Alchemy of Seoul

Week 4 just flew right by! The weather was nice (warm, but not too rainy). It was a week of social evenings for me. I had Sarah and her kitty (named Peanut) over for dinner on Tuesday, then Nimmi and Sarah came to dinner at my place (again) on Thursday. On Friday I went out to dinner at an Italian restaurant in Wyrie with my neighbors (Mark and Kevin, Mark is my neighbor at school AND in the apartment complex). And then on Saturday there was a school-sponsored trip to IKEA, so I rode the school bus for about an hour to Gwangmyeong (near the Gimpo airport), shopped for 2 hours, and then rode the school bus back. Then I spent about 24 hours putting together everything I bought at IKEA. I was too exhausted at the end of the weekend to update the blog so I put it off until Monday afternoon, but that is still technically the weekend in the USA. I had a hot dog and boba drink (hot dog on a black bun, there is a fascination with black food here and the black bun is accomplished using squid in...

  This week I did a lot of chores and not a lot of touring. But I did get to take a colleague, Hailie, out for cake since it was her birthday. We went to Tous les Jours, which means "Everyday" in French, and that is sort of the theme for the post. The Oreo cheesecake was delicious, and Grapefruit-ade has become my favorite beverage treat.  We had a day of classroom prep on Monday, then a national holiday on Tuesday. That was the start of many chores for me, including learning how to recycle (which is where the video begins).  The first day of classes was Wednesday but it was a short day and it was Hailie's birthday (she teaches English and is in the new teacher cohort with me this year). I arm-twisted her into letting me buy her a treat at Tous les Jours to celebrate. She and I bonded over K-dramas and food. We have lunch together in the cafeteria pretty often.  When I got home Wednesday night I was happy to see a water cooler had been delivered and installed in my a...

  It started raining on Wednesday, August 9th and continued pretty steadily until this morning (August 13th). The temperature dropped from the 90s to the 70s, which was a nice change, but the rain made adventuring a bit difficult.  I spent the week attending meetings and trying to shop for things like a shower curtain (check!) and shampoo (check!). Going shopping involves a bus ride so I have to limit myself to small loads of things to haul back. I have to be very selective about what I buy.  But there was a nice break in the weather today, still cool outside but not as wet, and my colleague Nimmi and I decided to take advantage of that break in the weather by hiking up to a temple that is near our apartment complex.  The photos on the left are actually from another temple that we passed on the way back down the mountain. But the colors and design are similar.  In the video you will hear the cicadas. They are so loud sometimes it is difficult to hear anything el...

Today was my third day in Korea, but the first day at my new school. I made a little video of the day. The volume is not well-controlled so be prepared to turn it up or down. Something for me to work on in the future. Also, I don't actually start talking in the video until the end of minute 1 when I get to the campus.  I have not done much sightseeing yet. I went to a huge Daiso in Myeongdong on the day after arriving, and pretty much the second day was catching up on sleep and unpacking. Today was day three and the video shows the highlights. Tomorrow we have a health check up at the hospital and then the rest of the teachers arrive starting Wednesday. We will have meetings until school starts on August 16th. I am hoping to spend much of the day this Saturday at Namsan exploring various attractions. I am sure I will get better at editing the videos. Much to learn.  I am well, and quite content with my new living situation. I know some of you have been concerned. I hope thi...