Seoul, Korea

Seoul will be my new home away from home next month (or early September depending upon when I obtain my working visa.)

Here I will begin a new teaching position and chapter of life. I must say too.  I have never felt so many mixed emotions at one time: happy...nervous...excited...scared..and anxious.

If you don't know a damn thing about Seoul. Don't feel bad because I don't either.

I just learned most of this a few months ago when researching teaching positions here.

To provide a little knowledge for the mind: Seoul is the capital with a population of 20,550,00.  It is the second largest city in the world. If you were wondering: the first largest city is Tokyo, Japan. The third largest city is Mexico City, Mexico, and the fourth largest city is New York City, New York.

Seoul is also known for being one of the safest cities in the world because of low crime rates. So, you don't have to worry about anyone popping a cap in your ass on the street or being abducted and cut into small pieces, like how the psychos in our country do you.

Drugs are a serious offense in Seoul too. Your behind can end up behind bars for a long time for being under the influence or selling a narcotic there.

The climate in Seoul mirrors our various seasons, but their Summers and Winters are way more mild than ours on the East Coast....and like traveling from South to North here, it gets colder the closer you get to the mountains there.

The beaches in South Korea are suppose to be beautiful! One of the most popular beaches, Sokcho Beach, is famous for its white sands and clear waters. You can get there by bus or train in under four hours.The only thing: Koreans do not sunbathe on them because they don't like for their skin to get dark. I was shocked because a beach is like candy to me. I just can't get enough...like ever. So, I don't mind if nobody is laying out there. That means there's more beach for me to lay on, and less creepy eyes staring.

Seoul is considered one the world's top ten financial and commerical centers because of company headquarters for Samsung, LG, Hyundai, Kia, and SK. Seoul was also named the World Design Capital for 2010 by the International Council of Societies of Industrial Design.

The section of Seoul that I'm teaching in is called Samseong; in which their global brand Samsung was named after long ago.

As of June 2011, Seoul began providing free wifi outdoors. The goal is for residents and visitors to obtain Internet access in 10,430 parks, streets and other public places by 2015.

The major religions in Seoul are Buddhism and Christianity. Their most popular national holiday is New Year's Day.

Seoul is home to over 100 museums including three national and nine official municipal museums. So, this means I'll have plenty to explore by myself and when you folks come to visit me.

Seoul's school system has a structure similar to our own. Only students spend six years in elementary school, three years in middle school, and three years in high school. They begin in the Fall and end school later in the Summer than we do here in the states.

Now, the shopping? I had to save the best information for last! Because shopping is bananas there! I know because one of my girlfriends lived there and talked about shopping like it was heaven. She told me there are a ton of shopping places literally everywhere that sell trendy cute clothing for dirt cheap. She talked about going on shopping trips that ended in spending $200....which is not a lot if you return home with 13 bags and an abundance of clothes for three different seasons. She told me not to bother packing too many things, because I'll end up wearing most of my new clothing anyway. So. I will definitely pack light!

This is all I can think of writing about now. But I will add more to this later.

Goodnight!