Firsts.

Naturally, being here just over a week, I am still learning about this country and experiencing new things daily. I have begun teaching classes on my own. The kids are generally well behaved and eager to learn. They basically behave similarly to an American high school class minus three or four of the worst behaved children.

The river between my home and work.

I rode the subway for the first time last night. It is nice living across the street from the station. I was going to meet my friend in Migum, which is another neighborhood in the city. It was far easier than I expected as the stops were announced in English as well as shown on the screen. The subway is amazingly clean.

The green is a track surface and runs for miles.

Almost to work.

I like.

I work in the building that says "Avalon" on top.

This week I went out with my co-workers for the first time as well. Beer and alcohol are cheap here and there is always Soju. Soju is rice wine which is a misnomer because its is far stronger. I would compare it to vodka except much sweeter. I actually enjoy the taste and need no chaser (accident waiting to happen).

This leads to my first cab ride home in a semi-blurred state. Luckily I know my neighborhood, Sunae, and I live across from Lotte Plaza, a giant department store/ shopping area. It turned thirty minute walk into a five minute cab ride that cost me two bucks.

Some people from work, teachers and TAs. Dude front left's going away party for his mandatory service in the Korean Army. Those green bottles are the Soju.

Last night I saw 5am for the first time in Korea. We hit up a few bars where ex-pats (look it up, it doesn't mean I am no longer American) hang out. It was weird seeing so many faces in the same place that were not distinctively Korean. Some cheap beers led to hunger pangs so we headed out for food.

A friend from work and his Korean friend led me to a Korean restaurant. Each table has a burner in the middle and a vent above it. I left the ordering to my friends and soon our waitress brought us bowls of rice, cucumber kimchi, radish kimchi, regular kimchi, spicy soup with tofu and vegetables, lettuce, and chili paste. Then an iron pan was brought out and placed on the burner. On the pan was thin sliced beef, onions, and a spicy red sauce. You can eat the meat itself or the way in which I prefer, some rice, beef and chili paste are wrapped in a piece of the fresh red-leaf lettuce and eaten. Come get it.