just another American teacher in SK

I acknowledge that some readers may find some commentary excruciatingly boring when there are references that are local, regional, personal (or simply stupid) ... hang in there ~ it gets better! I further acknowledge that there may be some entries that readers find offensive, but I am giving you fair warning.

The first post is dedicated to answering the most frequently asked questions:

“WHAT are you doing now?!”  I’m going to South Korea to teach English with EPIK (English Program In Korea), sponsored by the Korean Ministry of Education.

“How long will you be gone?”   I have a one-year teaching contract, beginning March 1. 

"Where will you live?"  I won't know for sure until I get there, but I will be probably be living on Ganghwa Island, a county of Incheon, about 100 transportation minutes from Seoul.  Housing (a small studio apartment) is included in the teaching contract.

“What age group will you be teaching?”  I don’t know ~ I’ll receive the details of my teaching assignment during orientation.  My preference is age 10-15, but it depends on the needs of the schools.

“Will you be working with other Americans?”  I’ll be working with teachers from Australia, New Zealand, Canada, the USA, and the UK.   I don’t know if there will be any other Americans in my district, but at least 10 of us will be native English speakers.

"What is the weather like?"  Very similar to Minnesota ~ it is cold there now, so I'm packing warm clothes.   Korea has four distinct seasons ~ winter is cold and very dry, spring is cool and wet, summer is hot and humid (monsoon season), and fall is warm and sunny. 

“Will you be able to come home?”   It is unlikely that I will return to the US before March 2010.  (You will have to come to SK if you want to see me!)  I hope to spend my vacation and holiday time traveling in the area.

"How can we keep in touch?"   The easiest way to keep in touch will be Skype (if you don't have a skype account, it's easy to sign up at www.skype.com). 

"What is Bill going to do?"   Bill will be just fine.  He's busy being a lawyer, and he has season tickets for the StP Saints, GB Packers, and the MN Opera ...  Bill will "hold down the fort" and enjoy a well-deserved vacation from me.  Hopefully, we will manage a few trips to Asia … 

"Can anyone do what your doing?"   The short answer is "yes", if you are a citizen of an English speaking country and have a Bachelor's degree (additonal certification is ESL/TEFOL is definitely a plus).  Yes, you can.

"Do you speak Korean?"   There are a few countries that require fluency in native language, but Korea does not. I'm learning the basic alphabet and a few key phrases ~ I've learned that language differences are not a barrier to fantastic cultural experiences.