It’s been two weeks since I arrived to South Korea and a lot of things have happened. First, I want to talk about the flights. I live in Florida so I didn’t have much of a choice but to depart from Tampa International Airport and transfer three times. It didn’t sound so bad when I read it on my plane ticket but things started to get a bit uncomfortable during the flights. One of the things that happened was the air pressure when the plane descended to Chicago. I felt this excruciating pain above my left eyebrow and it felt like my eye was going to pop out. Normally, the pressure makes my ears pop, which hurts, but I never expected to feel this type of pain near my eye. I don’t know what advice to give on this matter but if you are someone who suffers any kind of pain when traveling by plane, please take something that will prevent it. It’s not fun.
The flight from Chicago to Japan was extremely long. I sat in the middle seat for 13 hours unable to sleep or find a good sitting position. I think what kept me sane was how many times they gave out foods and drinks. United Airlines also had all three films of The Lord of The Rings, which I was really excited about because each film is about three hours long.
The flight had one of my favorite Korean variety shows called Running Man. It was subbed in English as well but even if it wasn’t I would still watch it and laugh.
After all the flights, I arrived at Incheon International Airport. Immigration was very quick and it didn’t take long for me to find my bags. However, looking around the airport I felt out of place because there were people speaking Korean and I didn’t understand them. It felt very different from Tampa or even Chicago where I could understand what people were saying. I knew it wouldn’t be easy from the beginning and it was too late to turn back anyway.
I stayed at the airport overnight with two other students from USF who were going to Yonsei University. It was a long night but I was able to talk to my family since it was morning in Florida.
February 24, I checked in to my dorm after giving the front desk my paperwork. I finally was able to sleep on a bed rather than on a bench at the airport. I quickly made my bed, unpacked a few things and went out with the two students from USF to get something to eat.
I learned that Korean food is very spicy.
After eating some food and buying a few supplies at a store called Daiso (similar to the dollar store), I took a well-deserved nap. My roommate accidently woke me up later that night. She apologized for making noise. We talked for a bit a few hours later when I woke up and she unpacked. I found out she’s Hispanic like me, so it’s comforting to know that I can speak with someone in Spanish if I wanted.
Orientation was the following day and that went from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. The ending was rewarding because the Mentors Club (a club organized to help exchange students) took us to eat at a Korean restaurant. I got to know more exchange students from around the world and made new friends.
After a few days of settling in and getting used to the campus, I went exploring with a few friends to see what was nearby. I found stores and restaurants that are from the states.
I think the most interesting part of seeing fast food chains is that they offer delivery.
So far I have experienced a bit of culture shock while in South Korea. When crossing the road, pedestrians do not have the right of way. At orientation the speakers warned us to be careful crossing the roads at all times.
I’ll share some more culture shock and adventures I’ve been on for another post. Here are some photos I’ve taken so far.