Well it's time for an "I spoke too soon" post. I'm not moving. I'm staying at my apartment. Before you start to worry about me, let me assure you that I'm okay..now. I've already gone through the full fives stages of grief according to the Kubler-Ross model. Denial (It's okay, I can move out of here... it's not permanent... they said I can move!... any day now... any day...) Anger (I can't move? They LIED to me!) Bargaining (it's okay, I'll just pay double rent on both places, someone will eventually move in, right?) Depression (Nope, I'm stuck here... I'm in a glass case of emotion) and finally I've settled at Acceptance (Well if I have to live here, I might as well make the most of it).
Honestly, I was angry, very angry a couple of days ago but at this point I've come to terms with the fact that I have to stay at blessed 302 and being mad about it won't change that fact. What happened was the hosuing manager started listing all these fees that I would be required to pay if I moved that hadn't been mentioned before; realtor's fee, moving fee, paying double rent until someone moves into my place, but where is the incentive to get a new person in if they have a paying tenant. I should have figured something was fishy when my conversations with the housing manager went along the lines of:
HM: So... do you still want to move?
Me: Yes.
HM: You sure?
Me: Yes.
(2 days later)
HM: So, do you want to stay at your apartment or move?
Me: Move. Definitely move.
HM: Okay.
(3 days later)
HM: I just wanted to clarify, do you want to move to the new place or stay at yours?
I think he was hoping I would randomly change my mind, then when I didn't all these fees were mentioned and realistically I cannot afford to pay for two apartments, and I don't really want to give the realtor anymore money when I feel that she lured me into an apartment and was dishonest about the construction site.
So now I'm going to start putting my energy into sprucing up my place and making it feel like a home more than a temporary situation. I cleaned the bathroom and put up some pictures that Vicki had given me as a going away present. Now my door has pictures of my birthday and friends and I like the place better already.
Yesterday was Wednesday and that means "Hump Day Beers". Tyler, a couple coworkers, the Sinchon crew and myself have decided to get together for a beer on Wednesday nights to have a nice little social gathering half way through the week. Last night Kathy and her boyfriend suggested that we check out a Chicken and Beer place, which are widely popular in Korea. We went searching for one after we all got off work and we had the choice of four separate Chicken and Beer places in one alley!
I had a really nice time talking with everyone while enjoying some fried and sauced chicken. I felt like I was going through an American rite of passage but in the wrong country. Doesn't chicken and beer make you think of the quintessential American stereotype, like Homer Simpson or Peter Griffin? It was my first chicken and beer experience but definitely not my last. It was tasty, fun and quite cheap.
This weekend Jae has invited Tyler, Matt, Mark and I to the Korean Halla hockey game and I'm soooooo (I could keep going) excited! Korea doesn't have their own league, but is part of the Asia League Ice Hockey (ALH) which has seven teams in Japan, China and South Korea. The game is going to be really exciting because the two top teams are playing each other, so it'll be a close game. We will be rooting for Halla, and I will try my best to resist the urge to throw in the Californian "Holla!" Must not say it..... Holll.....must not......llll....ahhh
I also have a three day weekend coming up in the second week of February, it's the lunar new year and we get friday off. I want to take advantage of my three day weekend, because that'll be the last one that I get until September.
Today I'm going to the immigration office to pick up my Alien Registration Card, and I will finally be legit. I'll update more when there's more to tell.
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Monday, January 25, 2010
Welcome to Casa de Gross
I apologise in advance, this blog is going to be a tad ranty, I really cannot wait until I can move out of my apartment.
Yesterday, after a nice day at work, my final student canceled and I was able to get off an entire hour early. Tyler also had a cancelation so we celebrated by enjoying his nice, new internet at his place. We watched a couple episodes of Family Guy, including my favorite epsiode "mother tucker" and ate tangerines (2,000 won for a small bag, cheap and healthy). I called it a night at 10:30ish and scurried up the dark street to my apartment. I know that Korea is 1,000 times safer than the U.S. but being a female walking up a dark street will never feel quite right to me, so I shall continue to run that half block after dark.
Once in my building I was hit with a wall of freezing stale air, how is it colder in my hallway than it is on the street? The lights in the hallway are motion sensitive, but they don't activate until you are directly under the motion sensor which are located at the far end of each hall, so at each new floor I have to wade into the darkness and thoughts of the Grudge and the Ring always make cameos in my head at these vulnerable moments. I was relieved that Mr. Loud-Across-The-Hall guy was not home, and stepped inside my apartment.
When I entered my apartment I learned two things; my bathroom light switch was broken (peculiar because it was not broken when I left in the morning and my paranoid self is wondering if someone was in my apartment when I wasn't there) and my refridgerator that I unplugged because of the ridiculous noise it was making, has a dairy drink in it. Well, the second one is entirely my fault, I absentmindedly thought (swore even) that I had thrown that drink away, alas no, I did not.
So, I cannot move into the new apartment until someone agrees to move into my current apartment, but my housing manager has not taken anyone to see it yet, and now my bathroom light switch is broken and the fridge door smells like something that should be administered as a punishment. Yay me?
This morning I was awaken suddenly by Mr. Loud-Drunk-Jerk-Across-the-Hall, in my disoriented state I looked at my clock, 1:30am, great. I jammed by earplugs in my ear to muffle his drunken yells and by some miracle was able to fall back asleep.
On my way to work this morning I started listing everything wrong with my apartment in my head, and for the sake of my own sanity I really need to get out of there. I hope everything works out okay, my alleged move out day is Feb 8th, but today I am going to be scrubbing that fridge out and buying some heavy duty fabreeze!
Yesterday, after a nice day at work, my final student canceled and I was able to get off an entire hour early. Tyler also had a cancelation so we celebrated by enjoying his nice, new internet at his place. We watched a couple episodes of Family Guy, including my favorite epsiode "mother tucker" and ate tangerines (2,000 won for a small bag, cheap and healthy). I called it a night at 10:30ish and scurried up the dark street to my apartment. I know that Korea is 1,000 times safer than the U.S. but being a female walking up a dark street will never feel quite right to me, so I shall continue to run that half block after dark.
Once in my building I was hit with a wall of freezing stale air, how is it colder in my hallway than it is on the street? The lights in the hallway are motion sensitive, but they don't activate until you are directly under the motion sensor which are located at the far end of each hall, so at each new floor I have to wade into the darkness and thoughts of the Grudge and the Ring always make cameos in my head at these vulnerable moments. I was relieved that Mr. Loud-Across-The-Hall guy was not home, and stepped inside my apartment.
When I entered my apartment I learned two things; my bathroom light switch was broken (peculiar because it was not broken when I left in the morning and my paranoid self is wondering if someone was in my apartment when I wasn't there) and my refridgerator that I unplugged because of the ridiculous noise it was making, has a dairy drink in it. Well, the second one is entirely my fault, I absentmindedly thought (swore even) that I had thrown that drink away, alas no, I did not.
So, I cannot move into the new apartment until someone agrees to move into my current apartment, but my housing manager has not taken anyone to see it yet, and now my bathroom light switch is broken and the fridge door smells like something that should be administered as a punishment. Yay me?
This morning I was awaken suddenly by Mr. Loud-Drunk-Jerk-Across-the-Hall, in my disoriented state I looked at my clock, 1:30am, great. I jammed by earplugs in my ear to muffle his drunken yells and by some miracle was able to fall back asleep.
On my way to work this morning I started listing everything wrong with my apartment in my head, and for the sake of my own sanity I really need to get out of there. I hope everything works out okay, my alleged move out day is Feb 8th, but today I am going to be scrubbing that fridge out and buying some heavy duty fabreeze!
Sunday, January 24, 2010
It's sunday afternoon and I'm once again at One Tree Hill, but this might be one of my last visits because Tyler is getting internet at his place on Monday, woot. I'm gonna miss paying 3,000 won for watered down coffee and listening to "I believe I can fly" while I rudely talk on skype while people study around me, yeah... gonna miss this place *wipes away nostalgic tear.
I had a good week, I love learning random trivia about Korea through my students during our lessons. One student told me that hockey is the crew of Korea. It's a sport that no one really plays except super rich people, and the SKY colleges (Korea's ivy league schools, Seoul University, Korea University and Yonsei University, yeah it spells SKY) all have hockey teams, and rich guys that aren't that smart can get in with a ..... hockey scholarship!
I have a couple students that I really like and the lessons just fly by and my coworkers are all cool people.
On friday it was another coworkers last day so we went to the same BBQ place (delicious but pricey) and had some soju and beef, then a group of us went back to Sinchon to have another beer at this bar called The Doors, the closest bar to my apartment so I'm gonna push for going there, it's nice to have a quick walk home.
Saturday I had to work, but it wasn't so bad. On saturdays we get to wear casual clothes and we don't start until 10:30. After work I sprinted home so that I could take a power nap before going to Hongdae (which is the night club area). I was excited to be going somewhere new so I pretended that the weather wasn't freezing and got all gussied up. I did my hair, my makeup, and even put on a dress and then headed over to Tyler's to have a few beers before going out.
After everyone else got to Tyler's we settled on the warm floors (all floors in Korea are heated btw) and ate some strange chips and drank some beer. We never left. We just sat around talking and drinking and never left for Hongdae, and it didn't even matter. I really like the people I've been hanging out with over here, everyone is so interesting and different.
The only awkward moment of the night was when Tyler and Matt were talking about Canadian politics, and our Australian coworker Sean was piping in, while Ms. Ignant America had to sit silently and curse herself for not knowing anything about any other countries, note to self: look up Canadian history, politics etc, etc. At least I know that by the end of the year I'll be more educated about the goings on of other places. I even watch the BBC news everyday now.
Sean took Tyler and I to a burrito place today that was quite tasty but the burritos don't quite taste like Guads back at home.
The guys at the office have been passing books around and I'm next in line to read The Road, it sounds good, creepy, and a quick read. I'll just have to make sure to not read it at night cause I live alone and get scared easily. I remember my first year at Davis I got in a bad habit of watching Cold Case Files while I was home alone and the sun would set as the epiosde ended and then I'd get really freaked out and eagerly await my roommates return.
That's all for now,
Nadja
I had a good week, I love learning random trivia about Korea through my students during our lessons. One student told me that hockey is the crew of Korea. It's a sport that no one really plays except super rich people, and the SKY colleges (Korea's ivy league schools, Seoul University, Korea University and Yonsei University, yeah it spells SKY) all have hockey teams, and rich guys that aren't that smart can get in with a ..... hockey scholarship!
I have a couple students that I really like and the lessons just fly by and my coworkers are all cool people.
On friday it was another coworkers last day so we went to the same BBQ place (delicious but pricey) and had some soju and beef, then a group of us went back to Sinchon to have another beer at this bar called The Doors, the closest bar to my apartment so I'm gonna push for going there, it's nice to have a quick walk home.
Saturday I had to work, but it wasn't so bad. On saturdays we get to wear casual clothes and we don't start until 10:30. After work I sprinted home so that I could take a power nap before going to Hongdae (which is the night club area). I was excited to be going somewhere new so I pretended that the weather wasn't freezing and got all gussied up. I did my hair, my makeup, and even put on a dress and then headed over to Tyler's to have a few beers before going out.
After everyone else got to Tyler's we settled on the warm floors (all floors in Korea are heated btw) and ate some strange chips and drank some beer. We never left. We just sat around talking and drinking and never left for Hongdae, and it didn't even matter. I really like the people I've been hanging out with over here, everyone is so interesting and different.
The only awkward moment of the night was when Tyler and Matt were talking about Canadian politics, and our Australian coworker Sean was piping in, while Ms. Ignant America had to sit silently and curse herself for not knowing anything about any other countries, note to self: look up Canadian history, politics etc, etc. At least I know that by the end of the year I'll be more educated about the goings on of other places. I even watch the BBC news everyday now.
Sean took Tyler and I to a burrito place today that was quite tasty but the burritos don't quite taste like Guads back at home.
The guys at the office have been passing books around and I'm next in line to read The Road, it sounds good, creepy, and a quick read. I'll just have to make sure to not read it at night cause I live alone and get scared easily. I remember my first year at Davis I got in a bad habit of watching Cold Case Files while I was home alone and the sun would set as the epiosde ended and then I'd get really freaked out and eagerly await my roommates return.
That's all for now,
Nadja
Sunday, January 17, 2010
Korean basketball, Cass, and Shabu Shabu, oh my!
It's Sunday evening and I'm back at One Tree Hill. It's such a tease to have skype but not be able to use it here. I've considered it, but I feel a little too rude talking on skype while students are trying to study all around me.
This weekend was really fun. After work on Friday we went out to the same restaurant from last week to have a goodbye dinner for one of the guys at the office. After dinner Tyler and I headed back to Sinchon to meet up with some of our friends. We went to a smokey little bar that was located in a basement, and to get to the bathroom you had to walk up a steep staircase and then bathroom was a squat bathroom, ew. My friend Kathy said that in the Philippines (where she did peace corps for two years) all the bathrooms are sqautties (haha, potty but squatty), and let me tell you, they are naaasty. The floor is just covered in piss. Not going back ther e!
On Saturday, Tyler, Matt, Mark and I were invited to a professional Korean basketball game by one of Mark's students. It was awesome. His student gets free tickets through his company. But this is crazy: The student Jae has a girlfriend named Jessica, who lived in California for a couple years, turns out she lived in Albany (the same city I lived in), so I asked where she went to school. She not only went to my elementary school, but she was in my fifth grade class. Miss Wiley! Jessica even still has her old class roster, so Jae was like, "you used to live on Jackson street!" What a small world! I still can't believe that.
The game was pretty cool, we went to Inchoen, which is a city outside of Seoul, probably an hour drive with traffic. We were rooting for the Inchoen Land Elephants. They were playing the Hundai Egis (the top ranked team in Korea) and the poor elephants got slaughtered in the fourth quarter, but in their defense the Egis are like the Yankees or the Lakers. Each team has two foreigners, so there were four really tall african american guys and everyone else was korean and shorter. The players moved so gracefully though, this one guy looked like he floated up to the basket. One of the Elephants is called the Living Legend (I'm assuming their star player) and he was playing really badly, and he finally made a basket but it didn't count cause of a penalty, and he almost lost it. He started pounding his fists on the foam fence around the court, and then burried his face like he was crying. Then at another point in the game, the Living Legend fell down and just laid there, but the ball ricochetted off the net and hit him in the face! He was not having a good day.
After the game Jae and Jessica took us to a Shabu Shabu restaurant that was delicious. We sat on the floor, and there is a big bowl of broth that cooks at the table, and then the staff brings you dumplings, beef strips, veggies, and noodles, all uncooked. then you cook the meat and veggies and they cook really quickly in the broth and are delicious. After the meat,veggies and dumplings are gone, you put the noodles in and eat the soup, and then after the noodles are gone, you add the rice and it turns into a porridge. It's great, not too expensive, and very filling, and I like that there is a special process that you have to follow.
After dinner I took a twenty minute power nap before heading back over to Tyler's to have beer and soju. Matt and Tyler told me about Canada and the importance of patios in bars, and Jae and Jessica taught us Korean drinking games. One game is rock, paper, scissors, and the loser gets flicked in the forehead by the winner, unfortunately for Tyler, Jae was really good at flicking. I declined the offer to play.
This morning I peeled myself out of bed and went to Kathy's for brunch. I brought coffee and milk, but other people brought legitimate food so I enjoyed quite the feast. Bacon, scrambled eggs, french toast, coffee cake, yum! It was a good weekend. Next weekend will be rough because I have to work on Saturday. I'm sleeping early tonight because I didn't sleep much in the past two days.
Over and out, the weekend warrior.
This weekend was really fun. After work on Friday we went out to the same restaurant from last week to have a goodbye dinner for one of the guys at the office. After dinner Tyler and I headed back to Sinchon to meet up with some of our friends. We went to a smokey little bar that was located in a basement, and to get to the bathroom you had to walk up a steep staircase and then bathroom was a squat bathroom, ew. My friend Kathy said that in the Philippines (where she did peace corps for two years) all the bathrooms are sqautties (haha, potty but squatty), and let me tell you, they are naaasty. The floor is just covered in piss. Not going back ther e!
On Saturday, Tyler, Matt, Mark and I were invited to a professional Korean basketball game by one of Mark's students. It was awesome. His student gets free tickets through his company. But this is crazy: The student Jae has a girlfriend named Jessica, who lived in California for a couple years, turns out she lived in Albany (the same city I lived in), so I asked where she went to school. She not only went to my elementary school, but she was in my fifth grade class. Miss Wiley! Jessica even still has her old class roster, so Jae was like, "you used to live on Jackson street!" What a small world! I still can't believe that.
The game was pretty cool, we went to Inchoen, which is a city outside of Seoul, probably an hour drive with traffic. We were rooting for the Inchoen Land Elephants. They were playing the Hundai Egis (the top ranked team in Korea) and the poor elephants got slaughtered in the fourth quarter, but in their defense the Egis are like the Yankees or the Lakers. Each team has two foreigners, so there were four really tall african american guys and everyone else was korean and shorter. The players moved so gracefully though, this one guy looked like he floated up to the basket. One of the Elephants is called the Living Legend (I'm assuming their star player) and he was playing really badly, and he finally made a basket but it didn't count cause of a penalty, and he almost lost it. He started pounding his fists on the foam fence around the court, and then burried his face like he was crying. Then at another point in the game, the Living Legend fell down and just laid there, but the ball ricochetted off the net and hit him in the face! He was not having a good day.
After the game Jae and Jessica took us to a Shabu Shabu restaurant that was delicious. We sat on the floor, and there is a big bowl of broth that cooks at the table, and then the staff brings you dumplings, beef strips, veggies, and noodles, all uncooked. then you cook the meat and veggies and they cook really quickly in the broth and are delicious. After the meat,veggies and dumplings are gone, you put the noodles in and eat the soup, and then after the noodles are gone, you add the rice and it turns into a porridge. It's great, not too expensive, and very filling, and I like that there is a special process that you have to follow.
After dinner I took a twenty minute power nap before heading back over to Tyler's to have beer and soju. Matt and Tyler told me about Canada and the importance of patios in bars, and Jae and Jessica taught us Korean drinking games. One game is rock, paper, scissors, and the loser gets flicked in the forehead by the winner, unfortunately for Tyler, Jae was really good at flicking. I declined the offer to play.
This morning I peeled myself out of bed and went to Kathy's for brunch. I brought coffee and milk, but other people brought legitimate food so I enjoyed quite the feast. Bacon, scrambled eggs, french toast, coffee cake, yum! It was a good weekend. Next weekend will be rough because I have to work on Saturday. I'm sleeping early tonight because I didn't sleep much in the past two days.
Over and out, the weekend warrior.
Thursday, January 14, 2010
Enjoying some coffee and free wifi
I'm sitting in a One Tree Hill cafe, sipping my "americano" coffee with a side of milk. I felt overly satisfied with myself when I was able to ask for milk "uyu" with my coffee, the little things that are slowly making my life easier are so gratifying. Obviously, the cafe has internet access which is a huge plus, it almost makes up for the fact that a weak cup of coffee costs 3,000 won ($3). The cheapest place I have so thus far to get coffee is McDonald's, at 2,000 won a cup with unlimited cream that does not taste like the cream back home, but tasty none the less.
It's Friday over here and I'm enjoying some time to myself inbetween my morning and evening shifts. I think I might try to do this once a week, come to a cafe and slowly drink my cup of coffee as I take full advantage of the free wifi.
I don't have internet at my apartment yet, and I won't have it for a while. This has been difficult because it hit me how much time I spend on the internet, I use it for communication, information, entertainment and now I feel at a loss of what to do with myself when I have free time that I feel like mindlessly wasting. So naturally, I borrowed Tyler's Simpson's collection and have been filling my spare time with the adventures of Lisa, Bart, Homer, and Marge.
My housing situation is still not completely settled yet. I won't be staying in my current apartment for very long, in a little less than a month I will be moving into Tyler's building which is way nicer than mine and a little closer than mine (okay one half block, but still... it adds up at night and there are no lights! it's creepy). My new building will have heated hallways (fist pump) more privacy (double fist pump) and I'll be living in the same building as two of my coworkers (breakdance).
Last weekend I had just finished my fist full week of work and I started my first night of freedom with a dinner next to work with quite a few of my coworkers. I wish I could remember the name of the dish, but i can't at the moment so I'll just describe it. The tables are big and round with a BBQ in the middle. Each table gets a plate of small cube sized pieces of uncokked steak and cooking utensils. With the meat comes an assortment of "side dishes", noodles, rice, kimchi (duh), vegetables, pickled radishes, sauces, a korean style coleslaw and a bowl of redleaf lettuce slices.
After you cook the beef to your desired char, you place it in the lettuce wrap and then you can add whatever else you want from the side dishes. SO delicious. I was marinating my beef cubes in one of the sauces before cooking them (hopefully that is not some sort of dinner etiquette fauxpaux). It was great, but the bill did end up coming out to 20,000 a person and on my budget, I won't be going there often, maybe a special occasion kind of place.
After that, Tyler, a few coworkers and I took the bus back in Sinchon. [*Bus fares are cheap over here, around 90 cents a ride, which is good bc I take the bus four times a day] We met up with our friends that live in Sinchon at a bar called Ipub, it was Western-ish. The beer was not too expensive, but it's really hard for me to get used to people smoking everywhere. All my clothes reek when I get home. I have a side room in my house that doesn't get heating and whenever I've been around a lot of smoke, I put my clothes in that room for 48 hours. I'm so happy that people cannot smoke in my office.
Saturday we went out in Sinchon again, first to the same bar, and I saw some sleazy American girls being ridiculous, wearing really short dresses (it's freezing over here) and one of them just pulled her dress up over her head. At the bar! Trust me, this place is not like Cancun on spring break, that is very uncommon, do I have to be in the same category a them? Then we went to a Rock bar, which looked like a small guitar hero themed bar. There was a huge projector that played the music video of whatever song you selected with the lyrics displayed on the bottom, with all the korean styled fruity pebbles we wanted (free with beer).
On Sunday I woke up with a sore throat, of course from the weather and not because I went out two nights in a row. I still went against the better judgment I should have had and went to the Seoul National Museum with some coworkers, the museum is free this month. The museum is massive, and we didn't get through the entire place, I might go back some day. But unfortunately, but the end of the day my head was throbbing and my throat was screaming.
My friends Kathy and Tyler were both really nice and helpful about me being sickish this week, which was comforting, and I'm almost back to normal now. i've been popping vitamin C like its no ones business.
I'm looking forward to this weekend, it's a coworkers last day today so we're all going out after work, and on Sunday my friend Kathy is having people over for brunch. I'm sure I'll have many exciting things to report back to you on Sunday evening, I'll possibly make a date with the One Tree Hill cafe again.
It's Friday over here and I'm enjoying some time to myself inbetween my morning and evening shifts. I think I might try to do this once a week, come to a cafe and slowly drink my cup of coffee as I take full advantage of the free wifi.
I don't have internet at my apartment yet, and I won't have it for a while. This has been difficult because it hit me how much time I spend on the internet, I use it for communication, information, entertainment and now I feel at a loss of what to do with myself when I have free time that I feel like mindlessly wasting. So naturally, I borrowed Tyler's Simpson's collection and have been filling my spare time with the adventures of Lisa, Bart, Homer, and Marge.
My housing situation is still not completely settled yet. I won't be staying in my current apartment for very long, in a little less than a month I will be moving into Tyler's building which is way nicer than mine and a little closer than mine (okay one half block, but still... it adds up at night and there are no lights! it's creepy). My new building will have heated hallways (fist pump) more privacy (double fist pump) and I'll be living in the same building as two of my coworkers (breakdance).
Last weekend I had just finished my fist full week of work and I started my first night of freedom with a dinner next to work with quite a few of my coworkers. I wish I could remember the name of the dish, but i can't at the moment so I'll just describe it. The tables are big and round with a BBQ in the middle. Each table gets a plate of small cube sized pieces of uncokked steak and cooking utensils. With the meat comes an assortment of "side dishes", noodles, rice, kimchi (duh), vegetables, pickled radishes, sauces, a korean style coleslaw and a bowl of redleaf lettuce slices.
After you cook the beef to your desired char, you place it in the lettuce wrap and then you can add whatever else you want from the side dishes. SO delicious. I was marinating my beef cubes in one of the sauces before cooking them (hopefully that is not some sort of dinner etiquette fauxpaux). It was great, but the bill did end up coming out to 20,000 a person and on my budget, I won't be going there often, maybe a special occasion kind of place.
After that, Tyler, a few coworkers and I took the bus back in Sinchon. [*Bus fares are cheap over here, around 90 cents a ride, which is good bc I take the bus four times a day] We met up with our friends that live in Sinchon at a bar called Ipub, it was Western-ish. The beer was not too expensive, but it's really hard for me to get used to people smoking everywhere. All my clothes reek when I get home. I have a side room in my house that doesn't get heating and whenever I've been around a lot of smoke, I put my clothes in that room for 48 hours. I'm so happy that people cannot smoke in my office.
Saturday we went out in Sinchon again, first to the same bar, and I saw some sleazy American girls being ridiculous, wearing really short dresses (it's freezing over here) and one of them just pulled her dress up over her head. At the bar! Trust me, this place is not like Cancun on spring break, that is very uncommon, do I have to be in the same category a them? Then we went to a Rock bar, which looked like a small guitar hero themed bar. There was a huge projector that played the music video of whatever song you selected with the lyrics displayed on the bottom, with all the korean styled fruity pebbles we wanted (free with beer).
On Sunday I woke up with a sore throat, of course from the weather and not because I went out two nights in a row. I still went against the better judgment I should have had and went to the Seoul National Museum with some coworkers, the museum is free this month. The museum is massive, and we didn't get through the entire place, I might go back some day. But unfortunately, but the end of the day my head was throbbing and my throat was screaming.
My friends Kathy and Tyler were both really nice and helpful about me being sickish this week, which was comforting, and I'm almost back to normal now. i've been popping vitamin C like its no ones business.
I'm looking forward to this weekend, it's a coworkers last day today so we're all going out after work, and on Sunday my friend Kathy is having people over for brunch. I'm sure I'll have many exciting things to report back to you on Sunday evening, I'll possibly make a date with the One Tree Hill cafe again.
Sunday, January 3, 2010
My first week in Korea, in a nutshell
At the moment I'm sitting on my bed at the love motel in my jimjams and mukluks trying to regain the feeling in my feet. It snowed the first night I got here, but only for a few minutes, whereas today it's been snowing all day, some people even had a snow day today. I was unaware of the multitude of snow that would be gracing Seoul today when I set out for my first day of work this morning in my work clothes and shoes, stockings no socks, sorry mom.
This has been a whirlwind week, so much has happened that I feel like I've been here a month already. I'll attempt to describe it without writing a ten page entry, here goes nothing...
On new years eve my coworker Tyler and I met up with one of his friends from another branch of our company, they went to college together and he is quite new to Korea as well. First we stopped in at a bar in Sinchon (which is where I'm going to be living soon!) called Mint, it was located above a restaurant, up a windy staircase that makes you wonder how someone even happened upon it. It was a nice warm room that was quieter and more laidback than most bars here are, but the coolest part about it is that behind the bar there is floor to ceiling CDs and you can request any song you want (and these places tend to be emptier so you could listen to your favorite songs all night), and there are a lot of bars like this is Korea.
After Mint we went to a place called Itaewon, which is where all the foreingers hangout, and it was quite surreal. I went from seeing less than twenty westerners in three days to walking into a bar that was packed with over a hundred of them. The bar was a Canadian bar and they had a 90s cover band (swoon). They even played Weezer. We met more of Tyler's friend's friends and had some Cass (beer) for the equivalent of $3.
Interesting fact: Hite, which is another Korean beer, has formaldehyde in it, so yeah... not gonna be drinking that one. It gets you messed up! and kills you?
Housing: I hit a little bump in the road with housing, but it's all worked out now. Tyler and I both decided to get apartments in Sinchon, which is a college area and a quick commute to work, right across the street from each other. It'll be nice to have someone nearby in case of emergencies, or if life gets lonely over here. I've been talking to other people at the office and quite a few of them live in the same area so I'm looking forward to that. My apartment is small, but really homey, pretty much exactly what I wanted. I will have a Korean style shower though, which will take a little getting used to. (The snake-like shower heads that just hang on the wall, with no distinct shower area, I'll just be spraying myself, the mirror, the toilet, pretty much everything in the room will get soaked..)
I'm getting a phone tomorrow, which will be nice since I'm moving out of the motel soon and then it will no longer be as easy to get ahold of people as walking down the hall is.
I'm disappointed that hulu doesn't work here, but mtv.com does, so guess what I did yesterday? If you guessed that I watched Jwoow and Snooki getting in a fight another at the Jersey Shore then you're right. ding ding. You can move me across the world, but I'll still watch trashy television.
A lot more has happened but I have to go back to work, I have a split shift so I work in the morning, have a break, and then work in the evening. I'm doing well and looking forward to moving into my cute little studio apartment, I miss everyone back home! :)
This has been a whirlwind week, so much has happened that I feel like I've been here a month already. I'll attempt to describe it without writing a ten page entry, here goes nothing...
On new years eve my coworker Tyler and I met up with one of his friends from another branch of our company, they went to college together and he is quite new to Korea as well. First we stopped in at a bar in Sinchon (which is where I'm going to be living soon!) called Mint, it was located above a restaurant, up a windy staircase that makes you wonder how someone even happened upon it. It was a nice warm room that was quieter and more laidback than most bars here are, but the coolest part about it is that behind the bar there is floor to ceiling CDs and you can request any song you want (and these places tend to be emptier so you could listen to your favorite songs all night), and there are a lot of bars like this is Korea.
After Mint we went to a place called Itaewon, which is where all the foreingers hangout, and it was quite surreal. I went from seeing less than twenty westerners in three days to walking into a bar that was packed with over a hundred of them. The bar was a Canadian bar and they had a 90s cover band (swoon). They even played Weezer. We met more of Tyler's friend's friends and had some Cass (beer) for the equivalent of $3.
Interesting fact: Hite, which is another Korean beer, has formaldehyde in it, so yeah... not gonna be drinking that one. It gets you messed up! and kills you?
Housing: I hit a little bump in the road with housing, but it's all worked out now. Tyler and I both decided to get apartments in Sinchon, which is a college area and a quick commute to work, right across the street from each other. It'll be nice to have someone nearby in case of emergencies, or if life gets lonely over here. I've been talking to other people at the office and quite a few of them live in the same area so I'm looking forward to that. My apartment is small, but really homey, pretty much exactly what I wanted. I will have a Korean style shower though, which will take a little getting used to. (The snake-like shower heads that just hang on the wall, with no distinct shower area, I'll just be spraying myself, the mirror, the toilet, pretty much everything in the room will get soaked..)
I'm getting a phone tomorrow, which will be nice since I'm moving out of the motel soon and then it will no longer be as easy to get ahold of people as walking down the hall is.
I'm disappointed that hulu doesn't work here, but mtv.com does, so guess what I did yesterday? If you guessed that I watched Jwoow and Snooki getting in a fight another at the Jersey Shore then you're right. ding ding. You can move me across the world, but I'll still watch trashy television.
A lot more has happened but I have to go back to work, I have a split shift so I work in the morning, have a break, and then work in the evening. I'm doing well and looking forward to moving into my cute little studio apartment, I miss everyone back home! :)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
