So, I would definitely be lying if I said I was going into this whole second stay in Korea with no trepidation. I definitely have my doubts about whether I'll really enjoy the language study side of things. Last year was kind of a cake walk as far as the effort I had to put in to my work. I have a feeling this year will be much different. I'm also moving into a situation where I don't really have any friends near me. I'm basically starting from scratch again. I do have friends within an hour or 2 distance from me, but that's nothing like be able to walk to their houses. I know I'll make new friends, but in general, I'm not a big fan of transitions.
I had my pin removed from my finger the day before I flew out. So the first day I was able to "stretch" my finger was the day of the plane trip. I have to say though, the doctor's terminology of "finger stretches" needs some serious renaming. It's kind of like naming a slow and painful death "some slight discomfort." In all reality though, it's not that bad. I just didn't expect it to be quite so stiff/sore. I'm able to bend it all the way with the help of my other finger now, and it can get close enough for government work on its own. I attribute this to the 2 options I had on the plane: either stay awake and listen to the baby cry, or do something productive while watching yet another in-flight movie. Good thing I brought some advil.
I was pleasantly surprised to find out that I haven't really lost much of my Korean. I am still barely able to understand people when they are speaking to me. For example, I ate out with my friend "Gun" tonight. (It's a Korean name.) As we were paying, the lady asked me "blah blah blah do you need?" My response, ".... yes...." Ended up being the receipt. Oh well. Another scrap of paper lying around.
To those of you who say that jet lag is a thing to scoff at, I say try travelling internationally. Yes, it is possible to function. Yes, a human can run several days without sleeping. But no, you will not like it. I made the crucial mistake Saturday afternoon of falling asleep around 1. On the plus side, I had some great dreams. On the not so plus side, I ended up waking up around 7 pm thinking "It's OK. I'm so tired, I'll be able to sleep through the night." From now on, my jet lag plans include setting random alarms throughout the day just to keep me on my toes. No more of these 6 hour naps.
When I got in, my friend who was helping me find an apartment met me near my university. He had researched a place for me to stay, so we immediately went there. When they showed me my room, we were both a little bit dumb founded. I was expecting small, but not that small... All in all, the room was probably about 8' by 5' (and that included the bathroom). He was a bit embarrassed too. He had gone off of pictures that were, let's say deceiving. So, I ended up staying in a hotel Friday and Saturday until he could find something a little bit better. I hold the hotel responsible for my little Saturday debacle even though the sign clearly said, "This hotel is not responsible for anything stolen" LIKE MY SLEEP! I should sue for them making the beds just a bit too comfy.
So, I ended up living in a studio apartment again. Gun and I went house hunting today. This turned out to be the best bet. I originally was planning on getting a home stay option, but I found out once I got here that that meant having to share a bathroom with as many as 5 people. Plus, most of them didn't have beds big enough to fit my body. (Thanks a lot Mom and Dad.) So, we were able to find this. This way, I get my own privacy and am able to use my own bathroom etc. I will miss out on some of the more immersed experience, but I'll plan on making it up in other ways. Privacy + own bathroom - cleaning > sharing a bathroom + an angry Korean old woman yelling at me. I'll be sure to put pictures up once I've unpacked. I do have to say that the one thing about this place that's a little off putting is that it has a quirky smell. Kind of like a new wood smell, but I'm pretty sure it's not new wood... Then again, you can't be too picky when you're living in the heart of Seoul. I'm content with it.
I'm really anxious for classes to start. I'm ready to immerse myself in studying Korean . . . for the first 30 minutes at least. I'm also excited to meet some new people as I go in to these classes. I'm expecting to meet people of all different nationalities: once again filling out the "Joe Lee's entourage of world travelers." Tomorrow's agenda includes: unpacking, exploring, getting lost, finding my way back, getting lost again, getting frustrated, finding my way back again, taking pictures of my new apartment, and zzzzzzzzzzzzz. Oh, another plus is that my apartment is just a few minutes walk from the university. I was originally looking at places that were going to cost me in transportation fees, but this will save me with that.
So, once again, sorry there aren't any pictures or general flow in this blog post. I just thought I'd try and continue my Sunday blogs. Gotta keep the masses happy ;) I'm going to try and get some sleep now. It's been a good 26 hours since my last shut eye. I did good today.
