First day

It's my first day of school today. It's blowing my mind.

Ok. The mind is back.

I'm still waking up earlier than necessary although today I'm not sure if that was because I'm on the wrong time or because I was so bloody nervous for today. Either way, not a whole lot of sleep was acquired.

So I trotted off to school a little earlier than I would have preferred but it was a good thing I did as I would have been late if I had left when I originally planned.

The first teacher I met was standing outside the school gate. He was one of the Korean-English teachers. Nice guy. He directed me to find my co-teacher....just not very well. They do the whole no shoes thing here...you have to wear slippers instead, which are actually flip flops. Very comfortable but really not very warm, especially when EVERYWHERE I go it's cold, except outside. It's like they haven't come to grips with the fact that it is turning into winter and it's very cold at night which makes all the buildings freezing cold...including my apartment which still has no gas line and thus has no heat and only provides me with cold showers.

So I ran all over school trying to find Mrs Shin, was told by several different teachers that she was in several different places, before I finally ended up back in the main staff room with a nice warm cup of tea which wasn't so pleasant because now I was too warm from all my running up and down stairs (4 floors of them) and was directed to wait for Mrs Shin. Oh happy day.

Sitting in the teacher's room means that every teacher that walks past feels they need to introduce themselves to you , even though most of them speak very little English, no matter how hard they try, bless their little hearts. The only two that I remember, amid all the Kims and Lees was the vice-principal who informed me that she was the 'second teacher'. At the time I just smiled and nodded and she left me alone eventually. The other one was another male-type Korean English teacher. Beats me what their names are now though. Maybe I'll learn them eventually?

Eventually I met Brenda, the Irish lady I was told worked here. She's nice and makes her job look very easy which I don't know if I should take to mean it actually is easy or if she's just that good at it.

Mrs Shin showed up right after, led me upstairs to the third floor to 'my' office, or at least my desk, and rushed me off to observe a class. It was taught by Brenda and the co-teacher who had met me at the gate. It was also FULL of very hyper fifteen-ish year old boys. It was....an experience.

Which apparently needs to be repeated everyday this week, at least 3 times at day. Fun times.

Lunch was also an experience. It is the first time I've eaten in a cafeteria and it was...well let's just say I've never seen anything quite like it.

And hopefully never will again. Except on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday of every week.

And now I sit and wait for my day to be finished...in four hours.