R is for Ridiculously Talented

Hello All!

I posted on facebook a few days ago that I fall more in love with the Edutainers and GEV everyday and I am discovering just how true that statement is. Each day is filled with surprises, unexpected events, new people, new adventures. I am learning everyday and I am surrounded by some pretty inspiring people. And although overwhelming, I am loving every bit of it.

We now have two new edutainers (Brian and Anthony) and we are getting one more tomorrow!!! Its crazy how there is a constant "revolving door" of people here, which can be disconcerting because it changed the entire dynamic of the group. But so far, everything has worked out just peachy :-)

I titled this blog entry R is for Ridiculously Talented because its really true. What impresses me the most about my fellow edutainers is their versatility. Not only can the sing, dance, and act, they can create visuals (intricate powerpoints, screen prints for game show...etc), they can choreograph, they can play the piano, they can music direct, they can write shows, write music, make costumes and props....the list goes on and on. Everything we do here, all of our shows, our creative work comes from scratch and it continues to fascinate me. Sometimes I look around and ask myself how in the world I get to be here?! Oh its also a play on words for the title of our fall mainstage show which is "R is for Robot", and I am choreographing for it! AH!

Cast B has started rehearsals for "Jack and the Beanstalk" (I am currently in Cast B), and Cast A has already opened the show. Its a complicated process to explain, but essentially we have two casts in order to cover all of the parts required for the mainstage (Jack and the Beanstalk) and Little Theater and Game show. However, once Cast B opens, the casts are not necessarily divided anymore....for example, Cast A Jack may go on with Cast B Julia, etc.... Its an amazing rehearsal process and I am learning so much from everyone!

Here is a video from the show with Cast A. I hope it works! I am cast B Julia (who is played by Sarah Gawron in this video, gray dress with leggings), Mama is played by Laura Wheeler, and Jack is played by Bobby Becher. It is not great quality at all...planning on getting a new camera! Hopefully more videos to post soon!





Also, I am not sure if you are interested, but a friend of mine and fellow edutainer, Molly, is also keeping a blog and I am posting the link to it here! If you are interested in reading :-)

http://anbloghaseyo.wordpress.com/

Molly is such a sweetheart and we share a unique bond after what we went through together during the first weeks we were here (she arrived a week before me) She also explains a little bit more about our situation a few weeks ago!

Tonight after workout, we are having a girls night at Sarah's! We are ordering pizza and watching "Sex and the City"! Love it! <3

"Shake it Off"

My sincerest apologies for this delayed blog entry. It’s been a tough week. The details are irrelevant at this point, although the saga isn’t over. Due to unfortunate circumstances that were completely out of my control, I have faced a major test of my strength, integrity, and willpower. Let me rephrase that: due to HORRIBLE circumstances…. And to have just moved my whole life across the world, away from all of my family and friends, terrified, jet lagged, and practically broke… At times it felt like more than I could handle.

Luckily, I have always felt that my mom taught be how to be a fighter (as she is a tough fighter herself). And I mean the word “fighter” in the most positive way. I am really not sure what I would do without my parents.  Over many tearful skype sessions with Mom and Bob, they were extremely supportive, sympathetic, and encouraging. Daddy-o would make me laugh and then say, “Alyssa, shake it off.”  J

I read a quote recently that I found so appropriate, “If at first you don't succeed, do it like your mother told you.  ~Author Unknown.  LOL. So funny and yet so true.

Despite facing one of the most tedious, stressful, and upsetting weeks of my life, I am overcome with gratitude for the people I am surrounded by. The Edutainers are absolutely some of the most positive and supportive people I have ever had the pleasure of working with. And on top of that, they are unbelievably talented! I am in constant awe of their creativity, and their acting, singing, and dancing abilities. I wish I could adequately describe everything that the Edutainer department does and how vital they are to the entire existence of Gyeonggi English Village.

Getting to know everyone has been an absolute treat and I have discovered how much I really want to be here.  I love the collaborative process and the quality of the shows here. It has been amazing to see their work so far and it is exhilarating to know that I am now a part of it!

In a couple of weeks we are getting a new Edutainer named Brian. Actually in the course of the next two months, there are 3 new guys joining. It’s crazy that things are already changing (Khristy is leaving in July) and that there will already be some more newbies when I still feel very much a newbie myself!

In the Edutainer office, they have this map on the wall that diagrams where upcoming members are in their tedious work visa process. This picture may not make a lot of sense to those who don’t know the three month long process it takes to get here; which includes an FBI Background check, an state Apostille on your college diploma and your Background check, six documents that are sent to GEV, a Visa Issuance number that is sent to a Korean Consulate…etc. But it is super fun to see who is coming and when they might be arriving here!

I am so overjoyed and relieved that I have put in so much effort to be an Edutainer. It’s great to feel like you not only want, but deserve to be here. <3

First day of "school"

I say first day of "school" because it really was. It was one of those mornings when I woke up super early before my alarm, I tried on everything in my closet because nothing looked good, and the thought "what will people think of me?" ran constantly through my mind. (Essentially, I haven't changed since middle school, lol) I am still unfamiliar with where everything is in the village, so it really felt like I was navigating a college campus all over again. I am aware that I don't do well with change (shocker!) so today was inevitably a little overwhelming for me. However, the day was also exhilarating, creative, and motivating too!

Everyone at GEV has been incredibly friendly and helpful. It's a pretty "small town" so everyone seems to know that I am the new face and they come up and introduce themselves! Stephanie, our head teacher, took me on a tour of the village first thing this morning. And she basically led the whole day of orientation: reading through policy handbook, setting up my on-campus bank account, answering questions, introducing me to admin...etc. She was so wonderful and patient with me.

I do feel as though 9am-6pm was PACKED with information overload from policies, to various Korean words, to choreogrpahy and blocking, to scheduling, to meeting many new faces....it was awesome and terrifying at the same time.

I love how organized everyone is here. Stephanie sends out a spreadsheet with everyone's schedule every few days... here is an example:

I know its hard to read anything on here; I more just wanted to post it for the visual sake!

This is the spreadsheet for one day
 :-)

Its super busy here, but just as exciting.



After rehearsal today, a few of us went upstairs to this huge dance studio and worked out to one of Jillian Michaels (the trainer from 'The Biggest Loser') workout videos. It was intense! Zumba is tomorrow!

While I was sitting outside waiting to set up my bank account, I took some pics of the village.... here are some of the little ones lining up outside :-) Korean babies are so cute!

And here is another picture of the village (part of it at least) The building is City Hall. This is where we clock in or out by scanning our fingerprints! High tech, right?

Arriving at Gyeonggi English Village

"She knew this transition was not about becoming someone better, but about finally allowing herself to become who she'd always been"

Hello all!!!
I've decided to start a blog about my experiences here in Paju, South Korea for the next year! Now, I have never successfully started and kept a blog before, but I am determined to update it regularly this time :-)

I have only been here two days, and I am already learning so much! I left Kansas City early Saturday morning and arrived in Korea Sunday evening (Korean time). I had a very tearful goodbye Saturday morning to my sister, Bob and Mom. I know that a year can fly by, but time seems infinite when you know you are going to be away for a year. I did get a chance to call mom when I made my connecting flight in Atlanta (I no longer have a cell phone, so when I asked a lady if there were pay phones nearby, she offered her phone instead! How nice!!!) The flight on Korean Air was about 14 hours long, but I actually had a good time on the plane ride...I watched 4 movies, napped, watched the Princess Consuela episode of "Friends" twice (for those of you who know, its a good episode, right?!), and got up and walked around quite a bit. There was someone at the airport to drive me to the village, but he didn't speak any English, so I used a lot of charades and I managed to make it to the village safe and sound!

I love my apartment. The person who lived here before me had painted and decorated the room annndddd guess what color all of the accents are???? PINK! Not kidding. I will post pictures soon :-)

The village itself is absolutely beautiful. The best way to describe it is to think of that scene in "Beauty and the Beast" when everyone is singing "Belle" and she is walking through the village reading her book....it looks like that village. Its amazing. Everything is very green and hilly and quite clean. There is a coffee shop across from me (yay!), and there are several cafes and gift shops nearby. I have only seen the village on its days off (Monday and Tuesday) so I am anxious to see what it will be like during park hours this week!

I have ventured outside the village a couple of times into the town of Paju. There is an E-mart a few minutes away that I have shopped at twice; luckily our head teacher, Stephanie, went with me the first time to show me around. Everything is written in Korean, of course, so its hard to determine what some products are! The pictures on various packaging come in handy!

Today, Stephanie and I went to the Home Plus store which is about a 15 minute cab ride away from the village. Home Plus is essentially a Bed, Bath, and Beyond/Super Target hybrid, so I was able to purchase a few more things for my apartment. They have slightly more American options, but its so fun to see things like "Frosted Flakes" written in Korean!

I am fearful that my blog is going to be really boring if I just list the things I did that day, so I promise I will try to get better at content. More posts to come later! Tomorrow is my first day at work, so I am sure I will have much more to post soon!