OK, I'm finally beginning to get on a regular sleep schedule, yay!
The new apartment is great, not much by Western standards but comfortable with more space than I expected. It beats the hole I lived in on Washington Ave. in Albany! About everything I could possibly need is in walking distance... convenience stores, all kinds of bars and little eateries, parks, internet cafes, department stores, bus stops, subway stops, etc. If I have any Western food cravings their not a problem as Dunkin Donuts, Starbucks, MacDonalds and Dominos are all within a few blocks. It's a pretty lively area. Definitely safe, so don't worry.
People here are very friendly and helpful. I parked myself at an outdoor table at a pub near my house the other night and ended up with an entire Korean family sitting with me nodding and smiling. It turned out they were the ones that ran the place and they were pretty excited to have a foreigner there. They put on some John Denver (it's weird how often I hear John Denver in Asia), I guess it was to make me feel more comfortable. Finally they got their daughter to join us who spoke English and we had a good time. I've been meeting nice people like that all over the place. The old people who hang out at the park in the morning like to chat as well.
Classes are OK so far. Discipline is the biggest issue and there are only a couple of classes where that is a problem. I have some pretty advanced students which is cool as well. It only takes ma about an hour to prepare everyday and once I get the swing of things that will cut down.
Heidi, my coworker and her fiance John have been nice enough to show me around some parts of the city. Itaewon is the foreigner hot-spot. I don't think I will spend much time there other than to check out a club or two with friends. It had a seedy feel-- pretty much it was just a bunch of Western guys drinking and trying to pick up Korean chicks. Insadong was much cooler. It's sort of an artsy area with neat little tea houses and such. I think I will be going there again soon. John's a Peruvian and when he learned I spoke a little Spanish he introduced me to a bunch more Peruvians. We went out Saturday night and had a blast. It was a little weird though that I spent my first weekend in Korea speaking Spanish and eating Peruvian food. But hey, it was a good time! I'll try to get more pictures up on flickr now. I miss everyone!
The new apartment is great, not much by Western standards but comfortable with more space than I expected. It beats the hole I lived in on Washington Ave. in Albany! About everything I could possibly need is in walking distance... convenience stores, all kinds of bars and little eateries, parks, internet cafes, department stores, bus stops, subway stops, etc. If I have any Western food cravings their not a problem as Dunkin Donuts, Starbucks, MacDonalds and Dominos are all within a few blocks. It's a pretty lively area. Definitely safe, so don't worry.
People here are very friendly and helpful. I parked myself at an outdoor table at a pub near my house the other night and ended up with an entire Korean family sitting with me nodding and smiling. It turned out they were the ones that ran the place and they were pretty excited to have a foreigner there. They put on some John Denver (it's weird how often I hear John Denver in Asia), I guess it was to make me feel more comfortable. Finally they got their daughter to join us who spoke English and we had a good time. I've been meeting nice people like that all over the place. The old people who hang out at the park in the morning like to chat as well.
Classes are OK so far. Discipline is the biggest issue and there are only a couple of classes where that is a problem. I have some pretty advanced students which is cool as well. It only takes ma about an hour to prepare everyday and once I get the swing of things that will cut down.
Heidi, my coworker and her fiance John have been nice enough to show me around some parts of the city. Itaewon is the foreigner hot-spot. I don't think I will spend much time there other than to check out a club or two with friends. It had a seedy feel-- pretty much it was just a bunch of Western guys drinking and trying to pick up Korean chicks. Insadong was much cooler. It's sort of an artsy area with neat little tea houses and such. I think I will be going there again soon. John's a Peruvian and when he learned I spoke a little Spanish he introduced me to a bunch more Peruvians. We went out Saturday night and had a blast. It was a little weird though that I spent my first weekend in Korea speaking Spanish and eating Peruvian food. But hey, it was a good time! I'll try to get more pictures up on flickr now. I miss everyone!
posted by MacKensie at 7:12 PM
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