First off, the trip was extremely long. I flew out of
Saginaw to Chicago. I went from Chicago to Seoul on
Korean Air and from Seaul to Pusan, which is in the
south east portion of Korea. About 30 min to the west
of Pusan is Changwon, the city in which I am currently
living/teaching.

I highly recommend flying Korean Airs international
flight. They serve very good restaurant style meals
and show a number of movies. It is quite the
experience. It is also a very comfortable airline. The
major problem I faced when I arrived was my luggage
being detained in Seoul. I was told to check it
through to Pusan and I wouldn't have to wory about it
anymore until then. Well, this was not the case. As it
turns out, and I should have known this, you have to
clear customs at your point of entry. So, even though
they do have customs at teh Pusan airport, and my bags
were checked through to there, I still was supposed to
claim them in Seoul, go through customs and recheck
them in. Of course they didn't tell me this until I
was getting ready to board for Pusan.Luckily they did
send them on to Pusan, where I went to pick them up
the following day and clear customs with them.

Since then I have met my coworkers: two Canadians, an
American, and a Brit. They are, unfortunately, too
into partying and getting drunk to have been much help
in showing me around or figuring things out. Maybe it
is just becuse I am new, I don't know.

The place I am working had just moved to the building
it is now in the Thursday before I got here. The
building is currenly unfinished they are just now
finishing the bathrooms and floors in my room I never
thought I would be so thankful for a bathroom in all
my life.

Speaking of bathrooms, mine will have a western
toilet, but most do not. The toilets here are
extremely low to the ground I guess they want to
build leg musscles. In the bathroom is the washer
(made by Daewoo), the toilet, a sink, and the shower
head that is connected to the sink. Showers, needless
to say, are a little different here too. It is nice
that they have a drain in the middle of the floor so
the water has a place to go. It seems that hot water
may be a luxury as well.

The shoe thing is going to drive me crazy to start
with. You need a pair of slippers for your appartment
(room), a different set for the bathroom (bathroom
sandles are cool), another set to change into when you
go to work, and a pair to wear outisde. Many people
wear sandals so they can easily slide them on and off
I have taken to not tying my hikers.

Many do have shoes with elastic laces, the kind that
keep the shoe tight enough so it won't fall off, but
they never need to be tied (big hit in the '80's). I
also saw a fascinating shoe that has a wheel in its
heal. Some of the kids at the store were wearing them.
You walk around and if you want to role, you just lift
the front of your foot, and off you go. Whoever
invented those was a genius.

Speaking of the store, there is a place around here
that is set up like a mall with escalator ramps (as
opposed to stairs). Of course you can go throughout
the whole thing without paying because instead of the
3 floors of shops being different companies it is the
same store throughout. It has everything you could
want, and some stuff you probably wouldn't. I am not
quite sure what it all is though.

Other than that I have been teaching without training
and before orientation. I have a class of
Kindergardeners, 8 y/o, 12 y/o, and 15 y/o. They are
fun for the most part. They keep making fun of me for
my "big" eyes and my baby hair. It is hillarious. OF
course everywhere I go, I become the topic of
conversations I don't understand.

I went to chuch last Sunday had my boss translate for
me, it was alright. But after the service, I was once
again the center of attention. Then I accompanied the
members of the church, where I was once again the
topic of great attention. Th food was good though I
was't fond of the anchovie-garlic side dish.