Neon lit street in South Korea

My First 24 Hours in South Korea

My first moments in Incheon airport

When I first got off the plane at Incheon, I just stood in the airport, staring. Who knows how long I stood there like that, two minutes? Ten minutes? I couldn’t tell you. I felt bamboozled by my own decision. Then, once I zoned back into reality, I knew it was time to kick into action. First, I asked a lady if she could speak English, I was planning to ask for help locating the bus, she just rolled her eyes at me and sighed. Okay, time to figure it out myself. Somehow I managed it all, finding the correct bus, buying the ticket, getting off at the correct stop. All by myself. In this strange, new land. No welcome, no assistance, no guidance. Just me, my suitcase, and a piece of paper with some bus information written down, we made it 

Seeing Seoul for the first time

Once I arrived at the bus stop, my new boss and the school caretaker finally came to collect me. My boss greeted me excitedly, hugging me as if we were old friends, and exclaiming “you’re here!”. She was fun and stylish. The caretaker a little more reserved, but offering a friendly smile and a wave. Then we drove on, the two of them talking to each other in Korean, me staring in disbelief at this unfamiliar and vibrant new world around me. I love remembering the way I felt in that moment, it felt like the world was opening up in front of my eyes. As if everything I knew the world to be before that was just a tiny dot in comparison to what else is out there. I spent the car ride trying my best to take it all in, not wanting to miss one sight, and trying to read the words on the buildings with what little Hangul I had been practicing in the weeks prior to my arrival. 
 

My new neighborhood 

The first thing we did was head to a restaurant. A very jolly older man greeted us with a warmth and familiarity that was immediately comforting. Him and his wife would later become some of my favourite and most regular connections during that time. We all fondly referred to them as ‘mom and pops’ or ‘samchon’ and ’emoh’ (meaning uncle and aunty). 
 
After our meal, we headed to the school where I would be working. I was surprised to find out it was on the third floor of a tall building, shared with a bowling alley and various other businesses. The large, inflatable bowling pin outside of the building would be useful to me later on, as a focal point when trying to navigate the neighborhood and keep my bearings! I was briefly introduced to the other foreigners working there. There were people from various countries; America, Canada, New Zealand, and another girl from England! After introductions, I was taken to the caretakers apartment, he would be staying elsewhere, whilst I was there, since the ‘apartment’ (we’ll get into that in another post) I would be moving into was still occupied by the current teacher. It was a strange set up, but I just had to accept it. He couldn’t speak much English, but he tried his best to explain things to me, then he left, and I was alone.
 

A tearful first night 

My first night there I was sweltering hot, I wondered how anyone coped living there. I’m from England, we don’t have air con in our homes. I didn’t even realize there was an air con unit there I could’ve been using. I had the window open, the sounds of the city echoing in. Clanging and vehicles. It was noisy, it was hot, I was exhausted and tearful. I cried and cried. Then it was morning. I got up and got myself ready and headed off for my first day at work. Somehow I managed to remember the way and walked myself there without getting lost- a luck that I wouldn’t hold onto for long, soon I would be getting lost all over the city all the time!
 
Anyway, there I am, not even 24 hours since landing, and I’m off for my first day of work. It was immediate chaos. 
 

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