Books and War

Okay, yes, I know it's been a little too long since I've last posted. Instead of boring you with my excuses, I'll just get right to it.

Life has been good. I've been settling into a nice little routine here. It's starting to get pretty humid and I'm making good use of not one, but two air conditioners in my classroom. As expected, my girl students complain that it's too cold. With all the sympathy I can muster up, I tell them to bring a coat next time.

Last week I found the bookstore and my quality of life has drastically improved since then. I finished The Coldest Winter, a book on America and the Korean war, and tackled two 500 page novels that I just couldn't put down. If you're looking for some exciting summer reading, put Child 44 and The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo on your list. Two excellent books in my humble opinion.

Reading The Coldest Winter really put living and working in South Korea in a new perspective. In a short 50 years, South Korea has transformed itself into one of the best economies in the world. That would have never been possible if it weren't for Americans fighting in what, at the time, they and the folks back home thought was a meaningless and futile war (sound familiar?). Even now, it's known as The Forgotten War. In many ways, it was an embarassing war for the U.S., with many foolish decisions being made by those in charge. But to forget the sacrifice of those who gave their lives for a free and democratic South Korea would be a tragedy. If it weren't for their sacrifice, I wouldn't be living, working, and making money here today.

Well it's almost 2 a.m. here and I haven't been feeling too hot lately. If I don't post before the 4th, Happy Fourth of July!

Big Day

Today is a big day. Not only is it my one month anniversary of coming to Korea, but more importantly, it's my first payday. To help you understand how exciting that is, you need to know that I have two dollars left to my name and have been living off Ramen noodles and Frosted Flakes for the past 3 days. It's been feeling a lot like college again.

In anticipation of this big day, I opened a Korean bank account yesterday, all by myself. It was very easy. In only ten minutes, I walked out the door with a bank account, a check card, and some complimentary Hello Kitty candy. And so now my stomach and bank account, both empty, patiently await my first paycheck.

The first thing I plan on buying is a cell phone. It's hard to fit in here without a cell phone in my hands at all times. If there's a county more addicted than America to their electronic gadgets, it's got to be Korea. Since they pretty much make all of them, that's not too surprising.

The second thing I plan to buy is a haircut.

On Monday, I received a package from my ever-loving parents filled with some of my favorite books, a french press, chocolate, and an ipod nano. It almost felt like my birthday. The chocolate is already gone but I've been enjoying having portable music once again. I think the third thing I will buy is some Starbucks beans to french press. This instant coffee is just not cutting it.

7 Things I Don't Miss

I couldn't think of 10 things I don't miss so here are 7.

1. Driving

2. Making lattes for a living

3. Places that close at 9 p.m

4. Miami University girls

5. Tipping at restaurants

6. West Chester nightlife

7. President Obama

Top 10 Things I Miss

You might be wondering what I've been missing the most since I've been here. In no particular order, here are ten things I miss a lot. My family and friends are just a given so I have not listed them here :)

1. french press coffee

2. a dryer

3. my books

4. the cat

5. my guitar

6. the English language

7. American personality

8. my wallet

9. Barnes and Noble

10. blonde girls

Stay tuned for a list of things I don't miss...

Downtown

I apologize for my lapse in posting last week. I haven't lost anything lately so there just hasn't been much to write about. Well actually, I did leave my apartment key sitting on the park bench for about two hours yesterday. I got back to my apartment, realized I didn't have my key, and remembered it fell out of my pocket while I was reading. Luckily, it was still there when I went to get it. You must really be wondering what a guy like me is doing living overseas.

On Saturday afternoon I was in an exploratory mood so I hopped on the subway and headed downtown. I don't know why but I really enjoy riding subways. I think I could ride them all day long. There's only 2 lines here in Daegu so getting places is very simple. But if there's anyone who could get lost on a 2 line way Subway, it's probably me. I actually did go one stop too far on my way back Saturday. A simple mistake anyone could make.

I enjoyed downtown a lot. It seemed like the shops and stores went on forever and there were a lot more people than there are around here. If you get tired of shopping on the street, there's also a whole mall underground which provides a great escape from the sun. Again, I went out on a limb and ate at Burger King where I think I was approached by a member of the Korean mafia, if there is one. He sat down at my table, flashed a gold phone, and asked if I was an English teacher. I said yes and then he went outside and just stared at me through his sunglasses. I'm really not sure what it was about but I decided getting out of there was probably my best option.

I'll be going downtown again on Wednesay to play at the Open Mic at a popular foreigner bar here. I'm hoping to meet some more musicians and I'm looking forward to just playing a few tunes. It should be a good time. Alright, well my PC room time is running out so I must end this post. Hmm, I still haven't posted about those three Korean girls. I guess it will have to wait until next time.