Orientation

It’s hard to believe that we have been in Korea for two weeks. In some ways the time has flown by and it should be impossible that we see students tomorrow. In other ways, it feels like we’ve been here a year already and it seems impossible that I don’t know how to say “caramel macchiato” in Korean yet.

Saying that our orientation here at school was a whirlwind is a sizable understatement. Until Saturday, we’ve had every moment of our time filled with meetings, gatherings, conferences, assemblies, and even a few get-togethers. We’ve been oriented on everything from lesson plans to laundry procedures. We’ve learned that our school (SFS) is quite a fan of acronyms. Between AP, IB, IGSCE, SL’s, HL’s, SPR’s, and XYZ’s we have an alphabet soup swimming around in our heads that is so hearty, it would make Chef Boyardee jealous. Okay, so I made up that last acronym, but you get the point. We’ve been told that an overwhelming drowning sensation is customary for new teachers… and returning ones. So, at least we are in good company.

Luckily, we finally get to meet our students this week. We have never been more ready to get in the classroom and actually begin teaching. Well, I guess I should rephrase that. We are excited to start doing what we were hired to do, but far from ready. During the orientation process, time to sit down and actually plan a few lessons and run a handful of copies didn’t make it into the schedule. So, this weekend has been filled with laminating posters and decorating bulletin boards. Hopefully today we can take a moment and prepare a lesson or two so that we will actually look like we know what we are doing on the first day of school. Undoubtedly, things will work out and somehow we won’t drown and we’ll recover from this cyclone of orientation. Maybe we’ll even remember a thing or two that we’ve been told. Now if only someone can teach me how to say caramel macchiato…