I had posted some of these posts in a separate blog but I have decided that instead of keeping up with 2 blogs I will put them all in the same blog.
We are here! I can't believe we have been here 3 days. Each day has been jam packed with things to do. This has really been the first little bit of down time we have had since we got here (it's Saturday afternoon). We have unpacked and put away basically everything at this point. It has taken until today to get everything put away. I would put a few things away every time we came back to our apartment. Finally this afternoon everything found a home. We have bought a few things we have needed each day. There are still a few things on the list but we can only carry so much back with us each time.
The air conditioning unit is in the living room and there is not a separate unit in the bedroom so the very first thing we did when we got into our apartment was move the bed into the living room and the couch into the bedroom. The air is on a timer so every time it goes off I would have to get up and turn it back on. With the bed in the living room area all I have to do when the air goes off is lift my hand up and hit the button. No getting up needed. The unit makes a noise when it cuts off so I know when I hear it to just turn it back on.
There are 13 new teachers that arrived at the same time on Wednesday. 11 women and 2 men (one is Zack). All are single except for Zack and I. But there are several married couples that have been here for a while. We are all mostly the same age. There 3 or 4 more that are arriving in the next few days. They have been waiting on their visas to come back. Of those 3 or 4 there is another married couple coming in a couple days and they will live next door to us. I'm pretty excited to meet them. I have chatted with the wife (Allison) on FB a little bit. I really like all of the new teachers that came with us. And all of the teachers that have been here a while have all been super helpful and are full of information that we need to know. Whether it is directions, teaching us some Korean phrases or things that taste good they have all been great.
Now, let's talk about the weather. It is HOT! If you look up the weather on the weather channel it says it is 88 degrees, 58% humidity and feels like 94. That is putting is nicely. TN is hot and humid but it is nothing like it is here. I have never been so "sticky" in all my life. It's just hot all the time. Not every where has air conditioning. Some restaurants and stores do but the classrooms do not. The subway does but the busses do not. And as far as I know it equally as cold in the winter time.
As far as food goes we have tried several different things since we've been here. Mostly everything is very good. It might look weird but it's very good. :) Some places we have been with Koreans or other teachers that speak enough Korean to get around and order food so that wasn't a problem. A couple times we have been out with only new teachers and the only Korean we know right now is 'thank you'. So those times we would point to something on the menu and hope for the best. Both times were successful. :)
I think our next step is to learn the Korean alphabet. So we can at least learn to read the signs. A lot of signs are in "Konglish" which means the word is an English word but written in Korean letters. So if we can read the sign we know what we might be ordering etc. Korean is made up of an alphabet they are not characters like Chinese or Japanese. There are 10 vowels and 14 consonants.
It's really amazing how many things are already written in English on signs etc. and how quickly more and more English has been popping up all around. Apparently even 1 1/2 years ago there was a lot less English than there is now. Most people are very interested in us and our culture. Since Zack and I are both blonde and I have blues eyes and Zack's a hazel color and we are both very white we are very interesting. Little kids have waved to us, at lunch the other day a group of women thought we were funny using chopsticks (we were probably the biggest group of foreigners they had ever seen) and lots of people stare. If you ask a Korean when the first time they saw a foreigner or white person they will more than likely remember the exact moment and tell you.
Somethings that Koreans need to know about you is age and blood type. It is very important for a Korean to know if they are younger or older than you or the same age (born the same year). They use different words if you are older or younger. There is a guy named Jeff that works in the office that works with all of the English teachers and he was showing us around Cheonan. We were talking about age because you are a different age in Korea (which I will go into later). When he found out he and I were both born in 1988 he immediately started teaching me the word for friend in Korean (which I can't remember right now). I was very confused as to why he was talking about being my friend but I was just like "sure we can be friends". I had no idea at the time that it had to do with my age until a teacher that had been here a while told me that if two people were born the same year they are your "friend" it has nothing to do with actually liking the other person. In Korea they believe you are 1 year old when you are born and start counting from there. You can't be less than a year old. So I am 25 Korean age. Also, you do turn the next age on your birthday. Everyone turns the next age on January 1 regardless of your birthday. So even though Zack is 24 right now in America he is 26 KA because he was born in 1987. In December when he has his birthday he will be 25 (American Age) but a few weeks later on January 1 he will be 27 KA. Even though Zack and I are 5 months apart we were born in different years so in Korea he will always be a year older than me Korean age.
Blood type is also important. It is similar to a horoscope in the US. Different blood types are said to have different personality traits. Zack and I have the same blood type O+ (however I don't think + or - matter just the letter).
Blood Type A:
Positive Traits: Conservative, introverted, reserved, patient, punctual and inclined to be perfectionists.
Worst Traits: Obsessive, stubborn, self conscious and uptight.
Referred as ‘farmers’ in some descriptions, Type A’s are said to be considerate of others and loyal to a fault. They can also be secretive and reluctant to share their feelings. Apparently they don’t hold their liquor well, either.
Blood Type B:
Best Traits: Animal-loving, creative, flexible, individualistic, optimistic and passionate.
Worst Traits: Forgetful, irresponsible and self-centered.
Referred to as ‘hunters’, Type B’s have very independent natures and tend not to be concerned about what other people think of them. Although often described as shallow and lazy, they can be quite passionate about the things they hold dear. Patience is not their strong suit either.
Type B men have acquired a very negative reputation in Korea and are not considered by many to be good husband material. Often described as ‘players’, they are perceived as being selfish and mercurial, quick to anger and not terribly reliable. That said, their bad boy image makes them very attractive to women, but not for the long term. (Type B women do not share in this bad rep, for some unexplained reason).
Blood Type AB:
Best Traits: Cool, controlled, empathic, introverted and rational.
Worst Traits: Aloof, critical, indecisive and unforgiving.
Referred to as ‘humanists’, Type AB’s are said to be controlled more by their heads, than by their hearts. They are rational, good with money, but unpredictable. Although inclined to be distant, they prefer harmony and as such, work well with mediators. Some consider them two-faced, and therefore untrustworthy.
Blood Type O:
Best Traits: Ambitious, athletic, robust and self-confident.
Worst Traits: Arrogant, insensitive, ruthless and vain.
Referred to as ‘warriors’, Type O’s are viewed as natural leaders and are often, also, natural athletes. They tend to be outgoing, expressive and passionate, but can also bore others to death with their obsessive drive for success coupled with their absolute convictions that they are winners. This certainty that they will always win explains why they aren’t afraid to take risks or gamble. They have a strong physical presence and are unlikely to ever be overlooked.
Source: www.korea4expats.com/article-blood-types.html
Well, this at least a start as to what we have been experiencing the past few days. More to come later. Love you guys!
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