So, I took some picture near my home and hopefully they will show my friends and family where I live and also provide some insight for people interested in coming overseas to teach.
This is the street I live on. If you look closely, you can just make out my apartment. It's the fourth building on the right, on the top floor. It kind of looks like a sunroom if you look near the center of the photo.
This is a street perpendicular to mine. Notice the building on the right draped in what appears to be hundreds of blankets. This building has been under construction since I moved in and I'm certain, by the looks of the workers, it will collapse upon completion.
Here is a shot from outside of my school. It is not much to look at since my school is on a quiet street, but I love that green banner. My Korean is not perfect, but from my interpretation it says either "Big Love School" or "Big Love Church". Though I think it is the latter. Is it any wonder why Asian cultures constantly promote products and programs like "Super Happy Fun Time!"
In this photo I simply turned 180 degrees from the previous picture. I do not have much to say here except I buy a lot of cigarettes and ramyeon at the Family Mart (think 7-11) on the corner there. What a healthy lifestyle I lead.
Now we move to the rooftop of my school. I was forced to relocate here for smoking after students discovered our secret alleyway and shouted "Teacher! Smoking!" repeatedly. This picture shows the two sides of this great city. IN the foreground you see the old thatched (is that what it is called?) roof style buildings and in the background the omnipresent high-rise apartment buildings that litter Seoul, and all of Korea, like a cancer.
Notice the massive Samsung sign. That's where I bought the camera this picture was taken with.
This picture is interesting because of the buildings that tower in the background. I've said before that the area I live in is quite posh, and though these photos might not illustrate that, I've been told that those buildings are the most expensive place to live in Seoul. That is saying a lot considering Seoul has one of the highest real estate markets in the world.
I mentioned the buildings in the last picture only to point out the contrast with this. Witness Eunma Apart (Koreans call apartments 'apart' which always makes me think of the old Stephen Wright joke "Why are they called apartments when they are all stuck together?"). This place is an eye-sore and many people call for it to be demolished. However, as a poor man living amongst wealth, I tend to side with the less fortunate. Viva Eunma Apart!
This picture, again, illustrates the omnipresent high-rise apartments in Korea. No photograph can do this phenomenon justice. These are everywhere and most Koreans live in one.
I posted some pictures of my apartment before, but since it is on-topic I thought I'd update them. Though it is the biggest apartment I have had in Korea it is arguably in the worst condition. The first year or so living abroad squalid conditions are expected and even a little appreciated. However, things have hit their stride and Korea no longer feels like a place I am visiting, but a place where I live. For this reason I've put a little effort into making my home more comfortable this year. It is certainly not a palace, but I'm proud of what I have done with it.
Someone somewhere said something about geniuses stealing everything. Well, maybe I'm not a genius, but almost everything here is a stolen idea. The hanging ratan picture hanger came from Jennifer and the wine bottle candle-holder came from Ciaran. I still really like the way it looks.
The only thing even remotely interesting I have to say about this picture is that I never see this view of my apartment anymore. I turn on my TV maybe once a month. However, this isn't meant to sound elitist or arrogant because most of the time I'm on my computer reading stupid shit.
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