Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Illysook]

I started my trip off right by having a bloody mary at Port Columbus. I then took a very small and scary plane to Detroit. The Detroit Airport is cool. I switched to lemonade. The flight from Detroit to Tokyo became really tortuous when the couple next to me fell fast asleep as miss window seat had to pee reallly bad.

I was supposed to drink Saki in the Tokyo airport but I could barely find a glass of water. Fortunately, it wasn't a long wait for the flight to Incheon, Seoul South Korea and the people that I waited with were cool. Elle was a rower for Purdue and a fellow Starbucks Barista. She worked a shift just days before she left. We both had Starbucks hands (rough), although mine are starting to soften up a little bit.

When I arrived in the ROK, I was totally parched. The fellow picking me up was super nice and offered bottled water immediately. I didn't even have to ask. He also bought second bottles. He was in charge of ,me and another girl who had to catch a bus. We waited about an hour for her bus and then he drove me to Yongin. That took at least an hour. There I was again with what was something of a language barrier, totally having to pee and being able to do nothing about it. Somehow, I got him to pull over at a gas station. One more bump on the road and I'd have had an accident.

I have a brand spanking new apartment. I'm pretty sure that it was prefabricated. Everything in it looks like it came from Almost Furniture. It's an Ikea style apartment without the style. The wallpaper totally kills it for me. It's a very large and repetitive beige on beige floral print. If I give up and run home early, blame the wallpaper.

For my very first day in Korea, my boss took me to TGI Fridays. I hate American chain restaurants and I had a killer stomach ache. 24 hours of flying does amazing things to one's intestines. On top of that, the waitress forgot to put in my order. Two other entrees came out and I mistook one of them for mine. The waitress put it on the table and my boss claimed it for hers but left it in the middle of the table, so I didn't know that she was claiming it, I guess that she was sharing it with her husband. We were with her daughter-in-law and the music teacher from the school and those two also shared an entree. Two entrees were in the middle of the table and one of them looked like what I'd ordered. I didn't know that it wasn't. I thought that we were sharing. I had a little from each entree and I was pretty much full by the time my entree arrived. To save me some of the embarrassment, everyone tried some of my entree. Then they pushed some watery brown stuff on me. It must have been what TGI Fridays calls coffee.

Perhaps to make up for taking me to TGI Fridays, my boss took me shopping afterward. We bought all kinds of things for my brand-spanking-new-nobody-else-lives-in-the-building-yet aparment and she bought me a cupboard full of groceries. I wasn't very courageous with the grocery buying, and I was absolutely delighted to find my favorite snack. I really love my chips and salsa.

[shifty]

Tell us more!!! What else ya got????

[Ya-ta Boy]

Welcome to town.

May I suggest a good Korean phrase to memorize? Hwa-jahng-shil ah-dee-ay-yo? (Where's the bathroom?)

[spliff]

Starbucks is a place I wouldn't be caught dead in. Good luck.

[Illysook]

Well, day two here was my first day at work. I sat in on other teacher's classrooms and I was taken to a hospital for my medical exam. They performed an EKG on me. Talk about your pre-employment screening. Alas, I was found to have a minor sinus arhythmia, so I will not be the absolutely perfect employee. I hope the school can stand it.

I also had my picture taken for my ARC and as it turns out, sleepy and hungry look good on me. It was a really cute picture. After that, we had lunch at the school. There were too kinds of pickles on the table, plus kimchi. I like pickles, but my stomach does not seem to like anything right now. If I were smart, I would eat plain rice and water for the next few days. Unfortunately, my curiosity got the best of me. I tried the weird chicken nuggets AND the gristly barbecued pork. I wonder when my belly will stop hurting.

[Draz]

Sounds like you're in a hagwon.

[Starla]

Hey girl, congratulations! Sounds like everything has gone well so far and they're treating you well. Oh and I like your blog! Still working on mine though...

[I-am-me]

That is a typical korean reception. Just wait about 2 months and check if they are paying your pension and income tax. That nice big dinner might have been paid by you!!!!

[Starla]

[BigMikeAbroad]

I have been here a bit over a week now. No huge reception but not a cold one either. Nothing has been done Arc Card wise but it is as much my fault as theirs I keep forgetting to say something. My head teacher threw out his back day before I arrived so that has crimped things. PLus we are just starting new scheduals and it has been hectic. My buddy and I are near Gaerong station PM me if you wanna hang out with us and do some newbie stuff and be impressed by things that others see as normal lol.

BM