Payday!

My first day of work here in Korea was on the 24th of July, 7 weeks ago. Today, my first real payday arrived. In Korea, most contracts specify that wages are paid once a month and include the days from the 1st to the 31st. So I have been surviving for the last 5-6 weeks on what I got paid for my first week of work. It meant missing out on a couple of things, but its amazing how easy it is to live here on a weeks wage.
But now I have a full months wage (which includes 30 hours of overtime) and I have two holidays coming up! Chusok happens during the first week of October. Its the Korean Harvest festival (their equivalent of Thanksgiving) and one of the most important holidays of the year. Celebrations focus very much on family. So this is also one of the busiest travel seasons in Korea. You have to book plane tickets months in advance if you want to get good deals. So it looks like I will be spending Chusok in Busan. However, I am lucky enough to get an extra week of vacation the week before Chusok. Unium College closes during the regular school exam times, so every two months we get a week holiday. I have from the 24th till the 29th of September to take my first trip in Asia. I was initially hoping to visit my friend Tom Young who is teaching in Ishigaki, Japan. But the connections are difficult and the trip is expensive, so a visit to Okinawa will have to wait till I have more money and a longer break.
But when I was at the travel agent investigating options for Japan, they told me that because this is low season, there are some really great deals to Thailand. I could get a package including travel and hotels for as little as 550000 Won, which is less than a weeks pay! So I am going into the travel agent on Monday and I am going to book a trip to Phuket or Ko Samui. YAY
The only downside is that most Hogwans don't have holidays during exam weeks, so it looks like I will be taking a few trips alone. But I guess that just adds to the adventure.