While I was able to sleep most of the way through the flight from Minneapolis to San Fran, I couldn't catch a break but for a 40 minute snooze in all of our 12:25 hr flight to Seoul. Luckily, Korean Air is officially Freaking Awesome. Pashmina-esque blankets, little bags labeled 'for-your-comfort' with socks, sleep mask, toothbrush, and toothpaste, and bottles of water all waiting for us when we got on the plane. Totally respectable airplane food, including a beef-filled sweet bun for breakfast that was surprisingly delicious. And best of all, individual entertainment centers for each seat, with so many movies and music and games that it didn't matter one bit that I couldn't sleep: Adventureland, Sunshine Cleaning, Taken, I Love You, Man, some Stan Getz, a little Thelonius Monk, and (I couldn't get off the plane without watching at least one really really trashy something) He's Just Not That Into You.
Upon arrival, we had a little mix-up with our transportation, but eventually were driven to meet Eric, a really nice, helpful gentlemen in charge of all kinds of things related to getting teachers legally in the country and settled into their lives. He got Todd checked into his co-op (he's staying there til Sunday, and then he'll be moving into an apartment in my building), and then took me to my new digs. Got me set up with a bag full of bedding (need something to make it feel less like I'm sleeping directly on box springs, but at least I have a nice comforter), a bag of kitchenware, and even took me next door to the convenience store to get a few snacks:
Since arrival, I've also received a fridge (important), a tv with cable (for educational purposes only), cable internet (fast and awesome), and a table and chairs (good for grading homework, and for eating, because I've lost my ability to sit cross-legged on the floor for any length of time).
We've only had one day of training out of the time we've been here, at least for my school - we're technically 'quarantined,' and can't go on campus until Monday. So, we've just been exploring, eating things, trying to get around without knowing any Korean. Today we went out in search of converters for our plugs, and ended up in placed eMarket, in a giant complex called iMall, and there found an awesome grocery store (little kids in 'kids-heart-beef' t-shirts in a photo shoot around a giant hamburger, plus pretty much any kind of groceries we might want, including some Western staples), some Baskin Robbins (dude, they are EVERYWHERE here, along with Dunkin' Donuts, Starbucks, and many pizza chains ... weird), and a sweet food court with examples of all of the food in the front so we knew what we were ordering.
I've met some of the people who live on my floor, all of them teachers for the same school, and they were all incredibly nice and helpful: sharing tips, food (nectarines, anchovies), and maps. They're not actually teaching at the same campus that I will be, so I won't see them at work, but hopefully I'll get a chance to see them around here. Tonight, we'll get a chance to meet even more people at a going-away party for the outgoing teachers from our school.
I'm sorry this isn't a more coherent tale, but alas, not much to be done now. This is, after all, just the beginning.
The view outside my window:
