Well, I finally made it. I'm officially living and working in Daejeon! It's exciting and terrifying and beautiful all at the same time! I had an awesome week at Jeonju University for EPIK teacher orientation, where I made some wonderful friends and learned a lot about teaching English in Korea, and I arrived in Daejeon on Tuesday. I have been busy at school and getting settled in (and let's admit it, I've been dead tired), but decided today would be a good day to update the blog.
Let's start with my new apartment.
Basically, it's a box. But I kind of love it.
So, that's my apartment. It's brand new, so even though it's small, it's very nice. And it has air conditioning, which is a HUGE plus here. TV and internet are also included in my monthly utilities, so I didn't have to worry about getting those set up like many other English teachers here do, which I am very grateful for!
Now, my school. I don't have any pictures of it yet, so I'll just tell you about it and post pictures later.
Daejeon Science High School.
대전과학고등학교
From what I've been told, it's one of best high schools (if not THE best high school) in Daejeon. Which I believe, because when I tell people that's where I'm teaching I get "ooooohhhh" -- as in "oooohhhhh, that's where all of the smart kids go so you're probably really smart." Not sure about me, but I believe it of the students there. According to my co-teacher, about 50% of the students end up at KAIST, which is one of Korea's most prestigious universities, and is conveniently located across the street from the high school. Also, next year the school will become an academy, or gifted high school. From what I've gathered, this basically means that it will be considered even more prestigious than it already is, and will start to recruit students from all over Korea. Apparently, only about 20 student's in the incoming first grade (10th grade in America) class next year will be from Daejeon. Needless to say, I felt a little intimidated this week.
But, so far I've really liked the school. I haven't started teaching classes yet (I start tomorrow with a teacher's workshop), but I've met a lot of student's in the hallway and they all seem very nice and excited to have a new English teacher. Their last guest English teacher was there for three years, British, and a math major. The teachers have told me that they are excited to have a pretty, young woman who majored in English. One teacher even said he thought the male students would work harder to learn English. If nothing else, it seems Korea is great for building confidence. The school is very small, in fact I was told it's one of the smallest high schools in Korea. There are less than 200 students at the school, and students live in dorms on campus. Class sizes are very small, only 18 students per class (it will be lowered to 15 next year), which is nice. Especially considering that most other high schools have closer to 40 students per class from what I've heard. My fellow teachers also tell me that the students tend to be very well behaved and listen well.
There are three Korean English teachers, and me. I will co-teach with two of them. We have two large offices for the English department, and I share one of them with the English writing teacher, who is very sweet. We eat lunch with the rest of the teachers everyday, and I have been complemented on my ability to use chopsticks and eat well. The principle likes to say "I hope you enjoy your meal" to me at lunchtime. He and the vice-principle and some of the administration office have a special "beginners" English class that I apparently get to teach. I also get shocked sounds when people find out my age (Koreans reeealllly like to ask about your age), because I'm younger than they expected. I often feel like an awkward American potato, but overall, I feel very welcome at my school. And, even though I'm a bit nervous, I also feel very lucky to have been placed at Daejeon Science High School.
I'm sure you all would like to know more, but this post is already long, so I'll write more later.
Here's hoping for an awesome week! :)
Let's start with my new apartment.
Basically, it's a box. But I kind of love it.
One thing I love about Korea is that basically all doors have keypad locks, so you don't have to worry about carrying a key!
The entryway. See how there's a little area for you to take off your shoes before you go in? Very Korean.
This is my kitchen. A single burner stove, a sink, some cupboards, a microwave, a fridge, and a little counter space. Oh, and don't forget the washing machine.
My beautiful bathroom. As you can see, I have a lot of space to store things...
This is me taking a picture of my bed from the far side of the apartment.
Desk, tv, chair, closet.
Yes. I do have to hang dry my clothes. And, yes, it is a pain.
I'm on the 9th floor, and this is the view from my window. My apartment looks right out on a golf driving range (that's what the big net is for). If I open my window I get to hear the lovely smack of clubs against golf balls.
Now, my school. I don't have any pictures of it yet, so I'll just tell you about it and post pictures later.
Daejeon Science High School.
대전과학고등학교
From what I've been told, it's one of best high schools (if not THE best high school) in Daejeon. Which I believe, because when I tell people that's where I'm teaching I get "ooooohhhh" -- as in "oooohhhhh, that's where all of the smart kids go so you're probably really smart." Not sure about me, but I believe it of the students there. According to my co-teacher, about 50% of the students end up at KAIST, which is one of Korea's most prestigious universities, and is conveniently located across the street from the high school. Also, next year the school will become an academy, or gifted high school. From what I've gathered, this basically means that it will be considered even more prestigious than it already is, and will start to recruit students from all over Korea. Apparently, only about 20 student's in the incoming first grade (10th grade in America) class next year will be from Daejeon. Needless to say, I felt a little intimidated this week.
But, so far I've really liked the school. I haven't started teaching classes yet (I start tomorrow with a teacher's workshop), but I've met a lot of student's in the hallway and they all seem very nice and excited to have a new English teacher. Their last guest English teacher was there for three years, British, and a math major. The teachers have told me that they are excited to have a pretty, young woman who majored in English. One teacher even said he thought the male students would work harder to learn English. If nothing else, it seems Korea is great for building confidence. The school is very small, in fact I was told it's one of the smallest high schools in Korea. There are less than 200 students at the school, and students live in dorms on campus. Class sizes are very small, only 18 students per class (it will be lowered to 15 next year), which is nice. Especially considering that most other high schools have closer to 40 students per class from what I've heard. My fellow teachers also tell me that the students tend to be very well behaved and listen well.
There are three Korean English teachers, and me. I will co-teach with two of them. We have two large offices for the English department, and I share one of them with the English writing teacher, who is very sweet. We eat lunch with the rest of the teachers everyday, and I have been complemented on my ability to use chopsticks and eat well. The principle likes to say "I hope you enjoy your meal" to me at lunchtime. He and the vice-principle and some of the administration office have a special "beginners" English class that I apparently get to teach. I also get shocked sounds when people find out my age (Koreans reeealllly like to ask about your age), because I'm younger than they expected. I often feel like an awkward American potato, but overall, I feel very welcome at my school. And, even though I'm a bit nervous, I also feel very lucky to have been placed at Daejeon Science High School.
I'm sure you all would like to know more, but this post is already long, so I'll write more later.
Here's hoping for an awesome week! :)
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