Unfortunately I'm going to skip most of the recounting of my time in Seoul. It was a great time, and I got to see a lot of good friends, former students, etc... I also had a chance to go to a bunch of my favorite places, including the Han River and a little eatery in Hongdae. Good times!!
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Early morning. Can't sleep because I'm thinking about saying goodbye and how to do that best. Hating the leavings as fiercely as ever before. Collin and David head off to work and I wonder afterward if there was even a legitimate goodbye there. Eh, I plan and hope to see them again this year anyway. More of a sentimentalist than you thought, eh? Yeah.
Packing up takes longer than it should. I don't have more stuff than before... And I didn't explode it much. Finally it's all together and I'm out the door like a pack mule. At the stop, the bus to the subway closes the door after I only deposit one of my three bags on the sidewalk! There's still two inside. I summon up the best Korean I know for the occasion but to no avail. I even try the "Stop juseyo!" and... the bus driver gets out of the bus... yes! But not for me... something about the side of the bus. I squeeze out anyway, duly flustered and uncomfortably a foreigner. It happens once in a while.
Shaking off the bus experience, I wrestle my stuff down the various elevators, subways and back out in Hapjeong to visit the old school one last time. It's so awkward lugging huge amounts of luggage down long, bumpy sidewalks.
At the school everyone but Daniel seems surprised that I'd come back for yet another visit. Not to worry, I'll be moving along really soon.
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Early morning. Can't sleep because I'm thinking about saying goodbye and how to do that best. Hating the leavings as fiercely as ever before. Collin and David head off to work and I wonder afterward if there was even a legitimate goodbye there. Eh, I plan and hope to see them again this year anyway. More of a sentimentalist than you thought, eh? Yeah.
Packing up takes longer than it should. I don't have more stuff than before... And I didn't explode it much. Finally it's all together and I'm out the door like a pack mule. At the stop, the bus to the subway closes the door after I only deposit one of my three bags on the sidewalk! There's still two inside. I summon up the best Korean I know for the occasion but to no avail. I even try the "Stop juseyo!" and... the bus driver gets out of the bus... yes! But not for me... something about the side of the bus. I squeeze out anyway, duly flustered and uncomfortably a foreigner. It happens once in a while.
Shaking off the bus experience, I wrestle my stuff down the various elevators, subways and back out in Hapjeong to visit the old school one last time. It's so awkward lugging huge amounts of luggage down long, bumpy sidewalks.
At the school everyone but Daniel seems surprised that I'd come back for yet another visit. Not to worry, I'll be moving along really soon.
The time at the school provides an ideal moment for putting the finishing touches on the new email account I set up for China. I'm a little concerned with privacy and whatnot, especially when it comes to high powered governments, so the more streamlined/secure I can have things set up, the better. It seems like I've got a good system down now.
I idle a bit longer at the school than I'd planned and it's past time to get Shanghai bound. The subway is super convenient for getting to the Gimpo airport and I make it there before they even have the check-in for luggage open (it opens only two hours before the flight time, guess they don't have those unpleasant TSA delays here).
Waiting for the flight, there are a couple Japanese girls next to me playing with taking photos of the airplanes and sunset outside. I manage what I feel is a pretty good shot and show it to them and they act impressed. Kind of them. The lighting is very golden. Even so I'm still feeling justifiably downish about leaving.
Flight boards after the indicated departure time, as is now usual, and people line up before the boarding is even announced. It's a fast moving line once they start and we all pile in. The flight is the most turbulent one I've been on yet, this makes the flight attendants cease cabin service and strap into their flop-down seats. Been listening to Jinja Safari a lot and the bouncyness of the flight matches the music perfectly.
Landing in Shanghai and everything goes smoothly. Steph is there with her husband, John. They hail a cab and shortly thereafter we're at the apartment. Lots to catch up on, especially since it's been four years since I saw them last. Not much time to reminisce on "the days" since we need to get the '01 class haps down. Babies babies, travels and pretty much that's it.
It's good to see how well Steph and John are doing and they encourage me well for my upcoming time. We make it a late evening. They're very gracious hosts and I feel well cared for and at home (even though it's so short). I wish I could have talked with them for days.
Made it onto my flight out. Delayed departure.. of course! I feel a little anxiety about the stopover in Quingdao.. maybe I won't have enough time to make it, but wait! I'll be on the same plane already! Phew, no worries.
-- (here's a missing space of information)--
The landing here isn't as smooth as the one in Quingdao, but we haven't lost any wheels.. just time, so I get my drowsy self off the plane and into the baggage claim. I think my will power must be low because I actually have to think about NOT jumping on the very surfable baggage belt. It'd be so foolish at this time, with all these people, in this place. If there were no (or significantly less) people I'd give it more consideration. I snag my bags from the meliue and make my way out. They actually compare baggage to tags here, which surprises me. I don't think I've seen that
in ages. Walking out into the welcome area I don't see any likely looking people or signs with my name on it, but as I walk to the door a man says, "Luke, I presume?" Well, yes! It's an Englishman (at least.. from the UK) whom I'd missed spotting on my exit. Good, so we head off
to the car to the school and the driver is very helpful as well.
I idle a bit longer at the school than I'd planned and it's past time to get Shanghai bound. The subway is super convenient for getting to the Gimpo airport and I make it there before they even have the check-in for luggage open (it opens only two hours before the flight time, guess they don't have those unpleasant TSA delays here).
Waiting for the flight, there are a couple Japanese girls next to me playing with taking photos of the airplanes and sunset outside. I manage what I feel is a pretty good shot and show it to them and they act impressed. Kind of them. The lighting is very golden. Even so I'm still feeling justifiably downish about leaving.
Flight boards after the indicated departure time, as is now usual, and people line up before the boarding is even announced. It's a fast moving line once they start and we all pile in. The flight is the most turbulent one I've been on yet, this makes the flight attendants cease cabin service and strap into their flop-down seats. Been listening to Jinja Safari a lot and the bouncyness of the flight matches the music perfectly.
Landing in Shanghai and everything goes smoothly. Steph is there with her husband, John. They hail a cab and shortly thereafter we're at the apartment. Lots to catch up on, especially since it's been four years since I saw them last. Not much time to reminisce on "the days" since we need to get the '01 class haps down. Babies babies, travels and pretty much that's it.
It's good to see how well Steph and John are doing and they encourage me well for my upcoming time. We make it a late evening. They're very gracious hosts and I feel well cared for and at home (even though it's so short). I wish I could have talked with them for days.
Made it onto my flight out. Delayed departure.. of course! I feel a little anxiety about the stopover in Quingdao.. maybe I won't have enough time to make it, but wait! I'll be on the same plane already! Phew, no worries.
-- (here's a missing space of information)--
The landing here isn't as smooth as the one in Quingdao, but we haven't lost any wheels.. just time, so I get my drowsy self off the plane and into the baggage claim. I think my will power must be low because I actually have to think about NOT jumping on the very surfable baggage belt. It'd be so foolish at this time, with all these people, in this place. If there were no (or significantly less) people I'd give it more consideration. I snag my bags from the meliue and make my way out. They actually compare baggage to tags here, which surprises me. I don't think I've seen that
in ages. Walking out into the welcome area I don't see any likely looking people or signs with my name on it, but as I walk to the door a man says, "Luke, I presume?" Well, yes! It's an Englishman (at least.. from the UK) whom I'd missed spotting on my exit. Good, so we head off
to the car to the school and the driver is very helpful as well.
Graham (who I find out later is a Dr. so please refer to him as Dr. Graham) is a teacher in the elementary area and has been retired from teaching in UK for a while now. He's friends with the head of YUST from back in the day when they were in school together in GB. Graham is a wealth of advice and information, and he does a great job clearing up a few of the many "unknowns" I have about the school.
We go through the town of Yanji to get to the (I think) the East-Northeast corner of the city, which is where YUST is. The driver takes us to YIA central and we step inside for a few introductions.
This is my first time meeting Headmaster Lee Nichols, though I'd been in email contact with him for many months now. He's been a (the?) major influence in pulling the school together and is still the significant pivot point around which the endeavor spins. Second to him is the adminstrative genius: Mrs. Sarah Lee. I've also communicated with her and she's ensured that things have gotten DONE so that I could arrive without issue. Dr. Graham takes me to my dorm while sustaining a stream of information about the various buildings and people we pass.
My room is bigger than I thought it'd be, and unshared, which is also a surprise. I have my own bathroom as well! Dr. Graham drops me off and says he'll be back around 5pm to take me up to the dining hall for dinner. I immedately begin sweeping the floor. The room has been
shoe casual until now and is dirty as a result and it takes over a half-hour to get it foot-clean. There's no mattress on the bed.. thing. And no internet. No stove. No drawers, actually. There are dishes, though, and an electric water boiling device. I explode my stuff out of my luggage and get everything in a reasonable place before Dr. Graham returns.
We walk outside, past many buildings to the dining hall/cafeteria area. All the new students are there in their army uniforms. They have training this week before they start classes. Dr. Graham thinks they quite enjoy the training and sees humor in all their shouting and trekking about. I briefly see Crystal Hardin as she's leaving from her meal and she encourages me to join the other foreigners at the table she was at. Dr. Graham also parts ways with me here as I get my food and I
make my to the table "which can't be missed, since there's the only blonde in the place there."-(C. Hardin) Gun, Christina, Felix, Eric and Wendy are there, but nearly finished with their meals. I sit down and feel not particularly welcome, but not unwelcome. Ambivalence? It takes more charm than usual to ask everyone their names and find out where they're from and up to, but I eventually manage it. Nice people, but probably somewhat tired by this transition. I don't blame them for their lack of warmth. None of them are from the west coast... so maybe they're just more politely withdrawn.
Wendy is very helpful and makes sure that I find my way back down to Dorm 4 through the winding passageway that connects all the buildings.
My room is bigger than I thought it'd be, and unshared, which is also a surprise. I have my own bathroom as well! Dr. Graham drops me off and says he'll be back around 5pm to take me up to the dining hall for dinner. I immedately begin sweeping the floor. The room has been
shoe casual until now and is dirty as a result and it takes over a half-hour to get it foot-clean. There's no mattress on the bed.. thing. And no internet. No stove. No drawers, actually. There are dishes, though, and an electric water boiling device. I explode my stuff out of my luggage and get everything in a reasonable place before Dr. Graham returns.
We walk outside, past many buildings to the dining hall/cafeteria area. All the new students are there in their army uniforms. They have training this week before they start classes. Dr. Graham thinks they quite enjoy the training and sees humor in all their shouting and trekking about. I briefly see Crystal Hardin as she's leaving from her meal and she encourages me to join the other foreigners at the table she was at. Dr. Graham also parts ways with me here as I get my food and I
make my to the table "which can't be missed, since there's the only blonde in the place there."-(C. Hardin) Gun, Christina, Felix, Eric and Wendy are there, but nearly finished with their meals. I sit down and feel not particularly welcome, but not unwelcome. Ambivalence? It takes more charm than usual to ask everyone their names and find out where they're from and up to, but I eventually manage it. Nice people, but probably somewhat tired by this transition. I don't blame them for their lack of warmth. None of them are from the west coast... so maybe they're just more politely withdrawn.
Wendy is very helpful and makes sure that I find my way back down to Dorm 4 through the winding passageway that connects all the buildings.
The winter here is so very brutal that they have built a walkway to connect the buildings... so students don't die outside. I exaggerate only a little.
Back at my room, I'm introduced to a bunch of the other YIA teachers. Migumi, Lily, Joyce, Stella and Diane. We stand around awkwardly in the hallway outside our rooms and have a bunch of small talk. I think they'll be a fun group to co-work with. There are four other full-time teachers and many more part-time. The girls realize that I don't necessarily have all the basic things for my room and rally together to try and find some oil, cooking device, sleeping mat.. etc..
and I feel somewhat taken care of. Well and good... time for bed. It's been a very long day.
1 comment:
Thank you for the detailed account! What an experience! Praying for you and your teaching responsibilities.Love you.
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