Pedicures and Cake!

Today I drove to Okpo (yes, I am driving by myself over here and am finding it okay) to meet up with Christine and go get pedicures. We thought we’d splash out and treat ourselves! I usually do them myself but thought it’d be nice and relaxing and I can’t even remember the last time I got one done in a salon. They did an incredible job! I think I’ll be going back there every now and again J

We strolled through the streets afterwards and came across a gorgeous little shop that teaches cake decorating. The only problem being that she doesn’t speak English. After I pick up the language a bit I’m planning to go back. I was about to enrol in a course back in Perth just before we found out about this job so it’s fantastic to know that something is available over here too. Would be a handy little skill to have I think!

Write soon xx

GFRA Wednesday

Today I met up with Christine, the soon-to-be wife of one of Adrian’s colleagues. We actually have mutual friends from Karratha and are both planning weddings for next year. It’s really nice to have things in common and be able to talk about lots of familiar things from back home. We went along to the GFRA morning tea, which was entertaining this week to say the least. They decided to play charades and if you guessed right then you got a prize but it also meant you had to act out the next thing. I won 3 times but I’m not going to tell you how I won the prizes, I’ll just say that one of them made me blush scarlet red!

Write soon xx

Local Hospital

Today I had to go to the local hospital to receive my final vaccination for Japanese Encephalitis. The hospital was huge and so much better than I had expected. The doctors, nurses and receptionists all spoke enough English so that I could be understood. There were people everywhere; I don’t think I’ve ever seen a busier hospital. I was told it was only that busy because of the long weekend which makes sense. And even though it was crowded I was still in and out rather quickly. Compared to my experiences at Australian hospitals this one was a lot quicker and easier. Very surprising and reassuring.

Write soon xx

Trip to Busan

Wow! Today we had our biggest adventure yet. We drove 67 kilometres to Busan, the closest city to Geoje. The trip took 2 hours each way and years off our lives. We had three near misses that would have caused some serious damage to our car. It was scary and stressful to say the least! It also didn’t help that our GPS seems to be out-dated and made us go this long roundabout way. We went there thinking we’d spend the day going to the shops and then checking out a beautiful beach everyone had been telling us about. The first shop on our list was Costco, it was apparently the place to go to get everything you need for your apartment. We were so glad just to arrive and get out of the car. I think our blood pressures were through the roof! We lined up to get our members card, all foreigners need one in order to shop there. It’s only 35,000 WON and lasts forever. They processed us really quickly and we were free to shop our little hearts out. We went from aisle to aisle and never really found anything that took our fancy. Everything was bulk buy but in huge amounts, I’m talking 24 packs of baked beans etc. We got a few things but couldn’t get too much as there’s not enough room to store it all in our apartment. We thought it would be like a giant sized Kmart or Target from back home but it was nothing like that. And there wasn’t really anything there that we couldn’t get back here in Geoje, the prices were all the same too.

After spending an hour looking around we decided we’d gone through enough today and to just head straight back home. Neither of us felt up for driving any longer than was absolutely necessary.

We got home safe and sound and agreed there would be no more trips to Busan for a little while!

Off to put the feet up!

Write soon xx

Our new apartment!! :)

Today we finally moved into our apartment! We were told to be there at 3pm to have handover but ended up waiting around til 6 until we could call it our home. There’s a lot of waiting in this country, it’s helping Adrian and I with our patience levels J

The apartment is amazing! Well compared to the hotel, it’s fantastic. It’s bare though so we need to do a big grocery shop so we can finally have a home cooked meal. Tonight we decided to just stick with the simple option, McDonalds. We figure from now on we’ll be eating in so why not have it one last time. (Ok so I know it won’t actually be the last time but still I needed an excuse ;) ).

I’ll post some pics of the apartment when it’s all ready.

Write soon xx

AikWangwon Tour

Today the GFRA women went on a tour to the AikWangwon Orphanage. It was really inspiring, we met the lady who actually started the orphanage 60 years ago and we were lucky enough to have a private lunch with both her and her daughter Mrs Woojung Lee whom I met at the previous weeks GFRA morning.
It’s really spectacular what they have managed to achieve and how many people’s lives they have changed. It was a great day.

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Yoga and Adrian gets a bike!

Today I took a yoga class which Jana teaches at the GFRA. To put it simply I looked like a clumsy giraffe, long limbs going every which way but never resembling the yoga flow movements I was supposed to be mimicking. Not a good look but I persevered for the 90 minutes and it hurt like hell! I’ve taken Hatha and Bikram yoga classes before and thought I was quite flexible and could do easily do beginners classes. Well this class put me back in my place! I couldn’t believe some of the moves Jana was doing, legs hooked up over the shoulders so you can’t see your knees, just your calves and feet. (I didn’t master that one by the way!) She, and the majority of the other ladies there, were so flexible and made all the moves look so easy and graceful. I was slipping and sliding all over the place, I’d just get into position and my feet or hands, or knees for that matter, would start drifting away. I tried so many times to shuffle back into place as silently as I could. One of the other ladies told me after class that the yoga matts over here tend to be slippery until you wash them. Had no idea you were supposed to wash you yoga matt! Hope that doesn’t make me some gross and grubby yoga goer, but I honestly never knew  : /

I’m going to go again next week and I’m hoping that in a few weeks I won’t look like a fish out of water.

A few of us had coffee and cake after class and I found out there’s a hot yoga in Okpo that’s on every day and it’s a mix of yoga, Tai chi and Pilates. I think I might start giving that a go too.

We met up with Ian when Adrian finished work so the boys could look at push bikes. I tagged along to make sure they got all the safety gear to go with it. After about 20 minutes of walking up and down so many different streets we finally found the bike shop. Adrian got one, it’s white and has shimano gears (apparently that’s a must have?!). He got a light and helmet too. The helmet even colour coordinates with the bike, my doing J

We had dinner at a little Italian restaurant in the shopping centre, it’s the second time we’ve been there and it’s SO good! Last night we ate at VIPS, another restaurant in the shopping centre that had been recommended by lots of different people. It didn’t disappoint. It was similar to a sizzler from back home in that it was buffet but everything was so tasty. We loved it and will definitely be going back again!

Off to bed. Write soon xx

Sanbangsan Biweon

Today we decided to set out for a drive around the island, planning to stop in at a few sights along the way. Our first stop was Sanbangsan Biweon, and it was so big and beautiful we spent the day there. Sanbangsan Biweon is a mountain with 20 private gardens built into the side of it. By private I don’t mean privately owned, I mean that from one garden you cannot see another. You can only just hear people through the foliage, it’s really peaceful. You could take a picnic and a book and relax there all day, wandering from one garden to the next. Every so often you come across a swing, most are padded and adult friendly. You can just sit in them, take in the beautiful sights and watch the world go by. Adrian and I loved it there and said many times that we’ll return.

Here are some photos. You’ll see that all the gardens are manicured but still hold that lush and natural feeling. I loved that there was so much to see and so many places to stop and enjoy that even though the walk was steep it still felt relaxing.

There were two restaurants within the gardens, we stopped at the second and had a delicious lunch. The people next to us had their lunch too and then snoozed in the comfy seats. I felt like I could’ve done the same but Adrian is a bit of an energizer bunny so there was only so much relaxing I could ask him to do. J

It was such a nice way to start our exploration of Geoje; we’re looking forward to seeing a lot more of what this beautiful place has to offer.

Write soon xx

First time at the gym and cinema

This morning we went to the gym and no joke, I was struggling after the first two minutes. Adrian was showing me all these things to do so I can work on the areas I want to tone up, and they were hard! He made everything look so easy and then I’d give it a go and I know I’m uncoordinated at the best of times but wow did I look ridiculous!! Weak and uncoordinated are not traits which fare well in an exercise environment. I’m going to persevere though, practise makes perfect right? :/

We decided to check out our local cinema tonight and went to see The Avengers. Two tickets, large popcorn and two cokes came to a total of 24,000 won or $21 AUD, which is so cheap compared to back home and the cinema was really nice. Chairs were so comfy – and they had enough leg room for me! J I think we’ll go back there again soon!

We chose McDonalds for tea tonight, it’s easy and we don’t have

to sit in a restaurant. This is the cool take out bag J




Off to bed. Write soon xx

Joining the gym

Today I met Adrian at the Samsung Gym so we could sign up, we went there thinking it would be an easy process and walked out thirty minutes later shaking our heads. Inside the building there is no reception of any sorts just a map with directions to the management office. We walked around in circles for ages looking for the office and when we finally found it no one was there. There were some cleaners hanging about in the snacks corner so Adrian got his Korean driver to come in and translate for us as he speaks excellent English.  We were directed to go through the work out area into a tiny office at the back and sign a piece of paper. Viola, we’re now members!  As Adrian works at Samsung and this gym is owned by Samsung we don’t have to pay (yey!) and there’s no such thing as membership cards. You just sign a little piece of paper and then use the gym at certain times. It’s great and sort of unbelievable how well we’re being treated over here. I feel so fortunate.

We went for dinner with Sarah and Ian tonight and it was great. Ian tells the best stories; I don’t think Adrian and I will ever get sick of hearing them. It’s so funny, when he starts telling a story he knows is hilarious he starts laughing and has to calm himself down before he can tell us. We’re very lucky to have met such a great couple, it makes being away from home just that little bit easier.

Off to bed.

Write soon xx

Alien Residency Card and more exploring

This morning we went to get Adrian his Aliens Residency Card (ARC) about a half hours drive away. Adrian drove so well and we didn’t get lost once! Yey!

We arrived a bit early so we could have breakfast there and found this really pretty café at the bottom of a hotel. I loved all the different flowers in the pots that lined the front of the café. I’d love to have something like that in our apartment, I think when we move in I’ll start scouring the nurseries I’ve seen around town.

After breakfast we met up with some other guys also getting their ARC and I think we were in the office for about 20 minutes and all four were processed and completed in that time. I’m loving how efficient South Korea is!

We decided I should drive home just to get me more familiar and confident with driving over here. I think I did ok…! J

I dropped Adrian back at work and then met up with Sarah to go exploring/shopping. We were out for FIVE HOURS!!! We wandered all over the place, ducking into shops here and there and stopping for lunch and afternoon tea. It was nice and by the end of the day not only were my legs sore from all that walking but my cheeks were too – every time I hang out with Sarah I laugh til I cry! I have a great time with her.

Tonight Adrian and I drove to Okpo to have dinner and drinks with some of his work colleagues. We went to the GFRA as we all needed to sign up to become members and we’d been told they have the best food and cheapest drinks in town…and it was true!  It was a really nice night, Adrian and I ate until we almost exploded and there were plenty of laughs had. I think this place is going to be a lovely home for us over the next three years.

A beautiful tree out the front of the GFRA that Adrian refused to get a photo with me in front of. To be fair on him though I have been taking a lot of photos of him for this blog so I’ll cut him some slack when he refuses every now and again J

Good night. Write soon xx

AikWangwon

Every Wednesday the GFRA has the ladies morning tea so Sarah and I went along together again.

It was such a great day; there were two special guest speakers and lots of new women. We also had a lucky door prize and there were some gorgeous prizes to be won (see pic of me holding the pearl necklace prize – I didn’t win it though).

The first guest speaker was a lady from Coens (a South Korean company that specializes in finding accommodation etc for foreigners) and she spoke to us about all the public holidays in May. There are four in total, Children’s Day, Parent’s Day, Teachers Day and Buddha’s birthday.

Our second guest speaker really touched my heart in a profound way. I shed a few tears during her speech as she is such a remarkable person doing such remarkable things.

Her name is Mrs Woojung Lee and she is the director of AikWangwon, a school, home and orphanage for the mentally and physically disabled.

I have copied and pasted a description of AikWangwon from their facebook page below:

Aikwangwon is a school and home for the severely physically or mentally disabled; children and adults of all ages live and learn here in a very loving and nurturing environment. The school provides education, physical therapy, occupational therapy, and job skills training including baking, sewing, weaving, ceramics, arts, gardening and farming. They often receive children with disabilities who have been abandoned by their parents. Some come to the center as young as 2 weeks old.

The grounds are set in an absolutely beautiful location, filled with greenery and overlooking the ocean. They grow much of their own food on the grounds, and what they don't grow, they buy locally and organic.

This place is an amazing example of compassion and devotion to the care of the most vulnerable, as well as an incredible testament to the strength of the human spirit, alive in all people. Children and adults who otherwise may not have lived, are thriving here.

Aikwangwon is funded entirely by the government, private donations, and income from the store where they sell items made by the residents. No payment is required from residents or their families.

I have also found a link of a video about AikWangwon:

http://vimeo.com/17445221

Mrs Woojung Lee also brought a selection of crafts and food items that were all made by the residents of AikWangwon, for us ladies to purchase with all proceeds going straight back to the centre.

Next week straight after our morning tea the GFRA has organised for us ladies to do a tour of AikWangwon. I’m really looking forward to it.

Off to bed.

Write soon xx

Driving course and our new car!

Off to a Defensive Driving Course today. Adrian’s company requires us to complete the course before they give us a car. I’m really excited about getting a brand new car but not so excited about driving on the wrong side of the road!

The course included an hour long slideshow which outlined the general road rules and also touched, not so subtly, on women drivers causing the majority of accidents over here. It’s even a local joke to say Kim Sim Yo when you see an accident as it means a woman caused another accident. Cheeky!

We also got to drive for about 10 minutes each and then that was it. Not really a defensive driving course as such, more like an introduction into Korean driving standards. But it was still handy and taught me quite a bit.

When we were driving back to the office our teacher, Peter Pan as he likes to be called, turns around and says to Adrian that he’s smart and I’m beautiful so we’re a good match. He then asked Adrian for permission to sing to me and when Adrian approved he started singing ‘You are so beautiful to me’. It was hilarious but sweet at the same time. 

When Adrian got back to work he was given the keys to our new car! Here are some photos, we’re very lucky!

 When we were driving earlier we saw a new area full of shops and more importantly a KFC! We decided to drive there ourselves for dinner, and it was an experience. Parking is a bit crazy over here, it seems like there’s no rules. People even double park on corners or in the middle of the road. We had to drive around for a while before we found somewhere we were comfortable to park but we got there eventually J

Off to bed.

Write soon xx

Caramella and Korean take out

Today it’s raining and quite cold but it still looks pretty outside with the grey sky against the green mountains. I rugged up in my warmest clothes and set out to meet up with the girls for lunch. A Korean girl who we met owns a little café called Caramella so we thought it’d be nice to eat there. The food was amazing and the place had a real cosy feel to it, perfect for the rainy weather outside.

We were there for a few hours and then the girls went back to Okpo and I went to Sarah’s for an afternoon catch up. On my walk home it was still raining and I had a SATC intro moment, you know the part when a bus drives past Carrie and splashes a puddle of water all over her? Yep, that was me! Completely drenched!

We got Korean Barbeque take out for dinner tonight. It was…different. Everything was individually packed so it looked like we were carrying enough food for a family. There was pork, kimchi (chilli cabbage), cabbage, pickled cabbage, pickled something else that I’ve got no idea what it was – Adrian liked it, I didn’t. A salad, two sauces, and a 1.25L of soft drink .It was a feast, a weird tasting feast! I think from now on we’ll just have the barbeques in a restaurant – it seems to be much nicer that way but at least now we know.

Off to bed. Write soon. xx

Lazy weekend

Our weekend has been quite relaxing. Yesterday we watched two games of football and had a nice walk around the town.

Today we went for lunch at the Big Bear restaurant in Okpo, the food was beautiful! And then we bought Adrian some joggers from the Asics shop and were pleasantly surprised that they were half the price we would normally pay in Australia. Most things here are the same price, if not more expensive so it was a nice change. I had a look at some of the products in the shops but they were about twenty per cent more than Australian prices so I decided just to window shop…for now J

Write soon xx

Finding our apartment and a girls night out

Today I met up with Sarah and we had an amazing Thai style massage which was just what we needed. The beds over here are rock hard; I actually wake up with red marks from laying on a hard surface for too long! As soon as we get our own apartment I’ll be on the hunt for a softer mattress, here’s hoping they exist!! J

Speaking of apartments Sarah was kind enough to join me on my quest again today and we were shown 4 more. We walked into the second one and as soon as we did we had huge smiles on our faces. It was so nice. Small but lovely and we both agreed that it was the best we’ve seen by far. I told them that if Adrian liked it too then we’d take it – and he did! Yey! We finally found our new home!

The girls had planned to meet up for a few wines tonight at the Samsung Hotel tonight and as Adrian had a date with the tv watching football I thought I’d go along too. It was nice; there were 6 of us in the end and it was good to chat to other women who had gone through the same thing. They understood that I could feel happy, excited, sad and anxious all at the same time.  I’m the youngest of the group and the only one who’s never lived as an expat before, the average the others have done this for is 15 years. It’s nice to get their advice and assurances on things and it helps me feel a bit more settled.

Off to bed. Write soon xx

(Photo is property of Leigh Hill)

First Team Dinner

Today I met up with a few of the girls from GFRA and we went to a local silk shop. There were so many silk bags, but I didn’t buy any. So far I’ve been pretty good on the shopping front, I’ve only had one little shopping outing. Yesterday after the GFRA morning tea a few of us girls went to lunch together and then Leigh, who’s been here for a few months already, kindly offered to show me a couple of her favourite shops. I picked up a few items and am now fitting in a bit better with the dress code over here.

After looking through the silk shop with the girls Sarah offered to join me on another search for an apartment. I was so grateful as a second opinion can really help. We were shown 6 apartments today but unfortunately none suited, they were either too far away or too small. As frustrating as it can be I just have to keep my chin up and realise that by crossing apartments off the list we are getting closer to finding ‘the one’.

We had the first project team dinner for Adrian’s work tonight. It was a Korean Barbeque and it was SO tasty! There were about 40 people there and everyone was really nice, even though English wasn’t everyone’s first language the conversations flowed easily. That might have had something to do with the amount of Soju that was consumed though! J Soju is a Korean rice wine and is very popular over here but is incredibly strong. It is served in shot glasses and when someone (customarily the head of the table) takes a sip the rest of the table must follow suit. And if they are keen drinkers you can see how it could easily end up being a big night with a big headache to follow! As tonight was almost everyone’s first time drinking it we didn’t have to follow suit at all times and only drank when we wanted to. I ended up having three and I think Adrian had about 5 but we ate so much that it soaked it all up and neither of us felt drunk. After dinner we had a night cap with a few others and then turned in. It’s been a big day!

Write soon xx

Ladies Morning Tea

Today I met Sarah in the morning and we caught a taxi to our neighbouring town Okpo for the ladies morning tea. We were the first ones to arrive at the Geoje Foreigner Residents Association (GFRA) and after about ten minutes we started to think maybe there weren’t any other ladies coming. We were happily proven wrong though as woman after woman started filing in, there were close to 30 of us in the end. It was great! I would’ve hated to know what the noise level was on the decibel meter though – imagine 30 women chattering away J I think our partners/husbands would’ve been in heaven that night as we all would have got our words out that day (little fact: women on average say 10,000 words per day where as men say on average 2,000 ref: Allan and Barbara Pease books).  

 We also went to see four more apartments today and had two of Adrian’s colleagues join us. We all agreed none of them suited. I know I’m starting to sound fussy but if we’ll be living in the apartment for the next three years and spending a lot of time in it then I want to make sure it has everything we want, ie close to Adrian’s work and no crazy wallpaper. You might think that’s funny but I’d say staring at bright red flowers all over your walls might get a bit much after a while!

South Korea really is beautiful though, there are so many hills and all of them are covered in trees. You never see a single house built on the side of the mountains, everything is in the valley, which is very different from Australia where houses with views are sought after. It’s actually quite relaxing knowing that no matter where you are you can look around and see tree covered mountains. The people seem a lot friendlier now as well and they giggle at the way Adrian and I try to pronounce Korean words.  I think they appreciate that we’re trying though!

Off to bed now for me. Write soon xx

Starting the apartment search and making friends

Today is our first day of looking at apartments. I’ve been so excited all day thinking about finding our new home. I can’t wait to get settled in over here, I think once we have our own place it’ll start feeling a bit more like home.

We get picked up in the late afternoon and are shown six apartments. They’re all lovely but not in the right location so we’re back to square one but at least we’ve started looking.

One of Adrian’s colleagues recommended a Chinese restaurant so we decided to try it out tonight. When we get there another of Adrian’s colleagues, Ian, is there with his wife Sarah. They’re a lovely couple so we sit with them for dinner. Sarah and I quickly start chatting; it seems like such a long time since either of us has had a woman’s perspective even though it’s only been a few days. The men easily chat amongst themselves as I think they quickly realised they wouldn’t get a word in while we were gossiping J

 We find we’re both planning to go to the women’s morning tea at the foreigners association the next day so plan to go together.

I walked home thinking how nice it was to have made my first friend in Geoje.

Write soon xx

First day alone

It’s Adrian’s first day at work today. My alarm went off at 0630 so I could get ready to go to breakfast. There’s no way I would feel comfortable leaving the house here without my hair and make-up done and in nice clothes. We decided to go up to Samsung Hotel for breakfast, it’s gorgeous there and the view is spectacular.  The food is amazing too! We gorged ourselves on the buffet then Adrian went off to work and I walked back to the apartment for my first day flying solo.

After being in the apartment for a few hours I decided to take a walk to the shopping centre to look around and get to know my new home town. Again everyone I see is so dressed up and most look like they belong in fashion magazines.  The shoes I see are incredible!

I do feel a little lonely and isolated walking around here though as no one makes eye contact. One of my biggest fears before moving here was being stared at all the time because of my height and complexion, it’s the opposite though. No one looks at one another and no one smiles.

I started to realise just how far away we are from home because even though this place if full of familiar symbols and logos it’s still not the same. People don’t look you in the eye here; in fact they hardly look at you at all. And it’s not just foreigners they do this to, they seem to like the distance between each other too. I’m the sort of person who looks at people at smiles easily. It’s something I do without even thinking and it feels unacceptable to do that here. So far these three days I have automatically smiled at people hundreds of times but I’ve also started to think about making sure not to look people directly in the eye and certainly not to smile so openly. It’s kind of sad to find myself thinking like that. But it seems most other westerners have caught onto this as well as none of them smile back at me either. You know even the cars over here are tinted so dark it’s hard to see in, it’s like they want to shut you out in every way possible.

As you can tell from my gloomy post the first day on my own has hit me harder than I expected. Counting down til Adrian is home.

Write soon xx

Little Quirks

Today we popped into Okpo which is a town 15 minutes away. It’s lovely there, the streets are wide and uncluttered and filled with shops, restaurants and cafes.  We went there to meet up with one of Adrian’s colleagues and decided to go to a familiar place, Starbucks. Adrian ordered an iced coffee and, well; he literally got a coffee with ice. It was a long black coffee in a mug with ice. Funny little things like this happen frequently. We found out that lemonade is actually called cider after I ordered a lemonade and got freshly squeezed lemon juice. When I said I wanted lemonade as in sprite lemonade they understood and brought me out a cider can. It tastes the same so I’m happy J

There is also an orange emergency box in our hotel room, it’s right next to the window and you’ll never believe what is in it! Ropes! Our emergency exit is to kick out the window and climb down a rope.  Eek!

Write soon xx

First night in Geoje

Well we’ve finally made it! We flew from Perth to Seoul via Singapore on Singapore Air. We were booked in Business class and it was heaven! The chairs laid all the way back and we were given our own slippers and eye masks. Have to say I was quite excited by that! J
The food was incredible and they came round with hot towels almost every hour. I told Adrian I could easily get used to this, so he’d better be careful! ;)

After arriving in Seoul we got given a set of directions to get to another terminal to catch our flight to Busan. The steps seemed simple enough, 4 steps and we’d be there. It didn’t turn out to be that easy though. We had to stop on five separate occasions to ask people where to go. Everyone had given different answers and every place was wrong. We sort of started to panic as we only had 30 minutes til our next flight and no tickets, we weren’t even sure if our bags had made it here and we had to pick them up or if they were going straight through to Busan. Finally we saw a tiny little sign in English (the first one we’d seen) hidden behind another board and it said ticket collection upstairs. We got our tickets and were assured our bags would be waiting in Busan. All we could do was get on the plane and wait to see what happened at the other end. We flew Korean Air for the last leg, in economy and were surprised at how much leg room there was. How can Australian aircraft, whose passengers are quite a lot taller have such a big difference, it seemed odd but I certainly wasn’t complaining. For once I was in an economy seat where my knees didn’t touch the chair in front, it was great! When we arrived in Busan we went straight through customs and collected our bags, I think the whole process took under fifteen minutes. So far I was very impressed with South Korea.


Our next mission was to find our driver so when we walked out to the pick-up area we went in different directions to try and find him faster. I saw the sign with our names and yelled out to Adrian and while waiting for him to walk back I went up to the driver and said hello. He didn’t look at me or talk to me and I was starting to think he hadn’t heard me so I said hello again, but still no answer. Adrian reached us then and said hi and introduced us both and we found out his name was Elvis. As we got in the car for our ninety minute drive south I remembered friends had warned us that Western women weren’t well respected over here and maybe that was why he hadn’t acknowledged me. It was going to take a lot to get used to if this was the way I was going to be treated over here. Time would tell.

When we got to the hotel we were impressed by the clean and comfortable room we were given. It was probably equivalent to an Australian 3 star hotel but we were expecting something a lot worse so were very happy. In fact the whole journey had impressed us so far, the roads were better than Australian roads, the highways were three lanes wide and there didn’t seem to be many crazy drivers, not like you see in Bali or Thailand anyway. The drive to Geoje Island even took us through the longest under water tunnel in the world (impressive). It seemed very western and high-rises were everywhere. Adrian and I were expecting tiny little towns with not many mod cons but it seems we were wrong. Maybe South Korea would be easier than we first expected.

It was 9pm when we arrived at the hotel and our bellies were grumbling. We had driven past a big shopping centre and had spotted a McDonalds so decided after sitting for all those hours on the plane and in the car it would do us good if we walked there. After a quick freshen up we noticed the only ‘towels’ in the room were the size of hand towels, ‘great’ I thought ‘shower time is going to be a soggy affair!’.

As we walked in to town we realised every shop was open and every one was dressed impeccably. All the women were in stunning fashionable clothes with their hair and make-up done beautifully. I suddenly felt a little insecure, my hair and make-up was a mess after travelling for the last 24 hours and my comfy travelling clothes just didn’t look right amongst these glamorous people. Not only was I going to stand out for being so tall and pale but also because of how bourgeois I would’ve looked.  Great!

We walked into the shops and past all these people but to my relief no one stared or even looked our way. Phew, I just must remember from now on to dress up before leaving the house, shame I can’t go back and repack my suitcase though!

Adrian directed us into McDonalds and we ordered our two meals. There was a bit of confusion over the word meals but we paid and waited. Our order came up and on our tray sat two burgers and milk. We quickly realised that they must’ve thought we said milk instead of meal. Adrian then had to use lots of hand gestures and pointing to explain that we wanted chips, drinks and burgers not burgers and milk. We learnt that they don’t say meal but set menu – something to remember next time.

After we finished our meals, I mean set menus we went for a quick walk through the shopping centre. I couldn’t believe how great it was! There were shoes and handbags everywhere, not to mention Dior, Chanel and lots of other good brands in the makeup department. We went down to the Homeplus level and realised it was a big supermarket and was like a Kmart and Coles mixed together. It had everything, familiar items lined the shelves. We even found a linen area and quickly picked up some towels (normal size) to use.

As we walk back to the hotel the fatigue hits me like a ton of bricks. Time to sign off. Write soon xx

Leaving Australia Behind

As we wait in our hotel room for our last few hours in Australia I feel calm and ready for our new adventure to begin. The excitement comes and goes in waves; my heartbeat slightly accelerates when I look at my luggage and think ‘there is no way that bursting suitcase is going to weigh less than the 30 kilos allowed’.  To be honest even when I go for a mere week away it weighs over the limit and I have to huff and puff and usually sit on it to get it closed. It’s better to be over prepared than under prepared, right? That’s the story I’m sticking with anyway! Every girl needs three cosmetics bags, two laptops (one for work by the way), and as many clothes and she can squeeze in I tell Adrian. I did narrow it down to only one handbag and 5 pairs of shoes though, which is no mean feat for a girl who’s as obsessed with shoes and handbags as I am! And included in the 5 pairs of shoes are my joggers, which is a new thing for me. Joggers and someone who’s as uncoordinated as me don’t usually mix well and so far during my 25 years I’ve kept exercise at bay. Now that we’re engaged and I have the wedding day coming up (yes a year and a half away still qualifies as ‘coming up’) I have decided to do what every other bride-to-be does and get in the best shape of my life for the big day. Well this is the plan and I’m hoping in the next 18 months I can turn myself into an exercise loving freak. And I mean freak in the nicest way possible but honestly exercise hurts, and who on earth would want to get out of a nice warm cosy bed to go for a morning jog? Anyway I’d best get back to packing, our new adventure awaits! xx