Wednesday was rather hectic as I really still wasn't too sure if we were actually going or not, though the odds looked good. I began laying out clothing early, as I am expected to pack for a years worth of work and travel across four different seasons. I managed to spend the better part of Wednesday doing nothing but fretting about actually going and napping while watching the Olympics. I started the actual packing process around 10pm, after stopping at Grandma and Poppa's to say goodbye and borrowing a suitcase.
I finally finished jamming a years worth of life into two suitcases, that weighed in at just below 50 lbs. each, at around 2:15am. . . .just enough time to hop in the shower before the Kochanski's picked me up at three to drive us down to DTW. Check in went fine but of course we were tagged for an added security check as we were flying on international tickets, booked within the day and paid for by a third party! Oh well. . . .we both passed!
From DTW we flew to Chicago O'Hare and attempted, unknowingly, to board the incorrect flight out to San Fransisco. . . .oops! Having to wait an extra hour we managed to catch our scheduled flight, both jammed into the middle seat of different rows. In San Fransisco we grabbed perhaps our last 'American' meal for a good while at a Mexican restaurant, Aribe. . . .this time I managed to hold it down, unlike in Scottsdale!
After a few hour layover and a mean game of cutthroat euchre we boarded flight UA 893 from San Fransisco to Seoul, S. Korea. Almost thirteen hours later we landed safe 'n sound in a middle of a disgusting downpour, blocking out any view we might have had of the city. Passed through immigration and customs with little trouble as they bought out story about 'looking for a job.' Long story short, we were hired on such short notice that we did not have time to apply for the proper work visa so our employer, DYB, will be sending us to Osaka, Japan within the month for a 'visa run' to get the proper paperwork completed so that we might work legally. . .as opposed to whatever we are expected to do in the meantime!
An extremely kind S. Korean, Pep, picked us up at the airport and drove us, through horrendous traffic, to the academy we will be working at. It would impossible to describe how uncomfortable this three hour ride was as the car was literally stuffed to the brim with luggage and we had already been traveling for at least a day at this point.
We met Yumi, the school's secretary outside DYB who directed us to transfer our bags to another van driven by two men, somehow affiliated with the school. They took us first to the 'nicer' of our temporary apartments at which point Nate and I had to rock paper scissors for the room. Showing an unusual scissors I was able to win the room by beating out Nate's paper on the first throw!
My (First) Building!
Settling in consisted of being given a set of keys and the password to the front door. Our two escorts made sure that my lights and TV (on which I cannot find an English channel) were working. The four of us then set off to find Nate's apartment just around the corner. To be more precise. . . and more so, if I forget, it's actually a left around the corner, down past the big intersection and a left off the third alley way. . .second building on the right, room 402! Phew. . .
Mr. Lee gave us a call on one of the men's phones before the left informing us that we are to report to school by 12:00 noon tomorrow. My guess is we will be taking the 'grand tour' and given scheduling. . . Work most certainly begins on Monday!
Time to catch up on some sleep after a long. . .long day!
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