Joam was actually pretty nice here. Actually.

It was pretty green. Something I barely saw in a big city like Perth. Green grass, many trees and slowly dying flowers because of the cold.

It's like a different world.

My dad lived in a small house.

Three rooms plus kitchen and a small bathroom.

 

We had to walk only one time to get all our stuff to the my room.

I got the room in the back right next to the bathroom.

Jason got me a new bed, a small shelf and right next to it a small closet, as well as a desk..

On the desk stood a really old laptop, but I was fine with it, having an older laptop is better than having none, right?

 

 

Jason disappeared, told me he has to work into the night, which really reliefed me.

It was good, to be finally alone and unpack my stuff without pulling a super happy smile all the time, but to be a bit depressed and watch as the rain dropped on the windows and to release some own tear drops too.

I saved the real crying torture for later.

While placing my few sweaters into the closet i thought about my new school

Samgoe High School.

The only school around, not suitable for foreign students though. Especially foreign students which korean level is euqual to 0.

To be honest my mother thaught me some important basics and I myself took online classes for the past weeks but I don't think that it would be enough to stay alive at this school.

Samgoe High has had about 250 students - my old school about 600 students. Can you see the difference?

 

To be honest I was also scared because of my appearance. I wasn't looking like a typical aussie person. My skin was absolutely white and not tanned at all.

I was also never interested into surfing, because I'm at least 5 % sure that koreans expect us to do that.

I'm generally not sporty at all.

I'm really skinny, which was the reason why my old friends always admired me. My metabolism is probably the best out there.

But I'm also not the tallest. My height is around 150cm which makes me life pretty hard.

 

I took my shampoo, brush and other stuff I could store in the bathroom and walked into it to clean myself up. 

As I brushed my really black hair I noticed how fair my skin looked in the dark light.

Clear skin. Skinny figure. A bit make-up and I could work as a model.

I looked at my pale mirror self and noticed that I would never fit anywhere. 

The first thing I had to search at my new school, was a small lonely corner for myself, where nobody could annoy me and where I could suffer from homesickness.

 

I did not get along with people of my age. Or maybe I didn't get along with people in general.

Not even with my mother, who was the total opposite of me.

 

I couldn't sleep that night, not even after I had cried extensively. I guess my problems inclueded the time difference and the new environment.

The next morning I looked out of my window, down to the cold street. It was only 7am and I already missed my bed.

The breakfast with my dad was the most silent one I ever had.

He left afterwards in silence. He didn't even told me when he would come or if he would comeback.

I still had some time.

I went to Jason's closet where he stored my uniforms.

I never had to use a uniform before. It was something completly new.

On the black jacket was my name embroided. of course in korean letters and super long.

The only problem I had was the pretty short skirt I had to wear from now on. I looked out of the window. Drizzle. Perfect weather for skirts. Ok no not really.

 

I actaully didn't know the way to my school, but somehow I still managed to find it.

It didn't even look like a real high school. More like a huge prison.

I took a deep breath and walked up the stairs to the entrance.

It was brightly lit in the inside and definitely warmer.

I followed the arrow which said "secretariat".

It was a small room; there were some chairs in the corner, on the walls hung informations, awards and a huge ticking clock.

And to my surprise something green: a small bonsai plant was standing on a small table next to the two tables.

Behind the long counter, stood a small old lady. She wore a typical business woman like robe, which was super overdressed in my opinion.

I cleared my throat.

 

"Can I help you?" she asked.

"I'mRobin Stephensen" I informed her and telling from her look, she already knew me and what she had to do now.

She probably already waited for me to finally arrive.

"Ah, right" she said and rummaged in a document stack, until she found, what she was searching for.

"Here, your schedule and a map of the school just in case if you can't find your classrooms" she said and gave me all the documents.

She talked about my schedule and showed the shortest and fastest ways to my classes.

At the end she gave me a smile and wished me good luck, I tried to replay it.

 

Before entering the already crowded hallways, I studied the small map she gave me. I didn't want to look stupid walking around with a piece of paper.

Then I threw everything in my bag and swung it over my shoulder.

It's going to go well

I told myself as I finally entered the hallways

 

I covered my face under the hoodie of my parka and mingled myself under the students.

At least I didn't stand out, everybody wore parkas here, it was a normal thing. 

I passed the cafeteria and made my way to building 2.

The closer I got to the room the more I felt like . My heartbeat was way to fast to be healthy.

I tried to hold my breath as I entered the classroom behind two tall korean guys who laughed about something.

 

The classroom was smaller than I thought.

The two guys in front of me hung their jackets on the wardrobe next to the door and I did that too.

As the two boys left to their places I noticed in the corner of my eye that their skin colour was surprisingly even whiter than mine. I reliefed. I'm not the whitest

But I also noticed the fact that both of them had blonde hair. Nicely cut and shaved on the sides.

 

I walked up too the small petite female teacher whose name tag I couldn't read because I simply haven't mastered my korean skills yet.

She gave me a really angry look because I answered in english instead of korean and I just smiled as response.

It's english class anyways.

She sended me into the last row of tables and i'm really thankful for that.

She also didn't considered about introducing me to the class, she simply continued her curriculum.

In front of me was one of the two tall guys seated, which diffult my view.

He his seat to me, his black crucifix shaped earring flung in his movement and he handed me a list of books.

Shakespear. Goethe. Schiller.

I read them all.

Luckily. That would make class definitely easier for me.

 

The bell finally rang and I carefully placed my notebook into my bag. 

I noticed that a tall, skinny guy leaned over his table to me.

"You're Robin Stephensen, right?" he asked in a perfect flawless australian accent.

His look screamed popular cutie but somehow my bones told me diffferent.

"Robin" I corrected him. All students turned around.

"Well you're name tag says 'Robin Stephensen'" he answered me.

I sighed.

"What do you have now?" he asked.

I had to check my schedule

"eh, I guess it says..."

"You'll have government next" he answered and pulled a super proud i-told-ya-smile.

Everywhere I looked, students stared at us.

"Between I'm Hanbyul"

"Aha" I smiled cramped

"I could walk you to the room if you want"

Without letting me answer he pulled me out of the room.

 

I'm sure that many students followed us like little curious girls so they could listen to our conversation.

"Pretty big difference to Perth right?" his english is flawless, no joke.

"I guess" I answered

"It's definitely not as cold as korea. But never underestimate the power of korea. It can be really hot here too!"

"oh ok. Thanks for the information" I smiled

He studied me with a worried look, and I sighed.

We passed the cafeteria as he suddenly walked into a different corridor than I remembered. 

"Good luck. Maybe we'll have some classes together later" he waved and left.

 

To be honest he was actually pretty cute but I probably already scared him away with my moody cold looks and answers.

The rest of the day wasn't that special. I entered classes, sat in the last row, mostly the right corner next to the windows and luckily the warm heater and most of the stuff the students did here I already had on my old school.

I was pretty much bored the entire time over because I only understood 60% of the lesson because of the language barrier.

The teachers didn't even think about picking me to say something.

Sometimes some brave students went up to me and introduced themselves just to ask why I'm not as tanned as people in australia should be.

Some seemed to admire me from behind because apparently having light paile skin is considered as pretty in korea.

In trigonometry and government I sat besides a small, but still taller girl than me, who walked me around school to show me important rooms such as the the washrooms.

 

The entire day over I tried hard to find my brother in between the crowd of students. I wondered how he was doing, but knowing him he probably already made friends with all the people he met.

"Hey Robin!" the small girl greeted me. Her hair now tied into a ponytail.

"Hey...there"

Korean names are simply not mine. I couldn't remember her name.

"It's lunch time, you know?"

"Oh...uhm..really?" I asked

"ehh yes? Let's go!" she dragged me along to the cafeteria, where she waved some people who were seated around a red table.

She introduced me to her friends and I noticed that with some of them I also shared some classes. Hanbyul, the guy who walked me only to the hallways, was included.

He greeted me only with a smile, probably still scared of my behaviour.

I sat down next to him and started to unwrap the small sandwich my brother prepared this morning for me.

The others gave me confused looks, all of them had tablets with traditional korean food in front of them. 

I tried to ignore their looks. The money Jason gave us, only lasted for the bus ticket. I exhaled before I took my first bite.

Can I just leave this place already?

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