After two days of lectures and eating and a very small bit of partying, orientation ended yesterday. After a farewell dinner on Thursday night (involving food and traditional entertainment of dance performances and music by High School students) and a closing ceremony on Friday morning (where we were presented with certificates saying that we had completed the orientation even when some people, like me, hadn't) we were split into groups and packed into busses heading in every direction, with the organisers of the orientation waving so long, and probably muttering "and good riddance" under their breath.
After yet more travelling (an hour and a half bus trip), we arrived in Cheonju, the capital of Chungcheongbuk. Here we were told to line up outside and wait for the signal to walk into the hall full of teachers and principals and be introduced to everyone. We waited for about half an hour in the cold wind, most of us (including me) without jackets, as we had been told to leave all of our stuff on the side. After the half-hour wait, we were finally told that we could enter the heated room. Here, we continued to wait in line as each person was introduced to everyone and then fetched by their waiting co-teacher. Thankfully, I was fairly close to the front of the line (only number 14 out of the 70 or so nervous people making up the queue.) As it came to my turn, I nervously waved to the crowd of staring faces and tried to find my co-teacher. It didn't take long to spot her - she came running down the side-steps to greet me, a wide smile on her face. She took my hand, introducing herself as Kim (or a Korean name that began with Kim, the rest of which I cannot remember for the moment) and led me to a seat in the second row. As the rest of the new teachers were being introduced, we chatted a bit about ourselves, South Africa, South Korea, the school and the students. There were occasionally awkward silences where talk died down and neither of us really knew what to say, but the introduction ceremony soon ended and I was trundled into a tiny car along with my giant 30kg suitcase, Kim and another teacher from the school taking the front and passenger seat and relegating me to the back with the bag. From the introduction ceremony venue, Kim drove the ten minutes to the school that I would be teaching at, and showed me around there. I was shown where my desk in the staffroom was, where my classes would be taught (far fancier and hi-tech than any of the classrooms I was taught in), was introduced to some of the other English teachers and to the principal (who couldn't speak a word of English). Then, realising that I was quite tired from the journey, Kim decided that it was time to show me my apartment.
Down a main street whose name I don't know, right onto a side street, left down another side street and around a corner, we came to a smallish building that was covered with tiles. We walked in and were confronted with a narrow staircase, up which I had to carry the suitcase that was mentioned earlier. Thankfully, I wasn't alone. Kim helped me carry it up and once on the second floor we came to my apartment. I walked in, and was immediately reminded by Kim that I should take off my shoes and put them in the cupboard directly to my left (in Korea, wearing shoes indoors is frowned upon, even in one's own house.) Once this was done, I looked around. In front of me was a narrow kitchen adorned with a sink, gas stove-top and a number of cupboards filled with pots, pans, crockery and a couple of utensils (two pairs of chopsticks and two spoons). Beyond this short and narrow kitchen was the door to the bathroom. This was entirely tiled and extremely simple, with nothing more than a toilet, sink, showerhead and a pair of plastic sandals (with holes in them so that the water from the shower can fall through). Just to the right of the entrance (which is tiled, while the rest of the house has laminated wooden floors) is the bedroom. This is fairly large with a 3/4 bed adorned with beautiful brand new bedding (the price tag was still on, so I sneaked a peek at the price, which wasn't particularly cheap), a TV and cabinet, a wooden closet with a couple of drawers attached, a table, two chairs and, since they couldn't fit into the narrow kitchen, a fridge and microwave. There is also a heater against the wall, which I haven't made use of quite yet, although last night was fairly cool. One of the bedroom walls is made up of a glass sliding door which leads through to the laundry room, the only room with windows, though unfortunately the view is of the apartment block next door. In here there is a brand new washing machine (still covered in plastic), a frame that hangs from the roof from which I can hang my wet clothes and another closet. In all, I quite like the apartment, simple bathroom and all.
After showing me around, Kim had left, promising to be back at 6pm to take me out to dinner. The next hour was spent unpacking my bags and by the time Kim arrived to pick me up, the apartment was feeling like my own - the closets filled with my clothes, the fridge filled with the single 500ml bottle of water that I had bought, the bathroom filled with my make-up and toiletries and the bed covered in my books for lack of anywhere else to put them. Kim arrived with her 5 year old daughter, who hid behind her mothers legs and just stares at me as though I was both fascinating and terrifying at the same time. Again, I was relegated to the backseat, but I soon realised why as Kim's daughter started reaching across from the passenger seat to poke her mother's cheek, play with her lips and generally bounce about unperturbed by the fact that the car was moving. We went for dinner at a restaurant about ten minutes from my apartment, which I would never be able to find again, but which served anything you can think of, from traditional Korean food to pizza, to sushi and Chinese (which I was quite surprised about). I stuck to the Korean food, and even had some of the seafood soup which was cooked on a stove-top on our table and which consisted of seashells, octopus, some form of vegetarian dimsum (Chinese dumplings) and sprouts. After dinner, Kim dropped me at my apartment, promising to pick me up at 11:30 this morning to take me to the hospital for my medical exam, which needs to be done before I can get my alien resident card, which I need in order to get a cellphone and internet. And so, I was left to myself in my apartment.
After a fairly uneventful night (the most exciting thing to happen was the superintendant coming to my room to turn the underfloor heating up, or at least I assume that's what he was doing since he couldn't speak any english and he gestured to the floor before fiddling with the heating system on the wall) I woke up this morning just in time to get changed and ready to go with Kim to the hospital. She turned up just on time, bearing coffee and a fork to add to my collection of utensils as well as a teddy-bear wearing a traditional Korean dress which has become my keyring, only to inform me that the hospital would be closed. Instead, she told me, we were going shopping for supplies that I might need. This is how I came to be introduced to GSmart, which sells everything you can imagine under one roof. Here I bought the necessecities like cereal, milk, sugar and shampoo before being dropped back home. For awhile I puttered around my apartment wondering what on earth to do with myself, and then I realised that I was in a city, and I was going to have to get to know it eventually. And so, once more, I walked out of my apartment and went exploring on my own - I feel like I could get used to doing this! And so I came across a internet cafe and decided to tell my adventures to those who would care to hear about them.
However, my hour of internet is running out and I must shortly return to my adventure of exploring Cheongju and finding all the other wonders that it might offer. Hopefully I will remember how to get back to my apartment.
Until the next time that I stumble across an internet cafe (as I assume this will be sooner than I will be getting internet of my own)!
