Kimbop!

Sorry this post is a little past due, but these first few days have been kind of action-packed and I really haven't had time to sit down for an extended period of time... After roughly 26 hours of travel, Kelly and I made it safely to our apartment in Gunsan. We'll be sharing for the first 2 weeks while we train, then I'll be moving upstairs when the old teacher moves out. The apartments are surprisingly gigantic - about the size of my 1 bedroom at the South Orange Towers, plus they have sweet balconies. Fortunately, "fully-furnished Western style" meant just that. The only real difference is that the floors are made of these big vinyl (painted like hardwood) mats that are heated underneath. I get the impression that the Koreans tend to think it's way colder at times than I'm used to. Our bosses the Choi's keep stressing out that we're soooooo cold in just jeans and sweaters when its the most beautiful 60-65 degrees with no wind and everyone on the streets is wearing coats. The Ivy School where we wteach is absolutely awesome. Everything is brand spanking new, they're fully stocked with all teaching materials, and everyone there is really cool. There are 7 other teachers: 4 guys in roughly the same boat Kelly and I are, 2 slightly older guys who have done this for a few years now and are really good teachers, speak fantastic Korean, and are training us, and 1 slightly older woman who's been world-traveling but not teaching for years and years. The kids are all incredibly awesome and adorable and the little girls treat Kelly and I like celebrities. I'm Deborah-Teacher "with the curly" and she's Kelly-Teacher "with the yellow". I love it. So far the food is pretty good - I'm going to have a hard time with the meat of course, being a militant selectatarian and all, but so far I'm digging it. Kimbop is pretty good, which is like a sushi roll, but its got like ham, something that looks like candied yams, and some other unidentifiable ingredient wrapped in rice and seaweed. It seems to be really popular. Kimchi is awesome too. So is this beef you cook at a barbeque pit in the center of your table and eat right off the flaming rack with your chopsticks. I had to write "/cah-meggy-san/ = meat I like" in my notebook so I can know how to order it again.
Well, I definitely have more to say - I feel like I haven't even touched upon what our initial experience here has really been like (walking around town is like being illiterate, deaf and mute), but I'll take a break for now. I hope everyone at home is doing well and I'l talk to you again soon.
Lot's of love,
Deborah-Teacher