Week One Done!
Training, a Surprise Street Encounter, a Quiet Park & Downtown
Week one is over, and it was a doozy.
It is Saturday morning in South Korea, as I type this I can hear the birds chirping and the cars bustling out my window. The morning light makes a soft glow illuminate my room slowly waking me up. It’s peaceful and it feels normal.
Training
This first week of training has not come close to the feeling I have at this moment. Monday’s schedule started at 10 am and until 12:30 pm my group of trainees hopped on Zoom and listened to our trainer talk about what we needed to know and go over the first lesson we would be mocking over zoom the next day. Then we had an hour and a half before we had to hop onto a different zoom to do orientation and group study for 2 hours and 50 mins. In this next one, they explained this group study would be a time where we can mock the lessons with our fellow trainees to get a better understanding of the methodology. They put us in break-out groups with the same training groups as our trainer we had earlier. Then at 4:50 pm it was free time, but free time was sleeping time. I was unable to stay up past 5:15 for the first few days, jet lag was killer.
After Monday our schedule for training changed instead of a late morning start we started at 8:30 am Tuesday – Thursday. Training with our trainer lasted until 1:30 pm and we had an hour off before we got back online for our group study from 2:30 pm to 4:50 pm. Group study was good, sometimes. Most of the time I wished we had more free time to study alone instead of going straight into mocking with our group. Most of the time when you are the first to mock you immediately forget what to start with first and then all of us had to chat about what came first. More time in between training and group study would have been helpful for us to prepare, but no use dwelling on it.
When we would mock during the week with our trainer, we would mock two or three times and each time we would have to give our own feedback on how we did, then a fellow trainee and lastly she would give us some too. It was helpful to be able to reflect on ourselves, hear how others felt about it and what our trainer thinks we can improve. It helped us develop the skills needed to pass our test that Friday.
Friday was our test day, the day we put all our knowledge to the test to see if we will be staying or going. We had to mock three out of the five lessons we learned this week. It was our last day showing our trainer we can handle this job.
I think by Tuesday’s group study I got used to the fact that this group of strangers are not strangers but people in the same boat as me. There was no need to feel embarrassed when I messed up or worried I was not perfect, because none of us were. I was cool to be able to watch us all grow and get stronger with our methodology and our teacher presence. I am so proud of us for all our hard work and being able to fight our jet lag, get used to living in a new country and still retain the information. It was no easy feat.
My group had a total of six trainees, including myself. Most of us are from America but two of our members found out they were from the same area in South Africa! It was cool to see they were able to connect with a piece of home. The rest of us were from the east and west coasts in America. California, New Jersey and as for me, Florida. Funny enough, all the Americans ended up being placed at the same branch in Daegu so I would be training alongside my soon-to-be coworkers. The last two were placed at different locations, one in a different branch in Daegu and the last was placed in Busan.
Outings
Wednesday between training and group study we got a little extra time, so I went for a short walk to stretch my legs and get comfortable with the area. Towards the end of my walk, I spotted a lady pointing at me from the other side of the street and when I looked up, there was one of my fellow trainees! Well obviously since I was close to my apartment that meant she would be close by too, right. Yes! We ended up walking back to our apartment together and found out she was just one floor below me. This big city just got a little smaller!
The next day, Thursday, I logged off my last day of group study and put on my sneakers for a nice long walk, hoping that it will help me stay up long enough to sleep through the whole night. I had either been sleeping early around 5 or 6 pm and waking up at 5 am or sleeping at 7 or 8 pm and waking up at 2:30 or 3 am. I was longing for sleep where I went to bed at a normal time and woke up at one too. Hence the walk.
As I was walking, my building mate sent me the location of a cute park she found while walking around before and thought I should give it a try. I took the advice and headed towards it. When she said it was a park, in my head I only imagined one from back home, a plot of land, some trees and people. This park was different; it was closer to a trail. When I walked inside it was like I was transported. The hustle and bustle of the city melted away and the serene beauty of nature cocooned me in silence and peacefulness. In my mind it was surreal to find such a hike in the middle of a city full of life. It wasn’t crowded with people and the trees enclosed you in a forest of tranquility.
This park was exactly what I needed. I made me forget about the past day’s struggles and the future test closing in. I forced me to focus on the now and take a break from the grind. I decided right there and then, this place will now be a regular location in my life here in Daegu.
Insert pics
Friday, test day. Friday morning, I went over methodology and my notes from the week. I didn’t feel super prepared, but I did all I could. The testing started at 9 and ended at 12. All six of us mocked 3 times in that time and didn’t get an ounce of feedback. But when 12 pm hit, we were done. Test complete, nothing more to say or do. Let the pieces fall where they must.
No matter if I passed or failed at 2 pm we would be touring the school and getting some instructions from our lead teacher. Before that, we met an hour early with her and a few teachers from our branch to have lunch. We had time to get to know our lead teacher and a few of the staff we will be working with. It was also the first time I would be meeting the other two trainees. Lunch was AMAZING, it was delicious and great to chat with everyone. I really enjoyed all the people, and it made me excited to get to work.
By the end of the orientation at our branch we got the email saying we all passed, and we will start shadowing Monday. A weight was lifted and the four of us had a few hours to kill. Our lead instructor suggested we go to downtown Daegu and walk around so we did just that! The four of us stopped by the closest convenience store and bought transportation cards so we could take the subway there.
Finding our way through the subway station and onto the train was quick and easy since one of us was able to navigate us through. We went down 4 stops, and we were officially downtown. We hopped off and headed above ground to see what this new location held.
Downtown Daegu looked like where our school was located but on steroids. We walked about and stumbled into a small bookstore with great music and at this point we thought about another trainee who was in Daegu that we hadn’t met in person yet. I texted her to come and hang and with some thinking she hopped into a cab and headed our way.
We kept walking around and then we hit the jackpot. A mall! With a quick change to our location and a text to our incoming friend we walked into the mall. While waiting for our friend to arrive, the four of us adventured further into the building. We made it up two floors before we went downstairs to officially meet one of our fellow trainees. It was an exciting meeting; we hugged and chatted all the while walking around this high-end mall.
The mall was 9 stories, and each floor was different. We worked are way up each floor just browsing and chatting. It was the first time since I arrived, and honestly a long time before that, I truly enjoyed being out and about with friends. We laughed and walked for hours! We were amazed by so many things, including a kitchen set up with a surprise hidden inside and a rooftop garden that overlooked downtown.
When we reached the top floor I quickly clocked the small outdoor garden with cool statues, and we headed straight outside. The weather was nice and the view was gorgeous. At the back we found a huge window with a great view of the city. We decided to take a seat to rest. We sat there and chatted for hours while the sun went down on our first week in Daegu. I can’t help but smile when I think about our first outing as a group.
_______________________________________________________________________________________
Back home I was in a place where I struggled to put myself out there and connect with new people. It was something I developed over the years through hurtful experiences and isolation due to covid. Going out was not something I felt comfortable doing and when I did I was constantly wanting to go home. I honestly didn’t recognize who I had become.
Growing up, making friends was easy for me and I loved being around people. If I was feeling drained all I had to do was be around people and I would feel refreshed. But in the last few years it was the opposite. Being around people drained me and sometimes it took a day to fully recover from a social gathering. Even though I tried to expose myself to social things to build my endurance, it didn’t help. There was something holding me back.
Being here though, in a new environment it feels easier to chat with new people and being outside of my house. I think a part of it is due to survival since I am alone in a new town, but another part is that I don’t feel the weight that I had when I was back home. With all that said I have no bad feelings about home or the people who were in my life! God was doing his biggest replant in my life so far, the soil I was planted in did its job and it was time to replant me in new soil and watch how I grow.
________________________________________________________________________________________
Getting back on track, this outing was one for the books, while we walked around the streets downtown, we found arcades, phone case stores, clothing stores, restaurants, karaoke on the streets, buskers and so much more! We didn’t head home until 10 pm just enjoying each other’s company and the new sights we saw. Friday was a good day.
This sure was a long update! This week was stressful, training kicked my butt, I met new people, I leaned on God just a little more, and I have my first group of friends in South Korea.
Thank you so much for your love and support! I am grateful God has put people in my life who care enough to take the time to read about my own life. I am truly blessed.
Check my gallery page for more photos!
사랑을 담아,
Samantha
