kamsa hamnida

I don't think I've ever been this tired. the 12 hr flight to Incheon was killer. The food however was bomb. Bi-Bim-Bap for dinner. Basically veggies that you mix in with some rice and add chili paste to taste. And breakfast (served at 2am...thanks asiana airlines) was rice and kimchi.

Enough about airline food.

I'M HERE!!!!!

This is awesome. I'm in a city where 90% of the people don't speak any english whatsoever and I am part of a 200 person minority. My only means of communication are pointing, hand gestures and body language. Just figuring out how to get on this computer at the PC-bang (internet cafe) was an ordeal. I have such a respect for bilingual people.

I feel like I haven't been here long enough for culture shock, although I am going through "Holy shit I can't read any of these signs or order food for myself" shock as well as "people stare at me as I walk down the street" shock. To be honest, I think I'm just too tired for culture shock right now. I got minimal sleep on my red eye to Incheon. What sleep I did get didn't last long and wasn't very restful. You can only sleep so well sitting in a coach airplane seat. I would love nothing more to pass out in my sauna of an apartment (its about 300 degrees with 9,000% humidity) but I want to try to suck it up so that I can at least try to get on a normal sleep cycle. Its 5:22 here now, 4:22am this morning back home.

Korea is like nothing I've ever experienced before. Yeosu is a city built on mountains and hills that overlook the water. My co-teacher brought me to the school today and showed me the view of the Dolsan Bridge. I almost peed. Then we did the tour de Yeosu. We went EVERYWHERE. I opened a bank account, went to E-mart to do grocery shopping, went to smart step to get slippers for school, went to the doctor to get certified that I don't have swine flu, and then lunch.

Lunch.

lunch consisted of tempura shrimp and sushi. With All the fixins. Kimchi, white kimchi, raddishes, seasoned raddishes, little onion things, soy beans (edamame style), miso soup (although not called miso soup), and kimbap aka rice wrapped with seaweed. On top of that, it came with about 20 pieces of sushi. I was in heaven. Sitting on the floor eating sushi with metal chopsticks.

After that I went back to my apartment to unpack. I have a pretty sick little place. HUGE TV, AC, deck thing where I do my laundry, kitchen. its real nice. I decided that I was dying of thirst so i went to the mini-stop on the corner to get a drink. Oh did I mention, they have an awesome booze selection at mini-stop. And if I don't care for that then I can just go to the bar that is RIGHT NEXT DOOR TO MY APARTMENT. Hell yes. No booz for jet lag tho. I got some electrolyte drink called Capari Sweat....or something like that. There is definitely sweat in the name.

I can't get my internet to work so I had to search my neighborhood for a PC-bang. This place is real intense. Korean gaming kids EVERYWHERE. I guess its a pay by the minute thing. After it took about 10 minutes for the guy that works here and I to understand what we were trying to convey...it was pretty easy. I get a card and put in the password on the card. The computer keeps track and I get charged when I leave. I'm pretty much in the middle of a Korean techno rave. All I can hear are the sounds of video games, techno, and all i can see are the blacklights and flashing lights.

Alright, time to mozy back to my apartment and rehydrate before I pass out.

cutting it close.

It wouldn't be me if I wasn't cutting it close.

I was all set to go to the Korean Consulate today. I even got up early so I could afford myself time to be late. Nobody informed me that I needed an appointment. When I called, they informed me that the earliest they could fit me in was on the 17th. That's 2 days before I leave. Whats worse is that they want me to pick up my visa on the 19th. At 4pm. I need to be at the airport at 4pm. Looks like I'm going to have to beg and plead for them to let me pick it up earlier that day. Whatever, this whole process has been relatively easy so I'm ok with this taking a little longer.

More news about my apartment! The furnishings sound alright, twin bed (good thing I was an RA), coffee table, desk, nightstand...etc. But apparantly the TV is real decent and the best part of the apartment. Sounds good to me....what do I even watch on Korean TV anyways? They better have food network.

I was also informed that there will be 2 ragers the weekend that I get to Yeosu. Way to start things off right. Hopefully jet lag doesn't get the best of me. I was also informed that the parties there don't start till around midnight and usually go till 6am.

I think I'll be just fine.

Leave it to Rhode Island

to be the only state in the country to celebrate VJ day. Excuse me, that's not politically correct anymore...Victory Day. I need to get another copy of my official transcript but Green Hall is closed due to...yup, Victory Day. FML.

I'm really going to be getting down to the wire here. It takes up to 5 days to get the visa processed. If I go tomorrow, 5 business days would bring me to next Tuesday. The day before I leave. Great. Hopefully the consulate brings their A game and gets this done quick.

In other news, I LEAVE IN 9 DAYS! I can't even believe it. This is so unreal. Not to mention that I have a ton of stuff to do. Well not really, I just have to pack. I also need to go to the doctor's and get a new epi-pen. That would be a real drag if in Korea I end up needing one and mine is expired.

The teacher that I'm taking over for messaged me back with some more info about the school and apartment.

"the apt is a bachelor, nice small but big enough to be comfortable.. it is located ina great area, only blocks away from everything ull ever need, although it is far from the school, but there is a bus stop right outside that takes u to school... and if not u can buy a scooter very cheap

the school is on the side of a mountain, beautiful views all around it.. u walk down the mountain from the school two minutes and ur in the main downtown area of the city..."

Sounds awesome. I can't wait.