First Impressions

I figured that there isn't much point us both explaining the same things so I have decided for now to just explain some of the cultural differences and interesting things we have encountered so far...

We have been eating at the school mostly where we get a bit of western food (Special K and pancakes for breakfast!) and also some Korean food, so there is still a lot we need to try when we are let loose on the restaurants! Kimchi is a much loved dish here - it is basically pickled spicy cabbage, and it is actually quite nice! A bit like spicy sauerkraut, and they have it with every meal.

We have also tried bibimbap (photo below, courtesy of Brittany!) which is apparently a dish the Koreans deem 'safe' for foreigners! It is a sizzling bowl of rice and vegetables with a raw egg cracked on top, which all cooks when you mix it together with red pepper sauce, and it's really tasty.

A few of the little customs here we are trying to get used to are things like bowing when you meet people rather than waving - particularly your elders and important people! This is quite difficult as it feels awkward for us, but I guess we will get used to it over time. Also when there is water on the table you are not supposed to pour it yourself; if you want some then you offer to pour others and hopefully they will then pour yours! You also ring a bell at the table if you want the waiter to come over, rather than them checking up on you every now and again.

Not only are we getting used to the Korean cultural differences, but also those of the Adventists we are with - we are the only non-Adventist teachers at the school as far as we can tell. They are not supposed to have caffeine, meat or alcohol, and the missionary teachers are not allowed to do things like go to the cinema or internet cafes which seems pretty strict to us. They are having religion class and sermon training which we don't take part in. A lot of the people we meet don't realise that we aren't Adventist as it is the norm here, so they look a bit confused when we tell them that we are together but not married! Our contracts are very different from the missionary teachers, and as we are some of the first non-Adventist teachers to come here, sometimes we find ourselves in slightly awkward situations, but we are just taking it all in our stride.

We have been a bit useless at taking pictures so far but in future I will try and get more of the things that we are talking about here to give you a better idea!