Well I have obviously not been keeping up with my blog. I think the reason is that I have finally come to accept this place as my home. When I was back in America I never really blogged much and I think the reason is because I was comfortable there. This isn't just some big adventure anymore, this is where I live. Things are still new and exciting but not in the way they were before.
My birthday was a few days ago, and let me tell you it was the best birthday I can remember. It was also my schools anniversary so all the teachers went out together. We ate traditional Korean food, then around 2am a group of about 8 of us went to a bar and stayed there until 5am. Lucky for me I didn't have to work until 3pm the next day. For the next 2 weeks I only have to work about 4 hours a day because our senior students are getting ready for finals.
Anyway, I don't know when I will get back into the habit of blogging. But for now it's time for a break.
Thursday, November 30, 2006
Sunday, November 26, 2006
Slacking
I'm obviously slacking on the blog. I will try to update tomorrow morning what I did this weekend. Tomorrow I am going to HomePlus (a shopping center) to find a better jacket. I almost bought an Xbox from a HUGE electronics market (black market) but I will probably hold off on that for a bit. Lots of stuff is going on and there is a lot I could write about. I'll try to get back in the habit soon.
Saturday, November 18, 2006
Cell phone
So finally I have a cell phone. My Korean friend took me to Suwon Subway Station, which has a very big mall, and we found a good used phone. The area we went was actually underground and I kid you not it had more cell phone stores in one small area than I’ve ever seen in my life. It’s really amazing how they can all stay in business with all that competition. It’s strange how the simple act of buying a cell phone can turn into a really good day. Buying a cell phone in America would have just been a hassle, but here it’s almost like an adventure. We must have spent about 2 hrs walking around the area, talking etc. Finally when it was time to leave I took the subway to Hwaseo Station from Suwon Station and walked home. I wasn’t really sure where my home was from Hwaseo Station but I kind of knew the direction so I just walked in the correct direction. Eventually I found a small stream that looked familiar and followed it, which lead me to buildings I recognized and I found my way home.
While I was buying my cell phone with my friend, I tried to explain to him how I think most of the male foreign teachers here are a little odd. I can’t really put my finger on it but I’d say about 70% of the male foreign teachers here are just not right in the head. I’m not going to claim I’m any better, I mean something has to be not right if you want to move to another country for a year to teach English. He told me some of the foreign teachers told him that partying and drinking every night was part of the western culture. I told him it was part of University culture, but not everyone in the west drinks and parties every night. I tried to explain to him not to judge a culture by the westerners he meets here, as they are usually not good examples of western culture.
Last night (Saturday night) I went to a farewell party for 2 married foreigners in my building. They were selling there stuff and saying last goodbyes to everyone. Next Monday they are going to Thailand for 3 weeks, than Cambodia for 3(?) weeks, than Vietnam for 1 month, than back home to America. I bought a Korean/English dictionary and trash cans from them.
Also, it might seem strange that I’m calling westerners foreigners, but you have to remember I’m in South Korea. When I say foreigners I mean people not from South Korea.
Anyway,
I’m slowly starting to learn the Korean writing system. It’s not that difficult but I’m not a good student, too lazy. I’m trying to break that habit though.
Time to study my Korean…hmm gosh that Nintendo DS looks really interesting right now, I’m just going to play Super Mario Brothers for a little bit, THEN I’ll study.
While I was buying my cell phone with my friend, I tried to explain to him how I think most of the male foreign teachers here are a little odd. I can’t really put my finger on it but I’d say about 70% of the male foreign teachers here are just not right in the head. I’m not going to claim I’m any better, I mean something has to be not right if you want to move to another country for a year to teach English. He told me some of the foreign teachers told him that partying and drinking every night was part of the western culture. I told him it was part of University culture, but not everyone in the west drinks and parties every night. I tried to explain to him not to judge a culture by the westerners he meets here, as they are usually not good examples of western culture.
Last night (Saturday night) I went to a farewell party for 2 married foreigners in my building. They were selling there stuff and saying last goodbyes to everyone. Next Monday they are going to Thailand for 3 weeks, than Cambodia for 3(?) weeks, than Vietnam for 1 month, than back home to America. I bought a Korean/English dictionary and trash cans from them.
Also, it might seem strange that I’m calling westerners foreigners, but you have to remember I’m in South Korea. When I say foreigners I mean people not from South Korea.
Anyway,
I’m slowly starting to learn the Korean writing system. It’s not that difficult but I’m not a good student, too lazy. I’m trying to break that habit though.
Time to study my Korean…hmm gosh that Nintendo DS looks really interesting right now, I’m just going to play Super Mario Brothers for a little bit, THEN I’ll study.
Thursday, November 02, 2006
The sea of apartment buildings, and stuff.
The area I live in is basically surrounded by huge apartment buildings. If you look in any direction you can’t help but notice them, they are everywhere. It makes sense though because there isn’t much room to build. The only direction you can build is up. The building I live in has several restaurants, a gym, a book store, my work, several shops, a grocery store, 2 other English schools, a Dunkin Donuts, and the top 2 floors are apartments. Theoretically you could just live in this one building and never leave. However, that wouldn’t be any fun at all. Here are some pictures of the sea of apartment buildings.
Anyway,
Today I decided to pick a direction and just start walking. I loaded my mp3 player, camera and some cash and started out. I was trying to find the slums I’ve heard about but I haven’t seen yet. I figured it would be a great place for pictures. I wasn’t that worried because if I got lost I would just hop in a cab and tell the driver to take me back home. I tried to pick the narrow streets as I find these more interesting then big roads. The first thing I noticed was the smells. Everything from seafood, to rotting seafood, to mystery meats, to garbage, to sewage filled my nostrils. I walked for about an hr in the same direction and eventually found Hwaseong Fortress. I walked around there for a while and decided to make my way back to get ready for work. Finding my way back was pretty easy as I took notice of landmarks on the way.
On a different note,
If you are reading my blog and contemplating a move over here let me give you some advice before you take the plunge. You really need to have multiple reasons for coming over here. If you come here just because you think the money is good you might end up regretting it. Money is not going to keep you happy, it doesn’t matter how much you are making. Eventually it will lose its value. It’s called the Theory of Abundance. If you have a lot of something eventually it loses its value. Once money isn’t important to you then you have nothing to fall back on when things get tough. You should have at least three reasons for coming here. My reasons are, learning a new language, experiencing the highs and lows of living internationally, and the opportunities for travel. If I find learning Korean is just too darn difficult and boring I have 2 other interests to fall back on. And please, for the sake of everyone here, don’t come here if you aren’t capable of finding a job in your own country. If you can’t find work in your own country there are probably things you need to work on before coming over. If you are American you are going to have to get used to the idea that people will not like you just because you come from America. And I’m not talking about the Koreans. I heard a story from another American when she was in training for her school (a rare thing). She said to a Canadian “I really can’t tell the different between an American and Canadian accent”. The Canadian woman replied, “That’s because you are American and think the world revolves around you”. Remember, the majority of the people who come here, come here because they can’t find work in there own country. Just be ready for some weird situations if you are brave enough to take the plunge.
Hopefully I haven’t scared you off, this is the best thing I’ve ever done. It’s certainly not for everyone though. This place chews foreigners up and spits them out on a regular basis. If you feel you can cope with these things then by all means come on over and you will experience things you can’t even begin to imagine.
One last thing, a new movie is in production about English teachers in Korea, here is a four page article about it. Movie about expats
Anyway,
Today I decided to pick a direction and just start walking. I loaded my mp3 player, camera and some cash and started out. I was trying to find the slums I’ve heard about but I haven’t seen yet. I figured it would be a great place for pictures. I wasn’t that worried because if I got lost I would just hop in a cab and tell the driver to take me back home. I tried to pick the narrow streets as I find these more interesting then big roads. The first thing I noticed was the smells. Everything from seafood, to rotting seafood, to mystery meats, to garbage, to sewage filled my nostrils. I walked for about an hr in the same direction and eventually found Hwaseong Fortress. I walked around there for a while and decided to make my way back to get ready for work. Finding my way back was pretty easy as I took notice of landmarks on the way.
On a different note,
If you are reading my blog and contemplating a move over here let me give you some advice before you take the plunge. You really need to have multiple reasons for coming over here. If you come here just because you think the money is good you might end up regretting it. Money is not going to keep you happy, it doesn’t matter how much you are making. Eventually it will lose its value. It’s called the Theory of Abundance. If you have a lot of something eventually it loses its value. Once money isn’t important to you then you have nothing to fall back on when things get tough. You should have at least three reasons for coming here. My reasons are, learning a new language, experiencing the highs and lows of living internationally, and the opportunities for travel. If I find learning Korean is just too darn difficult and boring I have 2 other interests to fall back on. And please, for the sake of everyone here, don’t come here if you aren’t capable of finding a job in your own country. If you can’t find work in your own country there are probably things you need to work on before coming over. If you are American you are going to have to get used to the idea that people will not like you just because you come from America. And I’m not talking about the Koreans. I heard a story from another American when she was in training for her school (a rare thing). She said to a Canadian “I really can’t tell the different between an American and Canadian accent”. The Canadian woman replied, “That’s because you are American and think the world revolves around you”. Remember, the majority of the people who come here, come here because they can’t find work in there own country. Just be ready for some weird situations if you are brave enough to take the plunge.
Hopefully I haven’t scared you off, this is the best thing I’ve ever done. It’s certainly not for everyone though. This place chews foreigners up and spits them out on a regular basis. If you feel you can cope with these things then by all means come on over and you will experience things you can’t even begin to imagine.
One last thing, a new movie is in production about English teachers in Korea, here is a four page article about it. Movie about expats
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