Photo Booth!

My friend Juana took me around Ulsan this last weekend and we went to a photo booth and took these pictures. There are stores filled with these types of photo booths in Korea. They're pretty silly but we had so much fun taking them : )

After you finish and print the pictures, you can make them into stickers!

Party Time

Even though it's been a while since I've been here, the staff at the school wanted to throw a "Welcoming Party" for me. Koreans seem to love to be hospitable and they were so excited to throw this! We started off at the school eating really good greasy, fried chicken and drinking beer and this other drink called "Makgeolli"(alcohol made from rice that looks kind of milky). From there we went to a karaoke bar where we had our own room and sang the night away!

I was thinking it would be a little bit awkward at first, but I couldn't have been more wrong. As soon as we entered the room, everyone started singing and picking out songs to sing and clapping their hands and using tambourines! It was, to say the least, amazing. I heard some people were there til 3:30am!!

Abri and Anlia (my two South African co-workers)
possibly singing an Abba song.

I wasn't kidding about the tambourines! They loved them. 

Lee, the school's director, singing his heart out.
He cracks me up!

City Peppers

All over the city, people are putting out their chili peppers to dry out. The first time I saw the peppers out in the sun was when I was on Muuido Island and I thought it was just one house doing it. I ended up taking the picture above because I liked the way they were scattered and spread out (and thought it was rather unique). But as we drove down the road and passed several houses, I saw them again... and again and again in Seoul and now in Ulsan! So I thought I'd share with you what I now understand is a pretty common thing here.

Also, if you haven't noticed, I keep changing the template design of this blog. I didn't know much about how blogs worked before I started this one but there are so many options! I'm a bit overwhelmed so bear with me as I explore all the nooks and crannies.

Island Escape

Kyle and me on the ferry to Muuido Island.

This last weekend was full of activity and full of food!! I went to Muuido Island with my friend Kyle and some of his Korean friends. We left Saturday morning from Seoul and drove to this island where we had to take a ferry to get across. The beach was beautiful (although the water was a little murky...) and we stayed at this cute little cottage. Kyle's friends were very hospitable and cooked us TONS of delicious food. I think dinner could have been considered three meals by itself. 

The ferry only took about 5 minutes to get from one side to the other. 

Eating spicy noodles on a hot day at the beach : )

Our quaint abode for the weekend. We stayed at the very top with the balcony.
It was the first time I slept Korean style aka sleeping on the bare floor! 

The first meal of the night. 

The next day Kyle's friends took us to Korea's Chinatown and we had, once again, great food in large amounts. After we had our meal, they told us we were going to get dessert, but it turned out to be this dough with meat inside that tasted like a sausage! I think I might prefer ice cream and pie : )

Chinatown!

Our dessert...  Isn't it interesting the way they cook it?

Hope you had a great weekend! 

Classroom Picture

Happy Friday!

I can't believe how fast this week went by! I took a quick picture of some of my students yesterday as they were packing up to leave. The little boy in the back is Joon... he's such a character! I'll try to take more pictures this next week when they aren't racing to get out!

This weekend I'm planning on going camping on the beach with some friends. I think we'll be staying on these little raised huts right on the beach! I'll let you know how it goes. Hope you have a great weekend!

The Beginning

Hello everyone!

I apologize for my lack of blogging! I knew I would get into trouble : )

This last week has been amazing, though, and at times a bit overwhelming. I started teaching my own classes on Friday and they went really smooth. The kids are adorable! I’m really looking forward to seeing their progress as time goes on. Many of them speak English very well and with confidence, but others are a little shy and have NO idea what I’m talking about it. I follow a curriculum and there are different books for each level. All together there are 17 levels at this school and the kids’ ages range from 8 to 14 years old. My largest class has 7 kids and the smallest has 3. The people I work with are great and very helpful.

My school is the building that says "E.L.C." 

This last weekend I went to Seoul to visit my friend, Kyle Bergland. It was so great to see him! He came out here last August to teach English and is leaving in several weeks to go to Laos. It was a 4 hour bus ride to get to Seoul from Ulsan, but the buses were quite nice and I thoroughly enjoyed seeing the different landscapes and cities of Korea. (In November, the city will have an express train and it will only take about 1.5 hours to get there!) Once I arrived, Kyle and I played a rough game of “Hide and Go Seek” in the subway system. We could not find each other if our life depended on it! We finally were able to meet at the same subway stop and we went to a fantastic restaurant where we were served like a king. Literally, though, the restaurant served a whole bunch of side dishes (at least 20) and I guess that’s what kings used to be served at special meals. At least that’s what Kyle told me… I should check up on that fact now that I think about who the source is : ) Afterwards we went to a museum and a couple other places around downtown Seoul. We finally pooped out and went back to Kyle’s and he made delicious pasta! I had no idea Kyle was a little chef! At night we went out to two different areas in Seoul and it was PRETTY crazy. There are so many more foreigners in Seoul than where I live.

After visiting Seoul, I realized how much I like Ulsan!! I’ve only been here for about a week and it already feels like home to me. I think it’s because Ulsan has a calmer and more intimate atmosphere that big city Seoul. Also, Ulsan feels much cleaner and less chaotic.

Downtown Ulsan
(Only a couple blocks away from my apartment)

OK, I’m really going to try to update this blog more often. I pinky promise : )

I made it all in one piece!

OK, so I know I emailed most of you already letting you know I arrived here safely, but for those who don't know... I arrived here safely : ) It was quite the journey as I hopped from one flight to another and had to take a train from one airport to another in Seoul, but all in all everything went smooth! I arrived in Ulsan around 9:00pm and was greeted by a really nice Korean man by the name of Eric. He works at the school as well. He helped me get settled in that night and then took me around Ulsan the next day to do some errands. Luckily, everything is really close and we walked to most of the stores. We did have some trouble trying to find an adapter and ended up walking around Ulsan for about an hour or more, but it was a nice way to familiarize myself with the city. Eric lives about 30 minutes away so he didn't know exactly where everything was either... it was definitely a fun, interesting journey! Afterwards we went to a Korean BBQ restaurant where we cooked our own meat and then ate chilled noodle soup called "Mul naengmyeon" (Yes, there was ice in it!). It's been pretty hot and humid here, so the soup was a perfect treat to cool down.

I'm slowly getting myself situated here and can't wait to finally get this apartment feeling a little cozier! It already had a bed with sheets, a desk and chair, a TV, an armoire, a little kitchen area with some pots, plates, and utensils, a washing machine, and a bathroom. Once I get settled, I'll take some pictures to share with you. The school is only a block away and I start this afternoon. Can't wait to tell you all about it!