What's My Address??

While I have been here for almost three days I have no clue what my address is. I know how to get to my apartment from the surrounding area, but do not know what street it is on or what the number is. In America when you walk into a city apartment building there is usually a desk for you to sign in and someone sitting there for you to speak with. In Korea there is retail space on the bottom floor and no desk or helpful person to be found.

I have been happily exploring the area around my apartment these past couple of days and have found most of the things that I need. My co-teacher took me to a Wal-Mart equivalent, E Mart, yesterday and it houses most items that you can need or want. The store is four levels with a grocery store in the basement. The grocery store was awesome. I seriously felt like a little kid in a candy store; I could not stop staring and smiling. There must have been at least 100 people working on this level of the store. Each section of food has a designated person(s) handing out samples, talking loudly about the product, and generally helping you with your food buying decisions. It gets better; the employees were all wearing traditional Korean outfits and strange get-ups. Every single package is brightly colored and covered in Korean characters just beckoning you open it up and see what's inside.

There is a little river or stream called the Tancheon that runs through Bundang and there is a walking and biking trail that surrounds it. I have been running each day and am hoping that I can keep it up even when it gets cold. I have realized that most Korean people don't run. They power walk. All the women wear these giant plastic visors and gloves. I would say about 4 people out of 10 are wearing swine-flu masks while they walk. (Also on the streets. They are paranoid to the extreme about it here.) I was running yesterday and several older men were clapping for me and making cheering gestures with their hands. I have no clue what that was about but it was a little silly and I just had to smile.

the running trail along the Tancheon

I have visited my school a couple times now, but as I mentioned I am not allowed to formally be introduced or begin work until I receive my alien registration card. Yesterday Monica took me there to stop by and drop some things off. I met a few more teachers and the other vice principal. I would say there are only about 4 teachers/principals at the school that I have met so far who speak any English.

Speaking English is not common here. Some people are able to speak enough to understand me, but most have no clue how to even say hello. I believe that some people know more than they like to share, but are embarrassed because their English is not very good. I have heard this first hand from teachers at the school. Hand gestures are no longer just for charades.

People have been asking what I have been eating and to be honest, I have not had much Korean food. I do not understand how to read Korean yet and all Korean restaurants have menus that are all in characters. Some have pictures, but that is not very helpful in determining what is what. You also have to take off your shoes in a traditional Korean restaurant and sit at a larger communal table on a pillow on the floor. I am a little intimidated to do this on my own yet. I am going out to dinner tonight with Monica and am excited to try some new Korean cuisine. I am hoping to have her teach me a bit about how to order and help me so that I can dine out at a Korean restaurant on my own.

I bought a hair dryer yesterday and was excited to use it this morning so that I could flat iron my hair and actually wear it down. Once my hair was dry, I plugged in my flat iron to finish my hair and of course it stopped working. I think the voltage was off and I broke it. I really hope not, but I had to go and buy one here with a Korean plug.

And now the moment you've all been waiting for........... ok, well it's not that exciting, but here are pictures of my apartment. Side note: there are all kinds of little fruit stands, mini marts, and restaurants on the bottom level of my apartment building. There is even a fish store that has octopus, fish, and all kinds of other squiggly sea creatures swimming in water tanks on the sidewalk.

view from the front door

my bathroom

shower

walk-in closet

kitchen

view of the front room

kitchen table

my bed

gotta love the bedspread

shoe closet

view of the front door

Now mind you I vowed to never be one of those people who posts a million pictures of her first apartment/house online (sorry if that's your style) but I feel this does not count because 1. this is not facebook and 2. I am in foreign territory and 3. I have had some requests and I understand the need to see things to better understand because I myself am a visual learner.

Namaste