First Post!

I can't believe that I've already been here for almost three weeks. I guess that time isn't excluded from everything else that also moves so fast in Korea. The teachers at my school taught me the Korean words 빨 리 빨 리 (Palri Palri), which means "hurry up," and is a common phrase here. I asked them how I could say, "relax," and they weren't sure what that meant so they just taught me how to say, "slow" in Korean. I'm trying to adapt to the culture as best as I can, but I think I might skip out on the hurry up frame of mind.

What has happened in the last three weeks? It started out with a flight over the Pacific Ocean that lasted for 13 or 14 hours. Even though my airfare was reimbursed, I bought the cheapest ticket there was simply because it had the shortest flight. Oddly enough, it was probably the fanciest flight I have ever been on. There were widescreen LCD screens on the back of every seat that had on demand movies, TV shows and games that you could use for free. The service was called "KrisWorld" which I figured was a good omen for starting my year here.



I was able to stay up for the entire flight and arrived at my apartment at 10 pm Korean time. After being awake for almost 24 hours straight, I slept easily and when I woke up I wasn't jet lagged at all.

My apartment is actually a lot nicer than I was expecting. Space in Korea seems rather limited as there are all sorts of huge high rise apartments amidst farmland. However, my apartment is two bedrooms with a living room and a kitchen as well. I definitely have more space than I know what to do with, which is a welcomed change from my previous abode that was a cupboard underneath some stairs. The previous tenant left some useful items that I didn't bring such as bed sheets, umbrellas and cleaning supplies and it was like an exciting treasure hunt as I searched for these enchanting goodies. I then did a really good job of making the place seem like my past homes by failing to pick up after myself and scattering useless things everywhere. My mother would be proud of how far I've come! I've also put some pictures up of the ladyfriend, friends, and family, to remind me of how lucky I am. Here is a picture of the place when I originally came:



Now here it is with my delicate touch:



I'm sure that all of my loyal readers have had trouble sleeping at night without some confidence that I'm not living in an icy gulag or even worse, a college dormitory, but I assure you that my living conditions are quite good. Here is further proof of the matter:




I rest my case.