Getting Organized

March 12, 2019

So, here it is... going on exactly 3 weeks since I have been here in ROK. As of yet, it still doesn't quite feel like I am really here. As I explained to a friend earlier today, "It's just another day". What does that even mean??? Well, sometimes we do things or tasks that need to be done but we really don't think about the actuality or depth of what is going on - just create or act out a routine, right??

The only way that I am finding things possible is probably causing me two to three times the amount of work that I would normally need to do. Let me reiterate - I have around 20 DIFFERENT classes that I may teach in the course of a week. Only one class I see three times. There are a couple that I may see two times and all the others, only once a week. Some classes have 2 different lesson books while others may only have one. So keeping organized as to who is doing what, homework that has been assigned, and any other notes or happenings for each class, I have a smaller notebook that I write things down in. Otherwise, there is one notebook that is kept in the office daily for each class which makes it nearly impossible to work on lesson planning at home unless I do it my way.

BUT, the good news is, is that this appears to be working for me. We are going on hump day of my second week and I can almost entirely plan my lessons at home the night before instead of trying to figure everything out an hour to two hours before the start of class. Unfortunately, I have been forgetting some other minor things like passing on homework that was assigned for the students that have been absent, forgetting to turn off the classroom heater, unplugging everything, and which classes I am allowed to speak a very limited amount of Korean in. So I feel that I have excess notes everywhere. Until I create a routine that becomes second nature, this is simply how I will function.

The great thing is that I usually am home by 9pm or even a little earlier so I can cook dinner and do anything else that I may need to do. Tonight I had a little of something left over that I had cooked last week. This saved time so that I could do my trash chore LOL. Let's go over the trash duties here in Korea unless you have skimmed my Facebook page...

There is a yellow bag that you must purchase for any and all food waste. There is no garbage disposal so everything goes in this bag. Common sense will probably tell you that you do not have a 2 liter bag full of food waste each night so sadly, you probably have to find a way to keep this bag somewhere until it is fuller. I seal mine up and keep it in the refrigerator until it is full enough to toss out. So far I have only had one bag to toss out.

Next, we separate plastics and vinyls. This basically consists  of wrappers for store bought items, chip/candy bags and everything EXCEPT plastic bottles. Because I have been decorating my house with new things, these fill up fast but luckily we can put these outside in whatever bag we have. Also, there is a separate bag for papers. This also has been filling up because of purchases. Receipts, paper inserts, boxes, etc go in here which also can be any bag type. Then I have ANOTHER bag for plastic and glass bottle and cans for recycling (for money) - also in any bag. Lastly, there is a white/blue bag that we purchase specifically for trash. Basically anything else goes in this to be burned. If you are confused by what "other" trash is, I am still asking the same thing and sometimes it's Styrofoam - honestly, whatever I feel doesn't fit in the other four bags. So yes, I have 5 trash bags in my tiny apartment.

Today, I came home and organized/separated my trashes LOL and washed dishes. Also, so that food and other items do not go down the drain, we have a cup that fits inside the hole. I have bought little nets to place inside of this cup that will catch any food particles so that I can just throw it away before it smells or becomes too gross. Very tedious. Luckily, a small place makes it a little more manageable. I also was able to find time to do some planning for my Thursday classes, one of which includes downloading songs that we will learn the lyrics to.

Being a lady in this part of the "complicated trash, lacking quality feminine products" part of the world is a tad challenging. I can purchase sub-par products and have trash to "hold on to" (bleh). Or I can use something else that requires less waste. I chose the latter. I will only say this much for the sake of not scaring off the guys and I will only discuss this one time ever - Ladies, if you come or visit ROK, I highly recommend a cup (look it up if you want more info). The hassles of dealing with it are better than the alternatives.

Last night, a coworker and I grabbed a bus and went to Cocky Pub (where the beer pong was) for burgers and fries. I have my first Dr. Pepper since I've been here. I was a happy girl. However, they brought me sweet and sour for my potato wedges instead of ketchup. Sometimes, things are so strange here. Around 10pm, my coworker and I hopped back on a bus to head towards home (we live in the same building) and decided to meet up with one of her friends for a drink and some darts. Next thing I knew, it was midnight and I was tired. Going out after work or staying out late can easily happen here.

I did choose to have a beer - and guess what kind that was???? I had a cold bottle of Corona!! Yessss! They brought it to me with .... a lemon, however because limes are expensive here. But I did ask the waiter for some salt (with help from my new acquaintances). He looked at me very strangely. I had to explain that I was going to add it to my beer with my lemon. So he brought me a small dish of salt and proceeded to look puzzled as I sprinkled salt into my bottle of Corona and turn it upside down to properly... give it head... or mix it up - whatever you want to call it. LOL. We explained that this is a thing that people in the US tend to do in some areas. It was a $12 beer but it was tasty. I also had some salty popcorn. YAY for the Salt Fix!!!! Although I only one beer, I did not want to wake up this morning.

Thursday, I take all of my paperwork down to immigration to apply for my Alien Residence Card so I will need to be up early and will have less time to prep for classes that usual unless I prepare tomorrow night after work.

That's all for now. Just some oddities that I though I would share. Yay for surviving three weeks!!!