Today is the big day... My first payday. I opened a Korean bank account and money should appear in my account by the end of the day. How exciting!
Speaking of being paid... I was paid an incredibly encouraging compliment yesterday. One of the Korean teachers at my school said she was surprised I'd never been to Korea before because I seemed so comfortable in my new surroundings. How nice! I guess the old saying is true "Fake it 'till you make it."
But, I suspect my comfort has less to do with me and more to do with the helpfulness of the people I have met. I have new friends who volunteer to write out instructions in Korean so that I can ask for help at the grocery store or when trying to communicate with a cab driver. Other teachers have given me hints on how to get my thermostat to work properly, how to recognize Korean words, the best way to hail a taxi, and have shown me how to use the subway. The list goes on to include people truly going out of the their way to help me get started in Korea. And those are just the people who can speak English!
The overwhelming kindness from people who don't speak English is incredibly surprising. After all, I'm a foreigner in their country and I don't speak their language. I'm the one being difficult and creating communication challenges. Just yesterday I was at the grocery store and I tried to use the Korean word for thank you/goodbye. I mangled the word and the grocery clerk helped me pronounce it correctly. He was kind and generous when he didn't have to be. Other Koreans have practically engaged in games of Charades with me in order to communicate and help me find my way.
I'm really loving it here and I am blessed beyond measure.
Speaking of being paid... I was paid an incredibly encouraging compliment yesterday. One of the Korean teachers at my school said she was surprised I'd never been to Korea before because I seemed so comfortable in my new surroundings. How nice! I guess the old saying is true "Fake it 'till you make it."
But, I suspect my comfort has less to do with me and more to do with the helpfulness of the people I have met. I have new friends who volunteer to write out instructions in Korean so that I can ask for help at the grocery store or when trying to communicate with a cab driver. Other teachers have given me hints on how to get my thermostat to work properly, how to recognize Korean words, the best way to hail a taxi, and have shown me how to use the subway. The list goes on to include people truly going out of the their way to help me get started in Korea. And those are just the people who can speak English!
The overwhelming kindness from people who don't speak English is incredibly surprising. After all, I'm a foreigner in their country and I don't speak their language. I'm the one being difficult and creating communication challenges. Just yesterday I was at the grocery store and I tried to use the Korean word for thank you/goodbye. I mangled the word and the grocery clerk helped me pronounce it correctly. He was kind and generous when he didn't have to be. Other Koreans have practically engaged in games of Charades with me in order to communicate and help me find my way.
I'm really loving it here and I am blessed beyond measure.
1 comment:
I miss you. I love you and I'm proud of you. I bet you were so excited to finally see that money enter your account! Had a chance to spend any of it yet? I have exciting news to share and lots of planning to consider and I wish you were around so we could sit and discuss it in person. I'll try giving you a call sometime!:-) so here's my news in a nutshell: I'm interviewing with University of Texas Health Sciences on January 22nd. I'm heading out to spend the 3 day weekend with Dimitri, he is taking a day of leave on that Tuesday, and I'm doing a full day of interviews with UT's Dept. of Medicine. It's really happening!! My boss Carol made a call and spoke with the hiring manager this past week and then the manager gave me a call. I talked with her a few mins at work and she invited me to come interview with them. Carol has told me they have already rejected 10 other candidates and right now I am their ONLY candidate and thus far the most qualified. She's been informed that they really want me and if the interviews go well I have the bargaining power to ask my price. I'm super excited because it's a fantastic position working as an Academic Coordinator for the School of Medicine and working under the Director of Educational Programs. I can have a great job and be moving closer to Dimitri. It's scary though because I could possibly be making the move end of February and there is so much that will need to be taken care of by then. Any suggestions for making the move?
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