5:22am and I can't seem to get back to bed.

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I've been here a full day, I got in Saturday night at around five pm, and saw Seoul a little bit before we hopped on a bus to the train that took us to Mokpo. Actually I just saw a shopping center built into the train station in Itaewon and then the scenery at night so I really only saw the neon lights of the city while riding around on a bus, and some train stations along the way to Mokpo.
Yesterday I got up early, not as early as today (I might try going back to bed after writing this,) and my roommates showed me around Mokpo when they woke up.
The hard part right now is staying up past 9pm, which starting tonight I'll have to do because my work schedule is from 3pm-9:10pm. I found out more about my position yesterday, apparently I do teach subjects in english and not just english. I work in a private school called a 'hagwon'. I guess Korean kids are expected to acheive a lot; most go to public school early in the morning AND THEN private school until late in the evening and sleep and then do it again. I was told by my roommate that the first city she worked in had no playgrounds or places for children to play in public, and that Mokpo has several parks to take ones' children is an anamoly. Yesterday we walked through one at the waterfront and it was kind of cool to see so many families out and about with their kids. They had these vehicles like the american power wheels except unlike power wheels they made blaring beeping and klaxon noises of various tones. Walking through the middle of it was chaotic and audibly overwhelming. They even have electric kids' cars that are remote controlled so the parents can drive the kids around.
Then they showed me a public outdoor gym, with outdoor gym equipment built into a park. That was pretty cool as well.
More walking along the waterfront and I was shown a rock formation called the "grandfather and grandmother" which are famous around here. It's really cool and when I saw it I wished I'd have taken my camera with me during the outing.
After that we were onto business, we went to a Lotte Mart, which is a big supermarket. Kind of like Target or Fred Meyer's back in the states. They've got anything we'd need there. I picked up some coathangers, a wall clock (which has woken me up a few times from the second hand ticking...), some bath shoes that sort of fit my huge 'merican feet, and some mandoo which are like Korean potstickers. Also it's a pretty good idea to get bottled water here. I've been informed the tap water is fairly gross and with water at 1,000 won (roughly less than a dollar) for a huge bottle of it and like 3,000 or so for an even larget bottle, I think I'll stick to bottled.
We went home, made dinner and we watched "Signs" in English with Korean subtitles and started another film before I started falling asleep on the couch and moved to my bedroom.
So more about my job, I'm teaching Science and something else I've already forgotten to classes of three to no more than nine children. There's been a lot of information for me to soak up in the past few days, no doubt there'll be even more to pick up before I acclimate.
Maybe later I'll put up a few of the photos of me exhausted getting picked up at the airport. I also took a picture of the Korean money I got from exchanging almost all of my American money. Makes me feel super rich to have 300,000.
Alright, time to try going back to sleep! I've got to get up in a few hours to get ready for my first day teaching.

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Comments

[Carrie]

Hope your first day went well. Take a short nap after lunch before you go to work. 30 minutes or so. That will get your sleep schedule on the rigth time quicker. :o) Tips from a pro. ;o)