If you want a cart, you're gonna have to pay for it!

Kevin's co-teacher drove us to the grocery store a couple nights ago to pick up some food for our apartment! Kevin went to pull a cart from the cart area and noticed it was stuck! He looked down and saw that he had to pay to use it! Yep, if you want a cart in Korea, you have to shell out the dough to get one! Granted it's only 200 WON, which is about 7 cents, but still!

My 1st day of school!

My first day of school was awesome! There was a welcoming celebration ceremony for the 1st graders to welcome them to Gamjung Elementary School.

In the middle of the ceremony, the speaker asked the kids if they wanted to come on stage to show a special talent! There were about 5 kids that did it. Here are pictures of 2.

This little boy sang a Korean song!


This little girl did a somersault!


Some of the 1st graders laughing during the ceremony! They are all so adorable!


The kids here are so curious about me, and always want to come talk to me! These kids were standing at my door staring and giggling at me while I worked on my first day. During my break a couple minutes ago, there were at least 30 kids crowded around my desk pointing to things and asking how to say them! They LOVE learning English! I am very lucky, because some of the EPIK teachers are saying that it's like pulling teeth trying to get their kids to learn English! :) YEAH for me!

Rolly Pop!

Kevin and I found this store and had to take a picture of the name. Koreans get their R's and L's mixed up all the time... This was a perfect example! :)

Dessert drinks!

Kevin and I went out to dinner last night and the server spoke English really well and said, “If you order this dish” and pointed to something on the menu, “you get a free dessert drink. You can chose from Coke, Sprite, or Orange Fanta!” So, be it that I love desserts, I ordered myself a dessert drink! “1 sprite please!”

Nampodong Market!

Nampodong market is awesome! You can get anything and everything here and it’s only 2 subway stops from our current apartment, not to mention it’s beautiful!

I bought this Chanel watch…


After work last night, Kevin and I went and had dinner here. We both rode the busses from our schools and met at the subway to ride together. We went to a beautiful and romantic restaurant and had gourmet Korean pizza and wine.

"It's delicious!"

During lunch the 1st day, the Principal said the food was "Masheeta" which means delicious. I was sitting next to him, so I said, "Yes, It's delicious" very slowly so he could hear. He looked at me and said, "It's delicious!" I nodded, yes, and he said it over and over and over again, quietly to himself to help him memorize it.

At the teacher meeting later that day he told the teachers he was committed to learning 1 English sentence a day. Yesterday , I taught him "It is warm." Maybe today I can teach him, "You can have vacation any day you want!"

Just call me Alexis!

Well, it turns out that my name means VAGINA in Korean, so Stella told me "it would be best" if I picked a new name! I couldn't believe it. What are the chances that my name would be one of the most awkward words in Korean, and that I would work at an elementary school, where all the kids would laugh when they head it?!

During lunch the 1st day, the Vice Principal asked me what I wanted everyone to call me. I said, "Miss Alexis please." He looked at me with a questioning eye, so Stella explained the predicament with my name. The teachers all started laughing and said, "We will call you Alexis" in their broken English! The Vice Principal immediately walked up to the schedule board in the teachers lounge and wrote this.

My work schedule, if you’re interested!

I’m teaching at Gamsung Elementary in Pusan, South Korea! It’s a very tiny school, with only 270 students and it sits on top of a hill, with a gorgeous view from every window of the city and port! This is the view out one of my windows, looking down at the playground and some houses.


I teach (4) 40 minute English conversation student classes a day (except Monday I don't have any classes!) from 9:00am – 12:10pm. I teach 5th and 6th grade on Tuesdays and Fridays, 1st and 2nd grade on Wednesdays, and 3rd and 4th grade on Thursdays. My classes range between 18 students and 22 students! It’s sooooo nice, and they are ALL adorable!

Each afternoon, I teach (1) or (2) 50 minute English conversation classes to either parents and/or the teachers at my school, depending on the day! I have not started those yet. I believe those begin next week.

I have to be at the school from 8:40am-4:40pm, and trust me, TEACHERS CAN NOT LEAVE during the school day, or even a minute early at the end of the day! The schedule is VERY strict. The teachers all wait at the door for the clock to strike 4:40pm and then they all file out the door! Oh, and the students don’t start packing up before the bell rings to change classes like they do in America. In fact, yesterday, Stella kept talking to them at least 3 minutes after the bell rang and the kids just sat and listened, tentatively, to what she was teaching and waited for her to tell them they could go. They are like little ANGELS! Well, at least yesterday they were! :)

I have my own shoe locker!

Every morning, I walk in the front door of the school and take my shoes off! Yep, the girl who brought 12 pairs of nice work shoes can’t even wear them in the building! The nice part is, I get to wear slippers ALL DAY! Oh, and did I mention, after I slip on my slippers, I go into the teachers lounge and bow to all the teachers “to greet them.” It’s adorable! I love Korean culture and the traditions it holds!

Shopping on Sunday!

On Sunday, we took the subway back to Seomyeon to shop at a store called Migliore with Jess and Carlos. My co-teacher, Stella, told us about. It’s an indoor mall, but nothing like you’ve ever seen in America!

It’s 6 stories tall. I took this picture from the food court on the 6th floor, looking down!

This place had a movie theatre, arcade, grocery store, gym, food court, and tons and tons and tons of amazing high fashion clothes! The shops are about the size of a typical bedroom and are all decorated with their own unique style, and they all cater to people our age. Kevin was having the time of his life in there! I told him I’ll be chaperoning him every time he goes!

Before we went shopping, the 4 of us went to a little cafe nearby. Kevin ordered a waffle for breakfast, and this is what he got!

On our way to Migliore, we stopped to watch Carlos try to play this claw game on the street. These are EVERYWHERE in the market areas.


After shopping, we all went to a restaurant that specializes in shobu shobu, which is a type of Korean meal. They serve you very thin slices of raw meat or pork and then you dip it into boiling hot water that has vegetables and spices in it! It cooks the meat within just a couple seconds. It was ssssooooo good! The owner was very helpful and kept saying how much Kevin and I looked like movie stars!

Saturday with Stella!

On Saturday, Kevin and I spent the afternoon and night with Stella! She came to our apartment at 3:00pm to pick us up and took us on the 2 buses to my school, so I would know how to get to work on Monday. When we got there, she called a bunch of teachers at the school to get the janitor's phone number, so he could come open the door for us so Kevin could see my classroom! She goes above and beyond! I love her! These are pictures inside my school...

My hallway on the 4th floor.


My classroom...



After we saw the school she took us to a HUGE market by our apartment. I found out she had a boyfriend and asked her if we could meet him. Apparently in Korea, people don't mix work and family, so she was HONORED that we asked to meet him. He came and met us for dinner at a fried chicken restaurant in the market. They are adorable!

We ordered 1 plate of chicken for all of us, and barely finished it, and Stella ordered ANOTHER whole plate! I think I gained 10 lbs that night.


Stella and her boyfriend insisted that they be able to pay for our entire meal, even when we begged them to let us pay! It was very sweet of them. After dinner, we told them we were meeting our friends to go out for the night. They were both concerned about us taking the subway, not knowing any Korean, so they rode the subway 5 stops with us and got off and made sure we were able to find our friends! I am blessed to have such a wonderful co-teacher and she has told me over and over again how happy she is that I am her co-teacher! I think it's going to be a wonderful year!

After we met up with our friends, we all walked around to the different bars and clubs to see what the nightlife was like in Korea. It was a blast! We did a whole lot of dancing!!

Welcome Jill!

On Friday, I met my co-teacher, vice Principal, and another teacher at my school! All of the EPIK teachers filed off the bus and walked through the crowd to try to find our co-teachers for the 1st time. Mine was standing in the very back, holding the msot adorable sign with my name on it, like at the airport! My co-teacher is absolutely adorable! She is 29 years old, and her Korean name is Eun-he Lee. She asked me to give her an American name, so today, when I saw her I named her STELLA! She loves it! My vice-Principal speaks English pretty well and is soooo nice! We took a picture all together that I had developed today. I bought a frame so I could give it to him as a gift on Monday! Eun-He said he will be sooo excited!

my co-teacher, Stella (이 은 ㅎ희), Me, Kevin, a teach at my school named Mr. Jo (조 춘 호), and my Vice Principal, Mr. Moosik (뮤시크)