So, I just found out that I need to go to south Korea in a couple of weeks to update my visa status. Apparently, the Japanese cannot possibly change a visa from within the country, it would be unconscionable. This is kind of cool, I've never been to korea nor have i ever been to a foreign country alone. I'm gonna have to find out where to stay, what to do and where the damn japanese embassy is. I've got to take my reciept of visa application to the embassy where they stamp it, wait a day and then turn it back to me the next day. Sound like diplomatic bullshit? Well, i suppose that i'm glad that i'm not dealing with the good ol' INS back home, but this is far from streamlined, if you ask me.
Hopefully Korea will be full of western style products, conveniently labelled, with large shoe sizes and fabulously low prices. We can hope eh? If anyone has some tips on Korea, please share them with me so i'm not just wandering the streets of Seoul destitute and lonely. I hear that Koreans are much better with English than the japanese. It would be sweet if i could get some wonderful, middle upper class Korean family to take me in for a homestay over the weekend where i would be pampered, led about the town in style and for the simple price of speaking english to their son or daughter.
Somehow i doubt that it will work out that way. I'll probably be really frustrated and confused and overwhelmed, like always. I'll just keep practicing my "Smile and Nod" routine. I think that after two months of understanding jack-squat, i'm pretty well versed with the bit.