I'm perhaps the only native English speaker in Samcheonpo

First Week

I, like many young people with a college degree and no real immediate life plan, have decided to spend the next year teaching in South Korea. I went through an agency and they placed me in a school in Sacheon, but I am actually in Samcheonpo. Apparently, the two cities have become one. It is close to Busan, but somewhat remote (read: little foreign influence). Getting here was a chore. After several sleepless hours on a plane I had arrived at Incheon airport via Los Angeles and Tokyo, and was immediately greeted by a very high strung taxi driver holding a sign with my name on it. He was to take me to a bus terminal on the other side of Seoul. He insisted on taking my heaviest bag--he couldn't have been more than 120lbs after a big meal--and we got into his Kia minivan on the road to Seoul. Seoul to me was nothing more than a blur of neon as my heavy-footed taxi man dodged in and out of traffic, the little kitschy bird on his dash bobbled with each turn. He talked on his cell phone incessantly, no doubt having a bit of a laugh at my expense. I heard him utter the word 'cowboy' once or twice. He came to a screeching halt at a curb in front of the bus terminal, not concerned if whether or not it was a good place to leave a vehicle. He helped me with my luggage to the proper bus queue, and even bought me a ticket (did he have to do this?). The 11pm (local time) bus was already full, so I had to wait for the 11:30, and my crazy little taxi driver waited to make sure I got on this bus. I thanked him for his help, and gave him a 10,000 won tip (big spender, uh, not really, about $10) which it is not customary here, but I appreciated his assistance. He almost would not take it.

How long to get to Sacheon by bus? 4 hours?!!! Well, apparently Sacheon is the last stop, so at least I can sleep, right? Two hours of fitful sleep maybe, at best. I tried to catch glimpses of the terrain as it sped past my window, but it was very dark and I soon became aware that we were driving in a very thick cloud of fog, a very ominous sign for my journey. I do not know how the driver could see the road. From where I sat, I could not see the headlights 10 feet past the front of the bus. Suddenly I had to find a bathroom, bad. I sat in agony for what seemed like an hour, as there had been no toilet on this bus. We pulled into a stop, and the driver yelled something and got off, as did a few of the passengers, but not everyone. This could not be the end of the line, where I thought Sacheon was supposed to be. I thought of getting off anyway so I could relieve myself, but it did not know where I was and thought it best to stay with the bus. Then the driver got back on the coach and began gesturing at me and finally I understood that he was saying Sacheon. I alighted from the bus and nearly fell due to a cramp in my leg. I started pulling luggage out of the compartment, as my boss saw me and was nearly run down by a taxi as she crossed the road to greet me.

I left my bags with her on the curb and her husband pulled the van around I found a bathroom, which very much reeked of urine. We piled my bags and ourselves into the van, which also had an uninviting smell--old fish. My hagwon boss, Sunny, had made small talk with me on the way to my apartment. I came to a quick realization--if this is how the head of a school that teaches English speaks English, I am in trouble. Do not get me wrong over this week I have grown somewhat fond of Sunny, I never really liked any of my bosses, but she will not be ashamed to admit that regarding her speaking ability there is much to be improved upon.

My flat. I live on the fourth floor (no elevator), and I tried to persuade Sunny's husband to let me carry my bag myself, as his stature is far less than mine, as is really almost anyone's. The apartment door had a keypad that made funny sounds as the mechanism unlocked. And then I was shocked...in a good way. Clean and modern, even a bit bigger than I had pictured. I even have a washing machine. Two things struck me though. 1.) The former tenant, Erin, my predecessor at the school, and only predecessor, as I am only the second foreign teacher at this school, had left several of her belongings. Did she leave in a hurry, or just could not take everything with her? And 2.) There was no shower stall, just a hose and shower coming from the sink and a drain in the middle of the bathroom floor. This was more odd than an inconvenience, you can ask any of my former roommates if it bothers me to have water on the bathroom floor. At 4am Sonny and her husband left--he gave me a hug, again odd--and I immediately fell asleep. Woke up the next morning, went out on my terrace (moving up in this world), rubbed the sleepiness out of my eyes, and gazed in disbelief. I have a tremendous view from my terrace. It was too dark the night before to notice. I went back in, Erin had left some coffee, still fresh even, and a mini coffee maker. So as I stood in my kitchenette (no oven or microwave) I glanced out the window above the sink at another great view. I sat down on the terrace with my coffee and a novel Erin had left, and enjoyed my new life, king of all that I looked upon.

Later I would go in for an orientation at my school, which is very close, and the next day I would begin teaching. The native teachers seem nice, but again there are very strong communication barriers. They are English teachers for f***'s sake. I am, without a doubt, the greatest English speaker in all of Samcheonpo. *There might be other foreign teachers at the three other English schools in town. Somewhat of a pointless distinction, however, taking into account that I am also the worst Korean speaker in town, as I am yet to find any deaf mutes (they are out there, I sense it).

Classes this week started off a bit rough, but smoothed out by Friday. I will not bore you with the details of my teaching ethos or methodology, yet. But, I have no qualms in saying that I am already a better teacher than some of the teachers I have had in the past. I went to the local Wal-mart style supermarket, Homeplus, and from the large sign I noticed this was owned by Tesco. Inside, however, was nothing like my beloved Tesco in St. Andrews. Where was the Tesco Kick, the Tesco's Finest, and even those awful sausage rolls? I bought a converter for my computer, and proceeded to blow it up after only an hour of use. Much quicker, I must admit, than it took to melt one back in Scotland. Hopefully now I have resolved my computer issues by buying, of all things, a battery charger.

In an amazing week, here are two things to note:

One, my people are a rare breed in this town. I actually saw another American in different checkout lane of Homeplus, I know because he wore a Chicago Cubs hat, and oh, he was also Caucasian, plus we gave each other a solemn head nod, in solidarity or something. But when I was finished at the check-out, I looked up and like a unicorn or a leprechaun, he was gone. I am very much an oddity in town. Kids stop me on the street to practice their English. I think that this is the only time ever in my life that while walking down a sidewalk a group of school girls all wanted to stop and talk to me, though this doesn't hold the same significance to me as would have when I was, say, 15.

Two, although I enjoy some Korean food, I rather hate the way they eat it. I am trying to be open-minded, but any culture that does not embrace the chair or the fork while eating is backward in my book. Sunny and her family took me to a Korean bbq, and believe me, I had very much looked the part of a complete and utter nOOb, to use some video game terminology. Perched on the floor, my legs quickly fell asleep, which was for the best I assume, as I repeatedly dropped hot food onto them. What can I say, the food that made it into my mouth was good. As the great Randall Marden once said, 'Why can't I just eat like a normal person'. Sunny's husband wants to take me fishing.

This entry has already become very lengthy, so I will talk about my classes more in a later post, as well as include more pictures soon from around Sacheon. Did I mention it is a three day weekend? Just what I need after a long 4 days of work. Thank you Chuseok--Korean Thanksgiving.

p.s. If you know me, you must know that I am thus far enjoying myself, as evident by the fact that my writing does not include as much of the usual cynicism and sarcasm.

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