One- Seoul Searching

Week One

Hi All, I promised several people that I would keep them updated on what was going on in the life of Em so here it is. I've sent it to everyone because I can't remember who said to keep them posted so if you don't want it let me know.

I have only been in Korea for four days and three nights and I have so much to say already. I've started work and it's now Saturday. There are 7 teachers at my school, 5 Korean, an Australian, Debora (who pretends she's American to the school because the school think American is proper English) and a Mexican, Cintia (who also pretends to be American).So Im sure you can imagine the face of my boss (a very smart, straight faced lady) when I said things like "put it in the bin" "these are crisps" "burger and chips" during my first class class. I've done two days of teaching and i'm already saying "trash can" (I die a little i time I say it) "soda" "potato chips" and "sidewalk". If I don't use American English the kids giggle at me and repeat what I say over and over again.

Food-
Anyone who has traveled with me knows that I can track down an egg and a loaf of bread in any corner of the world. I have officially left my comfort zone. I went for a very sleepy jet lagged meal on the day I arrived with my co workers. This was like a glass tray over a flame on the table which you cook your own food on. They brought over a trolley which had a form on bacon and some kind of salami on which we cut up and cooked with onions. This was then wrapped in a huge leaf with chilli paste, salt and rice.

School gives me a meal every day with the children which is interesting. The meal comes on a tray with 6 sections. On the first day I had rice, spicy sausage in chilli sauce, kimchi which is like a long vegetable sliced up and cooked in a pickle with lots of spices, it's hot though. I had that with a huge bowl of soup with bean sprouts and chicken in (I think) and you put your rice in this. It also came with spinach.



Yetserday was curry, rice, tomatoes, pickeled radish (i'm not keen on this) something that looks (but does not taste like) raviolli and a yakult!!!! You'll be glad to know though that Emily's still here and I went shopping the other day and bought granola, milk, cheese slices, green giant sweetcorn, bread and eggs and my school payed for us to go out last night and we had fried chicken and beer.

Culture-
Korea is very hierarchal (I can't spell that!), for example I can't say that Cintia (my co worker) is my friend because she's 25, I can only be friends with 21 year olds (well 22 year olds but I will explain that in a min). This goes down to the kids who don't even talk to the other age groups. At a table I ( the youngest) has to make sure that everyone's drinks are topped up, I must pour with two hands for some people and one hand for others they have to hold out their cup with both hands. younger people must turn away from older people to drink alcohol which gets very confusing. I said this to my supervisor Justin (English name obviously) last night and his reply was " all cultures have unusual etiquette, I have seen Titanic, you English have many knives forks and spoons"!!!! I have taken this on board and will not wine again, I only have a spoon and chopsticks to deal with here.

This is a very safe country so don't worry Gran. I realised this on day one when my co worker and I were in a busy area and her handbag (sorry American English "purse") was open and she had cash lying at the top. I walked home last night from the restaurant and I saw lots of women walking alone. I assume that the police are very strict here but it also seems to be a very honest country. Yesterday in school we had market day. The children save up Monopoly dollars all year from being good. they can then exchange them for things at market day (I ran the games stall) if the speak in English. The money that had been used was lying on the stall tables and often the teacher was not there to supervise. In the equivalent school (I live in a rough area of Seoul apparently) in England the kids would take some of that but here it didn't even cross their minds.

One of my children came into class yesterday with a huge black eye. I asked the other teacher what happened and she said "oh her mum hit her" I was so shocked, I told the other teacher that if that was in England the child would be in care and the mum would have been arrested and she replied " but it's a family matter, it has nothing to do with the police, and she deserved it, she wouldn't do her homework" as much as this is a safe country it seems that the police have much less to deal with as they turn a blind eye to a lot of things.

I have aged a year in a day. Koreans are one when they are born so I am 22 but, something to do with the lunar new year and when you are born means that you can be two years older than you are in England but I don't understand this so I'm just 22 until I'm told differently. This makes it even scarier when a 5 year old that reaches my knee writes in perfect handwriting " when I finish school today, I am going to my father's office" SHE'S FOUR!!!!!!!!!!!

The Children-
The school is called Kids land, they teach 5-9 year olds. I teach six classes for 45 mins a day. Until 2pm I tech kinder classes which are 6-7 year old (korean age). I have two classes in the morning, one class just has 3 girls Amy Alice and Rebecca. Alice is new and can't speak much english but she can read and knows the alphabet, the other two are at basic level but when I asked Amy yesterday whether she had any brothers and sisters she told me that she had a baby sister. I then asked Alice who didn't undrrstand so Amy asked he in Korean and then said "she has a younger brother called Jack, he's three" Wow! Most adults don't speak English so if you're ever here and need to ask something, find an adult with a child and use them to translate.




The English names are usually chosen in school unless the parent's have a preference. The child chooses their favourite letter and then the teacher gives them a list of names beginning with that letter, Alice was nameless until yesterday. Because a lot of teachers are American there are a lot of Sonnys, Spencers, etc. There are also some crazy names, I have Dorothy who's six, Freda who's 6 and Da Vinci who's 7. Alice got her name yesterday.

The children call me "teacher" and in public I am "Emily teacher", they have Debora teacher cintia teacher julie teacher etc.



My Apartment-
It's Awful! I have two bedrooms, one of which you can't move in but mine is ok. The whole place is covered in a scabby faded mint green wallpaper except for one which is covered in big purple pansies. I have a kitchen that looks like a pre war kitchen, it has a sink a hob and some off white cupboards and an old fahioned fridge. i have no lounge area, just and office chair and a small bookshelf by the door. I have an outside balcony thing. It's covered in mosquito screens with holes in and it is about a metre away from the next building (charlotte says "that's not a balcony it's a bridge") and has big silver pipes going down it. My washing machine is on here and I still can't operate it, I'm trying to understand it by reading the buttons from a korean phrasebook but it's not going well. I am going shopping today for fabric ( to hang on the walls) and posters. Oh my bathroom, It's a long thin room with a toilet at the end. It has orange tiles and a shower. It has a draining hole in the middle so it's a sort of wetroom. The toilet seat is padded! It reminds me of an old person's bathroom but the shower is very hot and fast so it's ok.






Mosquitoes-
I'm being eaten alive. From this morning's count I have at least 45 bites (10 on my face) My feet have swollen up and I look like I have the plague. I seem to have made it my job to kill all mosquitoes in school to the amusement of my class yesterday watching Emily Teacher leaping around the room with rough guide to korea trying to swat them. I finsihed work and went straight to the chemist with my phrase book saying "mogi mogi" and making itching signals and pretending to spray an aerosol. I'm not sure what she gave me but I think it's right I have a can of something which I spray around my house and a roll on of something which does stop the itching. If anyone posts anything over could you send me some insect repellent spray, I can only find room spray and they seem to like the taste of western blood more than korean.

Internet- I asked my boss last night if I could get internet in my house and she said "yes I will call them now and they will be there tomorrow morning". In the land of technology it seems that the internet man is like an emergency service.

My Address- I don't know my address, it doesn't mean much here. I live above a restaurant and a bus driver office so the chances of it not getting mixed up with them is slim. If you want to send me anything, post it to the school, it's only across the road.

Emily Ingham
Kids Land S
398-1 Sindorim-Dong
Guro- Gu
Seoul
South Korea

Cramp- this is for my Dad. Lst night I woke up screaming. My whole left calf was in spasm and I couldn't move. I was in agony. I will never laugh at your cramp story again!

Anyway I must go because i need to explore Seoul today
Much love everybody,
Em x