First Day of Work

It is my first day working at my new job. I've moved from a middle school to an elementary school and I have been a bit nervous about teaching. I mean, these kids are tiny. I have had a warm reception at my school, but otherwise a very boring work day. No classes, VERY bad lunch, and sitting at my desk until 4:30... One thing that lightened up my day was a present from my old school.

With tears, we give you Mark. -Beondong Middle School

Tomorrow is apparently going to be the same thing at the new school; because of the incoming typhoon we will have to be at school, just not teaching. Maybe they'll let us out early? I just want to observe some of the classes and figure out how I'm supposed to teach at an elementary school. Wednesday we have orientation, but I doubt it is going to help too much with the actual classroom. I'm ready to jump right in.

On a less blah note, C and I moved into a new apartment. It is a handsome place, and I think it will persuade me to lounge around at home more often. That is probably a good thing, since I couldn't recall the last time I stayed at home on a Saturday night. This past Saturday, however, we had a small get together at our place. It is nice to have a living room big enough for people to actually live in. For your viewing pleasure, here is C's tour of the place:

 

Decently big, huh? Our apartment is in the Haebangchon (해방촌) neighborhood in Yongsan Gu. This area is pretty close to the foreign district of Itaewon which had once been quite grimy but is now turning into a really interesting part of Seoul. HBC is one of the few neighborhoods where you can get a household at an affordable price, and it is also in the CENTER of Seoul.  Ten minute bus ride brings you to Jongno, Fifteen minute subway ride to Hongdae, Twenty minute bus ride to Gangnam. In addition, C's twin sister lives on the Yongsan military base, so we have access to American grocery stores and other amenities. Apparently, fruit is cheaper over on the base. Love it!