With the school year underway we're all adapting to the odd hours that is the life of a boarding don. With mornings off, and the weather still beautiful I feel compelled to be outdoors as much as possible. I'm still adjusting to the fact that I live here, and will thus have plenty of time to get out and explore, remembering that spending some of my free time from work at home relaxing, reading and blogging is okay too. Before purchasing a car being outside mostly meant walks around the GEC, not wanting to spend half of my free time on a bus, but with a car though the door to possibility opened and everything is a quick 20 minute drive away. Last week Monday I decided to test my balance of work and play with a morning at the beach.
0 Comments
This past Friday I completed a new milestone for my life in Korea - I bought a (new to me) car! I'm sure I've spoken in the past about my love for public transportation in Korea and while that still holds true on the mainland, life on the island is a bit different. Especially where I'm living, in this English education city bubble, it is really hard to move around the island (in a timely manner) by bus. I knew when I took the job that securing a car would be at the top of my list of priorities and the $3000 I saved after my last stint here in 2020 was a nice nest egg for such an expense. The timing was perfect as well, my friend Miyoung - who I first met in Bali nearly 10 years ago, was in Jeju for the weekend leading a yoga retreat, which she graciously invited me to join.
On my first "weekend" I wanted to get out of this bubble I live in and decided to take an easy trip and stay in the city for two nights. This was influenced heavily by my desire to get a haircut, and the opportunity which arose to see a car. I'm pretty sure my days of hostel staying (at least in shared rooms) are long gone, especially considering that my current living conditions are basically a glorified hostel. Instead, a booked a simple room on AirBnB in Shin Jeju (the new half of the city). There were a handful of things I wanted to do, a little shopping and hopefully meet up with new friends, connections made through language exchange and dating apps - what a weird technological world we now live in.
Coming off roughly two weeks of full on social interaction I knew that I was ready for some time alone, not to mention getting away from the GEC. I'm grateful that I'm working at one of the international schools on the island, but the placement of all four in one neighborhood, greatly secluded from the rest of the island, is quite inconvenient. Despite knowing that it would be hot and humid I decided to test my endurance and venture out to one of the Olle trails surrounding the island. I had it in mind that I would start inland, winding up at the beach for an afternoon swim, and trail 16 fit that plan. I woke up later than planned and knew that would mean an even hotter endeavor, but went for it anyway. The trail length was about 16 km in total, but not even 1/4 of the way in I was beginning to regret my decisions for the day. A quick check of my phone told me it was 87 ~ feels like 103, the beach was sounding more and more appealing by the second.
|
AsiaKoreaWhere to start. After living on and off in this country for nearly 10 years I have memories, experiences and stories galore. I'll now always be a bit partial to the Land of the Morning Calm. Filled with delicious foods, beautiful nature and friendly people, I'm always happy to return. Archives
June 2023
Categories
All
|