Almost Abroad

Well, after much planning and waiting, I am almost ready to leave for South Korea. But I have time for one quick, final entry before I leave.

As part of my preparations over the past few weeks, I decided to turn all of my loose change into cash. I had accumulated quite a few coins during my past year in Bath, around £200' worth.

And I also changed a large chunk of my money into Korean currency. I now have over a million Korean Won. That makes me feel very rich, though it's really only around £650 or $1000, enough to keep me going for a month until I get my first pay cheque.

During the weekend my family held a leaving party for me in a pub in Essex. I had a great time and it was lovely to see everyone one last time before leaving.

Paul, Natalie, Dad and Mum.

Mum, Gary, Natalie, Paul, me, and Uncle Alfie.

Dean, Ryan Jr. and Dad.

Natalie, Scarlett, Dad, and me.

Nanny Iris and Ryan Jr.

Nanny Iris, Ryan and Ryan Jr.

Scarlett and Charlie.

And here's a card everyone wrote for me. Thanks, all! 

In the last few weeks I've also enjoyed various drunken Skype nights with my friends who are living outside England. I expect these sorts of long-distance conversations to become a pretty regular thing over the next year. 

Aaaaaaand I've already been thinking about some of the places I'd like to visit while I'm in South Korea, which has meant blighting the country with a bad case of yellow fever on Google Earth.

I doubt I'll visit even half the places I've marked - I'm going to be busy working most of the time and I want to save lots of my earnings, after all. But it's good to know my options.

Well, that ends my last entry from the UK for a long time. I might not have internet access for a while, though hopefully I'll be able to get it installed sooner rather than later. Either way, next time I post I'll be on the other side of the planet, giving my first impressions of the country that will be my home for a whole year.