Arrived in Korea!

So my friend from OSU and I arrived in Seoul yesterday! The plane ride wasn't too bad for me. I ate, and then slept till the next meal, and then slept a bit more. I will say that the plane was SO HOT! It was the first time I've been on a plane where it wasn't freezing.

So we got to Incheon International Airport, customs was a bit of a wait but not too bad. Then we got our bags, exchanged money, and picked up my cell phone. We took the airport limo (actually a bus, I don't know why it's called a limo) to Hongik University and then walked to the kimchee guest, which is where we're staying for the time being. The walk to the guesthouse was not fun. It's not too far, we did the walk this morning and it was no problem. But we didn't know exactly where we were going and we had so much baggage! My arms are sore today from dragging the suitcases around!

Gut reaction to Korea: I really like it so far! I think because I can play the foreigner card I don't get as embarrassed by things. People expect me to look lost and confused and mess up the language because I'm white so I'm much more relaxed here than I would be than if I were in a major city that I was unfamiliar with in the US. I guess it also helps that I have a smart phone now, and the maps app is a life saver! It is weird to have people kind of stare at me. Not everyone does, but it does happen a little bit. I think Caitlin's more sensitive to it than me. (She also looks a lot whiter than me, with her red hair.) But I have had some people when I was at Sogang for my placement test come up and talk to me. Ask why I was there, where I was from, etc.

One thing that I've noticed about Korea so far is that there's a completely different vibe than in the US. For example, our guesthouse isn't on a main street, it's tucked away into a back alley. This would probably make me nervous in the US, but not here. There are a bunch of other hostels located near by and I've seen other people walking by with suitcases and nicely dressed koreans walking by. So it's cheap, but not sketchy. And Caitlin and I only paid about $175 each for our double room at the hostel for a week, and the accommodations aren't bad at all. (Though Caitlin has many complaints about how hard our mattress is! XD It's much harder than any mattress I've ever slept on in the US.) So Seoul has a lot of back alleys, it's kind of hard to avoid walking through them as you navigate. I'm sure there are some sketchy ones, but it's pretty nice near the universities and in the foreigner areas.

Anyway, that's all I've really got for now. My Sogang language placement test is over with and Caitlin and I are going to look at some apartments tonight! :)