Day 1

Made it to Korea!

The 3-hour flight delay in Allentown didn't mess up my connection to Seoul, and I discovered that the Detroit airport has an amazing underground rainbow tunnel to get you from one terminal to the next.  I appreciate art installments like that, meant to make a usually annoying task (getting from point A to point B in an airport) an enjoyable one.

I also found out whilst reading SKY Magazine on the Delta flight that there is a spa in the airport (notable because my gate was right next to it, I saw it but didn't actually investigate while I was there) which specializes in super-fast treatments between flights.  Depending on how I feel once I get there in a month, I may look into it as a way to keep myself awake during my 5 hour layover.  O_o

Anyway, once I landed in Inchon Airport, there was the usual passage through immigration and customs, which went without a hitch.  My baggage got off the plane with no problems, and the representatives from BIP were easy to find.  Unlike other airports where there's a solid wall of people holding signs to find people arriving, there were relatively few people there to pick people up.  Then came an hour wait for more people to arrive to make sure the bus would be full, and then an hour and a half bus ride (it was roughly that long, I fell asleep for a bit so it might have actually been a bit longer or shorter) to SWU, Seoul Women's University, where the BIP program I'm in is being held.  I was the first of all my suite mates to get in, so I had the lucky opportunity to unpack and get organized before anyone else.  Sheets and pillows are provided, though the pillow is a bit confounding, as it is stuffed with plastic packing peanuts (like the type in a FedEx box), though surprisingly comfortable.  The wardrobe I am using doesn't have hangers and I failed to bring any, but it turns out that this is not nearly as problematic as it might be, as once I got here and felt what the weather is actually like, I realized that about half of the clothes I brought are way too warm, and therefore the few drawers in the wardrobe hold what I have.  Even knowing the weather forecast, I still underestimated what a humid tropical climate really feels like.

Our suite consists of four bedrooms with two bunk beds in each, though there are only 11 girls in the suite total.  The suite also has a shower room with four showers, and two bathrooms.  I have only one roommate in my room, and she is a very sweet Korean girl who attends SWU during the school year.  On our floor there is also a laundry room with a washer, dryer, and HUGE sink.  Also on our floor: a lounge and full kitchen, though I'm not sure I'm going to attempt actually cooking it in.

Last night pizza was ordered in, as the full meal service hadn't started yet, and then at 11pm there was dorm meeting with our RA.  It was a struggle to stay up until then, and I did fall asleep before 11pm, but luckily I was jolted awake around 10:55pm by my brain going "must get up for dorm meeting!!"

Then I slept SOUNDLY from around 11pm until 7:30am this morning, when I got up and had breakfast with my room- and dorm-mates.  The food service is as it is normally for the Korean students, so it was a bit interesting to see pumpkin soup (tasted oddly like oatmeal), salad with what appeared to be 1000 Island Dressing, kimchi, and cereal which for no apparent reason was Corn Flakes and Froot Loops mixed together.  Following the feeding frenzy, five of us from Cedar Crest went for a walk around the campus, which is very park-like, and off the campus there are small stores and restaurants, though all the signs are in Korean, so it was a bit difficult to firmly determine what each building was, other than by just looking in the windows.  We also found a bank and ATM to get some Korean Won.

Now the Korean students are off to a meeting of their own, and the international students have free time until lunch and the Welcoming Ceremonies this afternoon.

I'm off to either a) take a nap b) read some c) listen to music d) go find the post office in the bottom of my building.  I'm thinking of perhaps tackling all of those tasks if I can.

Note: Do excuse any typos in this message.  Though I am not tired at the moment, I can feel that my brain is fuzzy, and might not be working at top speed.  Hopefully this problem will go away soon with some more sleep.