August 5th 1997 marked the beginning of my adventure. Armed with two huge suitcases and two carry-on bags that were over-stuffed with everything that might be useful during my one year exile, I left my small home town of Cocagne. I was on my way to take a plane that would take me to South Korea. I had accepted a job to teach English for a company called ECC Andong(--English Center for Children) in a town called Andong.
My arrival in Korea was definitely an experience! Korea was an amazing adventure for me, both physically and mentally. There was no time to get adjusted to my new settings as I was thrown into the classroom the very next day I arrived.
My first challenge was to learn the language. Learning to speak Korean takes a lot of time and a great deal of time and determination. I was lacking both. I am sad to say that I only learned basic phrases.
Although I never learned enough Korean to have a long conversation with any Korean, at least I learned enough to get around in this beautiful country and getting around is something I did a lot in Korea. Two words come to mind when I think about Korean travel: cheap and confusing. Plane, train and bus tickets are inexpensive but, the korean travelling system is very difficult to understand especially for a small town girl like me who barely spoke Korean and did not understand signs.
I was fortunate enough to work with a girl named Maggie Bordeau. Maggie started working for ECC a month after I did. We became friends soon after we met. It is a good thing that I had her with me. Alone, I think I would have cowered in my room and stayed there. I would not have known where to begin...how to get around. Maggie is your typical globe trotter. She has been to many places in the world and accomplished so many things. We visited many places together and managed to have many great experiences together.
Let me take you on a tour of the places I visited during my stay in South Korea and try to give you the history and the feel for these wonderful places.
On top of visiting some breathtaking sites I saw some very peculiar, original and different things. It is certainly obvious that people in Asia do not live like North Americans. They have many different customs and habits. I hope that you will enjoy the next part of my Web Page.
Kyongju