Beijing irony

Two ironic things about Beijing:

1. The air is actually clear today. We could actually see the city a good half hour before we landed.
2. I felt a sense of freedom when I entered the terminal. Not political freedom, but freedom from the crap shoot of working in Korea.

Oh, and China sucks at being communist. This country reeks of free market capitalism. ;)

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
  • 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
  • Macau S.A.R.: 3
    
    • 1 x arrival stamp
      
    • 1 x expiry date stamp
      
    • 1 x departure stamp
  • Japan: 2
    
    • 1 x arrival stamp
      
    • 1 x departure stamp

• Number of S. Korean metro cities visited (max. 7): 5
  
  • Seoul
    
  • Incheon
    
  • Busan
    
  • Gwangju
    
  • Daejeon
  
  
  
• Number of S. Korean provinces visited (max. 9, excl. metro cities): 3
  
  • Gyeonggi
    
  • Chungcheongnam
    
  • Jeollanam
  
  
  
• Number of S. Korean cities visited: 14
  
  • Seoul
    
  • Incheon
    
  • Busan
    
  • Gwangju
    
  • Daejeon
    
  • Bucheon
    
  • Yongin
    
  • Namyangju
    
  • Yangpyeong
    
  • Anyang
    
  • Suwon
    
  • Gongju
    
  • Cheonan
    
  • Jeonju
  
  
  
• 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)
    
  
  

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's Friday afternoon and I'm done! I'm done! I'm done! I'm done!

Party at my place!

Bus blows up in Seoul

Holy crap. (Full news story here.)

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

• 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
  

Summer: the noisiest season

300 km/h

For the folks visiting this blog from Canada and the US, have you ever wondered what 300 km/h (186 MPH) looks like on a train?