My new employer is Ajou University http://ws.ajou.ac.kr/~internat/ .
It's in Suwon, http://eng.suwon.ne.kr/main_view.asp?page_id=main a small city which is the provincial capital of Gyeonggi-do, a province bordering Seoul to the south.
The staff and students are absolutely wonderful, especially a young man who goes by the English nickname of Darren (I can't remember how to spell, much less pronounce, his Korean name). That's him in the photo. Although he was my welcoming committee here, you might recognize lower Manhattan in the background of the picture, which was taken when he visited Liberty Island during a trip to NYC last year.
The staff and students are absolutely wonderful, especially a young man who goes by the English nickname of Darren (I can't remember how to spell, much less pronounce, his Korean name). That's him in the photo. Although he was my welcoming committee here, you might recognize lower Manhattan in the background of the picture, which was taken when he visited Liberty Island during a trip to NYC last year.
Things are so high tech here that even a medium-tech person like myself thinks about which kind of cell phone with digital camera and electronic bilingual dictionary to buy.
Anyway, Darren has been my lifeline so far. He's an administrative assistant in the office at the university and also lives in the apartment right above mine. His English is very good and he studied at the Illinois Institute of Technology. He's been my "go to guy" for EVERYTHING, from showing me how to work the air conditioner in my new place, to setting up my office email and taking me on my first grocery shopping trips.
We live just three blocks from the campus, which makes my life much easier than when I used to take to take the G to the E to the F trains to get to work back in NYC. It's a student neighborhood with lots of good cheap places to eat. Nearly all the food is super spicy, of course. But I keep telling people I like spicy food, I just can't deal with eating dead flesh. Pointing at pictures on the menu helps a lot.
I miss my cats terribly, of course (speaking of animals and being too much of a softie to eat them). I'd love to get a new pet, but don't think the landlord allows it.
And I miss family and friends intensely. I'm truly happy to be here and enjoying the adventure every day. And, at the same time, I'm homesick for the people back home every day too.
Anyway, Darren has been my lifeline so far. He's an administrative assistant in the office at the university and also lives in the apartment right above mine. His English is very good and he studied at the Illinois Institute of Technology. He's been my "go to guy" for EVERYTHING, from showing me how to work the air conditioner in my new place, to setting up my office email and taking me on my first grocery shopping trips.
We live just three blocks from the campus, which makes my life much easier than when I used to take to take the G to the E to the F trains to get to work back in NYC. It's a student neighborhood with lots of good cheap places to eat. Nearly all the food is super spicy, of course. But I keep telling people I like spicy food, I just can't deal with eating dead flesh. Pointing at pictures on the menu helps a lot.
I miss my cats terribly, of course (speaking of animals and being too much of a softie to eat them). I'd love to get a new pet, but don't think the landlord allows it.
And I miss family and friends intensely. I'm truly happy to be here and enjoying the adventure every day. And, at the same time, I'm homesick for the people back home every day too.
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