Korea the Sequel
Hello!
I know I kind of left everyone hanging from Ecuador’s Chronicles. The last three months in Ecuador were not only busy, but I was sick on and off for most of the time. I also started taking an on-line course and just trying to arrange my next job.
3 Months of Ecuador, the finale in pictures.. Ok, bad internet connections.. pictures to come
In case you didn’t already know. I am back in Korea. Korea has made it substantially more difficult to get into the country. You now have to have an FBI background check that has to be apostilled in Washington D.C. Pretty manageable if you reside in the U.S. but if you are in Ecuador, getting fingerprints is the biggest challenge. There is only one place in Quito that provides the old-school fingerprinting process and it was about 1 and ½ hours from where I lived and about 2 hours from where I worked. In Ecuador, it seems common practice to have to wait in super long lines to do anything governmental.. and wait I did. I made sure to get about 5 copies too, just in case the FBI were to reject one for a spec of dust. All worked out well, several FedEx packages later.
At home in pictures:
After spending some good quality time at home, I packed up once again for a year in Seoul, South Korea. Arriving a week ahead of schools start was a great idea. I had some time to acclimate to the time difference and absorb all of the things that had slipped my mind from the first time. How did I completely forget about the loogie hacking, the socially acceptable shoving, and the teeth sucking? Despite these things, I am still enchanted with this country. Perhaps it just holds a warm place in my heart because it is where my adventure started.
While I didn’t get much time to write a synopsis on Ecuador; I am still thinking of Ecuador and missing the great people and amazing experiences. I’m starting to notice similarities and differences. One example I started thinking about yesterday, is the bus experience. I am reminded of the (at times) chaotic nature of riding the bus in Ecuador. Korea has made an art of organized bus travel. The buses are timed to a T. They have a screen at each bus stop that tells you when the next bus is arriving. The buses only stop at bus stop locations. You always board in the front and leave from the back. All of the buses are new and pretty spotless. People do still crowd onto the buses, but not like in Ecuador. Ecuador buses on the other hand will pretty much stop anywhere and play really loud bachatta music morning, noon and night. Seems that bus riding is a great way to experience culture.
Anyway, my transition back to Korea has gone pretty smoothly. Teaching this time around is really like teaching. I had to decorate my room, I have to make my own curriculum and all of my lesson plans. It is challenging to say the least. At the moment, I spend every day doing something for work. Hopefully, it will pay off soon and I will have my free time back. I am elated that I have some friends that are still living in Korea, just wish they were a bit closer. At the moment, it doesn’t matter too much, because life is about work this month. Next month I’m sure it will be even more disappointing that they are so far away.
Korea the sequel in pictures:
Hopefully some more posts to come! Miss you!
I know I kind of left everyone hanging from Ecuador’s Chronicles. The last three months in Ecuador were not only busy, but I was sick on and off for most of the time. I also started taking an on-line course and just trying to arrange my next job.
3 Months of Ecuador, the finale in pictures.. Ok, bad internet connections.. pictures to come
In case you didn’t already know. I am back in Korea. Korea has made it substantially more difficult to get into the country. You now have to have an FBI background check that has to be apostilled in Washington D.C. Pretty manageable if you reside in the U.S. but if you are in Ecuador, getting fingerprints is the biggest challenge. There is only one place in Quito that provides the old-school fingerprinting process and it was about 1 and ½ hours from where I lived and about 2 hours from where I worked. In Ecuador, it seems common practice to have to wait in super long lines to do anything governmental.. and wait I did. I made sure to get about 5 copies too, just in case the FBI were to reject one for a spec of dust. All worked out well, several FedEx packages later.
At home in pictures:
After spending some good quality time at home, I packed up once again for a year in Seoul, South Korea. Arriving a week ahead of schools start was a great idea. I had some time to acclimate to the time difference and absorb all of the things that had slipped my mind from the first time. How did I completely forget about the loogie hacking, the socially acceptable shoving, and the teeth sucking? Despite these things, I am still enchanted with this country. Perhaps it just holds a warm place in my heart because it is where my adventure started.
While I didn’t get much time to write a synopsis on Ecuador; I am still thinking of Ecuador and missing the great people and amazing experiences. I’m starting to notice similarities and differences. One example I started thinking about yesterday, is the bus experience. I am reminded of the (at times) chaotic nature of riding the bus in Ecuador. Korea has made an art of organized bus travel. The buses are timed to a T. They have a screen at each bus stop that tells you when the next bus is arriving. The buses only stop at bus stop locations. You always board in the front and leave from the back. All of the buses are new and pretty spotless. People do still crowd onto the buses, but not like in Ecuador. Ecuador buses on the other hand will pretty much stop anywhere and play really loud bachatta music morning, noon and night. Seems that bus riding is a great way to experience culture.
Anyway, my transition back to Korea has gone pretty smoothly. Teaching this time around is really like teaching. I had to decorate my room, I have to make my own curriculum and all of my lesson plans. It is challenging to say the least. At the moment, I spend every day doing something for work. Hopefully, it will pay off soon and I will have my free time back. I am elated that I have some friends that are still living in Korea, just wish they were a bit closer. At the moment, it doesn’t matter too much, because life is about work this month. Next month I’m sure it will be even more disappointing that they are so far away.
Korea the sequel in pictures:
Hopefully some more posts to come! Miss you!