Change of Plans

Well whoulda thunk you need a visa to get in to China? Apparently not anyone in this family!

Why I am I posting so soon when I promised a week long break, well, if you haven't guessed already, I didn't quite make it to China. In fact, I didn't even make it to the airport! Here's the story. . .

Friday night I got down to packing after a long chatty dinner with Nate and New Teacher (Eun Kyung). She asked to join us to get to know us better as she recently replaced Elle (who is actually Ally) Teacher. Where did Elle go you ask (and why am I still using her name that is not her name)? Well, soon after getting married, Elle announced the she was pregnant and would not be sticking around much longer. In fact, she was gone the next week!

This was not entirely a surprise however as she had previously (on New Years Day) mentioned to Nate that DYB was not exactly a, um, nice, place to work. She was in fact so embarrassed by DYB making us come to work on the holiday that she assured us the rest of Korea is 'nothing like this' and that it's possible to be happy elsewhere. Well, we're still here, but she's not! Now, Eun Kyung is the third teacher to fill the role that has been held by both Elle and Ji Young teacher before. . .

Anyways, after dinner I retired to my Doota abode to begin packing, about five hours before I planned on leaving for the airport. Finished up around two in the morning I figured I'd hop in the shower before lying down for a quick pre-flight nap. . .this never happened! Just as I was beginning to derobe, I got a surprise call on Skype from Jay and my Dad. This struck me as odd seeing as how they should have been on their way, if not already in Shanghai by then. Well, I know they weren't there actually as they had missed their flight out of Chicago (I believe it was), but, it still seemed to early for them to be calling as they should have been aboard a trans-Pacific flight.

Okay, Hello?

Hi Adam! It us, we're here in Chicago. They won't let us on the plane because we don't have visas. Do you have a visa?

Um, no?! I figured if I needed one you'd tell me?

Yeah, well, we didn't know we needed one either!

Hmm, have I ever needed a visa? I guess, twice, but, not to visit a country?! I needed one in Ghana, to work, and here in Korea, to work. Heck, even here they let me in without an E-2 at first.

Um, yeah, well, apparently we're not allowed on our flight so we're going to try to go get a visa from the Chinese Embassy.

Hmm, it's two in the morning here. I'm not sure if I'll be able to do that.

Uh, good point, let's start looking for flights elsewhere. . . that don't require visas!

This is when the light bulb goes off. If you recall, I mentioned a while back how depressing it was that I would have to remain separated from my dear love New Orleans for such an extended period of time; especially with The Gras and JazzFest right around the corner! Well, I bet you can see where this is going.

A bit of quick internet research proved our suspicions that even if I were to go to China, I would have to wait until Monday to try and acquire a visa. Who knows when I would have ever actually made it to Shanghai. So, I did the only reasonable thing there is to do. . .head towards Nola.

It took a good a good couple hours but by about five o'clock in the morning I had found the perfect flight to New Orleans. Sure I could have just booked any ole flight across the pond but here're the parameters I was working with.

I have five days of vacation, that I had already requested off. Not only that but I had to adamantly stress how important these days were to visit my family as it's still 'Winter Intensive' and vacations are not typically allowed.

I knew I needed to go to The Gras but couldn't figure out how to define it. As Carnival celebrations are obviously going on all this week (and certainly have been for a while now) would it count if I kept my same flight dates and did a Saturday to Saturday? If I did that I could swing through somewhere else like Nashville or D.C. first. Well, turns out buying a ticket the morning of the flight is no cheap venture. . .with those prices, Sat-Sat was quickly out of the question.

With that in mind, I quickly realized that if I were to go to Mardi Gras, it wouldn't be an 'authentic' trip unless I made it until Tuesday morning to see the Zulu King making his turn on to the Ave at Jackson St. I mean, I know it's only been four years no but it's been four years in a row and I've made it out every Tuesday morning. Trust me, it's not as easy as it sounds and a great deal of people fall short just before the final push. . .perhaps the midnight Lundi Gras show at Tips has something to do with it but, anyways, if you make it that far, you might as well finish!

Thus, I started working on my search backwards, allowing my return date to define the departure day. Well, here's the day. Going to America from the East is fantastic as you're set to arrive the same day, even after more than a dozen hours of travel. The problem is flying back. Leaving Tuesday (Mardi Gras Day), no matter how I cut it, brings me back to Seoul on Thursday.

With this in mind, I began to think that I would only have three full days in the city (as I can only take five days of work to reserve my other five for a later vacation, hopefully to the South Pacific with anyone that would like to join). However, with enough research, and a whole lotta help from Kayak.com (as well as Continental Airlines) I eventually found a flight (the only as far as I can tell) that arrives in Seoul Thursday morning at 6:00am. Sure, it only leaves me three and a half hours to get to work but hey, the airport is only about an hour and a half away. . . .we'll see how this goes!

So, with Thursday of next week under my belt at work, I figured I could leave this Thursday, the 19th. Outbound I had a much greater range of options and decided on one due to both price and a non-absurd (meaning after 7am) departure time. Turns out, even the earlier departures would arrive at the same time in NOLA as everything gets held up in Texas. Oh, did I mention that I get to not only fly in to Texas but do it twice? I have an intra-Texas flight from Dallas to Houston en-route to the Naw'. Why? I can't tell you but it seems like someone is playing a joke on me! No wonder flights to Houston were so much cheaper (yes, I checked there and almost every other airport within a 500mile radius). Too bad my cowboy boots are at home!

In the off chance someone needs to find me while in mid-air. . .here's where I'll be when. . .that and it seems like planes have been dropping like flies recently so keep your eyes tuned to the sky.

Thursday, February 19th

• Seoul Korea (ICN) 9:50am -> Dallas (DFW) 7:05am CO 6320
  
• Dallas (DFW) 9:05 am -> Houston Bush (IAH) 10:09am CO414
• Houston Bush (IAH) 11:40am -> New Orleans (MSY) 12:48pm CO723
  

Tuesday, February 24th

• New Orleans (MSY) 4:41pm -> Houston Bush (IAH) 5:57pm CO872
  
• Houston Bush (IAH) 7:10pm -> Los Angeles (LAX) 8:57pm CO47
• Los Angeles (LAX) 12:10am -> Seoul Korea (ICN) 6:05am CO6312
  

I finally got to bed at around six in the morning just as the sun made her daily appearance. Even then I found it impossible to sleep as I was both worked up from scrambling madly across the internet and finally deciding on heading towards the city of my dreams. Sleep did eventually come but I had to drag myself out of bed not long after in order to start of day of readjusting plans. Before heading out, I quickly shot an e-mail to Yumi explaining to her that I would like to change my vacation due to peculiar circumstances that I then explained. I then grabbed Nate to scarf down some lunch and tell my story though I was hesitant to tell him about my change of plans at first, knowing that I had yet to confront DYB about changing my vacations days that I had previously fought hard for.

Following lunch I contacted Joseph who not only laughed his face off at my mishap but promised to contact Yumi. He reassured me that it would be difficult to get them to change my vacation plans but I told him that it doesn't matter if they do or not, I had booked a ticket and would be going. He called me back a couple hours later to say I was okay! Phew!

Down at the Korean Airlines office in Gangnam (City Air Terminal) I was greeted with equally relieving news. At first I began to flip out as I was told that my ticket could not be changed or credited towards another flight. After allowing me to boil to the rim, the woman helping me calmly informed me that if I would like, she could simply give me a refund on the ticket. Um, well, yes, thank you, though next time I come in talking about missing my flight and wanting to change it, it'd be helpful if you mentioned that first! So, for only 30,000 won I was able to cancel and (almost) fully refund the ticket my parents had given me to Shanghai for winter holidays!

In the end, it looks like it all worked out. No, I don't get to go to Shanghai but at least Dad and Jay will have pictures to share. I mean, I'm upset that I don't get to go to China, as I've never been, but my kids tell me its just cheap, dirty and crowded anyways (which makes me wonder what they think about Seoul)! Going to the States is great but I would love to have more time to not only go to Nola but stop by our Nation's Capital and the E.L. as well to see close friends and family. . .if I don't get a chance to see you this trip know that I'm sorry, it doesn't mean that I didn't want to!

Three days of work under my belt and only one more class to go this evening. Then, it's time to repack, grab a short nap and head towards the airport! I'm gonna leave a little early as I hope to avoid rush hour on the subway. If you've ever been on an Asian subway at peak time you'll know why. If not, you can try to imagine but I don't think most Americans can come close to conceptualizing this type of human density. New York doesn't even come close, I promise!

Hopefully my American cellphone will meet up with me in New Orleans thanks to the brave work of Momma Nell and Ms. Joanna Asher! Thanks you two, I appreciate it! As for me, well, I'm going to be the responsibility of Continental Airlines, and, well, myself!

It's unlikely that I'll take the time to post while I'm back 'home,' but I'll certainly try to update as soon as I return. . .then again, what's the use. If you've been to Gras, you know what it is. If you haven't, you can't even come close to imagining. Sure you can tell me what you read, and pictures you pay $9.99 and hour to look at, but that ain't the Gras so I don't wanna here it. You gotta live it to know it. . .

I'd tell you how excited I am to be going but I'll let a man named 'Fess do it for me. . .

Well I'm going to New Orleans, I wanna see the Mardi Gras
Well I'm going to New Orleans, I wanna see the Mardi Gras
When I get to New Orleans, I wanna know what's Carnival for

Got my ticket in my hand, I wanna go to New Orleans
Got my ticket in my hand, I wanna go to New Orleans
When I get to New Orleans, I wanna see the Zulu King

When I see the Zulu King down on St. Claude and Dumaine
When I see the Zulu King down on St. Claude and Dumaine
I'ma stay right there, until I see the Zulu Queen

-"Mardi Gras in New Orleans" Professor Longhair