October 1

Finally landed in Seoul and had to catch a connecting flight to Busan. It was really confusing and took a long time to figure out how to get my boarding pass. I had to wait in a line for foreigners after filling out some kind of immigration form. All of us foreigners were confused…Americans, Indians, Europeans and everyone else and asking each other what was going on. I had to go to baggage claim to get my luggage take it upstairs to my airline then check in to get my boarding pass, recheck my luggage, go through security and head to my gate all over again. Wouldn't it be easier for them to just transfer my luggage and have my boarding waiting for me at the gate...or is it just me?

I now sympathize with our immigrants in the U.S. Even the most simple things are difficult. I just wanted to scream, "I don’t have drugs or a bomb now someone take me to my plane"!!!

Once I got to my gate I was very thirsty and hungry. Mostly everything in the snack shop was Korean….of course b/c I was now in Seoul. I bought some tea that was made by coca-cola and it was absolutely repulsive. I couldn't even bare the taste…it tasted like it stank. You know like a bad odor. Since I have been in Korea I have yet to buy another beverage for fear of it tasting like that. (now that I am posting this 2 months later, I have had that same tea on several occasions and would like to note that it is an acquired taste. I now enjoy it somewhat).

Finally, I arrive in Busan at 9pm!! After I got my luggage I went out to a sea of people awaiting their family, friends or business associates. Their were lots of signs and none with my name on them but out of nowhere I heard my name, “Hello Jessica”. It was Mr. Bae…he’s the Director of foreign teachers in Busan. We drove for about 30 min to the next city were he rents a room from a hotel. I stayed there for the night so that I could save money which was quite generous of him. It was a nice place with leather couches and a flat screen TV. I bought food from the convenience store downstairs and then I was on my own till the next morning.