After managing to get out of Bankok without technically haiving a ticket we settled down to an uneventful six hour flight to Korea.

We arrived at Korea airport and found the co-ordinator from i-to-i (the company we booked the teaching placement with), excited about all the news people were were going to meet and thinking he was going to take us to our accomodation. How wrong we were! It soon became aparent that we had to go stright from the airport to our respective schools. This meant removing all pearcings in the car on the way and attempting to make a good impression after, two days travelling, very little sleep and wearing a top with skulls and crossbones all over it!!!! It also meant that Emily and I would shortly be leaving each other with no menas of contact other than email.

Arriving at the school was one of the most nerve racking experiences of my life. Here were a group of people I was going to be spending the next eight months working with and had to impress (in Korea first impressions count for everything) but I couldn’t speak a word of their language, not to mention being exhausted!

I was shown into the staff office and introduced to two teachers who giggled and hid thier faces behind pieces of paper before managing to say: “You are very beautiful!” (I am slowly getting used to this – they dont see people with fair hair very often round here!) After a brief tour of the school I was whisked downstairs for some food with the teachers. This was interesting as the teachers I was with barely spoke a word of English and I speak even less korean! Plus I didn’t like any of the food thay put infront of me!!! I ate what i could and made my excuses saying I had a lot to eat on the plane – which technically I had.

j150vsc – Mon, 2006 – 09 – 11 13:06