Finally made it!

I am so proud that I managed to pack the very bare essentials in just this and not pay any excess luggage!




Tuesday, 02 June 2009

12.00 GMT

So I am all checked in and sitting at the window with a nice cup of English breakfast tea, contemplating what the bleep I am doing! (And also watching 2 fire engines and a ambulance car screech on to the runway and hoping it does not delay my flight)

I always get this way. I go through stages, denial – it is not actually happening, it is all just a crazy dream, excited, nervous, terror, excitement, terror, then acceptance. I am checked in, I have my visa, the school is expecting me so no going back, so might as well accept it, get on with everything and see what happens!

I was talking to my beloved friend Sarah Del. She was comparing this to me moving to New York. She said that oo you actually have somewhere to stay when you get there ( I turned up at NYC with no where to stay that night), you also know you have definitely got job, (I was just interviewing for CCS when I went over), you have your visa sorted (no visa, when I went to NY) oo and you have a couple of contacts over there. (Ok so they are just facebook friends but still!!). That put things into perspective, so ok I don’t remotely even understand the language, I don’t really know where I will be staying, I am not sure who I will be teaching, I will not even be able to read the food packets – but hey it will be a lot better than NY!!!

So, as I sit here with nothing really do, I decide to look over my travel insurance. Apparently if I die that means I am allowed to cut my trip short. One would think that is a very good reason. I must also not participate in an ostrich riding, Zorbing or skeletons (what ever that is) to name a few, as that is against my policy!!

My first interactions with Koreans were some other passengers at check in. One guy when asked if he had packed his bags himself said no, several other girls just generally got in the way and another guy left his passport behind and a girl wearing a facemask … hmm first impression…..

My bag also nearly got searched because I had some batteries in my case that looked like bullets – damn you electric toothbrush!!

16.00 GMT

So made it to Frankfurt airport despite the 20 mile hike to Terminal 1. The plus side of all the Koreans is that they are obviously on the same flight as me, so just follow them. There are loads of students, I am assuming are returning home from uni. I also got felt up by a German security woman. The zip on my jeans always comes down, so I have the ring off a key ring on my zip which I hook over the button on my jeans, which set the security alarm off. The women thought it was a very good idea though!

I think I am could slightly reverted to the denial stage, as I sat and listened to Angelina at top blast on the plane, I flew through Frankfurt on the way to Ghana… what would happen if I got on the ‘wrong’ plane!!! I know I would have some very happy Ghanians!!

Wednesday, 03 June 2009
3.00am GMT

So finally made it to South Korea!! I was on the plane as we were landing and I seriously thought what the bleep am I doing? I have never had any interest in Asia, so what am I doing here. However I do remember that just before I was about to go to Brazil, I cried and didn’t want to go. I loved it in Brazil, so I just tried to shake of the feeling.
I had to fill out a health form, saying tha I had no cold, runny nose, congestion, fever etc in the past week…. Was that cold I had last week or the week before!
So I managed to slide past the men in Quarantine t-shirts and masks and traipse through the disinfectant mat.

I met Mr Kang who sat with me and sorted out my bus for me. My bus to Jeonju…. Where they had swapped me to living but then swapped me back to Gunsan… at this stage I was like ok where ever I live I live.

4.00am GMT

Got on the bus, super comfy –(like on a par with the Accra – Kumasi Bus on the way to Mole Liz!) Tried to stay awake to have nose but ended up falling asleep.

When I did wake up occasionally, everything seems very green and hilly.

8.00am GMT

Finally arrive in Jeonju, was met by Mr… something who drove me over to Gunsan, he kept asking me where we were, I was like mate, if you don’t know how am I supposed to know!!!

9.30am GMT

Finally made it to some huge blocks of apartments. There must be about 10 of them that re 13 story high, there is a HUGE Lotte Mart – whohoo. We got out of the car and he took me to these rooms that are sort of under ground the huge flats and introduced me to some people. I didn’t really know what was going one. Then Elizabeth I think was said oh your white board will be here tomorrow! It was my school! There is a classroom, an office another room I didn’t see in and a small room with sofas in. I was introduced to Daniel and Elizabeth (?)who will be my other teachers.

10.30am GMT

So after a lot of waiting around and trying to guess which is my apartment block we finally made it to it!
It is about 10/15 minute walk form my school and sort of in the middle of a huge patch of ground. It is only about 5 stories high and a brand new building. I am the first to ever lived in my apartment and there is still brick dust etc on the floor.



It is super cute though!!! I am so excited. The glittery flowery wall paper is a bit much but hey never mind.
Elizabeth and Mr….? showed me in and were trying to sow me how to use the washing machine, AC/ Under floor heating/Cable/Shower but I was too excited to take any of it in and just wanted them to leave so I could unpack and home-ify things!
They left me to it and Elizabeth said she would be back in a couple of hours to take me shopping.


11.30am GMT

Elizabeth turned up with her friend Nessie (again not sure if that is her name but that is what I am calling her!) They took me over to Lotte Mart which is a huge supermarket that has everything I was worrying that I wouldn’t be able to get.
We had some food there, I bought some water, toilet paper and iron. So much more stuff I wanted to get but had to play it cool and not get over excited about it all!

15.05 GMT

So got back unpacked. My clothes look very lonely, and soo many drawers with nothing to fill them with.
Had a shower in with the huge shower head at the top, as opposed to the smaller one slightly lower down. Flood ed the bathroom, as you would expect to when there is not cubicle.

I have been up and about for nearly 32 hours, so need to get some kip for the opening ceremony at City Hall tomorrow. I am being picked up by Elizabeth who is in an apartment block just a few minutes away.