How do you pack for a year? Very carefully. It took a special helper and I most of Sunday to get all of my belongings stuffed into my travel backpack and suitcase. I read that I was only allowed two 50 lb. bags to check in. Anything over 50 lbs. would cost me $150. After some rearranging and then rearranging some more, we figured it was close enough. Everything ready to go.
Monday morning 3 A.M. and the alarm goes off, thus begins my journey to South Korea. My dad drove me to the bus station to catch a bus to O’Hare Airport. Of course it began to rain just as we were lugging my bags out of the car and onto the bus. Once I arrived I dragged my bags to the United counter for check in. Fingers crossed that my bags were under weight. My large suitcase was 54 lbs. and my backpack was 46 lbs. The lady at the counter told me that I needed to make the one under 50 lbs. or she would charge me the $150 fee. So there I sat going through my luggage in the check in line and trying to discard heavier items. I stuffed my backpack along with a few items into a giant plastic bag that I was given. It was a little jank, but it made my suitcase an even 50 lbs. and saved me $150.
First stop: Seattle/Tacoma Airport. Arrived after a 4 hour flight, grabbed some lunch, and relaxed while anticipating my next leg of the journey to Seoul. While waiting for my flight I realized that I could count the number of Americans on my hands and decided I had better get used to being the odd man out.
The flight was 11 hours. The food was delicious, the service excellent, and I sat next to an older Korean gentleman who smelled like my Grandpa Pops used to smell and elbowed me the whole time. Guess you can’t win ‘em all.
The descent into Incheon Airport was beautiful. We came down over some mountains and were able to see some of the islands along the western side of the coast. Getting through customs and collecting luggage was no problem. Everything of mine had arrived safe and sound except my hair dryer. Fingers crossed that there was someone waiting for me outside the gate.
An older gentleman was holding a sign that read “Jacqueline Suzanne Scuderi Welcome to Korea”. I waved at him and said hello while he grabbed the luggage cart from me without so much as a smile. I realized immediately that he did not speak a word of English. We carried my stuff into his van and then departed the airport. Along the road he stopped and got out his cell phone to make a call. I assumed he didn’t know where he was going. He was shouting loudly in Korean and I was trying to tell if he was pissed or just hard of hearing. I could tell he was getting frustrated and then finally seemed to figure out where he was going. Even though he did not understand anything I said and I could not understand anything he said, we had an understanding by using gestures and reading body language. He gently touched my arm to make sure I was not too cold after he turned on the air. He got out two wrapped candies or throat lozenges, pointed to his throat, unwrapped the corner of the wrapper, and popped one in his mouth. He then unwrapped the corner of my wrapper and handed it to me. Later on in the drive he patted the back of my headrest and motioned for me to lay my head back. All of these little gestures made me feel comfortable and relaxed. They also made me see that my first impression of the man; hard, loud, and gruff were way off. He was in fact kind, attentive, and caring.
The ride to Bundang from the airport was scenic even though it was getting darker and darker. We drove over a large bridge that connects the airport to the mainland and then headed through Seoul. The traffic was just as busy as rush hour in the states even though it was 7 P.M. on a Tuesday. The lights from the city were ongoing and I saw just how expansive Seoul is. When we turned off the highway and got closer to my apartment I was in awe of the bright neon lights and all the signs that lined the streets. There are different signs advertising different businesses, restaurants, etc. that cover virtually every square inch of each building. I must say it made me feel a little less foreign to see things like Subway and Baskin Robins.
We arrived at my apartment building and met my co-teacher. She jumped in the van, explained to the driver where to pull in, and helped me lug my stuff to the elevator. Her name is Hye-sun, but she told me I could call her by her English name, which is Monica. Monica is middle aged and speaks English fairly well. I learned that she lived in the states for a year with her husband, a professor, while he was doing research at Arizona State University. She showed me around my apartment, gave me some contact information, and told me she would come to meet me in the morning to take me to my medical check at the hospital which is required for me to obtain my alien registration card.
My apartment is just right for me; a nice sized bathroom, large walk in closet, kitchen with a stove and oven, washing machine, and a front room with a kitchen table and bed. The window is rather large and overlooks the street below. Once again the neon signs are everywhere and I could not believe how bright it stayed in my apartment even with the blinds closed at 2 A.M. My first night here I slept ok, but was distracted by all the noise and commotion down below which didn’t really seem to settle down until about 3 A.M.
views from my apartment
My co-teacher came to pick me up this morning and we drove to my school. I was not expecting to go today, but it was great to get to see the building. It is huge! There are 5 or 6 stories and I just know I will get lost inside. I did not really get to introduce myself to any of the teachers or students, but Monica took me to see one of the Vice Principals. Monica then told me that she would be taking me to the hospital for my medical check today. The Vice Principal, Sunmi, who told me I could call her by her English name, Audrey (after her favorite movie star Audrey Hepburn), drove to the hospital. She explained that her English is not very good and asked me to be patient with her. Her English is not bad, but I did have difficulty understanding her at some points during the day.
The medical check was a little extensive in my opinion. I had an eye exam, hearing test, chest x-ray, blood test, and urine test. I won’t go into details, but I could not for the life of me go to the bathroom and I was all embarrassed because I had to come out of the bathroom with like a drop of pee and stand there and chug water until I could force myself to go some more. Luckily, Audrey made me feel at ease and took care of me throughout the process.
She knew I had been starving because I had not been allowed to eat for the last 12 hours, so she took me to a Korean restaurant in the basement of the hospital. My first taste of Korean food was delicious. The presentation of food here is amazing. There are always a plethora of side dishes to accompany any meal. I had a heck of a time using the metal chopsticks so they brought me a fork. I was also unable to cut my food, a beef stew type thing, so they brought me scissors to help. I definitely felt like the first timer with Korean food that I was.
Audrey and I had some great conversation even though she insisted that her English was no good. I told her that I would help her practice her English if she will help me learn some Korean. She told me that she has a daughter who is 23 and really wants to meet me. I learned that October 2-4 is Korean Thanksgiving, which is a really big holiday here. Audrey invited me to come and spend it with her family. She said that there would be a lot of visiting family and ancestors’ graves, food, and services to remember ancestors.
The trip to the hospital took a bit of time, but was overall not so horrible. When I got back to my apartment I rearranged some furniture, unpacked, and tried to organize. I still have some things to do to get settled, but my body is definitely feeling some jet lag, so I am going to give myself the rest of the afternoon to nap and relax. Monica is supposed to come over this evening to visit with me. I am going to ask her to show me around this area a bit so I can have an idea of where some things are like a grocery store and bank.
I really can’t believe I am finally here. So glad to have made it safely.
Namaste
