Zero to Sixty in 20 Hours

Hello everyone!

I touched down at 5:00am in Seoul. After collecting my baggage I went to the EPIK counter where I met all of zero people. There was no one there that looked like me and I was already feeling scared! Within the next hour English speakers with all different origins and backgrounds started to form a large, loud group in front of the EPIK counter. I got to know all of these people pretty well, and soon we were all on the 8:00am bus to Jeonju University!

The bus ride took four hours and was worse than the plane! the first few rows just had extra luggage stacked up and people were crammed into the back. I was feeling a little delirious from lack of sleep (I couldn't sleep on the plane for more than 10-20 minutes at a time) and I had a throbbing headache. But we stopped at a rest stop two hours in and that was when I got my energy back... and when I realized I had just entered another planet.

So many things are different here in Korea. The vending machines give out both hot and cold beverages (hot coffee in a can!). I made the mistake of entering a bathroom stall only to realize that the toilet was a ceramic hole in the ground. Koreans really like hot dogs (and sausage in general) and chicken, so I think ill be fine food-wise. The stores sell so many different sweet, salty, sour, and downright disgusting snacks, and basically put all drinks in tiny cans/bottles. I quickly adapted to most of these differences with a smile, because I will be living here for the next 365 days. But for ever difference there is a similarity, and Korea is turning out to feel a lot like the United States.

Looking out the window of the bus, the road down to Jeonju fron Seoul looked a lot like the Long Island Expressway. Koreans drive on the right side of the road and the driver sits in the left hand seat, so it felt a lot like Long Island. If I wasn't surrounded by an amazing mountainous view I would think I would think someone tricked me and I was still in New York (cheeky Koreans!). The staff here speaks English pretty well, and I am having little problems getting what I need. Jeonju is a lot like a smaller Ithaca or Syracuse, and the dorm facilities and food the university is providing is quite good. I am really lucky that I feel so at home here (don't worry I will miss America in T-Minus 30 days), and the people that I meet have all been pretty amicable.

My roomate is a 49 year old man named Julian who has been teaching in Korea for seven years. Long story short, he is originally from Georgia and San Fransisco, and he has a wealth of information. I am really glad I got to room with him instead of some 23 year old who only wants to party. The only problem I am having is getting internet (I am sitting on a bench outside the EPIK office leeching wireless) but that should be fixed within eight hours.

Everything is fine here, but I really have to go and meet up with Julian to get to Opening Ceremony. From now on it shouldn't be as hectic, so I will be able to send email daily. For now, good bye from Jeonju University in Jeonju Korea!