Wed, 18 Jan 2006

Well...the teaching is great...the food is better than expected (after i heard my moms emails and stories about a lot of fish and kimchi), the people match the kindness and helpfulness of he Chinese and speak much more and better English.

So last night after our dinner (which we go out with our 4 foreign teachers and 4 TA's who all have been overseas for at least a couple of years and speak pretty much perfect English… as well as some Spanish), I went out with 2 TA's and a New Yorker to find his bro who has been living here in Seoul for 3 months now. Got a hold of him, met him at the train station (maybe one of he biggest systems next to Tokyo in the world...the New Yorker was blown away by it and said it is maybe 4 or 5 times bigger than his)...was very fun too see their faces when they saw each other and how they could not believe they were ion Seoul together...which reminded me alot of my experiences in Harbin.

So..we saw their school, his place...got some new words and websites to check...then of in a cab to another uni. area. Hammered kids everywhere, busy...we g around this corner and boom. Nothing remotely comparable to Harbin....as high as you can see lights, streamers and shit hangin from the middle of the road...music...yada yada yada....you’ve seen the movies.

So had the first shots of Soju (like rice wine, but not too bad....i wont even compare it to bei-jiu) and some brews o go with our friend rice, cabbage and pork. Very laid back and fun compared to the food I’ve had so far with the Korean Ta's. The waiters joke with us and have fun and talk about shit they would never dare when other Koreans would be with us.

So...got home at 1. Woke up at 7 to start teaching...the New Yorker wasn’t used to that (I told him I had ALOT of practice in harbin) so he is just beat and slowed down today. But I’m ready to keep goin. A little about my fellow teaches...new Yorker, Mike...has his teaching cert. from NY and taught for 9 months in the ghetto of the bronx. Obviously u can imagine why he is here. Also fluent in Hindi and has traveled most of the middle east.

Eddie from Australia. Well...from Australia but spent the last 10 years teaching and traveling the world. 3 years in Dubai...a couple in the emerates...some in Indonesia...fluent in Spanish and able to grasp at least half a dozen others.

Shon-tyon from southern Louisiana. Spent last 3 years in southern China...6 years before in Guatemala...fluent in Spanish, mandarin, Cantonese, and semi fluent in at least half a dozen others. religious guy...but cares so much for all people pretty much...but not unwilling to listen even though he spends 3 hours in the morning very other day in devotion. All in all...amazing times been had, cant even imagine the future. Id imagine as planned...3 or 4 months here, then over to Harbin for the summer.

Keep me updated...u know ill do the same.

Redderick M.