My Day-to-Day Life

I’m a little behind with my blogging, but you haven’t missed much because I haven’t done anything really big or exciting.  I’m just enjoying getting to know my cozy little area and some of the night spots of downtown Ulsan.  So, this post is just to let you in on my day-to-day life and some of what’s going on with me.

I take the bus to and from school each day.  It’s about a 10-minute walk to the bus stop and a 10-minute bus ride.  The bus drops me off right in front of my school.  I don’t really have much to compare to because I’ve never had to rely on bus systems, but the bus system here seems pretty darn efficient (in fact, South Korea is kinda known for its public transportation system…and wireless networking).  Okay…back to my day.  I leave my apartment around 7:40 in the morning and get home around 5ish.  (I already told you about my school day in a previous blog, so I won’t get into that again.)

Creative Taekwondo Studio
(picture from their website)

Badminton Competition
(picture courtesy of theguardian.com)

During my evenings, I’ve been grabbing the occasional meal with Korean co-workers or local foreign teachers I met at orientation.  I’ve also spent a lot of time checking out the local shops, including some traditional open markets (fresh produce, street food, and some miscellaneous items).  I’ve started taekwondo and do that on Mondays and Wednesdays.  The studio is called Creative Taekwondo (http://creativetaekwondo.com) and, luckily, the lessons are in English!  Tomorrow is my first day of badminton.  That is a popular sport over here, and my school has a badminton club for teachers.  I’ve heard that Koreans can get pretty intense about their badminton, so we’ll see how that goes.  I did play a fair amount at my family cabin growing up, so I’m hoping I don’t make too much of a fool of myself (quick shoutout to the Baldauf Clan and Camp Emoclew). 

My top-rate walking/running path

The view along the Taewa River

During the weekends, I generally spend my time in three ways: walking along the Taewa River, meeting friends in Samsandong (“New Downtown”), and basking in the downtime and slower pace of life.  There is an amazing walking trail that is only about a 6-minute walk from my apartment.  There are two lanes on the path: one for runners and walkers and another for bikers.  The side for the runners and walkers is cushioned, so it’s really nice.  The Taewa river is more like a large, shallow stream, but I imagine it fills up during rainy season.  All around me are high hills/small mountains.  It really is a peaceful way to spend my days, and I’ve been fortunate to have warm, sunny weather the past few weekends (in the upper 50’s and 60’s).  This past weekend, I noticed some trailheads that I have plans on exploring this weekend with some friends.

A trail head that is calling my name...

Bijoli and me enjoying a tasty beverage

 I’ve met two women that I really click with.  Bijoli is a British teacher I met at orientation.  She lives on the other side of town, so we only get to hang out on the weekends.  We’ve been enjoying our time over dinner and drinks, though!  Gyu Na is a Korean I met a couple weeks ago.  We celebrated St. Paddy’s day together (and sort of paid for it the following day).  Gyu Na’s been living in Canada for the past 10 years and is here staying with her folks while she takes care of some health issues.  I’m looking forward to getting to know both of these fun ladies better!!

Gyu Na and me at Cima, a foreigners bar

Well, that about gets you caught up with my day-to-day life!  My first big adventure outside of Ulsan will be the Cherry Blossom Festival on April 5.  I look forward to sharing that with you!  I heard it’s pretty amazing…