And Here We Are....

I just got back from dinner with the other foreign teachers, all British and South African. It was a hoot meeting them for the first time...I was all jet-lagging and delusional, so it was a struggle understanding their thick accents. I'm now getting used to it...so much so that I'll probably come back with a bit of an English twang to my speech.

So I arrived only two days ago, and stayed with a couple teaching at BO2 (my school). They were the only folks with a spare bedroom, and so I bunked up with them for the first night, while the teacher I'm replacing moved out of her apt. It was nice to stay with the the first night, just to be in good company before moving into a place ALONE for a year. Literally moments after I walked in the door James poured me a shot of soju. I knew it would only be good times from then on...

We all hung out at their place for a few hours, then went out to watch fireworks in Busan and eat dinner with the manager and other staff. It was great getting to know them a bit, even though I was beat. Julia is my manager, and a HOOOOT. She is just wild. Laughs at everything, extremely energetic, lively and talkative. She loves to sing and skip. I'll be taking her in small doses...just to keep things sustainable.

Something quite impressive: the Korean gov't requires recycling and composting. Literally, when you take out the trash, you seperate food scraps from plastic, from paper, from glass, and metals. They've got it goin on, in a very green kind of way. One of my old college profs tells me that Korea has had one of the largest re-forestation projects world-wide...and have had exquisite results. I have yet to experience to beautiful nature of SK...in due time.

My school is only a five minute walk from my apartment. Very convenient. And Ulsan really isn't very big, so it is a breeze taking taxis around from place to place. I'm not sure when I'll get up to Seoul, but soon enough.

Oh my, hobbies are out of control here. Other teachers are soo involved. Korean hip-hop classes, tae-kwan-do, soccer teams, basketball teams, spas, swimming, jogging, hiking, etc etc. Koreans know how to do recreation. Work hard play hard mentality, I think.

Welp, that's about it, I'm losing steam. I'm gonna make a cup of herbal tea and pop in a movie...chocolat sounds nice.

Honestly can't say I miss the US at this point...maybe cause living in LA was almost like being overseas much of the time. Esp. working in Korea town! If there is one thing I miss, it is communal living. Maybe this is supposed to be a year of solitude, a time to find inner quiet and peace while living alone. Who knows...

Contact Info

Yo, this just in...my address to send stuff in K-O-R-E-A:

BO2 English Institute
2nd Fl. #1546-12 Sansam-dong,
Nam-gu, Ulsan, Korea

Love!

Korea? Korea!

I'm at my computer the night before departure to Ulsan, South Korea. I must say, I'm quite excited. I suppose blogs are supposed to be "updates" on one's adventure...their feelings, thoughts, experiences, pictures, vids, etc. I can't promise consistency on this thing, but I'll do my best...

Mostly I'm excited to venture out on my OWN for the first time in life, to experience a new place, culture, language and people. Honestly I did not imagine myself going overseas so soon after graduation, but I think it is a great fit for me during this next season of life. The past few months have been great being in LA, canvassing for a great cause (albeit a rather conflict-filled experience), living with baba, hanging out with good, solid friends. But life is beckoning in yet another direction, further east, and it beckons with excitement and anticipation.

Until next time...