Anyoung-ha-say-yo

Though that is by no means how it is spelled you now know how to say "hello" in Korean. This is one of many phrases that I must master by the end of Orientation in order to show my future co teachers respect and that I am very interested (and happy?) to learn about Korean Culture.

For those of you who know me pretty well you know that I struggle with learning any language.

However, I DO know that they are a forgiving group of people and will enjoy my efforts at the language.

So far my trip here has been eventful but in a non-threatening or worrisome manner. I am at Jeonju University with a lot of other EPIK teachers all anxiously awaiting for the next day and particularly Wednesday when we all find out which city and school age we will be working with. A lot of people already know the city but I think that is because it is a metropolitan city, like Daegu, where it is practically its own province. In fact, because I thought i was the only one who didn't know where i was going, I looked it up. Daegu is considered its own metropolitan province which is now separate from Gyeongbuk (loosely pronounced John-book). Gyenbuk is my province and I can't wait to find out where I will be going in this wonderful country.

Already a new friend and I have gone exploring around the little university town and find the strange symbols to be quite engaging. We both have decided that we need to take some lessons in Korean so we can get around a bit better.

The weather is hot and humid, much like Missouri, so I'm finding it easier to adjust than most people. Literally there are people from 7 different countries all here for the same thing. I have met countless people from England, Ireland, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and the US. The US dominates, though, as I found out at our official orientation meeting.

I wish I had brought my camera since we were treated to a drum show, a fan dance, and a taekwondo demonstration. I learned my lesson. From now on I will bring my camera EVERYWHERE!

I have pictures of some of the food I have already tried. Kimchi, the side dish that I see everywhere, is going to be an acquired taste. It is a spicy dish of pickled or fermented cabbage with spices. Thank God I love spicy food or I'd be in a world of disappointment with this staple of the Korean diet.