My walk to school is about 20 minutes and what I figure to be about a mile away. The above images are a selection from my walk to school. In the top image is the street I live on. That monstrous building in the distance is a Samsung Electronics building. It is huge, I don't know what they make there, but it is bigger than you can imagine it to be. The two very tall towers are half of what is known as Metapolis, the center piece of Dongtan, home too a very large mall equipped with a movie theater and ice skating rink.  My school is located on the 6th floor of a 9 story building and I have my own classroom, As you can see below it is small, but my largest class is only 12 students, so it is all we need. Makes for a much better student to teacher ratio, and I doubt I could handle more students, because with the 100 students that I see in a week, it keeps me busy to say the least. Working 10 hour days usually. Today for instance, I arrived at 1230 and left at 1030. Just a brief addition, I will try to write again as I find time, post questions in the comments and I will try and answer specifics. More to come of course...

Dongtan sits just under an hour south of Seoul. A city of about 400,000 people. With many high rises, stores, bars and most anything you could need. I work about a mile from my apartment. I live on the third and top floor of a small building.
My apartment is small, but simple it is beginning to feel like home. The door does not have a key, but a key pad. I have a washing machine, but hang all my clothes to dry. A small grocery store two blocks away sells me most of what I need, but a much larger store called Home Plus similar to a Target or Walmart about a 10 minutes away has all other needs. Some points of note about the apartment. I have heated floors, which is very nice indeed, but is the way in which the entire apartment is heated. When I want to use the stove, their is a central knob to turn the gas on and off and then use the stove. You are advised to turn it off when not using the stove. The bathroom is equipped with a bidet, which keeps you clean to say the least. The shower is only half separated from the rest of the bathroom, so it is near impossible to not soak your bathroom floor when you shower, not sure why this is, but it seems to be the norm for small apartments like this.

After I hectic week of training, but does not compare to the WFR I am all set to teach. The rest of my week in Seoul included studying, eating, and drinking. I am trying to consolidate an entire weeks events into some sort of cohesive thought, but that doesn't seem all possible in a short blog, so let the word vomit begin.

I left off saying that I would be going to lotteria, the South Korean McDonalds. It was, well it was what it was expected to be. I opted for the meat and fried tofu burger stacked on top of each other with a whole bunch of veggies.

On top of my exploration of western elements in the country of course their is starbucks, but not as extensively as it is in NYC, but other coffee style places are everywhere. What you can't swing a cat by the tail and not hit is 7-11, you can find one ten stores away from another one. That is enough of that though, on to more interesting things.

Many restaurant's you pay to cook your own food, Korean BBQ they bring you the meat and you get a hot plate in front of you either gas or coal, and have at it. Thin sliced beef brisket and Fat back bacon, with a lot of nice sides; Fermented veggies, rice and some, what I would describe as a heartier miso soup.

Another similar place called Shabu-shabu was delicious as well. Again you order some meat and veggies, but instead of a hot plate, you get a large wok with broth in it and make a stew, The meat is a very thinly sliced beef brisket and the veggies are leafs, sprouts, mushrooms, onions and squash. At the end with the left over broth they add rice to it and cook it down to a porridge which has the consistency of much, but tastes like the best chicken noodle soup you will ever have. 

Once working up the courage to endeavor on my own I went to a small 6 table restaurant just down the road from my hotel. At my first attendance I ate a pork kimchee rice dish, good enough to lure me back for another meal which was also favorable. This time it was pork dumplings beef and vegetables wrapped in rice and seaweed (not sushi, thats japanese) no soy sauce and wasabi with this. with a little soup, kimchee and tofu sides.

My last note and picture for this will be the fantastic club we went to in Gangnam called Noise Basement. American music remixed by Korean DJ's with some of the best lighting I have seen in a regular club and not a concert, felt like a music video. Let me tell you, Korean's got moves (like Jagger).

Pictures of Dongtan, my new living situation and job to follow.

 This blogs intent is to try and convey my overall experience in Korea with a focus on the major cultural differences and draw a picture (with the help of pictures!) of the Korean landscape.

Flight OZ 221 on Asiana Airlines, not an empty seat on the plane, mostly Asians (one baby that I saw who didn’t make a peep the whole flight). My last meal in America was a Newcastle Brown Ale (No IPA’s on tap) and some french fries thanks Buffalo wild wings.Within my first 10 minutes on the plane I meet a Chinese man who offered me a job to come teach English at the University he works for in China once I left Korea. We Flew straight north from New York over the Hudson Bay and I got my first look at the Artic Circle, the ice went on for hours.

I opted for the Korean meal for my first meal on the plane, obviously, which was a really tasty traditional meal called Bibimbab or some shuffling of those letters. It was a little microwaved package of rice and then a bowl of vegetables with ground meat. The small little containers at the top of the picture are kimchi and sweet walnuts. To the left of that is your three basic melons. It also included some dried Pollack soup and to drink I got Maekgoli, traditional rice wine, which is delicious and as I would come to find out later that night; incredibly delicious, it is very sweet and thick like post cereal milk. 

Down town Seoul is busy, a small step above New York having 2 million more in population, but it is well equipped to handle it. Big streets in great condition and lots of cars. Tons of young people were out in the district we went to the first night. walking down small back alley ways that were well lit  with bars and restaurants. The hotel room has heated floors in the rooms and heated seats on the toilets. Korea is living in the future, this is what we think the world should be like in 2012. The Dunkin Donuts here is better than you could ever imagine, a picture will come soon. On my way out to Lotteria apparently the Korean McDonalds, I was advised not to eat it, but I can't help myself.

Three days until departure. Lots of packing to be done, last minute things to be forgotten. Awaiting the 14 hours of being locked in a single chair.

I assume that by blogging, those that wish to read about my time spent teaching in Korea can do so voluntarily, without unfairly subjecting others that wish not to listen to some sort of constant update. So, if you are reading thank you, I hope you find it interesting, I will try to make it so.