Big noises, small sidewalks

It's been three weeks since we departed from the U.S.A, and Pepper and I are starting to adjust to this brand new lifestyle. Adapting to a new area and new culture has been a tad predictable-wonderful at some times, challenging at others. Our schools have kept us pretty busy, so we haven't been able to travel and explore a lot of the city. Let me share what we do know:

The schools-each of us are working at a hagwon-a private language academy for elementary-middle school aged students. South Korea's number one industry is EDUCATION, so private academies are plentiful. Parents who fervently want their children to learn the English language will enroll them in a private academy of their choosing-some to whatever academy is nearest to their home, while others choose academies based on reputation. Language academies such as these will have Korean employees who are fluent English speakers, yet they like to hire native English speakers from countries such as the U.S, England, Australia, Ireland, and Canada. There are many reasons for hiring "native English speakers," but one reason is simply because our accents are more true to how the universal language sounds. Imagine trying to learn the Korean language from an American. That may be ok, but the learning process would be enhanced if the teacher were an actual Korean. Native speakers of any culture or country are best qualified to use their language's pronunciations, intonations, syntax, and more. However, some of our students have to really listen hard to us-American English sounds pretty different than Korean English. There's plenty more to say on the subject of school and Korean education, but I'll save that for other posts.

Just some food at a nearby market!

The city-I always dreamed of living in the city. I'm not sure what brought on this desire. My family has ALWAYS lived in small towns, and even extended family members have lived in suburbs or the outskirts of a city. Let me just say that the city of Busan is impressive, but it's LOUD. Oh, and we live a block from the beach, which is great for sight-seeing, but is bad if you're not in the mood for people. Right now, summer holiday has started, which means many Korean families are vacationing to our beach. If you're familiar with the saying that "Everything is bigger in Texas," well, just put that idea on one end of a spectrum and place Korea on the other. Korean culture seems to believe in saving space. Sidewalks are very narrow, and sometimes, it's every man for himself. Traffic, which includes cars, buses, scooters, motorcycles, and bicyclists, aren't the most courteous people in the world, so you have to WATCH everything like a hawk. I admit that this is super frustrating to me. I tend to zone out sometimes, (which could be dangerous) but I'm training myself to remain alert.

My co-worker, Mike, relaxes in our boss's massage chair.
Talk about an awesome staff dinner! p.s 35th floor view....

Fear of the sun-Koreans are skin-conscience, which means they take extreme precautions to avoid exposure. Let me be clear-their avoidance of the sun is probably wise, but my North American mindset is so used to welcoming the sun, and along with it, tanned skin. At all times of the day, South Korean women can be seen holding open umbrellas aloft-even in the bone-dry sunshine. Umbrellas are for sale at every convenience store down here, and are a common accessory to the Koreans. If you get caught behind a flock of women with umbrellas....good luck getting around them. Squeezing past a colorful, somewhat unnecessary cloud of umbrellas takes precision. Also, even though it's 30 degrees Celsius (86 degrees Fahrenheit), many citizens of Busan will walk around in pants, long sleeves, hats, sunglasses, and even-I kid you not-masks. Masks! Could you imagine that in a place like Panama City Beach or Miami? If you've seen this, let me know. I'd take a picture of people in their sun-blocking getup, yet I feel this would be a rude gesture. Overall, it seems that many Koreans-particularly the older generation-come to the beach merely for the atmosphere, scenery and light exercise-not for the deep tans.

Are you curious about the food, shopping opportunities, or friendships we're making? Stay close to your computers and/or phones. More writing is on its way!