Arrival:
On Wednesday, February 12th, I arrived in Seoul, South Korea. Locally, it was 3:30PM KST, back home 1:30AM EST. Customs, albeit a bit slow, was seamless and smooth. I was out of the Incheon International Airport after just 1 hour, and on my way into the city in a taxi. After checking into my hotel, I roamed the neighboring blocks until I found a small shop that served ramen. After long flights, I tend to look for soups, because they are light, warm the soul, and -with each spoonful that I would blow onto to cool it down – calm my racing mind so I may observe the others around me. I ended my evening around 8:30, and had a decent sleep. I knew I had places I wanted to see on Thursday and needed to start fighting off the jet lag pronto!
Thursday Notes
In the next two blogs, you will find more details of my Thursday exploring of areas near the Myeongdong neighborhood. I walked approximately 4 miles total, as I ventured to 3 historical locations, taking in beautiful sites as I journeyed.
As I began my return to the hotel around 3:00PM for a proper nap(still trying to fight jet lag!) I walked along the Cheonggyecheon Stream, which is below the street level, and provides a scenic route.
I reunited with my friend Hyunha on Thursday evening for dinner. We had a delicious meal with Soju and beer, catching up on life and constantly stopping, staring at each other and saying how we couldn’t believe we were in Seoul TOGETHER after almost 7 years apart! I am looking forward to spending the next few days with Hyunha and her family in a suburb south of Seoul.
Friday Meet Up
On Friday, I was able to meet up with 2 young ladies who are also part of the EPIK program, and will be placed in Daegu with me. Together, we explored Hongdae, a trendy shopping neighborhood. We did lots of window shopping until we were ready to have lunch at a delicious fried chicken and curry restaurant. We then moved on to the Dongdaemun neighborhood to enjoy an afternoon coffee as we watched the sun set, city lights come on, and all the couples out and about celebrating Valentines Day. It was a pleasant day, and I am excited to get to know these two ladies better as we begin our teaching journey together next week at orientation.
A Girl And Her Pez 