On Wednesday, August 18, 2010, I arrived in S. Korea. The flight on Korean Air was amazing. Slippers, personal movie viewings, tea, coffee, Korean cuisine, and smiling faces(from the airline staff) filled the plane. I didn't sleep a bit and when I got off the plane I was cranky and tired but thrilled to be there.
After a quick change of my clothes I rescued my luggage and met my "driver", a taxi for the airport. We drove over a massive bridge connecting Seoul and Gwangmyeong, my new city. It was raining now and we pulled over in a strange looking alley and I listened as my driver made a brief phone call. We stood outside waiting and soon a young Korean woman met us and took me to the nearest hotel. After some time I learned she was a supervisor for my new school. We went into the hotel and up to a room that I was told I would need to stay in for the evening. It was nice. Later I would learn from the new teachers at my school that this particular hotel is a "love" hotel. I suppose the extra large tub and bed would have given this away but I just thought luxury was a part of Korean lifestyle. I would soon learn different.
We left my bags behind and walked quickly to my new school. I met many people and sat in on a few classes. The kids are adorable. It was now dinner time and I was taken to a nearby restaurant where Julie, my supervisor, and I removed our shoes and sat on the floor. We shared many small side dishes, a Korean tradition, and one large bowl of soup. I was stuffed and afterwards I was sent on my way back to the hotel. What kind of trip would it be if I didn't get lost on my first day? So there I was wandering around until I remembered that "hotel" is a word Koreans also used so I stopped by a pizza shop and asked a man outside who kindly pointed me in the right direction. Finally, alone, and asleep.
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