Josephine Swan never imagined that her stay in South Korea would lead her into K-Pop's glittering and challenging world. Each day, she encounters new hurdles and adventures that fate has in store for her and her four team members. Between gruelling...
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Attention!
This chapter contains mentions regarding hospitals and sick children, as well as thoughts about death.
"I see your extracurricular activities included volunteering, in addition to horseback riding, archery and rhythmic gymnastics." the headmaster read from my file and his eyes moved over the lines before a small smile appeared on his lips, relaxing my muscles. Finally, he placed the papers on the table in front of him.
"I'm sure Mrs Jeon's planned programme will be very sympathetic to you, Miss Swan. Your work is very varied. Nevertheless, you have presented impressive credentials. And I am sure you will also shine here at the Dwight School in Seoul." he said in conclusion and rose. I followed shortly after and accepted his outstretched hand.
"Welcome to Dwight School in Seoul, Miss Swan!" he said, handing me the rest of my school documents.
"Thank you, Mr Hayson.".
Not a second later, there was a knock on the door and a tall woman with auburn hair entered. With a broad smile, the headmaster turned to the woman.
"Let me introduce you to Mrs Julia Skyes, Miss Swan. She is the headmistress of the secondary school. If you have any problems of any kind, you may of course consult her." he explained and we shook hands briefly. With a nod in our direction, he dismissed us from his office.
"Mrs Skyes will show you around the school and escort you to your first official lesson.".
Two by two, we left the headmaster's office.
The Dwight School Seoul was a modern five-storey building that used 200,000 square feet of space. This provided space for a basketball and volleyball gymnasium, an outdoor football pitch, playgrounds, a large climbing wall, as well as riding arenas and horse stables, among other facilities.
"The Dwight School's legacy dates back to 1872 and today includes a global network of worldwide schools. In Seoul, it was established in 2012 and can take children from preschool through Grade 12."
The head of the senior school, Julia Skyes, was a nice American woman. Her short chin-length hair bounced with each step, in sync with the clack of her heeled shoes on the light-coloured floor. Only a few students met us, but quite a few of their eyes wandered curiously in my direction. Embarrassed, my gaze remained fixed on the surroundings. The building was very open and the warm light of the still low sun caught the high windows. Soft-looking seats stood in many places and the corridors, offering students breaks between classes.
"As you can see from your timetable, classes start promptly at 8.20 am every day and end at a maximum around 5 pm. Of course, it is up to you how long you intend to stay in school. Many of your fellow students repeat the learning material of the lessons and already work ahead for the coming lessons so that they remain in school for hours," the headmistress explained further and my eyes widened unconsciously. Through the brochures and the information from the internet, I knew that the Korean school system was one of the best in the world. But through all the research, this was also doubted many times, due to the high pressure to perform that the children were exposed to at a young age. The health of the children alone and limited creative development were just some of the hotly contested issues that were discussed.
Nervously, I tugged at my grey and blue plaid skirt and straightened my red and blue tie as Mrs Skyes slowed down and finally stopped in front of one of the classrooms. She knocked and after a quick "come in" she opened the door and let me enter.
The classroom was a plain light grey and seated 20 to 30 students, each seated at a single white table. A whiteboard hung on the white wall instead of a blackboard and stretched across the width. With a nervous smile, I approached the red-haired teacher, who welcomed me with a broad smile. Her gaze then turned to the class. With a nervous smile, I turned my grey eyes to my classmates. As expected, most of the class consisted of Asian girls and boys. However, I also spotted a few fellow students who could most likely have been from other countries. They stared at me with wide eyes and their mouths formed as if they could hardly suppress the questions on their lips. My cheeks reddened and I turned my gaze to the English teacher.
"We are pleased to welcome a new exchange student this school year. This is Josephine Swan and she is from England. I hope you will welcome her to this class and help her find her way around our system." she introduced me and finally pointed to a seat in the middle of the class.
"You may sit down, Miss Swan!" she said, picking up her papers again. The looks from the students did not subside as I made my way to the empty table and sat down. With trembling fingers, I let a small strand of hair slip behind my ear and took my English stuff out of my bag.
♛
I had to suppress a sigh of relief when the school bell rang for the longed-for lunch break. Although today was the first day of school and only the fourth lesson had passed, my head ached from the newly absorbed information. In particular, the Korean lessons in the second and third periods left a lasting impression. Mrs Chung, the teacher gave me extra material and promised to help me with any problems or questions. Jihe and Ahri were already standing outside the classroom waiting patiently for me.
"So...how were your first lessons?" asked Ahri, nudging me from the side. I smiled and shouldered my bag.
"Exhausting, but interesting. After the first lesson, many of the students came up to me and introduced themselves.". Ahri beside me laughed loudly.
"Let me guess...their first question was sometimes if your hair was real or if your grey eyes were contacts?!" she pecked and I reluctantly nodded, thinking back to the short break. Many of the girls and boys had circled my table asking me questions until the bell rang for the next lesson.
"It's no wonder they ask her such questions, Ahri. I mean...grey eyes and white-blonde hair are highly rare to find in South Korea, let alone Asia," said Jihe, adjusting her round glasses. We followed the other students down the stairs and soon stood in the large cafeteria. It was simple with many tables with orange and black chairs. A large counter for serving food was on the right and the cooks were already preparing the first dishes for the lunch break. I glanced at the day's specials.
"I think I'll have the Buchimgae and a salad," I said quietly, grabbing a tray.
"Are you sure you don't want to eat more, Josie? Buchimgae is just an appetiser." Jihe pecked, but I nodded and pushed my tablet forward to the salad bar.
"I spend the rest of the day after my Maths lesson doing my extracurricular activities. After riding, I'm busy with volunteer work. And after that, I have to deal with school assignments, including heaps of worksheets regarding Korean." I just explained and the girls nodded in understanding.
"I'll get a snack from the cafeteria on my way to the stables after maths," I said, turning to the food lady in my still poor Korean.
