first day on the job

Started work today. I use that phrase loosely. I'm in the OWP (One Week Program), and we're not getting campers right now. So all we're doing is basically professional development. We're learning the Wise method of teaching phonics in the mornings, and doing cross-training between departments in the afternoons, so a lot of this was bewildering, since I don't even know what MY department does yet! Looks like it's going to be a week or two of this, which is pretty boring but very low-stress, and then I'll be teamed with another teacher for all the other classes I teach. Lots of time to train, and I won't have to be the lead teacher until, like, DECEMBER. Win! It's almost too easy.

I'm going to be in the ABC department, which is Arts, Broadcasting, and Creativity. (They reeeeeeaally like acronyms here!) It's about what it sounds like: better English through crafts, short movie-making, and discussion about the above. You don't need any particular expertise to teach any area, so there's always the possibility I'll switch departments later. Again, this won't even start until October. There's also a week of mandatory vacation (5 of the 20 days I was promised...they didn't tell me that some of them were like Christmas and Easter break, and I have to take them at a certain time!) at the end of the month. But that's ok, because...

I am going to BALI! There's a whole group of people from EV that are going, but one of them can't make it, so I'm taking his ticket. It's quite cheap, for 8 days, and I'll be with 15 other people! I haven't been paid yet, but the guy is very laid back about when I can pay him back for it, since I'm brand-spankin' new. And if I weren't taking the ticket, he'd lose the money totally. So, win-win-win! Looks like it'll be a long day of travel, though, there's like an 8 hour layover in Osaka. I wonder if we'll be able to leave the airport...

Other things today: got my Korean bank card, applied for my ARC and for my flight reimbursement, got the full rundown on my contract and the rules here, and met approximately a million people!! There's a lot of people here from New Zealand, Australia, South Africa, and England, as well as from the US. I remembered early on that I suck at names, so I started using mneumonics and associative tricks like that, and so far it's worked like a charm. (You know...Laura is lanky, Wally is cute as a wallaby, etc.) I'm more and more pleased with being here every day!

Now I need to put some dinner together and research Bali some more!