Well, I'm finally on my travels again. Having spent nearly 6 months in Ireland catching up with friends and family. I'm now in Seoul, South Korea, my new home for the next year at least.I'm in my second week here now, and only beginning to get into my routine. It's a very large Asian city, and seems very far, not just geographically, from either Ireland or Costa Rica.
The pic of the week shows the view of Seoul across the Han River. It's early evening, and you can see the evening sun on the river reflected off the buildings opposite. You can also see the Seoul tower on the green hill, Namsan, which is my landmark for getting my orientation around the city. I'm staying with my sister Clara and we live quite close to that tower.
Ireland
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I really enjoyed my time in Ireland. I thought I was just going to be there for a couple of months, but ended up staying almost six. It was a relaxing time. I sorted out a lot of things to do with my personal belongings, my finances and just generally organised my affairs. I tried working as a freelance writer, but I didn't really enjoy it. So, for now, I've decided to forget about earning money from writing, and just giving myself the freedom to write and see what I enjoy writing about.
I spent most of my time in Ennis, staying in my mother's. It was a very relaxed time, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I actually didn't get to spend as much time in Dublin as I would have liked. The disadvantages of not having a house there that I have access to. So I ended up seeing far less of my Dublin friends than I had intended. Six months in Ireland sounds like a long time, but my time in Dublin was a lot shorter. So apologies for those of you that I didn't get a chance to meet.
Several friends came down to see me in Ennis, and they were the most satisfactory times for really catching up with people.
So why Seoul?
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I had planned to come to Asia next, and as my sister lives in Seoul (and my father), I thought that I'd stop off here on holidays en route.
However, not working for a year takes its toll on your finances, and I haven't worked since leaving Intercultura almost a year ago. Korea is well known as being the country where English teachers are best paid, and so in the end money talked.
It's also a huge world city, and I've never lived anywhere bigger than Dublin before. The population is, according to different sources I read, somwhere between 10 and 12 million. It's very modern and technological. The city at night is lit up with neon signs and large television screens showing advertising.
I'm currently staying in my sister Clara's flat. It's near the international district of Itaewon, and we've been having quite a social time since I arrived.
Plans
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I'm using my first few weeks to get to know the city, and to do the tourist trail. I'm also taking the opportunity to talk to Clara's friends, most of whom are English teachers, about the places they work and what type of schools and jobs are available. English teaching is in great demand, and I'm not worried about getting a job.
Next week I'm going to update my CV, and start to check out the websites listing what's available and the job hunt will begin.
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So that's it for this week. If you're one of those people who hasn't missed the weekly emails, and don't want to stay in the loop, I have to say I don't blame you! Just reply saying 'unsubscribe' and I'll take you off the list.
For the rest of you, apologies if I didn't see you or didn't see much of you when I was in Ireland, and I hope you'll find my description of life in Korea interesting as the weeks go by.
Until next week,
Éamon
Today's headline in The Korean Times: Lee Replaces Key Secretaries
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