phones and teaching

I have a cell phone # now, and a sexy little black camera phone that was on-sale and can be programed to run in English!!! Also, it seems that they allowed me to have at least some sort of a contract - not that I actually understand it - and so between being able to use outgoing calls in Korea through my phone and outgoing overseas through skype, I'm actually connected!! To people in the outside world. Incoming calls are free. I also have an address!!

If you want either, I'm more than happy to send via email. Let me know.

Today was my first day with students. It went reasonably well, and by the third class, went pretty smoothly. I will be teaching this lesson for another two weeks - I really should document the difference between this lesson and what I teach the Friday after next. I found out that I have access to the English Lab for all my classes, which includes a huge tv and lots of stuff I don't know how to work, and a sort of little lounge. I need to see what the internet connectivity is like up there - if it is wired, I'm going to settle in up there a bit more. The teachers I worked with today were very complementary, and in the teacher's workshop after, one insisted to some of the teachers from the other schools that I was very good, which was nice and not at all necessary.

The English department took me out to lunch at a resturant with a beautiful view of whatever bay we are near, which was lovely and nice and a lot of fun. I really would like to be able to explore this area more than I can with just the bus, taxis and walking. The neighborhood I live in is pretty far away from Gwangyang City, so it is a pain to get in and out via public transportation. But I am saying this after never having lived somewhere where I HAD to use public transportation, so maybe I just really suck at it. Trying to learn while not being able to read or speak is bordering on the absurd.

Seeing friends this weekend was nice, and while I really am starting to like my school, my neighborhood, and the inside of my apartment, the transportation thing seems like it is my greatest issue at this point.