2 months down...

Trip Start Nov 18, 2011

Trip End Mar 02, 2013

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Flag of Korea Rep. Hwaseong, Gyeonggi, Korea Rep.
Wednesday, January 18, 2012

It sure doesn't feel like it, but today I have been in Korea for two months. Since uprooting myself and moving half way across the world to teach 5 and 6 year olds, I`ve noted some (expected and unexpected) observations:

- Ask for help.
- Health insurance is a must.
- Smile. Say hello.
- Cheese is a precious commodity. Also a useful bartering tool. Same goes for stickers.
- Nothing beats getting mail or a phone call from home.
- Eat plenty of veggies. Kimchi doesn't count.
- It is possible to still be a creative cook even if you only have a one-burner hot plate.
- Even if you don't speak the language, learn how to say "thank you".
- Read one fiction and one "serious" book every month.
- TV shows you wouldn't have watched at home become THE major weekly event to look forward to.
- Always bring the camera.
- Pedestrians do NOT always have right of way.
- Watch Nick Pitera videos on youtube for a mental boost.
- Read the map. Bring a compass.
- Pack a complete medicine cabinet for travel . It is worth the extra weight.
- Make sure to save your work.
- Don't expect to always find good tea in Asia.
- YOU are the English expert.
- Grammar conversations are normal topics at parties.
- Show up.
- Be brave. Be open. Try everything once. Say yes.
- You don't realize how much you miss everyone from home until you can't see them everyday.
- North American health officials would have a field day with kindergarten kimchi-making day.
- Peanut butter goes a long way to quell feelings of homesickness.
- Seeing live octopus everyday eventually becomes so commonplace you don't gawk everytime at the sidewalk tanks.
- English is a hard language to teach and an even harder language to learn.
- Get plenty of rest.
- theoatmeal.com is your go-to source for grammar questions.
- "Back home" refers not only to your home in Canada, but your favourite haunts.
- Debates on who has the strongest accent can last for hours, finally culminating in the surprising decision that you are on the higher end of the scale than you expected to be.
- Speak French! It comes in handy here.
- Learn which side of the escalator is for standing on and which side is for those impatient people who need to walk up.
- A backpack is more practical than a cute purse.
- The world stops for a cookie.
- Carry cash.
- Once you`re sitting in a darkened movie theatre, you might as well be back home.
- Yes, you can eat that baby octopus whole!