At 7AM, my parents and I loaded up my suitcases into the car and drove to the Oakland airport. I was starting with a flight up to Seattle, then connecting to Incheon. Fun fact: before my last few major life transitions, I have had a good cry either the night before or the day of. This time, not so much! I had a few minor freakouts leading up to my departure, but when the time actually came, I was ready to go. I checked my bags, hugged my parents goodbye, and cleared security. Despite coffee on the drive up and Starbucks in the airport, I zonked out for the entirety of my first flight! I grabbed lunch in Seattle, then boarded a plane to my new home. I started out by watching 42, which was fantastic, then put on Iron Man 3 in the background as I tried to catch a few hours of sleep! It was also on the plane that I tried my first ever Korean food, bibimbap. Fortunately it came with instructions!
Eleven hours later, I was in Incheon. I cleared customs and immigration quickly and then headed out into the airport...where I realized I had no idea who or what I was looking for. After a few minutes of wandering, I found a small sign with my school's name on it! I met, after several Skype dates and much anticipation, my boss (Mrs. W) as well as scads of other people, new hires and administrators alike. They took us back to our apartment complex and got us settled into our apartments. For the next five months, I'll be on my own here! I've unpacked what stuff I have for now (shipment arrives tomorrow) into the master suite and have mixed feelings about living alone. It's nice to have my own space, but also a little lonely! Here's a few pictures of my sweet new digs, which I promise I will update when my decorations arrive:
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| My bedroom! |
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| View from my bedroom, looking into the apartment complex. |
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| My big, beautiful closet! The whole right side is lined with closets. |
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| Master bathroom -- note the TV in the bathtub :P |
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| And of course, because of the TV in the tub, a separate shower is required. |
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| Living room -- beautiful windows :) |
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| Lovely, wonderful kitchen! |
The first night they had pizza and soda for us, as well as some "essentials" in our apartments. These so-called essentials included tote bags and travel mugs with the name of the school and a bottle of Shiraz! There were also important things like coffee, bagels, juice, and snacks. I unpacked, Skyped with my sister, and crashed out.
The next morning I Skyped with my parents and did a little more unpacking before heading out on a group shopping trip to eMart and HomeGoods, which are Target-esque chain stores in South Korea. I got a few essentials (hangers and trash cans) as well as a few non-essentials (I am totally in love with my new immersion blender). We headed back to our apartments, and as I brought my stuff in, I chatted with my next door neighbors, Mr. and Mrs. P. They have three charming kids (RP, EP, and LP) and are so sweet, they've told me to pop round anytime! Mrs. W also stopped by to see how I was settling in and to remind me that she's just two floors up. Everyone here is so kind and wonderful, it's been an amazing experience so far.
I spent the afternoon relaxing and reading before heading out to have Korean BBQ for dinner. So delicious, garlic galore! It was my first Korean BBQ experience, so I was glad to have the experienced chef Mr. M at my table :)
After dinner I headed back to my apartment and zonked out before too long. Sunday was a quiet day...it's been horribly hot and humid, so I wasn't up for going out exploring! I tore through a couple of my novels, had a microwaveable Thai curry for lunch (just $2, what a bargain -- so glad Mrs. W pointed them out to me!), and spent the afternoon napping (oops). After such a slow day it took some self-convincing to decide to go out for the next school-sponsored dinner, but with 15 minutes to spare, I got dressed and headed out! We went to Cinder Bar, a very American style bar -- burgers, fries, an assortment of beers. I started to finally meet some other interns, which was great! We all chatted and hung out, and then a few faculty members (CS, EB, AK, and I) headed off to check out a couple other bars in Dream City, the sort of commercial district of Songdo. I had my first soju (a Korean liquor) and great conversation. CS, EB, and I had a bit of an adventure trying to get home -- we attempted to walk, but CS accidentally led us astray! We wound up catching a cab, which was super affordable. I was grateful to plummet right into bed!
And at last, that brings us to today -- our first day on the school campus! I was so excited to see it, and it did not disappoint; it honestly looks like a college campus. There are such incredible resources available to students and faculty alike. I can't wait to start using the gym facilities after school! I finally met the last couple of other new interns. It seems like a wonderful group and I'm so excited to get to work with them. My group spent the morning getting our Korean bank accounts set up and discussing salary options with HR, then had lightning-fast tours of the school. I got to peek into the theatre and the blackbox, which are BEAUTIFUL. I am so excited to go in and just play and tinker! Then we went out to lunch at a swanky hotel buffet, which was really wonderful. While grabbing dessert I chatted with the upper school music teacher and mentioned my interest in finding a choir to sing in. She's been out of Chadwick for the last couple years but said she'd look into things for me, hooray! On the bus ride back I chatted with Mr. P about his adjustment to Korea and his family -- I've been trying to make it known to the faculty with kids that I babysit, so hopefully I'll get a few gigs :)
After that, we had our technology introduction and were issued our laptops. Name forthcoming -- I'll need to text a picture to SC, namer of all things in my life since our first year at MHC! Then we had breakouts with our divisions, so we had some time with Mrs. W and Mrs. C. We all talked a little bit about who we are, what we do, and our journey to finding this school. It was fantastic to hear all those stories! We wrapped up the day with a quick tour of just the elementary school and checking out some classrooms. I came home feeling so inspired and excited to get started on our work together!
Now it's about 6:30pm and I'm back in my apartment, importing all my files from my old computer and enjoying frozen chicken tikka masala for dinner! Time for some good eats and a good book -- I've had a headache all day so I think I'll spend the evening in and get to bed early. Thanks for bearing with me through this incredibly long post! I'll try and be better about taking pictures so at least there's a little something interesting to look at :P Much love, and more soon!
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Currently reading: The Boleyn King
Current high: I really and truly feel like I'm in the right place :)
Current low: headache! But dinner and sleep will surely help solve that.
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