Skip to main content

Annyong Hasseyo

Which means, good morning, good afternoon, good evening.

And its the only thing I've learned so far.

That and thank you, which is kamsa-hamneeda, although I had to just look that up as I keep forgetting.

I'm on such information overload that I don't know where to start.

We arrived Friday to the friendliest welcome I have ever experienced. The evening was filled with nodding and poorly executed customs such as taking your shoes off and never pouring your own drink.

The last two days have been filled with preparation for tomorrow, fear and trepidation, wonder and amazement, tiredness and jet lag, overall emotional roller coaster.

There is not way to describe being in a country where you not only don't know the language, you can't understand the written words. It's been a very humbling and scary experience so far.

I'm planning for a couple of bad days over the next couple of weeks. Our apartment is beginning to feel a bit more like home but we are both ready to get Monday here and get started.

I hope I'm ready for this ride....

Comments

Anonymous said…
Abbey - I have been checking your site 10 times a day waiting to see that you got there! Congrats, and I must say, you are a brave woman. I am so excited for you, and am anxiously awaiting the tales of the adventure. If you are able to receive care packages, and you need anything, email me your address privately and I will send some stuff on! debbie@intouchlegal.com
12:42 p.m.
Travelling Chick said…
thanks so much debbie!!!:) i can't believe I've already made a list longer than my arm...ha ha ha...will write soon xx
1:53 a.m.
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

They Started a Heat Wave

(sing) a tropical heat wave.... (White Christmas fans? anyone? c'mon..) Yes, there is a heat wave, with warm sun and highs of 30 but NOT HERE IN KOREA. Yes, it is warm and humid but there is no sun. Do you want to know where the sun has ended up? BELFAST!! Lucky bastards....I wanted a tan by August gosh darnit - I should have stayed with the Guinness. And, it wouldn't have been a day on this blog without some reference to the weather. The weekend was a nice long relaxing one but super panic hit on Monday night and I was ready to get out of the house. I was freaking out yet again about the garbage (what the hell is wrong with me?) and didn't have a great sleep. There is something to be said for cooping yourself up in your house to watch English speaking DVDs for a day. But I think this only stops you from experiencing the culture. I did venture out on Saturday by bus (whoa, crazy bus drivers) to Pusan where the open markets you can barter and get cheap shirts - thanks to my...
8 comments
Read more

Korean Drivers Manual

1 - First and foremost, you are the only car on the road. Please drive this way. 2 - Be sure to keep a tally of the number of pedestrians you hit. 10 points for old ladies, 20 for young children (they can run faster you see). You can also add 5 points for each near miss and pat yourself on the back for trying. 3 - Red lights can tend to get in the way of your driving. Simply proceed through them if you need to. Honk your horn to make sure the cars that actually have the right of way know you'll be sailing through the intersection. 4 - Signalling is recommended but your car does not have blind spots. Just go ahead an change lanes. 5 - It works best if you keep one foot on the gas and one foot on the brakes at all times. This will allow you to continually pump the breaks all the way down the street avoiding 'other cars' while still revving your engine and going at the speed of light during those intervals when you are not slamming on your brakes. (By 'other cars' I ...
4 comments
Read more

I'm baaaack!

Hard to believe that last entry was almost three years ago! Many moons ago, I set this blog up to chronicle our journeys. Once we were grounded a bit more, it kind of lost its way. I spent some time working on my writing offline, taking on different projects and working full time as a technical writer. It was difficult to keep this blog up. Not for any real reason I can articulate. Just had my words redirected to other avenues for awhile. But, I'm pleased to say, after over a decade away, we are back in the UK, living and re-experiencing a place we enjoyed in the mid-2000s. Social media has certainly changed the way we look at blogs. I'm excited to navigate this new world, explore just what people post, what people read. What's better on one of the many new platforms and what's still appropriate for good old fashioned blogosphere. For now, here's a peek at where we're staying -- in a pretty little village just outside of Oxford. A temporary home ...
2 comments
Read more