Ulsan

We finally arrived in Ulsan after a 5 hour bus ride that should have been 2 hours shorter. Luckily i was seated next to Rob Bruce, Meg, Dave, and Vicki. When we arrived our co-teachers were scattered around looking for us. Unfortunatly they had expected us 2 hours earlier, and if we hadn't stopped for a 2 hour lunch we would have been on time.

After dinner (Pizza Hut) we were dropped at our hotels, because we still didn't have an apartment. The anticipation was killing us, because we didn't want to end up in a small rural fishing village outside of the city or near the Hyundai plant. We were unable to find any information about Ulsan online. The wikipedia article talked mostly about the Hyundai plant. We were expecting the worst. I was extremely happy to see that my preconceieved notions were far from correct. The Ulsan landscape is gorgeous and the city is beautiful and clean.

We were dropped off at The Opera House (love motel) in the Ulsan University area. We were beat from lack of sleep from the orientation, so we decided to stay in. Shauna called to let us know that she met Zhaodi and Jenika (the teachers we were replacing). So instead of a relaxing night in our hotel, we drank soju and beer. Random Korean patrons were walking across table and filling our glasses with their pitchers. (This is something that happens everywhere. Strangers will fill your drinks and buy soju and beer for you). Most of them couldn't communicate with us, but they would say "I like beer, do you like beer?" and this would mean that you have to chug your drink. By the end of the night we were chugging beer topped off with soju. When Koreans drink beer, they usually top off the drink with a couple shots of soju.

Zhaodi and Jenika couldn't have helped us more. They introduced us to a lot of people that night that I see around a lot. They showed us around the city all day Saturday and left us with a note that answered all of my questions about the city and school in great detail. They also bequeethed more than a hundred dollars worth of electronics and supplies to us including five sticks of deoderant (an item hard to come by in Korea).

I couldn't ask for a better location. We live in Taehwa River Dong. This area is located on the beautiful Taehwa River near some of the best restaurants in Ulsan. Our area is home to such a wide array of dining spots. The stretch is nothing more than bulgogi spots, fish spots, vegetarian dining, chinese restaurants, and soup restaurants. You can find a place to eat dog meat, eat shark, drink wine, or watch the Hyundai Ulsan Tigers. In the evening you can find older men seated on the floor drinking soju on every corner. We have been to about four restaurants and have never been unhappy. We live directly on the river near soccer fields, tennis courts, and a beautiful river trail that I have been jogging on a few times a week. We are also in between Old Downtown and the University area which puts us in the center of the city and allows us to meet any of our friends without a long commute. Our apartment is tiny, but we are given 400,000 won extra a month because we both have to live in it. This extra amount covers our bills and groceries. Although it is only a studio, it is only 2 years old, so everything is in good condition

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