Beautiful Korean Culture Shock

Upon entering Korea, I was surprisingly calm and unphased by the culture that was booming around me--although that may have been due to severe jet lag. The aspect of culture shock that hit me first was the amount of people everywhere, as well as the speed at which they moved! I constantly felt as though I was either going to run into someone, or be trampled by the seemingly endless amounts of people streaming through the shinay (downtown Gwangju. Most of the culture shock was abated when I got to the beautiful Shin Yang Park Hotel--the home of our 10 -day orientation through the Jeollanamdo Language Program. The facility was luxurious and comfortable to me. It was also set at the base of the impressive Muedungson Mountain, which offers many hiking trails in the surrounding area. The Orientation was very informative and helpful to me. There was a varied amount of workshops spaning from "Korean Culture" to "Traditional Korean Music" to "Games!" The orientation also offered a field trip to a museum in Mokpo and an evening trip to a baseball game, where we feasted on fried chicken and pizza amongst the exhuberant and dedicated Korean fans. The orientation was very thorough and helpful, but seemed to be quite long. By the eighth day I felt ready to head out on my own and set up my apartment. I was also anxious to see my school, meet my co-teacher and the rest of the staff. The final day came and we were let loose. My co-teacher was very nice and helpful to me, even though he did not speak English very well. He took me to the Immigration Office to register for my A.R.C., and then took me to visit the school. I was welcomed very graciously and warmly. I immediately met the principal, vice principal and head teacher, which was stressful but successful too! I feel as though I represented myself well, even though I could barely communicate with the principal due to language barriers. That day felt like a whirlwind to me, which ended with a nice western dinner at T.G.I.Fridays at the Gwangju Bus Terminal. I settled in for the night at my apartment wrapped in a new blanket and sheet provided by my school. I felt strangly comfortable, and blissfully unaware of what was to come in the next several months. I am trying to be as open to new experiences as I can, while maintaining a strong sense of self in the process. I know there will be hard times, and I have already experienced many of those, but I know they will pass in time. The hard times also make the good times that much better! I want to become a stronger person--a more assertive person. I also want to be a good teacher. I hope to do my very best and be open to improvement.