I've been in Korea for less than 72 hours. It's been a crazy experience thus far, but in a good way. Lots, and lots to do. It's 5:30 am over here- I just woke up after getting to sleep around 10:00. This...is kind of like a proper sleep pattern, but not really. I imagine it'll be kinda rough getting to proper sleep habits, but we'll see.

But I'm getting ahead of myself! There's really so much to say- and so much I'm GOING to say, so I'm kind of at a loss of where to start!

So, some specifics. I've just started working for a ESL school in Ilsan, Korea. Ilsan's a little satellite city, about an hour north of Seoul. The school is actually a chain- and this is the headquarters. They still have classes and such, which are only about a half dozen little kids each. It's pretty fun.

They've put me up in a little studio apartment (which I will post pictures of soon enough, I assure you).

Honestly, the first night there was pretty horrid. I was in pretty bad shape from jetlag (and having only slept like 5 hours on the plane), for one. And so, looking over that small-but-empty little room, I couldn't help but feel a surge of existential dread, and wondered how hard it would be to get back to the airport and hop the first flight back to the states. I also made the mistake of not picking up any duty free liquor at the airport, to boot. And finally, the apartment had no toilet paper. Bad night, all around.

But! The next morning was far, far better. I got to meet the other teachers at the school- including two other Americans who have been here awhile, and they've been invaluable in showing me the ropes. I've exchanged some dollars to won- and now life looks a hell of a lot better with cash in my wallet. Each little thing I buy for the apartment is a little victory. I'm sure I'll make the place my own, soon enough!

The first thing I bought was a big package of TP, and then some beer. Priorities, y'know.

I've been eating a lot of Korean food- for obvious reasons. I'm sure people who know me may be shocked at this, given my reputation as a picky eater! Still, I've been eating a variety of stuff- mostly because a lot of the time, I can't quite tell what something is, and I wind up eating it anyway. For example, yesterday, I ate something that appeared to be shellfish wrapped in pork, put on a stick, and slathered in barbeque sauce. Seems almost American in that respect. Korean food's fairly spicy- but I lived in Texas for all those years, so it's not like I can't manage a little kick. Most Koreans I've talked to are pretty impressed when I say this and order food that's a little spicy.

I've learned, uh...maybe about four words in Korean so far? Not bad for just a few days, though. For the most part, I muddle through with hand gestures and pointing, and the fragmentary English Korean people tend to have.

In any case, that's a very brief recap of what I've seen thus far! But rest assured, friends, there will be far more to come! Travel adventures! New food! Beer reviews (or just rants about how I can't find a good saison in this country)! Cultural comparisons! Book reviews of the (probably not enough) paperbacks I brought with me! And more!

So stay tuned. It's gonna be a wild ride.