I'm BAAAAAAAAACCCK?!?

If you are confused by the headline then you ought to be. Back from where? Didn't you just leave? Huh? Oh...back to blogging. When I left California to head back here to Korea I had three main goals in mind. Spend less money, read more, and write more. I am proud to say I have failed miserably at two of the three. I think you can guess which two. Hint, I have eaten in my apartment twice, well three times if you count the bowl of rice I ate there this morning. And I haven't failed like the thirteen year-old version of myself who was cut from the 8th grade basketball team it was more like the thirteen year old version of myself who dumped his girlfriend because he was too scared to call her. Anyhow, it's about damn time I updated this thing...so here goes.

I arrived in Korea August 22nd. I then was put through a week-long orientation in order to prepare me for the trials and tribulations or being an English teacher in Seoul. The orientation was mundane. Met a lot of cool people though, mostly felt like my first week in the freshman dorms. I learned.

So after a week long orientation I was itching to get out and make something of this adventure. We were loaded onto buses like livestock and sent off to meet our Co-teachers and Boss-people. It was a mess. There were about 100 high school teachers at orientation, and all of us were sent to a high school soccer field in downtown Seoul where we were unceremoniously dumped off to a raging mosh pit of Koreans looking for the fresh piece of foreign meat that would become their English firing target for the year. Some had signs with our names on them, most didn't, it was pure chaos. Inexplicably, I somehow located my name written in tiny ballpoint pen being held above the fray. I walked towards my name, my name walked away, I chased it, and eventually, I caught up.

Next thing I know I am in a car with my new Korean co-teacher and according to her, my boss. After one of the most terrifying car rides of my life I somehow, beyond logic, arrived at my new apartment. I was excited because as we pulled up I was told my apartment was brand new, good start. So we ride the elevator up, 8th floor, nice savings on the heating bill this winter right? The door opened to a small studio. By small I mean a bedroom disguised as an apartment. Not to mention that the place was empty, apart from the built in desk/ closet/ closet/ refrigerator. Well at least was new. I spent the rest of the day thinking about the clubs in Hongdae and the fact that my twin, Stacey, was in town for one night and I desperately wanted to get away from the situation.

So, we wandered around E-Mart, Homeplus, Homever, back to E-Mart and finally back to my apartment. When I finally kicked my kind and well intentioned hosts out of my apartment like a steak on Friday I had a chair, a toaster oven, a blanket and pillow, and a bed on order. I couldn't have cared less as I jumped in the shower and headed out. More to come...