Orientation comes first, then comes the teaching

For the past four days, I have been at orientation with the rest of the student teachers who will be teaching English at the summer camps. We all come from Portland State University, University of Missouri and Arizona State University. And did I mention that this year will be the first time that ASU is a part of the English camps? Yes, that's right! Go Sun Devils!

At this time, we met our Korean co-teacher who is paired up with us to help us facilitate the class. My co-teacher's name is Jung-eun or Juliet, and she is so much fun--outgoing, funny and energetic! =)

We were all divided into seven camps in seven different locations in the region of Jeollanam-do. I arrived today at my campsite in Gokseong and our camp's principal gave us a warm welcome with beer, fruit and fried chicken awaiting in the basement of our dormitory building.

It was fun sharing a meal with the Korean co-teachers as we learned about their culture and why they chose to be a part of this camp. We will start with a welcoming ceremony tomorrow and meet the children! I am very excited to start teaching middle school students for this first ten-day camp!

Sleep awaits in order to wake up with energy and enthusiasm for these kids... annyong hee chu mu seyo! :)

Seoul, here we go!

As a journalism major, I have worked under deadlines to get a story on the air, but today, this morning, one hour from now...

One more set time frame will close, and this time, it is not for TV.

It is for this blog.

I gave myself a couple of hours to complete this first post because I have a flight to catch soon. Yes, that means that I will not be sleeping much until boarding the plane.

The flight? Phoenix, Arizona to Jeollanam-do, South Korea

The stay? one month (July 15 until end of Aug)

The purpose? to teach English at the Jeonnam Summer Camp for elementary and middle school children

This is the first time that Arizona State University students, undergraduates and graduates alike, will be volunteering their hours in the Jeonnam Province in South Korea. Arizona has become a sister state with this province and wants to give ASU students and alumni an opportunity to give back to the community and teach English in order to strengthen their education system.

(Photo: Part of the ASU groupo that will teach English

in Jeollanam-do, South Korea during a pre-departure meeting)

I will be one of 33 ASU students total embarking on this trip. I am very excited to go and learn about the Korean culture while I hopefully make an impact on these childrens' lives and help them improve their English speaking and oral comprehension skills.

Now... off to the airport to start on this new adventure! First stop--Seoul! =)