Well, it took a lot longer to get back into the country than I had originally planned. From a job falling through to delaying so I could go on a few special family trips, there always seemed to be some reason that I was still in the states. I finally got a job that was at the same school as my girlfriend.
I was planning on being there as soon as my visa came in but, once it did, the recruiter informed me that the school wasn't ready and I would start January 18th. I wasn't happy about it and had them fly me out a bit sooner so I could spend Christmas with my girlfriend. I got in on Christmas Eve and was able to spend it with her.
We are supposed to be in Daechi but, because the school wasn't ready, she has been in Bundang since arriving in November and she was kind enough to give me a place to stay.
Now, what I should have done was take the few weeks I had before work would start and go around to some of the less accessible parts of Korea that will be difficult to do with a work week but I am hesitant to spend a lot of money at the moment. I did come up with a few trips that I would like to compete this year:
Olle Trail in Jeju.
A temple stay.
As many National Parks as possible.
Most of my time was spent at cafes. If there is one thing I love about Korea, it's the coffee culture. There is great coffee everywhere and they are wonderful little businesses.
One day I went to the Dongdaemun Design Plaza. This is one of my favorite places to take photos. Because it was so cold, there weren't many people and it felt as though I had the whole place to myself. I didn't stay too long though. After an hour I couldn't feel my fingers even with gloves on. The crazy thing was that there were two women doing there own little photo shoot with one of them spending quite a bit of time in just a black dress. It was too bad I didn't snap a quick shot of them.
There were two Saturdays where we went up to Seoul. We were planning to go to the Daelim Museum the first time but it was a bit too busy and we decided to go again the next weekend. Instead, we went to the entrance of Gyeongbokgung Palace and watched the actors do the changing of the guard performance.
Afterwards, it was up to the Bukchon Hanok Village. I enjoy shooting here but you really have to get there early to get photos without a bunch of other people in the background. We found a side street that wasn't too busy to take a few shots. To my great dismay, a few of the houses on the main road of the village are being renovated and have large barriers up for the construction. They are a giant eyesore and, if you plan on shooting there, you'll have to plan around that or go once they have finished.
Around sunset, we made it to Common Grounds, a complex made with shipping containers filled with shops and restaurants. Outside, there are also four food trucks that look semi-permanently placed in the center of the courtyard. I'm not really sure how much they keep the spirit of a food truck if they don't move.
Seven days later we made it to the Paper, Present exhibit at the Daelim Museum. It was a three story building filled with the most elaborate paper crafts I've ever seen. The first floor was filled with intricate works lacking color. The second floor had three sections with household and everyday items in paper form, small creatures, and a room of paper flowers hanging from the ceiling. The final level was a single room with mirror walls, pink reeds, and calm music. This was supposed to be a representation of a summer field and was the most interesting of the levels.
Work started last week. They don't have a lot for me to do yet but I've started moving into my own apartment in Daechi. Hopefully, I'll have more focused and interesting entries to come.
