Finally something to add!!!! I've made it safely :)

Sorry for the massive delay in updating this. I've made it safely to Korea and the trip here alone was an adventure that I'm not willing to try again. Let me explain; After the 23 hour flight and a numb ass I arrived into Seoul to board a bus for yet more time on the ole rear end. The bus ride was 3 hours to Jeonju but it gave me a lot of time to catch up on some much needed sleep as I wasn't able to sleep on the plane due to a pounding headache from the constant change in pressure. Anyways, through 3 airports and across the world, the airlines managed to make sure that all 5 of my checked bags were put onto each plane and made it safely to Korea. Leave it to good ole Nathan to mess that one up! I put all of my bags INCLUDING my carry on into the bottom of the bus for storage. When I was picked up at the bus stop, I was still thinking that I only had 5 bags to get, welllll that wasn't the case. I wound up leaving one of my most important bags sitting at the bus stop and only realized it when I arrived to my school for a visit. LUCKILY, the man who picked me up rushed back to the bus stop and it was still sitting there, unopened, Nintendo Wii and all still inside. That alone gave me a great feeling about the Korean people. That bag would have been stolen in 30 seconds in America.

Well, I spent that night unpacking and just relaxing a bit and getting my bearings together. The next morning I woke up and decided to see what this city has to offer. I walked all over the place looking at symbols that could mean absolutely anything yet I have no clue what they're saying. I was only able to get around due to a pad of paper and a pen in my pocket and insuring I was turning at locations, not street signs. They do in fact have a 7-11 on almost every corner here (mom you would be happy) but they certainly don't have a Slurpee on board!!

Anyways, come to find out one of the women I'm working with (I say women because she's my age yet I still feel like I'm a little kid) is living in the same place I am yet she's been here for 2 months now. She invited me out to a party of one of her other "foreign" (meaning non Korean) friends and I decided to go. It was a great choice on my part because I was able to meet a great group of people who were all very inviting and welcoming to new comers to the area. We didn't get home until 7am the next morning!!! I also had the pleasure of finding out exactly what Soju is.....which you may want to Google it to see the true definition but it's only $1 for a bottle and it will get you drunk pretty fast. Mix it with Sprite and you have no idea you're drinking it. Luckily everyone here takes taxi's to get around and they're dirt cheap so there's no worries of a DUI.

You're probably wondering how I'm adapting to the food, believe me, I was worried about that as well. It's actually really good and almost everywhere you go you can order food that is cooked right on a grill in front of you. They bring you hot coals and all the sides to go with your meal and it's really good. I was venturing to the local grocery store and walked by a guy who was getting my attention to try something he was cutting up. On closer review it was dried eel. I figured, "hey when in Rome right?" I picked up a piece of it, threw it in my mouth as if it were an every day thing, and started to chew. It was surprisingly really good and sweet as well. Not that I'll be eating it every day but if push came to shove then I wouldn't mind snacking on it again. I do in fact have a great backup plan of cereal and ham and cheese sandwiches in my fridge though.

My apartment is hmmmmmm, shall I say "roomy?" That's exactly what it is, a room. I can't complain though, it's cozy and the room is heated through the floor which is really nice on the toes! The sink/shower combination took some getting used to but it's really not that bad. I just have to turn a nozzle and it's either water running through the faucet or the shower head and the water pressure and temperature are just fine. The bed is like sleeping on the floor. There's absolutely no give in it and I had to purchase my own pillows but really, for not having to pay for the place, I can't complain and will no longer due so!

Now, for the reason I'm actually in Korea. I started teaching yesterday and had about 2.5 hours to prepare what I was going to do. I have lesson plans and books for each class and follow a syllabus but it's up to me to actually get on stage and perform. My first class was a mess, I ran out of material with about 25 minutes left in class and started to panic but I pulled it together and started to improvise. Luckily the second class went much smoother as I was able to throw together a word search in between to cover the time gap. Today's my second day and it should go relatively smooth but I'm prepared to fight the good fight and come out a winner in any case!!

I'm thinking of getting some fish for the apartment so you'll have to stay tuned to the next addition for that and pictures to come! I love you all and miss you!!!