Bus times

An extremely blurry picture of a usual night on the bus home.

Waiting for the Bus

Waiting for bus is probably on of my favorite parts of working in Korea. You never know who, or what, you'll see. Right now I'm standing across from a tiny espresso place called Sleepless in Seattle. It's always interesting to see what parts of American pop culture have survived abroad, and thos tiny shop is probably my favorite example.

Harry Potter receives a parcel...

This is our Korean friend Hyun Seung, his English name is Harrison. We call him Harry...

A New Project

I just realized I haven't been posting here as much as I should, but I do have to very good reasons why I haven't been posting as much: one, midterms just finished which were taking up a large majority of my time,and two, I've started a new project! It's a tumbler all about crazy t- shirts in Korea, it's called, thatshirtsayswhat.tumbler.com

Please check it out, there are definitely going to be a ton of posts on this one.

Laundry Day

With limited space for drying clothes in our suite today, I decided to get creative and make another clothes line.

Bathroom Explosion

We are so thankful that the bathroom is the shower, it makes taking care of these kinds of problems much easier.

Dinner and a show

My favorite foods and a Korean cartoon in the dormitory lounge = the perfect ending to a wonderful day of teaching :)

A Night in Daegu

Our adventures in downtown Daegu always begin with a walk past the lake behind our dorms. The weather has finally cooled off, making the trek to the subway a more pleasant experience. It only takes thirty minutes from Yeungnam by subway and we're downtown enjoying the lights and sounds of yet another festival. After two months we've found our favorite shops and restaurants. There are a ton of wonderful thrift stores piled to the rafters with hidden treasures. After.several hours of browsing, and occasionally purchasing, its back underground to the subway for the ride home. The air is damp and cold. We can see our breath as we pass street vendors and young couples on the path back to the dorms. No matter what happens, there's always a story to tell, and someone willing to listen.

Moments, Memories, and Milestones

Life before Korea was a big question, and I assumed that was just the way life was always going to be, but I've discovered there's a difference between simply have questions, and actually getting out there and finding the answer. In Korea, a single day can last a year, and a day can also suddenly become one moment. Korea has taught me that nothing will ever happen the same way again, ever. Cherish every moment, never back down, always keep smiling, cry when you must, laugh until you cry, hug at every opportunity, embrace your fears, worry little, love more, teach always, and never, ever be content in a life that is unfulfilled. 

First day in Korea, heading from Incheon to Jochiwon for national orientation.

Meeting 300 of the most amazing people in the world and then saying goodbye after three weeks.

Saying goodbye again at regional orientation.

New roommates, familiar faces. 

New adventures with new roommates and new friends.

What you think will happen when you arrive in Korea...

Meeting your students, which makes all the trouble worth it.

Reflectiony Stuff

In the midst of all the newness I'm experiencing from kpop to pig's belly, I thought I would take a moment and post a few songs from back home that kind of sum up everything that's happened so far.

First up is Paramore's "In the Mourning," which might sound slightly depressing, but there are days when you want to give up, or sleep in, or run away to a tropical paradise, but you can't. For me, at this moment, this song is all about letting go of everything that has happened and picking yourself back up each day, plus its a fabulous song.

Second, is Carole King's "So Far Away." I think all of the English teachers who participated in national orientation with our group have felt this in the past four weeks since heading our separate ways. Even though we aren't really that far away, we still feel the separation deeply, and the news that second teacher must return home for personal reasons makes me think of this song even more today... Ali, you will be missed.

Even with all the separation there are still new adventures to be had, and anytime I meet up with other English teachers from around Korea this song plays through my head...

The past month and a half has been amazing, I now have friends from all corners of the world, and we're all in one place: Korea. It wouldn't have been possible for anyone to have such a wonderful experience as I have had thus far without every single person I have met along the way, from the elderly woman who kept me entertained on my first flight, to all my fellow TaLK scholars near and far, to the coordinators Justin and Jasmine, to random strangers who have offered me food and assistance with transportation, to my family and friends back home, thank you. Just remember...

Let Me Explain... No, There is Not Enough Time... Let Me Sum Up

I have so many stories to tell, from my first few days of teaching, to mishaps in public transportation, to all my new friends at the university here, but there really isn't time right now. Between lesson planning and getting ready for university courses I don't have much time tonight. Here are some highlights: (to be sung to the Twelve Days of Christmas)

On the first day of teaching the bus driver delivered me, to Sinhan-ro instead of Sinhak-ri.
On the second day of teaching my school gave to me, sixth graders throwing crayons, and Sinhan-ro instead of Sinahk-ri.
On the third day of teaching my university gave to me, two Korean guides, sixth graders throwing crayons, and Sinhan-ro instead of Sinhak-ri.
On the fourth day of teaching my school gave to me, an Aesop fable to dictate, two Korean guides, sixth graders throwing crayons, and Sinhan-ro instead of Sinhak-ri.

...and that's all I've got, until tomorrow :)

Until next time, which I promise will be very soon,

Dominique

Yeungnam at Last

Yesterday we left regional orientation at STX and went our separate ways to our individual schools, well sort of. Four of us are participating in an exchange program with Yeungnam University, just outside of Daegu. We are separated in two different suites, but within those suites we are roommates. I know that sounds really confusing, but its really the only way I can explain it.

The Office of International Programs has been so welcoming and helpful, it has been a pleasure to be here thus far. The only downside to the university is the fact that it is one of, if not, the largest in Korea. Everything is quite spread out, and many of us are looking into getting bikes for the coming semester. Tomorrow I will visit one of the two schools I will be teaching at; expect photos soon.

First Typhoon

Between national orientation ending, and a five day intensive regional orientation going on, I haven't had much time for posting. There is a backlog of video footage like you would not believe on my camera. Hopefully I'll have some of it uploaded later this week, but for now I'd like to introduce you to Bolevan, which is moving across Korea as we speak. Now don't freak out, Group 2 is perfectly safe in the mountains of our province, far from the coastal waters, but it will rain a lot, and be very windy for the next few days.

Counting down the final hours... 10, 9, 8...

So, I have to be out of my dorm room in less than ten hours leaving me very little time to post anything. Instead of typing out all my profound and ridiculous thoughts, I have decided to compile a group of quotes instead, using pinterest...

for Katie

teaching advice

more teaching advice

TaLK scholars

super good advice

Second to Last Day in Jochiwon

Seoul Time

This weekend I hope to upload a few videos to the vlog, but I signed on to help with our group video project which is due next Tuesday morning. So we'll see what happens. This weekend marks the end of week two of orientation, and the beginning of our final week at national orientation. Its going to be a very sad time when we all go our separate ways in a week and Lowell moves five blocks further into Jochiwon, Josh heads up to the most remote school on the northern border of the country (be safe Josh! Don't wander too much farther north!), Nina, and our English chaps, James and Henry depart for warmer regions of the country, and all of our coordinators go back to their real jobs. There are still many more I will miss, but fortunately, my province, Gyeongbuk has just over a hundred foreign Englsih teachers, and over fifty of those scholars are from the current group at orientation. 

Where are we going? Well, school doesn't officially start here until the beginning of September, so we have a one week orientation with our Provincial Office of Education. And we're staying here:

The STX Resort is located about an hour away from the town of Mungyeong in Gyeongbuk, which unfortunately means no church on Sunday :( but there might not even be a church in Mungyeong,so I'll just have to wait for Daegu. We're going to spend a week there, having more lectures and more activities (we're going to a shooting range), and the best part is our rooms have a kitchen/living room, and we'll be living three people to one room.

But enough about POE orientation. Today we're all headed up to Seoul to see Nanta, a crazy cooking show where they through food in the air in an incredibly cool/Asian way (at least that's what I've heard), and then we're off to Namsan tower.

Jochiwon Days, and Nights...

Since arriving in Korea, I really haven't been able to update my blog/vlog as much as I'd like. The main reason for this is that I'm outside all day, and some of the night, taking video and experiencing everything that goes along with teacher orientation. There are almost three-hundred of us in orientation, if not more, so there are always new people to meet and get to know better. 

In other news, the weather has finally cooled off! For the last couple of days it rained pretty hard, even causing some landslides in other parts of the country. Today, however, was sunny, warm (but not humid) with a wonderful breeze, which makes it hard to stay indoors all day in lectures, but the lectures are all wonderful as well. Today we had a lecture on classroom magic, where we learned five or six different magic tricks, like how to make a card disappear and other interesting activities. 

But where am I? Seriously, if someone could tell me I would appreciate it. According to this map, Jochiwon is the red circle, but it looks outdated because Daegu is spelled with a T. Our college campus is on the edge of Jochiwon (the town), but occasionally we'll wander in to find food, karaoke, bowling, drinking, and American food.  

Because the weather is so beautiful, Kesley, Florina (better known as Flo-flo), two of my Eastern Michigan University friends, and I are going to take a walk up the trail behind campus, which is supposed to lead us to a lake. Today has been the first day where you could walk outside and you didn't immediately feel wet from the humidity. We can't wait for the fall.

Orientation Officially Begins

A couple of days ago we were in Seoul for an opening ceremony thrown by the government agency that sponsors our program, and it was amazing. We had a fabulous time running around Seoul in the afternoon, and I even met a celebrity!

 Okay, obviously its not the real Jang Keun-suk, but it was still pretty cool. Since then we've been attending lectures every day and meeting wonderful people in the process. My province is Gyeongbuk, which is a really big province. I love orientation, but I can't wait till I'm settled in at school. I'm off to breakfast, I can't wait to see what we're eating today. Expect a food gif later this week.

Day Three

There are so many videos and pictures to post just from these past few days, but unfortunately I have many things to finish before orientation begins tomorrow, so those will have to wait. Until then here's the first meal we had after arriving on Saturday. I'm still not sure what everything was, but it was delicious, and the good news is I love kimchi!

 Today we visited a tradition Korea village exhibit about two hours away from our orientation location (don't ask me to pinpoint either of these places at this time, I'm still getting over jet-lag). I've met so many amazing people and been having a wonderful time, but our first official day of orientation begins bright and early tomorrow, and I need to sleep.

On Leaving...

Right now its 10:40a.m. in Seoul, and about 7:30p.m. in Omaha. Still not ready for the flight tomorrow, and probably won't be for several hours, but I wanted to post something on my last day at home. I don't think it will hit me for a few more days that I'm actually going to South Korea. The hardest thing is going to be being away from Kyle (my boyfriend) of course, but it will also be hard being so far away from my best friends, and missing the births of Riley and Isaac later this fall. I am, however, looking forward to some time and space from everything. I am also looking forward to dorm life. I live at home in my home town because its very close the university I attend and so spending money on dorms would just be a waste of money I don't have.

I don't really have time for more right now...

Until tomorrow,
Q

Saying Goodbye

Today is my last day in Omaha, and there's still so much to do! But last night I took a small break from the crazy packing adventure I've been on the past few days to hang out with my boyfriend, my brothers, and a few close friends. Unfortunately Rob, who works in Kansas City, but comes back on the weekends to hang out with us, couldn't be there, so this video is for him.

First Video Post

Here is my first attempt to vlog this trip, enjoy.

Leavin' on a Jet Plane!

I can't believe its only two days till I leave the U.S. for six months. This summer has flown by so fast; only two weeks ago I thought I wasn't going to be studying abroad this semester, and then everything just fell into place. I'm taking a semester abroad at Yeungnam University, which is just outside Daegu, South Korea. While I'm there I will be teaching English as a second language in rural grade schools. Its a great opportunity and I can't wait to tell you all about it!

 I'm going to try and keep this blog updated throughout my stay in South Korea for all my friends and family back home. Hopefully, I'll have enough time in between flights on Thursday to snap a few photos and add a couple of short posts, I'm also going to try a video post. You can expect to see more posting after August 6th when I get settled in at the dorms for orientation. 

Until then,

Q