June 17, 2008: So Much Change

Anyung,

Sorry it's been so long since my last post. I've been busy with work and trying to get settled in. I've used the last month to get necessities to make myself comfortable for the next year. It's been quite a journey to say the least. A lot has happened since my last post.

My aunt bought me a desk, and an office chair, which has my made my room seem less empty. The school bought me a new washing machine, so I can finally do laundry. I received a package from home which was incredibly comforting; thanks mom and bo! I bought a new pair of shoes (thanks for all your support Mindy), and found some clothes that fit me. Put up my first room decoration, a Korean flag.

Since I last wrote I've visited Insadong which is a huge tourist attraction for foreigners. It's a street that is completely closed off to cars so it's nice to wander around. There is a lot of Korean art and trinkets sold along the street. I bought a hand chiseled pencil cup and my Korean flag there. Apparently I've heard that there are a lot of great tea cafes in the area which is definitely something I'll be exploring.

I also visited Dongdaemun at night with Mindy and Amanda. It was a great experience, we frequented a soju tent and then proceeded to go shopping. Dongdaemun is a huge shopping area in Korea, and believe me soju definitely made it more intriguing.

I visited Hongdae, which is the neighborhood around Hongik University. It was amazing, a very youthful and vibrant neighborhood. Unfortunately I only spent an hour there, but I will definitely be visiting it in the near future. There was a lot of intricate graffiti and screen prints, pictures will be coming soon. I've also heard that this is the place to come to hear live bands, so I'm definitely looking forward to seeing that.

For those of you who have been asking about my room and the Korean shower, I've posted pictures, enjoy. I apologize that it took so long, but I wanted it to be somewhat presentable. I've also heard from my friend John that we have an amazing 360 degree from our rooftop, so those pictures will be coming shortly.

I hope all of you are well.

~Sunny

June 3, 2008: Family & Yongsan

Anyung,

Sorry it's been so long since I've posted. I've been pretty busy on the weekends so it's been tough trying to find time to share my experiences. So in the last couple of weeks, I've spent a lot of time with family. This last weekend I went and visited my uncle (on my dad's side) and his family. They live about an hour away on the subway and then half an hour by car. He has two little children, a girl (3 y.o.) and a boy (18 m.o.). Unfortunately I had a really tough time remembering their names but they really took to me. They would follow me around everywhere, I think it was mostly because my Korean was at the same level as theirs. I wished I hadn't accidentally deleted the pictures of them because they were so cute. But I will see them again and I'll make sure to post the pics when I go back.

Other then family I also visited Yongsan, which is the electronics district of Korea. And man is it huge! Unfortunately I also deleted those pictures but I'm sure I'll visit again real soon. So in the Yongsan station there is a electronics mega mall that is 9 stories tall. Imagine a Best Buy with 9 stories, it's huge! They sell every kind of electronic device you could imagine. While I was there I bought a webcam, so if you would like to see me, get Skype.

I'm glad to report that we have 3 days off this weekend (Fri, Sat & Sun) for Memorial Day, so I'm sure I'll do some exploring. I'll make sure to take lots of pics and write about my adventures. Hope all is well.

~Sunny