So many people have been asking “how’s the new job” or “settling into your new apartment” and I just haven’t been able to give an answer.  I don’t know if it’s due to all the recent E-2 visa changes, but it was taking forever to get my E-7 approved.  Three weeks!  All done now, though, and I’m a real boy again!  And talk about down to the letter.  I have to leave the country on the 12th, as that’s the longest I could extend my E-2.  Got news of the approval yesterday.  Nice timing.

So to answer your questions, I don’t rightly know how the new job is.  I’ve only done a little work, unfortunately just practice, nothing they could pay me for.  After getting the approval letter, though, the boss took me aside for a little pep talk.  It’ll likely be a busy busy year with lots of opportunity to learn and study.  It’ll likely be awesome.

As far as the apartment…  Well, I still don’t have a bed, but this isn’t as bad as many of you might think!  It’s the Korean style, where I get thick blankets and just plop down.  The first night was miserable, but since then I sleep like a baby.  Actually, it makes me kind of happy.  While here in Korea, I’ve had to sleep on the floor a few times, none of which went well.  I thought I was just getting too old to do that anymore, and I was sad.  But no!  I was just out of practice!  Korea made me young again!  Plus the heating system here uses boiling water pumped through pipes in the floor, so my bed’s always delightfully warm and cozy.  It’s a perfect counter to the sub-zero sleet going on outside the last couple nights.

Tomorrow I go to Japan!  Osaka, specifically.  In order to change visas, I have to go to a Korean consulate.  Unfortunately, countries tend not to build consulates to themselves in their own borders (the US is no exception, either), so I have to go abroad to do this.  Lame, yes, I agree.  Oh well, I get a little vacation out of it.  I’ll be there from Sun to Wed, mostly just waiting on my passport to be updated.  I think Tuesday I’ll take a train out to Nara, only half an hour away.  I hope it won’t be too cold to explore the parks and temples out there.  The rest of the time, I’ll just poke around Osaka, looking for wacky shirts and interesting culinary experiences.  I’m stoked about sushi!  I’ll also get to practice my crappy Japanese that I really haven’t used at all in 10 years.  Won’t that be a hoot?