Some Thing's I've Done So Far

In South Korea there is so much to do and see. I'm hoping that by the end of my time here, I can say that I've experienced all thats to be offered. I've read about many foreigners who come here to teach don't end up doing all they expected they would. It's apparently pretty easy to get caught in the "Seoul Gravitational Effect" which means that you stick around Seoul and don't travel to the other parts of Korea. It is easy to miss out on the "Real South Korea" they say. I plan to use as much of my time off to see as many places as possible.

Today me and Rachel climbed one of the many mountains that scatter the Korean landscape. Our choice was Gwanik mountain, which is directly across from our apartment buildings. There could not be a better view to wake up to each day. My walk to work is through a beautifully landscaped park with tons flowers and trees (many cherry blossoms right now) and this huge mountain across the way. It's about a 2 hour hike from the bottom of it to the top and another 2 down. Certainly 4 hours WELL SPENT! The legs are feeling pretty sore, but worth it.

The main sport over here sort of surprised me. I figured it had to be Ping Pong or Badminton but was overwhelmingly Baseball. It's as big here as anywhere. Thousands of people file in for the games over here, chanting like it's the World Cup finals. The World Baseball Classic was all that people were talking about here (from what I could understand). Also up on the list is Soccer which was a big relief for me. There are many leagues to join and fortunately a couple of teachers at my school are big fans. There's a league on Saturdays that I now play in regularily. There isn't many grass fields here so we resort to dirt and sand fields but I don't mind as long as I can play. I also found a Ball Hockey league which I've joined for Sunday afternoon games. Defintiely keeping active over here so far.



A few weekends ago I officially found out how big gamblers the Koreans are. If your looking for a place to make you feel like your in a can of sardines, look no further. The Seoul Racetrack has to be the most insane place I've been to so far. About half a million Koreans jam packed into this place. With people shouting like they just bet their lives on a horse, it was certainly a sight to see. Winning 40,000 won ($40) certainly helped me leave with a positive view of the place though.

A visit to Seoul Tower was in order the next weekend. A saturday night view of Seoul was quite the spectacle. When I walk down the streets at night I have to keep reminding myself that I'm not in Vegas, so you can imagine the sight when looking over the entire city.

Something that very big over here is a site called www.AdventureKorea.com. It's a group that organizes tons of trips all around South Korea. From temple stays to mountain hikes to white rafting it gives you many options to see and do tons of stuff. I plan on doing a lot of the things they offer. A good and easy way to get aroudn without having to plan things for yourself. So far my travelling has been limited to places reachable on the subway line. I get my first paycheck on the 15th so a portion is definitely going to travel expenses.