Adding to the Zillions of Posts Out There on the Subject..

I remember before I left scouring the internet for posts on what to, and what not to bring to Korea. Some things I brought, I'm glad I did (pictures from home), but other things were totally from misguided information..and I could've picked up here (pillows).

Keep in mind..as my title says, there are zillions of these lists out here. When you pack, just think about the number one traveling debate, and decide which side you're on: spend a lot of money upon arrival vs. have a freaking heavy suitcase. If money is a concern, then bring the stuff that you know you'll need despite whether or not it's in Korea.

Bring this...
Clothes for work and play *this season*. I know this is a given, but the part between the asterisks is key.

Not that..
Your entire wardrobe. One, you can buy clothes *everywhere* in Korea. I know there are a lot of blog posts out there about Korean sizes, but (and this is more for the ladies because I don't really buy mens clothes), non-Asian stores like H&M carry pants up to a 34" waist. The biggest I've seen at Gap is a size 8 (maybe 10); non jeans-wise, clothes can go much bigger - I've seen tops and dresses up to a 2XL. If you are living near Seoul, definitely be able to count on buying clothes and shoes at any size.

Two, your weight will fluctuate here. It's the kimchi =p

Bring this...
A few keepsakes and momentos from home.

Not that..
Stuff for apartment decoration. Korea is the *cutest* country on the planet and there are entire stores dedicated to home decor.

Bring this...
An e-book reader. If you don't have one, go buy one.

Not that...
Books. They are heavy, and you will have a freaking tiny apartment with little storage space.

Bring this...
Headache medicine. Yes, you can get it here, but unlike America (or wherever "back home" is), you can't just walk into the convenience store and get it. All medicines (and bandages above the standard bandaid size) are sold only at the pharmacy, which is not open 24 hours. Most medicines are pretty cheap - however, ibuprofen can run $3 for a pack of 10.

Not that...
Your entire cosmetics line. Korea is *full* of skin care shops that sell the same stuff we get in America. There is a Body Shop around every corner. As far as makeup goes, the non-Korean stores sell pretty much the same products they do at home; the first floor of department stores is also dedicated to cosmetics (and luxury handbags).

**Note: If you have darker skin, bring face makeup.

Bring this..
One voltage converter/plug adapter. Your camera and laptop if you already own one.

Not that...
A voltage converter/plug adapter for every single electronic device you own. You can buy them here much cheaper than you can overseas. A few months after arriving, I bought new chargers for my iPod because the adapters do make things a bit finicky.

You can get all of this here....

• Bedding INCLUDING sheets. I'm not sure who started the rumor that Koreans don't sell sheets but...come on. They have to sleep here too =p
  
• A mattress pad - I read someone's blog in which she said this was the one thing she was glad she brought because beds are so hard. Well, that's true, but you can buy one of the mats Koreans use to sleep on the floor and just put it on your bed...much softer =p
  
• Hair products - Yes, Korean hair is a bit different than ours, but there are stores like Watsons that sell non-Korean brands
  
• Writing utensils - They are easier found here than America
  
• Peanut butter - Again, who started this rumor? You can get this here...
  
• iPhones - The Korean network is locked, and you'll have to go directly to the KT main office (no clue where that is) to get your phone on the network. I have an iPhone here...I didn't have to pay for it up front - rather, they took the cost of my phone and the cost of 2 years of service, divided that by 24, and that's my bill...I pay like $75/month for my iPhone (again, that includes the cost of the actual device
  
• Speakers - One, you can get them here. Two, walls are THHINNNNN - you will disturb your neighbors
  
• Comfortable walking shoes - Korea is full of Nike, New Balance, Adidas, etc. stores - there's even a shop that sells all of them: ABC Mart (yes, I know, every time I see one, I think about the liquor store =p). These shoes are pretty unisex, and come in a pretty big array of sizes.
  
• Korean language and travel books - Most major bookstores have a fair sized English section...and all of them have info on living in Korea. If you are going to study Korean before you leave, learn the alphabet, familiarize yourself with the basic foods, and learn phrases handy for shopping and ordering in restaurants.

Korea is a foreign country, not a distant planet. Stuff can be shipped here. Likewise, Koreans are a different culture, not an alien race. They do the same things we do: sleep, eat, travel, work, and play; and they use pretty much the same things we do for those activities. There is nothing you won't miss for a year, I promise. Most of the stuff I brought is now either too big, or has been shoved in a box under my bed, almost completely forgotten...

This is What It Looks Like When I'm Not at Work =p

New schedule means I have a new prep everyday (however, they are all mid-level classes, so preparing doesn't take long); but it also means that I have Wednesdays off! Finally, in week 3, I'm taking advantage of this - for fear that something will happen, and I will lose them..

I knew that moving to Korea would change me, but something has happened that I wasn't prepared for. In college, I was surrounded by people who were going to be teachers. Then I got a job as a teacher in America. Both groups had something in common: teaching was their thing. There was no something else.

Well, that's not what happens in Korea. Getting into this, I knew that Chungdahm *wasn't* a job where I'd be surrounded by people who had the same life experience. I remember in my last conversation with my Footprints recruiter, we talked about how hagwons weren't something that would further my teaching career the way a public school teaching job would. That said, I think I did make the right decision. Chungdahm (or, well, my coworkers here) have definitely stopped me from taking myself so seriously, and have made me a much calmer person who doesn't stress *nearly* as much about the small things.

As a teacher, Chungahm has taught me a lot about being an instructor. There is a difference - a teacher has much more ownership of what they do, an instructor just kind of passes on what other people create. Even though the former is a profession and the latter a job, I think that teachers do need to know how to be instructors. It's a humbling reminder that I definitely don't know the _right_ way of doing everything in this profession. Although I think I've always been a strong writing teacher (my FCAT track record shows this), my reading curriculum left a lot to be desired, and I've definitely learned a lot about how to be a more effective reading teacher from CDI. Teaching someone else's curriculum has taught me how to listen to what other experts expect. It has an effect on being an employee. Teachers are terrible employees - we spend all day being The Person In Charge, and it's hard to revert back to the mindset that someone else is the boss.

Being Head Instructor has become this second chance for me to fix all of the mistakes I made as Building Leader at AOE. I've learned so much about communication with employees (as opposed to a vague, "yeah...do....thiiiissss..."), and the best ways to talk to people when you want them to do something. Still working on the last one.

Back to the point I brought up earlier: working here has put me around people for whom this job is just a stopping point between college and real life. Teaching isn't their real life. And for the first time, I'm around the idea that maybe this isn't it - which is kind of frightening. Could there be something else that I'm meant to do? As of now, I'm thinking no - as much as I abhor school politics, I like kids. I'm still stuck on the idea that that's the most important part..

Also, the lyrics of "Drops of Jupiter" are either idiotic or genius. I still can't decide.