West to East: My Arrival in Korea and EPIK Orientation

I've been in South Korea for two-and-a-half weeks now, and I'm convinced that relocating my life to Asia was among the best decisions I have ever made.  Despite the storm of doubts swirling through my mind before I stepped on the plane in Los Angeles, I had enough trust in myself and in the process I began last winter to board my flight and let myself free fall into the Great Unknown.  I'm so, so happy here.

The aesthetically pleasing interior of my Thai Airways flight.  The quality of service, food, and amenities made the 12.5 hours more comfortable than I could have imagined.  If you're flying from LAX to Asia, fly Thai!

I came to Korea to teach English through EPIK, the government-run public school English program.  I might elaborate more on the hiring process in another post; at any rate, I obtained a visa that allows me to live and work in South Korea for one year under my current contract.  When I came here, I was among 300+ EPIK teachers to arrive at the Incheon International Airport for a 9-day orientation in Daejeon.  EPIK hires teachers from the USA, Canada, the UK, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa.



Classroom Management lecture



EPIK teachers

I found the orientation to be immensely helpful in preparing me for life in Korea.  In addition to lectures on classroom management, storytelling, co-teaching, making English more comprehensible, and survival Korean classes, orientation also included a field trip, a Taekwondo class, and the mandatory medical check. 

Uplifting words from medical check-up day.
That day was weird. We were instructed not to drink any water after midnight, so of course my veins were deflated for the AIDS test blood draw. The nurse finally poked the needle into my wrist and I was then shuffled the urine test, where I was given a paper dixie cup to pee in. "Um, this isn't apple juice, folks..." To complete the day's oddities, the women were instructed to strip off their clothes and don a smock before having a chest x-ray... Why? Maybe wire bras are thought to interefere with the picture?).

In a social sense, I absolutely loved orientation.  Being thrown into a new life chapter with a group of other foreigners was wonderful.  It felt like the best parts of summer camp and welcome week in college all at once.  I met so many wonderful new friends and had some unforgettable experiences during our orientation, which made leaving after 9 days a sad affair.  The vast majority of my cohort at orientation is placed in Seoul, while my placement is all the way down in Ulsan.  That being said, I have been in Ulsan for a little more than a week and I love it.  

In Daejeon during orientation.  Neon is so beautiful!

I have a lot more to say, but I will leave this post as an introduction to my new life in the Land of Morning Calm.  안냥히가사ㅣ요!