First Class Approaching

Unfortunately, I don't have internet access at my new apartment, so I won't be able to update except at work, which means this will have to be brief. I'm waiting for my first day of classes to start, which is in about a half hour. I'm a little nervous, but mainly I just want things to start. My first day consists of Memory English, a lower level course that mostly involves reading and interpretting stories, and Bridge English reading and writing, which is an intermediate class a step above the first. I feel pretty prepared, but it'll all become apparent once it's crunch time.

I've been in Busan for a weekend now. We were supposed to make a train 2 hours after training ended, which was near impossible when you factor in Seoul traffic. So, no surprise, we missed it and had to catch the next train, which was slower too, so we didn't arrive until after midnight. It also turned out that my apartment wasn't ready, so I was shacked up in a "love motel", which means pretty much exactly what you'd suspect. To top it off, we also had to get up semi-early to attend yet another training. So I'd say my first impression of Busan wasn't favorable.

Still, after that, it's all been uphill. We got a pretty great welcome from the center we're working at, and everyone's been super helpful. I say "we" because I came to my branch with another trainee that I met, Daniel, who can speak a smattering of Korean but is still pretty new to all this, so we've been hanging out alot and taking in the city and work together. I was able to get into my apartment on Sunday, and it's pretty damn nice! It's somewhat close to the school and even closer to the major city center, Somyeon. I'm slowly stocking the place so it's habitable, but since it's just me, I'm not too picky and should be able to make do with the bare essentials. It even has an exercise bike! So I guess now I have no excuses.

Some funny things I've encountered since last time:
1) At the fast food places, your cup is sealed and placed in a paper bag, which is also sealed. It's nice in case you can't carry a separate cup, I guess, but it's mainly a pain in the ass to open.
2) The train station bathroom had this odd sort of arm thing that swings back and forth over the sink with a bar of soap attached. Wish I'd gotten a picture.
3) People in Korea are very friendly with each other. Like VERY friendly by Western standards. It's not uncommon to see two guys walking down the street arm in arm or holding hands, even though being gay is still considered a huge taboo here.
4) The escalators here have motion sensors so they won't move unless you step onto them. Kind of common sense, right?
5) Apparently, becoming friends with English-speakers is desirable in some respect, even though foreigners are not exactly welcomed. Dan and I were both approached by a salesperson after we had left the store, and he told us, "If you want a friend, come see me." Then today, another guy told Dan the same thing. Kind of odd, right? But at the same time, easy way to make local friends!
6) I tend to be stared at pretty often in public. As a tall white dude, I stick out like a sore thumb since the Korean population is pretty homogenous, and it doesn't bother me much. But it's still amusing to look up and see people glance away quickly on the subway and such.

Erick. OUT!!