never lived in one apartment for a whole year. I have always been off doing something in the summer, so nine months has been the longest. This year, I will be breaking my own personal record! I will also try to force myself to experience as much as I can of this culture and region of the world. Despite my previous apprehension about coming here, I can say that I am excited for this year!