This expat life
It has been 4 weeks since beginning the journey to Korea and it has been busy! The first week was filled with touring houses, villas, and high rise apartment options as I could not stand the lodging provided on base. Why I keep getting stuck with drab, disgusting looking accommodations, I don't know. But, I found a villa and have been semi-settled there for a few weeks. One of the realtors took me for my first Korean meal. It was quite tasty though I didn't eat everything.
As determined as I was to get a moped and walk everywhere, I had to cave and get a car. That journey started by taking the Korean driving license test which I FAILED lol. To my defense, I was given an old version of the driving manual and it did not have the street signs. They have zig-zag lines in the road to indicate to slow down (I missed this on the exam), the railroad crossing sign looked more like a Rorschach inkblot rather than a train, and Pedestrian Crossing and No Pedestrians allowed was the exact same picture with different colors. So, clearly I was not set up for success lol Needless to say, I passed with flying colors on the second try! So now I am apart of the driving masses and I hate every moment I am on the road. Traffic lights are mere suggestions, waiting 10 seconds before proceeding through a green traffic light probably isn't enough time as Koreans run red lights like it's in style, and you risk being rear-ended if you actually stop at a blinking red light. On my first expedition on the road, I was so kind to let a lady pushing a cart cross the road. To my dismay, she turned her cart full of supplies and stopped IN FRONT OF ME as we waited for the light to turn green.
I am still waiting on my household goods but I am settling in nicely. More to come soon!