Medias Res

It's been a little over a month since I've landed in South Korea and started working at Hubo Lab at KAIST.  I'm posting some of the more memorable moments of my trip thus far; both those that I can freely remember and those which I need pictures to recall as I would have no recollection of otherwise...

Things I've learned about South Korea:

1. A surprising number of people can speak decent English and will generally be able to understand what you are trying to tell them.  Some Koreans will be more eager to speak English to you than others.  Those that can't understand you can at least be made uncomfortable by your blank stares as you try in vain to converse.  The language barrier is especially prevalent when speaking to Koreans living in rural towns or cities with few Americans.  Many cab drivers in Seoul could speak English proficiently to the point of being able to respond to jokes while those in Daejeon probably won't understand what "Downtown" means.
2. Some cars, such as most taxis, run on LPG (Liquid Propane Gas).  Essentially, the trunk space is taken up by the fuel tank which leaves no room to pack luggage into.  Will, Nick and I were about to draw straws as to who would be sitting on the roof when all three of us had to take a taxi to KAIST upon arriving in Daejeon with all of our luggage. 
3. Everything (food, clothing, electronics, guitars, etc.) is either branded as Hello Kitty or Angry Birds.
4. Most foods are spicy - even the milk.
5. Street signs and traffic lights are "suggestions".
6. All cab drivers are Speed Racer.
7. Many of the Hubo Lab students were, at one point in their lives, ranked Starcraft players. 
8. My dormitory in Hwa-am Dong doesn't appear on a Korean GPS and, apparently, has no street address.  Also, cab drivers can take directions through pointing and shouting.
9. Don't buy phone service from Verizon.
10. Bugs.  Bugs everywhere.

Project status as of 11 July 2013:

After receiving the Solidworks models from Tae-Jin, I have reworked most of the sub-assemblies in the initial Beta DRC Hubo assembly into build-step models.

Notable photos:



Things I've learned about myself so far:
1. Living in a foreign country isn't as difficult or as uncomfortable as I thought it would have been.  Language barrier aside, living in South Korea is similar to living in America (though my bathroom in America doesn't flood when I try to take a shower).
2. I've learned to eat things without questioning what they are, because there are some questions that I either can't ask or don't want to know the answer to.
3.



Non-Hubo Lab Koreans/non-Koreans I've met: