Travelling and Arriving in Mokpo
Bore Da! Well, I know that is Welsh but I haven't learnt the Korean for hello yet- simply haven't had time.
This is my first time in a PC bang. It has been non-stop since I arrived really. Let me tell you all about how I got here.
The 28th started early in the Eames household with a dawn departure to Heathrow. All dues to little sister, Penny, for bringing us in ahead of schedule- it was the best part of the journey in the end! Well, brekkie in the airport- fond farewells to family then through the departure gates to the other side and, indeed, the first bit of bad news... the flight to Amsterdam was delayed by an hour coming into Heathrow so would be delayed leaving again. No matter- that would just cut down on the waiting time in an airport that I hadn't got the currency for. Grand so off I went to Amsterdam an hour late. Reason for the delay- strong winds between Amsterdam and London- not a good sign and I felt every bump as we forced our way through the worst turbulence I have experienced ever!! Not helped by the two young American lads next to me muttering- crash it, crash it- we are going to crash- all the way. Survived though and Amsterdam airport was all I could have hoped for with its meditation room and massage room- god bless the Dutch!
And onto Seoul and the smoothest flight I have ever had the pleasure to be on. Drawback this time was the passenger next to me- train bore?? No! Anorak of the highest degree? NO! Personal odour problems?? NO!! Under the age of THREE?? YES YES YES!!! Awake most of the night screaming- oh yes! Not me, you fools, the baby! Helen's legendary power of sleep?? AWOL. Was knackered by the time I got off the flight and even the hostesses were giving me sympathetic looks- bless!
And so my arrival at Seoul to the distinct lack of person waiting for me with my name on a card at the arrivals gate. Panic? Me! Oh yes indeed! We got in early and he arrived late- not a great combination at all I spent a very edgy hour and a half trying to decide what to do if he didn't turn up at all. Shortly before I had the chance to book a hotel for the night he did turn up after all- panic over. we had food and went to the domestic airport. then he saw me through the departure gates and left. I had two hours to wait so settled down near my gate and got out my book once more. Gimpo airport used to be the International airport so the signs are bilingual but that is about it. I was the only westerner that I saw- fine. The snow falling outside was pretty but a tad unsettling in the way that it settled. And sure enough- about three quarters of an hour before my flight was due to leave I heard an announcement in Korean which seemed to be mentioning Mokpo rather more than the others had done. Then I heard 'Sorry for the inconvenience' and when my eyes whipped up to the departure board my flight had disappeared! Racing over to the gate I saw that there was a notice which very clearly explained what the problem was. My only problem then was that I COULDNT READ KOREAN! Stopping a passer by and pointing wildly at the sign and madly waving my boarding pass around lead me to discover that my flight had apparently been cancelled! NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!! I ran over to the airport info desk who confirmed that the flight had been cancelled, that it was the last flight that day to Mokpo and that I would have to go back to the check in desk, retrieve my bags and bugger off to somewhere else. Explaining that I had to get to Mokpo that day and that there were people meeting me there seemed to do no good so I went for the old female fall back of bursting into tears (well, it seemed the right thing to do under the circumstances and I didn't seem to have a lot of choice in the matter really if truth be told!). This worked wonders and within two minutes of the first salty tear snaking its way down my cheek they told me that the flight wasn't really cancelled- that it was a mistake and furthermore, that it would be leaving on time.
TRUE!
So I got my flight to Mokpo and was met and taken for dinner, then to the school, then to the motel I would be staying in for my first three nights.
GRAND!
Tim, the other western teacher at the school, woke me up that night and took me out for a night with some of the other ex-pats he knows in the area. SOJU! Oh dear! I spent most of the next day in bed trying to convince myself that it was jetlag behind my sloth but in my heart I knew that jetlag doesn't give you that kind of headache. Tim woke me again that night for dinner with the others once more. They were all very kind and didn't tell me too many Korean teaching horror stories- bless! Monday I was at the school for the first time and Tim intervened to make sure that I wouldn't be teaching on my first day so I spent the day observing just how much Korean a Korean English teacher can use in the classroom. My Korean counterpart is a girl called Esther (Alan- message for you- she was on the kibbutz with Kim- small world!) nice enough girl but admits that she hates teaching so she doesn't really seem to bother with it most of the time from what I saw!
Monday night Tim took my to the ex-pats NYE bash at a Greek American guy called Dimtri's gaff. Excellent night- especially when Barry (a Tipperary lad) turned up with two stitches in his forehead from walking into a lamppost a couple of hours before) and Tim setting fire to a nearby tree with a firework- I have yet to ask him if he was been in the NSW vicinity recently but I spy a suspect!
Of course, New Year's Day was sleeping until I moved into my apartment (more like bed sit but I have only killed two cockroaches so far and they were only little ones- about the size of the hero of my roach in whiskey story). Bought some food yesterday too and even managed to find a loaf of wholemeal bread- result. But it looked strangely blue at 4 this morning (don’t you just lurve jetlag!!) when I had my early morning munchie sesh.
I taught today for the first time which was grand actually. A lot less nerve racking than I thought it was going to be. I just made it up most of the time from the textbook and spent a lot of time getting to know the kid and introduce myself. The kids all take on English names so it is not too difficult though too many of the girls seem overly fond of the name 'Judy' to make it plain sailing. I know that I will look back in the future over the innocence of my first day but tonight I intend to bask in the glory of hearing an entire class recite my name.
This is my first time in a PC bang. It has been non-stop since I arrived really. Let me tell you all about how I got here.
The 28th started early in the Eames household with a dawn departure to Heathrow. All dues to little sister, Penny, for bringing us in ahead of schedule- it was the best part of the journey in the end! Well, brekkie in the airport- fond farewells to family then through the departure gates to the other side and, indeed, the first bit of bad news... the flight to Amsterdam was delayed by an hour coming into Heathrow so would be delayed leaving again. No matter- that would just cut down on the waiting time in an airport that I hadn't got the currency for. Grand so off I went to Amsterdam an hour late. Reason for the delay- strong winds between Amsterdam and London- not a good sign and I felt every bump as we forced our way through the worst turbulence I have experienced ever!! Not helped by the two young American lads next to me muttering- crash it, crash it- we are going to crash- all the way. Survived though and Amsterdam airport was all I could have hoped for with its meditation room and massage room- god bless the Dutch!
And onto Seoul and the smoothest flight I have ever had the pleasure to be on. Drawback this time was the passenger next to me- train bore?? No! Anorak of the highest degree? NO! Personal odour problems?? NO!! Under the age of THREE?? YES YES YES!!! Awake most of the night screaming- oh yes! Not me, you fools, the baby! Helen's legendary power of sleep?? AWOL. Was knackered by the time I got off the flight and even the hostesses were giving me sympathetic looks- bless!
And so my arrival at Seoul to the distinct lack of person waiting for me with my name on a card at the arrivals gate. Panic? Me! Oh yes indeed! We got in early and he arrived late- not a great combination at all I spent a very edgy hour and a half trying to decide what to do if he didn't turn up at all. Shortly before I had the chance to book a hotel for the night he did turn up after all- panic over. we had food and went to the domestic airport. then he saw me through the departure gates and left. I had two hours to wait so settled down near my gate and got out my book once more. Gimpo airport used to be the International airport so the signs are bilingual but that is about it. I was the only westerner that I saw- fine. The snow falling outside was pretty but a tad unsettling in the way that it settled. And sure enough- about three quarters of an hour before my flight was due to leave I heard an announcement in Korean which seemed to be mentioning Mokpo rather more than the others had done. Then I heard 'Sorry for the inconvenience' and when my eyes whipped up to the departure board my flight had disappeared! Racing over to the gate I saw that there was a notice which very clearly explained what the problem was. My only problem then was that I COULDNT READ KOREAN! Stopping a passer by and pointing wildly at the sign and madly waving my boarding pass around lead me to discover that my flight had apparently been cancelled! NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!! I ran over to the airport info desk who confirmed that the flight had been cancelled, that it was the last flight that day to Mokpo and that I would have to go back to the check in desk, retrieve my bags and bugger off to somewhere else. Explaining that I had to get to Mokpo that day and that there were people meeting me there seemed to do no good so I went for the old female fall back of bursting into tears (well, it seemed the right thing to do under the circumstances and I didn't seem to have a lot of choice in the matter really if truth be told!). This worked wonders and within two minutes of the first salty tear snaking its way down my cheek they told me that the flight wasn't really cancelled- that it was a mistake and furthermore, that it would be leaving on time.
TRUE!
So I got my flight to Mokpo and was met and taken for dinner, then to the school, then to the motel I would be staying in for my first three nights.
GRAND!
Tim, the other western teacher at the school, woke me up that night and took me out for a night with some of the other ex-pats he knows in the area. SOJU! Oh dear! I spent most of the next day in bed trying to convince myself that it was jetlag behind my sloth but in my heart I knew that jetlag doesn't give you that kind of headache. Tim woke me again that night for dinner with the others once more. They were all very kind and didn't tell me too many Korean teaching horror stories- bless! Monday I was at the school for the first time and Tim intervened to make sure that I wouldn't be teaching on my first day so I spent the day observing just how much Korean a Korean English teacher can use in the classroom. My Korean counterpart is a girl called Esther (Alan- message for you- she was on the kibbutz with Kim- small world!) nice enough girl but admits that she hates teaching so she doesn't really seem to bother with it most of the time from what I saw!
Monday night Tim took my to the ex-pats NYE bash at a Greek American guy called Dimtri's gaff. Excellent night- especially when Barry (a Tipperary lad) turned up with two stitches in his forehead from walking into a lamppost a couple of hours before) and Tim setting fire to a nearby tree with a firework- I have yet to ask him if he was been in the NSW vicinity recently but I spy a suspect!
Of course, New Year's Day was sleeping until I moved into my apartment (more like bed sit but I have only killed two cockroaches so far and they were only little ones- about the size of the hero of my roach in whiskey story). Bought some food yesterday too and even managed to find a loaf of wholemeal bread- result. But it looked strangely blue at 4 this morning (don’t you just lurve jetlag!!) when I had my early morning munchie sesh.
I taught today for the first time which was grand actually. A lot less nerve racking than I thought it was going to be. I just made it up most of the time from the textbook and spent a lot of time getting to know the kid and introduce myself. The kids all take on English names so it is not too difficult though too many of the girls seem overly fond of the name 'Judy' to make it plain sailing. I know that I will look back in the future over the innocence of my first day but tonight I intend to bask in the glory of hearing an entire class recite my name.
posted by Helen @ 9:03 PM
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