Hello. For the two or three of you who are reading this, I'm giving you an update on how I'm doing here in Korea so far.

I don't have much to say at this point, even after being in Korea for about 5 days. This particular city that I'm living in (Icheon) is mostly a rural area. There's a main, more industrial city that's about 15 minutes away from my grandmother's farm, but compared to what I've seen in other cities like Seoul (the one time I went that is...) it's pretty weak. It's still a nice area.

So guys, apparently when you go abroad, one of the first things you write about in your abroad blogspot blog is the "culture shock."

Culture shock, eh?

I've been here before so there's been little to no "shock" since I've been here. I'm more used to the subtleties of Korean culture, I guess, so these things don't really get to me.

What 'things' you ask? Things like:
1) no regard for pedestrian safety (you really can die easily if you don't look both ways here)
2) negotiating the price of anything that's for sale. ANYTHING. Whether it be clothes, food or a circumcision, you never have to pay the retail price. If you, yes YOU, ever come here, you'd better fucking WHINE about how expensive that kimchi is. Then you'll get it next to NOTHING.
3) Toll booths are everywhere. Just take public transport, which is like, the best way to get around this country.

There's more to that list. But I have to think real hard about what else is different.

Lastly, today I paid a visit to the school I'd be working at. I had a meeting with the Principal and vice Principal and I thought that it would be...awkward, but they were very nice. My mother tells me they're only nice to me now since they just met me. Sad. The english teachers, who all speak perfect english btw, weren't expecting me but they were all very nice as well. I'd hate to think that they were also being fake about, ya know, that whole being nice to me thing, but we'll see where this relationship goes. The interesting thing is, I am the first foreign teacher's assistant that this school will have. I guess no one wanted to live out here in the boonies.

Well, I would have liked to stimulate your senses with some pictures of big Korean buildings and other shiny things but there's nothing like that out here, really. Unless you guys wanna see pictures of the farm. Do you? Let me know.

Bye for now