Orientation

Arriving at orientation in Danyang was a breath of fresh air after quarantine. Real people that I can talk to?! Amazing. I was in the late arrival group due to my issue at the airport, but I got into the swing of things quickly thanks to the awesome workers and my partner, Meggy. I couldn't believe the view when I got to my hotel room. After living in a dorm room for 2 weeks it was an absolute paradise.

Orientation was a combination of business and socializing. We had classes every day to get us prepared for our new jobs, and what to expect in our contracts, and we also had to give a demo English class in front of the other EPIK teachers. I normally get nervous doing public speaking but my partner's positive energy really helped me get through it, and we got good feedback afterwards.

It would take several blog entries to talk about all the different people that I met, so I will try to keep it short. In a way, I think that quarantine really helped to break me out of my shell and make me want to socialize more. From shouted conversations in the cafeteria to ice cream runs at the hotel convenience store, to just relaxing on the lobby couches after a long day, there were always people to talk to. I spent the most time with the Jeollanam teachers, since we are all going to be close together living in the same province. I had good conversations with Matt and Meggy about our shared love of K-Pop. Matt and I are planning to see Weki Meki once shows open up again. Hopefully we can meet the group together!

We also got our assignments. I will be living on a small group of islands off the coast of Yeosu, called Geomun-do (Geomun Island, or Port Hamilton). I was expecting something remote, but this is perhaps the most remote I could possibly get. I know some people might not be happy with this placement, but I think this is actually perfect for me. The area seems really beautiful, the community is tight, and the classes will be small, which means more meaningful time with my students. My friend Scott also put me onto the idea of buying a boat. Living on a quiet island and going for boat rides on the weekend sounds like the perfect way to wait out the pandemic. I also want to invest in a drone to film aerial shots of the location.

I met a lot of good people here and I'm sorry that it couldn't have gone on longer, but we all have new adventures ahead of us now. I haven't been this exhausted in a long time; there was so much to do in our short time together. I wanted give a special shoutout to Meggy for getting me caught up and giving an awesome presentation with me, to Teacher Jeff and Stacie for running fun and engaging classes, to Nurse Yunseo for looking after my injured leg, and to Matt for geeking out about K-Pop with me and reminding me that there's always people around who I can connect with.