Would I have thought just a few years ago that I would be sitting in South Korea writing a blog about travel in Asia and teaching English? Not a chance. Well, maybe I thought about it, but to actually take my life out of comfort and plop down in a foreign country like South Korea is a whole other story. Yet here I am, ready to start a year of teaching ESL in South Korea. The whole process of getting here is all but a blur now, nonetheless I am fully committed…or captive at this point.
After 2 days of travel from Ft. Lauderdale, FL I finally made it to Jeon Ju University for a week of orientation until I get whisked off to Busan where I will be given my assignment.
Today was the medical exam. Height, weight, eyes, ears, blood test, and pee test for drugs…speaking of which, I thought it was great how they handled the pee samples. After I handed the gentleman my “sample” he extracted the amount he needed right there in the open and then poured the rest out in a large green plastic garbage can – with no cover. Somehow I ended up being the first one done, but there was a morbid part of me that wished I could’ve come back at the end of the day to see the final product of hundreds of leftover pee samples in an open garbage can.
After that great experience, we had an opening ceremony where we watched some traditional dance (Buchaechum) and an awesome tae kwon do demonstration by the Jeon Ju University team.
Other than completing the medical exam and being ready for orientation, I know nothing at this point other than the unexpected. It all seems to have just begun…