First 2 Weeks in Seoul…or a Hotel Room in Seoul

After a very tearful goodbye to my family, I started my trek through the winding security line at Denver International Airport. I have never traveled solo before so I was anxious to get through TSA and get to my gate so I could have a second to catch my breath. Luckily, the first flight I had to Seattle flew by and before I knew it, I was waiting at my next gate to board for my flight to the place I have been dreaming of for years: Korea!

I was lucky to get to meet dozens of fellow EPIK teachers at the airport before boarding which helped relax my nerves about finding friends abroad. After boarding my flight, I took one final look at American turf before jetting off on an 11-hour journey. Looking back, I think I did very well traveling solo for the first time. The one thing I regret is not forcing myself to eat the egg sandwich (and our last meal given) on the plane before arriving at the Incheon airport. Because what followed getting off the plane was a never-ending line to immigration.

The lack of air conditioning and a painfully slow line was not helping my fatigue or growing hunger. Yet, I kept my composure and after around 2 hours of lugging my carryon through the line, fumbling with my stack of paperwork, and a comically hideous picture of me I had to take at one of the stations; I made it through immigration. My travel buddy and I (s/o to Kenzie) got our baggage and headed to the waiting area for taxis to take us to the hotel for quarantine. What I thought would be a 20-minute wait turned into an hour and a half wait. At this point, hunger and tiredness had drained me of all ability to be excited. I had never been more excited to get to a hotel in my life. Luckily there was a 7-Eleven in the airport. Call me dramatic but I think the tuna-mayo kimbap I got saved my life. At the very least, it gave me the energy to finally make it to the hotel.

After I got my room key, the hotel staff sent me up in an elevator to my room on the 12th floor where I would stay for 14 days. I didn’t even have the energy to process that fact before having a slight breakdown and then finally passing out after a very exhausting day and a half of travel.

I am now less than 24 hours away from leaving the little home I have made of this hotel room for the past two weeks. If there was one thing that shocked people back in America, it was me telling them that in Korea quarantine means quarantine. No going on walks outside, no socializing with the person in the room next to me, no leaving the room. And while that might sound like a nightmare for some, I’ll tell you something crazy…I kind of enjoyed it.

Sure, there were moments looking into the windows of neighboring cafes from my hotel room and wishing I could be sipping on an Americano right then. But quarantine became my purgatory, a place where I could feel any emotion I wanted to feel due to this journey and I had all the time in the world to feel. I did more in quarantine than just contemplate my emotions of course. I also got to spend the time video chatting with friends and family for hours, reading, doing fun makeup looks for no reason, and relaxing with a cup of tea every night before bed. And best of all, I got to sort out my jet lag way before I start teaching.

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In fact, these two weeks flew by, and I am almost nervous to step out of this haven tomorrow. Nevertheless, I am excited for these next two weeks of orientation and starting at my school even though they will be busy and exhausting. I am excited to share that I have been placed at an elementary school in Jangseong county and will (most likely) be living in the city of…drumroll, please…Gwangju! Gwangju has been a city I always wanted to visit so living there is a dream. I am so excited to update this blog in a couple weeks or so after I have settled in and share even more of this journey.

A few days ago, I was sitting by the window in my hotel on a rainy night reading as many signs in Korean as I could. I had started to panic realizing I was in a foreign country where even doing something basic such as reading a sign takes me much longer than it would in English. I thought can I actually do this? Am I sure I have the confidence to live in a place so unfamiliar? However, as my fear started to sink in, I looked down to the dreary streets of Seoul. What I saw was a couple huddling under an umbrella made for one person. I saw a businessman hold a newspaper over his head as he ran for the nearest bus stop. I saw a mother hold her hands over her daughter’s head to shield her from the rain. There was love and there was connection and suddenly, this place didn’t feel as unfamiliar as I thought.

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