tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-40345872011-04-22T13:14:36.821+09:00Blogging in UlsanRandom thoughts and adventures from the Industrial capital of South KoreaJoelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01158578870488663117noreply@blogger.comBlogger491100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4034587.post-1084414118477658752004-05-13T11:06:00.000+09:002004-05-13T11:08:38.476+09:00Hi everyone,
Thank you for reading this blog over the last year or so. I've gotten some very nice comments from readers out there.
Effective immediately, I've decided to transition my writing away from this free account at Blogger and onto my own web server.
From now on you can read all my new posts at joel.burslem.ca
Please continue to visit me there.
cheers
joelJoelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01158578870488663117noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4034587.post-1084163726280101752004-05-10T13:35:00.000+09:002004-05-10T13:35:26.280+09:00You may or may not have known but over the last few months I've been working on putting out Ulsan's first English language newspaper. We've been working hard and have just released our second issue. You can also now view all the issues (past and present) on-line on our web site at www.ulsanpear.biz - check 'em out, I'd love to hear what you all think!Joelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01158578870488663117noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4034587.post-1081832709784219502004-04-13T14:05:00.000+09:002004-04-13T14:09:25.403+09:00Springtime has arrived in Korea with a rainbow explosion of color. The cherry trees lining the roads are now in full bloom, raining down their pink petals onto the streets like a floral snowstorm. The hills around Ulsan have turned from a dull brown to a leafy, brilliant green. More unpleasantly, the sky is once again is full of the yellow sand from the Gobi Desert, choking the air and leaving a Joelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01158578870488663117noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4034587.post-1080106463632097592004-03-24T14:33:00.000+09:002004-03-24T15:07:41.810+09:00Just a quick update this week as I just wanted to let you all know that Amy and I did our Hapkido black belt test last weekend... and we passed!
So, we are now officially First Degree black belts in Hapkido!
Sunday morning, bright and early, we showed up at one of the local community centers, which had been transformed into our testing facility for the day. We were there with about 80 otherJoelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01158578870488663117noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4034587.post-1078660459476513652004-03-07T20:54:00.000+09:002004-03-10T12:02:25.983+09:00February can be basically summed up as being, well... cold. Really cold. Bone-chillingly, icy cold. Now, don't get me wrong, the weather couldn't have been nicer - clear, blue skies and sun, but the temperature has been arctic and the wind has been biting. Weekends have largely been confined to staying indoors, lazing about on our heated oindol floor, watching movies and the latest downloaded Joelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01158578870488663117noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4034587.post-1076301938268797382004-02-09T13:45:00.000+09:002004-02-09T13:48:01.810+09:00I'm ashamed to admit this is the first post for the New Year. We had a great trip to Shanghai a few weeks back. This is what I've written:
There’s an old Chinese proverb that goes ‘A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step." These days however, a trip to China requires not just a single step but also a giant leap of faith.
Our trip to Shanghai was timed to coincide with the Joelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01158578870488663117noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4034587.post-1072843417953776502003-12-31T13:03:00.000+09:002003-12-31T13:05:09.250+09:00Hi everyone,
As 2003 draws to a close, it’s usually time to reflect on the past year and it’s also time for the inevitable year-end news roundups. So, I thought that it would be an interesting exercise then to see what my students thought was the most important news story of 2003. It’s always surprising to read what they come up with…
In places, I’ve added just a few editorial comments in Joelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01158578870488663117noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4034587.post-1072239208584241562003-12-24T13:13:00.000+09:002004-03-27T10:05:29.403+09:00First off, and let me get this out of the way - Merry Christmas to everyone. I hope this holiday season finds everyone in good health and in good cheer. Or at least, it should, once the Christmas liquor starts flowing anyway.
This is Amy and my second Christmas in Korea, which I guess is a milestone of sorts. We’ve dusted off our mini Christmas tree once again and set it up in our living room, Joelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01158578870488663117noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4034587.post-1071552009029051542003-12-16T14:20:00.000+09:002003-12-16T14:21:20.403+09:00Winter has arrived on the Korean peninsula. The icy Arctic winds have started blowing again and yesterday we awoke to our first frost. Which will be a welcome relief because hopefully it will have finally killed all those damn mosquitoes. Who’d have thought they could be so resilient?
Winter in Korea also means it’s time to make kimchi again. Kimjang is the traditional Korean period in which Joelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01158578870488663117noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4034587.post-1069820147173047122003-11-26T13:15:00.000+09:002003-11-26T13:16:32.246+09:00I’m sitting here listening to the Vancouver Canucks play the Montreal Canadiens as I write this update. It’s kind of strange to hear advertising from A&B Sound and traffic updates about the Lions Gate Bridge. It’s easy to forget I’m in Korea and when I step outside it sometimes still comes as a bit of a surprise that I’m actually here.
I guess technology can really break down distances, in a Joelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01158578870488663117noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4034587.post-1068522352714778222003-11-11T12:45:00.000+09:002003-11-11T12:46:16.860+09:00As the red hued autumn has drawn to a close in Korea and with the bitter winter right around the corner, I spent some more time this week reflecting on the year that has passed. As we were driving down to Pusan last weekend, past the acres of barren rice fields, I realized that we have been here now long enough to witness the entire crop cycle.
I can still remember those early spring days and Joelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01158578870488663117noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4034587.post-1066706101936134832003-10-21T12:15:00.000+09:002003-10-21T12:15:01.963+09:00This past week marked our one-year anniversary in Korea. Strange to think that only twelve months ago, Amy and I stepped off the plane in Incheon into this strange land of kimchi, soju and singing garbage trucks.
When I think back over the last year, I can’t believe how quickly time has passed. We’ve seen and done so much. Snowboarding at Muju resort, windsurfing at Jinha beach, scooter ralliesJoelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01158578870488663117noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4034587.post-1065413252825836322003-10-06T13:07:00.000+09:002003-10-06T13:07:32.880+09:00Fall has arrived quickly here in Korea. It’s almost as if overnight, it decided to get cold. The days are still warm and sunny, but the evenings have taken on a definite chill. That, and as the days get shorter and shorter, means the Siberian winter isn’t far off. Time to start unpacking the down jacket.
On the upside, the cold has meant less mosquitoes buzzing around, but now Amy has had to go Joelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01158578870488663117noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4034587.post-1064208634648371162003-09-22T14:30:00.000+09:002003-09-22T14:32:00.010+09:00Chuseok is the Korean Thanksgiving holiday, which means everyone on the whole peninsula uproots themselves and heads back to their ancestral homes. Needless to say this means paralyzing gridlock on most major roads for the duration of the holidays. The newspapers predicted 10-12 hour commutes from Seoul to Busan (it normally takes about five).
Myself, Amy, Megan and our friends Leigh and Rick Joelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01158578870488663117noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4034587.post-1062393970995726782003-09-01T14:26:00.000+09:002003-09-01T14:26:35.550+09:00Sorry for the terrible tardiness of this update... I've neglected my duty for far too long.
So what's been keeping me from sending out my thoughts. Well, rather a lot really. I had a terrific break in Thailand over the end of July and beginning of August. Flew into Phuket and spent some time there and in Ko Samui. Thailand was a real eye opener having spent so much time in Korea. A visit to a Joelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01158578870488663117noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4034587.post-1060659348356370952003-08-12T12:35:00.000+09:002003-08-12T12:35:59.460+09:00Sorry for the lack of updates recently.
Been on vacation in Thailand. Check back shortly for a full report!
Cheers!Joelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01158578870488663117noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4034587.post-1059012628267649902003-07-24T11:10:00.000+09:002003-07-24T11:10:28.060+09:00Funny how so many of these emails revolve around weather here. Winter was cold, spring was warm and now summer has arrived, so has rainy season. The past three weeks have been grey, miserable and wet. Coupled with that it's been warm and muggy, so it's not terribly pleasant. Feels kind of like living in a green house. Clothes won't dry, you walk around feeling slimy most of the time and sleeping Joelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01158578870488663117noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4034587.post-1057122124326803642003-07-02T14:02:00.000+09:002003-07-02T14:02:04.183+09:00Well, it’s been a while since the last update. While they came fast and furious for a bit there, I have to admit I’ve been slow on the uptake the last few weeks. Could be the warm weather, but probably more to do with sheer laziness.
Not that I haven’t been busy and all, I just can’t seem to sit down and compose my thoughts that’s all.
So what’s been on the agenda the last few weeks? Lots, I Joelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01158578870488663117noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4034587.post-956161502003-06-13T13:00:00.000+09:002003-06-13T13:00:46.383+09:00At 10am on Friday morning we woke to the sounds of air raid sirens blaring across the city. No, North Korea hadn’t launched a surprise invasion into the South, it was Korea’s Memorial Day – or as some of the kids in school put it so eloquently “Dead Soldiers Day”.
Being that it was a national holiday and our school was shut, Amy and I decided that we would make the long weekend into an Ulsan Joelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01158578870488663117noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4034587.post-952671312003-06-04T12:28:00.000+09:002003-06-04T12:28:15.580+09:00Sorry folks, long overdue for an update and I¡¯ve been mighty lazy when it comes to sitting down with my thoughts.
Where did we leave off¡¦ I think when I last wrote, I was staring down at the DMZ¡¦ which reminds me, I learned an important new phrase in Korean recently ¡°Shille hamnida, ijiyogae bukhan gancheobi issulsudo issoyo?¡± Or ¡°Excuse me, are North Korean infiltrators possibly in this Joelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01158578870488663117noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4034587.post-945613362003-05-19T12:15:00.000+09:002003-05-19T12:15:29.383+09:00As we pulled out of Seoul, past a skyline shrouded in the early morning haze, our tour guide cautioned us: ¡°Remember, once you get to the De-Militarized Zone - there¡¯s no more De.¡±
As if to reinforce that point, while drove up the Unification Highway, winding north along the Han River, the road was lined by barbed wire, machine gun emplacements and manned pillboxes.
It was a beautiful Joelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01158578870488663117noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4034587.post-942453992003-05-13T13:31:00.000+09:002003-05-13T13:31:24.300+09:00Okay, so in my last update I mentioned # 3 on the cool Korean invention list – the hydraulic lift truck. Some of you may have been wondering what #1 and #2 are. #1 has got to be the heat sensitive Go/Stop label on Korean beer bottles: when you’re beer is cold, the label is green meaning it’s good to drink – when it’s red the bottle is warm and the beer will taste like crap. Not that it’s much Joelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01158578870488663117noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4034587.post-938972522003-05-07T10:09:00.000+09:002003-05-07T10:09:38.660+09:00I’ve felt quite lazy the last few weeks. It’s been hot and sunny (up in the high 20s all week so I’ve found it difficult to sit myself down in front of the computer and write one of the updates. Today, on the other hand, is just pissing down – so what better excuse to get down to business.
A couple weekends ago, Amy and I had our Hapkido blue belt test. We’re now moving on to some of the more Joelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01158578870488663117noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4034587.post-937951212003-05-05T21:05:00.000+09:002003-05-05T21:05:34.710+09:00
Last weekend was a nice change from our regular hectic pace. Saturday morning, I went out to play a quick 5-a-side game with the Ulsan Won Shot Wanderers. I had to leave early as Joanna was here for a visit. She arrived by bus and we spent most of the day just hanging out at our house, watching movies. Saturday night we went bar hopping in Ulsan, hitting all the local foreigner bars: McKenzies,Joelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01158578870488663117noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4034587.post-932741962003-04-26T11:10:00.000+09:002003-04-26T11:10:52.516+09:00We've been relishing in hot weather all week long. Temperatures have been up in the high 20s everyday with clear blue skies overhead. If this is any indication of what summer will be like, then it will be very good indeed. Everyone keeps warning us however - that the heat becomes oppressive. But, in the meantime, I've been enjoying just sitting up on my roof and reading the newspaper.
With the Joelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01158578870488663117noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4034587.post-921245922003-04-07T12:33:00.000+09:002003-04-07T12:35:04.000+09:00Well the last few weekends have been busy and I must continue to apologize for the lack of updates, but it seems difficult to sit down and compose my thoughts. Especially now the weather has gotten remarkably warmer and the sun is shining.
Last weekend, I had the dubious pleasure of judging a speaking contest for many Korean kids. If I hear about “Mike’s Messy Bedroom” one more time, I’m gonna Joelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01158578870488663117noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4034587.post-916837102003-03-31T12:42:00.001+09:002003-03-31T12:42:22.796+09:00The last few weeks have really motored by, and I apologize to all for the lack of updates from my end. Our weekends have remained quite busy and the weeks, well they just seem to roll by with very little to report.
Last weekend saw Amy and I head over to Jeonju to go and visit Joanna again. The bus trip was uneventful and once again dominated by scenes of the beautiful Korean countryside rollingJoelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01158578870488663117noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4034587.post-916837002003-03-31T12:42:00.000+09:002003-03-31T12:42:14.326+09:00The last few weeks have really motored by, and I apologize to all for the lack of updates from my end. Our weekends have remained quite busy and the weeks, well they just seem to roll by with very little to report.
Last weekend saw Amy and I head over to Jeonju to go and visit Joanna again. The bus trip was uneventful and once again dominated by scenes of the beautiful Korean countryside rollingJoelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01158578870488663117noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4034587.post-909038312003-03-18T14:07:00.000+09:002003-03-18T14:07:08.950+09:00This past weekend was an interesting one for sure. Bright and early Saturday morning, Amy, Megan and myself and our friends Will, John, Leigh and Rick motored out of Ulsan northwards towards a little town outside of Daegu. Cheongdo, famous for little else, is home to an annual bullfighting festival that draws crowds from across Korea and competitors from around the world.
It was a grey and Joelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01158578870488663117noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4034587.post-904371492003-03-10T13:37:00.000+09:002003-03-10T13:37:31.293+09:00Life in Ulsan has settled into a frustrating holding pattern, waiting for the weather to turn. Spring feels like it's just around the corner, as the days get longer and the evening are shorter. But, the temperature some days still remains frigid and when the wind is blowing South or East down from the Siberian air mass, it's bitterly cold. I read recently about an interesting phenomena in Korea Joelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01158578870488663117noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4034587.post-898779522003-02-28T12:14:00.000+09:002003-02-28T12:14:56.000+09:00Sorry for the the lateness of this update. We've had a busy few weeks - last Saturday morning, Will, John, Rick, Amy, Megan and myself hopped aboard the 7:50am Saemaeul express train to Seoul. It was a wet, grey day in Korea and the countryside slipped past quietly as we dozed and rolled northwards to the nation's capital. We arrived in Seoul at about 1:30pm and made our way on the subway to our Joelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01158578870488663117noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4034587.post-892142812003-02-17T11:13:00.000+09:002003-02-17T11:13:31.213+09:00Sorry for the lateness of this last update. Life seems to steamroller along here, as days turn into weeks, which turn into months.
As the weather slowly turns warmer, and winter fades into spring in Korea we're spending more and more time outdoors. I've begun to recruit some bodies for Ulsan's first Ultimate Frisbee team and we held our inaugural practice down by the Taehwa river recently. I useJoelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01158578870488663117noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4034587.post-886289432003-02-06T13:04:00.000+09:002003-02-06T13:04:13.063+09:00Well, we've made it through Lunar New Year here in Korea. Amy and I had a decent break off work, we had Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday off. It was nice just to relax and unwind a bit and not have to worry about teaching in the evenings.
Thursday, Amy and I headed out on our scooter for a long drive on our scooter out to the Carrefour, which is kind of like a big French Walmart. WeJoelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01158578870488663117noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4034587.post-882585542003-01-30T18:09:00.000+09:002003-01-30T18:09:42.990+09:00The week's are flying by here in Ulsan. Another busy weekend passed, and we're now looking at a five-day break for the Lunar New Year or Sollal as it's called in Korea. Sollal is a time for Koreans to pay respects to their ancestors and family, which means the country descends into utter chaos for 3 days as 10 million people hit the roads to travel to their hometowns. I think we're just going to Joelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01158578870488663117noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4034587.post-881954992003-01-29T12:53:00.000+09:002003-01-29T12:53:06.196+09:00Pictures of our house in Ulsan are now online. Check them out at photos.yahoo.com/leojmelsrub!Joelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01158578870488663117noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4034587.post-878705202003-01-23T09:50:00.000+09:002003-01-23T09:50:19.330+09:00Last night it snowed in Ulsan. Sure, we got a sprinkling of the white stuff on Christmas Day, but last night it really snowed. We got about 3 inches and the city was completely chaotic. As it rarely snows here, the local police were mobilized to shovel the streets by hand. I guess Ulsan doesn't have much of a budget for snow removal. The police here are mainly young guys, as it is compulsory for Joelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01158578870488663117noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4034587.post-875634072003-01-17T10:14:00.000+09:002003-01-17T10:18:03.000+09:00Amy and I have had a busy few weeks, now that we've started Hapkido we're up everyday at 7:00am and off to train for an hour. We've learned all kinds of flips, rolls, punches and kicks so far. The first week was tough, I found muscles I didn't even know I had were hurting. Getting up early means long days, but I'm really enjoying it so far. You all better watch out, I'm going to come back to Joelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01158578870488663117noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4034587.post-871413812003-01-09T10:49:00.000+09:002003-01-09T10:49:04.066+09:00Man, is it cold here. The weather has really taken a turn to the colder in Ulsan. It's a bitter, biting cold, but is somehow tolerable only because there is still blue skies and sun everyday. Most of the rest of Korea has been blanketed with snow, but so far, here on the east coast of the pennisula we've escaped the white stuff. It's so cold that there were pictures in the news today of the Han Joelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01158578870488663117noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4034587.post-868586742003-01-03T12:37:00.000+09:002003-01-03T12:41:15.000+09:00Well, we've rung in 2003 in Korea and being 17 hours ahead than most of you on the West Coast, we got a jump start on the Year of the Goat. Allthough officially, by the Chinese calendar the year 4700 doesn't begin until February 1st.
Thanks to everyone who sent us pictures from the various celebrations that were happening. I hope you all had an amazing time. From the look of it, some of you mayJoelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01158578870488663117noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4034587.post-866825752002-12-30T13:04:00.000+09:002002-12-30T13:04:42.476+09:00It's been a while since the last full update, but the holidays have been busy and we've been out and about exploring as much as we can.
The weekend before Christmas, a group of foreign teachers and us headed north out of Ulsan to visit Gyeongju. Gyeongju was the ancient capitol of the Silla Dynasty founded in 57 B.C. It is a city teaming with temples, palaces and burial tumuli (big mounds with Joelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01158578870488663117noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4034587.post-865686782002-12-27T11:00:00.000+09:002002-12-27T11:00:30.680+09:00Well it's the moment you've all been waiting for... yes, after much deliberation we have chosen a name for our scooter. Thanks to everyone who submitted a name, there were some great entries. So, without much further ado, the winner of a crisp, new 10,000 won bill is:
1. The Red Devil
We felt that this name fit partly because the Korean soccer fans are called the Red Devils, and well... it's Joelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01158578870488663117noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4034587.post-862606882002-12-19T16:48:00.002+09:002002-12-19T16:53:16.000+09:00Not a whole lot to report this week, I've been fighting a wicked cold/flu bug that has knocked me on my ass for a few days. I think a lot of it is due to an adjustment to a new environment and spending 5 days a week teaching lots of living, breathing germ factories. I seem to be on the mend now, but I have to say there's nothing more nerve racking than going to a foreign hospital and being pumpedJoelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01158578870488663117noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4034587.post-862606992002-12-19T16:48:00.001+09:002002-12-19T16:51:26.000+09:00Sorry for the lateness of this update, it's amazing how fast the weeks fly by here. I can't believe we've been in Korea now for almost two months!
The weather in Ulsan has finally turned colder. It's still sunny and clear, but the days are freezing! We're having to bundle up in many layers. It's hard to complain right now as I'm sure that once the hot Korean summer arrives, I'll be begging for Joelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01158578870488663117noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4034587.post-862607042002-12-19T16:48:00.000+09:002002-12-19T16:48:55.620+09:00This weekend was certainly a memorable one. Amy and I hopped the "Seoul Train" early Saturday morning and headed up to Korea's biggest city. Five hours later we stepped onto the platform of Seoul Station and wandered into the big city. First impressions, Seoul is huge. Have I mentioned that Seoul is massive? There are people everywhere.
We walked out of the train station and right into a large Joelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01158578870488663117noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4034587.post-862606622002-12-19T16:47:00.002+09:002002-12-19T17:06:25.000+09:00Well another week down. The weekend was a lot of fun, Amy and I headed out to the beach here in Ulsan. It was an interesting bus ride, we ended up going in entirely the wrong direction from where we wanted to go. But, we got there in the end. Not without Amy nearly vomiting from all the jerking and bouncing on the bus and me nearly wetting myself. The last time I ever drink several coffees beforeJoelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01158578870488663117noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4034587.post-862606852002-12-19T16:47:00.001+09:002002-12-19T17:03:22.000+09:00This past weekend, Amy and I ventured out of Ulsan and onto a cross-country bus to go and visit my sister Joanna in Jeonju. It was about a 5 hour bus ride that took us through some beautiful scenery and up into and through the mountains that run the length of the Korean pennisula. The bus ride was very comfortable, we took one of the large express city buses and they are equipped with large Joelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01158578870488663117noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4034587.post-862606712002-12-19T16:47:00.000+09:002002-12-19T16:47:21.400+09:00Well the past week has been marked by a transition of sorts. On Friday, our co-worker Ambrosia and her friend Sarah decided that they had had enough of Ulsan and were going to head back to the United States. It was a difficult decision, and we were sad to see them go. The situation is made more difficult as we are now short one teacher and Amy and I have to work a bunch of extra shifts. It makes Joelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01158578870488663117noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4034587.post-862606532002-12-19T16:46:00.001+09:002002-12-19T16:46:43.713+09:00Well, Amy and I have finished our first week in Korea. School is going well and we're getting more aquainted with the city. Amy and I went down and checked out Ulsan's train station and bus station over the weekend. I think the plan is once we get some money rolling in we're going to go and do some travelling around Korea. The train to Seoul takes about 4.5 hours and cost about 30 bucks. There'sJoelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01158578870488663117noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4034587.post-862606392002-12-19T16:46:00.000+09:002002-12-19T16:46:07.023+09:00Well, we've arrived in Korea. Long flight, crappy food - but what else is new. First impression of Korea - looks like Richmond. Long flat fields by the sea, surrounded by a big city and mountains in the background. It's quite pretty actually. Seoul is huge but we didn't get any time to spend there, just jumped a bus to another airport and flew on to Ulsan.
Ulsan is pretty nice and our digs are Joelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01158578870488663117noreply@blogger.com0