I Know You Got Seoul, Part 2

Right...having had a rather significant amount to drink on Saturday night, I woke up bright and early on Sunday morning somewhat worse for wear. However, an interesting day was lined up so I got through a hearty breakfast and a few glasses of water and got back on track.

First off, we had the opening 'ceremony' for all of us for the orientation, which was headed up by a performance by a traditional Korean music group:

They were brilliant. The choreography and rhythm were spot on all the way through, as the video snippet shows. That was just a small part of the overall performance, though.

Once that was done and the usual thank-you-for-coming-you're-all-great-people speech from the programme head, we were divided into three 'classes' based on our teaching location. I volunteered to be class leader for Class 1 (obviously no one here really knows what I'm like in a position of leadership otherwise they would have knocked me out before I had the chance) and we were then asked to produce a sample elementary school lesson in small groups for presentation on Wednesday. My group managed to come up with a totally plaigarised decent plan, so we'll just have to see what the people in charge think of it come Wednesday.

So, once that rather tedious stuff was done, we got to go on a field trip to an ancient palace, Gyeongbokgung, in downtown Seoul. Constructed in 1394, it was gutted by invading Japanese forces when they occupied Korea in the early 20th Century, but once the Japanese withdrew plans were made to restore it. Restoration is still ongoing, but that doesn't stop it still looking pretty impressive, as the following pics will attest:

And a quick one of me:

These are just a few of the photos I managed to take, but as you can see from these the architecture and environment are pretty brilliant. I've always had an interest in Far Eastern ancient buildings, and these are amongst the best you can see in Korea. I hope to see more of them between now and when I leave.

After looking round the fortress for a bit, we got to go into the Korean folk museum and get an idea of how Korean families (both rich and poor) used to live. Turns out Korea employed a feudal system very much like the British one at the same time in history: basically, the big guy runs the show and the little guys try their best to enrich and justify their own lives while working for their lord 23 hours and 59 minutes of every day. What was uber-impressive, however, was the fact that the little guys actually had such an amazing work ethic that they were HAPPY to do this. Still, that's Confucianism in a bag for you - it gives a society very clear ideas about where everyone should be, and that still extends (by and large in the respect most Koreans show elders or superiors in the workplace) today. At least it's organised.

(Little shot of a typical Korean lords study.)

After that - no stopping, straight to a theatre for a production of a uniquely Far Eastern thing - a cooking musical comedy! Yep - I got to see Nanta, a Korean production that has played all around the world.

It was very good - 90 minutes of cooking utensils, flying food, massive drumbeats and slapstick humour. Basically, the story is very simple - a team of cooks has 90 minutes to prepare a big meal for a Korean wedding. The maitre'd puts his rather useless nephew alongside three other cooks and tells them to get on with it. Cue obvious and maniacal anarchy. All in all, it was very good fun.

After that - a brief evening meal, and then a rather more sedate evening out.

As for today - sadly far less interesting than yesterday, but informative - some lectures on teaching and working in Korea (including a really good one what to see in Korea which I'll definitely be taking hints from), and the beginning of some very useful Korean lessons, which I intend to continue in my own time once orientation is over. Staring at Hangol (Korean writing) characters for over two hours did, however, begin to make my brain dribble out of my ears in a fashion not seen since I finished Quantum Mechanics on my degree course. Especially given the subtle differences in inflection that come with- Aaarggghhh...brain running again.

But I'll get used to them in time. Learning Korean is something I really want to devote time to while I'm here.

Well - tomorrow is more lectures and a class meeting, so I'm sure I'll be able to update you with the events of the day (potentially tedious as they might be) same time tomorrow.

In the meantime, read and comment please! I want your feedback!

I Know You Got Seoul, Part 1

First off, apologies for not updating sooner. A combination of business and lack of decent Web access has made it very difficult for me to update, but where I am now has a decent enough connection so here we go!

Well, I left you last time while I was contemplating all the stuff I still had to get done to finally get settled in this very pleasant land. Thankfully, it all seemed to go without a hitch - I got my bank account set up, I'll be getting my ARC on the 1st October which means I'll FINALLY get my own Internet access, and I had a very relaxing Chuseok basically just resting, on account of actually not being able to go anywhere because I don't have very much of this.

However, once that was done, it was off up to Seoul on Saturday 25th for the orientation I should have had a month ago, but sadly missed on account of not making it to Korea on time. I wasn't totally sold on the idea of spending what little is left of my money on a trip up here but sadly I didn't have a choice: attending orientation at some point while you are here is mandatory. So off I went, and luck appeared to shine on me as I fluked my selection of bus from the main road near my house - me picking one at random and it taking me to right outside the long-distance bus station!

Once at the station I found a buddy to travel up with, and a bus and two Seoul Underground lines later (many thanks once again to Korea's extremely affordable and efficient transport system) we arrived at our location, the NIIED (National Institute for International Education and Development). Turns out there's about 120 of us here, some like me who arrived just too later for the August orientation, some who have only just arrived in the country. It's an interesting but fun group!

Both of us got to NIIED for about 5pm on the Saturday, so there wasn't really that much to do other than get booked into out rooms, then have something to eat and head on out with some new buddies to sample Seoul's nightlife:

(The guy in the middle is my roommate for the next few days - Nick from Seattle.)

Much beer and soju later and I had a decent sized hangover the following day. Well played, Ross.

More to follow in part 2!

Complications Complications

Settling in here (paperwork wise) is proving to be complicated.

As I arrived here too late for orientation in Seoul, everything that would normally be done for me (or at least helped with) at said orientation I have had to do myself.

One of those things - the med check - I've told you about already; I got my results back yesterday, and now I just need to take them and a few other items to the immigration office to sign up for my Alien Registration card.

However, it;s not that simple.

Two things have arisen recently that have complicated matters.
Firstly, if I'm wanting to get paid anything this month I need to set up a bank account pronto - faster than having to wait to receive my ARC to set up my account in the normal way. Therefore, I've got to visit a bank tomorrow with my passport, hand over another piece of paper in Korean (thank you once again, coteacher) and expect them to actually know what the hell I'm going on about. Fingers crossed that goes ok, because otherwise I will be taking a very close look at the can't-afford-to-eat diet for the next 4 weeks...

Additionally, there is a Korean national holiday coming up next week - Chuseok, or the Harvest Festival. Now, on the up side this means a few days off. On the down side it means any app I make for an ARC will be delayed even further!

Also, I got word today that because I didn't go to the orientation in August, I have to attend one in September. So come the 25th I need to traipse back up to Seoul and stay there for a few days for the orientation. I'm sure I'll enjoy learning a bit more about what it's like to teach here and some useful techniques, but it is something of a bugbear to have to go back and forth and run around continuously spending what little money I have like this.

Thankfully, the good thing about doing this all now is that it'll be over soon and I'll actually be able to settle down and focus on what I'm actually here to do.

Anyway, rant over.

Speaking of what I'm here to do...that's going pretty well at the moment. I'm working out of a textbook for most of my classes, but I'm putting a twist on some of it too and trying to apply what I learnt in my PGCE about structuring and executing good lessons. So far the lessons seem to be a hit with the kids and teachers - let's hope it stays that way.

Anyhow, more detailed update to follow in the next couple of days, but for now I'm dog-tired. Peace out people.

Needles, X-rays and Other Assorted Paraphernalia

Well, I sorted out the hospital stuff. It was probably one of the most interesting two-hour sections of my life, but I sorted it.

I only had two lessons on the Thursday so I got to head home early. Having dropped off my gear I quickly took a walk to the Cheongju medical centre, armed with a list of what I should bring and a handy piece of paper written in Korean by my coteacher saying, "do not trust this man, he will r" "this man needs needles sticking in his w" Aaargh, *f<censored>g autotranslator!*

right..."This man needs a blood test, a chest X-ray and a sound and a CB (colourblindness) test." There we go.

Anyway, the hospital was around a 15 minute walk away.

That's a photo of the Cheongju ballpark, pretty much right next to the hospital. I'd like to
get to watch a game at some point.

And this is the hospital.


Once inside I managed to speak enough pidgin-Korean/English coupled with shoving my piece of paper at anyone I could find to make myself understood, and went through a blood test (I hate needles, so it was somewhat traumatic), chest X-ray and having to stand on a metal plate with your shoes off while attractive nurses check your height, weight and pe chest size. Once that was all done, I was asked to go back in 5 days for the results. At least that's what I thought the nurses gesturing at my test sheet, saying "Tuesday 5pm" and looking at me like I'm a typical idiot Little Englander meant. I've really got to get learning Korean more.

Anyway, after that I grabbed a baguette from Paris Baguette (a quid for a baguette that'll probably last me 3 lunches is a good deal, I think) and went home and crashed out. Befor that though, I went through a part of Cheongju that had a dozen shops devoted to selling:

Yes, they're dogs...and NO, YOU SICK BASTARDS, it's not what you think. Pretty much THE fashion accessory for Korean women between the age of 8 and 38 at the moment is a tiny dog (Paris Hilton, you have a lot to answer for) so there is a fairly roaring trade in little pets for affluent Korean females.

The following day (today), was just another school day, but I did take some cool landscape photos:

The first one was the view from a corner of my school, the other three I took on the bus coming back home. You can just make out the hills and mountains in the background in the last three - apparently a couple of them rival Ben Nevis in height so I might be looking for a repeat performance of the Foxes of Nevis' epic charity climb if I get the opportunity! The countryside really is awe-inspiring - I don't think these photos do it justice but they're all I have.

I also managed to get involved in a game of football with some of the students at lunchtime today - my team lost 4-3 but I scored all our teams goals, which as anyone who has actually seen me play football knows is a near-miraculous event. I just did what I used to do when playing school football - goalhang. ;-)

Anyway, time to get going - off out in Cheongju tonight. Another update soon - in the meantime, RRC people!

The Hills Are Alive With the Sound Of F-16's At 250 mph

Been a busy few days, but the time has come for another update!

Having had a very enjoyable weekend (though I wasn't able to remember much of it) I was back on the game on Monday with my first visit to the second school I would be teaching at. It was an elementary (primary school), and it turned out I would be teaching Years 5 and 6, which was something of a relief because I reckon trying to teach kids that are any younger a completely foreign language without knowing any of the native language yourself would be horri interesting.

In any case, I ran my 'introduction' PP presentaion in front of 8 different groups over Monday and Tuesday, which coupled with the amount of times I had run it at the middle school too meant that I was seeing said PP slides when I closed my eyes. Having Stonehenge, Buckingham Palace, Sunday Lunch and David Beckham seared onto the rear of your eyeballs is not the most pleasant of experiences, even if I deliberately chose the funny Beckham picture of him just after Rob Green's error against the USA...

That said, all the groups have liked the presentation, and most of them now have a much better idea about my home country including some essential information, such as who our ruler is, what kind of plays the Curve Theatre actually stages, and exactly who Martyn Waghorn is. :-) Unfortunately I've now 'introduced' myself to every group I'll be teaching, so I now actually have to TEACH them English from this point forth. 

As another interesting addition, at both schools there are some interruptions in the form of F-16's from the nearby airbase who seem to delight in low flyovers that result in me not being able to hear or indeed say anything for around 30 seconds every time. This usually happens at least 5 times a day. This is irritating, but I guess it's a reminder that technically this is a country still at war, even though a shot hasn't been fired in anger since the 1950's.

Though I live in the city, it's a fair commute by bus to both of my schools which are both out in the countryside somewhat. The horizon scenery is awe-inspiring (pictures to come soon) - green fields stretching away to forested kills and eventually massive mountains which (weather perimitting) have peaks lost in swathes of cloud. It's amazing to see - like something out of a movie.

The kids are amazing. Whether elementary or middle school, when they come across you in the corridoor they bow (or at least incline their heads) or say an incredibly enthusiastic greeting in Korean or (more usually) decent English. Whe in the classroom they are attentive and as long as they understand what you are asking them to do (sometimes language barrier is an issue here but thankfully not often) they will do it - without question. All students even stay and CLEAN THE SCHOOL AFTER THE END OF THE DAY. Can you seriously imagine that happening in Blighty? Totally different.

However, the amount of 14-year old girls saying that I'm handsome is deeply disconcerting. As is the small group of students from my last group today asking me to SIGN their textbook. Yes, I know I'm different but...good grief. Still, the amount of interested conversation and greetings is nice for the confidence.

Getting along well with the staff too - at both schools they've been very welcoming and understanding. Of course my main liason at both has been my English co-teacher (they both speak English well and can translate for me) but everyone I've met wants to make me feel at home, which is really nice. I was invited for coffee at lunchtime on Monday by the kindergarten teacher at the elementary school (who now wants to cook for see me again) and today at the middle school I did the same with a few of the male teachers who wanted to know more about the English Premier League and particularly that bit of it containing Park Ji-Sung. It's nice to meet some fellow football nuts (trying my hardest to convince the kids that it is FOOTBALL, not SOCCER) even though none of them have a clue who Leicester City are. They will soon, believe me.

I actually want to get on with learning more than the most basic Korean as quickly as possible so I can communicate better with everyone, because they are a really good, genuine and helpful bunch of people, at both schools. My coteacher at the elementary school has offered to help me out on that score too.

I've also tried my very hardest to be deferent to the people in charge at each school (in the classic Korean way) and it seems to be paying off in that they seem to like me, but I'm still scared shi stiff of making some kind of cockup without meaning to and pissing them off permanently. Up to now however, I've not made any gaffes - arriving 15 minutes late this morning because of waiting for a bus that never came notwithstanding. My inability to use chopsticks is proving to be something of a laugh too - I'm practicing but I can't seem to get the hang of it at the moment.

Speaking of eating, I'm trying whatever's put on my plate at the canteen at school every day. Some of it I'm enjoying, some of it not (today had shredded octopus tentacles) but I'm trying everything. The kimchee is still a hit with me, but as it's usually served cold you need something hot to go with it to balance out the flavour. Usually there is rice and a different kind of spicy soup served every day, which I can only have a bit of before it makes my mouth violently explode. I'm used to medium/hot curries back home, but this is on a whole other level - Koreans like their food hot. Very hot.

Speaking of heat, today actually seemed about 10 degrees colder than yesterday. I don't know whether such abrupt changes in heat and humidity are normal here but it's certainly a bloody relief.

Anyway - only got two lessons tomorrow, then off to the hospital to have my checkup so I can apply for my Alien Registration Card. You need one of those around here to do anything - get a bank account, phone or personal Internet, so it's important I get it sorted ASAP. Probably will have time to update after I get back from the hospital, so watch out for it then!

In the meantime, read, review and comment please! Peace out.

Birthday weekend

26 years old. Scary thought. Four years til 30. Even scarier.

But that's not what this entry is about.

I had a late night on Friday night, when I met up with some EPIK buddies for a drink on the "patio" (neat Cheongju university, lots of bars/restaurants nearby), so I spent quite some time on Saturday recuperating, and getting ready for the big one: combined birthday do for me and Shay (a girl in our building).

First off, we headed out into the main part of Cheonju for a Korean buffet:

 They had some good food there too (chicken feet aside): I settled for some sweet and sour pork, some meatballs and rice.

After that, it was back to my neighbourhood (which I now know is called Cheong-dae) for many, many drinks.

 We first hit a Western bar that I'd been to before (first night I was here), then we all headed for a club called Pearl Jam, and I basically had far far too much to drink, which explained the awful hangover this morning (or afternoon, as I ended up waking at 2pm).

Here's the group I was out with - brilliant bunch. Shay (the birthday girl) is the one in the middle with the grey dress.

Right - sorry for the brevity of this entry, but I've got to cut it short for now. Will edit later!

Back to School

(Double entry coming up -  please bear with me!)


Well, on Thursday I got to visit the first of my two schools (turns out I'm teaching at two different ones), and see where I would be involved in teaching English. Turns out it's a middle school (so kids aged 11-14) about half an hours bus ride from where I live, kind of out in the countryside. I'll put up photos when I have them.

Anyway, thanks to my co-teacher who was generous enough to give me a lift on my first day, I arrived there, and was asked to put together a brief presentation on myself and where I have come from for the two classes I was going to be with that day. So I spent a little while prepping a Powerpoint presentation at my new desk (complete with computer and gift pen, very nice of them) before heading with my co-teacher to the classroom.

Just how different this was going to be from teaching in England was demonstrated when I entered the classroom. All of the students in the class broke into one of the biggest rounds of applause I have ever seen. Um....

So, caught between being gratified and disconcerted at this, I introduced myself, and went through my presentation, asking and answering a couple of questions too. It was done after about 15 minutes, then I quickly went over to my coteacher, expecting her to take over.

Her response: "Do you have any more?"

Oh, shi whoops.

Turns out she wanted me to spend the whole lesson (another 30 minutes) talking to the students. So I had approximately 10 seconds to come up with an idea for a good English lesson before everyone would lose interest and anarchy would reign. Well, that's the way I saw it in my head, anyway.

So I had to wing it for the remaining half hour. Fortunately I managed it (though what exactly I did I have forgotten, guess pressure does that to you) and afterward I had an hour to improve my presentation so it was actually fit for a 45-minute lesson. As a result, after my second lesson of the day, my coteacher actually remarked to me about how good a lesson it was, even though I'd just ran a PP and run the students through a few words! Another measure of how different it is to England - far far less pressure, which is nice, but given what I've experienced in the past I think it'll be a while before I stop looking over my shoulder for self-obsessed little Hitlers with clipboards (which, as every teacher in England knows, are pervasive throughout the English school system).

Friday went pretty much the same, kept finetuning my presentation for the different classes, and it all went ok. Got invited to a game of tennis by one of my fellow teachers too, which is nice!

And so I went onto the weekend...which needs another post to describe!

Bonus pics - my room - complete with mess!!!

 
PS. Shoutout to Joey - for without his massive support in manifold different ways I wouldn't be out here. Massive thanks, mate. Seriously. :-)

Settling In

So...after a day devoted to R & R, I decided to spend my last day before being shown round the school (this day, in fact) doing something constructive to settle in. Namely, sort out my room, grab some supplies and other stuff I needed.

Thanks largely to Ken and Jimmy's advice, I knew the best place to go was a place called Home+, which was a 5 minute and 2500 Won cab ride away. I made my way there (stopping for a light brunch first) and took a look around before picking up all the essentials I would need, such as washing powder, fabric softener, some food etc (as well as a replacement headphones/hands-free kit for my phone for about 8 quid, good business).

Took a cab back, and took some more pics

The main junction in downtown Cheonju, about 10 minutes walk from my apartment. The social and business hub of the local area.

View along the road leading to the main road going to that junction, right near my apartment.

Anyway, once that was all done I got my room in something approaching order (pics to come soon) and headed out here to type up all these entries.

Plans for this evening - probably meet up with Ken, Jimmy and Ted (and possibly Tim, who I played table tennis with yesterday), food, drink and sleep. Probably in that order. Then, tomorrow, I get to see where my job is going to be for the next several months!

Will probably get the chance to update again either before or at the weekend. Til then, all the best!

(In the meantime, please comment/ask questions! It makes me feel important. ;-)  )

Cheonju - Home From Home

Waking up at 7.30am with jetlag is never a pleasant experience, especially when you know the conditions you're about to go into are 27 degrees C with over 60% humidity, and you're weighed down by a suitcase, a backpack, a knapsack and a laptop bag.

I made the best of it by showering, getting my gear together and making up possibly the world's strongest coffee in the lobby of the hotel, before getting on the shuttle bus back to Incheon airport for the next leg of my journey - a bus ride to Cheonju, the city where I would be based for the next 12 months. It was about three hours bus ride away, but to my amazement the ticket cost 18,000 won (barely more than a tenner). Not to mention it was quick, clean and very efficient. Makes you think about how much you actually get ripped off back in Britain when it comes to public transport.

Anyway, I had just enough time to get ANOTHER coffee and a muffin before the bus left at 10.30am, so I did so and tried to contact Mary Hahn, my contact at the Cheonju POE (Provincial Office of Education). Unfortunately, as I was to discover later, EPIK had given me the wrong number. So I couldn't tell her I was on my way. I sent a quick email to Claire at ESLStarter asking her to contact them for me (thank whatever deity for free wi-fi at airports) and got on my way. FAIL ONE.

The bus ride was smooth, and I arrived at Cheonju at about 1.30. Now the first of a few minor problems began.
Firstly, the cab driver I hailed to get me to the POE spoke NO English. I mean, none at all. FAIL TWO.

I showed him the address of the POE I had been given (in Korean) but he didn't understand that either. Cue 15 minutes and 9000 Won of hand signals, manic turns and desperate phone calls/emails (from him and me) before he finally caught on and got me to the POE.

I checked in at the gate, but Ms Hahn was not in her office. The gate guy managed to get in touch with her, and apparently she'd been told I was arriving on Tuesday - not Monday. FAIL THREE.

I was beginning to get a bit annoyed with the whole business when Ms Hahn actually sent word that she knew I'd arrived and was on her way, having finished a meeting. NO FAIL FOUR!!!

Anyway, a few minutes later, she duly arrived, and directed me to her (thankfully air conditioned) office.

After looking at the paperwork (contract etc), and finding out that I was going to be teaching at a middle school about 30 minutes bus ride from where I would be living, we took a taxi to where my home from home would be for the next 12 months.

That's the entrance to my apartment building. Unfortunately in all the excitement I forgot to take any photos of my room itself, but they're on the way.

Anyway, I moved my stuff in, went through the inventory of Things That Are In My Room And My Responsibilty with the landlord (who is possibly the coolest guy ever) and Ms Hahn. Pretty soon after my co-teacher (Miss Hong) arrived and had a chat with me too. She said that I'd be heading to the school for a show-around on Thursday, and to enjoy myself until then. Unfortunately, jetlag still had me in something approaching a zombified state, and I was just able to round off the conversation and say goodbye before I crashed out.

I woke up to a knock on the door, and what was a real stroke of luck. It turned out the building I am in is FULL of English teachers and two of them, Ken (think a younger Jeff Bridges, both in looks and mannerisms) and Jimmy had dropped by to say hello. I was quickly invited for drinks, and then we all went out into downtown Cheonju (near the university and about 10 minutes walk from my apartment block) to grab some food.

And this is what we had - a DIY BBQ. Seriously, they gave you meat, marinade, hot coals and chopsticks, and left you to get on with it. Best of all - all of the stuff on the side you can see was ON THE HOUSE. Seriously. Kimchee (bottom left, fermented cabbage), salad, onions, dipping sauce/powder (bottom right) was all free. You only paid for the meat and the 5 big bottles of beer ordered between the three of us.
And also, because it was my first night in Cheonju, Ken and Jimmy thought I should be treated like a guest, and as a result I didn't pay for the food, nor a single drink, all night. And these are people I'd known for a sum total of about 2 hours. Amazing.

We also ran into Ted, an American guy who actually used to teach at the school I'm going to teach at. Turns out he lives in the same building as me too, so his advice will be great to have.

Anyway, after messing around with some of the local seafood

(yes, that is a LIVE SQUID)

hitting an Irish-themed bar and meeting two other teachers (Jon and Ronan, both Irish, both drunk), having another round, playing some Hendrix on the jukebox and singing football songs, I arrived back at the apartment rather inebriated. But also extremely relieved that I'd made friends, and people I could talk to and ask the advice of, on my first day.

As a result, the next day was something of a recovery day, so I'll not go into it here.

Next up - Settling In.

Flight to Downtown Incheon

(Firstly, many apologies for not updating up to now. Getting Internet at my house is going to take a couple of weeks, so unfortunately the updates are going to be intermittent until then, but bear with me!)

Anyway, last Saturday I got on the Asiana Airlines non-stop flight to Seoul Incheon airport. After hanging about at Heathrow for a bit and trying to feed and entertain myself (10 quid for beer and a burger - UNBELIEVABLE), eventually the time came round to board. Now, as some of you may know, I don't like flying, so come takeoff time I stuck my fingers in my ears and hummed a quite superb rendition of "Don't Worry 'bout a Thing" by Bob Marley. This caused some rather odd looks from the Korean passengers nearby. I can't think why.

I'm not sure why I don't like flying - I probably know more about aerodynamics than anyone on board apart from the flight crew and I know it takes a LOT to bring an airliner out of the air on takeoff, but it doesn't stop me being uncomfortable until I'm through 10,000 feet. Irrational.

Anyway, once we were actually in the air I settled down, had a couple of drinks and sampled some Korean cuisine (some kind of funny chicken/noodles combo) I got some sleep and played some music for most of the rest of the flight.

I landed at Seoul at about 4.50pm local time on the Sunday (remember - 8 hour time difference) and managed to pick up all my luggage, change some money and see a nice welcome sign

 and catch a shuttle bus to the Hotel Incheon Sky where I'd prebooked a room. I shared this bus with, amongst others, a cheerful Japanese guy about my own age called Shintaro. We got to chatting, then once our luggage was safe we decided to head out into Incheon (suburb of Seoul, about 10 miles from the main city) to try some traditional Korean cuisine,

Here's where we ended up.

Like I said, traditional Korean cuisine.

Anyway, as we made our way back to the hotel I took another couple of pics of downtown Incheon:

That's Shintaro with the pizza.

And a shot of downtown.

Anyway, after nomming the pizza Shintaro headed off to get some sleep, and so did I.

After all, it was going to be an early start the next day - I had to get back to the airport and catch a bus by 10.30am to get to Cheonju to meet my contact at the Chungbuk Office of Education.

Next entry - To Cheonju!