I made it to South Korea!!! It is currently 6:30 AM in Seoul. I got to the school where we’re having the 3 week orientation around 9:00 last night and between now and then I’ve slept a whole 4 hours. Hello, jetlag! But since I don’t need to be awake for another half hour I figured I could fit a blog post in!
Getting here had a very stressful hiccup so I’m glad to finally be settled in, even with jetlag. I booked my flight through KoreanAir and on the website it had a small, but apparently very important clause, saying that to check in I needed the credit card used to purchase the flight. When I booked my flight I used Mom’s credit card and then paid her back once I sold my car so I knew I wasn’t going to have the card with me but we figured when she came to the check in counter in Raleigh she could show it to them there and it wouldn’t be an issue. So I checked in at the RDU airport at 6:00AM with no questions asked, completely forgetting about the credit card situation. I flew from RDU to ATL on a Delta plane that was technically still run by KoreanAIr without a problem but then when I got to ATL to check in for my next flight I was told I wouldn’t be allowed on the plane without that credit card. Major panic set in since I (A) didn’t have the credit card (not only because it was Mom’s but because the number had been stolen in December so even she didn’t have the card) and (B) had a little over an hour before the plane was supposed to board. The KoreanAir lady told me that to get on the flight Mom would have to send an email to KoreanAir Atlanta with her credit card statement, new card number, and card identification number. At first they also gave me the option to refund my ticket and buy a new one with my card but I only have a debit card and it did not have over $1,000 on it. So I called Mom in a panic and she drove all the way home from her payroll route (about a half hour away) and got the email sent to KoreanAir with minutes to spare before the plane boarded. And in the meantime Dad rushed to WellsFargo and put enough money in my bank to cover the cost of a new ticket but when I tried to take that route I was shut down since I already flew from RDU to ATL. Even though she had originally given me that option. Needless to say I was extremely thrilled to board that plane, even if it meant 14 and a half hours in flight. Also, I have awesome parents.
Everything after that was smooth sailing. The flight wasn’t as bad as I expected, I think I watched 4 or 5 movies and slept a few hours. They fed us 2 meals, which were surprisingly good, and snacks in between those. When I got off the plane and in the line to check passports I found 3 other girls who were in the TaLK program and we went through customs and baggage claim together. It’s comforting to have other people with you, even if none of you know what you’re doing. As soon as we got through customs there was a TaLK booth set up for us and we checked in and then joined a group of about 20 on the two hour bus ride to the university.
We landed around 5:00PM but by the time we got to campus it was 9:00PM and even though we were all exhausted they had a mini orientation where they told us what group we’re in and signed us up for Korean bank accounts. The groups are divided by province so you get to know people who will be stationed around you and my group leader, Hilda, is this really sweet lady so I think my group will be a lot of fun. Unfortunately my group color is orange. It’s going to take everything in me to stop associating orange with Clemson long enough to wear it but I suppose I can try!
My half hour is about up and it is time to go get ready for my day, touring a Buddhist temple!!
Also, I put pictures of my dorm on facebook but I’ll put the link on here in case for some reason someone can’t see it there.
xox
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