This Blog

Coming to this blog one of the first things you’re most probably likely to encounter is the title ‘Jeonnam Life’. When I started this blog 9-odd months ago I chose this as my title since I live in Jeollanam-do (South Jeolla province), South Korea – or ‘Jeonnam’ for short, and this blog was supposed to largely chronicle my life and all the ups and downs of living in a regional city in this part of South Korea. That was my intention at first, and when I did blog several years back when I first came to Korea, I was largely successful in writing just about my daily (or fortnightly, as it normally turned out) trials and tribulations as a non-Korean English teacher in regional South Korea.

But, nowadays I guess after six years since I first stepped onto this peninsula, what used to fascinate me has become mundane, what used to excite leaves me feeling numb, what used to piss me off … well still does piss me off but I don’t what to burden y’all with the details, and what used to arouse me .. well that still does!

I guess in essence, Korea has bcome the ‘real world’ for me, it’s no longer eye-opening, it’s no longer special, it’s no longer worth writing home about. Sure, there still plenty of funny situations and unusual and quirky daily occurences, but I’ve been here so long that they are just a part of life here. Sometimes I envy my friends and people I meet who’ve just come here, wide-eyed and filled with curiosity … only for it to dampen by grumpy long-timers such as myself.

Korea’s still a wonderful, fascinating, interesting country and a great place to live. But, I guess it’s now home, and no one wants to write about home.

I’ll try to write more about Korean life, in particular Jeonnam life, for folks interested overseas, but the longer I’m here the more difficult it is to see ‘home’ through a ‘newbies’ eyes.

The title will stick regardless.