Two Week Update

So we've been in Korea for almost exactly two weeks now and if I had to assess, I'd say we're doing pretty well. We moved into our new apartment on Monday with most of our luggage (we left some at my uncle's - it wouldn't all fit in the cab) and have started making it a home. It's still pretty empty right now; we've been sitting on the floor much of the time and I've been watching Korean TV on my new cell phone. I've found that I don't get most of it, unless it's baseball. We bought a "yo", basically a floor mattress, to sleep on in our loft. It gets a little warm up there so I'm a little concerned about that, being that we're barely into summer here. I'm definitely getting us a fan soon -- and will probably leave it on while we're asleep. Gasp!

We live in an area called Sinchon in Seoul. It's near two large universities so there's a lot of people and a lot of blinking lights. The shops down our street tend to be of certain categories: pets, plants, wigs and appliances. And I swear if I'm not careful I'm going to buy one of those puppies in the window. I've already stopped a few times to watch them play with each other. The Korean language school we've enrolled in is just north of us, though I haven't figured out exactly how to get there yet. We'll probably take a test walk over there before school starts next week. And there are two big movie theaters, each within a block of us, though we haven't taken advantage of them yet. What I love about the theaters here, like in England, is the choice of sweet, salty or a-mix-of-the-two popcorn. I had the mix at a Korean movie we watched with Haekgyung a couple weeks ago. It was called "마더", or "Mother", and it was amazing. I really hope it finds its way to the States; it deserves to be seen.

While it's been an exciting two weeks, I'm also feeling more unsettled than I have in years. I have to admit I kind of miss the comfort and stability of a steady job and paycheck, not to mention our old place (and o, that couch!). But I guess that's part of the reason why I wanted to come here, to shake things up a little. Back home, it was hard not to worry about getting stuck where we were, both personally and professionally. Now I feel like we're in a sink or swim situation where all that philosophical stuff seems like such a luxury. It's really forced me to think about my values, both in life and work. One thing I have discovered (or, I should say, Nissa has noticed) is that I have a marked affinity for couches. I've been obsessively searching on Craigslist Seoul. And I hope to get one as soon as possible.