...Okay, okay, so our new digs aren't exactly a "new house" but when do you ever resist Dr. Seuss?!
So we have been in our new city one month and are lovin' it thus far!
Our "Big City"
Yeosu is the name of our new home for the next year. "Yoh-soo" (Yeo meaning "beautiful" and Su meaning "water") is a city in the South Jeolla Province of South Korea. Yeosu is located on a peninsula and is surrounded by 317 islands! Our neighborhood is called Yeocheon and it used to stand alone as its own city before it was merged with the greater neighborhoods of Yeosu in 1998. Surrounded by coastal mountains of all heights, we are only a 10-minute cab ride away from the beach and, because of our location, we are most likely in store for a warmer summer but a milder winter than our last in Jangheung. And because of the mild ocean climate, it hopefully won't be so snowy! Key word: hopefully!
Friends of ours who have already been in Yeosu for over a year, know that it isn't the biggest city in SK, compared to Gwangju, Busan, or the capital city of Seoul; but to us and our smaller town-norm, we have been living it up in this larger, louder, more-bustling environment. Ordering in McD's and Pizza Hut to our hearts' content! And then going downstairs to our in-apartment gym to work it all off! It has been pretty darn lovely thus far.
In 2012, Yeosu held the World Expo and all over the city, you can still see Expo 2012 stickers and stencils advertising the event. From flower pots to billboards, all the way to the huge Expo site itself. Ed has already been to the Expo site with his school to see Romeo and Juliet (in Korean, with nine hundred screaming girls), but I have yet to witness the vast, sprawling buildings and large open courtyards where they held many of exhibits and conferences from the Expo, 3 years back. It was a big deal for the city and we can still feel the pride and the excitement of the locals about it. In addition to being part of the Expo a few years back, the city is also known for its seafood selection! I have a slight obsession for shrimp and we see crab advertised in many many restaurants in Yeocheon. We are looking forward to trying more of the delicacies that the East Sea has to offer.
Our New Digs
One of the reasons we hold near and dear to our weeknights is because our new apartment is just so swanky.
We moved here in just one night with the help of our good and gracious friend, Pete, and then had to work the next day at our new schools! **Shout out to Pete!** We had to leave some luggage with him and some more with our friends, John and Mara; but we rounded it all up by the end of our first weekend and it was so nice to be in a new space, new city, and in a new corner of SK!
Our bathroom here has a shower door! YAY!
Nice, spacious living area.
Amazing closets... <3 <3 <3
After a few trips to Lotte Mart just up the street (and then after a few more after that), we were all set up to live comfortably in our spacious, clean, on-top-of-the-world home. Seriously though, we have the most awesome view of Yeocheon (our district within Yeosu).
My walk to the elementary school is about a 5-minute downhill jaunt [just near the soccer field to the left in the above photo]. Ed's walk to the high school is about 25-minute uphill jaunt [to the left of the apartments in front of the mountain in the distance in the below photo].
So it is safe to say that we are pretty equidistant from each. Right?
Our New Schools
My elementary school (Ssangbong El.) is pretty clean-looking and pristine from the outside. Once you are inside the place, there are the usual sounds of screaming and laughter filling the hallways in between classes.
My co-teachers are lovely and are super great with English; this makes me even more guilty that we haven't made more of an effort with Korean, but we have plans to start up again in the fall.
I teach grades 3rd through 6th, which is a change from last year in Jangheung where I focused only on 5th and 6th as it was a bigger school. Now, with double the grades and lessons to plan for, I am kept pretty busy and fit in well with my fast-paced, career-driven colleagues. A friend mentioned to me a few months back, as we were researching our schools after we first found out that we were moving, that Korean teachers make it to Ssangbong to "advance their careers." When I heard that, I was secretly hoping: "Yay! I will be utilized now!" And I certainly have been! Which fills my OCD-ridden, perfection-seeking heart to its brim. :)
Ed and his all-girls high school (Buyeong High) are quite the perfect fit as well. He teaches 1st and 2nd grade, but his classes are less like English lessons and more like minor celebrity appearances. He has to wait five to ten minutes for the students to stop giggling before he can speak, and even then, the giggling begins anew. His coteachers are all very lovely and friendly, making it an easy transition from Jangheung to Yeosu. He misses his old students, has really enjoyed his first month at his school, as the cafeteria food at Buyeong is out of this world, apparently. Every day he comes home and raves about it. I think he misses it on the weekends.
Reflecting on the Past Year
As we look back one whole year, to our orientation, to our first days in the country as a married couple, and to the first months in Jangheung; we can certainly feel ourselves more quickly adjusting to our new surroundings. Even with the newness of schools and systems, this April when our contracts started over again, it was refreshing to not have to learn the new tricks of the trade when it came to living in SK. We aren't starting from scratch, so we are able to focus on the teaching aspect of things rather than scrambling for solid ground, like when we first arrived. We enjoy being used to the language, culture, and lay of the land here in SK, and we value the differences now that we can identify them more clearly. We can read enough Hangeul to get by in unfamiliar surroundings and we have become more accustomed to the cultural expectations and standards of teachers here in SK. It is safe to say that we are thankful for the friends we have made these past 12 months, that help make living life abroad much, much easier. Our little group in Jangheung was so close and always granted us a catch-up and vent session each week at our weekly dinners out with them. **Shout out to the Jang Gang!**
We will be the first to admit that life in the smaller Korean towns is MUCH different than life in the cities-because of the lack of amenities as well as the lack of structure in the schools in place for the foreign teachers. So having those close peeps and keeping that community strong around us was important for getting through that first year.
Looking Forward
As the countdown has begun for our last year living in SK, we have started to stick to our to-do-list for traveling much more strictly and have been scheming with family on what to do when they both visit! THIS FALL!!! <3
We are so thankful for this year and the previous, and are now setting our sights on our future at home. What that will look like is all a dream now, in our conversations and plans, but we hope that it's going to be just as amazing.
'Til next time!
E + K