I'm here!

So it has been an interesting start to my stay here in Korea! On my way to the Toronto airport we got a flat tire just 50 meters from my house! I almost missed the plane!!! Thankfully, Heather's mom (Heather is here with me in Korea, and I am currently at her house using her computer) called her dad and he drove me to the airport. I guess if I was superstitious I would have taken that as a sign?
Well, I get to the airport to find out that I should have really read into International travel and learned that I am only allowed to have one carry on. For some reason my thoughts told me I was allowed TWO! Soooo... I get to the line, and the lady gets mad at me, and I am all alone so I get worried that my stuff will have to be left at the airport and get teary eyed, so she let me take it. I guess my sensitivity helps sometimes? Well, I go through security and because I am already teary I start crying... I think it was mostly nerves and knowing that this is a for sure thing now. I try to talk myself out of it, I mean, hello, I have always wanted to do this and I am 24 years old! Grow up right... well my conscience did not want to hear that! The man working at security saw my tears and asked if anything happened. All I could say between my tears was I was sad because I was moving away.... to make me feel better he took me to a fast line in security and then asked me on a date... oh gosh.
Well, I finally start to regain myself and sit waiting for my plane. I make friends with a girl from Manchester and she clams me a little. We talk about travel, work, and about flying (have I mentioned that I hate flying?!) She is great! When we land in New York at JFK she helps me to find my connecting flight. I have to travel by this air subway thing from Terminal 8 to terminal 1. This airport is HUGE! So once I find it I get my ticket stamped and soon realize that means I get to be chosen for a random search. I get taken to a side room with other people who are experiencing the same things. I have to load all my bags and let security open them all and swab them all looking for possible explosives, I also have to walk through this structure that blows air at me to ensure I have no explosives on me. It was an interesting experience to say the least!
I find my gate for Seoul, and just flake out. At this point I had fallen asleep at 2am, woke up at 6, and looking forward to a 14 hour flight. Once on the plane I make friends with the girl sitting beside me. Her name is Young Ju, and she told me her "English" name was Yohanna. We pick the same movie on the flight to watch and talk about it as we watch it! It was a Korean movie, and VERY good! I can't remember the name, but it had Love in he title. One it was meal time I pick the Korean option over the Western one, and she teaches me how to prepare it. It was called Bibibimbap. It had rice, veggies, and beef with sesame oil and red pepper paste, it usually has an egg on top... however, I don't egg... Here in Korea I give my egg to my teacher friends. Anywho... my new found friend gives me her phone number and tells me she is in Seoul for two months and if I am ever there she will take me out, or once I get a phone here and I have any questions to just text her! I have been VERY lucky with making friends thus far! :)
The next flight I need is Seoul to Busan, and with Yong Ju's help I make it to my gate! She asked many people questions in Korean to help speed up the process. Our luggage took a long time to load in Seoul and I had to re-check my luggage!
Once I land in Busan my boss is there to pick me up and takes me to the Motel I am staying at and I learn that I have to stay there until Wednesday and start work the NEXT day. Apparently time difference changes shouldn't affect me! (This is a 13.5 hour time difference from Ontario I think?)
It wasn't actually that bad. I love my school, and all the teachers. It is going to be a bit of an adjustment, but not a hard one. The kids in my school are also VERY cute and love my attention and call me Teacher Sherry. It is very honourable to have the title teacher. My classes range from 15 min to 45 min. This school is a private after-school academy. It is very common for rich children to be put in these programs. Korea is a small country with a HUGE population, so jobs are not always available, and schools are also very competitive. In one of my older classes (13 years old), one of my kids was involved in 4 of these academy's. One for English, one for science, one for all subjects and one for piano. All of these academy's also give out homework. I can't imagine such a work load.
The food here is very good, and also very cheap. When I eat out it is usually $4 per meal. I went out for Korean BBQ last night and Soju (a very common drink here). The BBQ was soooo good. We enter the restaurant and take off our shoes, it is very disrespectful if you don't, then get seated on the floor. There is a grill in the middle of the table and a woman comes over and puts meat on it with full garlic cloves and mushrooms. Then gives you tons of side plates and oil. Once the meat is cooked you take sesame leaves and put the meat you cover in oil and then add some of the sides to it, as well as the garlic and mushrooms, wrap it and eat it. Try it sometime, you will like it!
There is so much more I want to post, but it is getting late and I must be ready to teach Kindergarten in the morning!
Oh, one more thing... here all the students pick their own English names. I have a "Cherry" and when she is being disruptive in class we call her Strawberry hahaha. In Heather's school she has a "Cheese" and "Mysterio".