Itaewon!
I just wrote a blog about before arriving but now I want to write about my first weekend in Korea!
Saturday, my friend, Rosie and I went to Itaewon to charge her phone and go to an Irish Pub to eat food. we took the subway... which was my first subway ride and i got a T-Money card! woohoo! i'm hoping to get the phone T-Money card where i can just put my phone on the sensor and it reads it... but it's still cool that it can get the card through my wallet... for those not in Korea... T-money is where you have this card and when you get on a subway you pass the stations and you put your card on it and it charges you for the subway ride... but it only charges how far you go. on the other end you place your card on that end sensor and it just charges for your trip! it's super neat!
The restaurant was called like Wolfhound or something and it was really a nice restaurant with nice service... a lot of foreigners... but i was told that Itaewon is big with foreigners... so i understand... after eating and charging her phone... we decided we should head back... after heading back we walked around Donum market and went into some like "face" shops and i bought some cleansers to help my skin. i also got some wonderful samples! lol an extra mask and 2 little sample bottles of a few things...
we decided to head to somewhere close to Itaewon to visit Rosie's friend cause we couldnt figure out what to do in Seongbuk and had some fun there. after hanging out at her place we decided to go back to Itaewon... rosie and i hung out and went to Kraze Burger for dinner and later hung out with her friend... we met them and went to a Hookah Bar (btw it's legal to drink here at 19 years of age... so dont judge me!) I actually fell up some stairs cause it was dark and there were only candles leading out... it hit something and i have major brusing on my leg! so crazy!
after there we went to The Loft (another bar) with a 5,000Won entrance fee (like less than $5) and free drinks for women... lol and then after that we went to another Bar on Homo Hill (very low key and very cozy) and just chatted...
i've really enjoyed getting to know my coworkers and i've made a friend or two! It's weird cause i'm the youngest (20 yrs. old) out of everyone... like literally... the 2nd youngest (2 guys... i think) are 22 years old... but it doesnt feel like i'm the youngest... except when we go to bars and i remind myself that i'm not in the states! lol!
Sunday i didnt do much... got out and ate at an Indian Food restaurant with a new friend who was visiting someone and today... i got my medical examination done and did more observing...
tomorrow is my day of vacation... pretty much moving into my apartment and getting everything spread out among my apartment... maybe i can actually find something i can use! lol!
then Wednesday is our Orientation and it's 3 days packed full of how to teach! Monday we begin teaching officially and i'm a bit nervous... :-P
hopefully this week will just be filled with prep time... everyone else is going on vacation so i'll be here just working away! lol!
so far... i love it here... it definitely feels like home (i think i've mentioned this a few times... lol)... and it's nice when i can walk down the street alone or with someone and but a coke or order my own food! ^_^. I cant wait to get a phone and bank account so it's for me!
^_^.
hopefully i can update more when it's actually interesting!! lol!
Saturday, my friend, Rosie and I went to Itaewon to charge her phone and go to an Irish Pub to eat food. we took the subway... which was my first subway ride and i got a T-Money card! woohoo! i'm hoping to get the phone T-Money card where i can just put my phone on the sensor and it reads it... but it's still cool that it can get the card through my wallet... for those not in Korea... T-money is where you have this card and when you get on a subway you pass the stations and you put your card on it and it charges you for the subway ride... but it only charges how far you go. on the other end you place your card on that end sensor and it just charges for your trip! it's super neat!
The restaurant was called like Wolfhound or something and it was really a nice restaurant with nice service... a lot of foreigners... but i was told that Itaewon is big with foreigners... so i understand... after eating and charging her phone... we decided we should head back... after heading back we walked around Donum market and went into some like "face" shops and i bought some cleansers to help my skin. i also got some wonderful samples! lol an extra mask and 2 little sample bottles of a few things...
we decided to head to somewhere close to Itaewon to visit Rosie's friend cause we couldnt figure out what to do in Seongbuk and had some fun there. after hanging out at her place we decided to go back to Itaewon... rosie and i hung out and went to Kraze Burger for dinner and later hung out with her friend... we met them and went to a Hookah Bar (btw it's legal to drink here at 19 years of age... so dont judge me!) I actually fell up some stairs cause it was dark and there were only candles leading out... it hit something and i have major brusing on my leg! so crazy!
after there we went to The Loft (another bar) with a 5,000Won entrance fee (like less than $5) and free drinks for women... lol and then after that we went to another Bar on Homo Hill (very low key and very cozy) and just chatted...
i've really enjoyed getting to know my coworkers and i've made a friend or two! It's weird cause i'm the youngest (20 yrs. old) out of everyone... like literally... the 2nd youngest (2 guys... i think) are 22 years old... but it doesnt feel like i'm the youngest... except when we go to bars and i remind myself that i'm not in the states! lol!
Sunday i didnt do much... got out and ate at an Indian Food restaurant with a new friend who was visiting someone and today... i got my medical examination done and did more observing...
tomorrow is my day of vacation... pretty much moving into my apartment and getting everything spread out among my apartment... maybe i can actually find something i can use! lol!
then Wednesday is our Orientation and it's 3 days packed full of how to teach! Monday we begin teaching officially and i'm a bit nervous... :-P
hopefully this week will just be filled with prep time... everyone else is going on vacation so i'll be here just working away! lol!
so far... i love it here... it definitely feels like home (i think i've mentioned this a few times... lol)... and it's nice when i can walk down the street alone or with someone and but a coke or order my own food! ^_^. I cant wait to get a phone and bank account so it's for me!
^_^.
hopefully i can update more when it's actually interesting!! lol!
Up! UP! and AWAY!
So I know this is definitely out of order but I wanted to tell everyone how it went down as I arrived!
First of course I have to make it in time to get my tickets and catch my plane! I had to make it to DFW, which is about 2 or so hours away from my lil town... well we left at like 7am instead of 6 like i wanted to and barely made it by 9:30 or so for my 11am flight... it stormed on us and then traffic hit but we had more than 2 people so we got into the HOV lane (High Occupancy Vehicles) and made it just in time!
Waiting in line... with a million people going to Korea... I spotted someone I recognized... (such a small world seriously!)... I didn't know for sure if that was him or not but anyway! the line was moving at a pretty high speed which was great and i was ready to not have my humongous bags! lol... well we finally made it to the counter and next to us (well they were in front of us but now they're in the queue)... were trying to get tickets and the guy behind the counter is like i can't find their tickets and so he asked the girl helping me... it turns out they were needing to fly to Mexico and were in the KOREAN AIRLINES line... yeah... well after being directed where to go... they were off... and i could finally get my bags off to the Korean Air plane... they came in at 50.5 lbs (EACH!)... how amazing! lol! packing and repacking really paid off!! :-P
after getting everything... i finally had to say goodbye to my dad and brother and on to a life in South Korea. I already miss my family but I know this is where I want to be for a while and I know i'll see them again soon! anyway back to the security line. i stood there while the line went pretty quickly and finally got to my turn and had to put my stuff up on the belt... as i walk up... the lady tells me i forgot my shoes... i'm like oh crap that's the one thing i knew i'd get right! obviously i was getting worried about way too many things! lol!
well i got through everything pretty swiftly and after a little while found a seat... i wouldn't be sitting long cause the plane would start boarding at like 10:30am. when i got in line that's when i was confirmed that the person i had recognized was really him! I went to school with him and i know him through a friend. he's also in korea teaching so i know we'll hang out soon!
once on the plane... i was hoping really hard that i wouldnt get seated next to anyone... but apparently someone booked last minute... it was a nice Korean young man who actually put my bag up in the baggage area for me! throughout the plane ride, we didnt really talk much... since i sat by the window... it was a few picture pleases and gum? and i would ask him if he wanted candy or if the picture was okay. then... towards then end i realized i was getting close to korea (after a few naps) and probably should brush up on phrases like: I'm Lost... can you help me? lol and brought out my trusty ipod with videos of Korean in simplest form... he apparently thought it was good cause i saw him looking over my shoulder a few times and agreeing that everything looked right... lol!
the plane ride was quick and exciting... and once arriving at like 3:30pm (Korea time)... I got there and started looking for a phone (AND even got my bags and exchanged money on my own)... i didn't find a phone but i found a taxi driver who let me use his phone because he thought i would end up taking his taxi... i took a bus which wasn't bad... i really enjoyed it actually!
after the hour and a half bus ride from Incheon Airport to Seongbuk-gu, Seoul... i was picked up by the assistant director and taken to the apartment i've been staying at now for like 4 days... i've been staying with another foreign teacher and a new foreign teacher who is from Ireland.
for the night... we went out to dinner with some teachers and even met someone i met here on the blogs! lol she works at my school as well and it was by chance that i met her online! lol! after dinner we went to this new bar and after that we went to this building called the CGV building and this is where my last blog started!
ever since i've been here... i've been able to get around more and recognize places and even do my own thing without being nervous. lol i really can see myself living here for a while... i guess i should get through my first week of school first! lol!
First of course I have to make it in time to get my tickets and catch my plane! I had to make it to DFW, which is about 2 or so hours away from my lil town... well we left at like 7am instead of 6 like i wanted to and barely made it by 9:30 or so for my 11am flight... it stormed on us and then traffic hit but we had more than 2 people so we got into the HOV lane (High Occupancy Vehicles) and made it just in time!
Waiting in line... with a million people going to Korea... I spotted someone I recognized... (such a small world seriously!)... I didn't know for sure if that was him or not but anyway! the line was moving at a pretty high speed which was great and i was ready to not have my humongous bags! lol... well we finally made it to the counter and next to us (well they were in front of us but now they're in the queue)... were trying to get tickets and the guy behind the counter is like i can't find their tickets and so he asked the girl helping me... it turns out they were needing to fly to Mexico and were in the KOREAN AIRLINES line... yeah... well after being directed where to go... they were off... and i could finally get my bags off to the Korean Air plane... they came in at 50.5 lbs (EACH!)... how amazing! lol! packing and repacking really paid off!! :-P
after getting everything... i finally had to say goodbye to my dad and brother and on to a life in South Korea. I already miss my family but I know this is where I want to be for a while and I know i'll see them again soon! anyway back to the security line. i stood there while the line went pretty quickly and finally got to my turn and had to put my stuff up on the belt... as i walk up... the lady tells me i forgot my shoes... i'm like oh crap that's the one thing i knew i'd get right! obviously i was getting worried about way too many things! lol!
well i got through everything pretty swiftly and after a little while found a seat... i wouldn't be sitting long cause the plane would start boarding at like 10:30am. when i got in line that's when i was confirmed that the person i had recognized was really him! I went to school with him and i know him through a friend. he's also in korea teaching so i know we'll hang out soon!
once on the plane... i was hoping really hard that i wouldnt get seated next to anyone... but apparently someone booked last minute... it was a nice Korean young man who actually put my bag up in the baggage area for me! throughout the plane ride, we didnt really talk much... since i sat by the window... it was a few picture pleases and gum? and i would ask him if he wanted candy or if the picture was okay. then... towards then end i realized i was getting close to korea (after a few naps) and probably should brush up on phrases like: I'm Lost... can you help me? lol and brought out my trusty ipod with videos of Korean in simplest form... he apparently thought it was good cause i saw him looking over my shoulder a few times and agreeing that everything looked right... lol!
the plane ride was quick and exciting... and once arriving at like 3:30pm (Korea time)... I got there and started looking for a phone (AND even got my bags and exchanged money on my own)... i didn't find a phone but i found a taxi driver who let me use his phone because he thought i would end up taking his taxi... i took a bus which wasn't bad... i really enjoyed it actually!
after the hour and a half bus ride from Incheon Airport to Seongbuk-gu, Seoul... i was picked up by the assistant director and taken to the apartment i've been staying at now for like 4 days... i've been staying with another foreign teacher and a new foreign teacher who is from Ireland.
for the night... we went out to dinner with some teachers and even met someone i met here on the blogs! lol she works at my school as well and it was by chance that i met her online! lol! after dinner we went to this new bar and after that we went to this building called the CGV building and this is where my last blog started!
ever since i've been here... i've been able to get around more and recognize places and even do my own thing without being nervous. lol i really can see myself living here for a while... i guess i should get through my first week of school first! lol!
New Pics!
New pics on my facebook... Just click on the link on the Right side of the page with the words: Facebook Korean Photos! (under the Links section!)
^_^. Will Post soon when exciting stuff happens!!
^_^. Will Post soon when exciting stuff happens!!
