Alive

I've miraculously endured 3 weeks in South Korea. My job is painfully thorough, and surprisingly difficult. I've managed to some how slip into a routine and have eaten at the same restaurants several times. I have a bizarre fear of frequenting eateries where I can't order by thrusting a finger toward a picture on the menu, so it has limited my options quite a bit. In addition, I haven't gotten paid a cent since I arrived which means that i'm bleeding money and counting the days until I get a paycheck.
I had been hoping to go abroad somewhere for my christmas break, but my lack of funds is making planning quite difficult. In addition, my bosses are severely disorganized and can't even properly tell me when my breaks are. I think there is a good chance that I will end up in Japan over the new year, it's simply the easiest option. I suppose the 7th time through Japanese immigration should make it easier, but I've yet to get inured to the process.
The weather has gotten slightly colder. It became quite a factor earlier today walking around Daegu with Noah who had been visiting from Seoul. We went to a few clubs, saw a few touristy spots, but mostly just enjoyed the company of fellow English speakers.
We're currently in the process of planning a brief jaunt to Beijing this summer to go to the Olympics. It really has potential to be quite an experience.
All in all, my complete lack of free time has been a bit frustrating, but the trip is a success in many ways. My studies of Korean are certainly not one of those ways, but at the very least I have enough Japanese speaking friends to maintain a semblance of Japanese ability while i'm here. Hopefully within a few months i'll be able to have some basic conversations in Korean, but i'm not holding my breath.
Cheers from Korea.