Don't Stay Home.

I delayed having to make a decision about what I'm doing next by signing up to work a 2 week summer camp in Pyeongchang. It's cool I'll be able to see another part of Korea. I've lived in a small city for 8 months. I'll live in a town for a few weeks. Then try out a suburb of Seoul (probably).

Doesn't bother me I don't know much about the town or the job, it's just for 2 weeks. After all I flew here, across the States and the Pacific and hardly knew what I was getting into. No regrets.

I gotta buy a nice bike. W350,000 or about there. I've been the white guy on the old bike that's too small for him getting all the long looks from the locals recently.

So it's just been lots of bike riding and hanging out with friends and a bit of studying recently. I seriously promise pictures and stuff in the future, I'm gonna be seeing 2 new places and doing 2 new jobs in the next month after all.

One of my favorite pictures from church...

Now, random pictures that maybe maybe maybe are of mild interest.

An alley! Wow!

The view from a friend's apartment.

Dam.

아녕, 미미

So I spent the past few days in Chuncheon. Hung around with some Hawaiians and Californians, funny the place I meet the most West Coast people ever is in Asia. Nice city, bit bigger than Gangneung and a bunch of colleges around too. Hard Rock Cafe (not the real thing, they just stole the name) there has a University of South Florida plate hanging on the wall too, go figure. Plenty of open space around like this city. Important cuz I've started riding my bike more and if I move to Seoul I might aim for something around the city instead. Ilsan, Bundang. Nice suburban type areas with parks (hopefully) to ride around in the new bike I'd buy.

2 job interviews there, offered both jobs... turned one down and thinking about the other. The one I turned down seemed ok really except the hours (9 to 6) were longer than most jobs like this. Almost a split shift, really. And with kindergartners. Funky contract. Why work 9 til 6 when I can find one working 4 til 10? Next job was ok too but I sense more entertaining would be asked of me. 1 guy had been there just a bit and one class was already roughing him up. And many weekends I wouldn't get off 2 days in a row.

I head to Seoul tomorrow (if my old boss gives me the money he owes me before I go) and try to get a decent job with a decent apartment (AC required). The one that looks most likely is west of Seoul and in a big city, I'm looking for anything around Seoul that isn't west and more suburbia.

I really look forward to changing now, need to start getting some more cash flow and change of scenery. The people I've met here are great and I wouldn't be mad if a nice job fell into my lap here but... I really need to know what I'm doing next. Sometimes I don't know what I'm doin tomorrow but hey... Wish me luck...

Tape 2B.

So my options are... pursue a contact here in Gangneung that may or may not lead to a full time job. Take a part time job here that's been offered. Wait around for a job in Chuncheon. Immediately take a job in Seoul and start work next week... or hang around and wait for a better job in Seoul.

I'm leaning towards waiting for a better job in the Seoul area. It'd be a bit costly but I could rent a room here for a couple weeks to put all my stuff in and be free to do whatever I want in the next few weeks. If I'm lucky I could time my hiring so that the school could pay for the visa run and not me.

Where should I go in this section of the country anyways? I've seen Gangneung and the nice areas around it I guess. And Chuncheon. I've been dying for a vacation but now it's here and I don't have quite enough money to do what I want so I need to work a bit more then take some serious time off. Spain or Mexico anyone? And of course home to see the family... don't get me wrong, this free time is awesome but... maybe there are some Korean classes around I can take? Hmm.

Need a haircut. Need an umbrella. Need to find a job. Need to meet some more people or something. Need to get a bike... but if I move to Seoul...

Random pictures!
Woke up early the other day and strolled down to this bridge along the river... i lik tis pictar.
A shot from the bridge down the river in the downtown direction.
Trying to sum up my part of Gangneung in one picture...
And the new profile pic that I'm sending to schools so they know I've got that American look to keep them happy.

Untitled.

So I'm sitting around waiting for a job to fall into my lap. Probably best to just continue phone calls and emails for a few more days until I need to get serious. This is supposed to be my vacation after all.

I want to travel around a bit but... I'm still waiting for when I need to move out of here. I can rent a cheap room for a week or two, I just need to know when.

So tough to pick up enough Korean with the way my brain works. I can only remember a word if I see it written... the country is my classroom and the people are my teachers but man. I just study because I think it's good for my brain. I'm wondering how good my study system is. I'm finishing up some computer programs for vocab and grammar. I finishing up that Survival Korean book with the MP3s, too. Then I randomly read the Roadmap to Korean book. And when I hang out with friends I try to listen and understand what they're sayin but I'm lucky to pick up a word in every sentence. I'm gonna buy a textbook next after I finish all the random material I have now.

I really like the blogs by foreigners in Korea... again I encourage anyone who is interested to check out the Korean Blog List. I sometimes think of good stuff to write too, but it never makes it to my fingers hitting the keyboard. No, really!

You read stuff like:
A Canadian dude who had some good pictures on his blog had an "epiphany" and went back home.
An American girl I can identify with a bit about the whole unique experience of being the foreign teacher in a Korean school. And thinking about what we're doing here...
A guy who likes video games writes about that, every day life and is really honest about how his mind works and what he does in social situations.
And most importantly, how to annoy your hungover friend.

Area Codes.

Nice to have some time off, and then have the option to try out a new city here in this country. I'd definitely be sad to move out of Gangneung, but 2 of my best friends here are going to be living in the US and the UK for a while... people help make the city so. Gangneung, Chuncheon and the Seoul area are the big possibilities right now. 2 small cities and 1 crazy packed area. Not sure but I don't think I'll go wrong with anywhere I choose.

Had 3 of my best days here with my freedom. Just spending alot of time with friends... picked up a new puppy from the bus terminal, played 4 person Winning Eleven 8 for PS2 on the big screen in a PC bang twice. Sang at a wedding... haha I was the only foreigner there.

Spent a night at the saunas / 찜질방... can't sleep well on the mats but it was fun to hang out there. Went with a friend who's doing a Korean learning camp with a bunch of Americans. Never talked with people from Cali and Hawaii for that long... haha. Despite the stories West Coast people don't seem too different. And it's hard to sleep in the saunas when guys are turning on the chair massage machine at 6, the kids start horsing around at 630 then the ajummas start cleaning at 9. But hey my body feels good after. I had to sleep 12 hours last night to catch up though.

Way Away.

Job change time! I need to try another job in 강릉 or 춘천... going to take a break. I see hanging out in this city and Chuncheon in the next 3 weeks, with a short trip to Japan coming up too. This all happened pretty quick but it keeps me on my toes I guess.

Went swimming this week, the beach was cooler than my AC-less apartment so it makes sense to be out there! Random beach pics...

Run to the boat! It's rentable. We didn't know why they were running but that's the least of my worries.

I guess to stop the beach from eroding... when they're put in the water. Huge. Back where I come from we just use rocks. -_-