Wild Blue Yonder: 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.