I have arrived in Seoul! It was a long trip; longer than it normally would take due to volcanic activity on an in island in the Pacific. The first few hours of the trip aren’t bad-you eat, watch a movie, take a nap. But when the food cart comes by again and you realize that these three actions, in this order, are how it’s going to be for the next 12+ hours, you begin to become a bit antsy. I didn’t think that I would anticipate “cabin fever” as I had a plan, in regards, to maintaining my composure and for making the flight fly by (forgive my pun). Of course, when you plan to sleep the entire way, it helps if you can find and maintain a comfortable position in your seat. This was not necessarily the case and I squirmed and couldn’t get comfortable. I did take a few naps, only to be awakened (right when I’d finally gotten to that deep sleep stage) by the flight attendants, asking is I’d like something to eat or drink. It was a viscous cycle and one I’m not looking forward to repeating!
Throughout my whole day, of traveling, I never felt that I’d made a terrible decision. When we landed in Seoul, I had anticipated feeling overwhelmed and extremely sad and a longing to get back to Nashville, but instead, I got up grabbed my carry-ons and made my way thru the masses to immigration and baggage claim. I think for that reason alone, I know that my trip here and my desire to embark on such a lofty adventure is confirmation that I’m where I’m supposed to be.
After arriving in Seoul, I was picked up and taken out to Hanam, where I will be living and working. The taxi driver was nice but I noticed some strange things while we were driving. I’m not sure what I expected the world outside of the airport to look like, but driving thru traffic and making our way through Seoul and onwards to Hanam, I didn’t feel like I was in a foreign city-I felt like I was driving through Dallas or LA! It’s only upon entering the city that you begin to feel as though you have entered another culture. There are lights everywhere! Businesses and restaurants are stacked one on top of each other, lining the streets. As we made our way closer to my neighborhood the traffic and the buildings become more congested. The city that I’m living in appears to be older and it looks as though the city of Hanam is trying to keep up with the demand to modernize without taking away from previous generations. There is construction everywhere!-fixing the roads, building new high-rises, wherever they think they can fit them. I wonder, only because I’ve only been in the city, whether there are suburbs of Hanam and Seoul or if everyone (families included) lives in high-rises? It’s a very different dynamic and culture that I am obviously accustomed to experiencing. The technology here, I can already see is way beyond that of what we have in the states. My taxi driver was able to watch crystal clear television on his navigational system, while he was driving me to my new apartment; and he was not the only driver on the road, watching television while driving!
Overall, since leaving Nashville, I’ve been exhausted, slightly swollen (I didn’t listen to my mom or Danielle) and extremely aware of my surroundings.