Last week I moved into my proper home.

You might recall I had been living in my landlady’s house for the past month, waiting for mine to be ready (actually waiting for it to be vacated by the previous tenant).

I was nervous but excited to have my own space. Nervous, because I had mistakenly thought that I was moving into a different flat which would have been tiny, but no, I literally moved directly downstairs and into an apartment identical to the one I had been living in. Yup, I have a nice big 2 bedroom apartment – family and friends, please, feel free to come visit me!

Having said that, I did walk into the most typical experience of an EPIK teacher which was that the apartment had mould in both bedrooms and the outer utility room and the whole place smelled damp.

Luckily for me, I have an awesome boss. He, my co-teacher, and the school’s HR lady once again came with me the day I saw where I was to move and he put his foot down and told the landlady that the bedrooms had to be re-wallpapered and the apartment professionally cleaned. Which it was.

I cannot tell you how grateful I am to not only have such nice people on my side at the school, but my landlady is actually really nice too. The first evening when I couldn’t work out the heating, she came down to see me at 10pm to check it for me and was still all smiles and niceness. And her son speaks English, so if I have a question or problem, I just text him and he replies right away to help or contacts his mum for me.  

Anyway, I like my little apartment. Because it has no furniture really to speak of, it could almost double as a dance studio. I have added a fluffy grey area rug and a giant pink beanbag – the two luxuries I have treated myself to (courtesy of my birthday money from my mum). I already have a small library of books, perched upon a used cardboard box. Maybe one day I might get a small bookcase.

The school has supplied me with a table and chairs, a TV, washing machine and fridge, gas stove, microwave, bed, and wardrobe. I bought my own kettle and I just had my internet installed today. I feel I have everything I need right now.    

I like the quiet feeling of my life. I like my little home.

In addition to my new abode, I can also tell you that I am now officially a resident of Korea. I have a little ID card that tells me so, a registered phone, and a bank account.

I also have a library card. And I won’t lie, I think I was more excited going to the library to get that then I was to get my resident card. I was excited to try and speak to the librarians and they helped me find the books I wanted.

I have successfully managed to order things from the internet (and only foreign people living in Korea will know how bloody hard this can be to achieve with all the fricken’ internet verification) and even had my first ever Korean takeout delivered to my house!

I have joined an online DnD group, had an online short game with them and have signed up for my first weekly campaign starting tomorrow. I have promised my best friend Flea that I will learn how to play while I am away, so that we can then play together when I come home.

I have recently met some other English teachers in my city, which is very exciting! I went to a games evening at another teacher’s house and met about 8 other people who were all very nice (including one who was an EXO fan!). We ate pizza and it was fun. I also met a couple others last week when I joined them for a Frisbee throw around at the river and in a couple weeks will join them for another Frisbee game.

I have twice managed to take the KTX train into Seoul from here in Wonju. Admittedly these trips were a bit stressful, working out buses and trains in Wonju gives me palpitations. For some reason I can manage public transport in Seoul with no problem, here in my own city that’s not the case. To be fair, this seems to be mostly that the buses are classed as ‘rural’ and therefore don’t seem to show up on the little bus app I have until about 10 minutes before they are due to arrive at the stop you want. Therefore, I can’t seem to work out a bus schedule, I just seem to have to go to the bus stop and hang around until a bus shows up (this actually happened on my first morning going to my elementary school – I waited an hour at a bus stop in 2^oc because I had no clue when it would show up – now I know!)

Anyway, the first time I tried the trip, I ‘just’ made it to the train station via the bus, ran to get a ticket for the KTX only to be told by the lady there weren’t any available and instead booked me a ticket for a slower train (leaving in about 5mins) – I ran up to the platform and then missed the train all because I was waiting for it to arrive not realising it was a tiny 3 car train that was already parked further down the platform out of my sight. As it pulled away, I totally realised my mistake, went back down to the ticket office (feeling like I’d cry) and luckily got an English-speaking chap this time who gave me a standing ticket for the KTX (no clue why the lady couldn’t have done that) that was literally on the platform. He helpfully shouted ‘RUN!’ and so I booked it back up the stairs and through the open train doors before they closed 30 seconds later.

Coming back home that day I had yet another close call with public transport, this time with the bus, aided by yet another chap telling me I needed to run for the bus when I got the bus stops mixed up. You know what, random Korean people are really nice and helpful to me, that’s for sure.

And as I mentioned in a previous post, I attended my first 회식 – that being a work dinner. And I have to tell you, it was pretty much like being in a kdrama. There was Korean BBQ which seemed never-ending and amazing (courtesy of our boss), continuously flowing alcohol (beer and soju), quite loud inebriated work colleagues walking down the street, and a karaoke room. I ate, I drank (soju really makes you light-headed!), I sang one song (of which I was awful). I had a great time. And I managed to do it on a Wednesday work night and teach elementary school the next day.

I do have more plans for the future, once I sort my work and life balance out a little more.

I still want to go and hike.

I REALLY need to get back into studying my Korean (I haven’t touched any study since October last year – urgh).

I have a blow-my-head-off-in-excitement event coming up. Yes, it’s that time of year again, EXO is having their yearly fan meeting and I managed to yet again score a ticket! It’s still in the nosebleed seats, but I have already bought my binoculars so I’m all set! I’m very much looking forward to the whole event and it gives me something to look forward to next weekend.

And that there is my first month and a bit living and teaching here.

I bet it actually took you longer to read all of that then it did for me to live it.

Sorry.

I promise that my future updates will be shorter and that I will find more things to write about.

If anyone has any questions, do let me know!

Right, I’m off to make a cup of tea…be safe and well everyone and enjoy the coming Spring x