Korea
I arrived in Seoul, South Korea in March of 1995. After studying the language for so long, I thought that I knew what I was getting myself into. Not so. I was one of best speakers in my class and I thought I was going to "Wow!" everyone with my amazing abilities. Little did I know, there were people that had lived in Korea for years- missionaries, business-men, students, etc.-that were much better than I.
My life in Korea can be broken down into two time-frames. The first was my life in the military during which time I lived in Itaewon/South Post barracks at Yongsan. The second was my life as an English teacher and civilian. I lived in various places during this time.
As a young sailor in the Navy, I was a mess. I was constantly late to work and had a generally bad attitude about my life. I had a girlfriend back in the states and, of course, I felt that my relationship with her was more important than my duties. I never received any severe punishment, but needless to say, I created more problems than not.
During this time, I was working a good watch schedule that allowed me a lot of time off. I used this time to explore Seoul. I had a lot of friends that were English teachers and nights often found us playing "pocketball" or singing in karaoke rooms in various areas throughout the Seoul neighborhoods. I think I knew/know the design of the city of Seoul as well, or better than, most of the citizens.
Eventually my girlfriend and I broke up. It was unfortunate, but I realized that my dislike of the Navy wasn't necessarily only tied to my mixed loyalties between love and military life. Like most young men, I wasn't very happy with the nature of service, discipline. I didn't then (and still don't) have a lot of discipline about many aspects of life that the military deem important. Eventually I completed my contract and left the Navy in May of 1997.
After two years, I left the Navy and decided to remain in Korea. My first few months were a bit rocky because I had not really created a good transition plan. For the Navy to allow me to discharge in-country, I had to have a reason. Therefore I chose to entere Yonsei University's Korean Language School.
While at Yonsei, I worked/lived about an hour away in a little neighborhood near Incheon, in Ju-an. I kept all of my personal items at a friend's house in Haebangchon outside of Yongsan base until I angered his pregnant wife by accidentally spraying her in the face with water (my method of ironing shirts :P); I was politely, but adamantly, told that I had two days to leave. After that, I moved my items into a friend's room in my old barracks. Another friend, an amateur nine-ball player, was managing a small bar, "Troy," and he fed me and gave me a place to stay in exchange for work. His goal was to earn more business with me serving and I think it may have worked. Most of the Koreans there were surprised to see me approach their tables and ask them in their language what they wanted to drink. I met a lot of "people" in that job. :)
Yonsei was interesting, but short-lived. After about a month of study, I found a couple of English classes that provided me with money that I severely needed. I stopped working for my friend at his bar and began to teach full-time.
The next three years in Korea saw me in a few places. Not only did I live in various places throughout Seoul,
but I also traveled to a few countries throughout Asia.
In Seoul I lived in: