Early Observations

In the 24 hours that I've been here, I have already realized a number of ways in which So Ko differs from America. To kill some time and to avoid forgetting, here are some of my observations:

1. As a rule, it's better to eat and not ask questions. I enjoyed several large bites of what I thought was a tough noodle cooked in some yummy spices before Soo-Min informed me that it was squid. (Admittedly, it's still delicious and I will continue to eat it, but it's definitely not what I expected).

2. The floor, in a home, is a sacred place. While Soo-Min's family does own and make use of a couch, most of their sitting is done on the floor. Soo-Min's mother has multiple steam cleaners and vacuums to keep the floor sparkly. P.S. The floors can be heated during the winter. No central heating here.

3. Korean drivers, while reckless by american standards, are expert drivers. On our way into the apartment parking area yesterday, Soo-Min's father came within 4 inches of another moving vehicle without so much as a flinch. I was gripping the armrest of my seat and praying they wouldn't scrape each other.

4. No air conditioning here. And strangely, as it stands, it's not needed. The weather is GLORIOUS today. It can't be more than 65 degrees (Fahrenheit) outside right now. All the windows in the apartment are open and the breeze coming through feels awesome.

5. When eating, there are no individual plates. Everyone eats out of the collected plates and bowls at the center of the table. Talk about community! I like it. It actually helps you eat less, believe it or not. Just a few bites of one thing is enough.

6. Although they make adapters to let you use your appliances in foreign countries, companies that produce them don't realize the voltage matters. My hair dryer is useless to me this summer. It will turn on, but it would take me two hours to dry my hair at the speed it blows. Guess I'll have to make do. At least my straightener works.

I think that's all for now. There will definitely be more later though. :)

-B

Settled

I have officially made it to So Ko. It's a relief to be done moving and travelling for a while. I guess the best way to explain this journey over is to break it down by city.

Atlanta:

Made it to the gate fine, and was excited to talk to two young ladies from Albany, NY who were down visiting the Flannery O'Connor museum in Milledgeville. They had somehow managed to go through security with a basket full of peaches.

The plane I boarded (forty minutes late) was a tiny little regional jet. I have to say it was the bumpiest, tipsiest plane ride I have ever experienced. But I made it to the O'Hare airport relatively unharmed.

Chicago:

This is where the adventure begins. Because my first flight was so late arriving, I had to sprint to the next gate to make it to my connecting flight on time. Luckily, the signs in O'Hare are idiot proof, and I didn't get lost in my great rush to meet Soo-Min.

She was waiting for me at the gate. Once we finished all the hugging and "I'm so glad to see you"'s were exchanged, we got a bite to eat at a McDonald's in the terminal that charged exorbitant prices and got away with it.

Our flight was scheduled to board at 12:30 PM, leaving at 1:00. So we settled in to wait for a few minutes. 12:30 came and went. So did 1:30. And 2:30. We were finally told that due to complications out of their control, American Airlines would be putting us on a different jet, at a gate on the opposite side of the terminal.

So we grabbed our carry-on baggage and all but ran to the next gate. Now, bear in mind, we were on a pretty tight schedule, with just a couple of hours between arriving and departing from Narita, Japan.

So, we get to the new gate, and are forced to wait another hour and a half before we can even board the new jet. It's 4:00 PM by now, and we were supposed to have been IN THE AIR for almost 3 hours.

Boarding takes longer than usual (of course) and it's 5:00 on the dot when we finally lift off the runway.

There's not much to say about the twelve hour flight. They served a couple of meals, we watched movies, and we slept.

Narita:

Ah, Japan. It should go without saying that the four hour delay caused us to miss our connecting flight into So Ko. We scuttle into Narita airport around 7:30 PM (Tokyo time, of course). Apparently, the Narita airport closes at 7-ish because we were the only ones arriving and no one was departing.

Pro's to this situation: Going through customs was a breeze.

Con's to this situation: We missed our flight. Which means, naturally, we have to stay the night in Japan.

But, the great part is, since it's the airline's fault we missed our flight, we didn't have to pay a dime. They shuttled us to a pretty nice hotel, housed us, fed us twice, and shuttled us back. Soo-Min didn't like the inconvenience, and I felt bad for her parents, who had driven two hours to meet us only to discover when they arrived at the airport in Seoul that we weren't on board.

BUT... I enjoyed the delay. =D I feel a tad guilty about it, but it's probably the one and only time I would ever get to be in Japan, and I was relishing the experience, snapping pictures of everything from the "Welcome to Japan" sign in the airport to the bidet in our hotel room (For those of you who don't know, a bidet is a swanky toilet that shoots water at your posterior to cleanse you after a really nice poo).

Anyway, Our flight out of Narita was much better than our arrival. We were switched to Korean Air, a much MUCH nicer airline, with beautiful flight attendants and roomy seats. Our flight left ON TIME, and the pilot even managed to shave 20 minutes off of our flight time.

Seoul:

Coming through the Seoul (pronounced like "soul") airport was busy, to say the least, but not impossible. Soo-Min's father met us there in a company vehicle to bring us back to Cheonan (there "small" hometown).

The ride in was beautiful to me; I have an indiscriminate eye and everything is fresh and new. I was surprised to find that there are a great number of mountains here. And not the enormous, jagged peaks that scratch the sky. These were low mountains; they seemed to hug the land. At one point in the drive, we were skirting the coast, and the sea air was heavy with salt, but it was a fresh smell.

We stopped about half-way for food. This rest stop we were at was 1. Enormous and 2. Not like any rest stop I've been to. There was a cool food court with really inexpensive food. My meal was 4000 won, which is the equivalent of about 3 dollars American. It was way too much, and I felt guilty and embarrassed taking an almost-full bowl of noodles to the disposal line.

The rest of the drive was relaxing. I am sitting here in their apartment, enjoying the sounds of their neighborhood through an open window. It's a snug living space, but not uncomfortable, and Soo-Min's parents are very welcoming. She assures me that they can, in fact, speak English; apparently they are just incredibly shy about speaking to me directly.

Well, that's it for now, I think. The delay in Japan allowed me to get caught up on some sleep, so I'm not as jet-lagged as I probably should be. But I'm still tired and in desperate need of a shower. I promise to get some pictures up here, but it may be easier to just load them to Flickr and post a link. We'll see what I'm up to doing later tonight.

-B

Last Night in the USA

The title pretty much says it all... tonight is my last night in my own bed, here in the good old United States, until August. We'll see how much sleep I get between now and 5 AM. I think I've remembered everything, but with my luck, I will arrive in So Ko with a dozen things I need but forgot to pack.

Cannot wait to begin my international adventure! By this time tomorrow, I should be on the other side of the globe!

-B

Pack Cat

Pack Cat, a photo by bxriot on Flickr.

Skittles the Cat helping me pack the suitcase. I offered to take her along and she left without a word. I feel so rejected.

On the bright side, I have successfully packed and managed to keep my suitcase under fifty pounds, thanks to my mom and a couple of vacuum bags.

Two days left until I set off!!

Wally the Short-Necked Giraffe

Wally, a photo by bxriot on Flickr.

Wally, relaxing in my soon-to-be full suitcase! First official picture for the summer. More to follow!

Getting It All Together

Now Reading: Emma by Jane Austen

I've spent the last few days gathering all the things I need for my trip. Passed the afternoon with Mom bargain shopping for a purse, and ran into a high school friend that I haven't seen since graduation. I was sad to realize I may not see him again for some time either. :(

I've narrowed down my list of "To Buys" to a mere two items, one of which is optional. I feel so accomplished-- but now there is a pile of grocery bags bursting with items to be packed taking up the top of my dresser.

It's exciting to think that by this time one week from now, I'll be somewhere over the Pacific Ocean, hopefully getting a little rest or learning some basic Korean phrases! I'm sonervous and excited!!

-B

Yay!

Now Reading: Emma by Jane Austen

I found a suitcase! SO glad that search is over... Dear old Nana had one I can use. Now, off to stock up on power converters and clothes!

Additional Notes:

It is REALLY hard to find power converters for South Korea. I think I found one for literally EVERY OTHER COUNTRY IN THE WORLD... but none for So Ko. My sources tell me it might be better (and easier) to just get one when I arrive there. So... I guess I'm waiting.

-B