Yuki's Haven: Korea, 1st day

Today is my first day in South Korea.
The weather is cold and humid (-11), a bit windy and the ground is icy and slippery.
My dad told me it's going to be cold in SOKO for at least the coming two weeks.

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Saturday morning at 3AM I woke up from Montreal's Maritime Plaza and my parents drove me to the airport to take my flight at 6:55AM. The previous day, we had driven 8 hours to get to Montreal by car, and gotten up quite early (5:30AM) to get there in time as I had to pick up my E2 Visa and Passport at the Korean Consulate of Montreal before it closed: it was Friday and I was going to take my plane the very next morning, so you can imagine the happy stress of the whole thing.

Everything went smoothly, even the flights. The first plane I took was quite cramped and crappy: an American Airline so small we could not even keep our cabin luggage with us. The plane, I believe, was even smaller than the planes we take from my hometown to Montreal, but then, I suppose the distance between Montreal and Rouyn is quite similar to the Montreal/New York one. I was really dead tired so I did not really care about that flight: I basically slept through it as soon as I saw that my carryon luggage was put in the actual plane (every time I travel, my only stress is to make sure my luggage is coming along with me: I have heard too many horror stories of friends who got theirs only weeks after their arrival).

New York airport is awesome. There are those things everywhere.
Sadly, I did not need to use them at the time and there're none in
Incheon airport...

Found out that Nintendo 3DS has its own Internet connection when in airports!
Happy happy me using facebook with my nintendo. How nice is this?????

New York Airport is huge. Tons of different terminals, all the size of a regular airport. I was so tired though T)))T once more, I haven't paid that much attention to the details, except those who were really jumping to my face. I took a happy (yes, happy) croissant sandwich and milk; whatever I could afford with the little American money I had.

Then, I took the Asiana Airline plane. How I love Asian planes. Starting off with the attendants' uniform (I had to hold back asking them to take a picture with me for a souvenir) up to the service and food, nothing was amiss. They even had tooth brushes and toothpaste in the toilets to freshen up.

One of the nicest meal I had in a plane. I am always amazed how in Asian planes, the asian food is so legit, whereas
the White food always looks like dog food. Damn us and our lack of sensibility for small details. Notice the METAL
utensils :fork, knife and spoon (all with Asiana Airline written on it) why are those still allowed while we can't even bring a nailclipper on the plane anymore? Another of life's mystery...

The plane had its own individual hot pepper sauce (gochujang) !!!

While I know these are actually good, I never really liked to eat stuff of which you can
still see the head and eyes. The problem I am sure, comes from the eyes. This is the only thing
I did not eat in my Bibimbap

Travelling Tips!

Fact: If you travel from North America to Asia, you will get out of your plane smelly, gross and feeling tired and sick of everything: in the plane you keep on getting too cold and too hot non-stop.

1. Make sure you wear something that is not too tight around the waist and ankles; you'll be seated way too long to be comfy.

2. Wear something that will keep your feet warm (bring a pair of warm socks that you can wear only in the plane when you take your shoes off - because taking your shoes off is a must in such a long flight, plus, your feet get sort of inflated since you don't move much).

3. Bring, in small bottle, the necessary to (1) wash, rince, cream your face and brush your teeth (2) wash your body; body soap - I prefer liquid one - (3) wash your hair, and a hand towel.

4. Bring a change of clothes (if the comfy clothes you are wearing look like crap), socks and underwear.

5. Take your makeup.

POINT: Two hours before landing, go to the toilet with your stuff. There you'll get to go to the toilet, wash your face, brush your teeth, wash your hair (I usually just wash my bangs, really, that's what makes the hair look dirty) and body with the hand towel. Then change your clothes and put a bit of makeup: MAGICAL TRANSFORMATION!

**Worrying about taking up space in the toilet? Well technically it takes maximum 10 minutes. People make other wait even more just to shit sometimes: I rather use that time to NOT look and feel like crap when I get out of the plane. Plus, there is never only one toilet in such a big plane as those flying from North America to Asia.**

Very first sight of South Korea

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I haven't got to do much since I got to SOKO, I don't even have my own apartment yet. I will when the teacher I am replacing will leave. Meanwhile I am staying with another teacher at the same school, who's been there since the summer. She is a sweetheart, we've been walking around Gunpo, a suburb town near Seoul (still on the Seoul metro line). She says everything basically is in walking distance and showed me a couple of nice coffee shops near work, that is around 10 minutes by foot from the apartment building. I feel bad I am making her apartment look messy with all my luggage ;_; can't do much about it though...

I have the day off so I have been around and bought a few trinkets. I feel quite tired even if I slept a lot on the plane so I wonder what I should do: I feel like going to a Café, but then, I'm lazy... I'll see what the rest of the day will bring me.

The first official Korean meal I had: Korean BBQ <3 yum (meat had yet to arrive)

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I found the same toys we went shopping for my niece, my sister and I, last Christmas <3

Bad resolution, stupid camera... Isn't is the cutest coat?

Second meal in Korea :) It's a restaurant that my new roommate calls
the Ajumma's kitchen, as you basically eat what she makes for you,
and for a full meal you pay 5.000 won ($5)