HOME!
Included are pictures of the wasing machine, the rest of the bathroom. Yeah the bathroom is not much to look at, but I am getting used to the shower. Water does go everywhere sometimes but oh well!
Also, the small kitchen area and then the mail living area of my apartment.

Home Sweet Home!

I realize there two posts about the same thing. But enjoy the pictures!

Today I took the subway to the middle of Seoul to find Doeksugung Palace, which I did eventually as you can see in the pictures. But at first I just saw the wall and didn't know where the entrance was, so I just kept walking. It ended up being quit a nice and quant area, very charming! I ended up eating at a restaurant that had Spaghetti with minced beef and a good vegetable sauce and a coke, it was a little bit more than usual but it was worth it. Then I found the art museum and went through the three story exhibit titled Dual Reality. I didn't understand all of it or the point but I think it was challenging what we think of as reality, very modern a lot of DVD and sound displays. The best part was on the third floor was a display with a wood floor with flowers painted on it, A sort of Japanese paper on it, and a projector of light looking down on it. It was animated and when I got there some little kids were throwing the paper around and then the mom joined them. Then I did and a few others did too, but the more you throw the paper around the brighter the garden gets and the flowers start to pop! It was neat.
I finally found the Palace entrance but they were having some culture show today and there was a bunch of people dressed up in traditional Korean style. I finally went in and was surprised by how big the area was and how calm, peaceful and tranquil it was. It was a perfect Fall day too, cloudy with a breeze but not too cold. It was nice.
Right now I am watching TV on the TV my boss bought me. The thing is though that for some reason I get none of the English channels including the one sponsored by the US Army. And they have already came and hooked the cable up, so what is the deal. Right now I am watching some Korean drama and making up my own story when I pay attention!
Today was a good day, even though last night I sent an email to a friend that is probably going to come back in bite me! Oh well . . . I am in Korea.

Okay, so today around 12:30 I left my apartment and took about a forty minute subway ride to go see this palace. Well i got off the subway and saw the wall right away but I had no idea where you were just supposed to go in. I just decided to walk up the street which ended up being a very nice quant little area. It was charming! I ended up eating at a restaurant and having very good spaghetti with minced beef and vegatable sauce and a coke for about $7.50, so kind of high. Then I ended up finding the Seoul Art Museum and decided to go through the exhibit titled "Dual Realities" 3 floors of it. It was interesting, but I don't think I understood all of it, I think the purpose was about questioning reality and stuff and they did that through art, but modern art. Like DVD animation stuff, and very modern things. The third floor, however, had a very fun exhibit that was hands on. It was a square wood area with flowers painted on it, covered in Japenense paper of some sort, and then a projector shining on it with light that was somehow animated. Well there were kids throwing paper in the air and then at one point a lot of us were throwing it up because that it was made the flower garden come alive. I cannot really explain it, but I liked that part the best and watching the kids have a blast throwing the paper. Then finally I found Deoksugung Palace in the middle of the city surrounded by the sky scrapers that surely weren't there when it was built. I found out that today there was a culture show to so there were all of these people dressed up in traditional costumes I added a photo. The palace area is very big, and it was peaceful and the day was great for it. Fall like, cloudy but still light and there was a breeze while I was walking around just admiring its beauty and imagining what it was like when royalty lived there. However, this palace is not as old as some probably only goes back to 1592 I guess, that is what my information card says. I had a good afternoon discovering more of Seoul!

Then after that I bought a cord to connect my camera to my computer so now I can show pictures. I discovered that Techno Mart is an eight story mall. . .where I got it. I could spend some won there, wait until I get paid though before I decide to buy anything more though maybe and even then it is better conserve.

So today was a better day than last night ended up being. My parents sent me a package yesterday and they tried to send me a bottle of Baileys, but the bottle broke, which is llike my favorite drink. However, the two bottles of Sapphire Gin stayed in tack, so last night I had some of that maybe more than I should've. I also sent an email that is probably going to come back and bite me in the face, which was not a "drunk email" but I don't know about it.

Enjoy the pictures!

I wanted to give all my blog readers out there more of the "nitty-gritty" of how Korea and I are getting along. I will make it easier by putting it in list form. Enjoy!

1. At times, some times more intense or others something just hits me and I feel like I could just break into tears rather at work, in my apartment, on the street, or wherever. I am not sure if it is from everything new or missing home or what, but it never seems to be something(s) that I can concretely say make me want to cry.

2. I am really understanding what the real work world is in a sense and having to adjust. The week is really centered on work and it seems to take up most of the time. At least I like my job and think it will continue to get better with time and learning more. But yeah working full-time. . .

3. Seoul is a big city and I cannot exactly just go and hang out with a friend when I feel like it. And even if I did they have busy lives too. But it isn't like good old Lawrence Kansas where nothing is really over a fifteen minute drive maybe if that. So sometimes I feel pretty lonely and isolated in this city of more than 10 million people.

4. I am trying to find the balance of creating my "own" life here with new friends and new routines while keeping up with my friends in the states or wherever. I realize I can to a point, but it isn't the same and that I can't spend all my time dwellinng on everyone I love back home. I have to create my own circle of friends and support again, which is hard. I didn't expect or want to miss everyone as much as I do.

5. I have read three novels since being in Korea and it hasn't even been a month yet. I am on my fourth but it will take longer because it is in Spanish.

6. I love Korean food a lot and have come to like everything being spicy except for some of the fish and seafood and of course the pig intestines soup!

7. Work is good and I seem to like it, but it wears me out sometimes by the end of the day. Some of my middle school classes I don't seem to have much control over and my boss knows that. He came in tonight and was like next week you change class, better for you. Jennifer will do it - better. I know it isn't an insult or anything, more of a pride issue in how it makes me feel. But I have learned I have just had to shove my pride down countless times to save face and also just so I don't go insane or lose it. Another example of this is eating out with my boss and still trying to perfect my chopstick skills and he looks at me and says, "use spoon Ty, its better for you." I am really trying though and want to use them, but when he says that I have to respect him and use the spoon.

8. I have to focus on the positives and what God has already provided and blessed me with more than anything. I have to rely on Him a lot to keep my positive attitude and get through the rough times. I am so fortunate to have an honest boss, friends in Korea that I knew before I got here, church already, and new friends who geniunly want to be friends.

9. Learning Korean is very difficult. I am trying to teach myself through a book and the internet right now. I think I am improving though and have even asked some co-workers for pronunciation help sometimes. I am starting to pick up the reading a lot easier now, so I can read but don't really understand 99% of the words I read. I can definitely pick up very common usage words in everyday speech but sometimes I still don't know what they mean. AAHH!

10. Being here is a constant journey and process for the mind to grasp everything, which seems overwhelming sometimes by everything that you think and go through moving to another country or putting yourself in a situation like me.

My Korean friend after lunch decided to inform me about the two biggest psychological shocks people experience in thier lives. (Mind the spelling errors please.)

1. Having a parent die
2. Being in an environment or culture where you don't know the language

Haha! She is so funny!
I think I am doing okay though. . . .

This is the book that I have just finished reading The Interpreter by Suki Kim. Suki Kim is a Korean American and wrote a book about Korean American woman, a child of Korean immigrants in New York City area. It takes place entirely in New York but at the same time the Korean culture aspect is still there. It starts five years after Susy's parents were murdered randomly or was it random. This story is about how Susy discovers the true reasons behind her parents deaths and how this changes her. When we meet Susy is an interpreter for law suit dispositions with Korean immigrants who for some reason are in the court system. This story though is just as much about Susy and her life, which is pretty sad. She is Korean and American but neither one is really home or at least that is what she was taught. It is about her always seaching for her identity but never really finding one through many one-way relationships that she is content with, and going from one job to the other. She also finds out a lot about her sister Grace and the role she had in her parents deaths and the role she had in the family. Although this book does end with closure to the meet of the issue, it leaves you (the reader) with no closure about Susy's character. It is almost sad how this book ends with you still wondering will Susy ever be happy. This was an interesting book, but it seemed to be missing something throughout. But maybe it was supposed to feel like that since Susy is also missing something to her life too.

I would just like to share with you a classic example of Konglish or Korean + English at one of its funniest and worst. A lot of Koreans think they know English, but oh they are so wrong sometimes. For example, this week I bought a notebook at a store that I found pretty, shall we say. The company or name of this particular notebook is Pure Heart. Okay, that is noble, and then you read the little poem on the first page when you open the notebook and you think "OH MY!"
But feel free to laugh as hard and long as you want. Enjoy!

Oh,

on an early morning

I think

I shall live forever!

I am wrapped

in my joyful flesh,

As the grass is wrapped

in its clouds of green.

What The Heck!

Last night I didn't get to actually sleep or seriously in bed till around 2, okay the usual. I am a fairly light sleeper though, but you didn't have to just be a light sleeper to hear this ruckos this morning at about five minutes till 5. I heard a woman yelling, crying, it sounded like she was having a temper tantrum. Then I heard another voice talking but loudly, maybe a man I was a bit freaked out by this. Then this girl starts really losing it and I hear many glass bottles being thrown hard and against a wall or something and shattering. Okay, maybe they are drunk which wouldn't be that unusual for Koreans and especially this neighborhood, but they are a little violent than most Koreans. It keeps going and they are loud for the next twenty minutes maybe and then I hear doors being opened and slammed. I go to my door and look out the peep hole only to discover it is the people directly across from mine and there are four apartments downstairs. At one point an older man opens the door, next to mine and looks out then I hear him chuckle and close the door. It is a chuckle like, "oh those young people" or something to this nature. Then I finally see a young guy come out with a coat on in bags and he leaves. . . kicked out? I don't know but that is my best guess because he came back a couple of hours and knocked a lot on the door and all of that. Oh young people - they don't let me sleep and once again what schedule are Koreans living on?!

Okay, I have decided to try to start blogging more instead of sending out so many mass emails. Right now there is nothing real big or important to write a huge email for anyway, so I'll blog until I find it is necessary to do my famous emails. I think I might have gone overboard on the emails some people were starting to joke that it was like I was sending out research papers everyday. I don't want to put that much pressure on people to feel like they have to read something that does not really interest them or have something to do with them. I mean other people have lives too and they could write just as long as emails out to all of their friends about their own life in the states. So from now on I apologize, I will try to keep them to only two or three times a week instead of everyday and maybe a little less in volume too.

But right now it is about 1:20 AM here and of course I am still awake this is normal. Good thinng everyday except Tuesday and Thursday I don't have to be at work till around 1:45 or 1:50. Tuesdays and Thursdays aren't bad either it is 11:50 for another week or so doing private lessons with a lady and then back to 1:40. At least I get a free lunch out of that though because we go out after the lesson and my boss pays for everything. The only complaint is that I wish I could do more during the week sometimes instead of work, my neighborhood (area of the city), and my apartment. I can't do anything on week nights really unless after 10 but the subways close down at midnight so I would have to pay for a taxi I guess if I was somewhere else. My mom says, "Welcome to the working World!" the week is for work and weekends are fun. The weekends do seem kind of to be the time to get out and relax more and see friends. This city is so big even with the subways you have to plan when to see people because it could be an hour one way. I am adjusting. . . I am still liking Korean food for the most part and crave some things. I have my moments with the Korean metal chopsticks, but truly believe I am getting better.

I have discovered that I can watch TV through the internet tonight. One country that has channels that come in the clearest is Spain. I found a telenovela I can start watching at 10:30 Seoul time I think, right now MTV is on the Madrid Channel with current American and Spanish stuff. Paula Rubia (spelling) is very hot with her one song right now. . . which I have known. The music video is something else. . .do I really need to buy a TV?

Work is good for the most part, but it has its moments. For the most part the kids can wear me out, and they are smart, and entertaining all at the same time. Ah. . . I really need to start trying to go to bed early. But then I would wake up earlier and do what? Staying up at night is almost better because I have a better chance of catching people online. . . well maybe.

Home

Okay, so I am not really home "home". But this orning with a cell phone, internet in my apartment, and realizing my gas stove works it was a celebration! I boiled some water and poured some of the instant coffee in a glass, which is surpising good, and had a glass. Maybe I'll have another glass before work, next I need to buy like a kettle type thing and a coffee mug maybe tonight. Then I made some spaghetti with my Prego sauce, I personally like Ragoo better or homemade sauce. I have olive oil too and tonight I am going to try to buy some cherry tomatoes at the street market because noodles, olive oil, and cherry tomatoes are my favorite!

I called the girl tha I met at McDonalds that day who speaks perfect Spanish and goes to the same church. Except I never see her because I go to a different service with my friend. But my Spanish was terrible this morning. . .but now she has my number and we'll see each other again soon or I think that would be nice.

I am desperately trying not to be worried or concerned like most South Koreans about the whole North Korea issue. But I am starting to worry a bit and pray to God that North Korea does not do a second test. They already state that they see the UN sanctions as an act of war and the crazy guy up there is not afraid to defend what is his. Please Pray for this whole situation and for the people of South Korea and its government, even though no one seems to be on edge here, at least normal civilians. I am trying to take this approach also.

And I have been looking for my UBS port wire that connects my camera to my computer so I can send out pictures. I hope I find it, else I'll have to find one to buy which wouldn't be hard, but I don't want to of course.

Jet Lag seemed to be a week behind me here in Korea. It seems to have had its revenge this week on me. I am very tired at work from the hours of 5-7 usually but then after work I can't sleep till 2 or 3 usually. Some of this might be from all the coffee I have been driinking through work. But then I usually wake up early around 9 everyday feeling pretty tired and if I am lucky I will go back to sleep for a while. Well this morning I wanted to kill a couple of kids. It was very early this morning and I finally was sleeping for a couple of hours and then all of a sudden at 6:55 I wake up! Why you ask? Because at this ungodly hour on a Saturday morning there are Korean kids outside the building or next apartment laughing, playing games, having a good time. Do people here have the weirdest sense of time or is it just me, what are they up for and with so much energy this early. . . I wanted to ring their necks and curse at them. I think I finally fell back asleep later like at least a good forty-five minutes and woke up at 11.

Ah. . . I am going to a movie tonight till then maybe not much.. . .maybe go buy another CD.

I thought I would try to write some more this morning. I've had a couple of good days in a row here in Korea and that makes me happy! Yesterday I found one of the malls that was 90% open despite the holiday. I bought a nice new pillow to sleep on and two CDs so that I can play them on my laptop at home. So I can have some sound at least until I hope to have internet Monday night or Tuesday and a cell phone shortly after that. The apartment is okay. . . just takes getting used to living there. I think the shower/bathroom is the part that takes the most adjusting. Also, it seems like there are not many outlets in the apartments here so maybe I need to buy a power strip surge protector thing and they put the outlets in strange places it seems to me.

I have met some very nice people. Yesterday I was at McDonalds in the mall and saw a girl with a Spanish dictionary and asked her if she spoke Spanish. We talked for maybe almost in hour and Spanish and she was a Christian. She invited me to some church event tonight and I was like where is it? Well, comes to turn out she goes to the same church that my friend goes to that I am going to on Sunday morning for service. So that should be fun tonight it is part of the English/international ministry they have there. God must really want to make sure I get in with the right people here and get taken care of. Which could be kind of a good balance from the people at work and a lot of people in Korea who sociolise by drinking. Drinking seems to be a national sport here and many people drink. People think other people are their true selves after a couple of drinks. . . . I mean I am all about it sometimes with the coworkers and stuff but I don't really want my experiences here in Korea to be summarised by all the drinking I did.

Today I think I am going to travel back to the mall and buy some more CDs because I didn't bring any with me, how sad! I might go explore some other sections of the city that I have not been to yet and then tonight is that event at church.

Last night I had dinner upstairs with the girl from Canada and her boyfriend she made Tacos. Taco Mix from Costco, which I don't know where that is. But they were pretty good and then I watched some of Cold Mountain on TV with them. I have been sleeping pretty good at night when you are supposed to and for at least 7 or 8 hours.

Work starts Monday, I am a little bit nervous but at the same time I kind of know how it is going to be from last Monday when I got here. It seems pretty fun actually with all the kids and at times it will almost be like babysitting. I hope I am competant, but it seems pretty easy.

This morning I found another PC Bang right down the street from my place. Once again it is pretty nice but just people playing computer games for hours on end it seems like. And the people that work here are own it seems to be an older couple and they are constantly bringing drinks to the customers and stuff. If anyone ever comes to visit me I'll have to take you to one of these places, I bet I could write an entire paper about the PC Bangs here and the customers they serve and the average time teenagers spend at them, etc.

Korea!!

Yes, my first full post in Korea and I have no idea what to say about everything yet. I still don't have a cell phone, internet in my apartment, or a TV so that is a bit frustrating. I won't be able to get those until at least Monday because right now we are in Holiday, the Fall Harvest Moon Festival maybe, the Korean Thanksgiving. People honor their ancestors during this time and the city seems deserted which is crazy!

What else? I have met two of my friends already, which is a huge blessing to know two Seoulites here. I am going to church with my guy friend on Sunday, so that is nice too.

I start work on Monday (2 -10 Monday - Friday).

Until I think about it some more - I'll figure out what to post more about. I have been sending out a lot of my mass emails with updates and details. If for some reason you aren't on that list and want to be current - let me know and I'll get your email address.

Till the next post.

Just so everyone knows I have arrived safe and sound in South Korea! Look for more news later.