Turning A New Leaf

The last few weeks have been eventful. Unfortunately, I haven't had Internet to publish all the excitement. I'm currently relaxing in a coffee shop near me that has WiFi. An Earl Grey is more expensive than Starbucks, but it's a neat place with a cool atmosphere and some chilled out acid jazz. As the table next to me is getting up to leave, I'm suddenly realizing that I'm the only guy in this place. I guess in Korea Seven Monkeys doesn't mean viral apocalypse, but means girls drink expensive iced lattes. I actually only count three monkeys... maybe there's more upstairs.

Today is the last day of a three-day-weekend. People are out and about, but seem more relaxed than their usual hectic selves. Tomorrow is back to work, and the start of my second week at Pagoda, my new school. My first week was great. The only complaint is that with a split schedule of 07:00 to 10:00 and then 18:00 to 22:00, I don't get to enjoy very much sleep, unless I take a nap in the middle of the day. Still, remarkably when my 07:00 class starts, I'm able to muster up a bundle of energy to expel into my class. Some classes are extremely easy, with students eager to express their opinions. Other classes are more difficult, and I have to pick on people to elicit conversation. It humours me when all the students avoid eye contact with me during class discussions, hoping I won't ask their opinion. They paid for a conversation class, but I guess they hoped I would be doing all the conversing.

The teachers at Pagoda are complete opposites to the teachers at Maple Bear. They're loud, rude, obnoxious and will make fun of you any chance they get. I love them! There's around 40 teachers at Pagoda, compared to 7 at Maple Bear, so it's easy to find somebody to talk to. Also the teachers are much less stressed, and more outgoing. I'm happy that I no longer have to deal with the cliquey high school atmosphere of Maple Bear, but I do miss the few friends that I did have, mostly Tim, my single Korean friend. I still hang out with Daniel, just not as frequently. The one hour trek on the always crowded subway means meeting for a quick dinner is impractical.

Moving to the the other end of the city meant that I had to leave the apartment that I loved so much. I don't miss it. My current apartment is less than exciting, and I'm lighting candles in attempt to defeat the funky smells, but the excitement of the area easily makes up for everything. Everyone in Gangnam is between the age of 20 and 30. There's actually army men with guns at Gangnam Station, checking IDs and ensuring that only youthful people get off the subway. No children or old people welcome.

Three months of in Korea, and finally things feel right. This is what I was expecting when I came here. It's only been a week, but my first week with Pagoda has been much more enjoyable than my first week with Maple Bear. I hope it will continue to be enjoyable for another 51 weeks.