im just one person. for more soko info, please check the fb group BSSK, focused on expats of color

Sunday, August 26, 2007

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Date: Sun, 26 Aug 2007 17:02:05 +0000
Hey Sha,

I've been thinking and thinking and I think I may join you in Asia. For real, I think I am going to make a couple of appointments at some places in the City (San Francisco). whats in san francisco?

I do have a few questions though. How are you liking the experience? i like it very much. ive not regretted moving here for a second. i like my job, i love the kids, i like the pay/savings potential. Do you miss home and friends overly much? yes, but a bit is my own "fault." im not terribly social, so i dont hang out with people here as much as i could. my coworkers are hella nice, but when they invite me out, i dont go more than half the time. i have met a few sistas here, and we get together for lunch a few times a month, but again, i dont hang out much with them either.

How connected, or disconnected, are you to music, culture, movies politics? of korea? not at all, but im not really looking. i think it depends on the school you work for, and who you know. i have a friend that works in public school and her korean co-teachers tell her about all kinds of events coming up: festivals, concerts, etc. i suppose i could find that info out if i tried harder, but ive not bothered yet.

Do you have folks you would consider as friends? yes

Can you buy clothes that fit you (Asians are really petitie)? ive not done too much shopping. i've bought lots of socks, and t-shirts. when i walk through itaewon, the shop owners hold out their business cards for me to take, saying, "we have big size, we have big size!"

What things do you do for fun/nightlife? in seoul, two places most popular are the parts of town called itaewon and hongdae. i would compare itaewon to tijuana. it's nice during the day, very ethnically diverse, tons of great restaurants and shopping, but at night the foreigners and military come out and it can look sleezy. ive only been to hongdae a couple of times, looks nicer, and they're the same: bars/clubs on every corner.

Do you get to travel to other parts of the area i.e. Islands in the South Pacific? no, b/c i work for cdi and we get very little vacation time. tho that has not stopped my coworkers, they plan trips around their weekends and have visited japan and north korea.

How are the toilets? there are bathrooms everywhere. there is not always soap and toilet paper. i carry toilet paper with me everywhere and have been thankful for it many times. when you pee here, you dont flush the toilet paper down the toilet, you but it in the wastebin in the stall next to you. but they're cleaned regularly. well, no, i guess it depends on where you are? ive not yet been in a public toilet that wasnt acceptable, but my friend works at a public school and she said the bathrooms smell pissy. there is always at least one western style toilet everywhere you go. the rest will be squat toilets.

What are your regrets? i wish i couldve bought a laptop before i came, and downloaded my music into it. i wish i had more money with me when i first got here.

In your opinion is Korea or Japan a better place to be? aaron would be the one to ask about japan, he's been there 3 or 4 years now? i dont know enought about japan to comment. but i can say that im really glad i ended up in korea. the pay is really great, and most times you get free housing and paid/reimbursed airfare. if you think you're in it for a while, maybe come to korea first, save up some money, and then go to japan after your korea contract.

Have you been able to do any freelance tutoring? no, it's illegal to, and really i like my free time, so ive not bothered to try to find any. however im pretty sure you CAN have a second job at cdi, youre considered "freelance" and you just need to have your arc card adjusted. i think. im not sure.

overall i really love it here. i will for sure extend my contract and stay. ive not done much in in terms of traveling and socializing and all, but i dont feel like im missing out. its not that i'll never do these other things, im just not doing them NOW. i dont feel like i only have a year (or whatever the length of my contract is) to do these things, i'll be here for a while. there'll be time enough for travel and such.

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