We went to Icheon City Hall today to report the change of our address. It should be included when we renew our visa in Suwon immigration but when the immigration officer noticed that we didn’t transfer yet she didn’t allow us to change our address. Instead she told us to return after 14 days  to report it but my husband think it is too much hassle to travel to Suwon just to report the address change he asked for an alternative and the immigration officer told us to go to the city hall to report it.

At first my husband doesn’t want to report it because he said it is going to be his last year in Korea as he is not planning to renew his contract anymore and eying to move to another country. The problem though I have to return to Suwon immigration next month after I got my new passport from the embassy as I just renew a day ago, and I also told my husband as what I have heard from Filipino  Korean wives that unable to report the address changes will cost a fine of KRW 5,000,000 which I think very costly.

Well I thought I knew where is Icheon City Hall so we took bus #8 from Shinha-ri and get off at the front of the “city hall” in front of the big stadium but it turns out it is not the city hall it is an Art Hall.  With the help of the map handed to us by the immigration officer we are able to find the city hall we just went the main street and turn right and walk straight when we reached the intersection Buak-ru we turn left and about five minutes we found the Police Station and the city hall.

As my husband’s co-teacher instruction we went to #3 desk and informed the woman what we want. We are given a form to fill-up like the application form in the immigration and we returned it to her with our ARC when we are done, we waited for few minutes and we had our ARC with new address written at the back.

The city hall was very friendly and relaxing it is more like of a library, garden and spa’s waiting area unlike the city hall in the Philippines which is too noisy and crowded sometimes.

I went to Icheon downtown yesterday to update my husband passbook and buy a bag of chicken. Luckily may T-money card has still load on it so I am able to use it when I took number 8 bus, I descend at Gwango-dong and then walk to KB star. After updating his passbook I walked at the shopping center to see what’s new, Tiny Winnie store was already closed and few men are reconstructing it, the last time we passed by the store the owners are boxing their items.

I went to Lotte Super before going to the bus stop near the World Mart, I bought bags of chicken, beans as well as vegetables like carrot and zucchini I have no more food to eat because I didn’t buy a lot when we shopped.  After shopping I went to the bus stop and while crossing the street number 8 bus came and I run as fast as I can, I was bit late because the bus door was already closed when I arrived gladly the bus driver saw me and he opened the door, I was still grasping for air while looking for my T-money card on my wallet.

It was a short but fun day in Icheon downtown.

Few more days and we are going to move, we already visited the new apartment in Shinha the other day.  Sunhee the company director fetch us, so we could see it.  At first glance it look smaller than our apartment here,  if given a choice I would still choose our apartment here in downtown. I already built a bond with our apartment, I love every corner of it.

Our things are already packed and ready to go, this is all what we accumulated in three years leaving in Icheon, when we first arrived in this City from Seoul all we had is one big box and two big bags and now see what we got.

Anyway the good thing of the new apartment  is it is on the 4th floor. No more unexpected visitor because  I just had a little phobia from doorbell sound, but it does not matter anyway if you are not going to be around all day.

Yesterday we decided to go to Shinha and see how the school and neighborhood looks like my husband printed the school address we found on the school website. We took a taxi from the downtown and it took us few minutes to reach the place and the trip cost ₩6,300.  My guess was right that it is around the Hynix and what surprised me is Shinha is the stop over of Express Buss to drop passengers before reaching the downtown and pick-up before going out to Seoul.

[Shinha Elementary School]

The school is not that big compare to Icheon Elementary School though it looks big on the picture that we saw in their school website.  It is painted on white and there’s a guard house near the gate.

Newly painted Shinha Elementary School

We had a short walk today around the downtown. It was too cold, I wore four set of clothes so I will not feel cold while we are walking, it is better to be prepared than sorry, though I only have two sets of pants,  I mean I just wore short and then double it with my jogging pants. So while walking I can feel my legs freezing.

On the way we bought box of vitamin C, we went to Family Mart before reaching home. We just thought of buying some snacks but my husband didn’t find food that he like to eat, so I went to 59 Pizza.

When I came in the the guy was not there (probably delivering pizza), I waited until his wife came near the front desk because when I came she is very busy in front of the oven, I gave my order and sit while watching TV. I had potato pizza this time while my husband is never ending pepperoni pizza with cheesy crust.

That’s the question in our mind because three months from now my husband “will be” assigned in Shinha (Sinha) Elementary School, he is been teaching for three years already in Icheon Elementary School and because of company policy that’s what the director told him that English teacher should only stay in one school for two years (though he has one year extension) and they need to be re-shuffled so students can learn and have different experience from different teachers.

[Icheon Elementary School]

His re-location actually came as a surprised because he just received an email from someone telling him that he is maybe the one who will teach after him because he was told that my husband is transferring to another school. My husband  doesn’t know anything about it, he didn’t even know that he is moving or transferring. He was furious because it was very unprofessional to know it from possible employee rather than from his employer. Well what followed is email from the recruiter that a candidate will email him for some reference (maybe experience on the school or how is it leaving and teaching in Icheon and so on) but it was too late already because he already received an email. My husband told the recruiter that he is not moving neither transferring to another school, it turns out the recruiter was told that one teacher from Icheon is leaving and when she asked an email for reference of a new teacher my husband email was given and that’s how it happened

To cut the story short it was just a miscommunication,  after about two weeks of asking a meeting with the director/manager my husband was told that they will transfer him to Shinha Elementary School, so we wonder where is it located all we know it is 4 kilometers from Changjeon-dong. I have look in to the map and found out it is in Bubal-eup area, I have already heard about this place but I cannot find where I have heard it, well because we already walked around Icheon (not really all around maybe just a bit, lol!) so I think I know where is it. So tonight as part of our routine we walked around the downtown, I have asked my husband if when we are going to Happy Mart but he keeps shrugging it off and when we reached the junction we decided to find the school as I believed it was around the way I know because I have seen a large school on that area but nothing happened with our search we decided to stop and return to Changjeon-dong because we both believed we can’t find it.

[Shinha Elementary School]

It was a surprised because we just turn around from Anheung-dong to Galsan-dong and to Jeungpo-dong and back to Changjeon-dong. We decided to have pizza afterwards, we went to 59 pizza which is still open but when we had our pizza the light was turned off already. Probably it was already closing when we arrived and because we are frequent visitor of the pizza parlor they didn’t turn us down.

While eating pizza I looked again in the Google map, laugh at me but my husband was right that I probably look on the wrong direction. Sinha-ri, Bubal-eup is the other way around, it was before reaching the downtown which is near Hynix, actually I have already thought it was there because I have found online that there’s a lot of factory in that area and that’s the only place I know with factories because you can see them when you are on the bus to Seoul and vice versa but because of my map ability I was lost, I went the other way around. So even we continue walking until day time we really cannot see what we are looking for.

Tae Geuk Dang is our favorite local bakery in Icheon, they baked good cakes and breads. Their muffin is very good it is either chocolate, squash or walnut. Since we had their muffins this bakery became our favorite place to shop bake goods during our cheat day (cheating on a diet), this is just beside Paris Baguette located in the main street across the shopping centre.

As what I know this bakeshop has been established since 1971, more than 40 years of baking good cakes and breads. The owners are kind and warm too, I just don’t know these past few weeks I am seeing different woman or people already, I am wondering if the previous owner already sold this bakery, they are related or I just don’t know.

Originally posted on ficklemindedthoughts.com on 2012-08-22 14:44:42

We only visit the gym three times a week and every second and fourth day of the week we are walking around the town. It became our habit before our vacation in the Philippines.  Below is the photo I have taken the other day while we are doing our routine in the late afternoon, the trees are all in yellow colors.

The weather is already cold as expected so I am already wearing my winter jacket when we are walking, and of course I am not going to forgot to bring my camera.

I wake up today with loud music and an emcee speaking in the nearby elementary school. My husband told me that there’s something going on because he saw some tent from our window. After making my coffee I decided to check it out, I didn’t even finish drinking it I just had one sip, I changed my clothes and I went out.

When I arrived in the school entrance I saw a lot of cars and this banner but as I can’t read Hangul I can’t still figure out what was the occasion.

There’s really a lot of tent encircling the wide playground and they are full of people and food. Others are drinking soju (the popular liquor here), eating and talking to each other. There are few people in the play ground which looks like they are doing fun games, I saw some people with balloons. I didn’t take long because I am too shy to be noted and snapping around, I was not able to take good picture because there are cars and trucks blocking me from where I stand.

I walk around the school I mean the street around the school so people will not think I just went there to take pictures. Anyway when I arrived home I translated what is written in the banner and it says “The 5th Icheon Elementary School Alumni Conference” thanks to Korean Virtual keyboard and Google translate for making it possible.

I am quite busy tweaking these past few days that I can’t visit my blogs and post an article, I am also procrastinated. I have nothing else to write maybe because I don’t usually share and talk what I am doing and etc., sort of private person huh? Lol!

It snowed a lot today it cause heavy traffic in the main street I remember a friend who wished to snow a lot I just chuckled remembering her childish wish. Heavy snow can cause a lot of problems and accidents in the street eh., Anyway I  decided to rest for a while and blog I am going to tweak again tomorrow.

I have cooked  a soup tonight and as usual my husband told me to separate soup for him all he wanted is the vegetable and he don’t like macaroni on it, too much carbohydrates as what he reasoned out.