It has been a bright and early adventure so far. When I say early, I mean ass crack of dawn early- 6am, 3:30am, 4:30am. My clock is thrown off to say the least. I left nearly 5 days ago from Baltimore and have quickly been thrown into the mix of things here in Korea. Getting here was a breeze. Flight numero uno was quite uneventful and spacious. The hardest part was keeping myself awake to be able to adapt to the 13 hour time difference, but with a few sudoku puzzles and Stieg Larsson's second book of his Lisbeth Salander thrilling trilogy, it was quite simple. In the airports I ran into a gamut of personalities- an old man on his way to his granddaughter’s wedding, a nurse who told a stimulating story of saving a child’s life and getting 1st degree burns in the process, and a guy who should definitely try out for next year’s Jersey Shore (he was practically screaming G.T.L.). LAX was a real drag- their security was awful and come to find out, it was actually just ranked as the second worst airport to travel through in the U.S., so beware and steer clear of that hell hole!
However, after boarding my Boeing 747 to Incheon Airport I settled right on in. As I sat down in my emergency exit aisle seat (yes, one of those one’s where you can stretch your legs completely without being able to touch the wall in front of you), I noticed a cute little Asian baby next to me. Oh was I in 22-year-old-leaving-my-nephew-for-a-year heaven. After speaking Konglish with her mother (more of the –nglish and less of the Ko-) I noticed the flight attendants preparing quite a new experience- BABY FIRST CLASS. They set in a red plush crib that hung from the wall in front of us. Mom put the little cutie in there, bundled her up, and zipped the crib closed. All I could think is “I WANT ONE!!” But instead I settled for 2 bright pink Benadryl pills. 10 minutes later- sayonara. Who needs a fluffy bed when you’ve got drugs? I got in the typical 8 hours that the box promises, only waking up twice because I was drooling. I was knocked out!
As I landed in Incheon Airport, I quickly scooted through Korean customs and was greeted by Brandon, Mr. Kim, and another English teacher. We arrived at my new apartment and met the English teacher who I would be replacing. The apartment is actually quite large for Korean standards, but it has just a little bit of stank to it. So yesterday, we put on our gloves, got down and dirty, and scrubbed the apartment clean! Let’s all take a moment to say a quick little prayer that it stays fresh… Amen. But as the days go on and I experience Korea little by little, I am continually surprised by their culture and their customs.
Now don’t get turned off by Asia when I talk about their customs, because in reality their culture is very similar to ours, but they do have their own little quirks. In Korea, personal space just does NOT exist. Bumping and grinding is their style. Ajoshi (old men) love their soju for breakfast, red lights do not necessarily mean stop (in fact most buses just go by the rule that they are bigger, which obviously means they are better) and, all you male readers take a lesson, the men carry the women’s purses around! They are indeed VERY polite and respect their elders. During meals you pour other’s drinks first, the children in schools replace the job of a janitor, typically taking out the trash, sweeping the floors, and serving lunch, and when first greeting someone, always make sure to have a supported hand shake. Airport customs was a breeze- let’s just hope that adapting to their culture is just as easy!
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