Lake Park.

I went speed walking in Lake Park this evening.  The weather is starting to feel more like Fall, which I enjoy.  Walking in Lake Park is so refreshing after a long day of work.  Plug in the head phones and walk around the lake which is about 2 miles.  Tonight I had complications with my laundry once again.  I seem to always mess it up.  I just need to find one setting and stick with it. This time I selected a setting where it didn't pre-dry my clothes at least a bit, therefore it left them soaking wet. Everyday can be a challenge over here.  

It's been a while.

It has been quite a while since I have posted.  I stayed in Korea during my summer vacation and went to a beach town called Busan.  I could not get a visa in time in order to go to China.  I have been in Korea now for two months.  I can not believe it.  It has flown.  Before I know it, the year will be gone.  I'm adjusting to the culture a lot better now and starting to like work more and more.  I have started to learn Korean because the language barrier is too great.  I need to know some basic words in order to get around.  It is a challenge everyday I'm in Seoul, because if I'm lost it's up to me to find the way.  Asking people gets you no where because of the language barrier.  It's frustrating from time to time, but I have learned to over come it and now I'm sort of use to it.  I'm still getting sick constantly due to the air quality.  About every two weeks I'm sick.  :(   Hopefully I will be able to go 3-4 weeks without getting sick.  It's still extremely hot here and I can not wait till Fall.  Something everyday still surprises me, so I'm not completely use to everything.  I have a field trip this Friday with my kindergarten class and we are going to see Peter Pan the musical.  I'm quite excited for it.  It will be in Korean, but it should be fun to hang out with my little 6 yr olds all day.  Babysitting for a day, can't complain.  Well I'm going to try to keep this up to date a little more often than what I have.  Till then, I'm out....    

The weekend is almost here

I really don't understand the trash system here.  You must buy trash bags within your neighborhood and the trash bags are about the size of walmart bags.  I just do not understand how you are suppose to fit your trash in bags that are so small???  There is a food/compost bag the size of a jewelry bag.  It's a little different but I guess I will get use to it.  I have some plans for the weekend, which include going to the clubs in Hongdae and the big pool party in Itaewon.  Super excited.  The weekends though are waaaaay too short. Wish they were a little longer, but o well.  I still have yet to plan my summer vacation.  My summer vacation is the last week in July.  Not sure what I'm doing yet, but hopefully I will be able to go to China!  :)

Sunday Funday

Sunday I went to Lake Park which is a park with a huge lake by my apt.  I rode my bike around the lake which was 2.1 miles.  I saw some people walking on rocks and it happened to be a rock garden.  Everyone takes off there shoes and walks on different shaped rocks to relief stress.  It was interesting and a lot of fun.  I got bit up from mosquitoes.  They are really bad here.  I also went back to Itaewon and discovered that a hotel in downtown Itaewon has a pool party every weekend.  Illan and I will be going back there this weekend to jump in.  Can't wait!  Looked like spring break in the middle of the city.  Monday I met up with my Korean friends that I met at BSU.  We just had to eat at Uno's (Chicago style pizza)!  Yummy!  It was really fun to see them all once again.  We already have plans to meet up this weekend and hang out.  My weekends are definitely going to be packed, because my days are so long with no time to ever do anything besides come home and cook dinner, then bed.  It's already Tuesday.  The days fly here when your at work all the time.

Culture Shock

Today I went to downtown Seoul to do a little sight seeing.  I went to Itaewon which is the international area within Seoul.  That is where I got the pictures from.  My two favorite countries!  :)  They had every fast food place from back home, including Cold Stone Creamy...haha.  It was a little crazy.  Many westerners were there as well.  Felt a little bit like New York City you could say.  As I was riding the subway back home a woman motions me to give her my purse and slowly starts to grab for it.  She was sitting down and I was standing, so I gave it to her not knowing what would happen.  I had seen another woman before me do the same thing.  So I felt semi ok about it.  She ends up just holding it for me so that I didn't have to, since she was sitting.  The woman standing next to me had to get off and grabs her purse from the lady, bows, and off she goes.  It was very interesting.  I then found a seat and she gave me my purse back, and I bowed.  Bowing has become a natural thing for me now.  It was very interesting, but a little weird all at the same time. 

Now that I am back in my apt. I can definitely tell that the air is not the cleanest.  I feel like I was smoking all day.  I have a raspy throat and I smell like smog, if you could say.  It's so humid too, that you could probably drink the water.  haha.  The air here sucks, thats for sure.  It's more or less about when will I get sick!   

Bars in Korea

Last night I went out to the bars here in Ilsan City for the first time.  I also had dinner which was nice.  Dinner was interesting but really fun.  We all cooked on top of a grill at our table and cooked our own meet.  We all just share what is on the grill and eat off of it.  Gosh did I have a time using chop sticks.  The wood chop sticks are easier than the metal ones, thats for sure.  The food was quite good.  Lots of meat!  If your vegetarian, good luck in Korea, so I have heard.  To go to the bathroom in restaurants and bars you must ask for the toilet paper. Then go to a bathroom that is usually outside in a hallway where all the other patrons of bars and restaurants go as well.  It's odd, but I got use to it through out the night.  At least your always guaranteed toilet paper!  Luckily the walk from my place to the bars is only about 15 minutes.  But overall it was a fun night, and I'm just going to have to stop thinking everything is so different and just go with the flow, otherwise it's going to be one difficult year!

Supermarket

Yesterday I had my first day of work.  I just shadowed the teacher I'm replacing and got to know some of the students.  It was a lot of fun, and I really think I'm going to enjoy my job.  The only downfall is the day is SUPER long from 9-7:30pm.  It goes by fast, but towards the end you are tired.  The kids keep you on your toes all the time.  I teach ages 6-11 all through out the day.  I am still trying to get use to Korean food.  I went to Home Plus last night which is sort of like a Walmart and gosh that can be one frustrating task to accomplish.  Everything is written in Korean (obviously) and to ask someone to help they can't even understand you.  At least when I was in Sweden they could all understand and speak English.  People can't even understand when I ask them "Do you speak English?".  I was so stressed by the end of my trip to the supermarket.  I had to go down every aisle just to find stuff because I had no idea where anything was.  I happen to run upon this guy and asked him if he spoke English, and he happened to be Korean-American.  I was like thank god!  So he showed me around the supermarket and helped me get the things I needed.  I was very thankful to say the least.  Today I must go back to Home Plus to get more things.  With city living you can't buy too many things at once because of all the bags that you have to carry back to the apt.  Well off to another day of work.