After an amazing week in Seoul, training is officially over!! And, I passed :D So, Friday evening came and after a very long day of training, I had to catch a bus from Seoul to Gumi. The busses here are amazing and a lot cheaper than back home. Here, the seats are wider, plenty of legroom and they can recline and provide a leg rest, making it very easy to sleep all the way there:)
I was met at the station by two of my bosses who took me to see my new apartment. I am staying literally just up the road from my school in an area called Bonggok-Dong (addresses to follow). My apartment is HUGE, especially for Korean apartments which are normally the size of a res room. Mine, as will all apartments, has a little entrance room for you to leave your shoes (I now actually have a whole cupboard for my shoes- waiting to be filled!!).
Then, as you come into my place, I have a dining room/kitchen area, bathroom (with semi detached shower- things still get wet, but it actually works :D), then my bedroom area with a double bed and a little TV. So, overall, pretty awesome!! Feeling really lucky! There are a few things I still need for my place (in serious need of a decor makeover, but overall I love it already).
I have also learned that you can easily find things that people chuck out so will be hunting for:
- a couch
- Bookshelf
- Bedside table
- 2x dining room chairs
Back to the arrival... After seeing my apartment and having a quick run through of how things work, Jay and Julie took myself and another new teacher that I net in training to dinner. We went to an amazing restaurant that I am surprised doesn't exist back in SA... Basically it's a table braai restaurant!!! Best idea ever! So, everyone sits around round tables with a hollow in the middle. Then the waiter will bring hot coals and a grid and then you braai the meat you want yourself! It's so much fun, has the social aspects that a braai does and takes away the time of having to wait for the coals to burn down. Really enjoyed it!! Of course, it was served with the normal sides of kimchi, radish and onions. But, there are also additional sides like noodles, rice or this other rice dish that comes in a metal lunch box with a soft fried egg, kimchi and "ham". You shake it all up and then eat :) Wish I had taken photo's, but sure we'll go back soon :)
I also discovered the local drink beloved by all Koreans: Soju. Soju is a 19%vol clear drink that tastes like cheap gin. You mostly drink it straight in a big shot glass (both sipped and as a shot). The Koreans (and the foreigners) LOVE Soju... Possibly because it costs about $1 a bottle (the conversion rate from won to dollar is easier than rands so I have begun to think in Dollars :/) We were also met by another South African (apparently us Saffas are taking over :D) who introduced me to bamboo Soju- only 11% and a little bit more expensive (like $1.50) but reaaally yummy!!!
After dinner we went to the local bar, Corona. It was fairly quiet, but still like a scene out of Cheers, where everyone knows everyone...because they do. I really like that about Gumi so far, because the foreign community is so small, it has a really nice vibe to it.
Day 2 in Gumi: went for Orientation with Jay and Julie where they explained everything we need to know, received our schedules, went for lunch and then went to HomePlus to get what we needed for our apartments. Unfortunately, at that stage I had spent all of 10 minutes in my place, so just guessed and got the obvious essentials. After the HomePlus excursion, we went home to finally unpack and get settled (and see what exciting treats the previous tenant left me).
I have been left:
A CLEAN flat (apparently not all previous tenants clean up before leaving)
Bedding (really warm blankets too)
Herbs, pepper and olive oil (real win because I haven't seen herbs around yet)
Basic furniture
Three whisks (this is why I didn't buy too much at HomePlus, people always seem to end up with duplicates)
A billion knives (sharp, normal, oddly no forks with the butter knives)
Washing Basket
Many glorious cartoon stickers everywhere
After unpacking, my neighbour (and fellow teacher) showed me around our area and then we met up with some of the other teachers after dinner to drink Soju and eventually end up at Corona. So far, everyone I have met seems pretty amazing!! All really friendly and a lot of fun :)
Enough for now, first day of school tomorrow to prep for! Wish me luck!!!
I was met at the station by two of my bosses who took me to see my new apartment. I am staying literally just up the road from my school in an area called Bonggok-Dong (addresses to follow). My apartment is HUGE, especially for Korean apartments which are normally the size of a res room. Mine, as will all apartments, has a little entrance room for you to leave your shoes (I now actually have a whole cupboard for my shoes- waiting to be filled!!).
Then, as you come into my place, I have a dining room/kitchen area, bathroom (with semi detached shower- things still get wet, but it actually works :D), then my bedroom area with a double bed and a little TV. So, overall, pretty awesome!! Feeling really lucky! There are a few things I still need for my place (in serious need of a decor makeover, but overall I love it already).
I have also learned that you can easily find things that people chuck out so will be hunting for:
- a couch
- Bookshelf
- Bedside table
- 2x dining room chairs
Back to the arrival... After seeing my apartment and having a quick run through of how things work, Jay and Julie took myself and another new teacher that I net in training to dinner. We went to an amazing restaurant that I am surprised doesn't exist back in SA... Basically it's a table braai restaurant!!! Best idea ever! So, everyone sits around round tables with a hollow in the middle. Then the waiter will bring hot coals and a grid and then you braai the meat you want yourself! It's so much fun, has the social aspects that a braai does and takes away the time of having to wait for the coals to burn down. Really enjoyed it!! Of course, it was served with the normal sides of kimchi, radish and onions. But, there are also additional sides like noodles, rice or this other rice dish that comes in a metal lunch box with a soft fried egg, kimchi and "ham". You shake it all up and then eat :) Wish I had taken photo's, but sure we'll go back soon :)
I also discovered the local drink beloved by all Koreans: Soju. Soju is a 19%vol clear drink that tastes like cheap gin. You mostly drink it straight in a big shot glass (both sipped and as a shot). The Koreans (and the foreigners) LOVE Soju... Possibly because it costs about $1 a bottle (the conversion rate from won to dollar is easier than rands so I have begun to think in Dollars :/) We were also met by another South African (apparently us Saffas are taking over :D) who introduced me to bamboo Soju- only 11% and a little bit more expensive (like $1.50) but reaaally yummy!!!
After dinner we went to the local bar, Corona. It was fairly quiet, but still like a scene out of Cheers, where everyone knows everyone...because they do. I really like that about Gumi so far, because the foreign community is so small, it has a really nice vibe to it.
Day 2 in Gumi: went for Orientation with Jay and Julie where they explained everything we need to know, received our schedules, went for lunch and then went to HomePlus to get what we needed for our apartments. Unfortunately, at that stage I had spent all of 10 minutes in my place, so just guessed and got the obvious essentials. After the HomePlus excursion, we went home to finally unpack and get settled (and see what exciting treats the previous tenant left me).
I have been left:
A CLEAN flat (apparently not all previous tenants clean up before leaving)
Bedding (really warm blankets too)
Herbs, pepper and olive oil (real win because I haven't seen herbs around yet)
Basic furniture
Three whisks (this is why I didn't buy too much at HomePlus, people always seem to end up with duplicates)
A billion knives (sharp, normal, oddly no forks with the butter knives)
Washing Basket
Many glorious cartoon stickers everywhere
After unpacking, my neighbour (and fellow teacher) showed me around our area and then we met up with some of the other teachers after dinner to drink Soju and eventually end up at Corona. So far, everyone I have met seems pretty amazing!! All really friendly and a lot of fun :)
Enough for now, first day of school tomorrow to prep for! Wish me luck!!!
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| Entrance Hall and shoe closet |
 |
| Kitchen/Dining Rom area |
 |
| HUGE Living area (bedroom area in the back) |
 |
| I HAVE A SHOWER...area |
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| Bedroom with classy stickers |
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| Washroom/Office |
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| The awesome stickers :D |
hello! I also just arrived in Gumi. I live in Bonggok, and teach at Seonjon Elementary. I'll definately keep up with your blog!
ReplyDeleteThat is so awesome! I am in Bonggok too!! Working at Chungdahm April!! :D
ReplyDeleteHello~~ Do you still happen to work there? I got accepted and am thinking if I should accept the position or not. After reading through some other branches' teachers' experience I got really scared.. Then I saw your blog, which is basically the school I'm accepted in and got a bit more hopefully. Do you mind if I ask you a few questions?
ReplyDeleteHi there, not sure how often you check this blog, but I'm thinking of accepting a position at this school. Could I contact you for a few questions on your experience?
ReplyDelete