Adjusting

So far I have found Korea to be an interesting place. It is very much first world meets third world. For the most part Seoul seems to be first world. There are tall buildings, clean streets, well dressed people and a decent standard of living. People seem well off. But I also run into those third world traits. Such as people vending on the side of the street, one room apartments, squatter toilets and so on. I find it interesting to be in a developing country like Korea. I have lived in a third world country to the extreme and I have also lived in a first world country, but I have never had the chance to experience both at once. It throws me off at times.

Last night my boss wanted to take us English teachers out for a beer after work. It was kind of odd because I have never gone for beer with a boss before. He ordered a few appetizers and a few pitchers of beer. It was great to get to know some of the other teachers and our boss in a more relaxed environment. We talked about Korean society, school, jobs we had before coming to Korea, other places we've lived and experience, and so many other things. It was incredibly refreshing to be sharing conversation and ideas with a Korean, a New Zealander, a Scotsman and a few other North Americans. I feel like last night was just a peek of what is to come as far as friendships with people from all over the world.

Today Heather, me, our Canadian neighbor and our New Zealander friend decided to venture out to Techno Mart. (a place where we could find an outlet adapter and cell phones) We took the subway (which is the nicest subway that I have been in yet) and decided to stop and walk through Olympic Park. Olympic Park is huge and beautiful. The blossoms and little sprigs of green were all over the place, and because of the warming weather everyone else seemed to be enjoying the park too. Even though Seoul is a huge city there are still plenty of beautiful green areas and parks to enjoy. So after walking through Olympic Park we continued our journey to Techno Mart. Upon arriving at Techno Mart I was surprised and shocked! I was thinking Techno Mart was a store, but I was in for a huge surprise. Instead, it was almost a mall of sorts. There were 11 stories of cubicle like shops divided by floor.  Among those 11 stories there was one whole floor of cell phone venders. We stopped there first and bargained for cell phones. Then we went to one of the two camera floors and found our outlet adapters. You could probably find anything in that place and find it for an awesome deal too. After going to Techno Mart I am in shock at the bulk amounts of electronics and stuff that one can buy in Korea.