Moving on

So it looks like I'll be headed to Pohang, which is about an hour east of Daegu and on the coast. It's home to the second largest steel manufacturer in the world. So I'll be getting sand and smoke. Population's about 500,000, with a small cadre of English teachers and a smattering of US Marines.

In the meantime, some of the good and bad things I've found about living in Korea:

Good: Walmarts! My favorite grocery store in town.
Bad: Walmarts! I can't believe it's my favorite grocery store.

Good: The Subway line I take is brand new, super clean, and rarely crowded.
Bad: The 8 flights of stairs I have to go up and down twice a day at the subway station (they really buried those things deep)

Good: Heated floors are nice when you sit on the floor all day.
Bad: Sitting on the floor all day. At least I can almost get into a half lotus now.

Good: Armed Forces Network - the Super Bowl, Leno followed by Letterman, all English all the time.
Bad: Armed Forces Network - the ads or a mixture of military retention spots (I'm almost ready to join), military history, safety tips, and general announcements.

Speaking of the Super Bowl, I've now watched the last three Super Bowls in foreign countries. Two years ago, I was in Mexico City at a hotel outside the airport, watching the game in an empty bar (except for a couple of bartenders / waiters). Last year, I watched the game at the Ambassador's house in Tashkent, Uzbekistan with about 60 other Peace Corps volunteers. And this year, I watched the game in my apartment on Monday morning.

One thing to be careful of are the food delivery guys, who ride around on mopeds, and seem to favor the sidewalks over the streets. and they don't just deliver the food, but the plates, bowls, and utensils. When you're done, you just leave the plates and stuff outside your door, and they come back to pick them up.

And it looks like the Christmas trees are finally coming down.