Soo sorry, back at it

Hey everyone, so sorry for the long delay, just been a lot going on around here. Here's the lowdown: school is still going very good, skills are coming along and everything is great. Outside of class things are going great too, pretty busy all of the time. I've even managed to do a little traveling, spent some time on Muui Island (an island on the west coast) two weeks ago and went hiking in Seoraksan (a mountain national park on the northeast coast) last weekend. Both places were insanely beautiful (check out some of the pics below). Hopefully I'll be able to see some more of the country before winter hits. Weather around here is starting to cool off (around 70 or so) but still pretty comfortable. Starting to get the lay of the land around me and it's starting to feel a little more like home. It's great hearing from all of you so keep up the emails and I should be able to respond to those a lot quicker.

Reader mail:
What's it like being a giant over there? It's nice, makes it much easier for people to find me, although I do run the risk of banging my head every time I enter a room.
Where are other teachers from? Runs the gamut from all over the US to Canada, England, Australia and South Africa (anywhere English is the main language). The other teacher at my school is from NYC.
What's TV like there? I opted not to get cable (just watching tv online) but judging by what I've seen, it would be crazy, think crazy Japanese game shows.
How do you get around? The subway here is pretty extensive and so I take that pretty much anywhere, I'm only a 2 minute walk from a main station.
What's your favorite noraebang song? Haha, don't have a favorite per se but Billy Joel has made many appearances.

Camera busted- please standby

Sorry everyone, it seems that my camera cable refuses to connect to my computer and thus cannot upload my pics. I'm gonna work on it and try to get some up asap. In the meantime here are some answers to your burning questions:

Korean Food- for the most part good, kimchi is growing on me slightly, but the BBQ is excellent (you cook thin strips of beef and pork on your table and wrap it in these leaves with other stuff) and the street food is great too.
Teaching- is going well also, younger grades will be pretty good because curriculum is set and I think I'm starting to get how to make lesson plans for the 6th graders. And my co-teachers are excellent.
Apartment situation- my room is on the second floor (202) so not too high of a walk-up. I do have a closet and the bed is plenty big enough (just smaller than a queen size).
Korean ladies- I know you are all dying to know about this, there are tons of very attractive women out here (everyone is just so skinny) but it's tough to meet them (due to all of the GIs they think all American men are a-holes and a cultural norm that prohibits strangers talking) I'll just have to wait to be introduced by mutual friends (apparently that's huge out here).
Weekends- are great, with this being our first month here everyone is pretty open to getting together. And with no last call, it's typically a pretty late night. Also, I have a newfound love of karaoke (it's called a noraebong out here) which I've managed to participate in the last 5 weekend nights.

Gotta go but keep the questions coming and I love you all!

Finally time for another post

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Hey everyone, sorry it's been so long since my last post but I've been very busy. Here's the basics of what's been happening: orientation ended up fine, learned a few more things to do in class (still not nearly enough for me to be confident in lesson planning). Also found out where my apartment is located: right in the heart of the Kangnam, basically like living a minute out of Times Square! My address is Yeoksam-dong, Gangnam-gu 817-20 Sejung Artrill. I'll post some pics when I get a power adapter to charge my camera. My room is very good too, way bigger than I expected (probably about 22" x 12") plus I'm living in the same building as 3 other teachers. I did get a chance to get some pics before the camera died.






I started teaching Monday at Seorae Elementary School and things are going great. All of my Korean co-teachers are great, not a high English level, but very kind and open to my being there. The kids are terrific too, very curious about me and friendly towards me, always waving and saying hello whenever they see me, I feel kind of like a rockstar. So far 3rd grade is doing just fine, have a pretty set curriculum to follow, but I have to come up with one for my 6th grade classes and still a little apprehensive about that. But I think it'll just take time and the whole standing in front of class thing hasn't bugged me yet.

That's about it for now, I'll try to get some pics of what its like out here asap and send me an email if I'm not answering specific questions you're wondering about (I have a lot of down time at work and can respond to emails but can't check my blog because of the Korean OS on all of the computers). Love all of you!

Finally found out where and who I'll be teaching!

After so much uncertainty, finally found out where I'll be and what level I'll be teaching.... (drumroll please) Elementary level in an area known as Kangnam (Gangnam- in Korea k's and g's are interchangeable). At first I had no idea what type of area it was but after asking around a bit I found out it's quite a ritzy part of town (the "Manhattan of Seoul" as one person put it) so I'm getting kind of excited about it! I guess it's one of the most sought after districts so I seem to have lucked out. Here's a couple pics I found, tons more info too if you just do a google search.

We'll see what the rest of the week brings!

Hello Asia!

Ben's expatriate life has officially begun! Touched down in Incheon airport yesterday at around 4 pm (that's 3 am Michigan time). Flight was good (long but good-14 hours), service was excellent, meals were good and free beer/wine/just about anything else you could ask for. All my bags showed up on time (that would have sucked) and got through immigration and customs just fine. Exchanged my $750 for 786,500 won (it's a pretty decent size wad) and hopped on a bus with about 12 other teachers to go to the Hyundai Learning Center where we'll be for the next week. Still not sure where exactly it's located (outside all you can see are trees and hills) but I'm told it's pretty close to the city. Got here around 7 last night and slept until about 5:30 this morning, so hopefully jet lag won't hit me too hard. Not a whole lot on the agenda today, just gonna see what I can find out about this whole thing and meet some new folks. Anyway, that's my update for now, wish me luck!