Waegukin Walking

note: "waegukin" = foreigner



Passed 100 pageviews on the blog!

    But on to far more interesting stuff.

     If you didn't know already, traveling generally means strange things will happen. (Note, though, that by "strange," I don't necessarily mean "weird" (though some of it may be), but rather things that aren't considered usual or expected.)  If you don't believe me, consider for instance:

In the last 48 hours I've:

1.  Used my pillowcase for a shower towel. (Forgot to pack a towel in my carry-on while waiting for the rest of my stuff to ship...)

2.  Eaten kimchi ramen with the end of a toothbrush. (Come to find out there were utensils in the convenience store that I just didn't see...)

3.  Been stopped by some marine expats asking where the liquor store was because I looked like I spoke English.  When they found out we were students they asked where the college bars were.  (Sorry sirs, even if I had been in the area longer than 3 days I don't think I could help you find the soju.)

4.  Been approached and asked again by said marines where to find a steak place.  Oddly enough, Outback Steakhouse was on my map from school so we helped them figure out where to go, and they got in a taxi.

5.  Missed our bus because of said marines.

6. Waited an hour and a half for the bus, in which time:

7.  I got stared at.  (Ok, I was expecting this some, since I don't exactly look Korean...)

8.  Been asked by a nice Korean lady if I was a foreigner and if I knew Jesus.  (Where was she when the marines came by?)

9.  Had a young Korean guy come up and say, "Hi, nice to meet you," in Korean then shake my hand and walk away with his friends.


     Needless to say, it was an exciting day.

Arrivals.

    First off, some pictures from the plane ride.  I chose a seat next to the window to get some pictures, but was also lucky enough to have the seat next to me be empty.  I had also brought my pillow since I knew I would need one at Handong (it may look silly walking through the airport with one but it sure was nice for the plane ride! --although a hassle to carry).  All in all, I had a fairly comfortable ride, able to lean against the side and sit sideways while watching movies and listening to music. 

Back to the pictures.

Somewhere over China (I think?)

Wait--is that the Great Wall of China? 

Some neat cloud formations

It was -67 degrees Farenheit. The plane ride wasn't too cold for me -- but that's because I had my pillow smashed against the side most of the time to insulate me.  Whenever I opened the window shade I could tell it was chilly out.

See Mom, those highways on the map really were bridges. BIG bridges. I'll try and get a closer picture, but it felt a bit touristy to take a picture when we were actually on one since I was the only foreigner in the bus.

And now, my dorm room for orientation week (I will be moving when the semester starts).

Why has no one thought of this before?  I may hate lofting my bed at Grace, but if I had step leading up to it that doubled as storage? Awesome.

There may be four persons to a room, but that's no reason anyone shouldn't have enough space. Plenty of desk space, drawers, and some extra in the back to hide books.

A full wardrobe/closet for each person as well, with mirror and shelving and hooks.

We'll see how the other dorm compares -- it's a four person as well, but a friend told me it's the old ladder style lofting.

   All in all, it was a fairly easy ride here. Only one layover in Detroit, and since I began the trip in my hometown airport (which is small) I didn't have long to wait to get through security and find my gate (no lines!).   

   I am greatly indebted to my Korean friends who helped me figure out what to bring, what to buy, where to go and how to get around in the multiple forms of public transportation as well as being willing to house me overnight and feed me!

K is for Kim-C

K is for Kim and Kimchi and Kimbop and Korea!!  I'll be experiencing a lot of K in the next 4 months, so I figured what better way to start a travel blog than alliteration?

I'll try to keep up with posting... if for no other reason that to practice what they've taught us in every writing class I've ever been in.  WRITERS WRITE!

So here's the informal intro to my entry into the blogging world.  I'll hopefully have more exciting things to say in the future.  

For now I'm just waiting for my VISA to be returned... again since they spelled my name wrong (missing an "l" that was next to an "r"-- probably because they're the same letter in Korean). I leave in 10 days! Woohoo!

Until the next adventure in alliteration...

Kim-C

A little P.S. post:


I thought maybe it'd be good to start with some of my favorites from my first trip.  As well as keeping friends and family up to date, hopefully I'll have a lot of pictures to post, too.