Sunday, March 1, 2009

my ducklings

so much has happened in a single day and i have such a small amount of time to write. i don't currently have the internet and so i'm at my job. i left the airport on saturday morning at 8:45am and arrived in seoul at 5:45pm on sunday and the craziest thing was that there was no night. it was daylight the whole trip. it wasn't a literal day but still...it was about 20 hours of daylight. i got here and really wanted to sleep but i guess the school decided i needed to eat even though i insisted that i didn't (i really didn't). so we went to this crazy meal which i should've taken a picture of. it was massive. i tried so many bizarre things. kimchi, however, is one of the grosser things i've ever eaten. so many spicy foods. i also ate an entire salad for the first time. isn't that crazy? i'm a changed man. metal chopsticks are harder to use than wooden ones. let's see...what else?

my apartment is phenomenal. i love it. there are HEATED FLOORS! did you hear that america? heated floors. think about that. the shower is a bizarre free floating contraption and it just makes everything wet...but that's ok apparently. i have a laundry room that i'm going to record in. i also go in there to open my window and smoke. my biggest fear is that i will forget the code to my apartment and room. i don't have any keys. i just punch in numbers and it does it. the other two teachers who joined are idiots...sorry, i know that's negative...but one curses in from of the kids...one refuses to eat korean food and was talking about how she heard there was a papa john's. i woke up this morning and walked around for a few hours. i bought grape juice. i found out that there are about 3 convenience stores and 12 restaurants within a square block of me. i have pictures but i haven't loaded any on the new computer because i don't have the proper converters. i found this out when i received a powerful electric jolt from my hair dryer which coincided with a loud pop and some black resin on my fingers. it scared the life out of me.

the kids are adorable, but they do not know any english. i teach kids who are 5 years old. they are really cute...and they warmed up to me eventually, but one cried. i never found out why; she was removed. i was told i would leave around lunch time. it's now about 4:30pm and i don't know why i'm still here. i found out that i basically work 12 hour days. there is stuff that i have to do which i have no time for when i am here. so that's for home. i need to continue settling in and unpacking. i need to get some of those converters...i may have to get some sent...the one i bought was FOR koreans leaving the country, not for americans coming in. =( i was also told i live 15 minutes by foot from school...i must live at least 2 or 3 miles away. it took about 10 minutes to drive here. i am excited though. i don't know what i'm going to do for dinner. i think i will fast for the evening and just go to bed.

i miss you all and while i'm excited, this was a horrible mistake.=) well, not really, but i am going to regret not being there. ok, i need to go so that i will have battery left over the next few days. i can only make my screen so dim. alright, i'll post pictures soon. bye bye.

11 comments:

  1. Heated Floors! Do they have something that wipes your ass for you too?!

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  2. i felt like i would have remembered to say that...but i guess that extravagances like that are so common to me now in the land of the future that they have become common place and mundane to me.

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  3. so good to hear about your trip already. I went to bed worried last night. you better get to likin the kimchi because there is a heck of a lot more where that came from.

    are they going to pay your taxi fare for getting there everyday? thats something to push for.

    And i'm glad your little ones are so cute. How are the textbooks?

    onward!

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  4. i'm thrilled to read this exciting, energy-filled report (most likely source of energy? your hair dryer electrocution).

    i agree with wesley... HEATED FLOORS! goodness gracious me. that's genius! and keypad doors! also genius!

    i am very excited to be writing to someone in the Future who has lived a day with no night. i think this, paired with your electrocution, makes you a prophet at the very least.

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  5. Josh, I am very excited for you. I am curious how being thrown into teaching formats your brain; it certainly can be a psyche-altering experience even when you've been "taught" how to do it.

    You've inspired me, I think, to start blogging (again?). I will certainly be checking in frequently. I hope you will let your support network here know if there's some little knick knack from home that we can stuff in the mail to you.

    I know you don't have time to digest new music right now (or maybe you do), but if you are a fan of M. Ward, his new album is really good. I can get it to you somehow online I think. Peace,

    Pete

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  6. This all sounds pretty exciting! In other news, Wesley and I have decided to have the most boring year of our lives back here in Tyrone. You know, just to, like, help assure you of the rightness of your decision.

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  7. I don't know what's better--reading the blog or reading the comments... especially since i know a few of the commenters! as for the heated floors, that's old news mr. futureman. I AM, however, excited to know how tomorrow will be for me, since you're living it today. Evidently, it is full of morons but also fun gadgets. My today is your yesterday, as we're more than 12 hours apart, and I can tell you this: it wasn't that fun. Here's hoping tomorrow is better!

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  8. Seriously, updates on ass wiping technology from the future.....don't hold out on me man.

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  9. wesley,heated floors are as good as it gets. all other electronic experiences have been pretty f***ed up so far. i did have the best sushi of my life the other night though. it was only 5000w for 4 pieces of nigiri and a shrimp roll. that's about 3.50$. it was on one of those conveyor belts. really phenomenal.

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  10. yeah i've been to one of those conveyor belt places, it's fucking amazing. $3.50! they're practically giving it away!

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  11. "simon said...

    This all sounds pretty exciting! In other news, Wesley and I have decided to have the most boring year of our lives back here in Tyrone. You know, just to, like, help assure you of the rightness of your decision."

    haaaahahaha
    simon and wesley are really good friends

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