So... One of the guys in the group I work with, Kim Woonseok, just recently got diagnosed with leukemia.

Today was his last day - he checked into the hospital tonight - and I didn't even know until my father came home and told me a few minutes ago (my father knew because Woonseok-ssi had been working on a project with him). I don't really know how serious it is, and when I asked my father, all he could say was that it was 50/50.


Ok, so I've known him for less than 4 weeks... but I can't even begin to explain how unbelievably saddened I am by the news. He was first person to really make an effort to get to know me - the young intern from America who can barely speak Korean, and probably only got this internship because of her father - and overall he's just a genuinely nice and incredibly funny guy. And to top it all off? He has a 10 month old daughter. Apparently, when he was telling my father this (this afternoon), he hadn't even told his wife yet because he was afraid he would just have a breakdown.

Fortunately, he has a sister of the same blood type, so if things don't get better in a few months he can get a bone marrow transplant.


As the Koreans like to say: Kim Woonseok, fighting!

I just spent the last 15 minutes or so scrubbing away dead skin from my foot. I think I have an ingrown wart on the bottom of my left foot... ><

And yes, I'm sure you really needed to hear that. . .


( In which feet are kinda gross, but shopping is fun! (So are non sequiturs) )


Oops, this was supposed to be posted yesterday (7/2), but I forgot to press "Post"... >.O

Although no one would be able to read it... >.>

But still, it's funny to see how they write "Transformers" in Korean: (romanized) Teu-ran-seu-peo-mah-seu.

Not that I'm making fun of my own ethnic country, not at all. . .

But yes, I saw Transformers today!


( In which Christine feels like a bit of a loser... =\ )

I did a fairly hard leg workout on Sunday... not a good idea, methinks; I went to hard considering I'd hardly worked out for the previous 3 months or so... ><

My legs still hurt. It's so painful for me to sit down, or get up, or walk, or do anything, really.

I feel like an old woman. -.-;;;


( In which I learn a bit of Korean work!culture, and work is... )

... or else there's no way I would be able to get up at 5:30AM every day.

Although, it helps that I've been going to sleep around 9PM every night.

The irritating thing being that my bus picks me up around 6:45AM, drops me off at work at 7:20AM... and work doesn't "officially" start until 8:30AM. Oi.


( In which first  )

And now is the start of my second day. We'll see how it goes... =)

I forgot: I went to sauna here for the first time yesterday.

The apartment building I live in is called the "Time Bridge" because there are two towers and a bridge, of sorts, connects them in the middle. This "bridge" has a floor for a fitness area (a rather small gym, but one I will most certainly be taking advantage of), and a sauna/bath-house.

The bath-house consists of a hot bath, warm bath, cold bath, and sauna. Plus showers, and an area with blow dryers, brushes, facial cleansers, and whatnot.

I am going there every weekend. XD


Today, my mom and I are going to do some random errands, and hopefully do some shopping. Yay! =)

I went to the Samsung... place, for the first time. I don't really know what to call it - it's not a building (it at least three), and it's like, I don't know, a mini-community, almost.

So, I got a mini-orientation (of sorts), and was introducted to the lady from HR, and the people I will be working with.


( In which the language barrier becomes interesting and I meet people who would fit right in at MIT )


School hard. Work hard. =\

... Although I only got one pair, but still! A white pair of high-heeled sandals; strap in the back, and has a little crystal/pendant/shiny-thingy in the shape of a purse in the front. XD

( In which shopping in Korea is fun and obnoxious at the same time, and I expound on the problem that is known as My Left Ankle. Ugh. )

I do have to say that Korean girls have an adorable style of clothes. Kinda messy, but really cute. Unfortunately 1) I'm too fat to wear those clothes 2) I can wear them, but I end up looking 12 years old or 3) if I wore them in America, I would look like a FOB (ie- a "real Korean", not Korean-girl-born-and-raised-in-America). And for the 3rd, I may just end up shooting myself... if my sister or kali_senpai didn't get to it first. -.-

My "existence" was officially declared to the Korean government, yesterday.

Or something like that.

To be more exact, in order to get my visa (and, potentially, a dual citizenship...? How awesome would that be? =) for the summer, part of the process required my parent's to officially declare that they had a child - me - to the Korean government.


( In which my having Korean blood makes me special (sort of), and I expound on Korean history and government. Warning: may be really fucking boring. )


Oh yeah... and I think the place where I live is the Bundang District?

Yay, first post!

Don't have a userpic yet... feeling too lazy, I'll figure that one out later.


So, I've been here now for two full days. We (my mom and I) arrived late Friday evening Korea time, which would thus be... early Friday morning, in New York Time. It is now Sunday, in the late afternoon/early-evening.

[Note: All time references will now be in Korea time. To change to New York, just go back 13 hours; or, about half a day]

Despite having been here for two full days, I still haven't the faintest clue where I live. I know it's not; Seoul - we live about an hour's drive south-east-ish of Seoul. I'd say it's a suburb (or sorts) of Seoul; although, not really a "suburb" because pretty much all of Korea is like a city. I do know that we're a five minute walk from the Jeongja subway stop on the yellow line. =)