adjusting

So here I sit once again in the PC bang near my school... Tonight it's a lot more crowded since I came in the evening as opposed to the morning when I'm usually here.


This morning before class I took the subway out to Ori station to see if I could find the Walmart there. It was nowhere to be found but I did manage to locate Carrefour, a big mall where I've been told to buy a cell phone. Unfortunately they were closed so I suppose I'll have to go back some other time. After that I went to Moran station in the complete opposite direction. Moran is a lot less "new looking" than any of the other places I've been to in Bundang. All the streets there are filled with vendors trying to peddle their goods to the passers-by. I actually found an Asics shoe store while I was there so I'll have to go back some time and get a pair as soon as I get my first paycheck.


While I was in Moran I actually got approached by this cheerful Korean guy who apparently wanted to practice his English with me. I've been told this is a common occurence so I wasn't really too worried. I told him and some of his friends that I was from the USA and am here to teach English. The guy sitting next to him (who might have been his dad actually) kept suggesting that we should go out on a date (I think). Next the guy who originally started talking to me told me I have "pretty eyes". I got a good laugh out of that but decided to move on since there was still so much I wanted to see there. I came across the most disturbing thing I've seen in Korea thus far...all along this one street there were many dogs in cages. I recognized the breed to be the kind that they use for meals made with dog meat. I'm guessing they were soon to be sold to different restauraunts who serve the popular dish. Koreans think eating dog meat is good for their health but personally I still think it's a little bizarre...I would never do that myself. I'll stick to kim bap, thank you very much.


Speaking of which...I had the most amazing kim bap (similar to sushi but with assorted vegetables instead of fish) tonight for dinner. I bought it at this place near my apartment for just 2500 won (about $2.50). That same dish in a Korean restaurant back home would have cost me about 6 or 7 dollars. Gotta love how cheap everything is here...not to mention tasty. I don't think I've had one thing to eat here that I haven't liked, but then again I'm not really into typical American fare. Give me sushi over hamburgers anytime.


Anyway, things are going great on my end. I started teaching classes yesterday and so far it's been easy to pick up. No problem at all actually. But it is only the second day after all...


Ok, I'm off to go running for a bit before bed. Goodnight everyone!!! :)

finally here

Wow...

I cannot believe I finally made it here. I got into Incheon airport last night where Gina from APC (my recruiting agency) met me at the arrivals area. She was really nice and even wheeled my bags around for me since I looked so tired apparently. From there we took a limosine bus (similar to a charter bus) out to Bundang where my school and apartment are located. I fell asleep on the way since it was a good 45 minute drive. Once we got there Gina called her dad to come help us transport my luggage to my apartment building. As for my apartment it is really nice, much nicer than I had even hoped for!!! Everything in it looks brand new and all the appliances are wiredin that there's a remote for the AC and heat as well as a very fancy toilet, shower, washing machine nd camera system that show any visitors at the door on a video screen. My apartment is on the 12th floor so the view is awesome too (it faces the LOTTE department store and Sunae station just down the street). Overall I'd say it's definitely akin to some of the luxury apartment buildings you'd find in the states.

I went walking around the area this morning since I don't have to be at the school until 1pm. All of the buildings around here are loaded with restaurants, bars, coffee shops, convenience stores, flower shops, spas and a plethora of other businesses and such. Right now I'm sitting in a PC bang (like an internet cafe) surfing the web, though I'm hoping to get wireless internet access set up in my apartment soon. Also, all the streets and sidewalks are so clean and well kept here, this definitely seems to be a very safe area to live.

Anyway, so far so good. I'll update later after I've finished my first day at the school...

I miss all you guys already!!!

last day

Well, I leave for Korea tomorrow. Though I am very nervous and excited I think this is probably the best thing I could've done for myself at this point in my life. Nothing will ever change if I just continue to sit by the wayside and watch as my life passes me by...so for once I'm taking the initiative to do something for myself. And though many people I've spoken to don't approve of my decision or have told me that I must be out of my mind to want to leave the country and go to Korea to teach, I know that this is something I just have to do. Whether or not it's a good idea is what I'll have to find out for myself. But I do not expect to fail; I simply won't accept that. Come what may I will make this work. I wholeheartedlty believe that this experience will be what I make of it...

So now my room is all but empty, save for my few suitcases and some furniture I'm leaving behind. My brother wants to go with me to the Cardinals game this evening but at this point I'm doubting that I'll want to spend four or five hours of my last day here out in the hot sun watching baseball. I've still got some things to take care of and I need to get to bed at a decent hour tonight. My flight leaves at 9:39am tomorrow morning and I want to get there early so I can smooth over any possible problems with my obviously overweight luggage.

Other than that I've got my visa and passport as well as everything packed up that I think I'll need for the next year (and maybe a few things I probably won't need). All in all I'm ready to go. In less than 24 hours I'll be well on my way to South Korea...