A blog from Korea/ ㅁ ㅠㅣㅐㅎ ㄹ개ㅡ ㅏㅐㄱㄷㅁ

Today was mostly a "Subway" day. Zach is up to the room I am finishing off the day with a post. Started the day with some foreign banking 101. We couldn't get any cash from the bank because they didn't understand what American Express was. I find that hard to understand since the area they are in takes them in all the stores. They thought it was a debit card and the idea of getting cash back was the struggle. About a 40 minute process and we got it done.

Then we figured out how to buy subway passes and got a map but no one seemed to know where Itaewon was. Years ago it was famous. Lot's of sidewalk vendors. We later learned they had mostly gone away but still a great antique place. We were misdirected to Irwin and it took us a long way in the wrong direction. We came up and took pictures at a lot of stops. Then back to the Express Bus terminal station which sits right under the JW Marriott. We then learned that Itaewon was on the way to

Gondeok where Holt International is located. We then went on to Itaewon and stopped and shopped and had lunch and then went to Holt. The problem at Holt was figuring out which building it was and where it was. We had good instructions. Even so we asked a policeman who as it turned out was a block away from it if he could tell us from the address. He had to call in to find out something that didn't work. We called and finally got it and made it. Then we spent about a hour with the lady who is head of oversees placements. (Still about 70% of them come to the US by the way) Zach looked through his file and said he felt some accomplishment.

Kathy suggested a blog entry for Zach. He is right next to me having come down from the room. So he says:

I thought today was very educational, and not only did I see more of Korea and the people (along with what they are like), I got to see what the kind of place I stayed in in my initial months in Korea.

-Zach