Here at Last...

My long day of traveling has come to an end and I must admit, it wasn't nearly as bad as I imagined! However, I feel as though having very spacious seats on my first two flights (one being 13 hours and all) made the situation much more comfortable! I had no problems getting through immigration at Seoul and I actually made my first friend while standing in line! Her name is Janice from Ft. Lauderdale, FL and I learned she is also teaching English for the same company! The more we chat , we learn that we both live in the same city (10 mins apart), are sharing a vehicle from the airport (yay!), we are both fire signs (very compatible), and this is her second year with the company. She immediately takes me under her wing and tells me as much as she can fit into the 1.25 hr car ride! As we get closer to Bundang, to my surprise, the driver hands me his cell phone. Who could it be I wondered? "CASSIEBEAR" - she screams over the phone. And the converation begins as such...

Me: "Sionna? How the hell did you get my cab drivers cell phone number?"
Sionna: "Cass, don't ever doubt me."

We then proceed to make plans for the following evening in which she will travel to my school after we finish work. We then arrived at Janice's apartment and boy is it fabulous! A high-rise with an elevator! Her apartment is beautiful (I'm just hoping mine is as lovely). Very spacious and looks very new/modern. I then leave my new friend and the driver takes me to my new pad. I find that I am not as lucky as Janice...but lets just say it has a lot of character! I am greeted by a fellow mgr. (Tony) from a nearby school. Tony then takes me inside my studio and explains how to use the washing machine, heating system, stove, TV, etc. (as everything is written in Korean characters). He then leaves and I begin to unpack. It's about 11:30 pm and I'm wired from all the excitement! I proceed to unpack everything and put things in its place. The previous tenant graciously left a handful of hangers behind which makes things much easier! I completely finish around 2:30 am with my current issue of Vogue positioned ever so carefully on my table and I attempt to get a full nights rest as my new mgr. Jae will be picking me up at 1:30 pm the following day.

7:30 am rolls around and I can no longer stay in bed. I get up, make some hot tea and bread with strawberry jam (which thank goodness they provided for me) and watched some morning television. None of the pictures come in well (all black and white and fuzzy) so hopefully Jae can give me further direction. But as I'm eating my gourmet breakfast, all I can hear is Spanish on the TV...go figure in Korea right!?! I'm actually pleasantly at ease because at least its something familiar!

Now its time to go explore my block a little. I can't go too far as I don't know my address yet in case I get lost. But I'd love to stumble upon a currency exchange so I may purchase a few items! For now, I must take a much anticipated shower in my Korean style bathroom (the whole room is a shower with a drain on the floor next to the toilet and sink). However, I can't figure out how to get hot water yet - UGH! But I'll keep trying. So in the meantime, wish me luck!!

Tonight, I'm all about confessions

Confession: I like stuff. All kinds of stuff. Stuff makes me happy...and I have far too much of it.

I finally came to terms with myself today after the many hours spent packing for my big adventure. Tomorrow's the big day - the day I leave for South Korea! And with this discovery of "loving stuff", way more than any person should, today was a nightmare. Deciding what to bring to an unfamiliar country in which I'll be staying for a year was absolute torture! Packing may not have been so terrible if Korea didn't have four seasons...but guess what - they do. And well, I'm excited to experience that again coming from Arizona, but I kind of only had one wardrobe there. So too many choices turned into some MAJOR prioritizing. What do I really need!?! But when you love stuff like I do, you need everything! Unfortunately that everything comes with a pretty price tag...so for this girl, limitations had to be made. I managed to fit a years worth of "stuff" into two large suitcases and one carry-on piece of luggage. I have to admit, I am proud of myself for even getting through this day, having to leave the majority of my "stuff" behind. But what lies ahead is more important than stuff. It just happens to be another opportunity to collect even more stuff! And foreign stuff at that! :)

Now, for confession number 2...
I may or may not have walked around in my high school prom dress all afternoon while going through all of my stuff. :)

I have a feeling for those who know me, that's not to far of a stretch.

What more can I say than I still love stuff - my stuff! :)

The smell of victory is oh so sweet...

To say the last few days have been hectic would be an understatement. But it's the journey that makes all of this so special…right?!?

This entire process has led me to experience a vast range of emotions, none of which I was ever expecting. I am sitting here thinking back to this past hot and blistering July when Sionna approached me with this crazy idea. Who would have imagined I would be teaching English in South Korea...and in just a few short days from now!?! But it's finally here, and did it ever come quickly! I thought receiving my visa yesterday was the "tip of the iceberg" but after logging into my email account this morning and seeing that little subject line read “Your Flight Itinerary”, I was suddenly mistaken. My heart began to race as I sat staring at the screen in complete and utter shock. Can it be true? Is this all really happening? Somebody pinch me PLEASE! And then another series of emotions arise; excitement, happiness, then nerves, and fear. I immediately become overwhelmed with all that lies before me. I’m down to the wire and with less than 4 days to tie up all loose ends!

But enough about the never ending stress and the painstaking anxiety – this entire ordeal, this experience as I only I know it has truly been a journey. I have learned a great deal about myself in these past six months, more so than in the past few years, and with that, I am beginning to see a healthier self reflection and feeling of pride and accomplishment.

All I can do now is leave with this, with words I hope I never ever forget:

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by what you did do...Explore. Dream. Discover.” – Mark Twain

Words every existential traveler should live by...