Korean office adventures

This week, I visited a few different places; Immigration, Shinhan Bank, and health insurance.

Immigration:
I think I did almost everything wrong when going to Immigration to get my address changed for my Korean ID card. FYI: Seoul Immigration office is over one hour away by subway. First, I didn't bring my passport with me, so I didn't have any of that information. Luckily, I remembered my passport number, but I wouldn't have been able to give F-4 visa number or expiration of passport. Next walking from the subway station, I begin to think that I might need have passport-size photos. I just hoped that I wouldn't need them. Also, I live in Gyeonggi-Do, so it is technically outside of Seoul city limits. When I was leaving I saw a sign showing the jurisdiction area of Seoul Immigration and my area was still in the jurisdiction of this office. Overall, the lady working spoke a little English, so it wasn't too bad. At least, I had my old ID card and new address written down. All they did was print my new address on my old ID card.

I have two bank accounts in Korea that I kept open after leaving Korea. The first account was the one I needed for direct deposit of my paycheck. The second one, I opened because I could get a debit card. For foreigners, it is easy to get an ATM card, but debit cards are not allowed with certain banks. When I first came I deposited money in my 2nd account. I decided that I should get deposit some money in my 1st account to get an update on transactions and balance. When I got my bank book back, I was really surprised that there was an extra $1480 in my account from a Pagoda deposit. Later, I learned that Pagoda gave me my tax return. If I was still in SF, I wouldn't have know that it was there. Let's just say that I happy that with having some extra money.

Since I left Korea, I have had adventures with health insurance. Eventually, I signed up for CA health insurance, but there was a lot paperwork and difficulty finding affordable insurance. Also, canceling CA insurance is a big hassle. Yesterday, I looked on the Korean health care website. I was able to find the nearest location to where I live. I wasn't exactly sure where it was because Korean addresses don't really use a numbering system with street names. They use a suburb, suburb subdivision, and building name system. I knew that it was close to my house because the same names were in its address as my address. I eventually found the office. Fortunately, this time I had all of the correct paperwork. I brought my ID card, passport, and old insurance card. The two ladies at the office were able speak a little Konglish, so I was able to get signed up. At least the Korean system doesn't have a long detailed form to fill out. All I had to do was sign up without any medical history information.

How many of you are paying $4.00/gallon at the pump? Well, if you were in Korea you would pay a lot more. I can't read the different types of gas offered at the gas stations, but prices range from $6.00 to $7.85. I would guess unleaded gas would be closer to the high number. Some vehicles use CNG or LPG as alternate fuels. Korea is a small country, but lots of people drive and Seoul is like any other metropolitan area with lots of place spread out. Also, many couples use a car as their personal space for dating, which could be expensive if they drive around much.

cousin/various

On Sunday, I went to my uncle's church again. After church, I met my cousin. He is my uncle's younger son. He lives in Brooklyn and goes to Pratt, which is an art institute. He has a couple years left. Also, he is married with a son. He is home for the summer break. His older brother also lives in Brooklyn.

Tuesday, workout #2

I attempted to run/walk again. I wasn't feeling so good on Monday. I seemed to have some chest congestion/cold that wasn't so good. I definitely had a little difficulty breathing while running. Air pollution isn't as bad in the area I live, but seems to effect my breathing. Or, it could be all of the tree/grass pollens affecting my allergies.

Cell phone

When I first got here, my mom helped me buy a mobile phone with service. In Korea, getting mobile phone service is more challenging than in US. Usually, having a Korean national sign up for you or have business phone is the easiest way without going pre-paid route.

My phone is a new model with a lot of features. Yes, it was expensive, but most phones in Korea are more expensive because most phones get no subsidization from cell providers. My mom paid for it, but I hope to pay for it after I get a job. I could pay for it now, but it isn't the Korean culture way for child to pay for something if parent wants to pay. It is little more acceptable after child gets jobs.

If you can tell by the pic, the whole face is a touch screen. There are only 7 actual buttons on front and side. Some of the nice features that my phone has include Kor-Eng dictionary, subway map, 3Mp camera, video calls, DMB TV service, and some more. Video calls are a little weird because it seems strange to see the person calling in live time with no delay on video feed.

Random

Workout #1

In the last 12 months, I have gained weight. My body is starting to feel, especially my back. Today, I attempted to start an exercise routine. My walk/jog was pretty short since I felt pretty sluggish without exercising for awhile. Hopefully, I can keep a regular routine.

In Korea:

It seems that people are starting to worry about AI, bird flu. I have gone out to eat with some Koreans and they request that we go to places that don't have chicken. I'm not scared, I already went to eat Samgyetang, which is a chicken soup. It is a soup with a small chicken stuffed with rice, also having ginger and type of nut.

Here is a picture of how Koreans move in and out of apartments or offices. They use a elevator attached to the back end of a truck that raises and lowers the platform to the window. I am not exactly sure how high they go, but I have seen them used on 10+ story buildings.

Work:

Next week, I will start working at Pagoda again. To answer your question, nope. I will be working in a non-teaching position. Part of my job last year was working for the TOEIC R&D team. I wrote and edited TOEIC material that they use to make practice books. I will work part-time and will still search for a business job.

Church/ordinary stuff

On Sunday, I went to church with my mom. We went to a different church than I had previously been with her to in the past. It was a huge Presbyterian church with six services on Sunday. We sat in the balcony. The first few rows of the balcony are for foreigners because they have headphones for translation during the service. The church offers translation in Japanese, Thai, English, Russian, and maybe another couple languages. During the beginning of service, my mom and aunt pointed down to the choir. I saw that my uncle is part of the large choir.

This week, I haven't visiting old colleagues and friends. Also, I have been looking for jobs, which seems like it is my permanent job.

Living with my mom is definitely an adjustment and probably more so for my mom. My room is adequate, but sleeping on a small mat is a big change. It isn't that thick, so it seems like I am sleeping on the floor. Some of my joints are a lot of discomfort these days, but it probably has more to do with my weight gain than sleeping on the floor. Hopefully, I will get used to the new bed.

First week

My flight to Seoul was definitely an adventure. I got to the airport and checked my bags, but they weighed them all and said I was overweight on both checked bags and carry-on. So, I had to buy a box and pay for an extra piece of luggage. I practically emptied my carry-on to get it under the weight limit.

Once I arrived, my mom came to airport to pick me up. She lives just south of Seoul city limits in a new apartment. It has 2 smallish bedrooms, living room, kitchen, 2 bathrooms, a den, and a couple enclosed balcony areas. The apartment is part of a large complex. It has about 10 buildings with 2-6 apts. per floor with 10-15 floors.

On Thursday, I visited my old job. As usual, there was some teachers that I still knew, but a lot of knew foreign teachers. Turnover is reoccurring because 90% of teachers only stay for the one year contract. As for the Korean teachers and employees, there is less turnover. Everyone did ask me if I was going to return as a teacher, but I haven't decided that yet. I will search for non-teaching jobs first, but may resort to teaching if I need a job.

Even though my mom lives outside of Seoul, transportation is very good. I live about 5 blocks from the subway and two blocks from a major bus stop. The bus stop is really nice because it has many different buses and it also displays exactly when to expect a bus. This feature is nice because you know how long of a wait is and you know when you have to start waving for your bus. If you don't wave at the bus, sometimes the bus won't stop unless someone is getting off the bus.

When I was in San Francisco a few bus stops had the bus time feature, but it was disappointing most times. Buses in San Francisco are notorious for being late or not running all scheduled times. Also, people cheat the system and don't pay in SF, but in Korea, everyone is orderly when they get on and off the bus. Also the payment system is easier in Korea because you can buy an electronic prepaid pass that can be used for transfers. SF has an unlimited monthly pass that is convenient, but expensive if you don't ride every day. Korean system is pay what you need and rides are cheap, about a dollar.

I am not sure how much different is living with American mom or Korean mom. Saturday morning, my mom gave me a multi-drawer storage bin and communicated that I need to finish unpacking and get my room cleaned. Both of my moms keep a very clean home, so that won't be much a change.

Even though my mom has retired from teaching, she has a pretty busy schedule and I haven't spent too much time with her. I am not exactly sure of her schedule, but I know that she goes to exercise and takes an English class. It's nice that she is taking English lessons, so we can communicate, but I should be working on my Korean to make it easier for her. Also, I will need it for socializing and possibly work, so I will attempt to study more.

I'm Back

Well, I am officially back in Korea. My blog will continue, but not sure exactly how exciting it will be to read about my adventures. I am living with my biological mother and I am searching for a job. I will do a better job of searching for a business type job, but may end up teaching English again. Hopefully, I will post more pictures this time, so I don't have to write as much.