(this post is a little dated...sorry, haven't had internet for a few days...but here you go for the time being...)
two more days then i'm out of cheongju for good...we found out yesterday where we were all headed. i am going to a tiny town in gangwon province called hwacheon. it has a population of about 25000...hmmm...it's about 30mins or so from where i really wanted to be with family but you know what can you do...make the best of a bad situation right? so i'm going to be a hick in a small town...so please, if you feel the urge to take a breather from your hustle and bustle lives come and stay with me in the countryside!

other than that i have been busy. my new friends and i have formed a really good circle and we have been doing all sorts of crazy things together. before going to seoul last weekend we went on a fieldtrip organised by the program. first we went to the house of one of korea's most well respected and prolific artists named unbo...he died a little while ago but apparently his legacy lives on...here is uncle unbo and bean... and these are some of my friends...back, L to R...
seung jin, james, andy, ben, bean and darree...feels like i've known these people for the longest time....
after unbo's place we visited an early printing museum and learnt a little about the oldest printed text which was created in korea...the jikji...it's currently in some museum in france but i guess the koreans would want it back seeing as it's so valuable. anyways we were able to do some printing ourselves...

keeping a jourmal, whether it be on paper or on-line is hard if you're never in front of a computer. the past few days have been so hectic it's been hard to stop and draw breath at times. the program has so many amazing individuals that just getting to know them has been one of the main highlights so far. it's a concensus (is that how it's spelt? hmm) that the group that i've been a part of likes to drink, but more importantly for this little bean, they like to have fun. we laugh and smile so much my abs have never looked better....

the past few nights we have been getting together and going out to drink.

yes, that is me with the devil horns. i don't know where i got that from but if it fits right? hehehe....so these are some of the guys and girls i have been hanging out with here at the dorms. it's pretty interesting living in a dorm with 100+ other people. i haven't ever experienced that seeing as i didn't move away for school or anything...ah, so much fun, really....

can't believe the air conditioners are down in our rooms! what's the go with that! what's that like!
orientation starts today...hoping that we don't have to get up one by one and introduce ourselves..."hi...my name is albina and i'm from sydney. my favourite colours are red and green and i like long walks on the beach...oh sorry, that's for another meeting..."

it's just constantly damp here but starting ever so slowly to become cooler...i hope it gets cool quickly...

last night some of the girls and i played scrabble, was an intense game. i like a bit of competition. we were exhausted after the marathon match and decided to head down to the local convienience store...looking around for treats i came upon some condoms. ah, but not any ordinary ones, but designer branded condoms! United Colors of Bennetton...a nice little package which i couldn't resist purchasing...ok, ok, don't jump to conclusions boys and girls, i am not buying them for just in case, i am purchasing them purely for novelty factor...i promise, i wont even open the pack!

vetlamb, i did get the postcard...made me so happy thinking about our trip in barcelona...i hope your travels are going well :) miss you!

yes, i know the point of a blog is to chronicle everyday blah blah...but as you can tell from the lack of posts, i haven't...i'll try better next time...well this time...

so i am in korea right now in a town called cheong ju, located south of seoul. it's a little city where the korean national university of education is located. I am in one of the dorms here on orientation. i'm pretty much here to teach english for a year, but more about that later...

flying is normally a horrible experience for many people but no i! especially when you get UPGRADED...yes, you heard it right, it happens...i flew business class all the way! way to go ASIANA, props to you!

so check out the reclining action! hehehe...oh and this was course 2 of 5 for lunch...mmm....

korea is muggy and humid at the moment, but bareable. i think the hottest part of the year is over and i can deal with the heat at the moment, unlike many of the british citizens that are on the program...they are slowly dying...hehehe

the program called EPIK (English Program in Korea) is open to 5 or 6 English speaking nations around the world, so there is a nice mix of people from all over. it's been fun getting acquainted with everyone...lots of korean kids from overseas all looking to learn something more about their motherland...hehehe

This is us waiting at the bus stop after lunch and shopping...hmm, i think the locals freaked out a little...

so the adventure begins...and for those of you concerned about me turning into a FOB, trust me, not going to happen...thos of you concerned about me dating a FOB...well, can't promise anything, but only if they're a superstar! hahaha :)