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.
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.
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.
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!
