So here's the deal...

Have decided to leave Korea early. Gave my letter of resignation to my school on Monday, stating that my last day will be February 28. I didn't realise that it was a Sunday, but they are cool with it. The teachers handling the situation are being very understanding and supportive. Since Feb 28th is exactly 6 months, I don't have to pay back the re-imbursed airfare and settlement allowance of 300,000won. Also, since it's exactly half of my 1 year contract, they are allowing me to have half of my holidays. I've got 5 days in Jan (the first full week of Jan, so 1st through to the 10th), and then 5 days in Feb (from Lunar New Year - Feb 13 to Feb 22), and then the last 4 days at work, preparing things for a new (possible) replacement.

It wasn't a decision that I made lightly. I haven't been enjoying my job pretty much since I got here. I have no big regrets (small ones, yes, but not big ones) about taking this job and trying something new in a place I've been before. One thing that this experience has emphasised more for me, is that you're the only person who can truly look after you. I now know that Korean public schools aren't my thing. Outside of work, I am enjoying my life here in Korea, but to have to go to a place you don't want to go to 5 days a week, is hard.

I've got issues that I have to deal with back at home as well, and I'll be honest, if these issues didn't come up, I would have tried to stay in my job for 12 months, and I think I could have. But, this is just the way it is. You gotta do the best with what you've got.

As Kenny has said:

You gotta know when to hold 'em
know when to fold 'em
know when to walk away
know when to run

For my own sake, it's time for me to fold 'em and walk away, so I can come back feeling better than ever.

Yeah, I do want to come back to Korea. This chapter in life has taught me to look before you leap, test the waters before jumping in. I think a part of me was so eager to get back to Korea, that i jumped into this job a bit too quickly. If you have to go to a place 5 days out of 7, you should may as well enjoy it - and I'm not.

So this is how it works:
Feb 26 (fri) - last working day
Feb 28 (sun) - last official day, and moving out of apartment day
Mar 1 (mon) - public holiday (independence day)
Mar 2 (tue) - first day of the new semester
Mar 3 (wed) - meet my co-teacher in Suwon so that I can cancel my visa/sojourn properly
Mar 5 (fri) - get to incheon airport by 9, so that I can check in for a flight that leaves at 11am.

From my experience, Koreans can plan stuff pretty well, when they need to. I've given them more than 60 days notice as to when I'm going to quit (sure it's only 10 days, but any bonus is good), so that they have a bit more time to try to find a replacement. I've told them if they would like any help from me, then all they have to do is ask - it's the least I could do since they're helping me out too.

I've also sorted out places to stay from Feb 28 to Mar 5. Friends are awesome when they help out - I'd like to think that they know that I would do the same for them as well.

A bit of an update

Not much happening lately. Have survived a month here, and things aren't going too bad.

Here's a few recent pics:


Met up with Bogeum and Hyunmin a week ago, and hung out. It was good to see them. Since I left Korea last year, they've got married (I missed their wedding by 2 days), and have moved into a new place.


Met up with another old friend, Taejin. We hung out in Anyang, and caught up.


A watch I bought in Anyang.


Met up with Dohyung on Friday, and relaxed at Lake Park (호주공원) in Ilsan. It was nice to see a decent sized park in Korea. But, was even better to meet up with Dohyung. Known each other for over a year, but it was the first time to meet.


Some Nike slipons I bought in Ilsan. They feel very comfortable.

Weekend in Busan

Made my way to Cheonan-Asan Station (천안아산역), via Bus 370, a train to Cheonan, and then taxi to the station. Got tickets to Busan, and a ticket to come back Sunday afternoon.


My friend and I didn't have any lunch, so we had a late lunch - McDonalds. The McDonalds in Nampodong is huge. This is only one small section of it.


We then walked around and did a bit of shopping, and we found Frisbee - an Apple Premium Reseller. The staff there were so helpful and kind (and did the whole "한국말 잘하시네요" (you speak korean well, in a surprised voice) thing - I think I got that about 5 or 6 times this weekend). Maybe they just enjoyed their job, or maybe it was because I spent $400 there. Anyway, I had a good experience there, so the next day, I bought them some Krispy Kream donuts.

Later on that evening, we had dinner at out most favourite Galbi (갈비) restaurant in ALL of Korea, 생수갈비, met up with some of 성진's friends, and went to a bar and did a bit more shopping. They had to go, so after that, we got some Krispy Kream donuts, some drinks, and went to 용구산 공원 (Yongdusan Park) and chatted.


Sunday Morning breakfast - 소육백반, or as I called it "모닝 갈비". It was very good. A nice selection of 반찬/side dishes, and the meat wasn't overcooked, and was thinner than regular galbi/samgyeopsal.


We did a bit of internet research, and found 나무그늘, a place that has the skin care fish for your feet. So, we got some drinks, and paid for Dr. Fish. It was not busy at all, when we got there, there were only about 7 or 8 people there, including the staff working there.


Since it was very quiet there, they let us have Dr Fish for 30 minutes. It was 성진's first time to have fish eat his feet, so he was more surprised and shocked than I was when I put my feet in.

After that, went to Busan station, and made my way home. Decided to treat myself to Pizza, and got Domino's. Wasn't anywhere as good as Domino's back home, so I think I'll try some other cheaper Korean Pizza places near my house next time.

Week 1

Well, I'm here, and i've had the week in "quarantine", which means... just don't go to school for a week - you might have H1N1. But you're free to roam around and do whatever. So i have been ^^

I've joined a gumdo place and will start tomorrow. I'll also start going to work tomorrow. I've met some of the other local English teachers, and went to Seoul yesterday to meet up with some old friends. Here's a few pics.


Dinner with some local teachers on Wednesday night.


The co-teacher left a piece of paper at the school, when we were going to go to Suwon to get all my immigration stuff sorted out. I wasn't allowed to go into the school. I'm in "quarantine" holiday, remember? But, I was "lucky" enough to see this sign at the school's entrance.


3 buses go past my school. There buses are the ones I need to take to get to work, and to get back to my place in the afternoon.




Us at Dr Fish. After having some deeee-licious Samgyeopsal for lunch, we went to the Dr Fish cafe, got some yummy treats, and then out feet were the treats for the fish for 17 mins ^^ Very ticklish, but was good. Felt bad by putting the same socks on afterwards.

After that, we did a bit of shopping, and took a photo using some new touchscreeny camera things on the street. Was cool to meet up with friends again.

Other highlights and lowlights of the week were: going to Anseong hospital to get a medical thing done for my Foreigner Card, waiting for 1.5 hours at Suwon Immigration Office for 5 mins of time with a clerk for dropping in paperwork for my Foreigner Card. Going to noraebang 2 times this week, having my first "bored" day on Friday.

I think my first phase of culture shock is over. When I get into a regular routine next week, with work, and gumdo, that's when the second phase will kick in. I'll see how I go.

Easter Weekend

Went to Melbourne, and Great Ocean Road (went to Colac, and stayed overnight in Warrnambool, then Great Ocean Road the next day). Had a good time with friends (that could actually make it, and didn't fuck with my plans).

Here's some photos ^^

bike, choc and paper

I've been a bit lazy since I've been home. When I was in Korea, I tried to do some hiking almost every day, but since the part of Australia where I live is pretty much flat, I dusted off my old bike, and have been riding that almost every day. Today, not yet... it's a rainy day today.

Anyway, I made a bit of a graphic to show the distance I ride.


The blue line is just what I was doing the first few rides, to get used to sitting on a bike seat again. Took about 20-30 mins (depending on head winds).
The green line is what I've been doing for about a week and a bit, and it's not too bad, takes me 30-40 mins.
The orange line is what I'm thinking of starting next week, since the green line is getting a kinda easy. My guess is 40-50 mins.
The red line is after the orange, for more distance. There are a few other variations I could take, but just wanted to put one up for comparison ^^

The good thing about being outside of town, is less traffic, so don't have to worry too much about being run over. Also, I try to ride in the morning. My alarm is set for 6am, so that i can ride before all the work/school traffic. If I leave the alarm off, I'll go for a ride at between 9:30 and 10:30am.

When I was going to the gym in Korea, I'd mix up the cardio work - use the stepper, the bike and the treadmill, and it felt great after a leg workout. The gym I went to in Korea was pretty small, but wasn't too bad.

This the leg workout I used to do (before I stopped going to the gym and did hiking almost every day):

Leg Extension: Warm up set: 15 reps @ 70kg, then 4 sets (15 reps) at 100kg (machine max)
Leg Curl: Warm up set: 15 reps @ 20kg, then 4 sets (15 reps) at 30kg (this one was difficult, but felt good afterwards)
Hip Extension: Warm up set: 15 reps @ 60kg, then 4 sets (15 reps) at 80kg (machine max)

Then, if i had time, i did a lot of cardio.

I lost about 25kg in my 3 years in Korea, and most of it was all from lifestyle changes - eating different (mostly healthy) food, not having a car, so having to walk everywhere. Doing the martial arts class after work for 2 years, and going to the gym and hiking. I've put on a few kgs since I've been home (with Korea having terrible snacks and chocolate, and then coming home and going to Target, Kmart, Coles and Safeway, and them all having Cadbury 250g blocks of chocolate on special doesn't help), and when I get working again, I'm gonna check out the gyms in my town, and see what's on offer.

When I was in Korea, i used to work out before I went to work, and that really helped with the shitty mood (as in getting rid of it) before I got to work. It really helped me deal with shit a lot easier. If I can work out for 2 hours at the gym, have a shower, and go directly to work (do not pass go, do not collect $200), I'd be happy.

Speaking of chocolate just before, I organised a parcel to send to a group of friends in South Korea (Who I affectionately call the Scooby Gang - me included... there's 4 of us, 2 guys, 2 girls, but that's as detailed as I've gone into it) which ended up being 5.7kg (12.5 pounds) of chocolate and lollies. A couple of days after I left Korea, it was G's birthday, so I sent him 3 blocks of Cadbury Chocolate, and he loved the Rocky Road stuff, and with M missing some things from Canada (Crunchie bars!), I gathered up some of those, and a few others, and then some lollies. Luckily, different supermarkets had things on special this week. Anyway, here's what it looked like, pre-sending:


I pixelated some things, so that there's some surprises when they get the box next week.

Well, I'm still waiting on my police check from Korea. I called the courier service AGAIN, and they're looking into it. I checked in on the new a few mins ago, and it says it's going to be delivered today: "Onboard with courier driver" is it's official status. This document is holding up my whole application, so it would be great if I can just sort all of this shit out today.

Great Day for a Picnic

I met up with 성국's housemates, and we went for a picnic in town. They were all good people, and were surprised that I could speak Korean well enough. But, since I haven't really used Korean in 4 weeks, i can tell that it's not as good as it used to be. we had lunch (i prepared some stuff), and then played some 고스톱. I had a great time. It's a little sad that two of them are moving out of the area. Here are some pics.

Andy는 타짜 아니거든! *^^*

On Friday, i met up with the Korean guy that I met the week before. We got some snacks from Kmart, and then went to a park on the river for a chat, and played some 맞고. He came up with the following idea: First to 100 points is the winner, loser has to buy dinner. Anyway, I got to 100 points first, and by the time we finished playing 맞고, it was almost dinner time, and since we were close to Apex Park, he was interested in seeing a beach on a river, so I took him there.


성국 decided that thai food would be nice, so we went to the new thai restaurant in town, called Thai-riffic.





A little pricy, but it tasted pretty good.

By Chance

Today was one of those days, where if I didn't get the bus, instead of driving, the cool things that did happen, wouldn't have happened.

I've eaten a fair bit of delicious chocolate since I've been back (and it's damn good), so I decided to walk to the bus stop near my house. Well, kinda near - it's 2 km away. A daily ticket for all the buses in town costs $3.20, which isn't too bad. For the two things I only had to do today, I would have used more than $3.20 of petrol anyway.

Got into town, and walked to a shop close by. I accidently bought a DVI-A to VGA connector, and I just needed a DVI to VGA (which doesn't really happen), and I need to get a Mini-DVI to VGA cable to get my Macbook connected to the awesome LCD TV that my parents have in the lounge room. Anyway, got a refund for that, and then started walking up to the other end of town, which had a shopping centre, and the only real kinda-Apple place in town. I needed a power cable for my Time Capsule that has an Australian end on it, and while I was there, I thought I'd get a Mini-DVI to VGA cable.

the only cinema in town

On the way, I saw someone who was familiar, and she was looking at me. Turns out it was a friend who I've been trying to get in touch with since I've been home. While I was in Korea, her phone number became inactive, and the only other option was going to her parents place, and asking. We had a hag, swapped numbers, and had a quick chat, catching up on what we've missed out on in the past 3 years.

It got me thinking... If I didn't get the bus, or got an earlier/later bus, or was walking on the other side of the street at that same time, I wouldn't have seen her.

on my way to the apple-ish store, i walked past this chinese restaurant. I'm not sure of the chinese characters/hanja, but after being in Korea, i wanna find out what it means
She had other things to do, so we went on our way, and I walked up to the Apple-ish store to get my cables (the Mini DVI to VGA will be in next week). I realised that it was too late to get the 4:05 bus back out my way, so I had to wait for the next one, which was at 5:45. I went to the shopping centre near by, and checked out some stuff.

While I was waiting at the bus stop, there was an asian guy sitting there. About 10 seconds before I sat down, I saw him spit on to the concrete, which made me think, Korean people do that. lol. After sitting down, he opened his wallet, and I saw something that said 카드 on it. So, a few seconds later, I asked him if he was Korean, and he replied "yes" and from then on, until he got his bus, we talked about things in Korean and English, and swapped numbers.

It also made me think again. If I didn't see my friend and stop to talk to her, I would have made it back to the bus stop in time for the 4:05 bus, and I wouldn't have met the first Korean guy in my town.

After walking 10.5 km around my area, I'm a bit tired - and a bit sunburnt. It was a good day today ^^

Weekend by Photos

Got off the train at Yeongdeungpo, but a friend i was meant to meet forgot all about it (not having my phone for a week mightn't have helped either), so got some lunch and went to a PC bang for a while, before going to Jongno to meet up with some friends.



Dinner was awesome, but the 아구짐 was a bit dangerous. Played 고스톱 until 3am with friends, lost only 10,000 won.


Lunch was at the Thai Orchid in Itaewon. Damn tasty. Then coffee and donuts in Suwon, then out to a party in Guro.

Sunday: Burritos and Books (and Kevin Bacon) in Gangnam...


...Dinner in Hongdae, and Zombies at a friends house...



...and last minute sticker pictures.


Awesome weekend *^^* Thanks everyone

40 to go...

Went to Daegu and Busan, to catch up with a few friends before I go. I can't meet up with everyone... If I don't meet up with you before I leave... well (sorry to he harsh), but deal with it *^^*

Here's a couple of photos from the weekend:




I have mixed feelings about why I'm leaving. I'll be honest - all things said and done, I like Korea, and I will miss it. I just really hate my job, and stuff to do with "English". I'd be happy working in a restaurant waiting tables in a 갈비집 for 6-12 months, coz it's something different. Lol

Meh... as long as I get home safe, it'll be all good ^^

Weekend in Changwon

My friend from Jeonju wasn't sure if he was able to come to hang out this weekend (due to his military service stuff), so we cancelled. Also, on Friday, I wasn't feeling all that well, so after hearing that he wasn't sure if he could make it to my place, I was the one who initiated the cancelling. I'm really not a fan of last minute changes, but have become a lot more understanding about it, especially in Korea, since almost everyone seems to act randomly. In their defence, I think they plan, they just play their cards very close to their chest until the last minute, but comes off as completely random.

Anyway, since I had a free weekend, I decided to go to Changwon (about an hour-ish from Busan) and hang out with my Korean family. It's been a while since I saw them, and will probably be the last time to see them before I leave Korea. So, I got the bus from Gwangju to Masan (very close to Changwon) at 10:05. At the 휴게소 (Rest area thingie), I got a bit of a snack for lunch, and a few people laughed at the "나는 미국인 아니에요 / I'm not American" shirt. Generally, people found it funny, and a few quick conversations started up because of it (mainly: 글쎄, 너의 국적이 뭐에요? / So, what is your nationality). After arriving in Masan, I walked from the terminal to Home Plus and met HP and YS there. Now, this is the top reason why I'm gonna miss Korea - my Korean family. HP and YS got married in January this year (January 26, actually - Australia Day), and they're just awesome. We then went back to his parents house, and waited for SJ (HP's sister), who has been studying like crazy for the Teacher's exam that they have here at the end of every year. Like me, her time overseas (she was in Australia for a year) has really changed her, and has realised a lot of things about life, etc. So, we have a few life outlook idea thingies in common, including the study quality vs study quantity.

Well, when SJ got back to the house, we got in the car, and went to Haeundae (which took us 2 hours due to the traffic), and had 등뼈찜. I guess, the rough equivalent of Roast Pork, but you use the spine (like in 감자탕), but it has the thickened juices at the bottom, with vegetables and noodles. It was damn good. We then got some ice-cream from an ice-cream shop (like Baskin Robbins, but it was a different name), and then hung out at Haeundae beach for a while.

As weird as this sounds, because of where I live, I'm not used to seeing a lot of non-Koreans in one place. So, for me, going to a place like Haeundae on a Saturday night is a bit surprising for me. Basically, i go a little Korean and say "오와... 외국인 많다!". When I chill out in Gwangju on the wekeends, the places I go to, I rarely (if at all) see any non-Koreans. It will be a bit shock for me when I get home...

After that, we came home, HP and YS went back to their place in Jinhae, and SJ and I stayed up until about 12:30 talking a lot, which is something we haven't done in a long time.

Woke up at about 10am the next day, had a shower, and had breakfast. Today was the day I was to test out the "뭘봐?! / What are you looking at?" shirt. The verdict: If you walked around e-mart naked on a Sunday night, you would get more attention than the 뭘봐?! shirt, but the 뭘봐?! shirt would come a close second. That's assuming that, when you're walking around naked, that people would giggle and laugh. :p

Anyway, back to Sunday. We decided to check out a new shopping mall, called The City 7, which was damn big. We had 삼밥 for lunch, and then checked it out. It's big, with a lot of stuff (it was damn hard not to go into the Adidas shop and check things out). We checked out the book store, which was alright. I bought a pack of cute stickers, but I was disappointed that there wasn't any CD shop to be found. After a couple of hours there, we went back home, and relaxed for a while. HP's mum (who I call 엄마) insisted that she wash my clothes from Saturday, and in true Korean mum fashion, was not going to take no for an answer. So, had to go back and get my clothes and bag ready anyway. The bus from Changwon to Gwangju was pretty quick, 2 hour 40 minutes.

When I got to Gwangju, that was when the effect of the "뭘봐?!" shirt kicked in. I think it's a combination of the following factors: Koreans never see real Korean on a shirt; Koreans never expect a foreigner to be able to understand Korean enough to know what is going on (unless your on the TV show 미녀들의 수다); and generally, which is something I'm convinced of, is that when Koreans buy shirts with bad English on it, the English is that bad, that they don't know what it means - it's just English on it. Also, Koreans stare at foreigners, sometimes to the point of where you feel like you're in a zoo, behind glass. This shirt is just a bit of pay back, in a fun way.

I decided to do a bit of shopping at Emart, which was good and bad. The shirt was creating a lot of attention, in a good way, but was getting a bit too much. This shirt is one for when you're in the mood for a lot of attention. It does make people smile and laugh, and they make the effort to tell their friend's what the foreigner is wearing. Imaging a group of 20-21 year olds at the beach, and they see an awesomely hot girl in a bikini walk past, and they something like "check her out, she's damn hot". In a way, it's kind of like that. Except that I'm not wearing a bikini... and i'm not an awesomely hot girl.

So, got back home, unpacked my shopping, and turned on the computer, and there were a couple of emails from a woman I emailed a while ago, about my job, on the behalf of my boss. She's been having issues with her agenty/recruiter, all because she asked for them to fax something to her in the U.S. As soon as she hit a snag, it was like half of the world shut down. I'll give you one guess which half did shut down... Yep, the Korean end. So, I wrote a very long email explaining things, and giving her a realistic view of Korea. The main advice being: by the time you think it's a hassle, it already is. And that she is way too overqualified for the job I have, so I was candid with her, in an attempt to keep it real. I don't want to waste anybody's time.

Thanks to my Korean family, I had an awesome weekend. If I had to make a top 10 list of things I would miss in Korea, they're number 1. Love you guys.

2 months to go

Friday was a public holiday here. Gwangbokjeol (광복절 - Liberation Day), for celebrating the day that Japan left Korea in 1945. I'm happy for a day off, especially friday, since that is the day that I would teach middle school.

So, G and M made their way down here. Found a nice galbi restaurant in Jangseong, which, by chance, is owned by the same people who owned Hangukgwan (a restaurant in my town) before they moved to Jangseong. They recognised me, and had a bit of a chat and gave me a business card to pass on to my boss. We then went to a small supermarket, and got the bus back to my town where we chilled for a bit, chat, and then headed out for some stirfry duck and noraebang.

Saturday, a bit of a late start, but got to Gwangju and had lunch downtown, then went to Art Street. We got there a little late, but had a look, and walked around other places in downtown, in which we found the 덝갈비 restaurant named Cock. I'd seen it before, and told G and M about it before, and we decided to eat there, and it was tasty.

After the food, G and M made their way to Gwangju train station, and I went back to the bus terminal. Thanks for making it down here. Had an awesome time!

I had a bit of time to kill before the last bus, so I bought a book that I saw previously that day.


It's a Korean cookbook for various kinds of soups and similar things. I bought it so I can cook some Korean things at home. I also checked out Artbox (a cute stationery/accessory shop) and bought a funky stick on cover for my ipod.


You can also see the funky colored stickers on my keyboard in the background. At night, it's too difficult to see the keys, so I bought some cute (and childish) keyboard stickers for the keys.

On Sunday, I was tired, but didn't like the idea of staying home all day, so I forced myself to go to Gwangju, and I did. I went to Lotte Cinema to see Wall-E. It was awesome!


I've been to Lotte Cinema in Gwangju 3 times, and I've been served by the same guy. Today, he saw me standing, waiting for my number to come up, and he smiled, so I smiled. Also, next to him, for the 3rd time as well, was the same girl that has said hello and chatted to me in English.

About a month ago, I walked around a uni that one of my friends studies at after we had dinner together. The girl at the cinema asked me if I was a teacher at (insert name here) university, in which I said no. So she said "I saw you walking around there with someone.", and I said "Oh, Ok.". I had completely forgotten about going to the uni with my friend. But she remembered that she saw me. hehe. After I watched Wall-E, I almost gave her my number/cyworld-nateon ID, but decided not to. I'm leaving in 2 months. But, maybe I should anyway. Next time, eh? ^^