Ummm, yeah.

So I made it Yeongdeok. It's very nice. The people are amazing. But... things are still a little stressful.
Oh, and the population is 13,000. As a reference, Titusville had 40,000....

So let me just start from the beginning. We rode the buses to Gumi (long "u" - not gummy) today, stopped for lunch, had more bibimbap (I was starting to think it was all Koreans ate!!) then milled around for an hour to kill time and then got back on the bus to drive to a different parking lot. That's where our co-teachers picked us up. Oh, and I forgot to mention that I found out on the bus that I'm the only person that got placed in this tiny little town. So anyway, we get off, grab our luggage, I put on my vest and changed shoes so I'd be all nice and professional, and not 5 minutes later a man walks up with a sign with my name on it. So I raise my hand, he helps me grab my luggage and we make a mad dash for his van. We were out before most people were in. So we're in the car and it's a 2 and a half hour ride. We covered everything from our names, Rose and Ha Yeong-Je, respectively of course :], to his family, my family, our ages, the school, "our students" (his words not mine). Then we are about 5-10 minutes away and he decides we're going to stop at a rest stop. Okay, I figure he's probably gotta pee, he's been driving for the last 5 hours. So he asks me if I have to go, I say no, he says okay, then tells me I should get out and look around. I oblige, next thing I know we're in the little shop and he's buying me a bottle of water then we walk out onto this deck thing. I forgot to mention two things, one, and most importantly, I spotted the ocean about 2 minutes before and almost lost it, and 2, among topics of conversation (fyi he spoke english impressively well, meaning he could get out sentences with limited mistakes and we could have something resembling a conversation) we discussed my appearance (I "have a nice face" to which I couldn't help but beam haha, his appearance, his children and home which I have been invited to, and my living arrangements for the time being, which I'll get to in a minute...) So we're standing on the deck, the East Sea wind is blowing in my face and I am in my happy place. Just like that. Knowing that no matter what happens, it's okay because I can see the ocean. So we get back in the van, and drive, and I realize I can't actually see the ocean from the town. There is one line of mountains (we're in the valley) between me and the ocean, but a 10 minute drive, 20 minutes bicycle ride south takes care of that problem

So we pull up to the school, I get out, the girls - oh yeah it's an all girls middle and high school right next to each other. And each school has ~200 students each. Yeah :] Which means class size 26 :D So anyway, one girl sees me and that's it. They rush to the windows and start yelling hello!! and waving and the works. I totally feel like a celebrity, and a little silly, but it distracts me from the dinosaur of anxiety amassing on my chest and crushing my lungs. So we get inside, the principals office is RIGHT there, I meet him, blah blah blah, a lot of Korean, some broken english, some attempted translating my wonderful best new friend Yeong-Je Seonsangnim (Teacher :]) and a lot of confusion paired with some delicious and much appreciated coffee and me forgetting all the Korean I had planned out in my head with the silly exception of Annyeonghasseyo (Hello). Boo. So anyway, that finishes, I leave a little confused, we walk into the teachers' room (because yeah, apparently I'm meeting all of them right now too. Grrreeaaattt....) and I am then met with "Hi, I'm the English teacher :]" (yeah, I'm confused too - oh I forgot to add she's Korean) so I think okay... I have two coteachers for one school.... Greaatttt.... Oh well, more help. Well, apparently not because she takes my wrist (come to find out she is either really touchy in general or she just really likes to touch me, like the principal.... yeah) and introduces me to everyone while the man I've just spent the last 2 and a half hours getting to know and getting comfortable around and laughing and bonding with falls away into the background. I'm a little in panic mode, most especially since now I have like 5 new names thrown at me, all in Korean of course, and people trying out all the English they know, which wasn't much but was very appreciated. So then we sit down, the Korean english teacher, apparently my co-teacher, and I, and begin. She gives me the form for my Alien Registration Card and instructions in english for the form, and starts right in telling me what I have to have and whatnot. Her english is pretty good for right now. Then we go over some other details like I teach everyday from 9-5 Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday at the high school and Thursday and Friday at the middle school next door. But I'll have a different coteacher over there. I think. But not a different principal? I don't know. I'm still pretty confused. So, then I try to ask what I'm supposed to make my lessons on/about/anything and she gets very confused, I get confused, I struggle to find a way to clarify, she struggles to understand, lots of frustration, explaining, reexplaining, etc, finally she understands and proceeds to tell me that I have no curriculum. NONE. And that there is no schedule and it's all conversational english that they're focusing on so whatever I come up with is what they want... So while reeling from that and the lack of solid information about anything, except that the school is going to deposit 300,000 KRW into my bank account as soon as I give them my bank information for supplies and materials and whatever I need (also, I think it may be a monthly allowance, I'm really not sure at all.) I try to find out how many lessons I will be required to create. I find out 3 for middle, and 2 for high but then something else about providing 2 for the other Korean English teachers to use in their class... I don't know. I'm soooo confused. It must be the theme for the day. So then it's time to apparently go out to dinner with the principal (yeah...), and Mr Li (the physics teacher, you'll find out why he's important in a minute) and his daughter. So my friend Yeong-Je and I go back out to his van where all my stuff is, all the girls holler and yell and wave goodbye, yeah, celebrity status :], I Korean heart them back, they go crazy and we get into the van. Yeong-Je asks me how it was, what I thought of the school, etc (opinions and first impressions are verry important) and we head to Mr Li's house. Yeah. Because as I was informed in the van, the power in my house isn't on yet so I'm going to stay with him (and his family as I soon learned) in their house. Very nice of them but I wish I had my own place. But kind of not. Ugh. So anyway, his son comes out and they help me get everything into the elevator and then up to the 7th floor and into the apartment (not house) and into my room, which is the daughters room, (who I'm apparently supposed to be attached to except I found out tonight she's going back to school in Daegu Sunday, a trip which I apparently decided to accompany them on....I'm going to try to get out. Maybe say I have too much work to do before Monday... I don't know. Oh yeah, because I'm supposed to email my whatever lady an introduction/greeting words for her to use to introduce me on Monday at our teachers' meeting... oh gooooood :/ ) So anyway, we get the stuff in, I get introduced to them, except I don't remember their names :/ and then head back out. Yeong-Je leaves and wishes me luck and the such and I feel naked left with these people I don't know. But the son, who I'm going to guess is maybe 23ish, speaks English very well, and the daughter who is apparently studying English in Daegu is 20. Oh the boy studies in Busan. He's suuper nice though and really great about helping with language, I wish he was staying. :[ Anyway, we get in the car and drive 5 minutes (but then I think everything here might be 5 minutes away from anywhere else, which is good since I'll be walking to school. Need to find out how long that's gonna take...
Anywho, dinner with the principal. Riiigght. We go in, I guess it's Korean barbeque. Not really sure, kind of looks like most of the other places we've been too though. Buuuut, we got food other than bibimbap!! YAYAYAYAY! This was serious cause for celebration. And on top of that the boy asked me what I wanted and I got to pick fried beef, which they bring raw and you fry in a super hot pan at the table, very awesome. Only downside? Well except for the principal continuously insisting I eat more, which was meant well, was sitting on the floor and my left leg going numb after 10 minutes. So good meal, lots of good food, even better coffee (which I learned to order as "mixed coffee" - and perfectly mixed if I do say so myself but extreeememly hot) and overall not too much awkward tension which was nice. So by this time I'm relaxed a little again and we head back to Mr Li's house and I change clothes, met the mom, suppper sweet woman, very enthusiastic and excited to meet me and curious :] and then just hung out with the family and talked, with the kids working as translators occasionally, and ate really good dried mango from the Philippines and mango/squash/orange juice that they drink here, and then the dad came home with a watermelon (which someone told me were like $12 or $13 here (crazy!!) But the mom is so cute. She told me I could call her Mother haha. too cute. So at least I found people to take care of me if I do need it later down the line. Which leads me to the silver lining of this no personal space, housing confusion balloon (I'm not sure there is a silver lining to the rest of the confusion balloons but at least I got one...) - I kind of like knowing someone is concerned for my general well being in the town I'm in. It's nice. Oh and, forgot to mention, I now have plans for the weekend. haha. Instead of going around town with just the daughter tomorrow, apparently it's going to be a family affair haha, and considering the size of the town, possibly a town affair :]. Anyway, I am scheduled to receive a proper tour around Yeongdeok, in a car and everything :] by a local too! So can't beat that for exploring huh?  Bitches in other cities, with no confusion. HA. :'[ I also have that thing on Sunday but that's just supposed to be because they think I have friends in Daegu, because I told them I do, because I do, from orientation, but I don't need to see them Sunday and its just the parents taking the daughter back to school and then coming back, but I really do need to do my prep stuff for my week of prep. haha. Oh yeah, and I don't have classes the first week so I get a chance to get settled in and classes start September 5. Which is nice. Especially considering the amount of actual knowledge I have on the situation right now. Oh, and then the kids invited me out tonight with them but I decided to stay in like a homebody because I'm tired and I know it wouldn't be relaxing, it would be putting on a show which is normally fine, everyone point and stare and all the rest but tonight I'm just too tired.

Also, for being out in the country (which I most certainly am) there is so much noise. The whole city and all the people are packed with probably 20 sq miles. It's a little ridiculous actually. But hopefully I'll be a little more on the outskirts and less in dowtown. If there is a downtown of 20 miles haha. So lastly, before I go, (insane that is) apparently there are 7 other native english speakers running around this town so. 7 in 13,000. I should find them by Tuesday haha. So, off to fill out what I can of the ARC (Alien Registration Card) application and then off to bed so I can get up early to skype with my wonderful mother early so I don't go crazy. Oh, and email that lady that stuff... This is silly. I would really rather just go to sleep but I can't.