third day in Korea

As my son says, it would be hard to find anywhere more different than Abbey, Saskatchewan. Yesterday I got lost twice going to my language course, with the beginners at Ganada Language School - lost twice, once missing my station at the subway, the other missing my stop on the bus. But today, not a miss. 45 minutes to school and 45 back. I am living on the 13th floor of building 11 of an apartment complex. I haven't met my neighbours yet, but hopefully I will and be able to practice my fledgling Korean with them - as with the owners of the small corner store just outside one of the gates. It is a very comfortable apartment; I am very grateful to the PROK and especially Yu-Mi and the maintenance folks who have done the hands on work of getting it ready, and of course, to Mary for leaving me so many items from her household. There is a crew here this afternoon installing the air conditioner, cable for TV and internet and phone.

It has taken until today for me to empty boxes of belongings. Why? Well, let's see; I arrived on Tuesday evening, and was only anxious to fall into bed. The next morning, Yu-Mi was here before 9 to take me to the PROK office, where, after morning devotion time, I met all my new colleagues. Not long there and we set out to take the trek to the language school and register me for the next day; then we went to the immigration office to apply for my alien resident's card, then to buy some necessary supplies for my office. The unfortunate thing is we returned from the school by a different route (having to go to these other places) so I didn't have the way sufficiently implanted (refer to story about getting lost yesterday). By the time we dragged in, again all I wanted to do was shower and fall into bed. Then yesterday I was up early and out of the house by 8 a.m. School doesn't start until 10, but I didn't know how long it would take me. 8 a.m. is RUSH hour in Seoul, I bravely squeezed on the bus and the subways. The class was good, about a dozen folk, half European background, half Asian. Hopefully we will be spouting all kinds of wisdom by the end of the month. Then coming home, as you heard before, was lost - I didn't get in till 3 (class goes until 1 p.m.) - so that's not so bad, just lost for an hour. An hour and I had to be ready to go out to supper with the PROK ecumenical dept and the mission dept - my colleagues to be. And after getting home from that, again, only wanted shower and bed, but still had homework to do.

But today, and tomorrow is free - organization is coming (until the next boxes arrive).