Well, it is officially 2010 here in Seoul. As I'm writing this, there are still a couple of hours to go before my friends in the US get to toast in the holiday. I want you all to know--2010 is AMAZING. Actually, so far it is pretty much the same as 2009 was. I'm sorry I don't have something more hopeful to say, but given that I'm only a few hours in, it is very possible that things will improve.
Last night was a decent time. It was actually my first time to really go out in Seoul, which is kind of hard to believe since I've been here for a week. I went out to a club that was called Le Nuit Blanche. It was definitely a place for Seoul's trendy youth. A very cool vibe with a huge stage and impressive DJ setup. There was also a Japanese TV person there filming and dancing and acting like a retArd. But that was fun to see. I wasn't feeling super-great though, so I had to leave fairly early (around 1:30). Given that I'm still not fully over the jet lag, however, 1:30 felt like staying up all night.
Today I've been as relaxed as I think one should be on New Year's Day morning. I did a load of laundry, made myself an omelet, and am now watching a little CNN year-in-preview while sipping some green tea. Tasty (the tea--NOT CNN). This afternoon I am going to do my first real exploring of the city. I received a book from the international office at Yonsei and I guess I'll just pick a neighborhood and take off. I'll try to bring my camera so I can post pics later, although I imagine this is not going to be a typical day in Seoul since it is a holiday. Hopefully I see some interesting stuff and have a good time out there. It would be nice to have one of my friends here to join me--miss you guys.
That's about all I can think of for now. Hopefully I'll see some interesting and blog-worthy things that will make for interesting posts later.
Happy New Year!
PS--Mom, a "murse" is short for man-purse. Get with the program. Love, David.
Thursday, December 31, 2009
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
Attack of the murse!
Two quick observations before I turn on a movie and go to sleep:
1. I have noticed a somewhat disturbing fashion trend in Seoul--men wearing murses! In some cases, these accessories have the over-the-shoulder-European-man-bag look, which is somewhat tolerable, but in other cases they are full-on purses identical to those worn by the fairer sex. The unifying theme amongst these bags is that they are all high-end (I'd say 50% of the time they are Louis Vuitton). It is as if wearing a really expensive woman's purse is OK for a guy to do here, as long as it is a high-end fashion symbol. For me, that symbol screams "I have no testicles!"
2. It struck me today that, aside from being the only American in one of my classes (and 1 of 2 in the other), I am the only person in the Yonsei MBA program right now that is an exchange student. All the others are full-timers. I didn't consider the implication of that until this evening, which is that I don't have anyone to go through the journey of learning about a new place with me. I find that really annoying because it means I don't have anyone to explore Seoul with on the weekends and try street food with and complain to and all of those other things that happen when you're finding out about a new country (which may be why I think I've been doing some complaining on this blog--it is my best/only outlet). On top of that, I don't really live near any of the friends I'm making at school, so I end up spending a surprising amount of time alone (minimum of 3 hours while commuting every day, but since my roommate has been gone lately, it is much more than that). That's OK with me, but it would be nice to have a partner in crime to grab dinner with each night, etc. Instead, I've noticed a disturbing trend of coming home, cooking Ramen, doing homework, and then getting in bed. I guess part of that is exacerbated by the fact that I have both of my classes four times a week, so there isn't much spare time on the week days. I'll just need to be sure and make up for that on the weekends while I'm here. On the positive side, I'm definitely going to make up for this seeming lack of activity and exploration once classes are over, with a week-long trip to Vietnam (during which I will be with a travel buddy) followed by a month at a kickboxing camp in Thailand--but more on those adventures later.
1. I have noticed a somewhat disturbing fashion trend in Seoul--men wearing murses! In some cases, these accessories have the over-the-shoulder-European-man-bag look, which is somewhat tolerable, but in other cases they are full-on purses identical to those worn by the fairer sex. The unifying theme amongst these bags is that they are all high-end (I'd say 50% of the time they are Louis Vuitton). It is as if wearing a really expensive woman's purse is OK for a guy to do here, as long as it is a high-end fashion symbol. For me, that symbol screams "I have no testicles!"
2. It struck me today that, aside from being the only American in one of my classes (and 1 of 2 in the other), I am the only person in the Yonsei MBA program right now that is an exchange student. All the others are full-timers. I didn't consider the implication of that until this evening, which is that I don't have anyone to go through the journey of learning about a new place with me. I find that really annoying because it means I don't have anyone to explore Seoul with on the weekends and try street food with and complain to and all of those other things that happen when you're finding out about a new country (which may be why I think I've been doing some complaining on this blog--it is my best/only outlet). On top of that, I don't really live near any of the friends I'm making at school, so I end up spending a surprising amount of time alone (minimum of 3 hours while commuting every day, but since my roommate has been gone lately, it is much more than that). That's OK with me, but it would be nice to have a partner in crime to grab dinner with each night, etc. Instead, I've noticed a disturbing trend of coming home, cooking Ramen, doing homework, and then getting in bed. I guess part of that is exacerbated by the fact that I have both of my classes four times a week, so there isn't much spare time on the week days. I'll just need to be sure and make up for that on the weekends while I'm here. On the positive side, I'm definitely going to make up for this seeming lack of activity and exploration once classes are over, with a week-long trip to Vietnam (during which I will be with a travel buddy) followed by a month at a kickboxing camp in Thailand--but more on those adventures later.
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
Chicken and Beer
So last night was my first big Korean dining experience (sadly, I realized it was actually the first time I've gone out to dinner since I got here--the rest of the week I didn't have anyone to go out with and I've been so tired by 8pm that I just ate Ramen and went to bed). Anyhow, it was a great time. I met my roommate and two other people that are newish here (both are recent MBA grads, one from Booth and one from HBS) and we went out for Korean fried chicken and beer. The chicken and the beer were delicious and I had too much of both (especially the beer). The chicken was similar to what you would have in the US, as we ordered it prepared without the Korean bbq sauce they're known for (if I would have known that was what we were doing then I would have requested one order of the other style). The chicken, although sauceless, was really good though. One additional piece of Korean culture I learned about is that it is rude to pour your own drink at the table. The custom is for people to fill each others' glasses--I think it is meant to be a sign of respect (as long as you're paying attention). I'm not sure what one does if they run out of beer and no one refills their cup--is it rude to ask someone to fill you up? I'm sure I'll find out soon enough. Also, when filling a drink, the respectful approach is to pour it with two hands. That doesn't work great for beer, however, as you need that extra hand to hold the glass at an angle. At any rate, we enjoyed our chicken and overly-frothy beer for several hours. Afterward, my roommate and I went back and she opened a bottle of wine. I was super tired and didn't really want wine so I drank quickly, but the result was that my glass kept getting refilled. I love her thoughtfulness, but am paying for it today. That 90 minute commute that I already loathe is MUCH worse with a hangover (especially when dressed in full winter gear and therefore sweating like a prisoner with a tongue ring the whole time). The hangover provided me with my first real longing for non-Asian food, and it came in the form of a burning desire for a bacon egg and cheese sandwich. As much as I've enjoyed Korean food so far, a sushi roll of vegetables and a little beef is simply not the ideal hangover cure.
That's about all my exhausted brain can come up with for now. The plans for the rest of the day--finish class, do homework as quickly as possible, be annoyed for 90 minutes while en route home, and then get a good night's sleep ahead of New Year's Eve. As much as my adult mind should be able to deal with the time zone difference, I still find certain things weird like the fact that I'll be toasting to the new year at 9am Chicago time.
Happy New Year's Eve Eve!
That's about all my exhausted brain can come up with for now. The plans for the rest of the day--finish class, do homework as quickly as possible, be annoyed for 90 minutes while en route home, and then get a good night's sleep ahead of New Year's Eve. As much as my adult mind should be able to deal with the time zone difference, I still find certain things weird like the fact that I'll be toasting to the new year at 9am Chicago time.
Happy New Year's Eve Eve!
Monday, December 28, 2009
First Day of School
Today I had my first day of classes, which proved to be pretty interesting. Here are a few of the more notable highlights:
The Commute--Seriously, this damn thing is a SOLID hour and a half. Given that much of it occurred while walking on snow that was somehow slicker than ice, I was not happy. I do not like spending three hours a day in transit (note to self--I am obviously not meant for life in the burbs). Additionally, during this three hours of rush-hour commute, I saw a total of zero non-Asians. I feel like I am mentioning this a lot in my blog, so I want to state that I am OK with it and certainly don't have a problem with people from different cultures. I just find this surprising. I also find myself very conscious of how other people behave towards me. Overall, I feel like I am treated the way zoo animals probably behave towards the giraffe--they view it as something different and weird, but just because it looks different doesn't mean they want to actually go talk to it. They just observe it is different and odd looking and then continue about their day. I mean, a giraffe is no lion, which everyone respects immensely (king of the jungle, obviously) or a peacock, that total star of the zoo that everybody wants to get pictures with. There is one time, however, that people do seem interested in me--when I'm reading the New Yorker on the subway. I have noticed several passengers giving my articles a long and not-too-hidden stare, similar to the way I would try to read an Onion article over the shoulder of someone on a crowded bus. Interesting. One more note about the subway before moving on--the other passengers generally appear to be germophobes, opting to try and balance themselves precariously as opposed to simply grabbing the railing (I didn't realize this until I noticed I was the only person in the car grabbing a railing). This morning I spent at least 5 minutes trying not to sneeze, which I gather would be as socially acceptable as picking my nose and wiping it on the passenger next to me. Fortunately I did neither today.
First Class--My first class this morning, Managing in Asia, has a grading policy of 50% final group presentation, 20% final quiz (no test in a class this short I guess) and 30% class participation. A key to the final group presentation is that we also have to write an accompanying 25-page paper. Upon returning from our first break, however, the teacher said "someone came to me during break and asked about doing the final paper in such a short class, so I've decided that you all do not have to write the paper and instead need to just make the group presentation." The feeling I experienced was not entirely dissimilar to the way my two year old nephew reacted when he saw the ridiculously large train set Santa gave him for Christmas (except with slightly less peeing in the pants).
Lunch with Mr. Kim--The other noteworthy thing that happened today was lunch. As I was heading to lunch in the building's cafeteria with a guy I'd met in class, my friend stopped and started talking (in a slightly reverential tone) to an older guy that I assumed was a teacher. My friend then introduced me to this man by saying this guy was the President (of what--the student body, the school, South Korea????). I said my name was David and he said "please, just call me Mr. Kim." What a fabulous statement--he established clear dominance and humility all at the same time. I still don't know what Mr. Kim is President of, but I do know that he is a Sr. Manager with S. Korea's second largest steel company and that his company has given him the year off to get his MBA. Mr. Kim, upon hearing that we were on our way to the cafeteria, changed all our plans by simply saying "East Gate is much better, don't you think?" Without so much as another word, we all followed him to his car and he drove us to a very tasty Korean restaurant nearby. We had seafood pancakes (which I've eaten in Korean restaurants in the US--delicious), a dish that reminded me of a soup version of bibimbap, but without meat and with a lot of sprouts, and some kind of brown cold drink that had ginger and alcohol in it, which was also very good. When we finished Mr. Kim then bought lunch for all of us, and I could tell by the way the others behaved that this was he expected and accepted practice. Thank you very much, Mr. President.
The Commute--Seriously, this damn thing is a SOLID hour and a half. Given that much of it occurred while walking on snow that was somehow slicker than ice, I was not happy. I do not like spending three hours a day in transit (note to self--I am obviously not meant for life in the burbs). Additionally, during this three hours of rush-hour commute, I saw a total of zero non-Asians. I feel like I am mentioning this a lot in my blog, so I want to state that I am OK with it and certainly don't have a problem with people from different cultures. I just find this surprising. I also find myself very conscious of how other people behave towards me. Overall, I feel like I am treated the way zoo animals probably behave towards the giraffe--they view it as something different and weird, but just because it looks different doesn't mean they want to actually go talk to it. They just observe it is different and odd looking and then continue about their day. I mean, a giraffe is no lion, which everyone respects immensely (king of the jungle, obviously) or a peacock, that total star of the zoo that everybody wants to get pictures with. There is one time, however, that people do seem interested in me--when I'm reading the New Yorker on the subway. I have noticed several passengers giving my articles a long and not-too-hidden stare, similar to the way I would try to read an Onion article over the shoulder of someone on a crowded bus. Interesting. One more note about the subway before moving on--the other passengers generally appear to be germophobes, opting to try and balance themselves precariously as opposed to simply grabbing the railing (I didn't realize this until I noticed I was the only person in the car grabbing a railing). This morning I spent at least 5 minutes trying not to sneeze, which I gather would be as socially acceptable as picking my nose and wiping it on the passenger next to me. Fortunately I did neither today.
First Class--My first class this morning, Managing in Asia, has a grading policy of 50% final group presentation, 20% final quiz (no test in a class this short I guess) and 30% class participation. A key to the final group presentation is that we also have to write an accompanying 25-page paper. Upon returning from our first break, however, the teacher said "someone came to me during break and asked about doing the final paper in such a short class, so I've decided that you all do not have to write the paper and instead need to just make the group presentation." The feeling I experienced was not entirely dissimilar to the way my two year old nephew reacted when he saw the ridiculously large train set Santa gave him for Christmas (except with slightly less peeing in the pants).
Lunch with Mr. Kim--The other noteworthy thing that happened today was lunch. As I was heading to lunch in the building's cafeteria with a guy I'd met in class, my friend stopped and started talking (in a slightly reverential tone) to an older guy that I assumed was a teacher. My friend then introduced me to this man by saying this guy was the President (of what--the student body, the school, South Korea????). I said my name was David and he said "please, just call me Mr. Kim." What a fabulous statement--he established clear dominance and humility all at the same time. I still don't know what Mr. Kim is President of, but I do know that he is a Sr. Manager with S. Korea's second largest steel company and that his company has given him the year off to get his MBA. Mr. Kim, upon hearing that we were on our way to the cafeteria, changed all our plans by simply saying "East Gate is much better, don't you think?" Without so much as another word, we all followed him to his car and he drove us to a very tasty Korean restaurant nearby. We had seafood pancakes (which I've eaten in Korean restaurants in the US--delicious), a dish that reminded me of a soup version of bibimbap, but without meat and with a lot of sprouts, and some kind of brown cold drink that had ginger and alcohol in it, which was also very good. When we finished Mr. Kim then bought lunch for all of us, and I could tell by the way the others behaved that this was he expected and accepted practice. Thank you very much, Mr. President.
Sunday, December 27, 2009
The Crib!!
OK, I won't write much because the last post was so ridiculously long. But check out these pics of my apartment (and the view--especially the view of the Buddhist temple across the street). Given how huge this city is and the fact that one of my friends studying abroad in Hong Kong will be living in a 3-bedroom that is 600 sq ft, I am feeling even better about landing this sweet pad.
Day One Fun
Today has been a fairly interesting one so far. I woke up this morning wide awake at 6am (which, to my surprise, was still pitch black here). I managed to lay in bed until 8 before getting up, but then still found a way to stay in the apartment for 3 hours before actually getting out and doing things. I think that had to do with a bit of unconscious procrastinating brought on by my uncertainty about being in totally alone in a foreign country as well as the fact that it took a long time to even figure out where to go. Once I got over this tidbit of sadness/nervousness and got outside however, I felt better.
The subway system here is probably three times larger than New York's and although the words have English subtitles, it took two Google Maps, a subway map, and two maps of Yonsei to figure out how to get to school. Fortunately, I don't have to transfer. Unfortunately, I am on the exact farthest stop in a circular line (so I can choose to go one direction, which is 21 stops to Yonsei, or the opposite, which takes 22 stops). There are what look like a couple offshoots to the circle, so I assume I'll eventually end up lost on those (which I probably won't realize until I'm an hour outside of Seoul). The ride itself was clean/quiet however, except when some guy get on the train with a basket and proceed to deliver what amounted to a Korean infomercial about women's tights. Surprisingly, one woman actually bought a pair.
Possibly the most notable aspect of my commute is the fact that it is an hour and a half to school (!!!). I didn't count on 30 minutes of walking time, the last 20 of which occur when I get off the subway and are all uphill. Well, at least I'll get an hour or so of walking in each day (especially important since I doubt I'll hit the gym much for the next month).
Aside from all of that, things were fairly normal today. The Korean stores are similar to what I saw in Hong Kong (if not even more American-ish) and pretty easy to navigate. One problem is the language thing, though. I was especially annoyed at how difficult it was to even order a hot tea at Starbucks. I figured I could order said drink fairly simply by saying "hot tea", but even that was tricky (I even tried asking for a "cha", which I think is Korean for tea, but that didn't work well either). I realize that it is my responsibility to learn Korean and not other people's responsibility to know English here, but I figured a Starbucks cashier would at least know that much. Similarly to that, I was also surprised to only see two non-Asian people during my entire commute (which involved walking 10 minutes down a few city blocks, riding 22 stops in a subway, and then walking 15 more minutes in heavy pedestrian traffic). I wasn't expecting it to look like Chicago out there, but I guess I thought I'd see the more than 2 people. Not that it matters too much, but I found it interesting.
Certainly the thing that annoys me most, however, is how unprepared I feel for my classes. I was sent some info about accessing Yonsei's portal, but it didn't work well at all. I did manage to find a few things about one of my two classes (including a case to read and questions to answer) but can't find anything about my second class. I wouldn't care too much normally, but in an 8 session class that will be over in two weeks, I don't like the idea of knowing nothing more than the name of the class when I walk in the door on the first day (needless to say, I have no books or other class materials yet).
I feel like this post has been mostly critical so far, so I'll end on a positive note. Overall I'm excited to be here. I'm staying in a fabulous, albeit cold, apartment (will try to post some pics later) and think this will be a great experience. In fact, my only worry about the experience is that this short term goes by so fast that I don't have time to get fully immersed in the Korean culture. I'll need to push myself to get out and take it all in, which may be more difficult than it sounds given that classes will probably take up a ton of time and the only person I know in the whole country is my roommate.
OK, I've gone on too long already (I promise not to write so much in the future) so I'll stop now. I better get to reading my case for tomorrow anyhow. So adios for now! (I promise to learn how to say adios in Korean at some point).
PS--It is snowing here today, which looks to be wreaking absolute havoc on traffic. Given the number of people I've seen taking pictures in the snow, I assume Seoul doesn't normally get dumped on like Chicago. And that's fine with me--I saw enough snow last year to last a while. Hopefully this will pass before it accumulates too much and it won't be a common occurrence (that said, it is very pretty).
The subway system here is probably three times larger than New York's and although the words have English subtitles, it took two Google Maps, a subway map, and two maps of Yonsei to figure out how to get to school. Fortunately, I don't have to transfer. Unfortunately, I am on the exact farthest stop in a circular line (so I can choose to go one direction, which is 21 stops to Yonsei, or the opposite, which takes 22 stops). There are what look like a couple offshoots to the circle, so I assume I'll eventually end up lost on those (which I probably won't realize until I'm an hour outside of Seoul). The ride itself was clean/quiet however, except when some guy get on the train with a basket and proceed to deliver what amounted to a Korean infomercial about women's tights. Surprisingly, one woman actually bought a pair.
Possibly the most notable aspect of my commute is the fact that it is an hour and a half to school (!!!). I didn't count on 30 minutes of walking time, the last 20 of which occur when I get off the subway and are all uphill. Well, at least I'll get an hour or so of walking in each day (especially important since I doubt I'll hit the gym much for the next month).
Aside from all of that, things were fairly normal today. The Korean stores are similar to what I saw in Hong Kong (if not even more American-ish) and pretty easy to navigate. One problem is the language thing, though. I was especially annoyed at how difficult it was to even order a hot tea at Starbucks. I figured I could order said drink fairly simply by saying "hot tea", but even that was tricky (I even tried asking for a "cha", which I think is Korean for tea, but that didn't work well either). I realize that it is my responsibility to learn Korean and not other people's responsibility to know English here, but I figured a Starbucks cashier would at least know that much. Similarly to that, I was also surprised to only see two non-Asian people during my entire commute (which involved walking 10 minutes down a few city blocks, riding 22 stops in a subway, and then walking 15 more minutes in heavy pedestrian traffic). I wasn't expecting it to look like Chicago out there, but I guess I thought I'd see the more than 2 people. Not that it matters too much, but I found it interesting.
Certainly the thing that annoys me most, however, is how unprepared I feel for my classes. I was sent some info about accessing Yonsei's portal, but it didn't work well at all. I did manage to find a few things about one of my two classes (including a case to read and questions to answer) but can't find anything about my second class. I wouldn't care too much normally, but in an 8 session class that will be over in two weeks, I don't like the idea of knowing nothing more than the name of the class when I walk in the door on the first day (needless to say, I have no books or other class materials yet).
I feel like this post has been mostly critical so far, so I'll end on a positive note. Overall I'm excited to be here. I'm staying in a fabulous, albeit cold, apartment (will try to post some pics later) and think this will be a great experience. In fact, my only worry about the experience is that this short term goes by so fast that I don't have time to get fully immersed in the Korean culture. I'll need to push myself to get out and take it all in, which may be more difficult than it sounds given that classes will probably take up a ton of time and the only person I know in the whole country is my roommate.
OK, I've gone on too long already (I promise not to write so much in the future) so I'll stop now. I better get to reading my case for tomorrow anyhow. So adios for now! (I promise to learn how to say adios in Korean at some point).
PS--It is snowing here today, which looks to be wreaking absolute havoc on traffic. Given the number of people I've seen taking pictures in the snow, I assume Seoul doesn't normally get dumped on like Chicago. And that's fine with me--I saw enough snow last year to last a while. Hopefully this will pass before it accumulates too much and it won't be a common occurrence (that said, it is very pretty).
Saturday, December 26, 2009
Made it!
Well, I'm here. All in all, it wasn't too bad of a trip actually. I decided not to sleep during the flight (aside from the occasional nod-off) so hopefully I'll be able to get excellent Ambien-induced sleep tonight and wake up refreshed tomorrow on Korea-time. Fortunately, not sleeping wasn't too tough because Korean Air is awesome. They had entertainment centers with huge screens on each seat, so I was able to watch 7 movies back-to-back (District 9, 500 Days of Summer, Hurt Locker, Up, GI Joe (I had to turn this one off early--so bad), Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince (also turned this one off halfway through, since I'd seen it before), and some Morgan Freeman movie called The Code). I also had some of the best airplane food I've ever had. The first meal was bibimbap and the second was chicken with rice. The flight attendant looked at me like she thought I was lying when I chose bibimbap over meat and potatoes, even going so far as to ask if I've ever had it before. I politely said yes, although if I could have said "ARE YOU KIDDING ME!?? HELL YES!!" in Korean then that would have been cooler. I guess I need to first figure out how to say yes/no and hello/goodbye anyhow.
The cab ride from the airport was almost $100, but at least I got to see a pretty good view of Seoul's skyline. Incidentally, Seoul looks HUGE. It is clearly much bigger than NYC when you're driving across it. I made it to my apartment on a lucky turn, and then found that the place I'm staying is ridiculous. It is clean and modern and cool, with floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking a main thoroughfare (yes, I said thoroughfare--deal with it). The only problem is that I can't seem to get the heat to turn on. This poses a problem, as it is about 20 degrees outside and my room is FREEZING. After unpacking, the first thing I did was add two additional blankets under my comforter. Hopefully that combination will do the trick and we can get the heat going again once my roommate gets here.
Aside from all that, it has been a fairly uneventful trip so far. I wasn't up for sightseeing or walking around tonight, so just grabbed some fast food across the street at a mall. I did notice, however, that the very crowded and large mall contained exactly one other non-Asian person. Yes, I will stand out. I was also surprised at how little English the young girl that was working at the fast food joint knew--that was a little disturbing, given that the younger people are supposedly the ones who speak the best English here. That could pose potential problems in the future.
OK, that's about all my tired brain can come up with right now. Time to throw back a sleeping pill and try to get my bed up to a sufficiently warm enough level to permit sleep. I hope all of my US friends are sleeping well right now--I miss you all!
The cab ride from the airport was almost $100, but at least I got to see a pretty good view of Seoul's skyline. Incidentally, Seoul looks HUGE. It is clearly much bigger than NYC when you're driving across it. I made it to my apartment on a lucky turn, and then found that the place I'm staying is ridiculous. It is clean and modern and cool, with floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking a main thoroughfare (yes, I said thoroughfare--deal with it). The only problem is that I can't seem to get the heat to turn on. This poses a problem, as it is about 20 degrees outside and my room is FREEZING. After unpacking, the first thing I did was add two additional blankets under my comforter. Hopefully that combination will do the trick and we can get the heat going again once my roommate gets here.
Aside from all that, it has been a fairly uneventful trip so far. I wasn't up for sightseeing or walking around tonight, so just grabbed some fast food across the street at a mall. I did notice, however, that the very crowded and large mall contained exactly one other non-Asian person. Yes, I will stand out. I was also surprised at how little English the young girl that was working at the fast food joint knew--that was a little disturbing, given that the younger people are supposedly the ones who speak the best English here. That could pose potential problems in the future.
OK, that's about all my tired brain can come up with right now. Time to throw back a sleeping pill and try to get my bed up to a sufficiently warm enough level to permit sleep. I hope all of my US friends are sleeping well right now--I miss you all!
Monday, December 21, 2009
Hola!
Hi everyone (as I am sure there are MANY of you out there following me),
Thanks for following my blog. I've set everything up and plan on keeping this blog updated regularly while I'm studying in Korea and during the rest of my time abroad (and if I consider my posts to be interesting at all then maybe I'll keep it going once I return). I'll do my best to post pics and give descriptions to make this blog worth reading. Hopefully it will be an easy way to keep up with what I'm doing. Please feel free to make comments and let me know what you think.
Thanks again!
David
Thanks for following my blog. I've set everything up and plan on keeping this blog updated regularly while I'm studying in Korea and during the rest of my time abroad (and if I consider my posts to be interesting at all then maybe I'll keep it going once I return). I'll do my best to post pics and give descriptions to make this blog worth reading. Hopefully it will be an easy way to keep up with what I'm doing. Please feel free to make comments and let me know what you think.
Thanks again!
David
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