Seoul - First Impressions

I was originally planning to write about just about everything else that has happened since I flew out of Charlotte, but the details are so numerous they'd spill off the screen. So I'll try to give you an overview of my first three days here without overdoing it. Fortunately, today, March 1st, is a national holiday, so I did not have to show up at the school to teach. I've been instructed to be at the school tomorrow morning, dressed "formally", ready for the school to "present" us and their program to our future students and their parents. As far as I can tell it should only last a couple of hours and then I should have the remainder of the day off again. Wednesday we start full blast.

Ok, where to begin. I'm not going to lie, the trip over here seemed to be never ending. By the time I crashed in my bed at the motel the first night I had been up for 28 hours. (Not counting the restless naps I managed to steal on the planes). I tried to stay awake on the hour long drive from the airport into downtown Seoul but I kept falling asleep. All I remember seeing were all the red neon crosses perched atop numerous churches, together with lots of colorful lights and looming skyscrapers. 

The last couple of days have not been all sugar and spice. As with all transitions, there have been some hurdles and moments of panicking, but also bright glimpses into the future. I finally was moved into my new place late Sunday afternoon. The teacher who had formerly occupied it moved out in a hurry and left quite a mess behind. A lady was hired to clean it out before I got there, but even so I have spent hours scrubbing things down and wiping out cabinets. I spent most of today unpacking and getting settled. There were still a few more things to put away, but I decided around 4 p.m. to take a break and go out exploring in the city.

The city, oh the city!!! Seoul is truly amazing - a ridiculously huge city full of character. And I'm slowly but surely learning my way around my neck of the woods. I decided to head out in search of a big mall called Coex that I'd heard some of the other teachers talking about. I really enjoyed my brisk walk throw the cold, lightly snowy air through block after block of fascinatingly designed buildings, wide open streets, glitzy store fronts and crazy lights. Seoul is very much westernized, with Starbucks and Dunkin' Donuts on every other corner.

The large Coex Mall reminded me very much of a huge shopping center back in Caracas, called Sambil, with it's modern design and dizzy flurry of activity and shoppers. Seoul must be the city where love happens, as literally everywhere you look you see couples arm in arm, talking, laughing or sharing a kiss. I could hardly believe it as I watched couple after couple of smartly dressed young Koreans pass me by in the mall. It's something you have to see to understand. Even the few foreigners (like myself) that I saw were hanging on someone's arm...

All in all I have to say I am doing just fine. I only wish I had internet at my apartment so that I could be in better contact with people back home but internet cafes like the one I'm at now will have to do for the moment. I am going to head on home now, as the air is thick with cigarette smoke and I can't bear it anymore. One thing you notice quickly about Koreans - they smoke, A LOT! Everywhere you look you see people lighting up. At least my room is smoke free! I'll write more later about how everything goes at the school. I'm so grateful for all the prayers and support from the friends and family back home.

Until next time,

Heather