I'm here! Part 2.

 

Well, it was getting late last night so I didn't get to finish. That and I'm thinking TLDR syndrome might kick in. So here's Part 2 and some pictures. Below is a view out of one side of my Dads place.

 

So I was feeling a bit out of sorts for the first 12 hours or so. In the morining I was woken at 6am/I was already awake, and since I felt up to it I tagged along with my old man to his work at a kindergarten about 1hr and 50mins away via 2x trains and a bus (and they all run on the same swipe card, it's awesoooome, some shops even accept them as payment like a credit card). Either way the trip was incredibly cheap, maybe $4. As I said before, the trains are amazing, but this time we got something different. We got the normal work rush. Since we get on at the beginning of the tracks here at Nowon, we get a seat. Which was good, because they all filled up, and then the train filled up completely. It was packed, just like you want to imagine, no personal space or boundaries. But the funny thing is the smart phones. Everyone has one, and everyone is totally absorbed in them, no matter what public transport you are taking. Oh, also the bus drivers are speed demons, they are like race car drivers, pedal to the metal, quick gear change, quick stop. Hold onto something and don't let go till its time to get off or you'll go flying. Sometimes you'll go flying while you're still holding onto the handles.

 

I got to see Seoul this day. The trains are mostly underground, but crossing the river and further out of the city the train is mostly above ground. So I got to see a lot. This city is amazingly huge. And everything in it is huge. The thing is, it's not the amount of people that confound me, I think the human brain can handle seeing a lot of people, it's the buildings that are hard to fathom. Imagine a city the size of Auckland, surrounded by mountains and cliffs with a huge river cutting it down the middle, and just imagine the whole area covered with tall buildings, and not just tall buildings, but gigantic monoliths of apartments and offices. Imagine them stretching all over every flat space, all the way into the mountains. The smallest buildings I've seen are villas, and then there are squats - run down ground level buildings which are about as close to what Korea has to slums. But there are so many apartment buildings. The one I'm in holds 1500 people. That's basically an NZ town in a building.

So what's happening on this commute to work is any fear I have of this place is slowly evaporating and giving way to pure awe. And what's also happening is I'm starting to realise I'm going to need to pick up a bit of Korean to make my way around this place. Which is fine. Something I've noticed is the advertising. Koreans don't seem to be all that creative with signage. The signs are all just names and coloured lettering. There is no branding. But those signs are everywhere, in paint, neon, blow up plastic "tree trunks" on the side of the road, on windows, flags, posters, everywhere. Another thing I'm noticing is the market vendors. They are everywhere, and I dont even think where they set up is legal. They just plonk there goods down or open up their car boot and start selling. It's really interesting. I almost got Takoyaki from the back of this cool little van last night but I was too full from dinner.

Anyway, back to the Kindergarten. I've never seen my dad act like this. It was completely new and quite entertaining. I even joined in on "What's the time Mr. Wolf?". He was so into it, and he had to be as well. I have to say after seeing that, I think he may actually be a good teacher! The only down side is their attention span and the short size of the lessons. But I think being ages 4-7 probably requires a more general approach. The kids there were amazed at me. They mustn't see many foreigners apart from my Dad. Some came and hugged my legs, some stroked the fur on my arms, but most of them tried their english out on me. It was hilarious and they were all cute as. I can see why he likes doing it. I will enjoy it too if I manage to find a job.

I also made my first purchase on my own that day. I bought a fanta and a snickers bar for 1750w which is about $2. Easy as. I need to learn Korean numbers though. That will be really helpful.

So after Kindy we came back to Nowon, and Dad and Sharon have some kind of after school learning school of their own. They teach English to about 5 kids at a time and it's quite cool really. Tiny little office though. But I'm sure it's an effective niche here to take advantage of, especially if you're a native speaker. It was at this point in the second class that Soph decided to take me on a bike ride down to the river. It was amazing. The backstreets were so cool, and the river itself has this wicked cycle-way along it, with lanes and speed limits. It must've been an 8km ride. We had lots of fun. And I didn't wear a helmet because nobody here does. Watch out, we've got a badass over here.

After coming back we had dinner at this fried chicken place with one of Sharons primary school friends. She was crack up as well, and Gangnam Style came on the radio and I did the dance much to dads shame but everyone elses enjoyment!!! I even got that side step move down finally.

Anyway. That was my first official day in Seoul. And it was awesome. I'm really starting to have a good time and I think it's only a matter of time till I make some friends of my own. Today I'm going to go and try grab a sim card for my phone so I can use maps and GPS to find my way around if I get lost. Although there is english on a lot of signs, there isn't much on the normal more out of the way places, and since everything looks kinda the same and I cant read anything to note the difference it's probably a good idea to get that sorted asap.

I dont think today is going to be that busy, but it will still be fun and the way it's been, I'm sure something else interesting will happen soon. So I miss everyone at home of course, but I'm no longer freaking out about why I'm here, because now that I am I can just enjoy it for a while till I can get a job.

On a side note I'm just going to say my room is tiny, but that's fine because I dont spend much time in it. Nor do we spend much time at home from what I can tell. Which is a good thing.

Ok off I go. Heading out now. I'm not going to update this daily, but I just thought I'd let you all know that I'm fine and having a good time.