I lay in bed staring up at the ceiling. What light was coming through the windows was very faint if at all existent. I looked at the clock. 3 AM. I stared back up at the ceiling. I couldn't go back to sleep. I was well rested and awake. I considered getting my computer out to check emails and maybe write a bit, but the light from the screen would be like a flashlight in the dark room and I didn't want to wake my fellow teacher up. My bags were still taking up most of the space and I doubted waking her up this early would give me bonus points.

Two more hours passed by and eventually it was light enough for my computer not to be a disturbance. I browsed through my emails and made sure all of my bills were paid. By six, my roommate woke up, saw that I was awake and was nice enough to use this time to help me adjust. I mentioned going out around seven to grab a coffee and take a nice morning stroll (we have no coffee-maker in the apartment). She explained to me that a lot of places—coffee shops included—don't usually open before nine or ten. My expression must have been more extreme than I thought, because she looked at me very apologetically.

She suggested instead that we go for a run/hike. A friend of hers found a trail through a small mountain within walking distance from our apartment. I haven't seriously run in several years, but I thought it would be a good time to start. We walked through a nearby park—complete with basketball court, badminton courts, walking track, and unweighted exercise machines—up a few streets, over a bridge and there were the wooden stairs leading up the mountain.

We were over halfway through before I became tired in the cardiovascular sense, but with the hundreds of stairs (the patches of crags didn't bother me so much) my knees hated me. Still it was worth the view. From the top you can see most of the city even with the morning fog or cloud cover; I was told that when it's sunny you can even see out to the Incheon Bridge.

We came back to the apartment, showered and got ready for school. The walk is at most five minutes so we went to the coffee shop down the street so that I could get my caffeine fix before work, but I got more than that. I now have a coffee shop I can go to regularly. The feel of that place is exactly what I've been looking for. Plus, for the price I used to pay for a grande caramel macchiato, I can get a venti at this café (though you can't choose sizes, just hot or cold).

We went inside and I was shown how to use my swipe card to check in. My mentor introduced me to the books and lesson plans for each class, as well as the resource books, points systems, and instructions for each class. I also met my co-teacher. At many private schools the classes normally have two teachers, a native speaker and a Korean teacher; both teach English, but they split the aspects of the coursework. For example, I may teach vocabulary and pronunciation, while my co-teacher teaches phonics and grammar.

I shadowed the teacher I was to replace through all of her classes, taking notes as if I was auditing and trying (but mostly failing) to remember all of the student's names. First was the Kindergarten class (twice as large as the elementary classes), then lunch and finally the elementary and older students. Lunch was delicious: soup, rice, kimchi, fish and pineapple. During my break, I practiced making lesson plans by making those for October. The older classes were smaller and therefore were easier to observe.

I left at six thirty and took the "scenic route" home. My roommate had another class, but the Vice Director said another teacher would be teaching it and to go home and get some rest. After she got home, she fixed salmon and steamed vegetables. She asked me if there was anything else I wanted to know, answered my questions, and we finished the night by watching some movies on cable.