Travel And Day One
I made it!
The flights here were long and torturous. There were a handful of times where I thought this was a huge mistake. I think that was because I didn’t want to be trapped in a plane any longer and I still had 6 hours left in the flight… That was me being generous. By the time I got onto the plane to Korea I was not interested in a longer flight! 6 hours to LAX and then 11 hours to Incheon International Airport but that isn’t where my plane rides end. I still had a 90-minute flight to Daegu.
The flight from Orlando to Los Angeles was easy and I had 2 hours layover to find my connection. The walk from where I landed and where I took off was crazy long! A bunch of empty halls and following the person in front of me like a stalker. Once I found my gate I looked around and it hit me, I am going to Korea. That whole area was meant for Asian flights. It was the first time I felt like the odd one out. Luckly there was a nice lady who I could talk to and asked questions.
The flight from Incheon to Daegu was where it really felt like I was the odd one out. I was one of two who spoke English and not from Korean. While living in America, everyone speaks English but there is still diversity. You get used to being able to blend in even if everyone doesn’t look alike. IN the months prior I have already thought about how it would feel to be one of few people who don’t look the same and no matter how I tried to prepare mentally it was still, different and foreign, literally.
When I landed in Daegu, I found my way to baggage and grabbed my bags. Then it was time to find the taxi my branch manager ordered for me. She said he would be looking for me but that didn’t make me stop worrying since I was about 40 minutes late because we were delayed.
With the later flight and no way of contacting the taxi drive I was sure he would have left or was driving around and around waiting, since at MCO you can’t stop for more than a second and no stranger would wait that long with no contact. Now if he did stay and wait the question remained, “How will I be able to tell if he is my taxi or not!” With that thought in mind I took a breath and one step towards the taxi area, ready to figure this out.
“Samantha?” I hear to my left and when I look there is a short Korean man in a back shirt. “Samantha? Yes?” he repeats. I said yep and he ran over and grabbed my bags, and I followed him. Well, the worry of if I will find my taxi driver was quickly solved by him finding me first! The drive to my apartment was short but interesting within itself.
I got a small taste of how things work on the roads in Korea. At any inconvenience he politely honked, if you think this is impossible it is only because you haven’t heard one yet, his horn and drove around. Then at one point I realized we were going 60 mph in an area that would have been no more than 45 in Florida, but it didn’t feel that fast since everyone around us was going at that speed too.
Once I got to my apartment that is where the workout began. I had to trudge all 3 suitcases and a backpack up 3 flights of stairs. By the end I was sweating and panting out of exhaustion. But I made it, I was in my apartment, and it was small and cute. The first thing on my priority list was turning on my a/c since I just had a quick workout! Once it was on I continued to talk to my mom from under the vent. Dad got on the call too, and I updated them on my situation.
The studio apartment has a small kitchen with a small fridge, stove top with a washer under it. A bathroom with a sink, toilet, medicine cabinet and a wet shower. The main room has a bed and a wardrobe. Lastly the entryway has its own little moment with a wall full of storage. My mom got a tour over video call before dad hopped on the call. We talked for a while but then I had to finish unpacking and get settled in.
When that was done, I was dying for a hot shower. The cool thing about a wet shower is that there isn’t a separate place for showering it is all one. The shower head it attached to my sink and the whole room is tile. It was easy enough to figure out how to turn it on, so I stood and waited for the hot water. But nothing… NO heat whatsoever so I thought maybe it was backwards, like cold is hot and hot is cold, so I flipped it. This water was already ice cold so I didn’t think there was any way it could get colder, but sure enough it did. At this point it was obvious I was missing something. I went back into the main room and found a panel on the wall. Of course, it was all in Korean, so I got out my phone and translated a photo of it. I found it was how I turned on the hot water and I got it turned on. FINALLY, I got a hot shower to wash away the sweat and relax my muscles after the long days I just had.
After my shower I sat on my bed and let it all sink in.
I am not one or two rooms away from my parents, I am not a short drive from my family and friends. I am alone in a new country and there is no backing out now. With these thoughts I let the tears fall for the first time since I left Florida and cried until I fell asleep.
When I woke up in the morning I was quick to realize reality, this is day one of my new normal. I didn’t have anything planned for the day, but I did not think I would be in and out of sleep all day. But that is what happened. It was nice to just sleep and rest my body from the straining days that passed. I did have moment where I wonder when my parents would bust in but…
Day one in Daegu is complete, and I am well rested and ready to hit the ground running with training tomorrow and I will have to also need to go to a store to grab necessities I will need soon. Thanks for reading and caring enough to keep tabs! I am doing good, it is lonely, but I know there is so much God will show me while I am here and people I will meet soon enough.
A gallery will be added to view photos of my apartment and other things I want to document.
사랑을 담아,
Samantha
