Tag Archives: begin

new place new place

look, i’m at a dark pc bang (room) with a lot of gaming teenage boys, so i’ll keep with short!
the move was successful and i hardly lifted a finger thanks to my big strong korean manfriends m-k, his bro m-j, and jay (and tanya ^-^) i felt bad because i didn’t even really lift much (not by choice!), but I was COMPLETELY moved out in 45 minutes.

when i got to the new apartment,
it was DISGUSTING.
i’m talking trash on the floor, dried spaghetti on the stove, grit on every conceivable surface, sticky cat-hair covered floors, and the pungent odor of stale chain-smoker smoke and cat pee.
there was also no furniture whatsoever (no bed!?!??) and it’s literally half the size of my old apartment.

that being said, now that i’m 6/7 boxes unpacked and i got the bed, it’s actually quite nice!
it just needed a thorough cleaning (which the school paid for after i through a phone hissy fit that i later apologized for :/), a major airing out, and that special claire touch.
it feels like an apartment meant for one, meant for meeee!
when m-k said he liked it better yesterday, i laughed.
i was literally on the verge of tears and trying to think of how to quickly make my exit out of the country.
but now, i kind of get his point!
it’s so freakin cozy! it’s like claire-sized everything. and the windows are still big and the view is the CENTER of the city – it’s literally a circle with some subway exits – all of the city radiates from that circle.
my building has a convenience store, a clinic, a laundry, a gym, and a pc room. yay!
and on the roof, there’s a great mountain view (the 27th floor!), some exercise equipment, covered sitting areas (for staying dry when watching the rain!)
and MINI GOLF.
yes, you heard that right, there is mini golf on my roof.

tomorrow afternoon i will go to work for training and in 10 minutes i will go to the theater in this building for benjamin button (1 block from my apartment).

m-k calls korea the “land of convenience” and man o man is convenience pretty nice sometimes.

Uplifting?

Malvina Reynolds (ya know the lady who sings “Little Boxes”?) reminds us, “There’s a Bottom Below”


This is what I listen to when I’m biking to work. It calms the temptation to steer into traffic. Did I not tell you about the power of lounge? “Calcutta” by Les Baxter


And since I’ve been sharing in groups of threes lately, here is “Work” by Ubyk. Definitely a more dismal view, but a fairly apt description of the daily drudgery of going to a job you hate.


new job new job new job new job

i got a really sweet new job today!

it’s in hwajeong about 20 minutes from where i now reside and 20 minutes from seoul – perfection!

the kids have to take an entrance exam to the selective school, so i can be rid of the lackadaisical “teacher why are you talkingggggg” desk-sleeping jokers. 

i visited the school and it was so beautiful and shiny and had WINDOWS! 

the people were so nice and honest and the school is big and thriving. 

i would only teach speaking, so i could focus more on teaching technique. the curriculum seems better. actually, everything seems better(!) except the 50 dolla less pay (small taters) and i’m not sure how the actual school will run.

i felt like i should think about it some more, but i got a really good feeling there, and didn’t want to pass up the chance (they had already interviewed 5? and were going to interview 3 after me). i even already had met two people who work there (one that i’m replacing.) i get a 10 day vacation in july so i might come home and visit then!

anew

so i have been in korea since july and it is now january.
here is a new blog.
i hope it will enthrall you.