An extension of college

I was told by one of my coworkers while at the bar last night that there is a huge community of English teachers in Seoul, and that it mostly revolves around the bar scene. She said that teaching English in Seoul is, for most people, an extension of college.

That’s not really quite what I’m looking for though. I’m happy to have left college and enjoy having a job now and making money. I enjoyed the bar scene over the summer, but that was mostly because I was spending time with my friends before I had to leave them all behind. Most nights when I come home now I look forward to curling up with a good book or watching a tv show, maybe having some dinner, and getting to bed between 11 and midnight. Last night I was awake until 6 am, definitely not my norm. I always end up feeling out of place when I visit the bar scene, and much prefer to spend time with friends drinking in an apartment instead of in a loud expensive bar.

I mentioned to a coworker that I would like to say that I’m “in the real world” now but it doesn’t really feel like that. She agreed, saying it feels like we are in a bubble here because we’re working but don’t really have as many responsibilities as we would have in the US. For example, we don’t have to pay rent, don’t have cars, and are living in a completely foreign world every day. I find it all terribly fascinating but not conducive to the feeling of having a career, though I don’t really consider that to be of much importance at this point in my life.