Tuesday, January 18, 2011

Out with the old, in with the renewed

Happy 2011.

I rang in the New Year with a few friends in Hongdae, the university and clubbing district of the city. It was freezing but we ventured out anyways. We saw a few bands at a park, walked around, had a late dinner and then went to a DVD방 (DVD room, which is similar to having your own mini movie theatre) and we watched White Chicks as we waited for the subway to open up at 5:30. :)


Happy 2011
 Listening to a band



 DVD 방

The next day was moving day as I am now working at Seoul Foreign School.

A little bit of background: I was teaching little kiddos at a hagwon (an academy). Unfortunately, they are closing due to financial reasons so I started looking for another place to work (here and in the States). After I was done freaking out and had everyone and their mother praying for me, a friend of mine, Misty ( she is a teacher at Seoul Foreign), told me that it's a great school and that I should look into it since I'm certified to teach in the States.
I decided to research it. SFS is a major international school and one of the top international schools in Asia.  They were started by Christian missionaries in 1912 to primarily serve children of expats and have since grown tremendously. They have about 1500 students in the entire school (elementary, middle, high and British sections). They only hire certified teachers (many are from North America) and they currently have about 300 teachers on faculty. The students are already fluent in English and all hold a foreign (non-Korean) passport.
Well, I liked it already so I decided to see what positions they had available and wouldn't you know, they just happened to have a Spanish teacher position because the current teacher would be leaving. I had a couple of interviews and I thought they went well but I wasn't sure. Then I got the call that I had gotten the job! YAY for being bilingual and a certified Spanish teacher in the States! Oh and did I mention that the position is a middle school position (my favorite!) ? The little Kindy kids are cute but I love the middle school age group (People are always shocked).

Well, on January 2nd, it was time to pack my bags and move to my new place. The school has apartments right on campus for their teachers which is very convenient. The campus is beautiful and it's in a really nice location of the city. The students have been great, the class sizes are small and I will have my own smartboard! Also, my commute is about 2 minutes.:)

 My apartment is nice and I live right next to my friend, Misty. My principal has been so helpful and even bought me some groceries as a house-warming gift. There is a bank and a post office on campus. The school offers all this and other great benefits. I can even sign out a car if I need it (I'm scared of driving here, though!). Oh, and I plan on baking soon, too, since I now have an oven:)



        

*Photos from www.seoulforeign.org


Another great thing is Zumba! The middle school media specialist is a certified Zumba instructor. She offers the classes a couple of times a week right here in the high school gymnasium. FYI: Zumba is a latin-inspired dance fitness program. I have been doing Zumba for a few years now ever since my mom introduced me to it and I have missed it these last few months.

*

Click here to find out what a Zumba class is like*

*Used from www.zumba.com and www.youtube.com/zumba



This school has been a major answer to prayer and a huge blessing for me. I definitely know God orchestrated everything to work out according to His plan. Everyone here has been really helpful in getting me settled and I am so grateful! 


A few pictures of my apartment (campus and classroom pictures to come later)









1 Peter 5:7
Cast all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for yo
u.

1 comment:

  1. That school sounds like such an incredible blessing! I'm so happy for u! Abd how funny is it that we both love teaching middle school (especially after our experiences ;P) I love and miss u so much girl! When will u move back to the states?

    ReplyDelete