Walkies...

Last weekend I was very good to my body. I ate some proper food and I went for two walks!

On Saturday we went to a city called Ilsan, which is about halfway between here and Seoul. This is the city with easy to get to cinemas, so it is quickly becomiong a favourite of mine. They are very into exercise there, and all the local pakrs have bits of gym equipment in them that anyone can use for free! In the middle of the city there is a woody sort of park thing, which is pretty much just a massive hill they propbably couldn't actually build anything on. So we walked through there for an hour or two. Strange place. We went in an odd way I think, so that we climbed up a small path in the middle of the woods without seeing anyone, then we came to an open clearing with loads of bench pressing equipment and dozens of people milling about. Then we suddenly got onto another small path and wandered off into the woods again. Up the top it is a long ridgeway and we saw a fair few people there. I even saw a hospital patient who'd climbed up the hill and had a few tubes dangling from somewhere. She gave us a nod and a "hello" and seemed very excited to have seen Westerners. We later walked pastt he National Cancer Centre of Korea so Ithink she must have come form there, as she had a hat on and no discernable hair. Very impressive, I only just made it up and I'm techinically healthy.

So anyhoo, that walk was fun, and afterwards we went to the movies, so I was very happy. Got to see The Departed again, and excellent film. Scorsese's back on track, we'll just ignore the whole Gangs of New York/Aviator fiasco.

On Sunday we went to Seoul and climbed up through another "bang in the middle of the city" hill-park thing. This time I had to use steps, not a path, so it was a tad dull. But the view was great and it gave me a real feeling of how big the city is, and it's massive! It just goes on and on and out all the way to the mountains that hem the city in all around. It was one of those hazy days that aren't actually warm, but when you walk up a hill you want to take off all the stuff you'd bundled up with. So I had scarves and hats and all sorts hanging off me.

So I gave my body a good workout, then I ate some pasta we'd managed to find in a department store supermarket. Pasta! Yay!

Tea issues...

Who'd have thought it, but I'm having trouble finding good black tea. In Asia! There's tons of green tea but not so much of the black stuff. I brought some Enlgish Breakfast with me, but I was kinda in a rush when I got it and so accidently got the loose variety. I do have a teapot but who can be bothered to make a pot of tea everymorning? I'm a bag lady (tea, I mean).
All I can find is Lipton Yellow Label, and as anyone who's breakfasted at a cheap American motel knows, it's really pants.

So boo to no tea in Asia! Boo with knobs on!

I've managed to find some cinemas! I'm saved!

Yesterday I went to a nearby city called Ilsan. It's much bigger than my lil' town and has lots of shops and department stores. With the help of a kindly westerner (also an English teacher) that Jo and I accosted on the street we located two department stores that had cinemas on their top floors. That seems to be the way they do it here, which is a real bugger because it means cinemas are almost always impossible to spot, even if you're standing right in front of the building they're in. Locals just seem to know they are there. But no matter, the important thing is that they ARE there.

Western films are never dubbed here, only subtitled, which is fantastic. Also, Korea is only about a month behind the releases in the UK, which means I should be able to catch Casino Royale soon (fingers crossed). Yesterday I saw The Prestige and, though the ending is somewhat long and spelt out so much even a monkey could understand it, it's not half bad. It's directed by the guy who did Memento and Batman Begins and has a great turn from the delicious Christian Bale. If you like drama, plot twists and magic then see it. But be warned, don't go if you're only going to see Scarlett Johansson, her part is really small and though her English accent was good the character was fairly dull and transparent

It was great to go to the cinema, it had been a few weeks and I was starting to feel withdrawal symptoms. The place we went to also had fairly good popcorn, so that's another addiction I don't have to stop!

Good news all round I thought, and well worth waffling about.

I feel like I'm in the U.S. Army...

I was provided with a TV by my school, very nice of them, but unfortunately it only has 2 english language channels. Better than none, however one is an asian channel called Arirang that seems to only show cultural programs about various asian countries. I'd had my fill of that channel after watching an hour long show about dolls and puppets and how they differ in China, Korea, and Japan (I need to recharge my batteries somehow).

The other channel is an American Forces Network channel called Pacific Prime. It has alright shows on occasion (although the American version of The Office is shown on the one night I work late so I don't get to see it) but it doesn't have regular advertsd. Instead it has pro-army adverts, notices about events happening on bases, and warnings and reminders about stuff like cold weather, the amount of paperwork required if your going to marry a "host nation national", and the dangers of stress. After a while you begin to think you're actually in the army.

That feeling was doubled this weekend because Jo and I explored the section in Seoul where most of the American's from the local base go shopping. Lots of western clothes (though we failed at trying to find good tea) and lots of westerners walking around. American accents a-plenty.

Americans are definately the predominant westerners over here. The army is the main reason, but also there aren't many English English teachers, they're mostly Yanks and Canadians (if they're Canadians why don't we call it Canadia?) So Jo and I are fairly outnumbered, I might come home with more Americanisms than after my year living in the States!

Visa run to Japan.

So, I just got back from going to Japan with me mate Jo to get our visas. It was a pretty quick trip, just two days and one night, but I got to explore a nice little city in the western part of Japan called Fukuoka. We got to the embassy ok, but then I had to have a photo done in their little booth. Luckily it had instructions in English, but they were a bit odd and just before the picture got taken it said "Ready? Here we go!" in such a weird voice that my picture came out ridiculously grinny from the laughing I was unable to control.

Fukuoka isn't too big a city but the various maps it had sucked so we got a little lost trying to find a tourist information place and then our hotel. We managed eventually though and then hit a few bars, one really fun onw that was tiny (only held about 30 people) and run by some young Japanese dudes. It was one of the bartenders' birthdays, so lots of wa-haying. The city had a large western shopping centre (although i couldn't afford anything, Japan is expensive!) and a really nice park and lake. Wandering round that yesterday was great but it was sooo hot, definitely above 20 degrees, in November!

I got my visa ok, another for the little collection I've got going on in my passport, and flew back. So now I'm working properly at school and I'm settling in properly at home. It's still pretty bare but I've been thinking about a furniture movement that might make it slightly more exciting. I've also got the hang of my rice cooker and managed to make some nice stuff that I just had cold for lunch.

I went to Seoul last weekend and as it only costs 80p each way I'm going again this weekend. It's massive, so it'll take me a while to explore fully...

South Korea Arrived!

Right, well, I made it to Korea alright. The flight was fine, although none of those amazing personal tv screens, but rather tv monitors spread around the cabin. It felt rather like being on a coach. Got to watch Cars and Pirates of the Carribean 2 though, so not the worst movies in the world.

Korea is fab. I've got an apartment (all to myself). That's right. For the first time ever I'm living alone. I live in the same building as an American teacher at my school, so that's jolly nice. They've given me lots of stuff including a TV! I can only get two English channels (although I suppose that's better than none) and I've a sneaking suspision I'm going to be spending most of my TV time watching the Armed Forces Network that is here for the American bases. Instead of regular adverts it has pro-Army recruitment ad's, info about restaurants and stuff on the bases, and warnings from various Generals about snowy weather, cultural differences and safety. Many American TV shows, but some I kinda like, so that's ok.

I'm still acclimatising and trying to get over the jet lag, but it's not easy. For those of you that care to know Korea is 9 hours ahead of the UK, so I've just realised that while writing this at 4pm it is 7am there!

Anyway, I've done some teaching and it generally seems to go alright. I'm taking over from a teacher that left so the kids already seem a little clued up on most things.

Righty, I'll post again when I have something more interesting to report. I'm going to Seoul on Sunday so might have some impressions after that...