It's been a long time

Hello everyone. Sorry it has taken us so long to get back to you. We have been quite busy the last week and without consistent internet connections. We have had quite a trip so far. Right now we have just moved into our tiny studio apartment in the university area of Ulsan. But this blog will contain our highlights from teacher camp.

After our long days of travel and crazy midnight bus tour through South Korea, we finally arrived safely, soundly, and sleepily at the teacher camp in Jeunju at the university. For the most part, the camp was centered around introducing us to teaching and the Korean culture. Most of the people there had never been teachers before so many of the classes were very beneficial to us. We had classes ranging from the history of Korea to how to use powerpoints and how to discipline students. Some of the classes were much more practical to teacher travelers like us; for instance the tourism lecture was fun, as was the games class, but others were not as helpful like the how to read to kindergartners class or the how to file your taxes.

The real highlights of the camp were what happened outside of class. Our medical exam for instance seemed harmless enough, and yet turned out to be one of the most memorable events of the last two weeks. We went to an auditorium after hours of not drinking water in the scorching heat because we had to get blood drawn, take a urine test, and get an x-ray. We were shuffled from booth to booth like we were waiting to give ride tickets at a carnival as nurses checked our blood pressure, height, weight, eyes and hearing and our fellow teachers looked on. As we got closer to the blood draw booth english teachers began fainting off of the stage and were carried away into some hidden room and not seen until hours later??? Next we all waited in lines to pee in a cup. Lastly, many females had to de-robe as they went into get their chest x-ray leading to an overall bizarre feeling of the program, our selves, and the Korean's germophobia. (Several EPIK teachers were forced to wear face masks for the following week as they may have shown signs of swine flu...)

We took a fun trip on Sunday to the Hanok traditional village. We toured the ancient style homes and made tratitional Korean fans. We participated in the traditional Bibimbap event that Jeunju is famous for and since it was my Birthday in August I got to stip the giant pan. The buildings in the area were beautifully built and are now some of the only village buildings left after the destruction of the Korean War and Japanese invasions. It is very touristy, but very beautiful to visit.

We had some huge buffet meals at the opening and closing ceremonies of the camp. Korean, Japaneses, and Chinese food line the walls of the building where we watched traditional dances and music being played. We ate a lot of food over the week because it was all free, and most of it was very good. I even participated in the talent show at the end of the night, singing a song about our week at camp in front of the other 600 hundred students.

Mostly, the camp was a good opportunity for us to meet each other before going to our new homes. Emily and I made a good group of friends in Ulsan before we left. We met hundreds of people at the camp and got many good ideas for our teaching lessons. We are now able to bounce ideas off of each other in our areas, and we will have friends to stay with and visit throughout South Korea while we stay.

Stay tuned for our next blog highlighting our first week in Ulsan.
We will update our photos on the blog when we get the chance (STILL no internet @ our "apartment")

Love you and miss you all, Matt & Emily

Annyeonghaseyo!

After a brief visit to San Francisco and two days on planes and buses we have made it to South Korea just at the tail end of the rainy season, boasting weather neither of us have ever experienced before. Matt and I left Bellingham Sunday morning, shortly after my mom found my passport and diploma in a box in the garage (THANK YOU!) and about an hour after Matt had gotten off the dance floor and realized all of his clothes were packed already in my Mom's car. Needless to say our send off was well lived, and vaguely remembered.
Airports have never suited Matt or I: too many details to remember, irritants such as cramped quarters, pushy people and muggy air quality, and now to add to the list of why airports are no fun is BAGGAGE RULES. Matt and my bags were not only too many, but they were each 15-20lbs overweight. Anyone else would have probably paid the extra cash to get them checked or managed to carry on an extra bag, but being stubborn and cheap we decided to unpack everything we now own and start auctioning things off in the SEA-TAC customs. First went my wig collection, then Matt's American flag shorts, flip-flops, nail Polish, ties, a few sacred books and then toiletries. As we were pulling things out of our bags we began criticizing one another for the packing choices the other had made. For instance Matt was surprised to see that I had bought packs of hamburger shaped erasers to bring to the Korean children we will be teaching, similarly to my feeling confused when I saw Matt pull out a scrapbook that I had made him a year ago and a 3lb cookbook. We collaboratively shaved off 28lbs through our combined efforts of giving things away and Matt wearing two pairs of pants, three t-shirts and a pair of extra shoes in his pockets onto the plane.

We spent two days in San Francisco with our Bellingham friends Elisa and Daniel, next to the beach, visiting the SF MOMO, and at Daniel's climbing gym. The pacific coastal breeze is held tight in our memory and hearts as we grow accustomed now to a very new climate with 90 percent humidity and sudden bursts of torrential downpour, where praying mantis come out to fly through our dorm and the air weighs down our skin with a thick and pungent scent of everything foreign to us now.

After arriving in the Incheon airport Matt and I spent two hours moving through customs, baggage claim and finally boarded a bus that would take us and other teachers on the four our trip to Jeonju University. At 2am the bus was silent and asleep, Matt and his amazing ability to sleep anywhere on my shoulder and I wide eyed awake watching the small Korean man swerve into oncoming traffic, slapping his bare feet against the floor (On the beach in San Fran) and dash board in rythm with the

Mamma Mia soundtrack and singing out the only words he knew: "Mamma mamma mamma". We will be at "Teacher Camp" for the next ten days, held at Jeonju University in South Korea learning basic Korean, how to teach english to our students and acclimating to the culture. We have spent only one very sleepless night here, but so far are really enjoying hearing travel stories from the 500 teachers here for training and making wonderful connections for the upcoming year. We will write again as soon as we get some sleep, until then, annyeonghi jumuseyo!

-Matt and Emily

Ten days and counting...

As Matt and I make final preparations for our year teaching English in South Korea, we would like to take a moment to remind all of you that we will always be within reach via email, facebook, and our blog: http://www.teachtravelplay.blogspot.com/, or you can just fly over and visit us! We will be living in Ulsan, a town outside of the larger Coastal port city Busan.

As we continue to update our blog with our year's adventure we would love to hear details of your lives back home and wherever this year may take you! You have all been such an important part of our travel plans leading up to this trip and we are so glad to have the Pacific Northwest to eventually come home to. Thank you thank you thank you!!!

Until next time, and in case we don't see you, Good afternoon, Good evening and Good night!