Welcome to Cheongju

I cannot believe a month has passed since I landed at Incheon International Airport. It is great that time has flown by but beginning a blog after a month leaves me at a loss of where to begin. 

      Cheongju-si is a cozy town of 700,000 people located in the heart of South Korea. Although densely populated, the city is easy to navigate with many areas to explore. My house and school, Wonderland, are located on the western edge of the city. It is a great location where I am able to run in the country, walk to work, and jump on a bus which takes me into the action.

The "main drag" of my life.
 The small signs (right side) reads, "Wonderland."

       Since my arrival I have become comfortable with my neighborhood trying out the many restaurants, grocery stores, french bakeries and convenience stores. All of them have something unique to offer. I must admit that I have indulged in every new sweet treat available to me. Although many of the treats are the same, they are a different type of a sweet. Different from western culture sweet treats often come in the form of "bready/butter" snacks, salty treats, or bean pastes. In addition to the sweet treats, Korean food is fantastic. For anyone not familiar with it there are a few staple dishes that are served in a variety of manners. Every meal comes with a varied set of fermented side-dishes, a meal in Korea is never complete without a healthy dose of Kimchi (fermented cabbage in a chili sauce). These are accompanied by a main meal of rice, soup/stew, ramyen, or highly favored barbecued meat. If I had to pick one favorite it would be DoSot Bibimbop, a sizzling stone pot filled with rice, vegetables, an egg and a hot chili paste. Mmmm....

      When I am not running errands close to home I venture to the two main districts in Cheongju, downtown and the college area. These areas of filled with bright lights marking various restaurants, PC/DVD/Nori (Karaoke) Bongs (rooms), cafes and stores. It is astonishing how developed and convenient everything is. There is more than anyone could need right at my finger tips. It often feels like being in New York, fashion is everyone and people are dressed to impress. My favorite evenings in the city have been spent at "And the Twelve." It is a coffee shop that my co-worker and her husband recently opened. The coffee shop (pictured below) has a serene atmosphere that offers respite to the chilly weather, brights lights, and fast past tempo of every day life. I am not only thankful for the space but the people I am able to share it with. I have been blessed with co-workers/friends that are so much to be around.

A night at "And the Twelve"