August 1, Adam and I woke up for the first time in our new Seoul apartment. It was still empty except for a few furniture pieces, including a rock-hard bed, provided by my new employer. Adam went to work, and I took the bus back to Paju. After a day of packing up the final stuff and cleaning the apartment, Adam came up to join me, and with the help of our friends Bill and Stu, we loaded the rickety van that we borrowed from Nick and Nolan and drove to our new home.
I spent the rest of the week getting settled in the apartment as Adam finished his stint with Kyohaksa. The next week, I went in to the office and took Adam’s place, teaching at five “study rooms”, one per day. I immediately enjoyed my students even though it was less than ideal to have to commute again. I’ve found that I like the Seoul buses, and I’ve been seeking out faster bus routes each week.
Freed from full-time work, Adam got back to his independent studies and prepared to start classes again in September. Timing was again perfect for him in that as he finished teaching, his voice-over work immediately picked up again. He’s a natural at the educational voice acting, and it’s a perfect, flexible job for him while he’s finishing his schooling. He hopes to graduate next summer.
Living in Seoul now, we get to spend a lot more time with our friend Annie. She and her mom were our first guests for Saturday lunch, and we met up several times through the month to just hang out or go and see the Seoul sights. Her parents also generously sent us and Annie to the Bolshoi Ballet on ice. It was beautiful! It was amazing to see Olympic level ice skating from the third row. We’re happy to be neighbors now.
On August 15, I had the day off of work for Japanese Liberation Day, the Korean holiday celebrating their independence from the Japanese in 1945. There remains some ill-will between Korea and Japan, and we encountered a small demonstration surrounded by hundreds of riot police. We spent the day as tourists with La Tisha and Cheryl. We shopped in Insadong, explored the grounds of Gyeongbokgung palace, and went up to the top of the Seoul Tower on Namsan Mountain at night. It was a great day. Later, Adam and I realized that it was the four year anniversary of when we met!
We had to say “see you later” to two of our good friends from English Village in August. In mid-August, our friend Nolan returned to Texas. He says he’s coming back to Seoul to get a new job this fall, so hopefully we’ll see him soon. Then, last weekend, we said good bye to Cheryl who is moving back to Italy. We’ve been through a lot with these two friends this year, and we’ll definitely miss their constant company.
Lacking the campus community that we had at English Village, we took advantage of some online networks in August. We stepped up our involvement with Couchsurfing, the travelers’ network we have belonged to for three years. We became co-ambassadors for the city of Seoul and will plan meet-ups for the 400+ Seoul members as well as host some of the travelers that are flowing through the city. We hosted three couchsurfers in August: a Canadian couple and then an Austrian guy named Andreas.
Adam and I have been posting our photos on Flickr for a while, and Adam decided to get into the people network available through Flickr in Seoul. He and Andreas went to a Flickr party to meet other Seoul photographers. We plan to go to another photo outing tomorrow.
I posted an ad on Craigslist, looking for other musicians who want to play in Seoul, and I have had an overwhelming response. I corresponded with several and will be meeting with quite possibly my new band this week. More news on that soon, hopefully.
Last Monday through Wednesday, Adam and I were sent to Fukuoka, Japan to get our new Korean visas. Adam has been to Fukuoka twice before on visa runs, but this was my first time. We had a great time exploring the city, getting a whirlwind impression of Japanese people and culture. It was a good mini-vacation for us.
And that’s our Summer in a nutshell. It is now September, and we’re stoked to see what’s in store for us in Seoul. We really want our friends and family from home to visit us this year. Okay?
I think I’m back in the saddle again with the blog, so I’ll see you soon.
-Jessica
