Moments of panic: -standing in the crowded subway wearing a backpack with my most precious possessions in it (laptop, passport, money), a man grabs my bag firmly and lifts its weight off my back. I try to turn around but am tangled in the straps, and people are pressing in from all sides. Realization: no, he's not trying to rob me. When there's no place to sit down, it's polite for someone to help you with a big bag. -any time I need to communicate in Korea...

Note on my last post: -"Italian food" should always be taken with a grain of salt here, as well as ""French bakery" and "German Biergarten". In North America, these retain a smidgeon of authenticity from their long-ago immigrant origins. Here, they hope to round up the homesick ex-pats who will almost always be disappointed. So training began Monday February 2nd, Groundhog Day. I didn't realize it at the time. Orientation ...

So there's no real phrase to begin this blog that fully grasps this experience so far. One thing I can say keeps occurring to me: Seoul is A HUGE CITY. Let me tell you about my trip so far! I arrived late Friday night, having met an American couple from Alabama with whom I shared a cab, and I felt much better about my enormous suitcase when I saw them with their eight good-sized ones. At the hotel, I was assigned a room with three beds, and I was the first one...