Tuesday 1 July 2008

Hi Seoul

I'm in Seoul. I'm currently stealing wifi, which is a positive, but - this is the negative - I have no power, so I'm squeezing every drop of energy goodness from the laptop's battery. Quick typing... I'm having trouble finding a Korean-UK conversion plug. I may have to wait until the weekend to get to downtown Seoul where western goods are plenty.

Odd that I should start the blog with such a trite thing, as in the just-over-48 hours that I've been here I've done more than I could have managed into a week anywhere else.

First impressions. Seoul is good. Seoul is humid, very humid. People are many. If you like lights, you will like Seoul. No stars here. First two nights I stayed in a motel in Suyu. Pretty shoddy, but, paradoxically, came with a 42" plasma screen TV. Today I moved into my proper apartment in Junggye, which is also shoddy, but it's mine, and it has everything I could need: toaster, sink, cupboards, shower nozzle, leather chair, hobs, air con, mezzanine floor with bed, 'fridge-freezer, a door, toilet, window, table, smaller table, non-functioning television, and a hammer. Yep. In a month somebody in a better apartment is leaving, so I can move to their place. Quick note on Koren hotel TV. Channel 89 appears to show soft core pornography, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. You can literally watch jiggling breasts and a hairy bobbing man ass while you eat your breakfast, which, as a novelty is fun, but.. thinking long term it's probably best that I'm out of that place.

Work is fine, so far. I had been observing lessons, but today I was asked to teach my first class alone. I say class, it was in fact one girl, in for her first ever lesson at our hogwon, who'd lived in Surrey for the last few years and was as a result pretty fluent in conversational English. Because I had to do what the book said, we talked abut Harley Davidsons. Mmm. That was fun. When I take my first kindergarten class tomorrow, that, I'm guessing, will be far more challenging. But bring on the hyperactive 5 year olds. I'm ready.

As I type, a cockroach has just scuttled over the floor and under my chair. I got him with a can of HITE, one arm of what appears to be a duopoly of Korean lagers, along with CASS: 'sound of vitality'. That is the tagline. Hite's, 'Clean, crisp and fresh,' is far less quoteable.

My co-workers are all cool. No psychos. I replaced hirsute Floridian Chris. They are mostly American and Canadian, and one girl is from Middlesbrough. Another guy from blighty is arriving in Korea tomorrow. He was supposed to be on the same flight as me. Simiar visa problems apparently.

I have more to say, and photos to post, but two things are hindring me. Battery life and time. It's midnight here and I haven't had the best of sleeps since arriving. Come back to find out how Michaelteacher gets on with the kindies. That is, providing I can find a UK plug adaptor somewhere in this country.

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