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Published: March 22nd 2010
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Today was the first day of training. Today was the day that Bethany and I have been preparing for for the last 4 months. Today we took 4 tests. Tests that we would have to pass to become that english teacher we keep telling people we will become. But before I get to that, we ran into our first disappointment.
I have been avoiding the act of looking for my belt for the last 2 days only because I wasn't sure I knew where it was. Today I looked. And looked. And looked some more. Then one skype conversation with Dan in Orting confirmed my greatest fear: I left it hanging in the closet. This was the PERFECT belt. It was black... and brown. It was the last belt anyone would ever have to buy. It was two belts in one, a reversible end-all belt. The kind of belt that immediately halted the life-long search for the perfect belt. It was gone. So, wearing a pear of slacks and a buttoned-up shirt tucked in I wore no belt. Minor on most days. But this day was far from most days. This was the day we had been waiting for for almost a year. I had bought a plane ticket and boarded a plane to Korea, told all of my friends and family and others who were willing to listen that I was going to Korea to teach english, spent two days in korea, studied for months to prepare for a test that if I did not pass I would be sent home and forced to buy another plane ticket.... and I forgot my belt. The morning was spent wondering how I was going to take on this huge day without a belt. It is a morning that you hope goes flawlessly, but it ended with nothing to hold my pants up with. But I persevered and decided to push through the devastation.
Bethany and I, after breakfast, met down in the lobby to meet our fellow trainees. There we met Adam and Laura from Canada (Toronto), Bobbi from Louisiana, a girl we will call "Bonnie" (for obvious reasons- not mentioned here) from Michigan, Steve from England, Patience from Louisiana/LA, Oscar from El Paso, Zander currently from San Antonio, and (forgot his name) from (forgot were he was from too). An eclectic bunch for sure. A lot of interest stories and some awkward "get to know you" conversation. No one's story was more interesting than Bobbi's (of course I don't know if her name is spelled with an I or a Y but she looks like an I bobbi to me). The first plane she had ever been on was the one she took from Dallas to Seoul, Korea less than 24 hours before meeting in the hotel lobby. Woah. That is a change of pace, huh?
The bus ride to our training facility was rather uneventful until we passed the "BMW Kolon Motors" dealership. This was the ice-breaker the group was looking for. But of course (forgot his name) was quick to point out that it was spelled wrong so therefor it could not be funny. Boy was he wrong!
Training began with a quick orientation and then some quick do's and don't's. But mainly the orientation was made up of a "how to spot swine flu" seminar. Apparently Chung Dahm (company we are applying with) had a swine flu breakout and forced them to shut down operation across Korea for a week, costing them 3 million US dollars. At one point they conducted their entire week of training with all trainees wearing face masks. Mock teaching to a bunch of adults is one thing, but while doing it with a mask on borders the "I'm not doing that line."
After orientation it was our job to make our way to the Seoul Medical Center and go through a battery of tests to make sure we didn't have swine flu or any other life-threatening transmittable plague. So after getting your weight and height measured, taking an eye test (or failing an eye test, in my case), having your blood pressure measured, getting chest x-rays, having your blood drawn, and giving them a urine sample in a paper dixie cup you were all set! A few things in the Seoul Medical Center struck me as odd. The first thing being that it was packed. The second was waiting in the lobby area, right by the door, and watching multiple VERY sick patients being pushed around in their bed on wheels. These patients were often colorless or pale, shivering or constantly wrestling to find a more comfortable position and all of them were laying on their sides nearly in the fetal position. Not a comforting site for all of the other 50 people in the waiting area. These were simply things that go on in the back of most hospitals.
The other oddity was the whole urinate into this dixie cup procedure. It not being a medical container was one thing but the fact that we then put the dixie cup on a tray with everyone else's dixie cup of pee was not a pretty sight. To see the various colors of yellow with the darkest being orange and the lightest being a faint yellow- almost white was extremely different. This tray also was placed right beside the machine that gave you your number for the waiting line to have your blood drawn and to receive your dixie cup.
Since Washington state (or at least Orting/Puyallup area) didn't see one inch of snow this winter it was quite the scene outside the hospital as we left. Snow was coming down as hard as I have ever seen it. Even Adam (the Canadian) was impressed by the precipitation. Walking in the snow to the subway and eventually to our hotel was wet and freezing but the inner-child enjoyed every second of it. Here I was, finally in Korea, with signs all around me continuously telling me that I was in another country. The excitement was finally there. I was enjoying my new surroundings that was being blanketed with heavy snow and for a moment I had forgotten I wasn't wearing a belt.
Walking into a grocery store I was surrounded by unfamiliarity. I was thrilled, but I knew one day these same thrills would be the root of my frustration as living in a new country eventually will catch up to me. But this is a part of the process that I am glad is starting. Getting lost in the subway and having to walk back in the snow with no umbrella being the only ones on the street with no protection from the snow. All of these things are now exhilarating and fun. I'll let you know when those things turn on me...
Oh yeah, I passed all the tests.
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Roger Joslin
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Korea at last
Wouldn't miss this adventure for anything!