seoul-o sortie

Dear dad-n-mom,

Well, I’m still alive. And for the most part (that is, despite a few minor inconveniences and frustrations) I am well. It has been a semi-eventful week for me. Nothing major though – don’t worry.
Last Wednesday (a week ago yesterday) Link and I went with our friend Heon Seong to Youngsan Electronics Market, where Heon Seong haggled us a relatively excellent price on a portable CD/cassette player, which I then bought. This simple addition has made my home life infinitely more comfortable – as I no longer need to rely on batteries and headphones.

The next day we got some information on our health insurance – though not written, only by word of mouth. Although our contract states that we will be covered on the “National Health” for the full term of our contract, and although Dr. Kim (whom I have since dubbed Dr. Duplicity) told Link and I, during our first week here, that the “insurance clause” and the “term-of-engagement” clause were correct, we do not yet have insurance. Not for three months. It remains unclear whether this is three months from the beginning of our term or three months from last Thursday when our continuing questions about insurance were finally (though superficially) acknowledged. This news has caused some concern among my house-mates, neither of whom is covered now. We keep trying to get someone with authority (specifically Mr. Im) to explain to us in more detail, but he’s hard to get a hold of, and harder to communicate with. Curses. I’ll give you more news on this as I get it.

Next. On Saturday Link and I went (without chaperone) to Seoul to do some exploring. We found the two largest bookstores in Korea, both of which boast (to varying degrees of accuracy) large and comprehensive English sections. The first was a complete let down. The second was less so – the English section may have been comprehensive, but the system of arrangement (if you can call it that) made it difficult to discover. I bought The Pocket I Ching (because I left my good copy at home – you might find it interesting to look at: introduction by the eminent analyst C. Jung), and left semi-dejectedly. There was no Crowley, Sartre, Camus (that I could find). Overall, however, it was successful as our first solo sortie into Seoul.

Next. I have started meeting with one of the teachers at my school, Kim Seong-eon, three times a week to study Korean and practice English with him. This is good, though it takes up more of my time than I am completely comfortable with. We (the Americans) have on occasion gone out with other coworkers for meals, drinks, or movies, but we have to keep this quiet: apparently Americans are barbarians intent only on rutting and similar rapacious behavior. Thus, our company is potentially injurious to the reputations of any Korean females who may be seen in our presence. This kind of reminds me of high-school.

Thus, we are trying to learn a bit about the culture – but the moment that we think we understand something an exception occurs. Blast!

All right. I think that’s all my news. There are a few tapes and items I will need sent at some point, but before these are sent, I’d appreciate if you’d send a trial package (and separately mail a list of what should be in it) to see if it gets through. That is all. I hope you are well and that the autumn is progressing well. Please give my regards to everyone (for I still have yet to receive a letter from my “friends”) and take care.

Yours, Oomph

PS. I haven’t opened a bank account yet because I need to research first, but don’t speak Korean well enough to do it on my own.

PPS. Bbbrrrrrrraoooouwllllf? (this should be accompanied by a full and vigorous petting).

P3S. I received the G’mom & G’dad letter, but have not yet received any letters since the type-written one – have you tried to use the Korean labels?