Some of you may know, but I've been working on and off for the past 4 months on a fairly major project that requires frequent business trips to California. This work has gotten me exposure to people very high up in the Samsung LCD division (quick tutorial- Samsung makes TV's/cell phones/monitors/finished Electronics Goods as well as components like LCD screens/flash memory/processors) and while that seems to be good for my career prospects, its led to some situations that are embarrassing to me, hilarious for those around me.
Last week, after hardcore all day negotiations, the Samsung party and our counterparts all went out to dinner together around 930. Of course the Samsung people all got wasted and I, having decided I didn't feel like drinking that night, remained completely sober. At some point, the President of the LCD division (I don't know the equivalent exactly... think the head of a fairly large division of a large company?) asked me how old I was... which led to him asking me if I was married. Obligatory answers followed and he proceeded to ask me if I wanted to meet his daughter. Highly inappropriate by US standards? Absolutely. Hilarious for all my drunk co-workers? You betcha. His daughter is apparently 27, works in the US and is visiting Korea in July... luckily I was able to escape with some non-committal answers.
Fast forward to the end of dinner, after sending the President home, the VP of the division insisted that I come with them for more drinking… where he proceeded to pull out a picture of his 23 year old daughter from his wallet and offered her up for immediate marriage. Followed by the business people solemnly telling me that I had a very important decision to make and giving me various advice on which one I should choose for my future prosperity… and the night ended with everyone calling me “Ahn suh-bang” or son-in-law. That folks, is a snapshot of what my life in Korea has become.
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Sunday, June 20, 2010
The slight differences
Yes, it has been a while but between work and soccer, it's been a little crazy around here. Still no answers to the previous post, but working on it :).
I previously mentioned that being a Korean-American from southern california did not prepare me for life in Korean society. I had a chance to encounter two very separate, very cheesy examples of this in recent days.
The soccer matches. Oh, the soccer matches. The brilliant win against Greece, the disappointment against Argentina, the subdued hope for the upcoming game against Nigeria. It's not just about the masses of people gathering in public spaces, it's not just about the snickering over the 500% spike in condom sales on the night of the Greece game, it's not about the Korean women revealing their inner hoochie by wearing revealing outfits. It's about a country of 50 million people, stubbornly demanding a place at the big boy table despite the logical explanation that says Korea has no business being there. People asked why I cheered for Korea over the US when it comes to these national sporting events... its this sense of pride, a sense of being proud to be a part of something, a sense that even in sport, a country can find a common bond. The United States, because of the immigrants, because of the melting pot/salad bowl, does not have this bond. The Olympics, the World Cup, the WBC, or any other international competition does not stir this same sort of emotion.
North Korea. People in America have asked if people in South Korea are scared about a possible war. Yes, people are scared but people still go to work, people still carry on with their everyday lives. My previous belief had been that hell to that crazy dictator, let's go invade those fools and plant the South Korean flag in Pyongyang. But... those people, despite the fact the spell the name Lee differently, despite the fact the leadership has brainwashed them into thinking their way of life is the best, despite the fact they may start a war based on one man's political manuevering... they're still OUR people. I saw a movie this weekend called 포화속으로 (roughly "Into the Cannon") based on a true story about students that were drafted into the South Korean army in the Korean War. It was violent and action packed and generally a decent watch for 2 hours. There is a scene, where a South Korean high school student severely wounded a North Korean "solider" that cannot be more than 15 and is debating whether or not he should kill him; someone else has to come up and shoot him when the North Korean reached for his gun. When asked why he didn't "finish the job", the simple answer was this: when faced with death, this boy was asking for his Mom... in Korean. That's the simple answer... Kim Jong-Il might be the face of the dictatorship, but the people that will suffer is still our people. Am I a sentimental fool for letting a movie scene affect me in such a manner? Sure, I can live with that designation.
Finally, the USC sanctions... well, I have nothing to say really other than the fact that the NCAA invented a new standard of "You should have known because these athletes were high profile" to punish USC. I hope they now apply that standard to every school that is blessed with incredibly talented young men who are often led astray by unscrupulous businessmen.
I previously mentioned that being a Korean-American from southern california did not prepare me for life in Korean society. I had a chance to encounter two very separate, very cheesy examples of this in recent days.
The soccer matches. Oh, the soccer matches. The brilliant win against Greece, the disappointment against Argentina, the subdued hope for the upcoming game against Nigeria. It's not just about the masses of people gathering in public spaces, it's not just about the snickering over the 500% spike in condom sales on the night of the Greece game, it's not about the Korean women revealing their inner hoochie by wearing revealing outfits. It's about a country of 50 million people, stubbornly demanding a place at the big boy table despite the logical explanation that says Korea has no business being there. People asked why I cheered for Korea over the US when it comes to these national sporting events... its this sense of pride, a sense of being proud to be a part of something, a sense that even in sport, a country can find a common bond. The United States, because of the immigrants, because of the melting pot/salad bowl, does not have this bond. The Olympics, the World Cup, the WBC, or any other international competition does not stir this same sort of emotion.
North Korea. People in America have asked if people in South Korea are scared about a possible war. Yes, people are scared but people still go to work, people still carry on with their everyday lives. My previous belief had been that hell to that crazy dictator, let's go invade those fools and plant the South Korean flag in Pyongyang. But... those people, despite the fact the spell the name Lee differently, despite the fact the leadership has brainwashed them into thinking their way of life is the best, despite the fact they may start a war based on one man's political manuevering... they're still OUR people. I saw a movie this weekend called 포화속으로 (roughly "Into the Cannon") based on a true story about students that were drafted into the South Korean army in the Korean War. It was violent and action packed and generally a decent watch for 2 hours. There is a scene, where a South Korean high school student severely wounded a North Korean "solider" that cannot be more than 15 and is debating whether or not he should kill him; someone else has to come up and shoot him when the North Korean reached for his gun. When asked why he didn't "finish the job", the simple answer was this: when faced with death, this boy was asking for his Mom... in Korean. That's the simple answer... Kim Jong-Il might be the face of the dictatorship, but the people that will suffer is still our people. Am I a sentimental fool for letting a movie scene affect me in such a manner? Sure, I can live with that designation.
Finally, the USC sanctions... well, I have nothing to say really other than the fact that the NCAA invented a new standard of "You should have known because these athletes were high profile" to punish USC. I hope they now apply that standard to every school that is blessed with incredibly talented young men who are often led astray by unscrupulous businessmen.
Thursday, May 13, 2010
I had a deeper post on life in Korea...
then I decided it was boring. And preachy. Possibly self-serving. The twitter version of an entirely too long post: Korea is not America, not even the Cerritos version.
Instead I thought I would ramble on about non-sensical things. Once, I thought I knew everything. I knew what was right and wrong, I was too smart to give in to do the work... I thought I would rule the world by the time I was 30. Somewhere, somehow, I lost that attitude, presumably for the better. Yet, despite these grand, sweeping plans, I entered a profession that demands exactness and an attention to detail, two traits that I still lack today. Became someone that wanted what others had, envied those who were granted more, had no pity for those who did not.
I must admit, I've done some "oh what the hell was I thinking" things in my life. Mistreated friends, outright lied, care about non-sensical things and worst of all, made my parents feel like they were unworthy to be my parents. Yet, in my inifinite pool of self-fill in the adjective, I think I'm still a good person at the core.
Unfortunately, unlike most of my other posts, this post doesn't end with a happy thought or a life-altering insight. No proclamations of change, no declarations of a new Jae. I went from wondering why I chose to go to a second rate college to attending an ivy league law school that wasn't quite good enough to a miserable money-whoring job to a position in Korea that opens doors unlike any I've ever seen before. Yet I write on my blog, like some emo-punk 17 year old that can't decide what he wants to do with his life. Perhaps I am too comfortable with myself, perhaps I am not comfortable enough.
Money is not the answer... maybe I just never had enough of it, but I don't think so. Maybe power, but I don't think there is enough of it around to satisfy. Love perhaps? I see all the wedding and baby pictures and a part of me wishes I had that while another part wants to die. I want the freedom to what I wish... except what I want to do doesn't seem all that great... except to have to give that up seems so harsh. I want to meet the perfect woman... what if she's not the one and I just think she is and I wind up miserable and wonder what my life could have been.
Am I unhappy? No. Am I happy? No. Do I like living in Korea? Yes. Do I want to get out of Korea? Yes. Do I want to go back to the US? No. What will this post do for me? Probably nothing. Yet I felt the need to do so, likely triggering a lot of unnecessary attention from my friends. Maybe that's what I like, the feeling that through facebook comments, I have friends that appreciate me. Maybe?
Instead I thought I would ramble on about non-sensical things. Once, I thought I knew everything. I knew what was right and wrong, I was too smart to give in to do the work... I thought I would rule the world by the time I was 30. Somewhere, somehow, I lost that attitude, presumably for the better. Yet, despite these grand, sweeping plans, I entered a profession that demands exactness and an attention to detail, two traits that I still lack today. Became someone that wanted what others had, envied those who were granted more, had no pity for those who did not.
I must admit, I've done some "oh what the hell was I thinking" things in my life. Mistreated friends, outright lied, care about non-sensical things and worst of all, made my parents feel like they were unworthy to be my parents. Yet, in my inifinite pool of self-fill in the adjective, I think I'm still a good person at the core.
Unfortunately, unlike most of my other posts, this post doesn't end with a happy thought or a life-altering insight. No proclamations of change, no declarations of a new Jae. I went from wondering why I chose to go to a second rate college to attending an ivy league law school that wasn't quite good enough to a miserable money-whoring job to a position in Korea that opens doors unlike any I've ever seen before. Yet I write on my blog, like some emo-punk 17 year old that can't decide what he wants to do with his life. Perhaps I am too comfortable with myself, perhaps I am not comfortable enough.
Money is not the answer... maybe I just never had enough of it, but I don't think so. Maybe power, but I don't think there is enough of it around to satisfy. Love perhaps? I see all the wedding and baby pictures and a part of me wishes I had that while another part wants to die. I want the freedom to what I wish... except what I want to do doesn't seem all that great... except to have to give that up seems so harsh. I want to meet the perfect woman... what if she's not the one and I just think she is and I wind up miserable and wonder what my life could have been.
Am I unhappy? No. Am I happy? No. Do I like living in Korea? Yes. Do I want to get out of Korea? Yes. Do I want to go back to the US? No. What will this post do for me? Probably nothing. Yet I felt the need to do so, likely triggering a lot of unnecessary attention from my friends. Maybe that's what I like, the feeling that through facebook comments, I have friends that appreciate me. Maybe?
Thursday, April 22, 2010
The inevitable downside
I've been in Korea for 5 months now and it's gotten to the point where I now consider this place home. There have been many good parts, but considering my personality, no blog would be complete without a list of my complaints. Some of them are very petty... actually, all of them are pretty silly and none of them really mount to anything major, but for those of you that have never spent time in Korea, they are things you would probably never think of on your own.
In no particular order...
1) Separating the trash. People had warned me about this, but I didn't realize how annoying it was until I experienced it. Not only do you not have a food disposal in the sink, but you have to separate out all your food trash in a separate bag... AND THEN you have to open the trash can lid, dump the food out, then place the bag in a separate trash can. It's gross. Recycling is not only mandatory, but you have to separate everything out... cans, plastic, paper... it is a total pain.
2) The lack of reasonably priced good food. There's good cheap food... there's good expensive food... and that's about it. There's no solid restaurant you can go to in the 25-50 dollar per person range where you will be satsified and full. I find this somewhat difficult to comprehend... it almost seems as if to become popular in a certain cuisine, you have price your food above $50 to get recognition. It's ridiculous.
2a) The food around Kangnam Station. The area I live in has a ton of restaurants... other than samgyupsal and a few other places, the food has been pretty disappointing. I would venture to say that the drinking food is better at Dwitgolmok in LA than a lot of the places I've been. Just by the sheer numbers, a lot of these places stay in business.
2b) The lack of people willing to venture to new places. There is an odd hierarchy of neighborhoods, a structure I wasn't really exposed to living in LA. If you have money, you play in Apgu or Chungdam. We wind up playing in Kangnam because its a) close to work and b) close to where most people live. That's about it. Garo-sugil is an extension of Apgu... Kangnam I've already hit, Apgu and Chungdam... you get $20 Gin and Tonics and a lot of obnoxious people trying to speak in English to show off. Apparently there is a whole other side of Seoul, but because its a 30 minute cab ride, most of the people I know just want to go to the same places over and over again... sigh...
3) The traffic. It's bad. So bad. I have nothing to say really other than its really bad, especially where I live. I want to move somewhere else just to get away from the traffic.
I think that is about it... I guess if that's all I can grouch about, it's been a not too bad 5 months in Korea... I promise, I will be back with some more rants at some point in the future.
In no particular order...
1) Separating the trash. People had warned me about this, but I didn't realize how annoying it was until I experienced it. Not only do you not have a food disposal in the sink, but you have to separate out all your food trash in a separate bag... AND THEN you have to open the trash can lid, dump the food out, then place the bag in a separate trash can. It's gross. Recycling is not only mandatory, but you have to separate everything out... cans, plastic, paper... it is a total pain.
2) The lack of reasonably priced good food. There's good cheap food... there's good expensive food... and that's about it. There's no solid restaurant you can go to in the 25-50 dollar per person range where you will be satsified and full. I find this somewhat difficult to comprehend... it almost seems as if to become popular in a certain cuisine, you have price your food above $50 to get recognition. It's ridiculous.
2a) The food around Kangnam Station. The area I live in has a ton of restaurants... other than samgyupsal and a few other places, the food has been pretty disappointing. I would venture to say that the drinking food is better at Dwitgolmok in LA than a lot of the places I've been. Just by the sheer numbers, a lot of these places stay in business.
2b) The lack of people willing to venture to new places. There is an odd hierarchy of neighborhoods, a structure I wasn't really exposed to living in LA. If you have money, you play in Apgu or Chungdam. We wind up playing in Kangnam because its a) close to work and b) close to where most people live. That's about it. Garo-sugil is an extension of Apgu... Kangnam I've already hit, Apgu and Chungdam... you get $20 Gin and Tonics and a lot of obnoxious people trying to speak in English to show off. Apparently there is a whole other side of Seoul, but because its a 30 minute cab ride, most of the people I know just want to go to the same places over and over again... sigh...
3) The traffic. It's bad. So bad. I have nothing to say really other than its really bad, especially where I live. I want to move somewhere else just to get away from the traffic.
I think that is about it... I guess if that's all I can grouch about, it's been a not too bad 5 months in Korea... I promise, I will be back with some more rants at some point in the future.
Sunday, March 7, 2010
Adjusting to life in Korea
Other than work and the traveling and the long commutes, the most common question everybody has is, naturally, how is life different living in Korea?
My dear father kept telling me before I left to "find my center" and "maintain my center". After three months here, I think I understand. As proficient as my spoken Korean may be, as much as I enjoyed drinking soju and eating korean bbq, as involved as I was with Korean/Asian activities throughout school, I realize I am by no means Korean. Surprisingly, the work aspect may be the most American-like of all the things going on in my life. Here is a short list of what I've realized during my time here...
1) I thought I had to party like there was no tomorrow because I was in Korea. Why not right? I'm single, I work for the largest company in Korea, I have my own place, I have disposable income and I didn't have an established set of friends like I did back home. In what should be a surprise to no one, I don't like partying, even in Korea. I don't like staying out until 5 AM, I don't like getting so drunk that I'm hungover for days, and I certainly don't like going out to the "hottest" clubs or the "happening" lounges. Just because I am in a different country with different venues doesn't mean that I have to act like a fool and go blow wads of money doing something that I don't really enjoy all that much. This means what going forward? I will be going home after dinner and some drinks. Pronouncing I am cutting out alcohol entirely is certainly foolish and I won't make that mistake again; pronouncing that I will not be staggering home at 4 AM is a much better idea.
2) I thought I had to be in a relationship because I was in Korea. This has probably provided the most entertainment in during my short time here. Friends and family members all think that since I am of the age with the proper job and appropriate housing situation, I should get married in the very near future. If not marriage, then I certainly needed a girlfriend in their opinion to complete my existence. Now, while I am not saying I am opposed to meeting a woman, I certainly never felt the need to be in a relationship before... why should this change just because I'm in Korea? I will admit that walking around in Paris made me think I would like to go back with a girlfriend and spend more time there; going into a Baskin Robbins with 2 guys and seeing 40 couples sitting inside does make me pause for a second, especially when people turn around to stare at the 3 English speaking guys.
But since when did I need a girlfriend to "complete me"? Meeting new women is fun, going to new restaurants and trying out different types of cuisine is fun, but I've let the Korean mentality influence me into making some rash decisions since I've been here. Will I be open to meeting new women? It would be foolish not to do so. Will I be more patient? Absolutely.
3) I was never going to find a decent church in Korea since I struggled with the issue in America. I didn't want to go to a Korean service and I was told I essentially had three choices for large english ministries here. Three. In California, I had maybe 30 within a 20 minute driving radius and I never quite settled into a church there. In retrospect, I wasn't ready and being the smartypants that I am, it wasn't very difficult to come up with a endless list of faults to never decide on a church. Now?
Sometimes God truly does work in mysterious ways... the church I grew up in, the church I would call my home church, the church where I met some of my best friends, the church that caused so many issues and the place that taught me all the good and ugly sides of a mega church in California... is now the first church I have ever signed up for Newmember bible study. Sarang EM in Seoul of all places is where I feel the most comfortable, the place where I want to call home, get involved, attend bible study, be an encouragement to my brothers and sisters and possibly even teach high school students. Not because its the closest (it's certainly not), not because its the biggest (the pratfalls of being at an EM of a very large church is certainly not lost on me), not because it has the prettiest girls (I may have to revise this statement, but for now this is certainly not true), but because for the first time since perhaps 7th grade feel like I am at home at a church. A church I can grow with, a church I want to serve and most importantly, a church that I am willing to accept for what it is, with all of its shortcomings and imperfect people. I am excited, for the first time in a very long time, to go to church, to prepare bible study materials and really be willing to get involved.
I realized today that my relationship with God and church has been affected by many factors, including my parents, friends, school organizations and heck even the profession that I have chosen to enter. Now, on the verge of turning 29, after about 12 years of wondering why things were the way they were, I can honestly and confidently say that I want God to be in my life.
Don't worry, I won't start posting daily bible verses or stop posting about USC football or talk about the other shenanigans that occur in Korea... but if you've read this far, I ask that you will pray for me to not give up when things impede my walk with God.
Finally, one last anecdote about the women in Korea (told you I wouldn't change that much). My building has a beauty salon on the ground floor... I went there to get a haircut there about 2-3 weeks after I got to Korea and thought that my stylist was incredibly beautiful. My comment to some friends was "thank God we don't have to tip here or I might have given her a 100% tip on a $15 haircut". For one reason or another, I didn't get my hair cut again by this woman until this past weekend... where I didn't recognize her. Now, for those of you that don't get why this is significant, most men will never forget a pretty face. Ever. If a man meets a woman that he thinks is beautiful, three YEARS could pass and as long as she materially looked the same, that woman's face will be remembered. The fact that I didn't remember her in some 2 odd months... I take that as a sign that my standards and expectations of beauty has significantly gone up while I have been here. I left Hollywood and sunny Los Angeles... and wound up in a superficial winterland.
My dear father kept telling me before I left to "find my center" and "maintain my center". After three months here, I think I understand. As proficient as my spoken Korean may be, as much as I enjoyed drinking soju and eating korean bbq, as involved as I was with Korean/Asian activities throughout school, I realize I am by no means Korean. Surprisingly, the work aspect may be the most American-like of all the things going on in my life. Here is a short list of what I've realized during my time here...
1) I thought I had to party like there was no tomorrow because I was in Korea. Why not right? I'm single, I work for the largest company in Korea, I have my own place, I have disposable income and I didn't have an established set of friends like I did back home. In what should be a surprise to no one, I don't like partying, even in Korea. I don't like staying out until 5 AM, I don't like getting so drunk that I'm hungover for days, and I certainly don't like going out to the "hottest" clubs or the "happening" lounges. Just because I am in a different country with different venues doesn't mean that I have to act like a fool and go blow wads of money doing something that I don't really enjoy all that much. This means what going forward? I will be going home after dinner and some drinks. Pronouncing I am cutting out alcohol entirely is certainly foolish and I won't make that mistake again; pronouncing that I will not be staggering home at 4 AM is a much better idea.
2) I thought I had to be in a relationship because I was in Korea. This has probably provided the most entertainment in during my short time here. Friends and family members all think that since I am of the age with the proper job and appropriate housing situation, I should get married in the very near future. If not marriage, then I certainly needed a girlfriend in their opinion to complete my existence. Now, while I am not saying I am opposed to meeting a woman, I certainly never felt the need to be in a relationship before... why should this change just because I'm in Korea? I will admit that walking around in Paris made me think I would like to go back with a girlfriend and spend more time there; going into a Baskin Robbins with 2 guys and seeing 40 couples sitting inside does make me pause for a second, especially when people turn around to stare at the 3 English speaking guys.
But since when did I need a girlfriend to "complete me"? Meeting new women is fun, going to new restaurants and trying out different types of cuisine is fun, but I've let the Korean mentality influence me into making some rash decisions since I've been here. Will I be open to meeting new women? It would be foolish not to do so. Will I be more patient? Absolutely.
3) I was never going to find a decent church in Korea since I struggled with the issue in America. I didn't want to go to a Korean service and I was told I essentially had three choices for large english ministries here. Three. In California, I had maybe 30 within a 20 minute driving radius and I never quite settled into a church there. In retrospect, I wasn't ready and being the smartypants that I am, it wasn't very difficult to come up with a endless list of faults to never decide on a church. Now?
Sometimes God truly does work in mysterious ways... the church I grew up in, the church I would call my home church, the church where I met some of my best friends, the church that caused so many issues and the place that taught me all the good and ugly sides of a mega church in California... is now the first church I have ever signed up for Newmember bible study. Sarang EM in Seoul of all places is where I feel the most comfortable, the place where I want to call home, get involved, attend bible study, be an encouragement to my brothers and sisters and possibly even teach high school students. Not because its the closest (it's certainly not), not because its the biggest (the pratfalls of being at an EM of a very large church is certainly not lost on me), not because it has the prettiest girls (I may have to revise this statement, but for now this is certainly not true), but because for the first time since perhaps 7th grade feel like I am at home at a church. A church I can grow with, a church I want to serve and most importantly, a church that I am willing to accept for what it is, with all of its shortcomings and imperfect people. I am excited, for the first time in a very long time, to go to church, to prepare bible study materials and really be willing to get involved.
I realized today that my relationship with God and church has been affected by many factors, including my parents, friends, school organizations and heck even the profession that I have chosen to enter. Now, on the verge of turning 29, after about 12 years of wondering why things were the way they were, I can honestly and confidently say that I want God to be in my life.
Don't worry, I won't start posting daily bible verses or stop posting about USC football or talk about the other shenanigans that occur in Korea... but if you've read this far, I ask that you will pray for me to not give up when things impede my walk with God.
Finally, one last anecdote about the women in Korea (told you I wouldn't change that much). My building has a beauty salon on the ground floor... I went there to get a haircut there about 2-3 weeks after I got to Korea and thought that my stylist was incredibly beautiful. My comment to some friends was "thank God we don't have to tip here or I might have given her a 100% tip on a $15 haircut". For one reason or another, I didn't get my hair cut again by this woman until this past weekend... where I didn't recognize her. Now, for those of you that don't get why this is significant, most men will never forget a pretty face. Ever. If a man meets a woman that he thinks is beautiful, three YEARS could pass and as long as she materially looked the same, that woman's face will be remembered. The fact that I didn't remember her in some 2 odd months... I take that as a sign that my standards and expectations of beauty has significantly gone up while I have been here. I left Hollywood and sunny Los Angeles... and wound up in a superficial winterland.
Monday, March 1, 2010
3.2.10
It's been a while since the last post... a few quick bullet points on my life:
1. I've been shipped off to Tangjung to work with the people that make LCD panels for Samsung. Samsung not only makes the finished LCD tv's but the actual panels that go into the TV's and as such this division needs their own legal counsel for the contracts they enter with foreign entities. Tangjung is an hour and a half bus ride from Seoul = no life during the week for Jae.
2. The upside to working with LCD is three-fold: 1) the people that work there are generally nice and aware that the lawyers are not there to make their lives hard, 2) the work hours are generally more reasonable than other places and 3) the work takes me to interesting places on business trips.
3. I've been to Taiwan, San Jose and Paris on business trips... all for different business reasons, all with vary degrees of personal enjoyability. Taiwan basically sucked because I wasn't in Taipei and had no free time to do anything, San Jose was ok since I got In-n-out and a steak dinner and Paris was the best since I actually had time to walk around Paris and visit Versailles and spend a day there.
I had intended to post more details about life in Korea, but I got sidetracked doing other things... there will be more updates to come soon!
1. I've been shipped off to Tangjung to work with the people that make LCD panels for Samsung. Samsung not only makes the finished LCD tv's but the actual panels that go into the TV's and as such this division needs their own legal counsel for the contracts they enter with foreign entities. Tangjung is an hour and a half bus ride from Seoul = no life during the week for Jae.
2. The upside to working with LCD is three-fold: 1) the people that work there are generally nice and aware that the lawyers are not there to make their lives hard, 2) the work hours are generally more reasonable than other places and 3) the work takes me to interesting places on business trips.
3. I've been to Taiwan, San Jose and Paris on business trips... all for different business reasons, all with vary degrees of personal enjoyability. Taiwan basically sucked because I wasn't in Taipei and had no free time to do anything, San Jose was ok since I got In-n-out and a steak dinner and Paris was the best since I actually had time to walk around Paris and visit Versailles and spend a day there.
I had intended to post more details about life in Korea, but I got sidetracked doing other things... there will be more updates to come soon!
Friday, December 25, 2009
12.25
I am done with the Samsung indoctrination and I did meet a lot of nice, interesting people that seem willing to hang out with me and show me the ropes around Seoul (although the first restaurant they recommended no longer exists, which makes me a bit skeptical about how current these people in the mid 30's are). I may have more on these people if/when I meet up with them again for food and drinks... more importantly, Merry Christmas to everyone!
I spent most of the day in Songdo with my relatives, which is a fairly new city next to Incheon... they said they had made reservations for lunch at a nice hotel so imagine my surprise when we pulled into a Best Western. Yup, Best Western. Granted, it was a Best Western Premiere and 20 stories high and had an oceanfront view from the 19th floor restaurant... but I was still amused by the fact that I was having a Christmas buffet lunch at a Best Western. I of course left my phone at home, so I've had to resort to taking a random picture off the internet.
The best part of the day? Having a white Christmas! I don't remember much before the move to LA, and there is the possibility that I had a white Christmas when my family went to visit my aunt in Munich one winter break in Elementary school, but this is the first white Christmas I had in my adult life... and I must say, it does paint a pretty picture, especially since it's not heavy enough to stick on the ground and make everything wet and miserable.
Happy holidays everyone!
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