My adventure in Japan

Hi all,

Just got back from Japan, to finalize my paper work.






I have a visa for a year, feels all surreal really. It actually got me thinking how I have lived and worked in several countries, England, America, Canada, Israel and now Korea. Gee I sure get about eh!! I wonder were I will end up next. But that's not really much of a thought right now. As my main thought is being here for now.


So back to my trip in Japan. Well i went to Fukuoka City. It takes about 1hour by plan. As you can see on the map Fukuoka is situated on the northern shore of the island of Kyūshū in Japan.






Population 4.9 Million People





It was quite adventure, this started with my accommodation. The amenities were i was staying was amazing. Had Internet, sauna, Jacuzzi, big comfy seats with own flat screen tv, Resturant and a massage room. Yes I did use them all, and yes had a lovely massage thank you!! Yep it was almost like the Hilton. However this is Darren remember, so you ready to see where I slept.

These are known as capsules beds, a cheap and easy way to sleep. Wanna know more info go to http://www.yesicanusechopsticks.com/capsule/ It was comfortable, yet i could not sleep as it got hot inside this capsule. Well It is something to add to my stories, as not all we experince will always be pleasant, yet for the sake of experinces it all about how you approach them.

"Just keep your mind open and suck in the experience. And if it hurts, you know what? It's probably worth it." Quote from the movie "the beach"



I will continue my trip tomorrow

The World is a small place

Hi all,

Sorry i not written much latley, still adjusting to the work load of being a teacher and doing it Korea style. Next blog enterie i will explain more about this Korean way of things.

I just wanna fill you in what i been up too. Since my last I venture out on a bus. I have now venture on the Korea subway. What a good system it is, very much like the London subway. However it is very rare i can sit down throughout the duration of my journey, as its always busy. Yet if i do manage to sit down I get very close to the person next to me, almost on his lap. As these trains,are not really catered for my western bum,heh

(sorry about quality taken by Cell phone)

I have toured vaires city to grasp more aboout what seoul is, I have mainly done this by myself. However I have met up with two people I had met in victoria this summer. Which at this point make's me say, "who ever you meet, dont let distance make you think you never see them again" So here are the two korean people I met in Victoria (canada) now having a drink in Korea ( seoul). Cheers!!

Dont we just live in a small world?

When in Korea....wear silly hats

Well ok hats dont suit me I know, just trying to look young on my birthday! Did it work, or did I just look silly.

So what was my birthday like in Korea. Well I got a cake, was taken out for dinner and happy birthday was sung to me in Korean. So it was like any normal birthday when you get older. Gone are the days when you party on all night and forget the whole night. Now that I am a teacher its in by 9pm,lol. Overall it was a nice eveining.

Had some good chats, plus for you Brits reading this you schould be pround. As when I asked what they thought of England, they thought that English people are and polite people. Yet are weather wet and windy,lol. However was sad that they feelt they had to lose wieght, look like models just like the west. Some pressure of the western just dont change, such a shame!!

Well I should be a year wiser, not sure about being wiser. Yet feeling old as at home by 9pm on Birthday and I reminder it all,lol. But here is prove I can still get the ladys,he he.

The bright lights blurred my vision

So I decided to venture out of my town of wau-ri and take my first bus ride to my nearest town Suwon. I boarded nervously, as what will this journey be like, was I even on right bus. However the bus guy assured me that he was going to Suwon. Ok i thought, just sit down and enjoy the ride, even though I was not sure about this!! Hence my vision was not so clear bit off a blur, i blame the lights, hehe.


Twenty minutes later I arrive in Suwon. Yep its a city alright. Busy busy busy.

However you people who like your food, well there is so much to choose from, and you can eat either from the street, or at a restaurant.

So my first sign in English I saw today well what you think?,yep you guest it McDonald's followed by burger king, how annoying is that. The food is so good here, why the heck they got this crap junk food, I never know. Yet one western sign I did see did remind me of my good friend Anna. This for you girl



So I went down most of the streets, problem with a city you think you are missing out. Plus as there so much you don't know what you want, this was me about choosing were to eat.I thought, well i get a nice dish with meat and veg cook Korean style. Now I knew what I wanted so I ventured in and Said "ju se yo" and pointed to the photo of the dish which was on the wall. He was like, "sorry that for two( in English). OK can i see the English menu,which had 5 dishes on them. However to my shock( my first real frustration about to come), I was told Only 1 dish is available for one person. Well it be rude to leave, so i was like OK i will have the hot and spicy noddle soup. Oh well,l no meat this time. Soup arrives and it spicy, yet does hot mean ice cold in Korea. As my soup was cold it even had ice in it. This a first for me, cold soup what was my crime. Yet as a good traveler i smiled and ate it. Had good chat today with friend and we commented on how this nation not driven by self, as community is really strong idea I have seen in Korea.But no one is perfect, as my dinner encounter made me think do they cater for a person on there own. Just a thought.


Well after my cold soup, I was like I miss my little town of wau-ri. There's not as much choice .so you can think clearly and appriate want ever you have. Maybe thats the problem too much choice and you expect alot in return. I wander what i woul have been like if i got cold soup in Wau-ri?

Night out in Wau-ri

So all unpack and after my cup of tea, I ventured out at 11pm.

MY FIRST night in Wau-ri (korea)!! Well it was an adventure, i just really wanted to see if I could watch manutd. As a 3pm kick off is like midnight here (yep u know me and football). I found a cafe with the game, yet that really was my invitation to a night out!! In the cafe some Koreans showed me there great hospitality. I never had to buy a drink that night. However it was not that easy, firstly they knew very small ammount of English. About 90% was communicated though my Korean phase book(dont leave home without my phase book). This seems to be common in this city i lived, hardly no one speaks or understand English. So I got to quickly learn Korean!!

When in Rome. So we left cafe, and headed to a karoke bar. Strange in England we only sing if we can hardly stand or hardly even talk. Not here ,its like going for a coffee. There I was head back and singing my heart out with about 6 koreans clapping me along, George michael watch out!! After our sing song I was taken to cafe for another drink, yet due to me been travelling like two days. I had to say goodnight, it was Also 4am, lol. Well it was a first good night!!

Tea in Korea

Happy new year to you all!!

So I just arrived in Korea, well you know me always on the move!! This process of getting here took about 10 days in total. Yes was very quick. Why Korea, what am I doing and how am I doing?
Well this summer I went to Canada to have good holiday and to try and find some work. Because since I graduated summer 2005. I have yet found work. Fortunately I did not find any work in Canada, however had a great holiday and was nice to catch up with friends. Thanks for the memory's Dan!!.
So in November I was back in UK, no job and with no direction. I ended up going back to catering and bar work. Which for me is a no brainier job,hence no challenge. Thus I my head space was not very good was getting down. At this point wanna say that's Mum for your support, she is a gem. Slowly but surely I was getting more down, I needed some direction. Otherwise I could see myself becoming very depressed, and apathetic. Which I know this is not what I am about. As while in Canada I had a lot time to think, I look at who I was in past. That Darren was confident, passionate and like trying new things. Yet back in UK I was not this Darren. So one night I was like "God I need a change, a challenge, something" or I will become a grumpy old git living at home until I die doing casual work. I may here some of your selfs saying you also need to be active to get things. Well you are right, so after my prayer I just email varies places that night even though was NOT FEELING confident. From youth worker, pastoral helper, and I also just ask for more information about teaching conversational English abroad. I had nothing to lose eh was about 16 December. Now I was thinking ok now its the waiting game. Most emails came back, thank you but not now ect. However I got info back on teaching abroad, and every time I sent email 10 minutes later I would here back. It happen so quickly. Probally the best way really. Yes this is a big challenge for me, but I know I need to do this. As I am a Guy who needs to learn and communicated with people, the corporative life not for me. One thing i am learning is passion is fed by being challange and lately for some reason I was shying away from any challanges, (maybe fear of failure) and just doing things which was gave me no challanges at all. Yet that was the reason i was feeling like how i was. So in nut shell i was failing my true self, by not taking challanges of life. My being and faith need challenges of life or our will just melt away. "faith by itself if not accompanied by action is dead" James 2:17