Three weeks in....

I'm sorry its been so long since I have written - I have sat down many times to try and encapsulate all that is going on and all that we have done, but I never quite find the energy for it.  I still can't quite describe what the last three and a half weeks have been like, except to say crazy, busy, and intense.  However, I do want to let you know the few "fun" things that I have been able to do thus far.

The first weekend we were here, the school staff took the newbies to a brunch in the Hyatt hotel here in Suwon.  It was a lot of fun - lavish compared to everything else we've been to, and a fun way to try a lot of different Korean foods.  In addition to all the "normal" breakfast foods, there were several types of kimchi, various fish and meat dishes in traditional sauces, lots of fruit (I ate some lychee for Ryan), dimsum with a Korean twist (some of it was very sweet), sweet breads with sweeter paste inside, omelets cooked to order but not all the way through (eggs are always underdone in Korea, I've found), and some of the only whole grain bread I've found here.  Then we went out on the roof, which had two huge inflatable play areas for the kids, to take a new staff picture with Dwight.  It was a good way to end our orientation (as the returning staff came back the next night).

new staff photo - my head is hidden behind Brendan Porter, 

and Amy is next to him with their baby;

the tall man next to me is Dwight

Later that day, after most of us attended a church on campus called "The Nations," we had a pot-luck at Brendan and Amy Porter's home (young Kiwi couple with 3 adorable kiddos, and whom I admire and enjoy a lot), and just hung out together for a good while and enjoyed the last bit of time before everything started to get a bit overwhelming.   The next day we began to meet the returners as they came in, and had a hamburger night with them - but it was still very intimidating for both groups I think - about 60 of them and about 25 of us.   The next few days were filled with meetings, and I did gradually start to meet and get to know a few of the returners.

The first week before school became very busy (more about all of that later), but we still had time to hang out a little.  One of the nights, one of the returning staff who has been generous with helping us out took myself, Esther, and Alyssa (two of the other new single women who are quickly becoming good friends of mine - Esther is from Venezuela, and Alyssa from Minnesota but has taught in Honduras the past 3 years) out to a Korean kalbi restaurant.  It was excellent - a hot charcoal block is palced down the center of the table, a grill screen goes on top, and then raw meat is delivered to the table and placed on the grill.  You get a bunch of sides - some bowls of greens that I didn't recognize, soup, an egg dish (undercooked again - so we didn't really eat any), and something spicy I coudn't describe.  Then you get mushrooms to grill as well, lettuce and other leaves to wrap it in, and a couple of sauces and rice.  You make yourself little lettuce wraps and it tastes SO good.

That weekend I worked a lot, went to The Nations again, and went to the grocery store with Esther, Alyssa, and Aurora (sweet and wise woman from Nairobi, but has lived all over the states and has taught in Turkey).  I also went to a coffee shop to work and visit with Leisha Pitkin (who with her husband Ryan are some of my favorite people here - they are from Nebraska but she grew up in Colorado).  

Leisha

Once school began, things got even busier.  We had our first volleyball tryouts a week ago this past Thursday.  Saturday Esther and I got up early, worked out at the gym at the school and then swam for a while, just relaxing and talking.  Having the pool on campus is so nice!  Saturday night I went out with a bunch of the young married and single ladies - to another Korean place that served tak galbi, a spicier chicken version of what we had before, but without lettuce wraps and eaten with chop sticks.  By the way, chop sticks take some getting used to here - they are metal, with flattened sides which make them very slippery to pick anything up with.  I'm guessing if you can master them here, you are good to go world-wide. :)  We had a fun time hanging out together and seeing some places I had not been to yet in Suwon.

Tak-galbi

 a street in Yeongtong

 [Technically, although I am living in Suwon, the downtown area is pretty far away and I've never been there.  We live in Yeongtong, which would be considered an area of Suwon (kind of like the different districts or NE/SW designations of Portland).]

Tonight, after another busy week of working and teaching, I got to have some fun with the "Down Under" crowd at the school.  They are an awesome bunch - I absolutely love them.  I was invited to come watch a rugby match between the Wallabies and the All-Blacks (the Australian and the New Zealand teams).  Amy Porter (one of the Kiwis, and a new comer like me) had invited me over to hang out, and I had a great afternoon of talking with her and her husband Brendan and finally getting their 4 year old daughter to talk to me (she's never smiled at me or interacted with me yet, so I was getting quite jealous of the few people she does like).  Then they were headed to the Schumacher's apartment (Darren is the elementary school principal, his wife Kylie a first grade teacher, and they are the only Aussies currently here).  Three other couples complete the Kiwi crowd (Amy's parents Robyn and Mike Pettigrew, Clare and Mark Hubbard, and Mike and Isabel Stanley).  One teacher from Canada and one more American completed the crowd, so I felt very privileged to be among them and learning to enjoy their favorite sport. Lots of laughter, lots of good-natured rubbing, and some much needed relaxation ensued.

I have not been to Seoul yet, although I have had a couple of opportunities and decided to turn them down.  There is just, at the moment, a lot to do with school and understanding all the ins and outs of what the IB requires - and heading into the city seems a little daunting when we have so much work that needs to be done here.  Eventually I'll get there - and get to explore Suwon and the beaches to the south as well, hopefully. :)

We are headed on a fun outing next weekend - a bunch of the staff are going white-water rafting together somewhere up by the border.  I'm not sure where, but the pictures I've seen look awesome and I'm SO excited to get out and do something adventurous with these new friends!