Moving into my new home!!

Today I left Yousong Hotel in Daejon and I am now sitting in my very own place in Gwangju City! It was an emotional departure for many, including myself. We had a wonderful closing ceremony with thank yous, words of encouragement, pictures and videos captured during the orientation and then we each went our way.
There are six of us in the Gwangju group. My very first impression of Gwangju was great! I met with the head supervisor of the Department of Education a few days ago, and he is a great person. He is a warm and friendly individual, quite concerned with your health. It was a pleasure meeting him!

It took us about four hours to arrive to Gwangju, but that includes stopping for lunch. We went to a restaurant famous for its HanKookKwan Bibimbap, a mix of various vegetables, beef, rice and an egg. I understand why it is so popular: the food was delicious! We had a different type of Bibimbap at the hotel. The ingredients were the same, but it was a cold dish. This one was burning hot! It is served in a bowl made out of stone and my guess is that they placed the bowl directly on the fire. Anyway, delicious!

We arrived in the Department of Education office around 2:00pm and had a meeting around 3:00pm. I met my co-teachers and I am pleased to say that they are both great! My main co-teacher, Chung, Hyo sun (her English name is Christine), is just one year older than me and immediately took interest in my wellbeing. She even told me to call her Eomni (a way of addressing an older sister/woman who does not yet have children). My co-teacher from my “visiting school” is Kim, Mee-dan, an older married woman with two children. She is also a really nice lady and seems to be very easy going. She told me her ability to speak English is very limited but that I should not tell anyone! She lived in New York for twelve years and therefore everyone assumed she had a better grasp of the English language. She is a remarkably funny woman and I could not stop laughing.

At any rate, Christine took me to my apartment and the guy delivering my furniture was waiting on us. The apartment is a studio apartment with a separate bathroom and a separate kitchen/laundry room. It is really tiny, but good enough for me. I have a brand new bed frame and mattress, brand new table along with 2 chairs. Tomorrow, a microwave will be delivered! I also have a shoe rack armoire, a washing machine, a television, a nightstand, a refrigerator, a gas stove top and a little Korean style table (low table)! Again, I have more than enough here. The only problem with my apartment is that there is a built up of mold in the kitchen and a little bit in the bathroom, along the back of the sink. That worries me as mold can be very dangerous, depending on its type. I was warned about it though. I read online that most Koreans do not worry about it and would just cover it up with wallpaper! I told Christine about it and she told me there is a spray I can get that will remove it. =( I don’t want to have to clean it. I’ll have to explain to her that I want them to send someone to do it.

On a different note, I’m glad I brought with me my linen, pillows, comforter and towels for I have nothing of that sort here. I kind of wish my blue sheets and rug fit in my suitcase though! I would have been completely set! Tomorrow I will go out in search of some cleaning supplies and get to work. I can’t wait to fix up my little tiny house!