imnum

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Well I'm finally in Korea. After traveling for about 24 hours I arrived in my studio apartment last night. There are seriously no words to put how I'm feeling right now. I am numb. Maybe part of it is due to the lack of sleep that I've had. So where should I start.

I got to the airport in Kansas City on Friday morning and wasn't quite all there. I thought that I would be scared, nervous or excited, but for some reason I was just emotionless. After checking in and paying an extra $200 for my oversized, overweight bags I waited to board the plane. I got on and was headed east to Atlanta. In Atlanta I boarded the plane to find that it was practically empty and I had a whole three seats all to myself along with a personal monitor to watch movies, listen to music and play games. The flight was actually good. 15 hours later I arrived in Seoul and had no idea what the heck I was suppose to do. I made it though immigration and got my bags and passed customs. I left baggage claim looking for my aunt that I haven't seen in about 10 years. I met up with her and spent the next 3 hours with her trying to remember all the Korean I knew since she doesn't know any English. It was nice. But I was so tired. From Seoul I got on another plane to head to Daegu. The second I sat down I passed out and once again my head was bobbing all over the place. An hour later I was in Daegu and met up with my recruiter and the director of the school I would be working for. He brought his wife and son and they took me to my apartment. At that point all I wanted was my bed. I started to unpack and could hardly function so I decided to take a shower and head to bed, only the hot water wasn't turned on and I ended up taking an ice cold shower. I later found that there is a switch you have to turn on which is in Korean. I attempted to sleep but I kept waking up every hour to noise and I swear the people next to me were having sex. This morning I was unpacking and hit the wall only to find that the walls were paper thin and shook. Hopefully this is not an every night thing.

This morning, I finally made my way to the market to pick up a few things. This may sound ignorant but I was surprised that nothing, I mean NOTHING was in English, no one speak English either, not even one word. Part of why I came to Korea was to learn the language, and at this rate I will be fluent by the time I get home. It's only been a day and a half and I can already hold a short conversation. My boss and his wife don't speak English that well, they have their son translate for them and I try to speak Korean to them. They say I speak good Korean, but I think they are just being nice. They picked me up this afternoon and we went to lunch and then they took me to a larger store to pick up a few more things. They are nice. But I miss home more than I thought I would. I talked to my parents today and I started to cry. To be honest, it's been rough. A lot harder than I thought it would be. And to top it off, after I figured out my internet I was pumped up to catch up on The Office and Grey's Anatomy only to find that I can't watch them from my location. Only people living within the United States can watch full episodes. WTF! Someone please update me on what's going on!

Please keep me in your thoughts and keep me updated on whats new in your lives. The best way to get a hold of me is through Skype. My username is smusic684, which is also my IM screenname. I am 14 hours ahead from central time zone. I'd love to chat/talk with you all so download either of these! I'm getting a "handphone" tomorrow so I will let you know when I find out that number. Along with my address.

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Photos

My studio
My little bed and desk...I'm converting to a simpler lifestyle.

My tiny closet
I don't know if this is going to work out.

Kitchen
Everything is mini here.

Comments

[Erika]

I am so proud of you!! this experience will definitely be challenging at times but it is worth it. it will make you a stronger person and teach you how to cope and be happy when no one else is around. for me, it made God alot more evident in my life. also, i am sure there are alot of americans there that teach english and i dont think its bad to meet a few of them. obviously dont let it totally ruin your experience, but it can be nice to have someone that really can understand you in such a different place. miss you!!! and have fun!!!

[Cho]

GOOD LUCK, BABYGIRL <333 I love these entries. Heem-neh <333

[May]

Two burners!
at least you have two! i think your apartment is similar to mine. do you have two rooms or just one? i have a bedroom/living room and dining/where i hang my laundry room and the tiniest kitchen ever. smaller than yours. sooo lucky..two burners...