I had an interesting weekend in that I found out that I wasn't going to Japan to get my visa and now I still don't know when or why that actually changed. I'm told by my friends and co-workers that patience in the waiting game is where it's at as culture in Korea is much different than in the U.S.
I went to a korean movie last weekend because it rained ALL DAY Saturday. I went with with 3 Americans and 1 Korean. I didn't understand a word but I understood the main plot and afterwards we all asked the Korean the parts we didn't understand. It was unique and quite fun.
I found out that the rainy season here is about two weeks of rain...straight. I am really anxious to see what that is like. I have never seen so much rain in my life. I saw on the news in MI that there was a flood last weekend at the B-93 concert. Wow - almost 8 inches of rain fell! I heard that you are having 90ish degree days. That's insane for it only being June. I think that the hottest it's gotten here is about 80ish, maybe hotter with the humidity. The humidity is what's terrible, it is always so sticky.
Funny story. I was teaching my young class, I think they are pre-schoolers on Tuesday and I wrote the numbers 1-20 on the board and I wanted them to say them. I didn't get around to it but after the bell rang, I looked at the numbers as I was getting ready to erase them and I saw...7, 8, 10. Ha, I am an english teacher and I forgot the number 9. I laughed pretty hard.
I went to the store today and bought some toothpaste, a hair cutting scissors and a few other things. I think that I have the whole apartment pretty much set, the last thing is going to be a fan. They are super expensive here but I found one at the store that was 34,000 won, which is about $25. Most of them are at least $35 but they are up to over a $100.
That's all for now. Thanks for checking my blog and keeping up with my journey.
Kevin
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Thursday, June 18, 2009
It feels good to have finally received a paycheck and to have some money to buy things for the apartment or whatever. My first big purchase was a coffee pot this weekend. I had a stove-top kettle in my cart and I kept looking around because I thought that maybe they had real coffee makers by the electronics. I actually found quite a few. There was one for $15 that made 5 cups and another one for about $20 that made 10 cups. I went with the bigger one but it made me laugh because it is a "hello kitty" coffee pot. I think that it is a kids show or just like a brand for kids but it was the cheapest one that would do the job. I laughed, thought it was funny but now I have a little kids coffee pot and it works great. I bought coffee and filters and I have been in Heaven every morning with my own little starbucks in my apartment. I also bought a coffee cup. :-)
I am leaving for Japan on Saturday to obtain my visa. I am pretty excited althought I don't really know what to expect. I am going to get some details and hopefully things work out - it will be fun to walk around in Japan and see it for a day or two. I also got a phone on Saturday but don't have minutes yet so I should be connected in no time. I also need to buy a charger. I learned that every phone in Korea has the same charger, that's a great idea, so it should be easy to buy one.
I have asked a few Koreans and all the foreigners about golf and driving ranges but no one has any ideas about this. I did find that indoor golf is very popular (like Maple Hill) so I am kind of hoping for that but I have no clubs so it might be difficult. Who knows, but I am thinking about trying to find the address of the huge range located somewhere in Incheon that my Dad said is on the internet.
Bungee jumping didn't happen because my friend who was going to take me was busy and forgot about it. Hopefully, one of the next weekends I will get a chance to do this.
About a week ago one of the other teachers got a meal delivered to her and it was an "omelette". it looked just like one of our U.S. omelettes and that was all that I saw. It looked good and she confirmed that it was indeed an omelette. I ordered that today and it came, along with three side dishes, soup and kimchee (their type of salad) and it cost a grand total of just under $4, delivered to my desk. Ha, I couldn't believe it was so cheap but I didn't even come close to finishing it. This is not the end of the story. The omelette was covered in a type of hot sauce and I started to cut into it and it was basically a huge ball of rice covered in egg. The whole inside of it was rice and in the rice was a bit of ham and also some veggies. It was funny in that I was expecting a huge omelette (it was propably about 2-3 times the size of one of Charlies Crab/Damons, etc. for brunch). It turns out that most of it was just rice. It was still very good but very surprising.
I'm hoping after my weekend trip to Japan, I will be able to connected to the internet at home as I first need a visa, then the I.D. card will follow and then the internet hook-up. I am getting frustrated with the whole process but it is okay. It shouldn't be too much longer.
That's all for this week.
Kevin
I am leaving for Japan on Saturday to obtain my visa. I am pretty excited althought I don't really know what to expect. I am going to get some details and hopefully things work out - it will be fun to walk around in Japan and see it for a day or two. I also got a phone on Saturday but don't have minutes yet so I should be connected in no time. I also need to buy a charger. I learned that every phone in Korea has the same charger, that's a great idea, so it should be easy to buy one.
I have asked a few Koreans and all the foreigners about golf and driving ranges but no one has any ideas about this. I did find that indoor golf is very popular (like Maple Hill) so I am kind of hoping for that but I have no clubs so it might be difficult. Who knows, but I am thinking about trying to find the address of the huge range located somewhere in Incheon that my Dad said is on the internet.
Bungee jumping didn't happen because my friend who was going to take me was busy and forgot about it. Hopefully, one of the next weekends I will get a chance to do this.
About a week ago one of the other teachers got a meal delivered to her and it was an "omelette". it looked just like one of our U.S. omelettes and that was all that I saw. It looked good and she confirmed that it was indeed an omelette. I ordered that today and it came, along with three side dishes, soup and kimchee (their type of salad) and it cost a grand total of just under $4, delivered to my desk. Ha, I couldn't believe it was so cheap but I didn't even come close to finishing it. This is not the end of the story. The omelette was covered in a type of hot sauce and I started to cut into it and it was basically a huge ball of rice covered in egg. The whole inside of it was rice and in the rice was a bit of ham and also some veggies. It was funny in that I was expecting a huge omelette (it was propably about 2-3 times the size of one of Charlies Crab/Damons, etc. for brunch). It turns out that most of it was just rice. It was still very good but very surprising.
I'm hoping after my weekend trip to Japan, I will be able to connected to the internet at home as I first need a visa, then the I.D. card will follow and then the internet hook-up. I am getting frustrated with the whole process but it is okay. It shouldn't be too much longer.
That's all for this week.
Kevin
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Hello all -
Today is officially my first pay day and I can finally start to make some purchases. My internet is still out at home and I am sending entries to my parents so they can post them. For some reason, the computer here does not have certain buttons that I have in my password for the blog so it is frustrating but I guess this is the next best thing. I am still waiting on everything from my last entry, still no internet, no ID card and whatever else. It seems that they like to take their time with everything, but I guess I really have no choice but to accept it.
I had a fun weekend last week and this weekend should include more of the same. Last weekend I took a pizza home on Friday and ate pizza at home and watched TV. I have a pizza place right near school and I have been getting it quite often and taking it home after school. On Saturday I met up with the other foreign teachers and we sat on the roof of a high rise apartment building for quite a few hours and played card games, chatted, and had a good time. After the sun went down , we went out with a group of about 7 and went to a "foreigner bar" and I actually sat next to a guy who was from Michigan. I did not talk to him for long but it was interesting to run into someone from the same state.
On Sunday, my neighbor Jeff and I went to a city called Itaewon. It is in Seoul and everytime someone talks about it I think of Taiwan, the country. It was about an hour-ish away and 4 different trains. Once you get into Seoul, the subway/train routes are almost circular. They go straight until Seoul and then they start curving and it is quite crazy. I would not dare to try by myself but we actually made it there and back without a hitch. Jeff said that it was the first time he had ever made the trip without taking the wrong train or doing the wrong direction at least once. Back to Itaewon...it was the first time I did not feel like I was the only foreign face in the whole city. It almost seemed like the Korean people were the minorities. There is a military base there and there were many soldiers and also tons of middle-easterners and africans. We walked around for a couple of hours and looked at the many fake coach, louey vitan (sp?) purses and things and the many restaurants. There were restaurants from all over the world and it was all written in english so it was very interesting to see the many different kinds of food. We went to an english book store where I bought a book and so did my friend. He was an english major in college and reads a lot. I have actually started to read an incredible amount also. I am on my 5th or 6th book of the trip and I have been cruising through his collection. That was the trip for Sunday - we were both tired so it did not last long but it was nice to see another city. I am excited to venture into Seoul again, the city is absolutely huge. One of my teachers said that she went to Chicago and thought it was a small city compared to Seoul. I hope to take pictures and actually get into the heart of the city soon.
This week I also achieved a milestone. I was awake and out of the apartment before 10:30. I hadn't been able to so yet but I found that there are actually many things going on in the early hours of the day...I found a very nice coffee shop underground in the subway hallways. There is a "walk-thru" window and you can also sit inside. The furniture and things look like it could be a fine dining restaurant but it is just a little coffee shop. I bought 2 cups of coffee and spent the morning reading on a chair in the coffee shop. It was a great way to spend the morning, followed by a trip to Dunkin Donuts. I am getting used to the schedule and enjoying the people that I work with.
The next excursion is hopefully going to be bungee jumping this weekend. Jeff has done it before and he was talking about planning a trip. I have always wanted to do it. It should be quite scary but I am looking forward to it. We jump from a tower over water...I am not sure how far the jump is.
Thanks again for keeping an eye on me and I will continue to update as much as possible until my internet is fixed at the apartment, then I will continue the Sunday update schedule.
Kevin
Today is officially my first pay day and I can finally start to make some purchases. My internet is still out at home and I am sending entries to my parents so they can post them. For some reason, the computer here does not have certain buttons that I have in my password for the blog so it is frustrating but I guess this is the next best thing. I am still waiting on everything from my last entry, still no internet, no ID card and whatever else. It seems that they like to take their time with everything, but I guess I really have no choice but to accept it.
I had a fun weekend last week and this weekend should include more of the same. Last weekend I took a pizza home on Friday and ate pizza at home and watched TV. I have a pizza place right near school and I have been getting it quite often and taking it home after school. On Saturday I met up with the other foreign teachers and we sat on the roof of a high rise apartment building for quite a few hours and played card games, chatted, and had a good time. After the sun went down , we went out with a group of about 7 and went to a "foreigner bar" and I actually sat next to a guy who was from Michigan. I did not talk to him for long but it was interesting to run into someone from the same state.
On Sunday, my neighbor Jeff and I went to a city called Itaewon. It is in Seoul and everytime someone talks about it I think of Taiwan, the country. It was about an hour-ish away and 4 different trains. Once you get into Seoul, the subway/train routes are almost circular. They go straight until Seoul and then they start curving and it is quite crazy. I would not dare to try by myself but we actually made it there and back without a hitch. Jeff said that it was the first time he had ever made the trip without taking the wrong train or doing the wrong direction at least once. Back to Itaewon...it was the first time I did not feel like I was the only foreign face in the whole city. It almost seemed like the Korean people were the minorities. There is a military base there and there were many soldiers and also tons of middle-easterners and africans. We walked around for a couple of hours and looked at the many fake coach, louey vitan (sp?) purses and things and the many restaurants. There were restaurants from all over the world and it was all written in english so it was very interesting to see the many different kinds of food. We went to an english book store where I bought a book and so did my friend. He was an english major in college and reads a lot. I have actually started to read an incredible amount also. I am on my 5th or 6th book of the trip and I have been cruising through his collection. That was the trip for Sunday - we were both tired so it did not last long but it was nice to see another city. I am excited to venture into Seoul again, the city is absolutely huge. One of my teachers said that she went to Chicago and thought it was a small city compared to Seoul. I hope to take pictures and actually get into the heart of the city soon.
This week I also achieved a milestone. I was awake and out of the apartment before 10:30. I hadn't been able to so yet but I found that there are actually many things going on in the early hours of the day...I found a very nice coffee shop underground in the subway hallways. There is a "walk-thru" window and you can also sit inside. The furniture and things look like it could be a fine dining restaurant but it is just a little coffee shop. I bought 2 cups of coffee and spent the morning reading on a chair in the coffee shop. It was a great way to spend the morning, followed by a trip to Dunkin Donuts. I am getting used to the schedule and enjoying the people that I work with.
The next excursion is hopefully going to be bungee jumping this weekend. Jeff has done it before and he was talking about planning a trip. I have always wanted to do it. It should be quite scary but I am looking forward to it. We jump from a tower over water...I am not sure how far the jump is.
Thanks again for keeping an eye on me and I will continue to update as much as possible until my internet is fixed at the apartment, then I will continue the Sunday update schedule.
Kevin
Thursday, June 4, 2009
Hello All:
I have not been posting lately, and I am sorry, but there is a good reason. My internet connection ran out at home (the renter before me prepaid for one year) and I am waiting to get it installed under my name. You would think that this would be easy, however, it is not easy for a foreigner in Korea. I get my first check on the 10th, and then I have to open a bank account in order to get the internet installed. This also would be quite easy, but you need a foreigner ID card to do both of these things and also get a cell phone. My boss told me that I would have it winin 3-4 weeks, but that was not the case. So now I am waiting for the ID card as well as a paycheck and I should be ready to go around the week of the 10th. So, hopefully everything will work out quickly and I will have a lot to tell about when the internet is back on.
I have not been posting lately, and I am sorry, but there is a good reason. My internet connection ran out at home (the renter before me prepaid for one year) and I am waiting to get it installed under my name. You would think that this would be easy, however, it is not easy for a foreigner in Korea. I get my first check on the 10th, and then I have to open a bank account in order to get the internet installed. This also would be quite easy, but you need a foreigner ID card to do both of these things and also get a cell phone. My boss told me that I would have it winin 3-4 weeks, but that was not the case. So now I am waiting for the ID card as well as a paycheck and I should be ready to go around the week of the 10th. So, hopefully everything will work out quickly and I will have a lot to tell about when the internet is back on.
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