First Day Craziness!

February 25, 2014

Today was a very interesting day and not how I thought it would go.  My director picked me up at 9 this morning to take me to the hospital for the medical exam I need in order to stay in the county.  My director is a woman not to be messed with, just to let you know.  She walks as if there is a fire on her butt and doesn’t slow down for anything.  Think of a typical American business woman on her phone while driving, breastfeeding, and drinking coffee all while mapping out the work schedule for the day, only multiply that by 10.  That is my director.

I say this because I was rushed from one room to another where they measured my eye sight (which I thought I would fail that test haha), my hearing, my height, weight, and blood pressure.  They then pushed me to the bathroom and told me to pee in a cup.  I was then rushed to another room and told to lay down and pull my shirt up.  So far up that everything was exposed, but I was NOT to completely remove my shirt.  Honestly, it would been easier just to remove the shirt.  Anyway, the doctor then clips these, well, clips on my wrists, ankles, and bare chest (yes, even those…) to measure my heart.  I was a bit mortified because that was never done like that before!  Anyway, she finishes, I dress and then they sit me at the desk and stick a needle in my arm to draw blood.  Before I could say “ow” I was rushed to another room on the first floor where they took an x-ray of my chest.  I then speed-walked across the hospital lobby to meet with another doctor.  After sitting in the waiting room for literally 5 seconds, my director was tapping her feet and calling every nurse to ask when it was my turn.  I then get called in, the doctor listens to my heart, says I’m good and we leave.

Yeah.  That was only the beginning of my day. 

She then took me to the Paris Baguette shop and told me to pick out some bread…quickly.  I chose two items and she grabbed some milk.  She paid and we ran to the car and drove to the school.  When we got there (after she parked in the handicap spot, oh and p.s. she’s not handicapped) we went to the 8^th floor where the school is and I was told to sit and eat in the teacher’s room. I ate it quickly (not really knowing what was to happen next) and waited.  Another teacher gave me a tour of the small school and then a Korean teacher handed me a schedule for the day.  I followed it to a tee, observing the classrooms and helping out where I could.  In the afternoon, they had an orientation for the new Kindergarten students and their moms.  I, along with the other teachers, had to introduce ourselves and then do a song with the children.  We then took the kids into classrooms and did a “cooking” activity where they assembled hamburgers, one for them and one for mom.  The kids were then dropped off to their parents and we were pretty much done. 

Overall I like the school.  The children are as cute as anything and the class sizes are small. The children know a lot more English than I thought they would and they are fast learners.  I am looking forward to working with them. 

After work some of the teachers and I went out to dinner around the corner from where I work in Dongtan and I ordered Kimbimbab.  I enjoy this rice and veggie meal, though I look forward to trying other foods soon too. 

Oh and I took the bus home with two teachers.  This was my first time on a Korean bus and it was a very bumpy ride.  A lot of stopping short and I was dismayed at having put 2000 won in the box and not receiving change.  I should have gotten 900 back, but here they don’t have those automatic money payment things on the buses, where you zip the money in like a vending machine and it spits out the correct change.  Here I put the money in and the driver was impatient as he gestured for me to keep moving.  I wasn’t going to argue with a grumpy Korean!

When I got home everyone else went out to meet people or do classes.  I spent the evening working out the subway maps and finding events to do in the area or around Seoul.  I’ll keep you updated on any fun adventures I undertake!

 

안녕!