Orientation Pt. 1

We checked out of our hostel on Tuesday and packed everything back up again. Next came the punishment of the impending walk to our orientation venue, about 10 minutes away. Not too bad, but in the 25C heat with 30kg of luggage on my shoulders it started to feel pretty rough. Anyway, we got registered and set up in rooms. Michelle and I were in separate rooms, but each sharing with another teacher. It’s pretty much a basic halls of residence style set up. Later on we got treated to a Korean movie - a romantic comedy, my favourite …and I mean that.

The next day we started to get down to business. Up at 7:45am. A brutal medical check up in Yonsei hospital in Seoul was tough going. No food or liquids from 11pm the night before. I was dying by the time we got to thehospital. Then came the urine test - a pee in a paper cup (no lid, of course), which you walked across the busy hall with to drop off. I never thought I’d see so many people’s urine in one go. Not great. Next three vials of blood were taken, and only then could you drink any water. A further standard medical check up and x-ray prolonged the eating a little more, until finally at midday we could go. I couldn’t even finish my lunch though; I think I’d forgotten what food was by that point.

After lunch we had a couple of lectures. We set up a Korean bank account. We signed away on the foreign formswith zero idea about charges and terms. Who knows what they are. Maybe I should’ve learned more Korean banking terms. The next one was about a lesson plan we’ll be doing at the end of the week. Basically a group of three will each present a condensed lesson plan for 20 minutes on a specific subject to a specific level. Michelle and I are in a group of three together anyway so that’s easy for us. Not sure about the presenting part though, I think it’s only just dawning on us that presenting will be our job day after day. Definitely need to be settling those nerves down by then.

Our day wasn’t over anyway. We had a welcoming ceremony where a group played some Beatles songs on traditional Korean instruments. Pretty awesome to be fair, I’d book them. We then went to dinner, then back to lectures from 7 until 8:30. A pretty punishing day’s schedule really.

Michelle and I are really looking forward to just getting into our on apartment by now. As good as orientation is for networking and training, its like boarding school, with set times for literally everything. A load of otherteachers also turned up, so we’ve got 180 of us running about the place. A little too much like school for my liking. Still, we’ll storm it, I’ve no doubt.

Below is the palace I'm living in for the week....