Moving abroad is like whiplash. One moment everything seems like it’s falling apart. The next, you’re on top of the world. I think it feels like this because you’re going through culture shock and a career change. So you’re really excited but intimidated at the same time. Small victories mean the world to you (like figuring out how to turn on the hot water) and small tragedies (Korea’s apparent lack of tampons) feel like disaster.

My first big low was training with Company X at the headquarters in Seoul.  I’d like to avoid saying negative things on the internet about the company that is employing me. But trust me, though, it was horrendous. Long story short, I was hazed.

To make matters worse, Company X kept us in the dark about so many crucial things to our livelihoods during training week. Until today, I didn’t know where I was going to live, how much I was going to pay rent, when my paychecks would arrive, and what my work schedule would be like. I also didn’t know who my boss was and who my coworkers would be. Since training week was so rough, I had imagined the worst.

BUT WHAT I GOT IS THE BEEEEEEEEEEEST!!! I LOVE CHEONAN! It’s so much more chill than Seoul. And so far at least, the managers seem really nice. They took us out to shabu shabu for lunch, where we met a few other coworkers. I wasn’t really in the mood to socialize since I haven’t had any alone time since May 12th, but they seemed cool. Then the manager took us to our apartments. I live on the second floor of a random building. My next door neighbors are two of my coworkers, which is nice. And vaguely reminiscent of a college dorm, hah.

This is the first apartment I have ever had to myself and I am very pleased. The place has a little foyer where your shoes, and a main room with a kitchen. It has a separate little area for a bed, which is somewhat larger than the twin I had in North Carolina, and a little bathroom area.

This is a picture of my closet and desk….

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…and here’s my wonderful bed fully equipped with brand new cool weather Korean sheets!

…Finally, the kitchen area. The bathroom is behind those sliding doors. Fridge not pictured.

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