Well, here I am finally. The flight wasn't too bad. I sat next to a Japanese girl who didn't know any English so I couldn't hold a conversation with anyone, but I had an aisle seat so it wasn't so bad. I watched Vantage Point, 27 Dresses, and 10,000 BC to pass the time. I was able to sleep for an hour or two thanks to some sleeping pills, but overall it felt like an all-nighter. I'm not sure why, but everytime the plane hit turbulence everyone would go "ooh..." Maybe it's a Japanese thing?
The Tokyo airport was fun. Now can I say I've been to Japan? It was rainy and cloudy so I couldn't see any of the landscape, but from what I saw it looked just like America. I resisted the Hi-chew, plus I didn't feel like exchanging any money. I took some pictures of Sake and grammatically incorrect signs, but otherwise nothing exciting to do. On the plane to Seoul I watched "The Notebook" in Korean. Still just as sad... :-(
I didn't have any problems with immigration or customs, thank god. In fact, this was the first trip I've had in awhile where my flights were all on time and problem free. Maybe airport hassle is just a domestic problem? Meeting Sungah was a little difficult because she'd died her hair blonde so I didn't recognize her at first. But everything worked out, and I found that I could understand quite a bit of what they said to me, if they spoke slowly and repeated things.
Seoul looked pretty much how I remembered it. A lot of four lane double highways and narrow sidestreets crowded with people. I was really exhausted when we got back, so I went to bed almost right away. Unfortunately the time difference plus the unfamiliarity of the bed (which according to Korean custom has only one very flat pillow) made it difficult for me to sleep. I woke up at 5:30 AM hungry for "dinner" according to my circadian rhythm. It will take a few days to turn my schedule around.
I just ate a really good Korean breakfast made by Sungah's grandma. Lots of food! :-) Now we're going to get coffee and tour the city some.
Peace.
skip to main |
skip to sidebar
This blog is an account of my trip to Seoul and Chejudo Island in South Korea this summer. I've been studying Korean for about two years now, and I'm taking this trip in the hope that it will be the last push I need to reach proficiency. I'll be staying with the families of some of my friends from high school in exchange for tutoring their family in English. Even though I went to Korea when I first began learning, this time I'm really going to push myself to reach the next level. Wish me luck!
1 comment:
you know, i thought they were going to inspect me again because I look middle eastern thing, but i got through security in about 5 min. 5 MINUTES! it's because of the decrease in travelers, the Houston airport was so empty when I left for Chicago yesterday. too bad they didn't offer free wi-fi. even the milwaukee bus terminal offers wi-fi, which is where i am now :)
Post a Comment