Seoul to Daegu... Part Two. (Saturday 22nd Feb 2014)

Dear Sal,

After arriving in Daegu, I wandered in search of a payphone for about ten minutes. I called my branch manager who informed me a man named Alex would meet me by car park exit three. I found my way to that location and my eyes scanned the crowd of commuters. With a name like Alex, I understandably thought I was looking for a westerner. I Imagined a tall, fair haired american about my age. What I got was a fifty year old Korean man who spoke limited English.

He approached me holding a piece of paper with my name on it, "Samwell, Samwell?"
We exchanged an awkward handshake as I performed a balancing act with my luggage, switching alternatively from left to right. A brief "hello" was given before he gestured with his arm to follow him. We walked frantically through the bustling train station,  narrowly avoiding knocking anyone over with massive suitcases, eventually arriving at his car after several wrong turns. As I shut the door, he turned to me, smiled and said "It's nice to meet you, welcome to Daegu" before speeding off into the terrifying Korean traffic.

On the nearly hour long car journey, he pointed out every thing that had an English name, assuming I would find some joy in knowing that a Pizza Hut was close by. His limited English is a lot better than my limited Korean. He said I was "very handsome." I told him he was misinformed, which went over his head. Daegu is stunning at sunset. Driving round the base of a mountain gave me the perfect view of this colourful sprawling metropolis. I look forward to exploring It over the next twelve months.

After quickly dropping off my bags, I was taken directly to the school, where I finally met my branch manager, Joanne. I signed my contract, went over some paper work and was given some key information that I was desperate for; alien card, bank account, mobile phone and some other stuff. The kids saw me through the glass office window and got excited... fresh meat.

I'm staying in a hotel for the weekend until my apartment is ready. I'm pretty sure it's a lovers retreat. It had an air of sleazy sophistication about it. As I lay down to rest briefly before going out again, I wondered how many abortions were created here. After peeling myself off the bed, I made my way back to the school to meet my coworkers. It is a Korean teaching tradition on the first night a new teacher arrives and an old one leaves to have a dinner... And drinks. My branch manger brought my dinner, which was very kind of her. She seems lovely, very sweet. She even drove me back to my hotel afterwards.

I met my fellow members of staff as well as a few others who work close by. They seem like a decent group, but I was so tired I could barely keep my eyes open and stop myself from yawning, I hope they didn't think of me as boring. I politely declined the invitation of "coming down town?" after I realised the average time to return home was around four or five in the morning. I went straight to bed and slept for about nine hours. It was wonderful.

I messaged David and have had no response. I hate the fact I can't contact him. I hope he's alright and made it there safely.

love, hugs and sign here, here and here.

Samuel James.