The River Wild

UlSAN'S BACKYARD

                        

Korea has always provided me with plenty of free time, which is why I enjoy it here so much. In my first year, that free time was usually spent in bed nursing a shitty Korean beer hangover. Last year in Daegu, I switched hangover's for hiking, with a fair mix of writing, painting and playing footy thrown in too. This year in Ulsan, writing has taken precedence, which, after all, was always the plan. That said, within walking distance of my apartment in Mugeo Dong are some  picturesque mountains (er, big hills) where I spend many mornings before school hiking, accompanied by nothing more than Metallica blasting from my iPod. With two books on the go at present, I haven't had time to blog too much, (at all) but here at least are a few images of my latest outdoor play area, including Munsu-san (Mt), Gaji-San (Mt), and The Tae-hwa-Gang (River) at sunset. 

SIZE MATTERS!

A week after my departure from England, it's time for my first "Scribble from the R.O.K."

True to form in Korea, there was no time for a rest after my arrival in Ulsan on Monday lunch time. I just had a few minutes to drop my luggage in my apartment, and grab a ride to the school. This is after 2 hours sleep in 2 nights, and a stringent medical in which I learned I've shrunk 2cm in 18 months...the weight of my own expectations clearly taking their toll.

The School:
The school has a mix of elementary and middle school kids, and last year my average class size was 10-13 students in tiny, airless rooms. This time, the average of 4-6 kids are lost in the huge, spacious air conditioned classrooms, each of which could fit my entire apartment inside comfortably. With a later start time and an earlier finish, and less students in a bigger space, coupled with a quieter, more relaxed environment, work is going to be great. The only potentially negative aspect is the distance from my apartment. It's a 25 minute walk to the school, which although a nice trip, once it gets really hot and humid in a few weeks, might become epic. The upside, if I walk to and from work everyday for the year, it's a total of 970 miles (1,560km)...good for the temperamental, middle-aged waistline I'm sure.

The apartment. 
Well, if I'm honest it's a downgrade from last year. It's nice enough, but a lot smaller...and they'll be two of us. 'Cosy' would be the grandmother of understatements! I was lucky enough to have a separate bedroom before, but this time the bed also doubles as the couch in the studio layout. The whole space is dominated by the giant fridge freezer, and I kid you not, my boxey bathroom could fit inside it. The kitchen is standard sized, a 2 ringed hob with no work space, and if I turn around too quick I'd burn my big arse on the pan. (There's a hot ring joke there somewhere) Still, it's part of the challenge here, and makes eating out a less guilty choice.

The Dong. (that's neighborhood, if you're wondering)
I felt like living in Sinmae Dong last year was to be living in the best area of Daegu. It was a perfect spot, but now here in Mugeo Dong, pronounced 'moo-guh,' I think it's been surpassed. It has everything Leslie and I will need, such as restaurants, bars, coffee shops, parks, shopping, karaoke bars, hiking trails etc, and just as in Sinmae, the city's World Cup Stadium is right on the doorstep. There's also a Muckdonalds dangerously close. Must not go! Must not go!.
Despite having been here just a few days, it already feels like home, and the transition has been easy.

'Blue Hour' in Mugeo-Dong, our new neighborhood.

There is just one thing missing so far...and she will arrive on Wednesday!

P.S COME ON ENGLAND!!!!!

KEEP CALM AND KOREA ON

When the postman arrived at lunch time onFriday, the usual last minute pre-trip worries were vanquished. He'd expertly delivered, with just a dozen hours to spare, my passport from the embassy in London, complete with visa. And so, the day that I felt would never come, the day of departure, was finally here. With goodbyes said to friends, and hugs given to mum, I hit the road to the R.O.K. To prove it, I'm sitting at a restaurant in Thiefrow, sorry Heathrow Airport, getting ripped off for my last plate of Englishness: 4 huge, fat, greasy sausages somothered in beans, sloshed down with a steady stream of tea. As the kindly / sneaky waiter reminded me that a 'service charge' wasn't included on the gastronomic bill, and smilingly asked me where I was flying today sir, I kindly / sneakily replied, 'I'm going to a country where they don't ask for tips...sir.' He cleared my plates and skulked off, tea towel swinging between his legs. 

Leaving for Korea this time, it's more with a sense of relief than the usual excitement. I am looking forward to it, completely, as I have really missed being there, and I get to see my girlfriend for the first time in ages. But it's more to do with getting back into working and the routine of it all. Time and disappointment have made me lazy, and despite my best efforts, I haven't worked or earned money since December, apart from selling a couple of paintings, and let's be honest, I'm no Picasso. So not only are my funds low, but they're positively negative, if you know what I mean. A big thanks now to those that have bailed me out...you know who you are! THANKS.

The debts are of course largely down to the massive hoax that I was a victim of. In a nutshell, I signed a contract for a job that didn't exist, and have subsequently lost the last of my savings by buying pointless flight tickets and a trip to the U.S that in hindsight I couldn't afford. The scam was meticulous, and quite a few people got suckered the same way. It's a pity I don't believe in hell, as if I did, I'd hope the f******s who hoaxed me rot in it. That said, although it still makes me angry occasionally, I am totally over it...and to quote a trending phrase...

KEEP 

CALM

AND 

KOREA

ON

Coming very soon... "I could fit my bathroom inside my fridge," and other random stuff.

The Days They Are A Dwindlin'.

All too familiar, and I expect more of the same the next few weeks.

With all my documents delivered, and my visa issuance number safely in my inbox, all that remains to be done is to snag a visa, throw a few things in a case, hitch hike to Heathrow (no money for a bus) and ride the big steel bird to the R.O.K.
So with just a week or so left, what will I do? For sure I'll be stuffing plenty of sausages down my Gregory Peck, as it's about the only food I miss that I can't get in Korea. I'll also be cheering on England in the pub, but with lower expectations going into a tournament than ever before. I am as patriotic as the next guy when it comes to English sport, but really, the way we're playing we will struggle to emerge from the group this time round. I hope to be proven completely wong, (sorry, Woy) and no one will be more happy than me about that. It's easy really, get it down & get it wide, as I believe Carroll IS the man for the big occasion...top scorer for the tourney...might be worth a fiver? COME ON IN-GER-LANNDDD.

Other than eating sausages and watching footy, I'll be killing time writing my book, painting and running, and as you can see, by writing more drivel on here.
I'll leave you with this - 'Oxo' are producing a cube in the colours of the George Cross. It's going to be called a laughing stock. Whoop Whoop.

F*** Valencia, Ulsan's where it's at.

                                                   

First of all, welcome to my new blog. Here you'll find regular musings, moans, anecdotes and adventures from the days and months ahead. At times it may be interesting, and at others probably not, but it will be as regular as a visit to the loo after a night of awful Korean beer and soju. Life in Korea is never dull, and I will endeavor to share with you some of the highs and lows of life on the R.O.K.

Okay, it's official...next month I will return to Korea. It wasn't part of the plan, and although I always knew I'd return in the future, it certainly wasn't meant to be so soon. It has come about because I've been the victim of an elaborate hoax...in a nutshell, I signed a contract for a job in Valencia that didn't exist. The details are complex, but the reality is I've lost a lot of money, had a dream job disappear before my eyes, and found myself bewildered, broke, and back home at mum's with my tail between my legs.
That said, I am over the initial anger and utter disappointment, and look forward to my imminent return to the R.O.K. I will live in Ulsan, a city I know little about, and I look forward to exploring my new surroundings.

With three weeks to go until my departure, the countdown begins, and as the England footy team once again prepare to go abroad and get battered and embarrassed on foreign soil...so do I.

See you on the other side.