Blogs from South Korea, Asia - page 331

OK! So this isnt a glamourous lifestyle but it is fun as hell. Every morning I wake up, dreading working my 12 hour shift, but then I realize how fun and easy it is, and I forget that I'm even working. But let me back-up So I got on a bus to Gimpo airport, and took a two hour flight to Jeju Island (First Class!). As soon as we landed it was raining hard, and I found out, it rains 300 days a year here. I see it as a mix between London and Key West, loads of grey sky and light rain with tropical birds and plants everywhere. From there I was picked up by three Koreans, all young but fluent in English (Fluency is something of a misnomer here. If you can carry on ... read more

I will lose 20 pounds this year. I will stop drinking so much and spend more time at the gym. I will call my mother more. I will never smoke again. I will eat healthier............................ Blah blah blah blah blah OK, fair enough, it would be lovely to actually succeed with goals like that. But resolutions shouldn't be so cut and dry. I have now, almost offically, spent a year away from home. I have grown, and changed. I have met fabulous people and ravelled to some of the most fascinating parts of the world...the most beautiful beaches, the most serene landscapes...and tackled some of physical and mental feats. But what I really came here for, beyond the obvious desire to see the world, was to work out who I am and who I want to ... read more

After 19 hours on a plane (Total), I've landed. Korea is very easy to get around, everything is in Engrish and everyone wants to practive their engrish. And the people are obnoxiously, By the time I left the airport I had two offers to give me ride to my hotel. I'm used to people telling me to keep my bags firmly by my side and 'if a gypsy throws a baby at you, swat it to the ground,' so it has been an adjustment when people grab my bags and carry them for because I looked weighed down. My hotel picked me up at the airport and walked me to my room. It was awesome!!! It looked like a prison cell from the outside my opened up to a quaint minimulist style apartment, including TV, which ... read more

Hello Everyone! Happy Belated Holidays!! As you all can see, we had a VERY busy holiday season! It started a few nights before Christmas Day, December 23rd I believe, when Larry, myself, and many other friends headed to Jessica & Adam's apartment for a Christmas/Birthday celebration! It was both Jessica and Nolan's birthday, and so we wanted to give them a proper celebration...not tacked onto Christmas as many birthdays around the holidays sometimes are. Anywho, we sang our favorite song "Count the Numbers," had some homemade cider, wine, & desserts, and enjoyed eachother's company. It was a very nice evening. Next up, Christmas Eve. For this celebration, we went to Mel & Gareth's apartment, where about 15 friends shared a potluck dinner and Christmas cheer. It was a very delicious meal and we had a lot ... read more

Nampadong is Busan's downtown district - 4 miles of stalls just up Emma's street - full of back alleys, all push, pushy, hustle, bustle - a typical crammed Korean feel. The vast Kimchi stalls, ( Korean National dish) make for a very colourful and pungent experience. Although it has many health benefits ensuring the posiibilty of Koreans to work 16 hour days !! ( like my Hagwon director) it is certainly an aquired taste Anyone for fermented vegetables (usually Chinese cabbage) smothered in chilli paste ? - no thanks mate !! There are hundreds of varieties and it is eaten with EVERY meal including breakfast , YES BREAKFAST !. Believe me I can eat most things including snails and frogslegs but not this delight . Bitter and slimey to mine and Emma tastebuds- it might explain ... read more