If I had a million Won...

I'd buy me a gym membership!!!! What is that you say?!?!? Yes I just bought my first gym membership ever and have gone two days in a row now. I think that is a new personal best for me. Oh and I am sure that everyone read the title as won but it is the currency here in Korean pronounced Wan and I am now a millionaire in two different accounts. We had to set one up during orientation for them to put our airline reimbursement on and then we had to setup another one when we got to Incheon because the first bank apparently is not "English friendly" so says the person in charge. A little bit inconvenient but they both have check cards so I am just going to carry the one that I will not be getting any more deposits in and run it until it is empty. Everything continues to be great here, got home and had 3 letters in my mailbox that weren't bills or junk mail. I don't think that I have ever had that back at home. The weather has turned to fall it is really nice out now but some of the California people think that it is too cold. I really wish they played football here as it is perfect weather for it. The only problem is that finding a large piece of grass is a little tough to come by and the dirt fields that they have might hurt a little bit. I hope that everyone at home is enjoying themselves and having fun getting ready for Halloween. I think that I will be close to the end of the book by then and will have the liberty to do what I want, which means a week long lesson on Halloween and all of its festivities. If anyone has any fun Halloween pictures please send them to me (alex.lintzenich@gmail.com) so I can use them in a powerpoint. Miss you all!!

Second Half of Chuseok...

Well there were still a few days left after I got back from the island and they were fun filled. Everyone from our orientation group got paid last week so there was a group of us that went up to Seoul for a night of mayhem. It reminded me of being back in Spain as the metro closes here from 12:30-5:30 which means you have to stay out until like 6 to catch the metro. The nice thing about Seoul is that they make it easy for people to stay out late as there are a ton of people out and there are a ton of places that are open until like 8AM or don't close at all. It was my first night out in the Hong Dae area and it was a good time. We didn't go into any of the clubs but I am sure that I will be back in the area soon. That was my Friday night and Saturday night went to dinner with my co-teacher as well as some of their friends that are in English club. It was fun going out with some native Koreans but still being able to speak English. Sunday I got a little physical activity in and played basketball for a couple of hours and wrapped up the long week with a much needed Skype conversation with my parents. It was a fun week but not really excited about having classes this week. Working on another trip as I can't believe that we have been here for over a month already and I have only been out of the two main cities once. I will update once I have an idea of where I am going to.

Chuseok holiday...

Well I got back from Deok Jeok Do yesterday and had a great time. Unfortunately I forgot that I took my memory card out of my camera before I left to use it for something else and the hard drive on the camera only was big enough for like 12 pictures. I will try and snag a few pictures from other people and put them up on my page. Almost didn't feel like I was in Korea since there were so many ex-pats on the island and most Korean people stay away from beaches after August. We had a nice group go with us (I thinkaround50-60), we ended up renting out the entire hotel that we stayed at which was nice not having to worry about annoying people not with the group. We got to play some sand soccer, volleyball (I was dominate) and even hit a few golf balls on the beach. The weather the first couple of days could have been better but the last night and day we were there it was nice. Had a bonfire the last night and it really reminded me of a good old field party in WashMO. It was clear out and there was a full moon and the temperature was a little colder so the fire really helped out. I met some great new people there. Tonight payday reunion in Seoul, which should be a good time.

One month down...

So I have been in Korea for exactly a month now and the time has definitely flown by but also seems like it has been longer if that makes any sense. Everything is going well and I continue to meet new people everyday. This coming week should be a lot of fun as it is the Chuseok holiday here which is kind of a mix between Thanksgiving and the Day of the Dead in Hispanic countries. It is a 3 day event where you give thanks and also pay respect to your ancestors. However, since most of the Westerners do not have tombs to go to our family gatherings we are enjoying our time off. Some people get the entire week off but I have to go to school on Monday and teach but get the rest of the week off so I can't complain too much. I will be going to Deok Jeok island with a large group of English teachers, most of which I have not met. I will probably be going on a hike that is supposed to be pretty sweet and then there will be a lot of lounging on the beach, maybe some sand volleyball and a bonfire. I am looking forward as this will be my first real trip anywhere besides Seoul and Incheon.

I continue to get a hang of teaching the middle school boys and am trying to figure out the best way to get through to them. Hopefully as time goes on they will get more comfortable with me and participate more in class. There are more students that come into my classroom in between classes so I guess some of them are warming up to me. After the holidays we have a week of classes and then they have their midterm exam which I get to contribute 5 questions to so I guess it is good that my class does have some relevance as I don't give them an actual grade.

This past weekend was pretty fun, Friday we had a dinner for my school and it was nice to try and meet some of my co workers outside of school. I still cannot communicate with the majority of them but hopefully I will be able to pick up some conversational Korean soon and be able to talk with them a little bit. After the dinner went out with a few friends and also talked to some Korean people and there is a chance a couple of them might help me learn some Korean so that is a bonus. Saturday night we went up to Seoul and saw one of my old customers band play and even though I am not a big metal/hard rock fan they were pretty good. We grabbed dinner and drinks with them after the show which was fun. We also stopped in Itaewon for a little bit which is the big "English" area in Seoul. Basically a lot of military and foreigners gather here and go out. It was the first Quiznos and Taco Bell that I have seen here and maybe the only ones in the country. We weren't there very long but definitely was interesting.

Alright that is it for now, but I should have more to say after I get back from the Island on Thursday!

First week of classes under the belt...

It has been a while since I have posted anything but things are going well. I have a full week of teaching under my belt and I can definitely say that the English levels are a little bit lower than I thought at my middle school but that is alright. Also there are definitely some students that don't really feel like being there but I am pretty sure that is the way it is with any school on any subject. I have 18 different classes with about 40 students in each class. I teach 9 1st Grade (7th grade to us) and 9 2nd Grade (8th grade) which are mixed up throughout my week, so I don't have to do the same lesson 4 or 5 times in a day it is only like 2 or 3 which is nice. I also have 4 conversation classes that will be starting up. I had my first one today after school and there was one kid in the class...one kid...it is kind of difficult to do a class with one kid. Luckily I didn't really prepare anything and we just did basic introductions. He was definitely interested in learning which was nice. In regards to my 1st Grade students they are still young enough that they are not afraid to yell in class and maybe be wrong so they seem to be a little bit more fun (see video of one class I posted on FB) but the 2nd Grade classes seem a little bored and do not engage in class as much. I am sure as time progresses they will relax and get used to the class but right now it is definitely a drain when you ask a question 10 times and everyone is either looking away or staring at you with their head cocked to the side like Rosco. However, with that all said I think that all the students are warming up to me as they all say hello in the hallway and run in and out of my classroom in between class times.

What else???? I am completely settled into my place, I have rearranged my apt (pictures on FB), cleaned, got internet, figured out how to use the hot hoter, got a cell phone, got health insurance, setup a bank account, registered with the US Embassy, registered as an alien in Korea, and found some good bars to go to. The group that we had orientation were great and the Incheon crew has been hanging out here and there the past few weeks. It definitely feels like we all have known each other longer than a few short weeks, but I know that is how it was during work camps, student council camps, etc... I think when like minded people come together and are thrown into a new environment they gel very quickly.

Alright I don't want to write too much on here as I know that people are busy and that frequency is better than really long posts a couple of weeks apart, so I will try and post a little bit more frequently especially these first few months as new things are happening daily.

Annyeong-hi Gaseyo