I actually slept in this morning. I stayed out on the town last night almost to curfew drinking beer. The matchbooks in my pocket say I visited Gecko’s Bar, Casablanca, and the Oasis. Oh, and I dined at Papa’s, although dining is a bit of stretch. The waitress did not speak English so I pointed at something on the menu. I got a pitcher of beer and a plate of dried fish. What do you expect for 12000 Won, right? Anyway, that’s my excuse for over indulging on the beer and the reason for my sleeping in. I might head back into town this afternoon to check out the shopping. Contrary to appearances, I am not that fond of sitting in bars and drinking alone.

So to catch you up on my adventures since my last report there are only two things worthy of note. On Thursday the Director announced that I would be detailed to the vacant position of Chief, Labor and Performance Management Division. No additional pay, but the duties include supervision of several employees, including Korean nationals. So Friday was my first day as acting Chief and it was hopping. I expect I am going to be much busier in this job, but that is what I prefer. In fact, I had thought about taking Superbowl Monday off so I could watch the game, but that will not be possible now as I have a hot project to finish.

Yesterday I decided on my apartment. In Seoul, there are three basic types of housing. Single family homes (rare and expensive), villas, and high rise condos. A villa is usually in a building that is less than four stories, which is what I have chosen. I’m on the second floor, with a decent view of Itaewon and the surrounding environs. Three bedrooms, two baths, and a decent sized living area with fireplace. I saw places that were newer, had better views, and nicer floor plans, but in the end I went for the convienence of location. I am an easy 20 minute walk from where I’ll be working and right above the main drag in Itaewon where I will have easy access to dining and shopping and yes, bars.

Anyway, I am glad to have finally got my housing situation resolved. I should be moving around the 24th of this month. Of course, I have lots of things to accomplish in the interim, but once I am done with this I should be able to settle in to my new life in Korea and lose this feeling of transience. I confess to feeling quite homesick last night (drinking alone in bars will do that I suppose). Well, my motto is one day at a time. I will not allow myself to dwell on the unknown future, I am going to just make the best of each day and see what I can learn from it. (hell, that’s more of a mantra than a motto, isn’t it?)

Addresses are a funny thing here in Korea. In the States, I live in Stafford. Here I live in a neighborhood, that is part of a community, that is part of a city. So, if I were to tell someone where I am going to be living it would be: Itaewon Dong, Yong San Gu, Seoul.

All right then, that’s the news for now. I have ordered room service breakfast (Warsaw omelette, polish sausage, jack cheese, and mushrooms) which just now arrived. And I have my Sunday edition of Stars and Stripes to read (not exactly the Washington Post, but not bad either). So, I will be back later with hopefully something a little more interesting to share with my loyal readers.