Sunday, August 8, 2010

Family times, Peter Pan, a market and more

Today was not the restful Sunday that I hoped it would be.

Per my new routine I awoke around 6:30 and got to work on getting things sorted out in my apartment. I put things away in the kitchen and ironed for about 3 hours before heading off to church. Catholic Mass is held on campus in one of the theaters. Unfortunately I didn't get the memo that it would begin next week. Another new family also showed up not knowing there was no Mass. The five of us decided that we should have coffee and a treat so we headed off to Peter Pan.

Peter Pan is a lovely bakery a few blocks from my school. There are dozens of treats to try and a lovely selection of bread. Each one of us selected a pastry and had them cut into little bits so that we could try several of them. Although some were unique, all were good. I also had the opportunity to teach this family some of the Korean that I had picked up during my Korean lessons. Knowing milk in Korean is helpful when getting coffee.

After consuming most of the treats it was decided that we would brave the city to go to a large Korean market. It took 1 bus and 3 subways, but we made it without getting lost. Not knowing what I was getting into I assumed it would be a farmer's market. In reality it was a massive flea market. Upon first look it seemed like a street of booths, most of which weren't open. We decided to go down a flight of stairs to see a few more booths when we realized it was a maze of streets lined with booths. I ended up buying two pairs of socks, a hat, and some food storage containers. On our way back to the school we decided to stop for lunch at Starbucks knowing we would find something we would enjoy. It was a lovely morning and made me realize that I can successfully navigate public transportation here, which is a great feeling.

A few minutes after returning home I once again went down the hill. This time however it was to purchase some electronics. At the base of the hill there is an LG store. I feel that I will benefit from having a microwave, a camera, and a tv. After much internal debate I decided to get the TV so that I can relax and crochet when I want to. We ran into another couple from school that had done a great deal of comparison shopping and with their notes we were able to have them reduce the price of the TV we were all interested in by about W50,000 (roughly $45.00). So, I purchased my first adult TV today. It will be delivered on Tuesday. Now I need to find a DVD player that will read my DVD's.

I puttered around my apartment for the rest of the afternoon and made my first real dinner. I made pasta with "rose sauce" (that I think is very much like a vodka sauce), grilled chicken, and a side salad. I called my apartment buddy (we share a landing so I made her my buddy for when we go out in big groups) and another new science teacher. My buddy wasn't available but Colleen joined me for dinner. We ate, talked, and enjoyed ourselves.

Following dinner all of the new high school teachers had dessert at our principal's house. It was lovely to sit around and chat with the other new teachers over decaf coffee and more goodies. It was a great way to end the week of new teacher orientation. Tomorrow starts the week of orientation for the whole school. I am looking forward to meeting about 150 new people.

2 comments:

  1. I love the names of the shops you're visiting...Oregon Trail, Peter Pan...too funny. Will you be able to watch anything in English on your tv?

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  2. I believe there are several American and British channels included in our cable.

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