Lost My Shirt

I lost my shirt the first night in Seoul. I arrived safely in Seoul Monday evening and immediately went out with some friends for a late dinner and some karaoke despite being exhausted. We knew the owner so we were treated well. I gave my shirt to a friend earlier in the evening and winded up forgetting it when we left the Noraebang (karaoke room). We had a blast and will go out again for this popular Korean pastime soon.

Yesterday I gave my passport and signed away power of attorney to a complete stranger. This is a necessary step to get my visa to legally work here while avoiding the hassles of going to the embassy in person. So, for the next week I’m “stranded” without a passport, but fortunately most places seem to accept my California driver’s license as valid identification. After this I’ll have an alien registration number enabling me to purchase a mobile phone and open a local bank account. This will be a big step forward, as my temporary phone is primitive and getting access to cash is difficult since so few ATMs work with foreign cards.

The weather here has been muggy like everybody warned. It’s rained since I arrived and the wind howls all day on the 18^th floor of Peter’s apartment where I’m staying until I find my own place. Hopefully this will happen soon, but this is difficult due to the language barrier, radically different payment method, and my furniture requirements. Despite some minor bumps these first few days, things are going well and I’m happy to be here.