Week 1

We arrived about one week ago tonight.... it feels like we've been here a month already. We are loving it!

Saying Goodbye the morning we left Indy. We have the best parents!!!

Outside by one of the biggest ports in the world, or so we hear. Behind Jon is the Jagalchi fish market where you go in and buy live fish and take it to one of the upstairs floors where there are restaurants that cook it for you. We'll have to try it sometime.

One of the entrances to Jagalchi Fish market. There are rows of people in those long yellow aprons who sell you the live sea creatures. You can see little squids squirting around in their tank waiting for someone to come along and eat them.

On the side of the road - just someone's little stand selling live eels. Yum.

This sign is in our subway station... we aren't sure what it means.... our guess is something to do with hemorrhoids. Any guesses out there???

This is the outside of our school building. Brighton Junior English School. Our school is the entire 4th floor and as you can see there is an outdoor playground on the roof! Also where we hang our laundry to dry.

Jon's first snack from a street vendor. He was so excited about it and says it was delicious. I see more street vendors in our future!

Menu at the "Orange Shop" that is on the first floor of our building. Orange Shops are the Korean equivalent of a fast food place in the states.

Me at dinner - super exhausted from jet lag and trying to keep up with and learn the names of so many new kids. Week one was adrenaline... now we hit a bit of a tired wall, but this too shall pass!

The infamous KIMCHI!!! A Korean staple! Some form of kimchi is served with every meal. It is fermented cabbage with really spicy hot sauce. I haven't braved it yet since anything the slightest bit hot burns my lips.... but Jon already likes it!!! He's practically Korean now.

The first time we went to a restaurant by ourselves we had no idea what we were ordering. This is what showed up.

And again - brave Jon.... eating anything you put in front of him! Surprisingly enough we haven't felt sick or had any real digestion problems so far. He has a gut of steel!

This is the back entrance up to our apartment in the same building as our school.

And last, but not least, the Korean version of Milk and Oreos! Not quite the same as real oreos, but they will suffice. And the milk strangely enough has the very strong odor of sweet corn!

The first week has been great! We already feel like we are getting more comfortable here, navigating around by bus and subway. Public transportation rocks!!! We have spent several class periods shadowing other teachers and sitting in on the kids we will take over teaching. I think we are beginning to get the hang of the system. We both have partner teachers who are English speaking Koreans who write our syllabus for us and gather our materials for class - all we do is take it in class and teach it. I think it will be pretty fun and laid back. For us to have our week nights and weekends together has been wonderful! Our first day of teaching is Thursday!!! We'll let you know how it goes.