my placement!!

It felt like graduation all over again, except there was no audience. On Wednesday the seventy-two other ETAs and I participated in the placement ceremony. Right after two hours of language classes, we lined up (already dressed in our departure outfits) outside the auditorium on the eleventh floor of Jungwon University. We then filed into the auditorium and stood (slightly awkwardly) as we were called up to the stage based on where we were placed. After all this waiting I finally know that I will be spending the next year teaching at an elementary school in Galsan South Korea!!

Of course, right after the ceremony there was a mad rush to our computers to skype friends and family and google our locations. After talking to Mom and Jordan (Dad, Jaclyn, and Jaime were at Kid's Camp) I found out some of the nitty gritty statistics about where I will be teaching.

Galsan Elementary School has one hundred thirty students and I will most likely be teaching kindergarten through sixth grade as well as a couple hours of classes for the teachers. That averages down to less than twenty students per class-a fact about which I am ridiculously excited. The population of Galsan is a little over four thousand, but it is located in Hongseong county with almost one hundred thousand residents. I am in the province of Chungcheongnam-do, which is on the western coast of South Korea. I am about an hour's train ride from the larger city of Cheonan, which is another hour from Seoul. The Korean students at Jungwon University say that where I am living is very pretty. My town is close to Yongbong Mountain, a peak I plan on exploring.

I am excited to know where I am going and can't wait to get there in a couple of weeks! As I learn more about my home town, I will be sure to share!!