July 4, 2009, 8:47 AM
"Cafeteria" on the 4th floor of the Airport
Seoul, South Korea
I'm going to have to look up how I wrote my headings last year for these entries. I can't remember my format and it's bugging me. I'm having some me-time at the moment--might as well before I jump back onto a crowded airplane, and then a bus. I wrote a quick blog entry and posted it while I chatted with Mom and Mike. I'm so glad he was online, I knew it'd be hit or miss--either he'd be on or he wouldn't. He texted my mom for me and let her know I was online and she signed right on.
This might sound strange but in some ways I'm more acutely aware that I'm in a foreign country here, than I was the first time I went to China. My first trip to China, going through the airport, I could see characters I remembered learning. Even if I coudln't remember what the characters meant, they felt familiar.
I don't know a single word of Korean. These "silly little stick figures" as Mike always calls my Chinese homework, don't make sense to me at all.
I kind of wish we would have left the airport. I saw a sign for a tour of a Buddhist temple that let you go from airport to temple to airport in an hour, but it wasn't open yet and leaving the airport always heightens the risk that we could miss our next flight. What if we got delayed? Of course, there's still 2 hours left before we even board at this point.
While I was on the computer, the others left for food and fresh air. I needed my computer time.
I finally tore myself away to find something to eat. I walked around for a bit, convincing myself it was too early to cave in and ahve American fast food. I ran into Sean and Sharon headed to wait at the gate while I went back to explore the area where the computer lounge was. There are showers, a massage place ,and some places to eat. I picked the Cafeteria. It definately didn't look like a cafeteria. The woman behind the counter phoned my order in somewhere; there was no kitchen in sight.
I saw a chicken cutlet dish and ordered. Fried, breaded chicken, what else is new? Right? This had sauce on it and I ordered it anyway--and tried to eat it. The brown sauce wasn't terrible, the yellow was (I tried to eat around it). At any rate I took a chance and had a good meal.
I've wandered back to the TV lounge now to finish my journal but I'll go down to the gate in case they're worrying--not that the plane is going anywhere soon.
Erin
Seoul, South Korea
TV lounge, 4th floor
July 4, 2009, 9:55 AM
Thursday, July 9, 2009
Friday, July 3, 2009
July 3rd, Gone Forever
July 4, 2009
Airport Lounge on the 4th Floor in Seoul, South Korea
7:27 AM
I arrived in Seoul at 5:10 on the morning of July 4, 2009. I left LAX the evening of July 2 (shortly after midnight if you want to be techincall, it was July 3rd). Basically I've got straight from the 2nd to the 4th. The 3rd is gone forever, lost in time, space, and sleep on the plane.
Moving on.
We arrived at LAX about 8 o'clock last night. By 9 PM the group was assembled and we made our way to the ticket counter, saying our goodbyes to our loved ones. We hauled our suitcases over to the security inspection area and the security woman took the bags for the first two people (Greg and I), and then wouldn't take the rest of the bags because the machine was broken. Eventualyl we all went through security--hopefully all our bags make it to Taipei this afternoon. No reason why they shouldn't.
We killed some hours waiting to board the plane, chatting, using the last of our phone time to contact people in the States before we headed out. Unlike the last time I flew out to this part of the world where I didn't sleep a wink, I slept most of the flight. Dinner was decent, and I watched Marley and Me. When I woke up we still had four hours to go. I brushed my teeth, watched the latest Witch Mountain remake, Race to Witch Mountain, which wasn't as bad as I thought it'd be. The plane had 9 seats across, in 3 x 3 x 3, and we were all in one row. We didn't even know there was a toddler in the row in front until towards the end of the flight--she was adorable and well behaved. When we got off the flight, we had to hand in health forms they gave us and we each had our temperature read by a little device they put kind of on our necks behind our ear. I was a little worried about the temperature taking since I had little bit of a low grade fever before I left the house on Thursday, but I took some ibuprofin beforehand and made it through just fine.
We've been killing time, wandering around the airport and I signed onto this computer to send a couple of emails home to let everyone know I was safe. I even got to chat with my mom, Mike, and Russ for a few minutes. Not a lot was open when we got here (not surprising considering the time) but we found a great lounge--they offer baggage services, comfortable chairs and sofas, television, internet, a snack bar, nursery area, massages, restaurants, etc. This really is a very fantastically luxurious airport. Some how or other, I'm hungry again and I'm going to join my group and find something to eat.
7:46 AM
July 4, 2009
Airport Lounge on the 4th Floor in Seoul, South Korea
Airport Lounge on the 4th Floor in Seoul, South Korea
7:27 AM
I arrived in Seoul at 5:10 on the morning of July 4, 2009. I left LAX the evening of July 2 (shortly after midnight if you want to be techincall, it was July 3rd). Basically I've got straight from the 2nd to the 4th. The 3rd is gone forever, lost in time, space, and sleep on the plane.
Moving on.
We arrived at LAX about 8 o'clock last night. By 9 PM the group was assembled and we made our way to the ticket counter, saying our goodbyes to our loved ones. We hauled our suitcases over to the security inspection area and the security woman took the bags for the first two people (Greg and I), and then wouldn't take the rest of the bags because the machine was broken. Eventualyl we all went through security--hopefully all our bags make it to Taipei this afternoon. No reason why they shouldn't.
We killed some hours waiting to board the plane, chatting, using the last of our phone time to contact people in the States before we headed out. Unlike the last time I flew out to this part of the world where I didn't sleep a wink, I slept most of the flight. Dinner was decent, and I watched Marley and Me. When I woke up we still had four hours to go. I brushed my teeth, watched the latest Witch Mountain remake, Race to Witch Mountain, which wasn't as bad as I thought it'd be. The plane had 9 seats across, in 3 x 3 x 3, and we were all in one row. We didn't even know there was a toddler in the row in front until towards the end of the flight--she was adorable and well behaved. When we got off the flight, we had to hand in health forms they gave us and we each had our temperature read by a little device they put kind of on our necks behind our ear. I was a little worried about the temperature taking since I had little bit of a low grade fever before I left the house on Thursday, but I took some ibuprofin beforehand and made it through just fine.
We've been killing time, wandering around the airport and I signed onto this computer to send a couple of emails home to let everyone know I was safe. I even got to chat with my mom, Mike, and Russ for a few minutes. Not a lot was open when we got here (not surprising considering the time) but we found a great lounge--they offer baggage services, comfortable chairs and sofas, television, internet, a snack bar, nursery area, massages, restaurants, etc. This really is a very fantastically luxurious airport. Some how or other, I'm hungry again and I'm going to join my group and find something to eat.
Updating as soon as she can,
Erin
7:46 AM
July 4, 2009
Airport Lounge on the 4th Floor in Seoul, South Korea
Monday, June 29, 2009
3 Days Until Departure
June 29, 2009
5:45 PM Pacific
My parents' living room
Well, I went to China last summer to study in Chengdu. The day before my departure (if you haven't read my last blog), was a major earthquake in Sichuan Province, 25 miles from where my classmates and I were set to study. I'll spare the details, but after a day and a half of delays, a day in a half of travel, and a day in a half in Chengdu, we flew to Shanghai to take our classes.
At the beginning of this summer I arranged to go to China with a group to teach English to elementary students at Immersion English programs. Groups would be sent to China and Taiwan. I was to be part of a team going to Jinan, in Shandong Province. After some complications and misunderstandings, it looked as though the trip was canceled. It wasn't.
I was reassigned to Dongguan, in Guangdong. I had a tentative departure date.
This morning, I found out the school in Dongguan unfortunately was not going to b e able to hold their program this summer, due to illness. I've now been reassgined to the Taiwan team. I'll be teaching in Taichung, Taiwan's third largest city. I'm leaving in 3 days, and I'll return home August 5th. I'll be teaching starting the week of July 6th, and will teach two consecutive 2 week sessions.
There's a lot Ihope to get out of this trip. First off, I want to know if teaching is what I want to do with my life. I'm hoping that a snapshot of what it's really like, teaching everyday will give me a better idea than other programs I've done where I'm working one on one with students mostly after school. Secondly, no matter what else happens, this is going to be a memorable experience. Thirdly, I hope that I'm able to improve my conversational Mandarin while I'm there.
My parents' living room
6:30 PM Pacific
June 29, 2009
5:45 PM Pacific
My parents' living room
Well, I went to China last summer to study in Chengdu. The day before my departure (if you haven't read my last blog), was a major earthquake in Sichuan Province, 25 miles from where my classmates and I were set to study. I'll spare the details, but after a day and a half of delays, a day in a half of travel, and a day in a half in Chengdu, we flew to Shanghai to take our classes.
At the beginning of this summer I arranged to go to China with a group to teach English to elementary students at Immersion English programs. Groups would be sent to China and Taiwan. I was to be part of a team going to Jinan, in Shandong Province. After some complications and misunderstandings, it looked as though the trip was canceled. It wasn't.
I was reassigned to Dongguan, in Guangdong. I had a tentative departure date.
This morning, I found out the school in Dongguan unfortunately was not going to b e able to hold their program this summer, due to illness. I've now been reassgined to the Taiwan team. I'll be teaching in Taichung, Taiwan's third largest city. I'm leaving in 3 days, and I'll return home August 5th. I'll be teaching starting the week of July 6th, and will teach two consecutive 2 week sessions.
There's a lot Ihope to get out of this trip. First off, I want to know if teaching is what I want to do with my life. I'm hoping that a snapshot of what it's really like, teaching everyday will give me a better idea than other programs I've done where I'm working one on one with students mostly after school. Secondly, no matter what else happens, this is going to be a memorable experience. Thirdly, I hope that I'm able to improve my conversational Mandarin while I'm there.
再见，
Erin
Erin
My parents' living room
6:30 PM Pacific
June 29, 2009
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