Things I'll Miss About Korea #1: Pizza School

As I begin my first entry in this series, I would like to stress that this list is not in any order whatsoever!  It may seem silly to start this series with something so seemingly insignificant, but that's because you don't understand how great this phenomenon is.  Without further delay, I introduce to you the first thing I'll miss about Korea: Pizza School.

The Pizza School closest to my apartment, only one of hundreds of locations throughout the country.

Now, don't get me wrong: there are many, many better things in Korea than a budget pizza chain.  Like I said, this list is in no particular order.  However, you can't understate the value you get for the price.  Pizza School offers a fairly large-sized pizza for the ridiculously low price of 5000 won!  For those of you who don't know the exchange rate between won and dollars, according to xe.com, 5000 won equals around 4.34 CAD.

The box.  They even wrap it in a nice, little ribbon.  Like a present!  A delicious, cheesy present.

Now, granted, Pizza School pizza isn't exactly the highest quality pizza out there.  This isn't Ramona's Pizza in Grande Prairie or even Boston Pizza's pizza... but it's not bad!  Did I mention that price?  For less than five dollars, you get the equivalent of a Domino's or Panago pizza.  Let's look at the price, in Canadian dollars, of a regular pepperoni pizza from Domino's, for example.  Pricing out a medium pepperoni pizza on Dominos.ca yields a final cost of $17.31.  Even if we take away the delivery charge, that still leaves us with a pizza that costs $12.49.  Here, at Pizza School, I can buy an equivalent-quality pizza (I would say, even better quality, actually) for only slightly more than a THIRD of the cost!

Greasy, delicious -- and better than Domino's!

Consistent quality at an absolute rock-bottom price earns Pizza School a place on the list of things I will miss about Korea.

Although, to be fair, you might have to get used to the idea of kernels of corn on your pizza...

A Return to Blogging

Hey everyone!  I know it's been ages since I last posted, and I intend to make a few changes.  First, I'd like to talk a little bit about this adventure I've been on.

It's been nearly two years, and I'm beginning to feel the imminent end of my Korean adventure.  I've had some amazing, life-changing experiences.  I've met some amazing people, people who have made impacts on my life that I'm sure that even I will be unable to fully appreciate until some far-off, unknown time.  I intend to recount some of these experiences over the next few months as my time here draws to a close.

I initially came to Korea with the intention of only staying for a year.  However, "fate" or "random circumstance" or whatever you want to call it intervened and caused me to change my mind.  I met an amazing woman and some amazing friends who led me to the decision to stay in this, frankly, amazing place for longer than I expected.  I wouldn't trade my time here for anything.

However, I am now torn.  As August draws closer, I find myself greatly anticipating my return to the land of my birth and the one true home I've known.  I am eager to get back, but at the same time, I don't want these feelings of anticipation to overshadow the experiences I've had and are still having here in Korea.  Indeed, I know that when I finally do leave this place, I will miss it a great deal.  I want to give enough time to fondly reflect on the things about this country that I love, so that I might still appreciate them while I am still here.

To that end, I have decided to compile a list of things that I will miss about this country.  Some of them are small, seemingly insignificant items, while others are much broader in scope.  However, big or small, they all add up to the grand tapestry of my experiences here, and they will all be missed.  This is not to say that every experience here has been entirely positive.  It is easy to look back with rose-coloured glasses and imagine that my time here has never had any sort of obstacle or setback.  I will, on occasion, recount some of the stumbling blocks I've encountered.  After all, any experience worth having is not going to be without its speed bumps.

Over the next few weeks, I intend to begin my chronicle.  I have a few topics lined up already, but I am also still compiling ideas.  I appreciate any input anyone might want to provide, and any questions people want to know will be addressed.  My friends, please enjoy my meandering thoughts and recollections, and to everyone back home, I will indeed be seeing you soon!