Ancient City of Gyeongju

Buddha residing in the Seoukgulam Grotto.

Friday night, I met up with my friend Kelly and the Adventure Korea group yet again for another trip...this one was a 6-hour bus ride south to Gyeongju, the former capital of the Silla Dynasty. We left around midnight and arrived just in time for sunrise at the Seoukgulam Grotto on Mt. Tohamsan. This grotto was built into a cave on the side of a mountain in 751 A.D., housing an amazing granite Buddha. Flanking the Buddha are eight guardian demons, two Vajurapanis (guardian gods of the temple) and four other mean-looking guardians.

Guardians to the Bulguksa Temple.

After leaving the grotto, we then went to the Bulguksa Temple. This place was absolutely amazing. Supposedly, this place was also built in 751 A.D...guess that was a big year for builders. Bulguksa Temple, also located on Mt. Tohamsan, consists of four main buildings, ancient pagodas, and a Buddhist prayer tower. The best part for me about this area was the beauty and tranquility. South Korea is an extremely over-populated country, but there were very few visitors to the temple that morning. It was so peaceful to stroll alone along the paths and over the ancient bridges, absorbing the fresh air and the fantastic views of the vibrant leaves and the amazing temples. I almost ruined the moment when I was coerced into tasting bondaegi...I believe in trying everything once, but let me tell you, boiled silkworms should be avoided at all costs!!!

Ancient Stone Pagoda.

Tearing ourselves away from the intoxication of Bulguksa, we left for a more active part of our day: climbing Namsan Mountain. This hike lasted about 2 hours, winding us along a beaten path through the quiet trees of South Korea. Every 20 minutes or so we would come upon a clearing, whereupon we found ourselves face-to-face with various seated stone Buddha statues, shrines, and ancient carvings in the face of the rocky mountain. Nestled in the trees atop our hike was a small temple where modern-day Buddhists could be heard uttering their chants.


Buddha carving on a rock face at the top of Namsan Mountain.

After hiking back down the mountain, we reboarded the bus headed for for a tour through Gyeongju city. We first arrived at Banwolseong Fortress and the Anapji Pond. This place once served as the royal palace of Silla, and part of the fortress wall and palace ruins still remain. After the forest, we checked out the huge ancient burial mounds of past kings, queens, and other Silla Dynasty royalty at Tumuli Park.


A double burial mound...one for the man and one for his lady.

From Tumuli Park, we went to Cheomseongdae, a very unimpressive tower that Koreans boast as the "oldest existing astronomical observatory in the Orient" that always "makes a great impression on the tourist." Call me crazy, but a little one-story stack of stones didn't quite have me in tears. Nonetheless, I must credit the place for its ability to survive earthquakes, typhoons, and wars for many, many centuries. The last leg of our long day was a visit to the Gyeongju National Museum. At this point, I was so extremely exhausted that after a quick browse through the archaelogical section, I was happy to climb back onto the bus.

Cheomseongdae Observatory

We finally arrived at our hostel around 6:00 pm, met up for galbi (Korean BBQ), met some local Koreans, sang a bit of karaoke, and called it a night. Saturday morning, I awoke to another crisp day and a missing voice. I had been feeling a cold coming on all week long, and my lack of sleep Friday night and Saturday's intense schedule (not to mention my stellar performance in the singing room) had me at rock bottom. However, I sucked it up and toughed out another day of hiking, this time at the Mt. Juwangsan National Park. This was another beautiful mountain full of amazing rock formations, waterfalls, and of course, Buddhist temples and shrines. Four hours and 15 throat lozenges later, we were back on board...I was so glad to be heading home, but I got a rude awakening upon finding that we had one last stop..."the famous" Jusanji Lake. Whoopie...a lake. FINALLY, at 5:30 pm, we were on the road for Seoul, arriving home around 11:30pm. Unfortunately, in my exhaustion and illness-induced delirium, I left my backpack on the subway train...along with 2 cameras, coats, clothes, etc. Let's pray the Koreans are more honest than Americans and I can get it back!

A path through the monasteries at Bulguksa.

Nov. 22 - Nov. 26: Thanksgiving in Korea

In the playroom with some of the rugrats.

Well, I'm just ending my 4th week in Korea, and I must say, it has flown by. I know 11 more of these will be a walk in the park.

This week was a bit stressful...stress that was brought on by myself, actually. I've been quite consumed with planning my trip to Japan for the Christmas holidays. It's going to be an extremely expensive vacation, even with staying in hostels, so every night has been spent glued to my computer, searching for the best deals and bargains.

Work is work...but still very fun. One thing that we've all discovered is that I'm not too keen on the children all the other teachers love, and my favorite kids are the ones every else loathes. There's one 6-year-old little boy, Danny (the one in my lap in the picture above), who I absolutely adore. He's a tough kid, a bit of a bully, but supersmart with a great personality. And he ALWAYS has his thumb in his mouth...who can resist a kid who sucks his thumb? Anyway, the other teachers cannot stand this little guy, and are doing everything they can to see that he doesn't get accepted next year. Apparently his mother is a real nut case. Oh well, c'est la vie.

This week potentially could have been a depressing week for me, being Thanksgiving and all. But I haven't once felt homesick. I suppose this is due to the fact that a) I had to work all day and b) I haven't been home with family for Thanksgiving in a couple years. Another reason could be that because I know no Americans here, there has been no mention of the holiday. However, I did celebrate the day, with a Canadian, nonetheless. My friend Kelly knew I was intensely craving turkey, so this saint met me at Gecko's in Itaewon (yes, I went back...and so soon, too!) because they were having a huge Thanksgiving Buffet. I paid about $30, which I thought was a rip-off, but I gorged myself on turkey and stuffing, cranberry sauce, the works...it was also my first time having seared ahi for Turkey Day! The place was filled with Americans, and it was a nice atmosphere. When I got home, my parents called me around midnight to wish me a happy day. I don't think it could have been better!

One more thing...it snowed today!! It was really pouring out of the sky, but it all melted by the time it hit the ground. It's quite a big deal for me, seeing as I've never lived where it's snowed. Let's see how much I like it in a few months, I guess!

Okay, if you squint really hard, maybe you can see the snow... 

Introduction to Seoul's Nightlife--Itaewon

Along the main street in Itaewon.

Upon entering Itaewon Saturday night, I felt like Dorothy as she arrived in Oz. I didn't think I was in Korea anymore. Every voice I heard was that of a loud and proud American. Hairstyles were either buzzcuts on the men or bleached-out perms on the women. And the clothing styles were a mixture of East L.A. and the Midwest. What should have felt like a comfort zone instead seemed so, very wrong.

Itaewon is well-known for being the seedy area of Seoul. This is due in part to the fact that the American army base is located mere minutes from the heart of Itaewon. Since the soldiers have a midnight curfew, this area is the perfect place for their evening escapades. Along with the teenage Army cadets comes a slew of Russian prostitutes and Korean girls looking for either an American husband or money to feed the kids...or both. Up one of the streets is "Hooker Hill," and as the name implies it is Itaewon's red light district. To say the least, it is not the kind of place I like to consider my stomping grounds.

Unforunately, I didn't wasn't well-versed on Itaewon's reputation beforehand. I was meeting up with my friend Kelly; seeing as she's only been in Korea for a month, she didn't know much about Itaewon, either. We met for dinner at Pancho's, a Mexican restaurant, because I was lusting for enchiladas...let's just say Mexican food in Korea is a bad idea!

After leaving Pancho's, we went to Gecko's, a place teeming with Army boys, English teachers, and wistful Korean girls. We met a few people, played darts, and once we had the security of Kelly's large and intimidating Australian co-worker, we went to another place called Polly's Kettle. Yes, the place is as dodgy as it sounds, but we were in the mood for dancing so it sufficed. We later ended up taking a taxi back to Kelly's place since the subways here close at 11:30 pm. I must say, Itaewon wasn't exactly my cup of tea, but I also can't say I'll never, ever go back...I'm probably going Thursday night for Thanksgiving dinner!

Sunday morning Kelly and I got up and...you guessed it...went shoppping. We first visited Dongdaemun, an outdoor shopping area known for great bargains. I thought it resembled Pic-N-Save. We then headed back to Insadong for some souvenirs to send home, but spent our time watching ethnic street performers instead. I did purchase a pair of "Two Stars" (Korea's $10 version of Converse All-Stars) for my aching feet before finally succumbing to my exhaustion and going home.

Street Performers in Insadong.

More Shopping Mania...in Myeongdong

Well, I've done a terrible job of avoiding one of the aspects of the Korean Culture--Shopaholism. Once again, Saturday morning meant another day to travel into Seoul for some shopping, starting with a huge bookstore. It was very exciting to buy a few English books...of course I got girly books...hey, I'm here to educate myself and reading to entertain myself! I did read a really great book, however...it's called "The Alchemist" by Paulo Coelho and it's very motivating, not to mention it can be read in a day or two if you're an ambitious reader (or a nerd like myself).

After the bookstore, we headed to Myoengdong district...it's an outdoor shopping area packed with hundreds of "Western-ish" stores I'd never seen before and thousands of shoppers. I wasn't impressed very much by the selection and even less impressed by the prices, but I thought I had died and gone to heaven when I spotted a Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf. Ahhh...Chai Tea Lattes make any day amazing. And the view of Seoul Tower wasn't too bad, either!

From Myeongdong, I parted ways with my shopping companions and took a taxi to Itaewon, where I encountered the greatest shock in my 3 weeks here...AMERICANS...and lots of 'em. More on that in my next post!!

A View of Seoul Tower from Myeongdong Shopping District. 

Nov. 15 - Nov. 19: Settling In

Man, the time here is really starting to fly. I cannot believe I have been here for 3 weeks already. Wow! Except for a couple kids throwing up their lunches and a few taekwondo fights of which I had the pleasure of having to stop, not too much excitement occurred at good old Swaton Language School this week.

One thing worth mentioning is that I finally joined a gym. It is actually located just a few doors down from my work building. A membership including pool priviledges and the opportunity to exercise in the high-tech gym costs about $85 US a month. Now when I say "high-tech," I'm obviously being facetious. The gym is about a million degrees with a few run-down (or should I say "run on...?") treadmills and...alas...3 elliptical machines. Upon seeing those bad boys, I was sold. Well, I didn't go for the bank-breaking membership, (not to mention they have a gym + pool + aerobics membership...I shudder to think what the price of that is!) but I did decide on a less expensive gym-only membership. It is money well-spent...it's getting much too cold to exercise outside, and unfortunately my eating habits have been far from healthy!

Well, the week definitely ended on a high note. After getting off work at 7:30 Friday night, all the teachers (along with their significant others) met up at a restaurant for dinner. It was great fun re-hashing the week and making fun of our boss (AKA "Cookie Monster"...I brought in a box of cookies for all the teachers and he took them and gave them to some of the parents). Good times. We finished off the evening in a "Singing Room"...it's basically a private room for karaoke. Watch out Berlin, Roberta Flack, and, shamelessly, Britney Spears...here comes "Tiffany Teacher"!

May, Chris, Joy, and I on a much-needed Friday night out.

Hiking Mt. Daedun

A view along the hike up Mt. Daedun.

Today was definitely one of the best days since I've been here. I went hiking up Mt. Daedun in the Jeollabuk province with about 20 people, mostly English teachers like myself from Canada and the States. It was a trip organized by a group called Adventure Korea...I heard about their website from a friend, and I'm glad I did!

My day started around 6:30 am...I had to walk to the nearest subway station, which is about 2 miles from my apartment. Well, I was a bit anxious, because it was my first sole adventure on the subway. I guess my nervousness got me nowhere...except on the wrong subway line. To make a long story short, I got lost, found my way, got lost again, but finally met up with the bus...about 30 minutes late. To say the least, it was not the best way to start off my day.

Anyway, we had a 2 hour bus ride before reaching Mt. Daedun around 11:30 am. We ate Bibimbap (mixture of rice, veggies, and egg) before finding out there was a long wait just to start our hike. As I've mentioned before, Koreans love to hike, and there were probably a thousand people on the mountain...and that's being modest. Anyway, once it was time for us to go, we boarded a gondola that took us halfway to the top. From there, we climbed up the remainder of the mountain via long, narrow suspension bridges that swayed with the wind. I have to admit, it was a bit scary.

Once we got to the top, we took some pictures and admired the amazing views before beginning our hike back down to the bottom. This time, we skipped the gondolas and thus avoided the masses of people; it was finally our time alone on the mountain. The hike down was super-steep and muddy, but we all made it down without too many falls.

We finally got back on the bus just as the sun was beginning to set around 5:00 pm. What should have been a 2-hour drive back home turned into a 5-hour ride...the traffic getting back into Seoul was a nightmare. However, it was a perfect time to really get the chance to talk to some of the people. The others on the trip have led such amazing lives, full of international travel and experiences. It was such a great opportunity for me to meet some people here with similar interests.

I finally boarded the subway around 10:30pm, making it home around 11:30pm. The weekends here fly by so fast!

Hikers climbing up a vertical suspension bridge. 

First Trip into Seoul

Today I went into Seoul with my friend from work, Chris, for some early Christmas shopping. I finally got on the subway for the first time, and let me tell you, these Koreans do not have a problem cramming as many people in as they can.

We got off the subway at Seoul Station, which is right in the heart of downtown Seoul. We decided to take a taxi to Insadong, which is a long street full of souvenir shops, bakeries, cafes, and street vendors. However, we had to take a major detour because some students were about to stage a major demonstration. Police officers dressed in full riot gear and riot buses covered in wire mesh were lining the streets for blocks! Who cares what they were rioting about...I had some serious shopping to do!

Insadong was bustling with people...it reminds me a bit of the 3rd Street Promenade in Santa Monica, except for the cars and scooters tempting you with your life every few minutes. I actually saw tons of foreigners, as well...based on the multitude of buzzcuts strolling around, it's safe to assume that many of the people there were US military.

It was definitely hard trying to buy presents for other people, with so many fabulous things to see. Major items included tea sets, pottery, ceramics, jewelry, paper lanterns, stationary, and wooden and paper boxes. I could have stayed there all day...except it was outdoors and about 35 degrees!

Insadong Shopping District.

Nov. 8 - Nov. 12: Week 2

Well, I did it! I survived my second week in Korea! This week was definitely much less stressful than Week 1. Let's see...I finally figured out how to put together lesson plans in less than 3 hours without completely stressing out about it. I've had a few decent restaurant meals, so I'm now confident that I'm going to be able to handle Korean food for the next year. And, I think I'm finally getting over the time difference, as it was quite difficult trying to drag myself out of bed every morning!

On Thursday morning we took the little kiddies to a play in a neighboring town. The theatre was a tiny, smoky, stuffy room filled to the brim with children under the age of 7 and their frazzled teachers. The play was based on a Korean folk legend of a goddess who comes down from the heavens and takes a bath in a river every day. A man sees her, falls in love with her, and steals her clothes...unfortunately for her, she cannot go back up to the heavens without her special clothes. So she marries the man, they have a child, then she finds her clothing and goes back to the heavens, taking their baby with her. I thought it a horrible story, especially for the entertainment of little kids...and risque, to boot. But what do I know?

Friday we took pictures at our school for the "Swaton Newsletter." Our school was the highlighted school of the month, so they chose me to pose with some of the children...and they made me wear a Santa hat. I was not thrilled at all. Maybe I'll be able to post one of the pictures when the newsletter comes out, so that you can all get a laugh.

My Walk to Work.

My Address...Write Me!

Swaton Language School -- Pyeongchon
Attn: Tiffany Joiner
Jeil Building #601
900-7 Pyeongchon Dong Dongsan-Gu
Anyang City, Gyeonggi-Do
South Korea
431-070

Nov. 1 - Nov. 7: First Week at Work

After a well-rested weekend, it was finally time to start my new job at Swaton Language School. I climbed out of bed, took a shower (yes, I'd already tried the shower, and I must admit, other than having to mop afterwards, it's really not too bad), and walked to school, which is only about a mile away.

So basically my typical morning schedule is as follows...I start my day at 10:00 am for two 40-minute classes with the 6 year-olds with 5-minute breaks in between each class. I then have 2 more 40-minute classes with the 7-year-olds with a 40-minute lunch break in between.

I get a nice long break from 1:30 pm until 3:00 pm, which I use to prepare for my afternoon classes. These classes consist of kids ages 8 to 12 who usually come either straight from school, or from some other private lesson. The classes are a dreadful 80-minutes long, with 10-minute breaks between. The final class, which very fortunately I only have to teach once or twice a week, ends at 7:30 pm. Not fun!

I really like the kids here...for the most part, they are very well-behaved and eager to learn, especially the younger ones. I was really surprised at how well they know English already, not to mention how quickly they pick up new things. The older kids are more of a challenge. They're just not as cute...and definitely not as innocent. I have to admit, there are a few kids whose butts I fantasize kicking...I'm definitely learning some patience here in Korea!

The other teachers are great, and we all get along very well. The lead teacher, Joy, is a native of South Korea who lived in New York for a while. The other Korean teachers include May, Rowa, and Annie. The native English speakers are Chris from Canada, Andrew, a part-time teacher from Australia, and me!

Needless to say, the weekend couldn't come fast enough. I finally got off work at 7:30 pm relaxed most of Saturday. On Sunday I called Chris and made him take me hiking. We went to a mountain about a mile away...it was a very steep hike but only took about 30 minutes. It was swarming with people; apparently, the Koreans love to hike. We had beautiful views all around our city and even into Seoul (which is about 40 minutes away). After the hike, we checked out some of the gyms in the area. Unfortunately, the prices are extremely high for pretty poorly-equipped gyms (up to $90 a month!!!). I guess I've just been spoiled by always working in nice gyms and never having to pay for a membership!

Aaaaa....Sunday night...bring on Week 2!

My School is on the 6th Floor.

My First Dining Experience

Well, Sunday morning I awoke and finally unpacked everything, put away my new purchases, and surveyed the damage. Not good. $465 later, I had not gotten very far...I was still lacking tons of items. Yep, back to shopping I had to go...I won't bore you with the details of this experience...let's just say it was much more pleasant than Saturday.

On the way to the store, I decided to finally indulge myself in my first restaurant meal. I walked down a commercial street near my apartment that is teeming with restaurants and cafes. Some were a bit scary looking, and as I was observing the store fronts, I saw a nicely-dressed couple exiting a clean and harmless-looking establishment. Bingo.

I walked in, took off my shoes, and sat at a table. The waitress came up to me and started speaking and I just looked at her and said, "Sorry." She pointed to the menu on the wall...written in Korean, of course, and to my dismay, no pictures. I looked around the restaurant, which was pretty empty, and spotted a young man nearby. I don't know what someone who knows English looks like, but I had a gut feeling he knew something. I tiptoed over, asked if he knew English, and was ecstatic to learn that he knew "a little." I asked what was good...he went over the menu with his broken English and I just nodded and smiled, even though I had no clue what he was saying. Well, when in doubt, order #1...and that's what I did.

The waitress brought 2 empty bowls and 2 empty plates to my table, along with a bowl of red cabbage stuff (yes, I shamefully learned later that the mystery cabbage was in fact kimchee...and I liked it!) and a bowl of still-unknown green stuff. I was still a bit nervous about what I had ordered, but I was quickly put at ease when it arrived: a huge bowl of broth soup with noodles,shellfish, and some sort of tasty wonton.

I began to eat and heard soft chuckling and realized people in the restaurant were laughing at me. Apparently I was using the wrong utensils and not using my extra empty bowls and plates correctly...and I absolutely had no idea what to do with the scissors she brought me. I decided to work on my observation skills, and by the time my meal was finished, I knew how to cut and eat kimchee and where to put my empty shells.

Aaaahhh...so proud of myself...and all that food for under $4.00. I am ready for my first week now!

My neighborhood is bustling with restuarants and shops, but my steet is very quiet. 

Shopping in Korea

Saturday morning I awoke feeling refreshed and excited! I decided that my first weekend in South Korea would be spent shopping for the various odds-and-ends and food that I needed to make my apartment feel like home. And I absolutely could not sleep on the mystery sheets any longer! So off to shop I went...easier said than done!

I left my apartment around 9:00 am with a hand-drawn map to Wal-Mart (yes, folks, there is a Wal-Mart here...even though I am a Target girl through-and-through, I have to admit there's something exciting about having a piece of Sam Walton and redneck America here with me!). An hour later, after many wrong turns and scenic routes, I finally arrived at the goliath Wal-Mart. Heaven! I walked in, tried to grab a cart, and to my dismay, they were all locked up...What?! I soon discovered that I had to pay for the cart. Thus began my shopping escapade in the Pyeongchon Wal-Mart.

First stop: Bed linens. I thought I'd just get a nice fitted sheet and a good bedspread. Ha! They don't sell sheets in Korea...no fitted sheets, no flat sheets, nothing! And bedspreads were $65. What ever happened to the Wal-Mart staple--the bed-in-a-bag??? After much deliberation, I settled on this fitted sheet thing that doubles as the bed cover...I have to cover up with blankets at night. Surely when the weather drops below freezing I'll wimp out and buy a bedspread, but until then, the blankets do just fine. And making the bed every morning is a breeze!

Somehow I managed through Wal-Mart, buying towels and rugs and the like, until finally it was time for the scariest shopping experience of my life: The Food Section! By this point, I was so exhausted and so ready to get out of there, that I threw anything that looked slightly familiar into my cart, including cereal, peanut butter, chicken fingers, milk, jelly, and white bread. Healthy, right? And nope, no wheat bread or skim milk here.

Five hours later....I finally stepped up to the cash register with my purchases. My cart was overflowing with everything imported and anything American...and the final bill showed it...$465 US...Ouch!

Well, here's where the day just got bad...the girl at the register didn't give me bags...I looked around and realized that no one had their purchases in bags. Now remember, I had probably 100 items in my cart. I rolled the cart out, hailed a taxi, and together the taxi driver and I loaded it up with my stuff. I hopped in the front seat, handed him a paper with my home address written in Korean on it, and felt proud of myself. That's when I found out that cabbies do not know addresses. I had to point the directions to him the whole way home, while he's yelling at me in Korean at the top of his lungs. Finally, we reached home sweet home...we unloaded the mounds of items on the curb, he charged me double since he "threw his shoulder out," and I lugged my stuff up three flights of floors armful by armful.

If you ever come to Korea and go shopping, here's a bit of advice:

1. Always take someone who knows what's what so you don't buy the wrong things.
2. Take the time to buy Korean items and avoid imports at all cost...unless you want to go bankrupt.
3. And finally, when you arrive at the register, and the salesperson says something to you in Korean, just nod your head fervently and say "YES, PLEASE!" She's asking if you'd like bags.

An Entrance to the Underground Sidewalks.

My Apartment

A View From the Inside. 

Amazingly, I awoke around 7:00 am Friday morning to a room of chaos; my bags were of course where I had dropped them the night before. I finally had the opportunity to tour my new dwellings. Everything was quite impressive, like the hardwood floors, the huge sliding glass lanai doors that led out onto a greenhouse-like patio that overlooked the street, and the granite entry-way. Don't allow me to embellish too much, though...I had fallen asleep on someone else's sheet, mold was creeping up the walls, and it still is a rather small studio...and allow me to enlighten you on what I consider a quite amusing aspect of my apartment...the shower.

You see, being from the US and all, and being spoiled by large bathtubs and strong water pressure in the showers, I never expected what I found in Apartment 304...or what I didn't find. Well, I have no shower. Unless you call a shower head attached to a hose attached to the sink a shower. So, upon discovering this strange phenomenon, I was first in denial, then in outrage, and finally, just laughed and decided, if everyone else in this country can do it, then so can I. Needless to say, I must admit I skipped out on taking a shower that morning.

Right on time, Mr. Moon arrived and off to the school we went. It was great news to learn that the school is only a 15-minute walk from my apartment. My first day was definitely a whirlwind... fortunately for me, it was a party day for the kids since it was Halloween. The children were dressed in costumes, and most of the morning was spent taking them around some local stores for "Trick-or-Treating". The head teacher finally said I could go home around 5:00 pm, and somehow I found my way back to my apartment, which I discovered was in a very nice building in a very nice apartment, and passed out. Thank God for the sandwich I swiped from the airplane...and thank God for weekends!

My Little Kitchen.


The Infamous Shower. 

My Arrival - October 28th, 2004

Well, I've finally arrived in South Korea...Pyeongchon, located on the outskirts of Anyang City in the Kyunggi-Do province, to be exact! And what an adventure I'm embarking on....!

Let me start with my trip and arrival. After a wonderful week back in Georgia/Florida and time well-spent with friends and family, I flew out of Jacksonville, FL at noon on Wednesday, October 27th. I flew to Detroit where I then transferred to my flight bound for Asia. We took off at 3:30 pm....and it goes without saying it was the longest flight of my life. I thought it a brilliant idea not to sleep the entire flight (it was a 13-hour flight). I still haven't decided if it was a good idea or not...at any rate, I had to change flights in Tokyo, and finally arrived in Seoul around 10:00 pm on Thursday the 28th. (or according to my body's time clock--9:00 am!)

My school's director, a man who knows absolutely no English and who solely goes by the name of "Mr. Moon," whisked my haggard self from the airport and drove me the hour to get to my apartment. All the while, I fought desperately between nodding off to sleep and fearing for my life (my first bit of knowledge gained in my short time here...never, ever, ever ride with a Korean man in a flimsy foreign car!).

He showed me to my apartment, which I wearily glanced at, and left. I immediately passed out. Unfortunately, before leaving, Mr. Moon informed me that I was to be ready for work at 9:30 am the next morning. Fabulous.

What did I get myself into???

My place is on the top floor on the right.