Korea Part 1

Wow! I am already loving Korea! I am not sure where to begin! So much has happened from our flight here until right now!  

Our flight over, although long, went very well! From the moment we stepped onto Asiana Airlines through now, the Koreans have been beyond friendly! Alisha and I did laugh really hard when the agent in Chicago asked us to place our carry ons on the scale =) Of course they were OVERWEIGHT =) Thankfully, they checked them for free so that was nice! He asked why we were laughing and we tried to explain that we were moving across the country and had massive amounts of luggage. Once we arrived in Seoul we got passed customs very quickly! They just quickly scan your finger and take your photo and off you go. We grabbed our bags, ok ... it took us a while! We had 4 big suit cases and 4 big carry ons and my pillow and blanket =)! Thankfully, luggage carts in Korean airports are free - so are all the weird looks we got for having that much luggage. We took a bus to the next airport and met the other teacher, Ethan, who will be teaching at our school with us! It was nice to get acquainted with him so early on! 

As soon as we arrived in Busan we were greeted by the Principal and his wife! I just absolutely love them! They are going to be my adopted parents in Korea! They have taken us to eat, have helped us get situated in our apartment and have been above and beyond kind! The language barrier is somewhat of a challenge but love over comes that and you can see the love they have for their fellow Koreans as well as us. The Principal also runs marathons and is excited to take us on a run here in Korea! I am thankful for that! 

The school here is A.M.A.Z.I.N.G! More like the kids are amazing! They are so cute! They have tons of energy but yet have great discipline and respect for authority. I hope I say this at the end of next year too but I am confident I will! =) My morning class will consist of brand new kindys. They will be 5-6 years old in Korean and 4-5 years old American. Korean's count year 1 from conception to birth (way cool!). I found it humorous because the Vice Prinicpal during lunch looked at me and said "you are girly" and I immediately thought "She is going to give me the new kids that come here!" and boy I was right! I am a bit nervous but I already love those little kids! For some of them it will be their first time going to school and learning English. I have been told to 'leave my class room door open for the first month' because their will be lots of 'accidents' =). I will have 5 kids to start with and then in May or June I will get two new TWIN kids that are Portugal/Korean. I think my Portuguese will be very useful! In the afternoon I will have the oldest kids. I thought a change in age would be nice! The school has the Principal, his wife and a Vice Principal. The Vice Principal attended college in the US and is very fluent. She has been very helpful in training and welcoming us to the country. 

Our apartment is small but way cute! We have a small entry way, a kitchen, two bedrooms, a small patio with a washer on it and Western style bathroom =). The best part about the apartment is probably the heated floors!!! The kitchen is white, which white kitchens are my favorite! A blessing that I didn't even pray for! I will post pictures once Alisha and I unpack and get settled. Right now, my lungs hurt from bleaching our bathroom =) Yay for being clean!!! 

Korean etiquette and food is fun and interesting! Koreans bow a lot! They bow when they say thank you, they bow when they greet you, they just bow a lot! I love it! The food is rice and Kemchi. Rice and Kemchi. Rice and Kemchi. Kemchi is a pickled cabbage with red hot sauce in it. It is interesting, however the other English teachers here assure me it will be a favorite of mine soon! They have lots of seafood here too. My favorite so far is Korean BBQ. They bring raw meat out and you cook it at your table. Definitely not Alisha's favorite but luckily for her they bring out around 10 side dishes with it! Not that I plan on being here all the time but our town has the following restaurants: Starbucks, Dunkin Donuts, KFC, McDonalds, Quiznos, Baskin Robins and I forget what else. I think I will be thankful for these restaurants more when I get home sick. We did have Quiznos tonight and it was quiet delicious! 

Alisha, Ethan and I will be trying out a church on Sunday. I also have a contact here in Korea that will be referring me to some other churches. I am excited to be in a church so I can study the Word, be around other believers and grow in my faith and love for God more! 

This post is getting rather lengthy but I thought people might want an update! We get internet at our apartment sometime this week so I will post more frequently. This week we have off of work as school will begin next Friday. We plan on traveling to Busan and further exploring our area! The city here is great but I will save that for later! 

Also - here are the blog addresses for Ethan and Alisha. Thought you might like to read things from their perspective as well. 

FromKansastoKorea.blogspot.com         lostinasmallworld.blogspot.com

Oh and here is my address! I can't say I really need anything but if you want to write feel free! 

Beka Brown

2F, 1166-14, Obi-Ri, Yeoncho-Myeon

Geoje-Si, Gyeongsangnam-Do,

Korea,

All in all - I have to really give credit to God for bringing me this far, keeping me safe and blessing me above and beyond I could ask or thing! Thanks again to each of your for helping me get to where I am today! 

<3