Thursday Travels: Leaving Home
Exactly 2 years and 8 months ago, I sold my car, put all of my stuff (read: fridge, bed and desk) into storage (read: Mom & Dad's garage), packed 25kg into a suitcase, hopped on a plane and came to South Korea. Back then I had a whole list of reasons that I used to justify my decision: Study debt, heartbreak, boredom, wanderlust.
Lucky for me, I had a very good friend who was already working in Korea and she helped me get a job at an English Kindergarten in Geoje-do, called Kids Club.
I made my decision fast, the whole process happened in a flash and before I knew it, I was on a big airplane, remembering just how much I hate flying. The flight was uneventful and I arrived at Incheon airport in South Korea at 16:45 in the afternoon. My future boss arranged for someone to pick me up from the airport so, once I cleared Customs and Immigrations, I grabbed my bag and set off looking for my guide.
My name was printed neatly on a piece of cardboard and I spotted it immediately. The girl who picked me up told me to "just call me Yoon". (Thank goodness, because she later said her full Korean name and it sounded like mumble jumble to me). Yoon had already bought tickets for the airport limousine prior to my arrival, so we got on the bus and headed into the city.
The airport limousine took roughly an hour to get to Seoul's express bus terminal., but it felt like it took 5. From the Express terminal, we took a taxi to Seoul's Nambu bus terminal. A bad call, since Yoon pre-bought my ticket for the 7pm bus, it was already 6.30 and it was peak traffic time in SoKo's capital. About 500m from Nambu, with 10 minutes before the bus to Geoje-island (my new home) would depart, Yoon decided that it might be faster if we ran the rest of the way. Picture this: It's summer, it's hot. A very overweight foreign girl (In a sweater, because she just came out of a South African winter) is running on a crowded sidewalk, an over-packed handbag slung over her shoulder and dragging a suitcase behind her. Yep, that was me. At the bus terminal, I nearly passed out when I realized that I still had to get my very tired body and bulky suitcase up a flight of stairs. I guess the despair must have shown on my face because a very friendly Korean businessman, all tied and suited-up, came to my rescue and carried my suitcase right up to the door. I almost kissed him, but I had just enough energy to give him a half-hearted bow (it's the Korean way...)
Needless to say, we missed the bus and Yoon had to get me another ticket for a later bus. "Later" being 10pm (at that stage I had already been travelling for 31 hours, since leaving my parents' house the previous morning). Yoon bought me a 6-pack of donuts, a bottle of wheat water (BIG THING in Korea), showed me which bus I needed to get on and then she was on her merry way to go meet her boyfriend for a night on the town.
After another 4-hours on the bus I finally arrived on the island. As I got off the bus at Gohyun bus terminal, I couldn't see my friends who were supposed to pick me up. And I panicked. With hand gestures and very elementary English, I convinced a young Korean girl to let me use her cellphone. As it turns out, my friends were just waiting for me on the other side of the bus terminal. Crisis averted. Or so I thought. In the panic over my friends not being there, I had forgotten my hand-luggage on the bus! I promptly burst out in tears. This was just too much. I was tired, dirty and without my pajamas! Fortunately my new house-mates were clear thinking. They flagged down a taxi and explained the situation. The taxi driver knew exactly where the buses were kept overnight and,after making a few phone calls and setting a price, he took us straight there, got the bag and finally dropped us off at the apartment that would be my home for the next 2 years.
Annyeong Haseyo, Korea. Nice to meet you.
Lucky for me, I had a very good friend who was already working in Korea and she helped me get a job at an English Kindergarten in Geoje-do, called Kids Club.
I made my decision fast, the whole process happened in a flash and before I knew it, I was on a big airplane, remembering just how much I hate flying. The flight was uneventful and I arrived at Incheon airport in South Korea at 16:45 in the afternoon. My future boss arranged for someone to pick me up from the airport so, once I cleared Customs and Immigrations, I grabbed my bag and set off looking for my guide.
My name was printed neatly on a piece of cardboard and I spotted it immediately. The girl who picked me up told me to "just call me Yoon". (Thank goodness, because she later said her full Korean name and it sounded like mumble jumble to me). Yoon had already bought tickets for the airport limousine prior to my arrival, so we got on the bus and headed into the city.
The airport limousine took roughly an hour to get to Seoul's express bus terminal., but it felt like it took 5. From the Express terminal, we took a taxi to Seoul's Nambu bus terminal. A bad call, since Yoon pre-bought my ticket for the 7pm bus, it was already 6.30 and it was peak traffic time in SoKo's capital. About 500m from Nambu, with 10 minutes before the bus to Geoje-island (my new home) would depart, Yoon decided that it might be faster if we ran the rest of the way. Picture this: It's summer, it's hot. A very overweight foreign girl (In a sweater, because she just came out of a South African winter) is running on a crowded sidewalk, an over-packed handbag slung over her shoulder and dragging a suitcase behind her. Yep, that was me. At the bus terminal, I nearly passed out when I realized that I still had to get my very tired body and bulky suitcase up a flight of stairs. I guess the despair must have shown on my face because a very friendly Korean businessman, all tied and suited-up, came to my rescue and carried my suitcase right up to the door. I almost kissed him, but I had just enough energy to give him a half-hearted bow (it's the Korean way...)
Needless to say, we missed the bus and Yoon had to get me another ticket for a later bus. "Later" being 10pm (at that stage I had already been travelling for 31 hours, since leaving my parents' house the previous morning). Yoon bought me a 6-pack of donuts, a bottle of wheat water (BIG THING in Korea), showed me which bus I needed to get on and then she was on her merry way to go meet her boyfriend for a night on the town.
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| The Lovely Choi Hyun Yoon, my guide to Seoul. |
Annyeong Haseyo, Korea. Nice to meet you.
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