Going into school, I knew Mr. Park (the boss) was going to take everyone out to eat. I found out later that it was to welcome me into the school, which was nice of him. Which meant I got to pick what to eat, well I didn't get to pick they asked me what my favorite food was, and I answered, Seafood.
Since I answered seafood we went to a restaurant that specialized in seafood, the filled the table with all kinds of seafood. The good part is in Korea, when you say Seafood, they assume you mean sashimi, or raw fish. All of the food tasted really good even the fish soup they served us as well as the raw mussels before the main course of sashimi with a side of rice. The meal went great and gave my co-workers time to interview me more, for what I don't know I already have the job.
After the meal I walk down to my bus stop and wait for my bus number 16, I wait for probably 20 minutes, which isn't typical the most I have waited is 5 minutes. I finally see a number 16 coming towards the stop, so I step out on to the side of the street, and the bus completely passes the bus stop. So I decide to wait again, and again another number 16 passes the bus stop again. This is the only bus I know to get back home, so I am a bit confused at this point so I decide to ask someone, which was pretty hard to find someone to ask. But it turns out since we ate dinner, we got out later, and number 16s have stopped running.
I find out I should take bus 138 and it should take me to the same bus stop, so the next number 138 I see I get on and ride it. The route looks familiar for the first 15 minutes of the trip until the bus turns on a street that I don't recognize. I trust the person that told me to get on 138 so I stay on the bus and decide to ride it out until I see something familiar. I keep riding the bus and I see nothing familiar at all. So I ride the bus to what turns out to be the end of the route because the bus driver basically kicked me off in the politest way he possibly could.
I get off the bus, and am completely lost, I decided I will wait for another 138 to come around and get back to a place I recognize. I wait and see another 138 and it doesn't stop, or even slow down. Same with the next 138, and at this point that is all that was passing. Just as I get ready to leave I see another bus, number 1000, I remember seeing them near my house so this is a glimmer of hope, I squeeze on to the cramped bus. I then ride this bus to the end of the line, and I am even more lost than when I started.
I wasn't panicking yet, I thought about getting a cab, but I realized I am not even sure my address, everything is written in Korean, and I can't read that. But I hope maybe if I give some landmarks they will know, if they can understand me. Turns out this bus's last stop was on a dead street so I decide to wave my arms in the air trying to get any car's attention. I couple cabs stop and don't understand a word I'm saying so they drive on. At this point I was as panicked as I'll ever be, which was me thinking about sleeping on the street and trying again in the morning. Instead I put that back as plan B and continued to wave my arms in the air.
I was in luck, a group of Korean guys decided to pull over, they didn't understand much of what i was saying, But I was able to tell them I was in Saha. They offered me a ride and started to drive toward Saha. But Stopped when they got to their house, I tried to give them some Won for their trouble but they wouldn't accept it.
I start walking towards what I think is the direction I should head, the good thing I was in an area with a bit more traffic and more taxi cabs. After several tries, I finally found a cab willing to help, I give him the land mark Lotte Mart, because i figure I am not that far from where i started. But go figure just like Walmart, There are Lotte Marts everywhere. So I gotten taken out of the way again, I got out of the cab and decided to think for a bit.
That's when I realized i had a business card in my wallet from the HP store I bought my computer wire from Monday. I don't even know why I kept the card, I couldn't read it, but I'm glad I did. Next cab I found I showed him the card, and he said he didn't know where it was... But the cab after that had a GPS in his car, punched in the address and started taking me there, once I recognized the area I pointed him in the direction of my apartment, even though he didn't speak English he was very helpful.
So I finally ended up getting home, about four hours later than I should have but I'm here, I'm safe, and I'm not injured. Turns out I was about 5 miles away from my apartment, I could have walked it if I knew where I was but I am pretty sure I would have crossed over top a mountain.
Sorry I don't have any pictures, I was lost by some water.
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Lotte Mart
Today, I went to the hospital to have my physical, my boss finds out my results Friday, and then we apply for my registration card. The only really neat thing about the hospital is it didn't have a parking lot; instead you left your car with the valet who parked in a vertical parking garage. I wish I took a picture of it but it once the car went in an elevator (for just the car) raised it up them moved it over to store it while we were in the hospital.
While walking to my bus stop, I realized that right near it was Lotte Mart, so I decided to visit it. Lotte Mart is a very interesting store. It's like a Super Wal-Mart on steroids, or like an entire mall packed into one store, or a Sears and a Kroger smashed together... Well you get the picture. When I first entered Lotte Mart, I wasn't sure what to expect I was told to go there to buy things for cheap.
I walked in with both the intent to explore and to do some shopping, not much shopping though because I hadn't planned before hand and only had a few Won on hand. Before walking in I was kind of taken back at the size of it. With five floors, and each floor taking up the size of a Ralphs or Kroger it's weird to see a store that is built up rather than out. When I walked in I noticed what looked like escalators with a very low slope. Upon further inspection I realized they were more like slanted moving walkways, designed with people using carts in mind, and many people with shopping carts were using them.
Going up and down floors, I saw they had practically every product you would ever need, and defiantly every practical product you would ever need. On the fifth floor there was dry cleaning, parking, a mechanics garage, dentist office, and kids play area, the fourth floor was home decorations, Nail Salon, food court, furniture, and sporting goods, the third floor was clothes, which included anything type of clothing you'd find at a JC Penny, the second floor was like a toys r us, and the first floor was groceries.
After I explored a bit (for about 30 minutes or so) I decided to do some shopping, the prices were very reasonable. I was able to buy two bottles of juice, lunch for three days, and dinner for about 14 dollars. For dinner I bought a two pack of tuna oniguri and beef? Oniguri... The tuna was better. On my way out I decided to buy a Popsicle, I opted for the cantaloupe flavor, which turned out to be more like ice cream on a stick but turned out to be delicious. It tasted like a very ripe cantaloupe and was just soft enough to be perfect. I might be addicted and it was easily the best 500 won I have spent the whole time I’ve been out here.
Lotte Mart
Strange Slanted Walkways
Dry Cleaners
Kid's Area
Food Court...
While walking to my bus stop, I realized that right near it was Lotte Mart, so I decided to visit it. Lotte Mart is a very interesting store. It's like a Super Wal-Mart on steroids, or like an entire mall packed into one store, or a Sears and a Kroger smashed together... Well you get the picture. When I first entered Lotte Mart, I wasn't sure what to expect I was told to go there to buy things for cheap.
I walked in with both the intent to explore and to do some shopping, not much shopping though because I hadn't planned before hand and only had a few Won on hand. Before walking in I was kind of taken back at the size of it. With five floors, and each floor taking up the size of a Ralphs or Kroger it's weird to see a store that is built up rather than out. When I walked in I noticed what looked like escalators with a very low slope. Upon further inspection I realized they were more like slanted moving walkways, designed with people using carts in mind, and many people with shopping carts were using them.
Going up and down floors, I saw they had practically every product you would ever need, and defiantly every practical product you would ever need. On the fifth floor there was dry cleaning, parking, a mechanics garage, dentist office, and kids play area, the fourth floor was home decorations, Nail Salon, food court, furniture, and sporting goods, the third floor was clothes, which included anything type of clothing you'd find at a JC Penny, the second floor was like a toys r us, and the first floor was groceries.
After I explored a bit (for about 30 minutes or so) I decided to do some shopping, the prices were very reasonable. I was able to buy two bottles of juice, lunch for three days, and dinner for about 14 dollars. For dinner I bought a two pack of tuna oniguri and beef? Oniguri... The tuna was better. On my way out I decided to buy a Popsicle, I opted for the cantaloupe flavor, which turned out to be more like ice cream on a stick but turned out to be delicious. It tasted like a very ripe cantaloupe and was just soft enough to be perfect. I might be addicted and it was easily the best 500 won I have spent the whole time I’ve been out here.
Lotte Mart
Strange Slanted Walkways
Dry Cleaners
Car Garage
Dentist Area
Dentist Area
Kid's Area
Food Court...
Nail salon
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
First Day at Work
Today was the first day working, and it started a day earlier than I thought it would have and a week earlier than I wish it would have. Although I felt very unprepared work wasn't bad there was another teacher who sat in the classes with me, although I did most of the work. I am the only foreigner working at the school but it's a small school anyway.
The kids at the school were very interesting and interested in meeting me, the day was filled with kids looking in the window of my classrooms while I taught, or in the teachers offices between classes. The other teachers told me they were interested in seeing me because the last native speaker they had at the school was "fat and ugly", and "I was not". It's not too surprising that they didn't think highly of the previous native speaker, because I am not too sure they previous native speaker thought highly of them. In the cover of the books I used I found written: "Worst mistake of your life.", "They'll drive you crazy just to line their pockets." and "Watch out they'll steal your soul." I found these mostly funny, and my first day went well, but I will have to finish out a couple of months to see whether or not I agree with them.
On my way to work
Work
I was told these are Kimchi pots
The kids at the school were very interesting and interested in meeting me, the day was filled with kids looking in the window of my classrooms while I taught, or in the teachers offices between classes. The other teachers told me they were interested in seeing me because the last native speaker they had at the school was "fat and ugly", and "I was not". It's not too surprising that they didn't think highly of the previous native speaker, because I am not too sure they previous native speaker thought highly of them. In the cover of the books I used I found written: "Worst mistake of your life.", "They'll drive you crazy just to line their pockets." and "Watch out they'll steal your soul." I found these mostly funny, and my first day went well, but I will have to finish out a couple of months to see whether or not I agree with them.
From my apartment
Slope leaving my apartment
neighborhood
more neighborhood
On my way to work
Work
Some views from my work this is a big department store I am suppose to go to sometime.
I was told these are Kimchi pots
View from my work.
View from my Work
Saturday, July 25, 2009
Apartment
I arrived in Busan this morning, and had to wait a bit before the people that recruited me showed up, but once they did they turned out to be really friendly. Most of the flight went pretty smooth, but in Chicago, they made me pay extra for one of my carry-on bags, and in Seoul they confiscated three of my cans of shaving cream.
I was was shown the school today, it's pretty small, I think I am the only foriegn teacher there. I also was driven to my apartment, I expected to have a studio apartment and the apartment I got turned out to be much bigger. I added pictures of my apartment, and I will try to take some pictures of the area after I take a nap and a shower.
View of Some Mountain
Bed Room
I was was shown the school today, it's pretty small, I think I am the only foriegn teacher there. I also was driven to my apartment, I expected to have a studio apartment and the apartment I got turned out to be much bigger. I added pictures of my apartment, and I will try to take some pictures of the area after I take a nap and a shower.
Entrance
Dining Room?
Laundry Room
Kitchen
View of Some Mountain
Living Room
Bed Room
Bath Room
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