Finicky Koreans

#11: Koreans like it cold. When I say cold I mean freaking freezing. They keep all of the windows open in the school and then act surprised when it's cold. The American teachers in the school spend the majority of each morning running around and shutting each one. We plan our lessons with sweatshirts and jackets on. I've been told to stock up on cold medicine during the winter because of this ridiculousness. Yay. The odd thing about their passion about cold? In their homes they have heated floors and many sleep with a heated mattress pad. They work freezing. They sleep in a sauna. Finicky Koreans.

My second week at my school totally sucks. I spend each day from 9:30am until 6:10pm teaching class and then usually another hour or so getting next month's lessons ready or preparing for the next days class. People say that i'll get used to it and that I won't even notice the time...but right now all I want to do is pass out the minute I walk through my door. Looks like i'm going to have to stock up on my old standby: coffee. I was trying to limit the coffee intake but i'm just not sure that's an option anymore. Hello coffee.

Oh and here's my address for anyone who wants to send me some snail mail. It took me awhile to post it because of my living situation. I lived in a coteacher's apartment while she was in Seoul during my first weekend. I lived with my supervisor the first week. Now I FINALLY have my own place and FINALLY my own address. Use it. I love me some snail mail :)

1378-13
Good Morning Heights III 306
Jangsang-Dong, Buk-Gu
Pohang-Si, Gyeongsangbukdu
791-260, South Korea

Well that's probably the biggest debbie downer post so far during the big adventure in Korea. I love my new life here and the reward I get when I see one of my students finally have that light bulb go off when they finally understand...it's worth all of it. So far I love Korea but it's still damn hard. I try to talk to at least one member of my family per day. I try to write in this blog once a day. I try and communicate with friends and family over facebook, skype and everything else I can get my hands on. All of those things help...but it's no substitute for the real thing.

It's hit me hard this week that I am actually in Korea and that I am here for at minimum ONE YEAR. I can either make the best of it or be a miserable, whiny baby that makes everyone else around her miserable and want to punch her in the face. Yup. I'm choosing to have a kick ass time, meet friends that will last a lifetime and make memories i'll never forget. It's just a year after all. It'll be over before I know it. Right?