Entry: The Second

I haven't written anything new here for a few days, between adjusting my sleep schedule and taking advantage of a few of the oddities of South Korea in the spare time I do have outside of orientation sessions. I'll just do a bulk posting with this one, throwing in a few pictures and whatnot to last the next little while as I make yet another shift into my apartment and working life this coming Thursday.

First and foremost, cicadas are loud as hell, and there're a lot of them. If you find yourself surrounded when they start to go off, it can be a bit unreal. Much like every form of insect life in South Korea, they're larger than back home. Also Korea doesn't have animals other than birds. I haven't seen one yet. I've been told not to expect to. Something about them all being eaten during the Korean War. I don't think they were joking.
It's also a constant effort to stay hydrated. I drink about 3 liters of water a day. I've taken a leak about four times since I've been here. I kind of like that. It's low maintenance.

That's Gwangju from atop a mountain nearby where I am. Hiking is awesome here, with more trails than you'd know what to do with, and they're all awesome. Lots of mountains. Everything is a mountain here. Thought that was an old lady waiting for the bus over there across the street? You were mistaken. It was a mountain all along.

That's downtown Gwangju, and the blurriness actually makes it more authentic in a way. This place is a neon zoo, and everything moves fast, usually right toward you.

Liquor is cheap (or free if the owner likes your North American stylings), and it's cool to see the difference of atmosphere between local bars and ex-patriot bars. It's like a little haven for western folks, often filled with drunk Irish people.

 Also Korea is a little bit funny about certain things. There aren't any public trash cans here. You just leave stuff on top of other stuff. Like cars, ledges, or statues dedicated to like, orphans or something.

Also phones are huge here. I mean in a physical sense. They're basically a bit smaller than a tablet. People don't put phones in their pocket here, it's kept in a case that doubles as a wallet/purse, and may or may not be designed to look like a furry animal. Actually that might explain where all the animals in South Korea have gone.