Coming to Korea has probably been the hardest thing I have ever done.
The night before I was to leave for Korea, I finished packing everything, weighed my bags and set out my travel outfit. I then had my mom cut my hair. Everything was going fine. I set my alarm and went to bed.
The next morning, however, was a totally different thing all together. I woke up that morning realizing that I wouldn't see my family again for a whole year. I wasn't going to have my cats, my room, my books, my family, my car, my cell phone, my job, my friends. You get the idea. It really started to sink in and I lost it. I cried and cried and cried and cried. I'll never forget my dad coming into the bathroom, where I was crying with my mom, and asked if we were going back to bed. LOL.
I honestly, to this day, cannot believe that I made it to the airport and got on the plane. But I did.
We loaded up my luggage in the car and drove the 20 minutes to the airport. When we got there I took my luggage up to the American airlines. Now, I'm not lying when I say that my one bag weighed about 75 pounds. No joke. but by some miracle, I didn't even get charged an over weight fee. I really believe it's because the guy checking my in realized everyone was red from crying / looked upset. He asked me where I was going and I told him South Korea. I think he was being nice. lol.
After checking in my bags I realized I needed gum so my dad went and bought me like 20 packs of Juicy fruit, my favorite. :-)
After buying the gum we met up with my aunt and uncle who came to the airport to see me off. It was really nice to have so much family there to see me off. It made me feel a little bit better and I really think that helped me make it to the airplane.
After my goodbyes I had to go through the security check point. Made it through just fine, and then turned around and waved good bye to my family one last time. Yet again, not one of the easiest moments in my life but I managed to only get a little teary as I was walking to the airport terminal.
Made it to Chicago for my transfer on a tiny American Airlines plane.
Then I had to navigate O'Hara by myself. Had to take a tram to the international section of the airport, check in which Korean Air and then go through yet another security check. Ugh. I really hate taking my shoes off and then having to quickly put them back on. SUCH a pain. Anywho...
Made it to Korean Air and that is where the true trouble started. Got on the plane and walked towards my window seat (which I specifically reserved) to find a woman sitting in my seat because she wanted more privacy to breast feed her baby.... FML.
So I said ok, what ever. If only I had known it was going to get worse. See, I came to find out that I was in the baby row. and that baby next to me got a special baby crib that attached to the wall and came almost to my knees. PAIN IN THE ASS. It was the baby row all the way across too.....
If I had been in my right mind I would have made them move me. but I was too wigged out to make a fuss.
Then came the bibimbap and pinapple juice. I wasn't being too smart with that combination on an airplane but alas, I did it anyways. Which then led to some of the worst heartburn I've ever had. It didn't help that the stewardess didn't have any clue what an Acid Reducer was.... So the last 6 hours of the plane ride was spent with me in pain, downing bottles of water and trying to survive the turbulence we ran into.
Needless to say, it was NOT the best flight ever. I finally got to the airport and called my parents on skype to let them know I had gotten there in one piece.
Then I had to ask how to get to Nowon, exchange my money, buy a ticket and get on the right bus to Nowon.
The bus ride took a little over an hour and when I got to Nowon the driver helped me get my bags off the bus and then drove away.
So there I was, at a bus station in South Korea, waiting for someone to come and pick me up.
It was funny though, because I was waiting around a girl asked me, in English, if I needed any help. She was actually from Australia and was just visiting family. Then an elderly lady who was waiting for a bus noticed that the top of my coat was undone and my scarf was untied but my hands were full and I couldn't fix it. So she buttoned up my coat and tied my scarf for me. This little gesture, at the time, seemed huge and it helped me to feel like I was actually going to make it.
Pretty soon my manager and a helper helped me get my bags into her car and she drove me to my new apartment, well actually, Starville, was not my apartment but it was going to be until the next teacher left.
We got my bags into the room and they helped me get the heat on. The manager noticed that te only bedding was a stained "blanket" and sheet. No pillow or anything, so she went down to the bedding store down the street and bought me a brand new comforter and pillow set. Which was welcomed with open arms as I hadn't slept in FOREVER.
Sarah, a coworker then came over, brought me a bottle of water and a plug adapter. I was SO thankful for that water actually because without it I wouldn't have had anything to drink and nothing to make cup-a-soup with! LOL
I called my parents again after hacking into some wireless internet and talked for several hours.
I won't lie, there were some tears but I had made it all in one piece and my adventure had just begun. Like I said before, coming to Korea has probably been the hardest thing I have ever done but I didn't know it would also be one of the most rewarding things i've ever done as well.
K.C.
The night before I was to leave for Korea, I finished packing everything, weighed my bags and set out my travel outfit. I then had my mom cut my hair. Everything was going fine. I set my alarm and went to bed.
The next morning, however, was a totally different thing all together. I woke up that morning realizing that I wouldn't see my family again for a whole year. I wasn't going to have my cats, my room, my books, my family, my car, my cell phone, my job, my friends. You get the idea. It really started to sink in and I lost it. I cried and cried and cried and cried. I'll never forget my dad coming into the bathroom, where I was crying with my mom, and asked if we were going back to bed. LOL.
I honestly, to this day, cannot believe that I made it to the airport and got on the plane. But I did.
We loaded up my luggage in the car and drove the 20 minutes to the airport. When we got there I took my luggage up to the American airlines. Now, I'm not lying when I say that my one bag weighed about 75 pounds. No joke. but by some miracle, I didn't even get charged an over weight fee. I really believe it's because the guy checking my in realized everyone was red from crying / looked upset. He asked me where I was going and I told him South Korea. I think he was being nice. lol.
After checking in my bags I realized I needed gum so my dad went and bought me like 20 packs of Juicy fruit, my favorite. :-)
After buying the gum we met up with my aunt and uncle who came to the airport to see me off. It was really nice to have so much family there to see me off. It made me feel a little bit better and I really think that helped me make it to the airplane.
After my goodbyes I had to go through the security check point. Made it through just fine, and then turned around and waved good bye to my family one last time. Yet again, not one of the easiest moments in my life but I managed to only get a little teary as I was walking to the airport terminal.
Made it to Chicago for my transfer on a tiny American Airlines plane.
Then I had to navigate O'Hara by myself. Had to take a tram to the international section of the airport, check in which Korean Air and then go through yet another security check. Ugh. I really hate taking my shoes off and then having to quickly put them back on. SUCH a pain. Anywho...
Made it to Korean Air and that is where the true trouble started. Got on the plane and walked towards my window seat (which I specifically reserved) to find a woman sitting in my seat because she wanted more privacy to breast feed her baby.... FML.
So I said ok, what ever. If only I had known it was going to get worse. See, I came to find out that I was in the baby row. and that baby next to me got a special baby crib that attached to the wall and came almost to my knees. PAIN IN THE ASS. It was the baby row all the way across too.....
If I had been in my right mind I would have made them move me. but I was too wigged out to make a fuss.
Then came the bibimbap and pinapple juice. I wasn't being too smart with that combination on an airplane but alas, I did it anyways. Which then led to some of the worst heartburn I've ever had. It didn't help that the stewardess didn't have any clue what an Acid Reducer was.... So the last 6 hours of the plane ride was spent with me in pain, downing bottles of water and trying to survive the turbulence we ran into.
Needless to say, it was NOT the best flight ever. I finally got to the airport and called my parents on skype to let them know I had gotten there in one piece.
Then I had to ask how to get to Nowon, exchange my money, buy a ticket and get on the right bus to Nowon.
The bus ride took a little over an hour and when I got to Nowon the driver helped me get my bags off the bus and then drove away.
So there I was, at a bus station in South Korea, waiting for someone to come and pick me up.
It was funny though, because I was waiting around a girl asked me, in English, if I needed any help. She was actually from Australia and was just visiting family. Then an elderly lady who was waiting for a bus noticed that the top of my coat was undone and my scarf was untied but my hands were full and I couldn't fix it. So she buttoned up my coat and tied my scarf for me. This little gesture, at the time, seemed huge and it helped me to feel like I was actually going to make it.
Pretty soon my manager and a helper helped me get my bags into her car and she drove me to my new apartment, well actually, Starville, was not my apartment but it was going to be until the next teacher left.
We got my bags into the room and they helped me get the heat on. The manager noticed that te only bedding was a stained "blanket" and sheet. No pillow or anything, so she went down to the bedding store down the street and bought me a brand new comforter and pillow set. Which was welcomed with open arms as I hadn't slept in FOREVER.
Sarah, a coworker then came over, brought me a bottle of water and a plug adapter. I was SO thankful for that water actually because without it I wouldn't have had anything to drink and nothing to make cup-a-soup with! LOL
I called my parents again after hacking into some wireless internet and talked for several hours.
I won't lie, there were some tears but I had made it all in one piece and my adventure had just begun. Like I said before, coming to Korea has probably been the hardest thing I have ever done but I didn't know it would also be one of the most rewarding things i've ever done as well.
K.C.
