Saturday, March 31, 2012

Weekend Update

Good afternoon to everyone in my time zone! I'm sure the rest of you are sleeping, about to sleep, or somewhere around there :)

Yesterday I went out to Seoul with the Bucheon girls for the Korvia welcoming party, which was in Itaewon. Before heading over to Itaewon, we swung into Hongdae for a little shopping and walking. The number of shoes I was tempted to buy was absurd! I walked away with two rings- a Vivienne Westwood (yesyesyes!) knock-off and a simple vine-like one. I'm quite pleased! Not to mention that the total for both was W8000 (a little over $7).

There was also a puppy store we went into after grabbing a bite at Dos Tacos (I wasn't hungry so I didn't eat, but the others gave it rave reviews! I'll have to eat next time!). I seriously thought my heart was going to make its way out of its place because of how adorable the puppies were! One little guy kept pressing its face into the corner of the glass and trying to eat my finger! They were so precious.

We went over to Itaewon a little early to hit a cellphone store, Olleh (Yeah, it's 'Hello' backwards!). I had originally just wanted to look at the phones and plans, but after watching a girl not from our group get a phone, and Sio get a phone, I got a phone. Haha it was really nice being at that store in Itaewon because the woman spoke wonderful English. That's one of the reasons I wanted to go to a store while we were there, but after hearing all the details I figured I should just purchase one now. I ended up going with a black iPhone 4S.

The way it works here is that the cost of the phone is divided up between each month of your contract (a 2 year contract is mandatory), and added to the bill. Unlimited data, 300 minutes, and 300 texts is the iValue Plan and costs W54000/month. Insurance is optional, but costs W4700/month. Here, the iPhone 4S is worth W814000, so insurance is definitely worth it! You do get a discount on the phone with the contract, though. I know I'm only paying about W600000 for the phone (which is still terribly expensive compared to the States!) But with the cost split up between each month, it's not that bad at all. My phone bill will end up being about W70000/month ($70ish) and that I know is cheaper than others with smart phones in the States on their own plans. So you could say that the phone is more expensive, but the service is cheaper.

My phone will be activated on Monday (tomorrow), so I've just been putting all of my contacts into it and customizing it. I did buy a case because, really, this is my first smart phone and I'm terrified of anything happening to it. I don't know if I have to talk to the woman tomorrow via my other phone, or if it's something she can do without being in contact with me... I hope it's the latter, because I will definitely be teaching during the time frame she gave me for the activation.

After getting our phones we went to the Korvia party and got to meet our recruiters! Jessie Kim (my recruiter) is probably one of the nicest and most adorable people I have ever seen. I'm so glad I got to meet her in person! We also met a few other people from Bucheon and other locations in Seoul. It was a good night!


Please feel free to comment, email, or message me if you have any further questions about cellphones, recruiters, or anything!

Till next time~

Wednesday, March 28, 2012

Fate and a Bank Account

Hello all!

I know I promised that it wouldn't be so long in between updates, but here we are! I have a lot to say, too! So put those reading glasses on ;)

One thing I wanted to say before getting into my current happenings, is to comment on the play of Fate in my life. I have never felt more sure of something than I am of my moving to Korea. I wrote about it on an earlier post, so new readers may not know, but I was originally an EPIK applicant who managed to fail the interview. I read all over about how hard it was to fail the interviews, but I'm a girl that did it. Ha, I can't blame my interviewer for it though- I forgot how to describe even myself. And don't even get me started on what happened when he asked me about what I knew about Korea. I don't think I formed a full sentence once. Ahh, it's really sad... I was so nervous! But. These days I have come to realize that I was abnormally nervous so that I could fail the interview. I wasn't supposed to be there, but here. The people I've met, how I've met them, even the perfect timing of the buses, subway, and buses again on my way to apply for my ARC, have all been absurdly wonderful by chance. I absolutely (still) adore my co-workers and my students, too! We (other teachers and I, not students) get together outside of school, and have plans to keep doing so. I feel so blessed to be so welcomed.

Funny fact- when getting passport photos taken in South Korea, they will airbrush and remove all flaws within 5 minutes. I went to a small place just off the subway in Incheon where I had to apply for my ARC. He was super fast, and my face has never looked so good- which is awesome, because that's the picture they put on my ARC.

(There are several of documents you need for your ARC. Two of them are filled out there while waiting, one of them is provided by your school, and the others are your passport with valid Visa, medical exam results, and two passport photos.)

My co-teacher is on an extended field trip with the 6th graders and their homeroom teachers, so I have been teaching with the 4th/5th grade English teacher. She is close with my co-teacher, so we've talked quite a bit before this. She is another lovely person! I'm really glad that I get to meet the other grades. Ahaha, they're so cute! And their love of hangman is admirable. I want to take the amount of passion they put toward hangman into every aspect of my life...

So that's what I'm doing for the rest of this week. I left school early today to open a bank account. With my co-teacher gone, I had to do it alone! It was kind of nervous-making, but the teller I worked with was nice. Really, you just pull a number like any building with a row of help desks, and wait for a teller/secretary to display your number (the hospital I went to was the same). Then, he asked me if I wanted a Check Card and had me sign a few different papers and my bankbook. It was super painless! But I still feel proud of myself. I have heard that KEB is the most foreigner-friendly bank, but I decided to go with Woori because of the perks on their Expat Check Card, which I can get once I have an account with them. They are also a major bank and so I can find them anywhere I need. As far as documents go, you only need your ARC (Alien Registration Card) to open a bank account. When you go to apply for a credit card, you need your ARC, passport, proof of work/salary, and a valid Visa.

Now I can get paid!!! Wahoo!


I do realize that not posting may cause some worry, and for that I apologize. From now on I will try to write at least once a week, even if it's about the NEW FUZZY BLACK SWEATER I BOUGHT YESTERDAY. It's wonderful, but vintage enough to warrant a 'do they still sell that?' from my co-worker.


Take care, everyone, everywhere.
All is well :)

Tuesday, March 6, 2012

In Korea

Well, hello there! It's been a while! Especially since I've been in Korea for the past 5 days without a single update.

I think I've been waiting until I feel settled. I really need hangers. I have a lot of sweaters (which become not so many sweaters after all of the necessary layering I pull off) and light jackets sitting on my desk. I went to Homeplus, which basically has everything, and bought a few groceries, some indoor shoes to wear at school, and the softest dish towel ever... But I totally forgot the hangers! I'm blaming it on the store being packed and my decision to not push my way through groups of Koreans who actually knew what they were looking for, as well as my cowardice and inability to speak at appropriate times. Haha, it's not as bad as it may seem, really. I just totally blanked on the one sentence I wanted to remember. I wrote all of my items in Korean so I could find them more easily, but that didn't help very much because I completely underestimated the massive size of this multi-floor shopping center.

Aside from my brief shopping stint that had me traveling to the third floor in order to look at cute clothing so I could feel better about my experience, everything has been lovely. My taxi driver from the airport was incredibly nice, and my absolutely wonderful co-teacher was waiting for me at my apartment. She explained the electronics and heating system to me, and then took me out for my first meal, followed by coffee. <3 Wonderful. She is also very helpful in class, and we share the time we teach. I didn't know if it would just be me and the students or not, so having her there is a godsend. We teach third and sixth graders, 4 classes each, and there is another Korean woman who teaches English to fourth and fifth graders. This Friday, all of the teachers will be staying behind to share a meal and welcome the new teachers. I'm excited! I have been enjoying the meals at school... I'm pretty sure it was octopus the other day. It's good!

One thing I'm not so excited about is the medical exam I need to do tomorrow. I'm not allowed to eat anything after 9pm tonight, or to drink anything after 6am tomorrow morning. No coffee for Kaitlin! Oh boy... And we're teaching sixth graders tomorrow, haha! I'll be okay, though. My co-teacher will be there with me, and it's probably about time I got over my obvious dislike for hospitals.

As for my apartment, it has a little loft where my bed is and some storage up with it. The kitchen is narrow, but I really like it's layout. The main room is a perfect size, too! I'll be taking a video tour of it once I get those hangers... Then everyone will be able to see for themselves! :) It's well-equipped and I am quite pleased with it.

I met a few other girls who are teaching English here, as well, and they are wonderful! I'm glad I was able to get in-touch with them, as I can only imagine how difficult it would be to not have any English-speaking contacts at first.

Speaking of friendship, I have also fallen in love. The heated blanket I found in one of the cabinets is nothing short of a modern miracle and is one of my favorite things right now. I recommend them. Strongly.


Well, I am going to sign-off. I'll try to have less time in-between posts. I think it's easier to read when I'm not typing off short novels.


a bientot~