phillip d.h. lee / photoblog: 11.2009

25 November 2009

I dream of one Korea

Even though I've been in Korea for only 6 days, it seems like I haven't even left the States. English is as prevalent as it is in K-town, Los Angeles. Well, at least in certain areas of Seoul. I haven't heard many people speaking English (aside from the other trainees), but it's written on signs all over the city. You have to remember that Seoul is a ~~big~~ gigantic metropolis, filled with many "dong" (동), or districts (with another definition being "east"). One can feel engulfed in a city obsessed with high-rises office towers and apartments. This methodology is the most economic, because space here is a luxury to have. Aside from the menacing buildings around Gangnam (financial sector in Seoul), the food here is excellent! I did feel like I had I.B.S. after the first few meals, but an ex-pat assured me that this happens only during the first week. My stomach seems to be adjusting well to the new diet now. Phew~!

I wish I had more free time, but training is as intense as things go in Korea, and my Hagwon *Chung Dahm Learning* is no joke. If you don't pass your tests, nor do well throughout the duration of training, they will not hire you. Which means that you must pay for your stay in the hotel during the week, your plane ticket to Korea is not reimbursed, and on top of that - you must pay for your own flight back home! With that being said I am making sure that I soak in every bit of information like a sponge.

I'm blessed I have relatives here in Korea. They have been making the adjustment a lot easier for me, and it definitely wouldn't be the same without them. I had dinner the other night with my grandma, uncle, and two aunts (all from my mom's side). My uncle and aunts are married with two children each, and those kids (age 6-12) make me appreciate them even more. It's their zeal for life, and their curiosity that reminded me of my childhood. Damn. We do grow up too fast. Yet, you don't realize how good you had it until you graduate from school. Hah. Right when I entered my uncle's apartment these kids were jumping and screaming - seriously they were going hysterical! I felt like a pop-star or something. A child's laughter will instantly take you back to your youth; temporarily erasing all the stresses in your life.

Oh, and while pedestrians have the right of way back in the States, that is not the case here. As they say, when in Rome...