Description of the Title

Miguk might not mean anything where you come from but it means 'American' in Korea and that's exactly what I am...an American in Korea, for the timebeing that is. I teach English as a second language to children at a Wonderland franchise school in Hwajeong a small and totally useless town? city? suburb? outside of Seoul.

Although it sometimes feels like it consumes me entirely and sucks the soul from my being, my work isn't everything and the purpose of keeping this blog is to remind myself of that. I will attempt to avoid showcasing the monotony of my job and try instead to capture in words what I cannot capture in pictures, (for lack of a digital camera and a computer with a USB port), which is the experience of living in such a different culture from my own or any I have experienced thus far. I find myself constantly having to find my balance after being shaken by the impact and surreality of living here. It is horrible and wonderful and comfortable and scary all at the same time. I have "good Korea days" where it just seems like everything is going right. Sometimes they happen when I truly feel like I am making an impact on my student's lives and that I am kicking ass at my job. Other times they happen when I have ridiculously fun times with fabulous new friends and feel like I'm living a truly cosmopolitan lifestyle. They also happen when I experience or witness things that could so totally only happen in Korea and I am awed by them. I also have "bad Korea days" where I count the seconds until the end of my year long contract and long for the familiar and the comfortable. These days often involve upsetting encounters with my incompetent boss Colleen or stints of deep-seeded loneliness and depression.

I hope soon be able to add pictures so as to help illustrate all of my encounters. The good thing about working here is that the money is pretty decent so it shouldn't be too much longer before I am able to do so. The majority of the November posts are transplants from my blog on myspace.com so don't be alarmed if you see something you've read before. Please enjoy reading my blog and feel free to post comments at will.