Skiing at High 1 Resort

This was something I was not looking forward to. I had been ill during the week. Luckily, Doctors in Korea hand out antibiotics (and religious advice equally) really easily so within half an hour, I was medicated up for the weekend – 9 pills a day for 3 days!

Even though the 4am start wasn’t exactly what I needed (let alone a weekend in the snow), I managed to pull myself out of bed to join my boyfriend and the bus load of people headed to High 1 Ski Resort, a mere 5 hours from Gwangju. I was so nervous. I kept thinking ‘I shouldn’t have come’, ‘I’m not well enough for this’, ‘I’m going to break something!’ and finally, ‘what about avalanches!?’ Evidently, my brain is incapable of positive thinking at 4am.

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After kitting up, which took ages, we headed for the slopes. In the Gondola up the mountain, I was amazed by the view and the skill of the skiers. It was a glorious view across the mountains and in the Korean Winter sun, the snow gleamed. The tiny skiers and snowboarders zipped past each other, some sitting, some whizzing by and some stumbling in the white snow. It was a gripping site but I couldn’t ignore my terror. We were travelling so far up the mountain and I knew the only way down was to ski. We weren’t having any lessons and I’d never skied before, this could not be a good idea, could it?

ski group

The beginners’ slopes were at the peak of the mountain. Really?! Who came up with that?! After the obligatory poses at the top in our ski outfits – which were all horrendous (the outfits, not the poses, they were fab naturally) – we began. Our friends, my boyfriend and I threw ourselves down the gate of the beginner slope, which I thought was actually pretty steep. Turns out, only one of our friends knew how to ski! Within the first two or three metres, all the rest of us had all fallen over and were unable to get up. Skis were flailing around in the air, bottoms were writhing in the snow trying to push themselves up and poles were sliding down the mountain. It must have looked ridiculous to those around us who had had the foresight to have some lessons before hitting the slopes. Our friend (now impromptu ski-instructor), very patiently gathered us together (which took a while as he had to scrape us off the mountain first). Gathering us into a teetering huddle, he gave us some more information regarding how to ski. Apparently, we had to move from side to side to get down, we couldn’t just go straight down with our skis in the pizza position as we had all assumed. We had to zig zag. This was news to all of us. After successfully, putting our skis back on whilst vertical on a mountain side, we started to chaotically zig zag down the hill. Cue more falls, more wallowing in the snow and finally, very slowly, more success.

em ski

           By the end of that first day, we could all successfully ski down the beginner slopes with minimal falling. I myself did 5 beginner slopes and by the end, I did some without falling at all! I was getting pretty good and speedy at my small S turns. I was even starting to enjoy it, something I really hadn’t done in the first hour. Unfortunately my confidence got the better of me and I had quite a big trip, falling flat on my face forward jarring my neck. I literally ‘ate’ snow. Unsurprisingly, I decided at this point that skiing probably wasn’t for me and eagerly awaited the decision to turn in. Looking back, I should have given it more of a chance. The fall along with the illness made me shaky and tired. With more energy, I’d like to try again!

At the end of the day, we were all exhausted. After realising that on our particular part of the resort we had few dining options and Mr Pizza wouldn’t deliver for hours, we wolfed down a sub-standard Korean meal with something that resembled gratitude for anything we could get. We headed to the hot tub and although busy, it was just what we needed to soak our bones. After running from the tub to the condo bare-foot and dripping wet, we dried off, changed and joined the Ski party/office party that was part of the trip. Man, did we drink to our success!

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I chose not to ski the second day. I joined some friends who also opted out. We walked down the mountain through snowy woods, met the boys for lunch and had a great day chatting and exploring. It was nice to have time to really enjoy the mesmerizing view of the mountains surrounding us.

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The boys in our group did ski the second day and they conquered the mountain, amazing as two of them were newbies too (my boyfriend included!). I feel I missed out on a chance to consolidate what I had learnt as well as the chance to try some other slopes whilst we were there. The trip we were on organized through ‘Enjoy Korea’, was an incredible deal and was really well organized so whilst I plan to return to do more, it will be more difficult. Nonetheless, I am proud of myself for managing to ski! I am excited to do more and I think this trip really boosted my energy and positivity for trying new things in Korea.

Arriving in Gwangju – Our First Moments

Our first day in Gwangju, the city we would live in, was more nerve-racking than the orientation itself. We had been given about 4 bullet points of information about what to expect on this day which turned out to be about all you could feasibly predict. Still the same basic things needed to be dealt with. For example, getting basics for the flat, visiting your school(s), going for an awkward dinner with your co-teacher and seeing your flat for the first time. Just how tiny was it?

After arriving in Gwangju, we were treated to a delicious lunch of biminbap which was yummy if not smelly, making us all reach for the mints before the fateful meeting of our co-teachers. There was so much hype about meeting them, what we should do, what we should say, how they were more scared of us than we were of them – it genuinely felt like we were meeting a well-respected but fatal species of spider. Then we lined up and awaited our big entrance into the Hall where they would be sat waiting for us with signs so we knew where to go. I expected some long ceremony with speeches and one to one interviews. However, when we finally went in, we were out again in under a minute. I saw my co-teacher, said my piffling amount of Korean to which she gave an unimpressed smile and then off she marched. I followed sheepishly at her side whilst she had a phone conversation (all in Korean) and lead me to wherever we were going. So began my new hobby of helplessly following Koreans hoping that eventually someone will explain what’s happening.

When she was finally off the phone, she led me to a bank to get my bank book. It was only after this, she said a word to me, and to my relief, it was in English! It turns out she had really good English but in those first, painstakingly quiet 10 minutes, I thought she had none.  We then went to the car with my massive case (shared case, I should add, with my boyfriend) and my travelling bag. I could barely lift this thing so it was pretty stressful trying to get it into her car (and up the two flight of stairs to my apartment!)

After harrumphing in the case into the boot, we headed to my main school. I would have two schools, a main school and a visiting school. We headed to my visiting school first. It was about 15.30 on a Friday and was a bit dead. I met my co-teacher there and was relieved to see she spoke some English too. However, they all then launched into Korean and I could tell I was the topic of conversation so I just should there, sweltering in my suit, laughing awkwardly when I thought they were laughing, which was most of the time. They told me that my outfit was too formal, great news, jeans on Monday then! I also got to meet the Vice-Principal. I was prepared for this. I’d practiced my opening Korean speech of 3 sentences explaining my name, my nationality and that it was nice to meet him/her. I was ready. On meeting him, I bowed a lot and said my bit. He looked at me for a long time and then spoke in Korean to my co-teacher and ushered us out. Once out, she laughed and said ‘he said, you should not use Korean again’. Er, thanks? Again laughing, my co-teacher informed me that the Korean teachers expressed concern that they wouldn’t be able to communicate with me as I don’t speak Korean. The last teacher was fluent. Great.

flat

We continued onto my apartment. My co-teacher was very easy to talk to and was so interested in the UK, Shakespeare (as an English Graduate, I’ve obviously memorised his full works and am his biggest fan apparently) and also knew and questioned me about Brexit – this I could comment on! When we got to my flat, I was so impressed! It had 1 big bedroom/lounge, a kitchen/washing area and a bathroom. The apartment block was smart and new and the door had electronic keypads which I had hoped for after seeing lots about these on YouTube beforehand. We bumped into the previous EPIK teacher who I would be replacing and he sold me loads of his stuff which I was happy for. Spices, mugs, hairdryer, bowls and pans etc. I paid a good price and was happy to have a few things in my flat already. I also saw his flat and mine was so much bigger. I wondered what my boyfriend’s was like as we would be picking one to live in together.

bathroom

   After this, we went to the other school. Everyone had gone home, so we just had a look about. We went for another bimnibap, this time with shrimp in it. Two bowls of rice in a day is just what I need in my life! I poured water for her during dinner and she commented that I poured it with both hands like tea which was very cute apparently. Yay! Finally, she left me and I sat on my bed in my apartment. I needed to find my boyfriend. I needed to find wifi. I needed to sleep.

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I headed to a local coffee shop, got wifi after a lot of effort communicating and had a big iced mocha. My boyfriend called me using whatsapp and we agreed to meet near me as soon as he was free from his co-teacher. He’d had been placed in an English Centre and had been placed with another native teacher, Jill (whose name in Korean actually means vagina – which she was, of course, thrilled about). His co-teacher was taking him to buy bedding and to eat dinner so he was still finishing up. After two and a half hours, I noticed everyone in the coffee shop had turned their heads towards the door. I wondered what they had seen. It was a crazy Italian-looking Westerner with a bag and two pillows under his arm. Looking tired but excited, he’d arrived. I’ve never been so happy to see him. I was worried we wouldn’t find each other and we’d both be lost in Gwangju. However, it turned out his apartment was only a 5-minute walk from mine!

When we finally got to bed that night, after many hours of swapping stories of our crazy first day, I lay down and cried. The stress, the fear and the many hours of careful and enthusiastic communication had taken its toll. My boyfriend comforted me and I felt so lucky to be experiencing this with him. I have no idea how people manage this on their own. I felt tired but excited to wake up to our first weekend in Gwangju, Korea!

EPIK Orientation – Training Week in Korea

finished-orientation

Americans were the majority of the new EPIK teachers. There were a handful of Brits, some Aussies, even less South Africans and maybe one Irish person. All in all, Americans were the largest nationality and because of this, we found ourselves whooping at every occasion, we loved everything and we started changing our accent! We even whooped and clapped the Dean of the University for instance. In the UK, a solemn clap would be more than enough.

The positivity and the openness to chat to everyone was exactly what was needed for this occasion though and meant meals in the university cafeteria had an edge of excitement. Not only because of the array of different Korean foods and Western dishes that were served at each sitting but also because you never knew who you might plonk down next to and what conversation might occur. Often it was about teaching, where you were from, how you were finding the week but occasionally, you’d hit on an in-depth conversation about politics, history or cultural differences between countries.

I was happy to find that other couples our age had taken this journey as well which made me feel less abnormal as I had done before I’d left the UK. Quitting your career at 28 and moving to South Korea to teach English went somewhat against everyone’s expectations and views of what we should/should not be doing at this stage of life. Nonetheless, here I was in a South Korean University (Busan University of Foreign Languages) trying fit in with lots of excited graduates much younger than myself!

room1Everyone shared a room with a roommate. Girls and boys were not allowed to share a room or even visit each other’s dorms, which was a struggle for my boyfriend and I who had one suitcase between us. I shared with a girl who was friendly, down-to-earth and liked to take time to watch movies in the dark in her room at night. This made it easy for me as I knew when I got back to the room, it would be bed time and I wouldn’t be woken up later.

room

No alcohol was allowed in dorms and there was a curfew at 12. These rules were fine for me for one week but I don’t know how the Korean university students coped! It was difficult not sleeping with my boyfriend each night as we were used to. I had been particularly worried about this. It meant we wouldn’t get much time to ourselves to touch base and check we were coping. As it was, we did get some time alone in the evenings if we wanted it. We were also in classes together so we spent a lot of time together throughout the day.

The best meals at orientation were the ‘Welcome Dinner’, the ‘Farewell Dinner’ and the dinner we had out in a Korean restaurant half way through the week. The latter being a ‘Galbi’ dinner where chicken ribs are cooked into a stew with mushrooms, fish cakes and sausages on a communal frying pan and the other dinners being a huge array of sushi, meat and puddings in the cafeteria. By the end of orientation, our chopstick skills, our social skills and our knowledge of America had increased substantially. As had, of course, our knowledge of teaching English to Korean students.

welcome

We had had a series of seminars and lectures throughout the week on a variation of subjects from ‘Co-Teaching’ and ‘Storytelling’ to ‘Life in Korea’ and Korean language lessons. I learnt more Korean in those 3 lessons than in months in England, amazing the difference motivation can make! At the end of the week we had to do a 15-minute lesson to the group with a partner. This was the cause of much consternation, anxiety and gossip among the whole cohort. Even so, at the end of the week, the lessons were presented and some informal, generally good feedback was received. Everyone looked towards the real challenge that lay ahead. Teaching every day and moving into our new cities.

Orientation certainly prepared us for what lay ahead in terms of teaching, co-teaching and life in Korea. It also gave us a solid group of friends that are still with us now and have been instrumental in our enjoyment of going out and getting to know the place. I hope that these friends will be lasting ones. What orientation did not prepare us for was the level of isolation that can be felt as the only native teacher in a school, the regularity of random octopus tentacle in all meals (even in meat dishes) and the inexhaustible generosity and friendliness of the Korean public.

 

Earthquake!

‘Earthquake!’
‘What?’
‘There’s an earthquake!’
‘Where?’
‘Here!’
‘When?’
‘Now!’
‘…right now?’
‘YES!’
Pause.
‘Well, I’ll have to turn off the iron…’
That was my reaction to the fact that we were at home on a Wednesday night in the middle of an earthquake.

I didn’t even notice.

Tom had had to tell me. As I couldn’t feel it and didn’t really know how to react. I focused on what I knew, the iron had just warmed up and I’d have to unplug it if the buildings were going to shake. I wasn’t happy about this.

Coming into the next room where Tom was, I saw his look of total disbelief. It turned out to be caused not by the earthquake but by my slow and mundane reaction.

Under 30 minutes later, Tom started again.
‘Earthquake!’
Pause.
‘Earthquake, do you feel it this time?’
Silence.
I felt it. My wide eyes and ashen face showed it. We sat on the bed where we’d been trying to get Netflix working in Korea, as the bed shook, steadily and continually. Looking outside I saw the lamppost moving and the wires shaking to and fro. Should it be going on this long? I looked at Tom. He looked at me. Both unsure of our situation.

I broke the silence.
‘Should we…get out?’
‘Maybe’
That got me. If Tom thought it might actually be bad enough to leave our positions, then it was serious! As we leant forward to stand, it stopped. We leant back, looking at each other with a mixture of relief, humour and fear.

A new risk, one we hadn’t banked on. All part of moving to the other side of the world!

Naked Foot Diva

When teaching in Korea you have to be flexible. Teaching in Korea is rewarding and fun. However, you have to be prepared for continual surprises. I learnt this on my first day.

Surprise volleyball practice!

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I had no trainers or sportswear. Nevermind!

I kicked off my shoes and played in my dress and bare feet. My new nickname? Naked foot diva. Hopefully, they hadn’t looked too close. I’d lost both my little toe nails on Mount Rinjani in Indonesia only a few weeks before.

By the start of the second week, I had played volleyball three times. It was like I just couldn’t get enough – erm, wait! I had badly bruised my unsuspecting volleyball virgin hands but I kept on playing.

Always thinking, why play this painful sport?

Let it end!

Please let the pain end!