26/07/2005

아싸!!! Moving to Seoul



Took off to Seoul this last weekend to go for job interviews as well as to find a home. It was one action packed weekend but talk about choosing the wrong weekend to do such things - it was like the hottest weekend in Korea! So I decided to live in Haebangchon which is close to the foreign areas and the notorious Itaewan, but hey I did my time. I’m also moving in with Su-hee a friend that I met back in 2000 during my first contract in Daegu it will be nice to be not so alone.

The job interviews… Well a little disappointed but the best thing that I did was network which is really what you need to do, as it’s more about who you know to get a great position here. I have been getting phone calls and e-mails everyday about job openings but they’re all the generic positions in generic Hogwans (private language schools) I’m so tired of these offers, I could almost predict the next thing that the person on the other line will say, but the thing that gets me is how they also add that it’s the norm here and that it’s pretty slim that I can get anything else. Yeah, whatever! I have worked for great places in Korea; I’m not about to go down the ladder just cause I’m moving to Seoul. They say that the norm for vacation time here is ten days; however the current position I have is six weeks. I know it will be hard to find a comparative position but hey I think I’ve earned that right. So many people also call and offer positions in Daegu, even though I stressed I’m looking for positions only in Seoul, then they say how about another city – SEOUL!!!

The home… Well Su-hee and I found a place. We went looking in and around Haebangchon, for those that don’t this area it’s one of the hilliest parts of Seoul! It’s right next to Nam Mountain. We walked up so many hills in such hot weather as well as some serious humidity! I couldn’t believe how much one could sweat in fact I’ve developed some skin problems on my arms and now I have really dry skin under my eyes that is actually irritating and I can’t scratch. Anyway back to the place, I posted some pics for your pleasure. It’s a three bedroom place with a bathtub, my first time to have a one in Korea! It’s large but I can’t wait to have light in the mornings or to open windows and to see a view rather than a brick wall. The one bad thing is that is it is quite a hill to walk up, but hey I got used to my college, which is up high on a hill too.

I shall post more at a later date.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

I'm happy to hear that news! :D

Anonymous said...

I agree Sharon, you should hold out for a better position, you have lots of great experience.

Congratulations on the apartment, with a view not less... the steep hills remind me of La Paz!!

Anonymous said...

Great to see you found a place!!
Don't worry about job you will get one soon!!
Jasmeet

Anonymous said...

Yay, I'm so happy to hear all this good news!! You have sounded so depressed when I have talked to you recently, I'm glad you have found a comfortable (and not lonely) living situation in the city where you want to be. The job will come together. :)
Love, Mandy

Sharon said...

Hey thanks you guys! I need to really improve my situation, but sometimes it's hard to let go of the stability thing called a salary!! :p

Anyway I'm more and more positive these days on the job search. Time seems to be running out and yet I still get so many job offers. That's how it is sometimes.

How lucky I am to have you guys though! Thanks ;)