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This is an old post from like 2 months ago that I meant to edit, but didn’t have time to. I’m posting it anyway, because I still think it’s insightful about my life in Seoul and the things I went through. Enjoy my broken English, haa.
Below this post is FINALLY a new post about ‘Nam.
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man, i’m so delayed with these updates… i wanted to write earlier in the week, but just couldn’t get myself to write in a way that i was pleased with. (my english is also deteriorating. i’ve been dropping articles and mixing tenses, having to simplify my speech for the students at work. i start a lot of sentences with “first of all” since i’m teaching them how to use transitional phrases in multi-paragraph essays. so sorry about the hasty writing style.) to sum up, my days have been really catatonic – it’s been mostly pleasant the last few weeks, but there were indeed a couple of really hellish days. i’ve gone sightseeing and visited a couple of historic places, and that’s definitely made me a lot happier. i’ve decided stressing out about work is useless. the job shouldn’t be a priority for me. i’m here to enjoy myself and my time here, right? and not just waste my energy at the hakwon all day long.
okay, quick summary of work (i will definitely have to go into more detail about this later, because there are a lot of interesting cultural differences that i’ve been shocked to learn in the school environment):
have i mentioned that the schooling system is insane here? the parents are insane. the kids are insane. the whole system is insane. with some classes, the most poorly behaved ones, i’m essentially a glorified babysitter. i can’t tell if the kids misbehave because they’re taking all of their anger and hatred of the system and their parents out on me, or if they’re simply spoiled kids – i think it’s both.
but some days, i do sympathize with the kids. if the kids don’t do their homework, are late or are absent, i have to tell the front desk people, who call the parents. often, i hear the next day that they got yelled at by their parents. one really adorable and good student forgot to do his homework one day and begged me not to call his house, or else he wouldn’t be able to come to school on monday (this was a friday). i asked him why, to which he said that he’d be too badly bruised to come to school. um, yeah. another got yelled at for a couple of hours. it’s really pretty insane. then i asked them if they loved their parents and they automatically said yes. i don’t get it. i mean, my parents were pretty strict with me too, but i don’t know. i was shocked and unnerved to hear these things…
i really didn’t realize the whole idea of “saving face” was a big cultural thing here (because it’s pretty subtle), but it is. that’s why so many of the kids don’t participate, because they don’t want to embarass themselves. and here i am, a thoroughly American teacher (who, by the way, doesn’t know any of the pop starts, celebrities, historical figures, or Olympic athletes of korea – EXTREME SHOCK FROM THE STUDENTS, like the whole class gasped in horror and disappointment) trying to teach the class American-style.
but because the kids DO know that i’m American and we’re supposedly easier to manipulate and nicer than Korean teachers, and because they know that i’m one of the younger teachers with less experience, the kids really do try to test my limits. they try to break you (me). really, they do. also, teachers used to get a lot more respect even in the ’80s or ’90s, but with the advent of the internet, cell phone cameras and small video cameras, they haven’t. why? back in the day, teachers used to be able to use corporal punishment. but not anymore… because kids started taking photos of their bruises and whatnot and posting them all over the internet. parents have also begun spoiling their children immensely. and although teaching was considered a respected profession even through the ’90s, it’s less so now…
anyway, where i was going with this is that kids are less fearful and respectful of teachers. plus, i’m a young Korean American. so they talk back and stand up to me even more. i had to kick a kid out of class early last week, but he didn’t even budge. there’s also a way of talking in Korean that’s really rude (opposite of the honorific) and some of them had started using that. i took a kid aside after class earlier this week and he just said right to my face, “i don’t want to talk to you” and turned around and left. this is the shit i’ve been dealing with.
PLUS, so many kids, even the good ones, expect you to get them snacks for class (this is very common). and they’ll ask for things. it’s weird. but yeah, they want you to buy things for them! it’s insane. and they say, well, you’re older so you should buy us things.. this is a cultural thing – older people do really buy lunch for the younger people all the time. for instances, my relatives give me money all too frequently. each week, they give me an allowance of $100! i’ve started refusing, because honestly, it’s nice, but they don’t need to give me money and i feel awkward accepting so much.
the kids make fun of me often, because i can’t speak korean and they will say things in korean to test my comprehension level and what not. they also talk about me among themselves like i’m invisible and can’t hear them. for instance, “the teacher has a small face.” and i responded, “oh really?” as in, “i heard you” but they remain unfazed. or they will talk about weight in front of you. “does Min teacher weigh more than 45 kg?” um yeah…
the maturity level of most kids is SO LOW! i thought a lot of them were in middle school, like 13 or 14 – 15 at the absolute oldest. but a lot of them are 17 or 18. some of the kids are so adorable, but really, they’re devilish. also, the kids, admins, and teachers alike all gossip so much.
oh yeah, i used the word “fucking” in one of my worst classes and got in a little bit trouble for it. yeah.. i was so frustrated and said “this will get you a fucking zero.” the kids immediately told the front desk and some even told their moms. i mean, fucking asshole kids. BUT.
there’s a big but. i’ve dropped two of my classes (those classes with the worst kids), and have a much lighter schedule now, and i love the kids i have in the mornings in the remaining classes i teach. but then, there’s the whole thing of becoming TOO friendly with them. they want my facebook/myspace/cyworld (a korean social network i don’t have), they want to visit me, they want to TAKE ME PLACES like this island called Jeju island (one female student told her mom about me. and now her mom and her both want me to visit her hometown – Jeju Island which is a super nice kinda tropical island that’s a plane ride away. like whattt??). they want to hang out with me. i mean, this is a little overboard. i know other teachers are more lenient in a lot of ways, buying their kids lunch and stuff, but i would never do that. and to hang out with them on weekends? i mean, some of the kids are cool.. but like, this is kinda weird.
so apologies for the delay in updates. a brief synopsis: my last day at the hakwon (the tutoring center) was two fridays ago, and right after class (consisting of parties with my remaining, mostly good students), i took off for gwangju, a city about 4 hours south of seoul. i visited and couchsurfed for a night, then took an hour-long bus to mokpo, and from there, took a 4 hour ferry to jeju island (a prestine island in the south), where i stayed for 3 nights, again through couchsurfing. after that, i took an hour-long plane up to busan, was there for a night, and came back to seoul late last wednesday night. phew!
but the trip wasn’t without some glitches along the way. when i got to mokpo on the bus, i immediately hopped in a cab to try to catch the ferry that was leaving from the ferry terminal in 10 minutes. just as i got to the terminal, the ferry had left. i was exasperated – hands flailed up in the air, heavy sigh (scream?). i went to the ticket desk and asked whether there was another ferry leaving that night. the woman said there was, but that there weren’t any seats left. oh, i begged and begged, nearly cried. told her that i didn’t mind standing, but she explained that there was a limit to the number of people they could have. she told me i could stay the night in the town and catch the ferry the next morning. i told her i couldn’t do that, that i had a friend to meet. and that i didn’t see a lot of people waiting in the terminal, it couldn’t possibly be entirely full. finally, her manager came, and through some stroke of luck, agreed to let me on the next ferry! i don’t know how or why, but i’d finally gotten a seat, and i was soooo relieved, because i didn’t know anything about mokpo or where i would even stay had i had to sleep in the town for a night. phew! i was saved.
anyway, it was a lot of traveling in a very short amount of time. luckily, korea’s only about the size of new jersey, so going from place to place didn’t take too long. speaking of which, some stats. yes, korea’s really that small. there are 50 million people – that’s greater than the entire population of canada in an area the size of indiana. or, in another perspective, it’s kind of like the entire population of california, plus about 12 million more, in an area nearly 5 times smaller than cali.
did i mention how big seoul is (in area and in population)? i think, including greater seoul (the immediate, circular metropolitan area surrounding the city proper), there are somewhere around 16-18 million people living here. and as far as physical size, seoul is HUGE, huge, i tell you. it’s much much bigger than new york. it takes about an hour and 30 min to go from one end of the city to the other on the subway – a complicated maze of 12 lines. and i think the diameter’s about 12 miles. HUGE. very easy to get lost. a web of streets, side streets and alleys.
did i also mention how expensive seoul is? yes. i have to mention this again. i’ve found that it’s possible to seek cheap things but it’s just not that easy to save and budget smartly here. for quality items (in terms of food, clothing, and just.. things), you have to shell out a lot of wons (the korean currency). an american friend of mine put it best, i think – the money runs so fast, you’re almost convinced you’re spending monopoly money – fake money to which you think you have an endless supply. in reality, you can find yourself looking at an empty wallet after having just withdrawn money a few hours earlier. you could easily blow $100 in one night out in seoul. and due to the everpresent capitalist culture, it’s so easy to spend.
not including rent, i’ve spent upwards of $1380 in the entire 7 weeks i’ve been here (NOT including rent). i am dead serious, believe you me. i just looked at my bank statement and i’ve withdrawn $730. in addition, i brought $200 in cash with me from the states, received $350 in cash from my aunt (she gave me a weekly allowance of $100 plus 50 bucks for the first 3 weeks until i insisted she stop), and received $100 from my uncle as spending money before my trip last week. i’m sure there’s other cash i’m forgetting.. again, this is not including my rent for the past month (the closet-sized dorm room was $550, $200 of which the hakwon subsidized). this is also not including my airfare and the other pre-travel expenses before i flew out which was well over a grand, i think close to 3 actually. $1500 in flight, $400 for immunization crap that i should’ve just gotten in korea to save some bucks (health costs are cheaper here), $70 travel guides which i could’ve bought on the road, some travel items and gear like plug converter, etc. that’s an average of $187.14 a week. how?! i mean , i guess i ate out quite a bit (i couldn’t cook for myself) and went out wednesdays or thursdays and fridays and saturdays. but again, i haven’t bought much of anything else. a few souvenirs here and there, but really not much. ah! hopefully, southeast asia will be better to me financially and i won’t continue to run into this problem.
still, i’ve saved up a bit from my teaching job, and i’m hoping it’ll last me at least a month and a half including airfare around that region. but depending on how long i plan to travel for, i’m sure i’ll have to use additional money thereafter, and definitely for my flight back to the states, whenever that is…
my daily routine consists of going to the hakwon to teach in the mornings, then coming back to the goshiwon by around 10 am or 12 pm depending on the day (i dropped some of my worst classes, so my schedule’s gotten a lot lighter – had to have another teacher take over and handle the mess). and by around the early afternoon, i have to leave the dorm because it’s frighteningly TINY. probably 8 X 6. it’s only about big enough for a twin bed, a small desk and a minute bathroom (a sink and toilet). i don’t even want to attempt to take a picture of it to show you guys how small it is – it’s really a scary existence. this is a dorm that’s generally for postgrad students studying for bar exams and government exams.. but also, i found out that a lot of other random people, like bar girls, live in goshiwons too (not mine in particular, but in many others) because it’s cheaper than a studio apartment which runs around $1000 at the minimum in this part of seoul.
this is the street right by my hakwon and goshiwon:
i then generally roam around my neighborhood or some other part of seoul by myself, unless it’s a thurs/friday, in which case i might meet up with a teacher-friend. generally, there’s plenty for me to see and do (well, ‘do’ is a relatively ambiguous word; it can consist of shopping if i’m feeling ambitious, eating, or sightseeing). today, i got lost for about an hour, as i wanted to avoid asking for directions both from koreans and americans alike.
on my walk, i discovered a TASTI DLITE! in KOREA? OMFGWTF?!
when i get home, i’ll sometimes watch tv. mostly american shows that i never dared watch in the states (like american idol, america’s next top model, hell’s kitchen), the olympics, or a korean variety talk show called ‘beautie’s chatter’ which features young, 20-something foreign women from around the world who speak korean semi-fluently and talk about the differences between their native and korean culture (stereotypes, lifestyle, etc). this show’s pretty funny actually and interesting. the girls’ korean languages skills are better than mine but i can still generally understand what’s going on.
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the weekends vary dramatically.. only thing consistent is that i hardly ever come back before 4 am. 4:30 or 5 am is standard. as i said in a previous post, people are out at all hours of the night, and because the subway starts running again at 5, they’d rather just socialize and stay out then go home early. also, lights are always on everywhere, and therefore harder to keep track of time.
this past weekend, i went out after hwaeshik (the company dinner) with a coworker named Michelle who surprisingly invited me out that night to a club – i say “surprisingly” because i really don’t know her all that well and as i’d mentioned before, i didn’t think i had any allies at my hakwon (the tutoring center). it involved about five tequila shots at a club called Mass with some other gyopos (korean americans).
it was unexpectedly fun. people don’t dance as energetically (for the lack of a better word) as in the states, but it was dancing nonetheless.
friday was a holiday, although i’m not sure which holiday exactly (heh). that night, i went to a casino for a friend of a friend’s birthday shindig. the casino is only open to foreigners as gambling’s illegal in korea. so with my passport in tow (wouldn’t wanna be mistaken for a local), we went but left pretty soon after to noraebang (karaoke) near my neighborhood. dude, i’ve never been a huge fan of karaokeing back in the states, but once i’m back, i may just come back a karaoke queen.
then saturday, i went to suwon, about 40 minutes south of seoul, to chill with a couple of friends and went out to an expat bar around there. of course, outside the bar, some military dudes were causing a ruckus and gearing to start a fight. they disappeared soon after, thankfully. typical stupid american behavior.
as i said, i’m finally getting used to life here. as far as language issues, i find that i can usually ask for things like food or the subway station or the bathroom, but i have trouble understanding them back. sometimes, i just don’t say anything when i go into a store as the store reps welcome customers, since i just don’t feel so confident about my korean, and then they think i’m weird or deaf or something. i’m getting a little better though. i was really frustrated with my language skills before and was trying to avoid talking as much as possible, but now, i just try to speak in my broken korean whenever i can. i’ve realized, they actually become friendlier and curious to know where i’m from… and luckily, i’m starting to like it here.
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oh, i forgot to share this story. happened a couple of weeks ago..
one day, the a/c was off in my classroom and i couldn’t find the remote (a/cs have remotes here). but a few moments later, it magically, automatically turned on. i looked around trying to see if a student had found the remote, but it wasn’t anywhere to be seen. i asked the class. still no remote. it turns out… dun dun dun, CELL PHONES have remotes! yes! remotes to electronic devices! like remotes to tvs, A/Cs, anything that can be programmed somehow.. hard to imagine, yeah i know! WTF. needless to say, i was awe-struck and couldn’t believe my eyes. jaw dropped for about an entire minute, and i just kept staring at the kids. how can cell phones have remotes that can control a/cs found anywhere nearby??! this place is insanely intense, technologically.
also, in subways and elsewhere, people carry these weird MP3/PDA thingies or nintendo gameboy-lookalikes that aren’t actually gameboys or PDAs, but used as mp3s, dvd players and live tv players on the subway. tvs. on a cellphoney-mp3 thing. on the subway. that wouldn’t happen for like, 20 years in new york. instead of reading on the subway, people watch live tv on their little MP3 ipod-y thing.
this is it for today, i can’t write any longer. i don’t know what it is, but i have these urges to write but then i write in this terrible fashion i’m not happy with and i get really annoyed with myself. yet i’m too tired to think or do anything about it. so with that, i’m going to read eat pray love. or watch tv.
apparently, this is the hottest song in korea right now, i was corrected by my students. not that other song i posted before.
i think this song and mv is pretty representative of the somewhat narcissistic/vain (or alternatively, confident?) society here. the song is all about how the narrator think she’s so hot and turns heads. niiice. i have to say it’s a pretty addictive song.
and i hear this song below in every freakin store i go into.
these ones are popular too. and hilarious. also about being pretty. they love their bubblegum pop.
kind of like the states, korea’s really into the whole ’80s thing right now. hipster clothing is also big here. for instance, i went to several different optometrists over the course of the week trying to find a pair of eyeglasses, but the majority of the stuff they carry right now are the ray ban-type frames or really thick artsy frames that i couldn’t really wear on a normal basis. yeeeeea.
and canadians.
okay, sometimes.
so i’ve been fortunate in that most of the ones i’ve befriended have been cool so far. but many, especially the women, love to complain and talk shit about living in korea. this girl i met over the weekend was really chill except for this (rather huge) flaw. she couldn’t stop griping about how koreans don’t understand her, can’t speak english, aren’t accomodating enough, and was also talking shit about some aspects of the culture here. (to be fair, i’ve done my share too. but i’m over it now; plus, i was mostly frustrated with myself. she, on the other hand, has been living here for 4 months and has 6 more to go.)
first off, in terms of the language issue, the whole time she was talking, i was thinking to myself, dude, you’re in a foreign country, learn the fucking language. i don’t see WHY anyone in korea should have to accomodate her. yeah, she’s a foreigner so it’s harder for her to get around, but she chose to come live here. just because she teaches english doesn’t mean everyone around her is obligated to know and speak english. she can’t expect everyone around her to understand her foreign language in this country. this is not america (or canada, in her case). moreover, i think this is entirely bullshit, because the entire public transportation system, restaurants, and so many other public places have english translations available.
secondly, as far as the cultural aspects, i think the intolerance on her part is terribly immature. that she had these glamorized expectations of how koreans should treat her is bullshit. there is no reason why anyone should be obsequious or deferential to her. the fact that she’s so often rude to people here is fucked up in itself. just because she’s white and american/canadian doesn’t merit her special treatment. finally, korea is not a fucking third world country (in fact, it is one of the richest), so don’t treat it like one (not that you should treat third world countries poorly, but that’s the way many americans’ think and behave..).
what was also funny about all of this is that she’s supposedly done a lot of traveling around south america, where i doubt anyone spoke english. sure she learned spanish, so why doesn’t she try to learn the language here?? or if her idea of traveling is hanging out with only english-speaking people, she needs a serious reality check.
i’m going to write it off as being partially due to the fact that the girls aren’t getting as much ass as the white dudes here, but this is definitely a large disparity i’ve noticed between the white men and women since i’ve gotten here. the white dudes love love LOOOVE korea, while the white girls think it’s only so-so. but man, the white superiority complex is really killing me..
no wonder americans get hated on around the world. this is the exact type of shit i hate about our country. ignorant, pompous bastards.
i think phase 2 of my culture shock has finally ended (this would be the frustration/irritation stage where things generally irked me). it’s now evolving into the adaptation phase, phases #3.
today, a taste of pop culture in korea.
such a popular song right now. these girls are really popular. and women in generally are very beautiful and put together here – always dressed up from head to toe with make-up.
pics from the past week: http://www.flickr.com/photos/28819999@N08/sets/72157606739701906/
descriptions will have to come later.
also, the link to charisma man mentioned in a previous post.
i was amazed and excited to see lush forested mountains and fields as i stared outside the window of the bus to gangwondo province on friday. this past weekend proved to be a much needed reprieve from my catatonic life in seoul. the valleys donning so many happy shades of green were just unbelievably beautiful.
i am, however, kicking myself for having forgotten to bring my camera along. so no album of the bucholic landscape yet, though i think i’ll try to steal my friend’s pictures on facebook… for now, my tepid descriptions will have to do. korea’s foliage is a lot like that of the east coast of the states. so imagine a lot of conifers and deciduous trees, but along valleys of pyramidal green mountains. i think i can safely say that it was a much prettier sight than that of any place i’ve been to in quite some time. there were endless, endless valleys of green mountains! so gorgeous. and so CLEAN! it was definitely a lot cleaner and greener than i had ever expected it to be, and much more so than even say, bear mountain, the shenandoah, western mass or any other mountain i’ve ever been to in the recent past… i don’t know, but it was really amazing. and amazingly different from seoul. i was in awe the entire 3-hour bus ride over there.
i went with a couple of other fairly new teachers i met a week ago. three women and a gay dude, a very girly outing it was. it was the best weekend i’ve had so far here. we stayed at one of the girls’ friend’s apartments in donghae, which is a beach town cradled by mountains on two sides.
our trip was rife with outdoorsy hedonism. on saturday, we went for a nice, fairly easy hike. the mountains here in korea are full of cute little, glistening streams. they’re again SO CLEAN! unlike the streams in the states that are often muddy or cushioned with dirt (not to imply they’re necessarily due to pollution or other environmentally unsound reasons), these streams were crystal clear, quite pebbly and embedded with small rock.. children were playing in the water and families were chillin and picnicking on the banks.
we stopped a couple of times to dip in the water and slide down a sloping rock.
we then took a peek into a buddhist temple at the foot of the mountain on the way back down, and had a nice, vegetarian dinner nearby afterwards.
more pictures to come when i collect my friend’s pictures into my own album. 
that evening, we chilled at the apartment, played drinking games, roamed around town drinking soju cocktails, met some other teachers chillin outside a ministop (7-eleven equivalent), and noraebang-ed (karaoked) till about 3 am. this was my first time karaokeing in korea, and probably only 3rd time ever in my life. fun times were had. the next morning, we took a cab over to mansan, supposedly one of the nicest beach in korea and baked for a couple of hours.
i still have to update you all on the previous couple of weeks and thoughts i’ve had. as for today, i hung out with my friend carissa again (one of the people i went to gangwondo with) and went to see a fortress and a free music concert (awesome) about 45 minutes from seoul where she lives. i know, i know, i hate writing posts just listing things that i’ve done too, so i’ll definitely update substantially again soon.
this is a really beautiful country. and i’m glad i got to experience some place other than seoul. i can’t thank my friend enough for inviting me along on this trip. on a side note, i think i’ve figured out why i’ve been dissatisfied with the city so much as of late, and that is that i don’t really like where i live. i live in gangnam which is the equivalent of the upper east side in nyc. commercial, rich, and pretentious. but for the most part, i think i’m slowly getting used to life here finally. i only have 3 more weeks left, and by that point, i’m sure i’ll be sad to leave this place and the friends i’ve made… but it’s too soon to feel nostalgic already..
i’ve written an as-yet unpublished post on the school system, my students, family life, and cultural differences. but it was so poorly and hastily written, i couldn’t bear to publish it. at least not yet. i’ll revise it sunday, as i’m going to the east coast of korea this weekend (seoul is on the west).
so a few interesting things: there’s been shock on the part of my students at my thoughts and behavior… they were shocked to know that i don’t know much about korean history (no clue about the names of famous korean historical figures or heroes), korean geography, or korean celebrities and pop stars. this surprise is partially unfounded. i mean, they KNOW i grew up in the States and that i don’t speak Korean well, and probably of all the teachers, speak it the worst.
BUT most shockingly, to the students demise, i am not actively supporting the korean olympic team. cue gasps from the entire class! i mean, i’ll definitely support them if i see them on tv or hear that they are doing well. but really. it’s not like i wouldn’t cheer them on if i were to see them on tv. so wtf, leave me alone.
“so who are you going to support,” they ask? well… umm… i mean, i’m probably not going to follow the olympics that much, but i did imply that as i AM from america and feel as though i am one, the answer is the obvious. “WHATTT?!” even more gasps. well, at the very least and if nothing else, i know a lot of the U.S. swimmers names. but really, the olympic coverage here doesn’t show the american team much, so it’s not like i can easily support them anyway.. and it’s not like i’m saying i’ll take sides if they’re up against each other. just let me be.
edit and side note: korea has been doing really well in the olympics, and i’m very happy for them. for such a small country, they leave a pretty big mark – i now know korea’s good at archery, shooting, judo, weight-lifting, and fencing. some reuter’s reporter even labeled the dude who won the 400 m freestyle as the new ian thorpe. congrats to him. his win is a big deal here and along with the chinese guy who came in second and the japanese dude who won the butterfly, the pundits are starting to say that the asians, who were never strong in swimming, are catching up to the White Man.
olympic medalists are treated like heroes in most places around the world (more so than the states), and likewise, here as well.. they keep replaying the moment when that swimmer won the gold. good for them, keep it up. just don’t call me a traitor.
that is what they call me here – a gyopo. it means foreign-born or foreign-bred korean.
i guess there can be two interpretations to this word – that i’m both korean and american, or that i’m neither of the two. i don’t know… so far, i feel the word’s been used to imply the latter. in the past few weeks, i’ve learned it’s not really a good thing to be. there are people who sort of resent that i’m not totally korean and can’t speak the language very well, but neither am i american enough really – ’cause i don’t have the appearance of the customary “American.” so the result is that they treat us (gyopos) ehem, “differently” than either group.. do i feel i have identity issues? i mean, i hope not much… i’ll elaborate on this in a later post with some conclusive ideas…
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also, remember from a previous post the whole thing about white guys who are nothings as home and yet are revered here? apparently, there’s a name for this whole phenomenon. zeros to heros. that’s what most of the white girls call them, anyway.
google or youtube Charisma Man. there’s a whole japanese comic strip based on this concept.
so i’ll post some new pictures instead.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/28819999@N08/sets/72157606534649060/
I went to a Buddhist temple in eastern Seoul last Thursday, and needless to say, it was beautiful. Even though it wasn’t in the most pastoral of settings (it was across from a mall, actually), this was just what I needed – a more cultural experience. It was quite possibly my first time ever visiting a Buddhist temple as well (although I’m sure it won’t be my last). Then on Saturday, I went to one of the palaces still standing from a previous dynasty in northern Seoul.. Got some things to say about this later..
Basically, I’m trying to keep it chill and not become so overwhelmed by this here big city.. I bought some postcards the other day, so if you want one, email me your snail mail address.
Still many thoughts in my head… You’ll hear back from me soon.
