Joel: Had the day off today for the local elections. Since we arrived here we've been woken at 7 every morning by amped up recordings of the Korean world cup song from campaign floats in the streets near our flat and tomorrow it will be no more. It seems all the local politicians want to be accociated with the national football team and it's no wonder. The fanaticism is incredible. The Koreans played a friendly agianst Bosnia last week and place went crazy. Everybody, wherever they were, was watching the game. Every bar and restaurant was showing it - I'm not exagerating - I was so amazed I checked quite a few. Every worker in every shop had a TV set up - even the news kiosk at the subway station. I think it will be easy to find good places to watch the actual world cup games.

We spent the day up at the huge market in Dongdaemun. The scale of this place is beyond belief. There were lots of shoes and fabric type stalls to pass but eventually we found the building for more interesting clothes shops - little designer boutiques housing some really nice clothing. Amidst the mass of outdoor street stalls we spotted some kind of sports stadium and decided to check it out. It was an old sports stadium - possibly for football - but now it contained a massive flea market - hundreds of stalls piled up with mountains of bric-a-brac. We found some lovely Korean art work and haggled one guy down from 10,000 won to 6,000 (about 3pound fifty) for a cool little print. Also picked up a lamp for our living room - in ordinary shops here lamps are really expensive...strange.

My first days in school were great. Being back in a school environment has got me thinking about my school days - back in England but also in Oz. I suppose its the sandy playing pitches and the tannoys that take me back to Oz...and also the heat. It's now pretty humid every day.
I've got involved with some of the lessons and the kids are really responsive. I'm clearly quite a novelty for them and when they hear I've come from Manchester they go crazy. They seem to think Park Ji-sung is the only footballer that exists. I already don't find the principle half as intimidating at I did on the first meeting. I'm sure he's just a big Korean softie.

I did have something sprung on me yesterday though. The principle wants me to interview all the 3rd to 6th grader who are interested to decide who should be given the chance to do special English classes. I have to choose 7 or 8 from each year. About three hundred are interested. Three hundred. I have tomorrow and Friday afternoons to conduct them. I spoke with Debbie about the fact that she must have a good idea who the brightest and keenest are but she told me the principle wanted me to do it alone with fresh ears and ideas so as not to demonstrate any bias. So now I have two killer days ahead of me during which time I will make some key decisions about some children's futures. Each interview will have to be three minutes max and I have to give a mark out of a hundred. Can't wait for the weekend to come.

Rakhi: It's been another crazy day in my life in Korea! Today was my first proper day at school. It began with a live broadcast of me introducing myself (translated by my co-worker) which was beamed into every room in the school! The celebrity treatment didn't stop there, everyone wanted to speak to me, touch me and ask lots of (personal) questions. After the broadcast I watched how my co-teacher conducted three grade 6 classes and one grade 4 class, but not before I had introduced myself to each class and let the students give me a grilling. I had kids aged 12 asking me about my first love, my favourite food, my age and commenting on my 'big eyes' (not the norm here!).

After the lessons me and my co-teacher went down to lunch which was about as peaceful as listening to a pneumatic drill; the kids here are sweet but too hyperactive, nothing like their Japanese counterparts i'm sure! I was dreading lunchtime as Korean food can be pretty hit and miss. I've had some lovely stuff like galbi and kimbop (Korean sushi) but seen counteless rank things that I wouldn't touch with a barge pole; like whole pigs faces in the market. Anyway, it was surprisingly vey tasty. I had some really nice sticky rice with beans in it and a spicy veg soup.

After lunchtime I had to attend a staff meeting where I again had to introduce myself (the speech is getting pretty polished now, I reckon I can do it in my sleep). After the meeting it was home time and as me and my teacher were heading to the English room another teacher stopped us and asked my co-teacher something in Korea. When this other teacher had gone my co-teacher turned to me and asked if I would like to go and eat a pigs face! She explained that the vice principal had just bought a new car and apparently, it's customary in Korean for people to bless new cars with a pigs face in order to keep it and everyone in it, safe and accident free. Now, it's really impolite to refuse offers in Korea especially if the invite extends from someone with high status (like my vice principal) but there was no way I was eating a pigs face! I asked if it would be rude if I didn't have any but my co-teacher said it would be OK as long as we at least stopped by the ceremony. When we got downstairs it turned out that the face had already been carved up (but features were still visible). The car had all it's doors and bonnet open and a mat had been laid out in front of it. The men were taking it in turns to put some money into a whole dead dried fish, throwing alcohol onto the car and bowing in front of it. Once this had been done chopsticks were passed around which I politely refused and paper cups of this rice booze stuff. I thought it would be rude not to have anything so had a little swig of the booze. I think they were pleased that I partook in the festivities. Weird custom or what!

Joel: I'ts been such a busy week I don't know where to start. The five-day orientation proved to be great fun. Some of the lectures were quite long and a bit tedious but others were really helpful - particularly those concerned with ideas and tips for teaching kids which is something that's new to both of us. Mr Park from the office of education, who had organised the week, conducted one of the lectures. He seems a really nice guy - really friendly and uninhibited; not the like the stereotyical idea of an older Korean man at all. At one point when the computer projector was refusing to work he took it on himself to teach the whole lecture theatre of teachers the Korean world cup dance. All the moves! It was fantastic. I'm going to do it in our living room before every game of the world cup.

I've started to feel a bit of culture shock this week for the first time - spending time with Americans I mean. They really are a strange breed. Some of them were lovely but there were others who seemed intent on turning Q&A sessions into episodes of Oprah. Which got a bit boring. Ah well.

We've met some top people though. The evenings after the lectures allowed us plenty of time to check out the local hofs to drink and be merry. Also, we've now discovered some Korean food that is BEAUTIFUL. The first few days here were a bit of a disappointment food wise but we kept the faith assuming we just weren't looking in the right places. On Thurday night a group of us went down to a Korean barbecue and had galbi (beef) and sangapsal (pork). You cook the meat and veg yourself on a BBQ in the middle of your table and wrap everything in pieces of lettuce with spicy garnishes. Absolutely gorgeous! We've now got to find similar places nearby to BBQ on a regular basis.

On Thursday afternoon we were taken on a tour of a fortress in Suwon and treated to an erxhibition of Korean fighting techniques. We then climbed a nearby hill to get a great view of the wider area. It was nice and relaxing and a great change from sitting in a lecture theatre. We returned to Bucheon on Friday and took it easy for the evening after a demanding week. We went to see Mission Impossible 3 at a huge cinema round the corner from our place - in English with subtitles. We live in such an ideal location - so many things we need or want are so close to hand. I doubt we could have it any better. People we met through the week are located two hours by train from Seoul, a stones throw from the demilitarized zone. I think I'd be gutted.

Yesterday we wandered up to the electronics market at Yongsan. I've never seen anything like it. If you're after a mobile phone or MP3 player there are literally millions to chose from - new or second hand. It's housed on five floors of a huge building and spills into the surrounding streets as well. We picked up a new personal CD player with MP3 for a bargain price. When we get paid I'll be looking to get a laptop from there. I just need to find someone to take with me who knows about such things. Where are you Neal when I need you?!?!

Last night was absolutely superb. We went into Hongdae to a drum'n'bass night at a club called Cargo. A couple of guys we met in the week, Malcolm and Matthew, came down to meet us. The atmosphere there was incredible. It seems things generally don't get going here till after midnight and by one o'clock the place was rocking. Hongdae seems like an amazing area for going out. Bars and clubs stay open all through the night and there seem to be all sorts of different things going on. We picked up a flyer for a night in June where Andy James from Portishead is playing a set. I think we'll be going. Nights like this work out at about 8 quid a ticket as well so it's pretty good value.

So it's now Sunday evening and I'm preparing myself mentally for my first day as a professional teacher. I'm hoping to get a full timetable tomorrow for the working week and the academic year so that Rakhi and I can plan to have our holidays together. My co-worker, who has now niknamed herself Debbie, told me that after my brief visit to the school when we first arrived one of ther kids told her she thought I looked like Harry Potter. I'm going to expect the unexpected but I'm sure it will be great. I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

Rakhi: Finally, we've made it to a PC Bang! Last night we met up with some people that we met on the training course. We went to see London Elektricity at a club called Cargo in the university area of Seoul. The music was really good and the atmosphere was top.

So much has happened this week- we've been very busy. On Monday, we went for our weeks training to a city called Suwon just outside of Seoul. A taxi picked us up and took us and three other people to the place where we were staying. We were all given the itinerary for the week and were gutted when we spotted that the first step was checking in to our dorms! No! we all cried, it can't be! It turned out that we were to be placed in rooms of four. Joel and I were gutted especially since we had packed all our stuff in one bag. I was really not up for staying in a room with four strangers. Anyway, when we got to the hotel Joel and I asked if it would be possible for us to stay in a room together as we are a couple and we've got all our stuff in one bag. Oh! your married the lady asked (we said nothing!) OK, i'll see what I can do. After a quick phone call she handed a key to us and we were on our way. We skipped to our room with a tee hee hee but no sooner had we entered when the phone rang. Sure enough it was the lady from downstairs telling us that it would not be possible for us to have a room to ourselves and she would have to send some strangers up to make the room a four. Gutted! Anyway, it turned out that we were sharing our room with a couple from Canada who turned out to be very lovely indeed so all was good.

Overall, the training was good because we got to meet lots of people. There are some really sound people living not too far away from away from us. The lectures and presentations were a bit of a bore because they were things that I had already covered on my TESOL course. However, the time and effort that went in to planning the training course bodes well for the scheme that we are working for. Some people we met had lived and taught in some of the private Hagwon schools here in Korea and the only training they got was a pat on the back. Many people have told us that we are fortunate to get onto this government programme so it's very reassuring. Still, all will be revealed tomorrow when the real work starts!

Joel: Had a really interesting day yesterday. We wanderered back into Seoul to check out an area called Insadong where we'd read there were lots of galleries, a craft market and a vegetarian restaraunt in a Buddist retreat. Rakhi wanted to take me out to dinner for my birthday but I think is beginning to go off all meat and sea food so it seemed like a perfect choice. The deal included some type of dance performance at 8:15 which added to the appeal. When we found the market it was brilliant; like and a combination of Manchester craft market and the clothes shops of the Northern Quarter housed in an open concrete helix and topped with open-air bars and cafe's. Definately worth another visit when the money sarts to come in. The restaurant proved less easy to find. Roads in Korea aren't named so unless you know the area or have clear directions it can be difficult to find anything. Also, the back streets of Insadong are like a rabbit warren of traditional shops and restaurants and with scant (but improving) knowledge of the language, it's a wonder we found it at all. But find it we did. We were greeted by a friendly monk, asked to remove our shoes and lead through to the seating area. Although all tables were booked Rakhi somehow worked her magic and we were invited to sit down on cushions by a low table at the side of a cetral performance space. There was no menu but our table was soon awash with approximately 30 bowls of Buddist veggie scran - all fashioned from ingredients found in the wooded areas around Seoul (or the we were told). Some of them were lovely - others proved not so - but the atmosphere in the place was fantastic. Part way through our meal the dancing began and we were treated to a series of traditional moves and grooves and a masterclass in Korean drumming. Great stuff. We finished the night speaking with a couple English couple sat at the table next to ours. They had travelled into Seoul with his visiting parents for the weekend and told us they'd been teaching out in the sticks for the last eight months and loved it - which was great to hear.

Today we're just going to relax before the orientation begins tomorrow. I'm going to cook Rakhi a veggie English roast later to help her feel at home. And we're going to work on some Korean. We've now got greetings and numbers and suchlike down but it will make a big difference to be able to deal with basic interactions out in the wacky world of Korea. Annyong hi-gyasseo!!!

Rakhi: Well the last few days have been spent exploring and kitting our apartment out. The apartment is really nice- we have a spare room, a study, a decent sized living room and bedroom and brand new furniture. Our Korean co-workers from our schools are really nice and have been very helpful. There's loads to do right on our doorstep. There are plenty of traditional type places to eat, markets and bars. I think i'm really going to enjoy living here. Oh, there's also a massive 24hr 'Home Plus' aka Tesco. They have everything including cheese (though not very good and really expensive) wine and Heinz tomato ketchup. I don't think we'll be going without!

So far, we have nailed these few phrases:
annyong haseyo: Hello (informal)/ How are you?
gamsa hamnida- thankyou
annyong hagaseyo- bye
And, i'm still getting confused saying 'hello' to people when I mean 'bye' and short changing people by paying 60p when the bill comes to much more! Anyway, the language side of things is going to be a complete challenge but i'm up for it.

The strangest thing so far was when I went to meet the principal and teachers at my school. Within two hours of landing in Korea after a 12hr flight and time difference of +8 hrs, I was taken by my co-worker to my school. I was sweaty, smelly and absolutely shattered. Upon entering the school, I was told to take my shoes of and was given 'guest' shoes to wear as no one wears their outdoor shoes inside. I was then taken to the principals office to meet him. I bowed and did a 'annyong hasseyo' (which I later realised is not formal enough language for the top dog) and sat down. Then, my co-worker disappeared whilst me (who speaks no Korean) and the principal (who speaks no English) made the lamest attempt to speak to each other. These awkward moments became even more so when the two of us gave up and he started reading a paper! 5 mins later the vice principal came in and the process was repeated! I was praying for my co-worker to come back so she coud translate. Except, when she eventually did the three of them had a long converstion in Korean whilst I sat there like a spare part with an innane grin on my face. Very surreal! I was laughing on the inside!

So far so good!

Joel: Finally!!! We've made it to a PC bang - less than a minite's walk from our lovely new flat and cheap as chips at 1000 won (60p) an hour.

The last 48 hours have been amazing and also very bizarre. The flight wasn't too bad. I didn't get much sleep on the plane but was made up to find a flight radio channel that played a documentary called "The Johnny Cash Showcase" on a loop. We were met at Incheon International by a young chap from BCM holding a card with our names on it. He introduced himself as Kevin and he was to take us to our new home - but not before getting completely lost and having to stop to ask at least five people for directions. Rakhi and I were both completely knackered and were starting to feel a bit frustrated when we pulled into a small complex of flats and were greeted by our co-workers. Just when what I needed most was a shower and perhaps a bit of kip, we were told we needed to head straight to the schools since the principles were waiting to meet us.

And this was possibly the strangest experience of my life. I walked the short journey to my school with Kim, my co-worker. I'm now really shattered and on the verge of hallucinating. We cross a sandy football pitch on which a group of lads are kicking a ball about and we climb the steps up into the school building. Just inside, Kim asks me to wait one moment before knocking a nearby door and cautiously entering. I compose myself and prepare to meet the big man. Kim soon returns and asks me to follow her in.

The room is quite large; long and narrow. There is a desk to one side but most of the space is taken up by about 10-12 large leather chairs facing each other in two lines. There are two middle-aged Korean men in the room and both are looking at me. I give a shallow bow and offer them a "aneyong-haseyo" (how do you do?) but of course don't get a word of their response. They speak no english. All in all though I think the meeting goes well. On a tour of the school Kim tells me that I won't have to deal that much with the principle and his vice. She seems really nice. I think I'm going to enjoy working with her. The kids seem really friendly too - full of energy. An hour later I finally make it to bed.

Now we've had a chance to explore the local area and recover from the jet-lag I'm feeling really happy. Bucheon is a really vibrant place with loads of bars and restaurants, shops and other amenities - everything we need really. There are some funky smells about (mainly fishy pongs) but they come and go and never get too bad. We travelled into Seoul last night and it's less than half and hour on the tube. There's so much to explore here - it's all v.v.v.exciting.

So now we have the weekend to relax and improve our Korean - on Monday we begin our week's training. It might be nice to meet a few nice folk who are in the same boat as us. We shall see.

Joel: Now I know we're going. My bags are packed and I'm all set for the long flight - this time tomorrow we'll be in Amsterdam. Packing things up and throwing things away has been an interesting and emotional experience; the excitement of what the future holds for us in our new home on the outskirts of Seoul is balanced by the knowledge of who and what we're leaving behind. Manchester's been great to me. I'm leaving on the back of a fantastic family dinner and a birthday BBQ that was great fun. Tomorrow we take a massive leap into the unknown. A real test in so many ways. Next time I write it will be from Seoul. I'm dead excited. What the heeelll!

Rakhi: Well, the last few days have been a mixture of sadness and excitement for me. I'm really looking forward to being in Korea and teaching; it's the kind of adventure i've wanted to do for ages. It's been hard saying bye to the people I care about though. Tomorrow's going to be hard saying bye to my family at the airport but as soon as I get on the plane i'll be fine. We get TWO meals! One on the way to Amsterdam and then another meal AND snacks on the planes from 'dam to Seoul! I can't wait. I hope the films good, i'm gutted i haven't got a screen on the back of my seat though.
Bye to all my lovely family and friends- watch this space...