Working to Travel...Travel to Work

I have survived my first month in Busan, South Korea! I have learned much in these first weeks and not simply different cultural customs and etiquette, though I embrace each and every trait with open arms...yet it is that I feel comfortable in my skin for the first time in a while. I feel content and although with each day there comes more to know and remember I feel that these challenges are endearing and inspiring. My first trip to the grocery store...or as it is better known in Korea as Home Plus, was probably one of the most entertaining events in my every day life here in South Korea...not for myself but for fellow customers in the store. You see when we are in our home town...or our native speaking country we don't have to think twice about going to purchase garbage bags...how to find them or how to ask a store clerk for them. This my friends is one thing I feel I may have taken for granted back in Canada. I found myself in the middle of the store being stared down by several other customers as I...the only blonde white girl in the store did my best attempt at miming to the sales lady what I was looking for. I was impressioning tying up a garbage bag...saying out loud "throw away" and jumping around with my arms flailing about. I know that someone in that Home Plus store that night left a happier person...laughing at the white girl dancing around. Crazy waegooks..as they call us foreigners. I am definitly enjoying the challenges I am put to every day...exploring new areas of the town with beautifully lined market stands along narrow streets...walking into restaurants and not being able to read the menu so just resorting to pointing at the most appealing meal in the picture. I am happy to finally be learning names of some meals and every day terms to get around...but I hope to soon get hangul down pat. I left out the fire incident at the school...also where I live...i will include that in my next post....to bed my waegook butt goes.

I am writing from Busan, South Korea for the first time since my arrival on March 4th. I had so many preconcieved notions and expections of this place and it truly has surpassed all of my thoughts more than I could have ever imagined. The day of departure Jace, Gabe and myself were to jump on a plane in Windsor and fly to Toronto. Due to the weather however the flight was cancelled and then began our mission upon missions. We found ourselves driving from Windsor to Toronto at precisely 6pm through hail and snow to make our flight from Toronto to Seoul, South Korea with just 3 hours time to make it for our departure. Despite all our reservations to drive in such dangerous weather we prevailed making the first turn of events on our journey all the more interesting. Our employer in South Korea at the school we are teaching at called to inform us that there were no flights from Windsor to Toronto in the next 24 hrs and that it was imminent we leave from Toronto that night in order to arrive for orientation. I am thankful for one thing and that was the rush and chaos left me no room for anxiety. I would have assumed the mission would make me appreciate my relaxing life I left back in Windsor, Ontario, Canada but it definitly was not so. We arrived at the Toronto airport just in time to make our flight. Despite the first bump in the road it added some excitement to day 1 of my Busan, South Korea mission. As our bagage check in and boarding ran smoothly however the preceding several hours showed no sign of light shining at the end of the tunnel quite yet. We found ourselves sitting on a dorment plane for a hellish 6 hours because of mechanical problems. I continued to be hopeful that we would still press on and make it to South Korea in one piece. The 14 hour flight ahead was now 20 hours and took a toll on us all patience wise, and not to mention Jace's since it was his first time on a plane. It was extremely unsettling to know that we were flying in the same plane that was experiencing problems. Despite a long and dreadful flight we made it to our destination safely. The next 365 days are going to be an experience of a lifetime from meeting new people to traveling, hiking, working, and adjusting to culture shock its going to be such an amazing time and life changing!