The last week has seen me really settle into life in Seoul. I'm finally off the couch and into my own bedroom. It's the biggest and best room in the apartment and even has an ensuite bathroom.
More importantly I've got a job! I now work at Jumi's Natural English (JNE) School, teaching kids aged 7 to 15. I went in for my first day yesterday to observe some of the classes taken by the Korean teachers. Teaching the young ones seems to be a lot of fun as it is just a lot of games and roleplays, but teaching the older ones is OK too as they can have real conversations with me. Although, being teenagers, they generally stay quiet and sullen!
The bosses seem pretty nice. One of the directors bought me lunch after I'd signed my contract, and I think they were quite impressed by how much I like their Korean food, even the holy Kimchi that I mentioned in my last post!
Overall it seems that life is going to be pretty sweet over here. I should be pretty well off as Korean private schools pay their foreign teachers well, and the cost of living is relatively low. For example, the rent on my apartment is less than 400 quid a month - and that's shared between 3 people!
The next step is going to be to start learning a bit of Korean I think. Its essential to do so as simple things become hard to do if you can't read signs or ask directions etc.
Thursday 26 July 2007
Friday 20 July 2007
Seoul
Well I've finally arrived at my ultimate destination and have been here for nearly 2 weeks now. The job hunt is going OK and I have two possibilities in the pipeline. One is at a very good school where I can make plenty of money, the other is at slightly less money but less hours and much less formal. I'm going to try and go for the latter.
Seoul itself seems like a good place to live for the next year. There are loads of young ex-pats living out here which makes for a thriving social scene. I think it helps me a lot having Martin and Baldy out here as I've kinda slotted straight into their group of mates. They can also tell me where everything is and give me tips on what to look for in a job etc. I'd imagine it'd be pretty hard to come over here on your own not knowing anyone.
I have got a pretty cool apartment sorted out with Baldy, although I'm still sleeping on the sofa at the moment! One of the housemates moves out next week so I'll have my own room at last. Most people who come over are provided with housing by the schools where they teach, which amounts to little more than one room incorporating bedroom, living room and kitchen in one. My apartment is much better than that, with a big lounge and kitchen area, 3 good size bedrooms, a laundry room and a bit of outside space ideal for BBQs.
In the 2 weeks I've been here I've been out on the town a few times. There seems to be 2 main areas, though I'm sure theres more places I haven't been to yet. the first is Itaewon which is near to where I'm staying. It was originally set up for the GI's from the American army base just round the corner, however they're not allowed out after 11pm now after a bit of trouble in the area so now its the ex-pats playground. Its a bit cheesy really, because of all the western amenities and food places you can't always tell you're in Korea. It also has a slightly sleazy side in some parts. The other place to go out is Hongdae which is definitley my favourite by far. Its a lot more upmarket and cutting edge than Itaewon thanks in part to being located near a big university. There are live bands and other cool music in trendy bars that aren't very expensive. Ideal! We had a great night out there last week and another one is planned tonight.
One thing that's definitely unique about Korea is its cuisine. I absolutely love the traditional Galbi restaurants. The meat is brought out to your table raw and cooked on a barbeque set in the middle of the table. You then take pieces off and place them in a lettuce-like leaf, add some of the side dishes, then wrap it all in the leaf and shove it all in your gob in one go. It's really tasty and sociable too. While I'm on the subject of food I can't not mention Kimchi. All Korean food comes with side dishes, even if you order a soup you'll get lots of little plates of veggies and dips. These vary but the one thing you're guaranteed to get it is Kimchi. Its a type of cabbage and is usually slightly pickled. Its not bad actually but the Koreans go mad for it. They say it can prevent or cure all kinds of illnesses and health problems from heart disease to cancer to bird flu! Its almost like a sacred food.
As I said, I'm off to Hongdae tonight so I'm sure there will be more fun and frolics to report on shortly!
Seoul itself seems like a good place to live for the next year. There are loads of young ex-pats living out here which makes for a thriving social scene. I think it helps me a lot having Martin and Baldy out here as I've kinda slotted straight into their group of mates. They can also tell me where everything is and give me tips on what to look for in a job etc. I'd imagine it'd be pretty hard to come over here on your own not knowing anyone.
I have got a pretty cool apartment sorted out with Baldy, although I'm still sleeping on the sofa at the moment! One of the housemates moves out next week so I'll have my own room at last. Most people who come over are provided with housing by the schools where they teach, which amounts to little more than one room incorporating bedroom, living room and kitchen in one. My apartment is much better than that, with a big lounge and kitchen area, 3 good size bedrooms, a laundry room and a bit of outside space ideal for BBQs.
In the 2 weeks I've been here I've been out on the town a few times. There seems to be 2 main areas, though I'm sure theres more places I haven't been to yet. the first is Itaewon which is near to where I'm staying. It was originally set up for the GI's from the American army base just round the corner, however they're not allowed out after 11pm now after a bit of trouble in the area so now its the ex-pats playground. Its a bit cheesy really, because of all the western amenities and food places you can't always tell you're in Korea. It also has a slightly sleazy side in some parts. The other place to go out is Hongdae which is definitley my favourite by far. Its a lot more upmarket and cutting edge than Itaewon thanks in part to being located near a big university. There are live bands and other cool music in trendy bars that aren't very expensive. Ideal! We had a great night out there last week and another one is planned tonight.
One thing that's definitely unique about Korea is its cuisine. I absolutely love the traditional Galbi restaurants. The meat is brought out to your table raw and cooked on a barbeque set in the middle of the table. You then take pieces off and place them in a lettuce-like leaf, add some of the side dishes, then wrap it all in the leaf and shove it all in your gob in one go. It's really tasty and sociable too. While I'm on the subject of food I can't not mention Kimchi. All Korean food comes with side dishes, even if you order a soup you'll get lots of little plates of veggies and dips. These vary but the one thing you're guaranteed to get it is Kimchi. Its a type of cabbage and is usually slightly pickled. Its not bad actually but the Koreans go mad for it. They say it can prevent or cure all kinds of illnesses and health problems from heart disease to cancer to bird flu! Its almost like a sacred food.
As I said, I'm off to Hongdae tonight so I'm sure there will be more fun and frolics to report on shortly!
Thursday 5 July 2007
Koh Samui
I've been on Koh Samui for 5 days now. It's a nice island but the weather is overcast so I haven't been able to go to the beach at all which slightly defeats the object of being here! Oh well, of course I've been continuing the party where I left off on Koh Phangan instead. The Thai islands really are a hedonists playground, I've started calling it the Costa Del Asia! It's so unlike the rest of the region, it's almost like being at home with all the fast food outlets and shopping precincts.
Today is the last full day of my travelling circuit. I can't believe its gone so fast. I fly off to Bangkok tomorrow night, and straight on to Seoul from there. It'll be good to see my friends again, although the prospect of actually working for a living again is slightly daunting! Although, if I'm lucky it won't seem too much like work and might only take up 4 or 5 hours of my day.
Today is the last full day of my travelling circuit. I can't believe its gone so fast. I fly off to Bangkok tomorrow night, and straight on to Seoul from there. It'll be good to see my friends again, although the prospect of actually working for a living again is slightly daunting! Although, if I'm lucky it won't seem too much like work and might only take up 4 or 5 hours of my day.
Sunday 1 July 2007
Ko Phangan
Ko Phangan is the maddest party island on Earth. It's official. Nothing can touch it when the full moon party is in full swing. It makes Ibiza look like a February afternoon in Margate.
I arrived on Tuesday evening and got myself a bungalow on a beach called Ban Tai, 4km out of Hat Rin where the full moon party is held. The next morning that decision seemed slightly pointless as it p*ssed it down with the hardest rain I've ever seen for hours. I didn't mind too much really though as I slept til lunchtime anyway.
Around 3pm the rain subsided a bit and I headed into Hat Rin to meet Adrian. Since there was nothing else to do we thought we may as well go for a beer! All the bars in Hat Rin play movies and sitcoms all day so we ended up swigging a few Beer Chang's watching Family Guy and playing some pool. Later on we met a few more Irish lads and headed down to the beach where the real action goes on!
There are bars all along the beach front, blaring out house and hip-hop all night long. We wandered among them drinking our buckets. There were 5 of us originally, but each one of us ended up wandering around alone talking to random people, which is what I think every other person on the beach was doing too. I also managed to lose my flip-flops somehow!
Next day I managed to scrape myself out onto the beach in mid afternoon for a bit before heading back into Hat Rin. I didn't bother buying anymore flip flops as I'd probably just lose them again anyway. I won't bother to describe the night as it was pretty much a carbon-copy of the previous one (except without the distraction of shoes!).
The next day was Friday and the night of the big full moon party. Woohoo! I got into town about 5pm and met with Adrian for a few warm up beers. It was a real struggle after the previous 2 nights but we forced ourselves. We decided a bit of sea air might help so got down to the beach early, bumping into the other Irish lads on the way. It was only about 8'0'clock so we chilled out with a couple of beers, all swearing not to buy a bucket before 11pm. We lasted until around 10.30 which I think was a good effort!
By that time the beach was absolutely heaving. There were estimated to be around 10,000 people there, but there may have been more as this month was the full moon party's 20th anniversary celebration. The bars seemed to be playing their music louder than ever and it was deafening. Everybody was covered in flourescent bodypaint and jumping around like mad people - it was fantastic. The party went on and on and on. Everybody seemed to be wearing a lot less clothing and crashed out bodies were starting to appear on the beach! The sun came up and still everyone was going. Of course we'd all lost each other but we bumped into each other intermittently before staggering off again.
I finally went home exhausted about 7 or 8am. Adrian was out until 12 but he'd passed out sleeping for a few hours on the beach (losing his wallet in the process). I took a disposable camera out so I'm looking forward to seeing what I've managed to take on that! The next day was obviously a train wreck so I'm not even going to go into how bad I felt...
Off to Samui tomorrow to meet the other lads. I've also started applying for jobs in Korea. Scary stuff that... I could potentially be working in a couple of weeks time!
I arrived on Tuesday evening and got myself a bungalow on a beach called Ban Tai, 4km out of Hat Rin where the full moon party is held. The next morning that decision seemed slightly pointless as it p*ssed it down with the hardest rain I've ever seen for hours. I didn't mind too much really though as I slept til lunchtime anyway.
Around 3pm the rain subsided a bit and I headed into Hat Rin to meet Adrian. Since there was nothing else to do we thought we may as well go for a beer! All the bars in Hat Rin play movies and sitcoms all day so we ended up swigging a few Beer Chang's watching Family Guy and playing some pool. Later on we met a few more Irish lads and headed down to the beach where the real action goes on!
There are bars all along the beach front, blaring out house and hip-hop all night long. We wandered among them drinking our buckets. There were 5 of us originally, but each one of us ended up wandering around alone talking to random people, which is what I think every other person on the beach was doing too. I also managed to lose my flip-flops somehow!
Next day I managed to scrape myself out onto the beach in mid afternoon for a bit before heading back into Hat Rin. I didn't bother buying anymore flip flops as I'd probably just lose them again anyway. I won't bother to describe the night as it was pretty much a carbon-copy of the previous one (except without the distraction of shoes!).
The next day was Friday and the night of the big full moon party. Woohoo! I got into town about 5pm and met with Adrian for a few warm up beers. It was a real struggle after the previous 2 nights but we forced ourselves. We decided a bit of sea air might help so got down to the beach early, bumping into the other Irish lads on the way. It was only about 8'0'clock so we chilled out with a couple of beers, all swearing not to buy a bucket before 11pm. We lasted until around 10.30 which I think was a good effort!
By that time the beach was absolutely heaving. There were estimated to be around 10,000 people there, but there may have been more as this month was the full moon party's 20th anniversary celebration. The bars seemed to be playing their music louder than ever and it was deafening. Everybody was covered in flourescent bodypaint and jumping around like mad people - it was fantastic. The party went on and on and on. Everybody seemed to be wearing a lot less clothing and crashed out bodies were starting to appear on the beach! The sun came up and still everyone was going. Of course we'd all lost each other but we bumped into each other intermittently before staggering off again.
I finally went home exhausted about 7 or 8am. Adrian was out until 12 but he'd passed out sleeping for a few hours on the beach (losing his wallet in the process). I took a disposable camera out so I'm looking forward to seeing what I've managed to take on that! The next day was obviously a train wreck so I'm not even going to go into how bad I felt...
Off to Samui tomorrow to meet the other lads. I've also started applying for jobs in Korea. Scary stuff that... I could potentially be working in a couple of weeks time!
Ko Phi Phi
Phi Phi was a nice little island. It was good to just chill on the beach for a couple of days and swim in the clear blue sea. The island is quite idyllic, with big cliffs bursting out of the sea, topped with jungle. The sand is white and the people are so laid back I thought I'd just landed in Jamaica.
Unfortunately I could only stay for 2 days as I had to get to Ko Phangnan for the full moon party. On my last night I did manage to have an entertaining evening with a bunch of Aussies though, in a bar where the entertainment was a ladyboy cabaret! But I can guarantee the only thing that was sore in the morning was my head!
Unfortunately I could only stay for 2 days as I had to get to Ko Phangnan for the full moon party. On my last night I did manage to have an entertaining evening with a bunch of Aussies though, in a bar where the entertainment was a ladyboy cabaret! But I can guarantee the only thing that was sore in the morning was my head!
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