Aren't you looking forward to all the Seoul puns and play-on-words I'm going to come up with throughout the year?
Here are my first impressions of Seoul and its people so far:
-the city is SO SO SO clean: it's quite impressive, really, considering the population is about 11 million
-it doesn't FEEL overwhelmingly crowded; it's no different than any other big city
-in non-expat neighbourhoods, I'll see about five expats in a day: we all smile at each other
-among the locals, and even the expats, I may be one of the only blonde people here
-people don't stare (unlike in Radom)
-people are SO friendly and helpful! Yesterday when I was exploring on my own, a few people offered me guidance (even though I wasn't lost and wasn't needing it) - one guy went so far as to ask me to join him for lunch on his break and gave me his card; another woman I was chatting with told me her son is studying at Queen's (she loves Canada and says the people are so humble)
-people are welcoming (Welcome to Korea! Congratulations on being a teacher!)
-there are bakeries everywhere
-there are markets everywhere
-there is an overwhelming amount of stuff to do
Seoul is definitely making a good first impression!
On the weekend Hunter took me around to some of the neighbourhoods. We also went to an aquarium where they have this giant shark tank; you go around on this slow-moving conveyor belt and the tank is overhead too. There were some beautiful fish of breath-taking colours; there was a two-headed turtle as well! There were penguins and seals and manatees, oh my! Lots and lots of marine life. Very cool. We also checked out a Modern Art Show that was going on. I could have spent hours and hours looking at all the pieces. It featured art from around the world. Very cool stuff.
If you can believe it, I haven't had any traditional Korean food yet...! There is quite a bit of variety here. Plus, Hunter has been cooking some nights too. Last night I met up with Christian and his coworkers at a Canadian bar in a neighbourhood called Itaewon. This is expat central. Anyways, I know Christian from McGill, and he also lives in Anyang, where I will be living and teaching. I'm going to visit him this weekend so I can check out my city and he can show me around there! I think I'll be making a trip to my school Thursday or Friday this week too. I'm so excited!
Now, what to do today? Hang out in one of the many parks? Check out another neughbourhood? Do a Lonely Planet guided tour?
Here are my first impressions of Seoul and its people so far:
-the city is SO SO SO clean: it's quite impressive, really, considering the population is about 11 million
-it doesn't FEEL overwhelmingly crowded; it's no different than any other big city
-in non-expat neighbourhoods, I'll see about five expats in a day: we all smile at each other
-among the locals, and even the expats, I may be one of the only blonde people here
-people don't stare (unlike in Radom)
-people are SO friendly and helpful! Yesterday when I was exploring on my own, a few people offered me guidance (even though I wasn't lost and wasn't needing it) - one guy went so far as to ask me to join him for lunch on his break and gave me his card; another woman I was chatting with told me her son is studying at Queen's (she loves Canada and says the people are so humble)
-people are welcoming (Welcome to Korea! Congratulations on being a teacher!)
-there are bakeries everywhere
-there are markets everywhere
-there is an overwhelming amount of stuff to do
Seoul is definitely making a good first impression!
On the weekend Hunter took me around to some of the neighbourhoods. We also went to an aquarium where they have this giant shark tank; you go around on this slow-moving conveyor belt and the tank is overhead too. There were some beautiful fish of breath-taking colours; there was a two-headed turtle as well! There were penguins and seals and manatees, oh my! Lots and lots of marine life. Very cool. We also checked out a Modern Art Show that was going on. I could have spent hours and hours looking at all the pieces. It featured art from around the world. Very cool stuff.
If you can believe it, I haven't had any traditional Korean food yet...! There is quite a bit of variety here. Plus, Hunter has been cooking some nights too. Last night I met up with Christian and his coworkers at a Canadian bar in a neighbourhood called Itaewon. This is expat central. Anyways, I know Christian from McGill, and he also lives in Anyang, where I will be living and teaching. I'm going to visit him this weekend so I can check out my city and he can show me around there! I think I'll be making a trip to my school Thursday or Friday this week too. I'm so excited!
Now, what to do today? Hang out in one of the many parks? Check out another neughbourhood? Do a Lonely Planet guided tour?
No comments:
Post a Comment