Fearless

I guess it was the six months of planning that went into this whole Korea thing but I’ve never been nervous. I’ve had my moments of apprehension but literally they were moments never lasting more than a few minutes. I realize there are many of you out there whose initial reaction was less than trusting about this idea. I had my doubts too. Not about the stability of Korea, but about the stability of Amy. I mean really, I’m the girl that can’t be on-time to save her life, I lose my cell phone at least four times everyday, and my socks never match. Moving to South Korea, really?  and taking Charles?!?!  hahahaha

However, I’m also the girl that’s always been fearless.  Always.

I just wrapped up my first day here still with no internet or phone and we are settling in just fine. My apartment is fantastic! Much better than what I was expecting.  It’s a pretty little studio and I am right in the middle of downtown.  It’s kind of like the apartment that I always wanted actually, just in South Korea.  I’m on the 15th floor and the view is amazing! You can’t see it in these pictures but everywhere you look there are mountains in the background. I will post more about the apartment later. I haven’t taken pictures inside yet.

  

My first day here has been pretty uneventful.  I’m not sure if that’s a good or bad thing. I got up around 10am (9pm Eastern time zone) unpacked, organized and took Charles for a quick walk. I also spent of good deal of time with Verizon trying to get my phone fixed. Because it’s a Saturday everyone from school is off so I am on my own for the weekend. That’s a bit unnerving. My director, Mr Kim, came by at 3 and took me to the school, the bank to get Korean currency, showed me some parks so Charles has walking area and the local CostCo. He also brought me a few books to look through for teaching. He is extremely kind and helpful.  My first day is Monday so I look forward to that.  It will be nice to have some structure in this unfamiliar land.

After he left I went across the street to a convenience store and had my first shopping experience.  CostCo was a bit to far to go at it alone.  I think if I were actually able to get myself there, I wouldn’t be able to get myself back yet. The GS 25mart (strongly resembles a 7/11) has your normal convenience store items. I picked up a few bottles of waters, cheese sticks, something for dinner, and a few extra drinks.

Paying for it with a 10,000 bill (10,000 Korean won = about $10 US ) was entertaining. I have a wallet full of 10,000 won bills.  haha. They had a decent amount of western foods- Pringles, Coke/Pepsi, Starbucks drinks, and a small selection of ice cream. I learned very quickly that the younger generation is looking at me to practice their English.  It’s cute.  They are eager to greet me with a loud “Hi!”, repeat everything I say at least twice, and then finish the conversation with an enthusiastic “Goodbye! See you later!” with an adorable accent.

As uneventful as today has been, every bit of it has been exhausting. Today I got  unpacked, Charles got two potty breaks (that’s normal for us), I learned where my school and the bank are, how to use the tv and the microwave (all the controls are in Korean) and enough groceries to last me until tomorrow. That’s good enough for me. Tomorrow I will do a little more exploring and perhaps shop at real grocery store.

I still sit a little impressed with myself that I actually did this.  I’m in Korea. I’m going to be a teacher.

*happiness*