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Wednesday, September 1, 2010
Monday, August 16, 2010
Beijing irony
Two ironic things about Beijing:
- The air is actually clear today. We could actually see the city a good half hour before we landed.
- I felt a sense of freedom when I entered the terminal. Not political freedom, but freedom from the crap shoot of working in Korea.
Tags:
China,
strangeness,
vacation
Sunday, August 15, 2010
Leaving South Korea: by the numbers
Now that I'm on my way to China, here are some random statistics. (Stats accurate as of arrival in China.)
- Duration spent in the country (not incl. trips abroad): 337
- Number of passport stamps prior to arrival: 0
- Number of passport stamps after leaving Korea: 19
- S. Korea: 7
- 1 x alien registration stamp
- 3 x arrival stamp
- 3 x departure stamp
- 1 x alien registration stamp
- P.R. China: 1
- 1 x transit stamp
- Hong Kong S.A.R.: 6
- 2 x arrival stamp
- 2 x expiry date stamp
- 2 x departure stamp
- 2 x arrival stamp
- Macau S.A.R.: 3
- 1 x arrival stamp
- 1 x expiry date stamp
- 1 x departure stamp
- 1 x arrival stamp
- Japan: 2
- 1 x arrival stamp
- 1 x departure stamp
- 1 x arrival stamp
- S. Korea: 7
- Number of S. Korean metro cities visited (max. 7): 5
- Seoul
- Incheon
- Busan
- Gwangju
- Daejeon
- Seoul
- Number of S. Korean provinces visited (max. 9, excl. metro cities): 3
- Gyeonggi
- Chungcheongnam
- Jeollanam
- Gyeonggi
- Number of S. Korean cities visited: 14
- Seoul
- Incheon
- Busan
- Gwangju
- Daejeon
- Bucheon
- Yongin
- Namyangju
- Yangpyeong
- Anyang
- Suwon
- Gongju
- Cheonan
- Jeonju
- Seoul
- Number of different electrical outlets encountered: 5
- Number of customs checkpoints passed: 17
- New records (or near-records):
- Coldest temperature experienced: -21 C (-6 F)
- Most ground distance traveled in 1 day: 333 km (207 miles): Seoul-Fukuoka one-way
- 2nd most ground distance traveled in 1 day: 331 km (206 miles): Seoul-Gwangju round-trip
- Most consecutive days spent abroad (after Sept. 1): 378 days
- Farthest distance traveled on public transit in 1 day: 120 km (75 miles)
- Coldest temperature experienced: -21 C (-6 F)
Tags:
South Korea
안녕히 가세요, Korea! 你好, Beijing!
It's hard to believe that my year in Korea is finally over. A lot has changed on both sides of the ocean during the past year and it's a little bit of a relief to see the light at the end of the tunnel.
It also occurred to me that this is the first time in a long time that I have nothing related to work or school to look forward to in a while. Since high school, I've had classes or work at least every summer coming up. It's strange to not think about the new school year or starting a job.
At the same time, it's somewhat refreshing. This year in Korea was hard, partly because it felt like one long business trip. I never really relaxed for the past year; it was "go go go now now NOW quickly quickly QUICKLY" for 12 months and this is the first time in a while that time is no longer a factor.
In the past year, I also found out or confirmed a lot of things about myself. I had a tough time during some of these discoveries but I guess now I know.
I'm going to miss having the freedom to live alone, but living in a familiar place with a familiar language and familiar customs would be a nice shift from this chaotic year.
It also occurred to me that this is the first time in a long time that I have nothing related to work or school to look forward to in a while. Since high school, I've had classes or work at least every summer coming up. It's strange to not think about the new school year or starting a job.
At the same time, it's somewhat refreshing. This year in Korea was hard, partly because it felt like one long business trip. I never really relaxed for the past year; it was "go go go now now NOW quickly quickly QUICKLY" for 12 months and this is the first time in a while that time is no longer a factor.
In the past year, I also found out or confirmed a lot of things about myself. I had a tough time during some of these discoveries but I guess now I know.
I'm going to miss having the freedom to live alone, but living in a familiar place with a familiar language and familiar customs would be a nice shift from this chaotic year.
Tags:
random crap
Friday, August 13, 2010
It's Friday afternoon and I'm done! I'm done! I'm done! I'm done!
Party at my place!
Tags:
random crap
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
10 days left
So I officially have 10 full days left in Korea. It's hard to believe that the number of days remaining is now in the single digits.
I already came to terms with leaving a while ago, so I've had some time to reflect what I'm going to miss about Korea and what I'm not going to list. It's quite a colorful list, actually.
Things I'll miss about Korea
Things I won't miss about Korea
I already came to terms with leaving a while ago, so I've had some time to reflect what I'm going to miss about Korea and what I'm not going to list. It's quite a colorful list, actually.
Things I'll miss about Korea
- cheap public transit fares
- not having to tip at restaurants
- the option to travel the country by KTX bullet train
- the Wolfhound
- almost non-existent sales tax
- sales tax being included in the price tag
- readily available street food
- living conveniently next to the city center
- the T-Money smart card system
- convenience stores at every corner
- proximity to nearby places and countries
- the awesome internet service
- the low crime rate, especially property crime
- range of camera equipment on sale
- bargaining for products
- cheap cab fares
- fried chicken (much more superior than Canada's)
- the ease of clearing customs
- cleanliness of the subways
- cheap cell phone rates
- having squid available for lunch every second day
- cheap and plentiful billiard halls
Things I won't miss about Korea
- drivers running red lights, not shoulder checking, nearly running over predestrians, etc.
- people spitting everywhere
- every car on the road being the same 4 Korean car brands
- every car on the road being either black, silver or white
- occasional overt discrimination against foreigners and other Asians
- garbage on the streets everywhere
- motorcyclists driving on the sidewalks
- insane back roads and side streets
- Korean currency values going up and down like a yo-yo
- the mutant mosquitoes in summer
- the pesky cicadas in summer
- the humidity of summer
- the extreme dryness in winter, which makes skin crack open
- people not knowing how to walk in a straight line and bumping into each other as a result
- the unbelievably slow pace of Seoul for a city of its size
- people not picking up after their dogs
- the random puddles of puke and urine on the streets
- the tight regulations on stuff like imports, cell phones, and communications in general, causing either unavailability of products or inflated prices
- the lack of decent/authentic international foods outside Itaewon
- the extreme homogeneity of Korea; I think I prefer a multicultural area more
- noise pollution during election time... oh dear god...
- crazy adjummas
Tags:
random crap,
South Korea
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