These last few days have been pretty surreal; saying goodbye to my friends and family didn’t feel like I thought it should have, but I’m pretty sure that’s because it hadn’t quite yet hit me that I wouldn’t be seeing most of them for at least a year. It wasn’t until I was on the plane in New York and we were taking off that I said to myself, “Crap, Mark. You are leaving the country for a year. You are going to Korea. Korea!” I know that going to Korea is something that I want to do, something exciting, and something that I have been looking forward to for a long time, but at the same time, it’s scary. Honestly, it’s very scary. I’m hoping that the nerves start to wear off once on my feet in Seoul for a few days and have gotten my bearings.
The plane ride itself was fine- long, but fine. I got seated in the front row of my section in the middle of plane, which meant a fair amount of extra leg room. For a person of my size (6’3), that can make a hell of a difference on a 14 ½ hour flight. I watched three movies (Star Trek, I Love You Man, and Wolverine) and slept for an indeterminable amount of time, having no watch to figure these things out. Every time I woke up, there seemed to be a meal on its way, which I ate mostly to pass the time and because it was put in front of me and there wasn’t anything else to do with it. By the time we were getting in, I was very happy to get off the plane- my knees were beginning to feel like those of an 80 year old arthritic man.
From Incheon Airport, I went through customs and got on a bus headed to the CAT, or Central Airport Terminal, in Seoul. The bus ride was about an hour, and on the way I sat next to another guy who is going to be working for Chungdahm and talked to him about home life, our expectations for Korea, and a little sports, too. Between the waiting area outside my gate in New York and the airport, I’ve already met a couple of people who are going to be doing the same thing as I am, so talking to them was a bit of a comfort. Coming into the city, the view was urban but still very attractive, having a lot to do with the sun setting behind us. Also, perhaps the most notable thing on the drive into the city was the immense amount of traffic in both directions, which surprised me a little, considering it was after 7:30. I guess that’s what happens in a city of over 10 million. At the CAT, I used a payphone (with a fair amount of trouble and a few wrong number calls) to get in touch with my recruiter, who told me to take a cab to the Casaville Residence Hotel.
By the time I got to the hotel, I was feeling dirty and very exhausted, so I literally just showered and got into bed.
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