Off the resort...

I've finally made it to Seoul.

I got into tonight and met up with my co-teachers and they took me to my apartment. It's really small (as expected). It's one room with a fridge, stove, TV, and a loft where my bed is. I'm in a really convenient location but it's kinda secluded from the center of the city.

When we got to my apartment we opened the door and it was rotten dirty. Thankfully, there was a lady inside cleaning it up. My co-teacher and I then got on the subway and went one stop away to the GS Mart. It's a large store equivalent to a Walmart, but bigger. I got a few things such as a power converter, some toilet paper, and a few groceries. We then went back to my apartment and I put away a few things and they left. I went for a little walk around my neighborhood and found this PC Bang.

I'm in the far south-east section of the city in Songpa-gu (the district) and my neighborhood in called Moonjung-dong. When I look out my window there are hundreds of greenhouses in an area that's a few square kilometers. In the next year or so they are gonna build a giant law office building there.

I was told by a another English teacher that I'm in one of the poorest schools in Seoul. I hope this ain't true but if it is I'm gonna try to make the best of it.

I'm finally on my own and I've already had my first awkward encounter with the locals. When I walked into the PC Bang I went to the counter and looked at the clerk and he started talking to me in Korean. Obviously I had no idea what he was saying. The other PC Bang I went to was self-serve; you just walked in and took a card, used the computer and paid when you left. Here, you buy a card up front and when you leave I'm assuming you take the card and can come back later and use the leftover minutes. I'm not sure about this but I'll find out very soon.

I still haven't been talking to my parents so I'm gonna head out and try to find a payphone.

I haven't seen one anywhere in Korea yet! I guess nobody uses them because everyone here has a cell phone. Someone told me you can get some phones that allow you to call home and record stuff from your TV. Dunno if I believe them but I wouldn't doubt it.

And oh yeah, I had a hamburger for supper.

Delicious!