First off, a managerial decision. I think I'm gonna make Monday the official 'blog day,' so change your calendars accordingly! Just gives me more time to do cool stuff on Sunday. Or just be lazy on Sunday and not worry about it. I like to keep my options open.
Regardless, it's still kind of a lucky thing you're getting a post today anyway! As between the jambalaya I just made, the beer I just drank, and KDHX streaming...I could be entirely content to just chill out for the rest of the evening. Simple pleasures, and all that.
But! That wouldn't make for a very exciting blog post. So, the obligatory weekend report!
The big deal on my plate was the big seminar on Saturday- it was down in Gwanju, which is about three and a half hours south of Ilsan. And thus, in order to get to the seminar in time, I (along with a bunch of other teachers at my hagwon) woke up at an ungodly hour of the morning so we could pile into a minivan at 5am and make our way southward.
It goes without saying I brought my ipod.
In any case, driving in Korea is about the same as driving in the states- not too much difference, except maybe for the cars on the road. That, and a notable lack of highway patrol. Seriously, in the 8+ hours we were on the road, I think I only saw...two police cars. Both were in Seoul, and one appeared to be pulled over so somebody could take a leak on the side of the highway. For the most part, the drive looked...like this.
Still, it was pretty interesting to see what Korea looks like outside of Seoul. Lots of green mountains and gorgeous little valleys. Each valley had its own little farming community tucked in- no doubt hundreds of years old, as there's only so much arable land to go around in this tiny little country. Here's a typical view.
One thing that surprised me was the rest stops. They were spaced out pretty regularly, which makes sense. However, where rest stops in the states are essentially just bathrooms with vending machines and a visitor's center attatched, in Korea, they're practically strip malls. There'll be a gas station, a convenience store, a small food court, snacks, books, CD's, and all sorts of stuff. Which makes sense, as it doesn't seem like one stops in a town to resupply.
What surprised me even more was on the drive back- we pulled into a rest stop/strip mall to scarf down a quick dinner around 7pm or so...and the place was PACKED. Which struck me as a little odd, as I've always thought of rest stops as being more of a 'getting there' place, as opposed to a destination itself. Then again, maybe all those people were headed somewhere else, just like we were, or...well, I've got no clue, really.
In any case, spending most of my Saturday either in a stuffy minivan or at a less-than-productive (to put it politely) 'training seminar' didn't do wonders for my spirits. Sunday was my typical 'lazy day,'- I slept in, had a beer brunch (Kozel Dark is deliiiiicious) , made a costco run...nothing too crazy. The usual.
I expect next week to be far more interesting, however. As my birthday is coming up very soon (oh holy crap I'm getting old)...and to commemorate the occasion, I think I shall be going on a quest to the BEER CASTLE.
It'll be far more interesting than rest stops, I assure you.
No comments:
Post a Comment