week 2

Monday turned out to be the most stressful day I've had. I wont go into the details online. let's just say it involved some frustrations with HR.

Tuesday, I taught my first class. it honestly did not feel much different than working with Korean students in the U S.  Students are hesitant to speak from lack of practice and out of adherence to Korean classroom norms.  I set the tone right off the bat that everyone needs to speak which I hope to be able to keep going. they seem like a good group.

two packages from Scott arrived today. it's fun to get packages at the office; it made me feel important. the contents were sheets and pillows from Scott. I'm glad he wanted them here.  they remind me of home and of him. he'll be here very soon, thankfully.

pictures will come soon.  I have improved Internet access now, although not in my home yet.

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Wednesday 

i submitted the necessary documents to the immigration office today. i will be able to get my alien resident card on September 9.

today being more or less uneventful, I will reflect on some interesting little details that I've noticed here so far on the streets here.  first, the streets have different smells. it's partly due to the monsoon  climate, partly due to garbage piled sloppily on the sidewalks. some of it stinks, some is just unfamiliar. the bugs in the trees sound quite different, too. they are loud. maybe what cicadas sound like? some things that I like are venders selling squash, peppers spread on a tarp drying in the sun on the sidewalk, and the melon truck driving around with a loud speaker through the neighborhoods. my favorite thing is the excess of lights and signage selling products. every business sings its own products with glitz and blinking lights.  I look forward to more exploring.

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I made an appearance at the Thursday night English teacher's social at a bar on my street called Pirate Ship. The place seems friendly enough, but I don't plan to be a regular at this social event.  too many people for my liking. still, it was good to show up and have a beer and network a little bit.  

of interest perhaps to readers, smoking is still allowed in bars. I sense that smoking is more pervasive in Korea than in the west. I could be mistaken, I suppose, but that's what I see so far.

tomorrow night, Friday, I teach a 6 - 9 pm class. people here work or study so many hours. my opinion is that such demands would be awful. I'm lucky to have a fair workload, by american standards, in my teaching position.  currently, I'm teaching 14 hours/week, plus of course all the other things that teachers are obliged to do, of course. I could get a max of 20 hours. I'll be interested to see the effort level and attendance of these Friday night students.