First impressions

Well, I made it to Korea! After jumping through many many bureaucratic hoops to apply for my visa, losing my bank card the day before I was due to leave, and nearly missing my connecting flight due to a snowstorm, I finally made it to the Land of the Morning Calm.

So far, the country has almost perfectly matched my expectations. It’s a sprawling urbanisation  – all the buildings are several stories high, and a lot of businesses are in tower blocks, so you learn quickly to look up to find things. It also has a distinct taste for the kitsch. The Seoul subway is a perfect embodiment of this contrast – one the one hand, there are several inter-connecting lines, all with air-conditioned cars, and announcements in both Korean and English – not to mention that the entire system is accessed using a digital payment card. On the other hand, TV screens in each car play cartoons, anime or visuals of trains speeding through tunnels in between stops, and a happy wee tune is played to announce each stop.

I live in a studio room within the school, and from what I understand it’s fairly typical of Korean accommodation. I have a large fridge-freezer, a washing machine which also plays a jolly little tune when it finishes a cycle (jingles are a big thing here. Washing machines, subway cars, corner shops – you name it, it has a jingle) two gas rings, a microwave, and various heating/cooling/dehumidifying appliances. As far as I know, Koreans tend to live with their parents until they are married, as the cost of buying or renting accommodation is prohibitive. Those that do move out will probably live in a studio flat like mine.

I live in Yongin, which is a satellite city of Seoul – the city has a population of almost a million, and has exploded in size over the last few years. It’s at the end of one of the Seoul subway lines, and many people live in Yongin but commute to Seoul, or nearby Suwon. I’ve barely begun to explore Yongin, and Seoul itself seems similar in scale to London – with the same distinct neighbourhoods, such as Hongdae (the main university area), Itaewon (a multi-cultural area with lots of expat bars and restaurants) and the infamous Gangnam.

There’s such a lot to talk about in terms of Korea; the culture; my school; the political situation (North Korea is getting up to hi-jinks at the moment – you may have heard), but I’ll get to all of these things soon.

I’ll finish this inaugural blog with a story from last week at school: in a class of 8 year olds, one of my kids gave me a note in Korean. When I asked the Korean teachers to translate it, it said: ‘Teacher! My book is downstairs in the hall. I love you!’

People here are very friendly.