Two Weeks in My New Home
(Sungshin, a fun neighborhood around the corner from work.)
Yikes! I meant to post something to this blog long before now, but days have quickly turned into weeks and I’m just getting to it now. Where to start? First I should say that so far I absolutely love Seoul. While it is not without its awkward moments, I feel very comfortable and welcome here. My neighborhood is in the north of Seoul close to Bukhansan National Park. It isn’t uncommon for me to go quite a distance without seeing another white person. I get a fair amount of quizzical looks, but I don’t feel that anyone is saying “go away” with their eyes. I like my neighborhood. There are a lot of older buildings (for Seoul) and there’s a ton of little side streets to explore. Yesterday I ventured up to the Gyeongguksa Temple (which is essentially across the street from my apartment). It was a beautiful and quintessentially Asian experience. More and more the fact is sinking in that I will be here, in Seoul, for the next twelve months.
I’m planning to write a long post in the future about the food I’ve tried here. Almost all of it has been delicious and I can’t wait to try more. This country has an obsession with fermented, preserved, and aged food that is so fantastic. So much of it sounds vile and tastes divine. I’m also going to write about the urban fabric and the architecture (for the few of you who care as much about this as I do). Also, I’m trying to pick up some of the language, so you can look forward to hearing about my triumphs and failures on that front.
Anyway, I hope you enjoy my blog, I’ll try to update it frequently. Wishing you all the best from South Korea!
