After a week of orientation, it finally came time to leave Chungju this morning and start our ‘real’ lives as teachers in Korea. Finally, I’ll find out if the Gwangju Science Academy is real or only a mirage conjured by my fevered imagination.
There’s a lot I want to say, a lot of adventures I want to describe, people I want to talk about, but I’m pretty beat after today and I’ve still got to pull together a “getting to know you” powerpoint for tomorrow. SO I’ll just throw up a few pictures and give you a tour of my apartment, yeah?
We met in the lobby this morning and loaded our bus, those of us headed for Gwangju. Starting from the pair of eyes and going clockwise, we have David, our Korean guide at orientation. Flashing the peace sign is Lily, from Maine via California. Next to her, also flashing the peace sign, is Sadia, from Oklahoma, then Seoirse, from Ireland if you couldn’t tell from the name, then Emma, from Wales. Behind Emma in the distant background is Tom, in blue, from Minnesota, then Erica, Ottawa, and Maria – uh, I don’t actually know. We never actually talked. <_< The redhead behind me is Shelby, from somewhere in the US, and then there’s me. Not pictured are a few others, but by and large these will be the only folk I know in the city.
The drive was three hours south and west from Chungju, down towards the tip of the peninsula. Korean rest stops are nice:
The drive was good. Everyone was quiet at first, but the second half saw a lively discussion of literature, religion, and politics with no one’s feelings getting hurt (because I wisely learned long ago never to talk about my political beliefs, and it’s impossible for anyone else’s politics to hurt my feelings).
Finally, after a few hours, we came around a mountain* and my new home came into sight:
I’ll do a proper tour later, but Gwangju is a very beautiful city at first sight. The streets are wide, with long, leafy boulevards everywhere. Sidewalks are universal and accessible, and wind through hundreds of little alleyways with distinctive little shops blaring K-Pop into the street. I met my coteacher, Bak, and she (after taking me to lunch) whisked me off to my apartment.
It’s very spacious, with a nice wooden floor and a large bed and couch left by the previous owner. I have a little kitchenette with a good many dishes.
The picture window (which is just to my right as I sit here on the bed, writing this) is glorious and gives a nice view of the neighborhood.
AND, most exciting –
The bathroom has a real shower! 😮 Whaaaat! I kind of had grown used to the Korean-style wetroom, but this is most welcome, too.
Now, downsides – mainly, the previous owners BOTH left a lot of stuff which I need to sort through. Korean garbage disposal is quite complex and I’m feeling a bit wary about attempting it, but at some point all this stuff has to go. I’ve got someone’s old razor blade. I’ve got soaps and shampoos. I’ve got like 47 umbrellas for some reason:
And a big ol’ futon that I shoved in the closet (despite wanting that space) because I could find no better solution at the moment. But, after a lot of work, I got the place more or less domestic. Here’s home for the next year:
Finally, after all that, I headed out into the world. I braved a Lotte Mart, wandered in circles for a few minutes until I found home goods, then a kindly clerk helped me stumble through the check out process. Then, about a 20 minute walk north of my apartment, I made it:
*I stopped being impressed by mountains after about the 400th one I saw. The first 399, though? Blew me away. Mountains are AWESOME.
Gwangju Dreaming 