Trying My Patience

The last week or so, the boys have been trying my patience. I knew this time would come; I guess I just didn't suspect so soon. Many of the decisions the higher ups are making about their freedoms are being pinned on me and my immediate house staff, when we really have no control over it, and the boys are rebelling. Not to mention the general boneheaded decisions that middle schoolers make. For instance, we had 6 kids try to escape in the middle of the night over the fence, and they were swiftly caught. They were trying to go to the closed gas station for microwave noodles.

One of my kids discovered the n-word in a rap song and doesn't seem to realize the implications of the word, so that's been fun. Another kid tried to pass the argument with me that "all boys our age watch porn. You know we need to be able to." That was hard not to laugh through. He legitimately thought that would change the IT department's mind about their policies on porn.

It's been a long week, but I'm off tomorrow and the next day, and I can't wait. Last off days, we hiked up the famous Sunrise Peak, which was beautiful. My birthday was Wednesday, and the love shown to me from friends far and near was really revitalizing as far as the bad week I was having and the homesickness. It felt really good. My roommates from college sent me a book about bourbon which was awesome, and I received cards from several family members including both sets of grandparents and my dear Aunt Sue. Thanks so much, everyone! You made the week much better!

Wednesday night I went out with two friends to a local pub that had a decent beer or two on tap, and we turned in early since I had to work the next morning. It was a great birthday overall. Tuesday, we're planning on going transparent kayaking if the weather holds up, and I can't wait. I'm looking forward to Skyping with my sister and my parents, and I had wonderful Skype sessions earlier this week with several friends. Fingers crossed that grandma and grandpa Bedell can get it up and running soon!

I've been surprisingly discovering a ton of music since I got here. Some of the albums I'm growing to love:
Former Lives - Benjamin Gibbard
This Is All Yours - alt-J
They Want My Soul - Spoon
In The Lonely Hour - Sam Smith
Caustic Love - Paolo Nuttini
Wish I Was Here (Soundtrack) - Various Artists
Story Of My Life - Shakey Graves

All worth your time. I am starting to crave American foods and drinks. I'm compiling a large list of must-haves for December. My friend Mandaline is in Saint Louis this weekend, and I'm jealous of the Ted Drewes and other things she's having. December is soon! I had Quizno's today, which felt really dirty and like cheating for some reason. But it was delicious, and I regret nothing.

Another highlight of the week was hearing from my good pal Michael Meyer, who I hope to be conversing more with soon. Such a gem! Besides that, life's going overall well, and I hope to hear from anyone and everyone soon. Have a good one!

Chuseok and Other Updates

Yesterday marked the end of my first break here at KIS. I had airport duty last night, which was hectic to say the least. I love most everything about the school here, but sometimes there is a huge lack of organization, which can be a little frustrating. It seems that often the administrators, teachers, and dorm staff are all on different wavelengths about certain things. That’s my only current complaint though!

Last week Friday began Chuseok break. Chuseok is the equivalent of the Korean Thanksgiving. Friday night, we had a potluck then all went out as a staff. It was a lot of fun! Saturday morning, I woke up and left for a small island off the east coast of Jeju called U-do. We drove to the east side then took a ferry, which was kind of fun. Once we got to U-do, there were a bunch of other people from Jeju schools, and it was nice to meet some people outside of KIS. We played beach volleyball, swam, then camped overnight, staying up late around a fire on the beach.

The next day, we stayed until 4pm or so swimming and playing volleyball, then made the trek back to KIS. On the way home, we stopped at a restaurant where we had a very spicy stir-fry chicken dish, which was then covered in cheese. It also had sweet potato dumplings in it. It was incredible, but the spicy was intense.

Monday, we bummed around all day then went to the casino at night. I lost, but it was fun. It’s illegal for Koreans to gamble, but tourists can, which is kind of weird. It was basically a dozen or so Chinese folks and us Americans. I wore my suit and a black bow tie just to class it up Casino Royale style. Tuesday was relaxing. A friend and I ventured to some waterfalls close to the beach. The island is really really beautiful, and I love the little nooks and crannies that you can find like that. Still trying to process that I can visit things like that whenever I want.

Wednesday, the kids came back. In a way, it was nice to see them again, but a little sad to leave the peace and quiet behind! Now, it’s straight through to the end of October before my next break. Then, before I know it, I’ll be venturing home for the Boesch wedding and Christmas festivities. Time travels at light speed these days. I bought a car today! So that's another fun development. Looking forward to taking it out around the island.

I also figured out how to write my address on an envelope! So that’s a fun development. If you feel like sending anything to me (first of all, you rock), send me a message, and I’ll send you the photo of how it should look.

Shout out to my incredible cousin, Charlotte Samuels! Girl can swim. She just completed the “triple crown of open water swimming” at age 15, the youngest person to ever do so, and also did all three swims in the shortest span of time at 74 days. If you ever need motivation, there’s your girl. She swam over twenty hours in the English Channel. I can’t think of anything I’ve ever done for 20 hours straight, let alone something that exhausts you. You’re a champ, Char!

That’s really all to report for now. Will write again if anything fun comes up. Thanks for reading!

-Ryan

One Month In

"Travel can be one of the most rewarding forms of introspection."
- Lawrence Durrell

I left home a month ago today. So much has happened in this month! I'm getting to know my students better, and we've already had our ups and downs. It's no fun to discipline the kids, but they know the rules and rather intentionally break them sometimes. That's the least fun part of the job. The bright side is that I know I'm doing the job well and I'm having fun! I'm happy, and life at the school and on the island has been great.

I've kept in good touch with most folks at home, Skyping and Facebook messaging and such! Hearing from home is always nice, so do hit me up if you feel so inclined.

The most recent development here is that I was offered another job which I ultimately decided to turn down, but it really presented me with a decision that I feel ended up being a major life decision. I was offered the opportunity to leave my current position and become the school's Assistant Athletic Director/Head Lifeguard. It wouldn't have involved a pay raise or anything this year, but I was flattered that the athletic director came to me first with the offer. The decision it presented is this: is sports my future, or is the education side more my future?

The kicker is that the director originally wanted to know the next day if I wanted the job. While the dilemma between sports and education was on my mind anyway, I knew that if sports was my future, AD would look better than Dorm Assistant. I thought about it overnight, getting very little sleep, then met with some of my bosses and coworkers the next day to get their opinions, and in the end, I decided to turn it down.

I think I've come to a decision that education is where I see my career heading from here. I had been thinking about it even before I came to Jeju, but being here has only reaffirmed this desire in me. Who knows when going back to school will be for me, but a master's in higher education sounds like it could be something I have interest in. My good friend Alex Boesch is off tackling that degree in Vermont now, so I suppose I will have to pick his brain in the future. My good friend and mentor Dr. Beazley could probably also provide some guidance! I have to keep telling myself that I don't have to make any decisions right now. The job offer really put all of this to the forefront of my mind, and now that I've made an immediate decision, I need to remind myself that I can put it to the back burner for a bit.

I bought a small dirt bike this week for transportation, a Hyosung RX125. So I officially have wheels to explore the island, and I have been doing so! Went to the beach yesterday on my day off, and today into the city. Additionally, I bought a classical guitar. These small things have made it start to feel more like home here. You take transportation for granted until you don't have it and you're stranded on campus all day! Feels good to finally be able to come and go as I please. Been on a few hikes, and hoping to throw in a few more soon as well. No complaints currently!

Still loving the people and the place, and a month in, I think that's a good sign. Still missing you all at home and am excited to see everyone in December. My first break from school starts Friday, and a camping trip is in my future. Can't wait. Have a good week, family and friends!

-Ryan

Rest in peace, Chris Zandstra. 6/16/91 - 9/2/07

The Children Have Arrived!

A quick catch up: I didn't post during orientation because it was basically the same thing every day. It was ice breakers and team building during the day, hang out and meet people at night. It was good fun, but not all that informative. The last few days of orientation involved getting down to business and getting real details about daily life. This culminated in the staff party the night before the kids arrived. All English staff, Korean staff, teachers, and families were invited to a party in the gym with tons of food, beer, and karaoke. It was a good time, and the perfect end to the orientation. You could tell there was a cohesive group of people in the gym, and it felt good.

Yesterday, we decorated our floor all morning, and students began arriving at 1:30PM. I was a lot more nervous than I thought I would be, mostly for meeting the parents! Everyone arrived by 3:30 or so, and by 4, parents had left, and it was time to get down to business. I can already tell that learning names will be a bit difficult! We have 19 boys between 6th and 8th grade, and room for 3 more. There are three dorm staff members on the floor; there's me (overseas assistant), Jennifer (Korean assistant), and Bryan (the house specialist). So far I've bonded well with both of them, and it's been relatively smooth sailing besides some minor communication with students. It'll be a bit of a learning process, as all three of us are new.

I can already tell who my troublemakers are. Some of the former middle school specialists warned me about who they would be, but I didn't even need to know names. It's typical middle school boy stuff: being rough, swearing, being disrespectful when someone else is talking, some bullying. I think we made it pretty clear that we run a tight ship though. The boys loved that I worked for the Cubs, and during some free time, I even jammed on guitar with one of my students. A small faction of the boys has taken to calling me Mr. Hulk after we did some dodgeball and basketball last night. I think that's a good thing? It's weird enough to hear Mr. Bedell and Mr. Ryan. It makes me feel old.

The wake up calls are the hardest part. We assign student leaders each week to wake up early and rouse their peers. Today, the house leaders were up at 6 (they needed to be up at 7), and were waking people up by 6:30. I attribute it to being excited for the school day. While they're in classes, I'm free to do as I please. At 3, we have a staff meeting, and at 4, kids are out of school. I have Monday and Tuesday off, so those days will be best for me for catching up.

The homesickness hadn't really set in until I saw the kids saying goodbye to their parents yesterday. I really do miss all of my friends at home. I've done a good job of keeping in touch with many already, but I'm starting to realize how far away I am! However, I have this feeling that already this experience is helping me grow. It's reassuring to know I'm in the right place.

It's pouring today, so I went on a sopping wet bike ride, which was fun. My coworker Matt was nice enough to give me his old bike. It needs some work, but Bryan enjoys working on bikes and has offered to help! As soon as my visa goes through, I'm going to look into a car or scooter so that I can really start exploring. There's great rock climbing, hiking, and surfing here on the island. So I think I will have to start getting into all of those!

Anyway, not much else to report for now. Miss you all! Email me at ryanbedell3@gmail.com or rbedell@kis.ac, and we can set up some Skype! Have a good rest of your week, folks.

-Ryan

My First Few Days on Jeju Island

Hello all!

Sorry it took me so long to write a proper post. As you can imagine, the process of settling in has taken a few days. However, I've finally got my room all unpacked and organized, and orientation is in full swing. I'm going to try to recount all the way from leaving Saint Louis, moreso for myself because I haven't had time to journal, so feel free to skip a few paragraphs if you want info about where I'm at right now!

Friday night of last week, my family came over for dinner, and reality began to set in. I ended the night with my closest friends coming over, and then I began preparing myself to wake up early and leave. I was up at 4:30AM scrambling to get myself together, and before I knew it, I was on a plane to Chicago. When I arrived in Chicago, I was told my flight from Seoul to Jeju had been cancelled due to a typhoon on the island, so initially, some panic set in. I was in Chicago for three hours, and then hopped on the plane towards Seoul.

I slept for the first 5 hours of the 14 hour flight, then watched a few movies and stayed awake to try to beat the jet lag. When I arrived in Seoul, my first order of business was to get my bags and then find an Asiana Airlines desk to try to get on standby. As I wandered aimlessly through the airport, I thought I had all the time in the world. I went to an information desk after an hour or so, and the woman pointed me in the right direction. As I was walking away, I overheard the man behind me ask where to go for a desk for Asiana, as he was trying to get to Jeju. He was a middle-aged American man named Tim, and I got to talking with him. At first, we couldn't find the desk that the woman pointed us to, but almost out of nowhere, Asiana came up on one of the screens, and immediately a large hoard of people flocked to the desk. After some time in line, we finally got to the front, and were informed that our flight was in fact still going to Jeju that night, and it left in 30 minutes. I checked my bags and sprinted to the gate with some time to spare. I was rewarded with a first class seat on the plane, and I sat next to a nice Korean high school student named Jeff who told me some horror stories about his own experience in an American boarding school. An interesting start.

When I landed in Jeju, I found my bags (They made it. A miracle) and proceeded out of the terminal where the KIS staff was waiting for me. Several other people from my staff had been on my flight, so we met and all piled onto the school's bus to go back. By the time I got to the school, it was 11PM local time, and I was beat. I went back, set my stuff on the ground, and crawled straight into bed.

The next morning was the first leg of orientation, which basically involved a brief meeting then going to the supermarket, E-Mart. Talk about a great introduction to Korean culture. It was basically a gigantic supermarket crossed with a Best Buy, a Lowe's, and an IKEA. There was K-pop blasting the entire time inside. It was wonderful. I bought some of my necessities and then we went back to the school, where I got set on organizing my room and unpacking my bags. We went to dinner that night at a small Italian place up the road where I had a delicious pizza.

Today, we did some team building activities and then had a tour of the school. The campus is massive and has separate buildings for the elementary school, middle school, and high school. It has several pools, gyms, and auditoriums. It has a putting green on the roof of the high school with an indoor driving range and virtual golf room. There's several weight rooms and teacher's lounges in each building. Needless to say, the place is pretty swanky! We went to dinner at an organic burger restaurant, and then we had the rest of the night off. One of my best friends from home, Luke, randomly had a friend who is living on the island for the month, so I just got back from hanging out with her for a bit! It was crazy to see a semi-familiar face.

Tomorrow, we have orientation all day, and then, a ton of the staff and teachers are going to the local professional soccer team's game, so I am really looking forward to that. My current observations so far amount to this: it is the most humid place on Earth. St. Louis is a humidity infant compared to this place. Also, the free cafeteria food is sub-par, but it's free. I can deal with it. I'm going to love it here. The staff are all really cool, and the island seems awesome. The one thing that's interesting is that there's a ton of bugs. I am going to need to adapt to massive spiders, beatles, and various other forms of insect vermin. It will take time.

Anyway, thanks for reading. Sorry for the novel. From here on out, will probably post at milestones, such as the students arriving, etc. Below are some pictures for your enjoyment. Hit me up via email or Facebook for Skype dates! Au revoir, people, and have a good week.

-Ryan

I'm Here!

Just a brief heads up that I'm at the school and in my room! My room is great, and I will post pictures when I can. I slept about 5 hours of the 14 hour flight, so I'm starting to feel tired. Waking up tomorrow to go to the hospital at 6:30AM, and it's midnight now. I met some of the other dorm staff, and they all seemed very nice. The business staff from the school were very welcoming and gave me a welcome package with a mug, my ID badge (the worst picture of me ever), and some coffee and water. Off to a great start here in Jeju! If I have time tomorrow, will go into more detail.

From the other side of the world,
Ryan

And So On: The Hub For My Happenings

Hello friends and family,

Many have expressed an interest in a continuance of blog posts from what I was doing in Europe as I transition into Korea. I am more than happy to do so, and I am honored that you folks care enough to read up on what I'm doing.

Transition back to America has been busy. I got home to Chicago on June 2, drove back to Saint Louis the next day, spent a few days there, flew to New York, spent a few days there, drove back to Chicago, spent a day there, drove back to Saint Louis, and now here I am. Saturday, I leave for a family reunion in Minnesota. I am so unbelievably ready to settle down and get to Korea.

"And so on." This is a famous line (for any of you Vonnegut readers out there) from Breakfast of Champions, a novel that I quite enjoy. Whether or not Kurt intended it, I kind of have been interpreting it as saying, "There will always be more to say. The skill in writing knows when to continue and when to shut the hell up." It's a brilliant novel, and you should read it. For now, apparently there is more for me to say.

The posts from the Europe trip should still be included in the archives of this blog, mostly for my own safe keeping. I hope everyone who cares to read enjoys, and I will post more as my August 2 departure date draws nearer. Have a great week, folks.

-Ryan