New places and New friends

I know this is a topic that I have already mentioned but I think it necessary to revisit. I am reminded that I am very fortunate to have come to ECC Ansan and not some other Hogwon (I don't know the correct spelling). ECC is a great organization and even though I had to go to another boring teacher refresher course this month, I can't complain.
We went hiking Thursday as a group of co-workers but it felt more like a group of friends than anything else. The group was made up of our boss Mr. Kim, most of the foreign teachers and one Korean teacher. It seemed somewhat like an odd group and yet there wasn't any kind of awkwardness apart from the usual; sometimes the language barrier is very evident even when everyone present speaks English.
The hike was quite difficult and we all had a wide range of skill level. I think the difficulty of the hike gave us a common bond (I know that sounds terribly cheesy but that is life). I found it very interesting that the conversation shifted so easily not only with regards to topic but also with people. A lot of times one finds themselves sticking with fellow hikers of similar ability and thus the same conversation but this did not seem the case. I do confess that some of us, myself included, found ourselves lagging far behind but we always seemed to catch up.
To get to the point, I find it very interesting that a group of almost strangers would enjoy each other's company so much. I am not the kind of person who can have conversations with people very easily. Those of you who have met me probably noticed that. My point is that most co-workers will talk only to past time at work but it seems like, dare I say it, the ECC Ansan family is different. I don't just mean among the foreign teachers either. Even though the Korean teachers have their own separate lives outside of ECC, they do find time to do things with the foreign teachers off the clock.
This may just be the innocent ramblings of a young man new to the work force but I think that ECC Ansan is not your usual work environment.
For those of you who have made it to the end of this post, I congratulate you. Go in peace.