KOREAAAAAAA!!!

Well well well....I've been here now in Korea for over 24 hours...and what a 24 hours it's been!!!
Let's go back to the airport....

I arrived in Toronto in the midst of a pretty sweet snow storm- great! As if I wasn't anxious enough, snow storm? Kissed the parentals goodbye and headed for security= longgggg long line. I was annoyed. After that, I headed for my gate and had some waiting time. Phoned a few special people for last goodbyes. I watched a woman chase her little dog around the airport, that was entertaining. Finally it was time for my departure. Everything went pretty smooth. The plan had to be de-iced, which they sprayed it down with something? That was a solid 1/2 hour. Didn't leave Toronto until about 12:30am. Finally take off. I was smushed between 2 ladies. I was confined to literally a 1ftX1ft box for a solid 14 hours. FML. We were served 2 meals during our flight. The first one they ran out of "non-Korean food" so I ate Bimbimbap? Something like that....it was, interesting. Perhaps if it wasn't plane food it would have been better. To be honest I had no idea what I was eating (which as I will explain later will probably be the next year of my life). It was like rice with veggies and some spicey sauce? Decent. I slept a bit by nearing the end of the flight it felt like the back of my neck and head were in a vice grip. This all could possibly be attributed to the fact that I hadnt slept more than maybe 3 hours in the 48 hours before my flight- oops!! The next meal was just as gourmet as the last.....it was an "omelette"- scary, with a sausage and homefries? But their was this sauce, like spaghetti sauce on it...haha...? Anyway- enough about the plane (it was brutal but tolerable...)
I get to KOREA finally!!! Get off the plane, do the immigration part (no biggie), go to find my luggage....and wait and wait...and I'm the last one waiting STILL...finally someone from the airport approaches me and says "your luggage must be lost". WHAT?!?!?!?! AHHHHH!!!! But to be honest, I had one bag and I think I was just so exhausted I could have cared less. Filed a missing luggage thing- whatever. Went out from there and sure enough- AMANDA WISHAK on a card, a man waiting for me! He took my stuff, brought me to a van and I got in....no seat belt and driving 130km/hr. No biggie. At this point it was probably 5am? He blasts Korean popish music then switches it to Queen....no biggie. Queen in Korea...memorable.
He finally pulls up to this building, I get out and fish overwhelms my senses....well this should be wonderful come the summer!! hahaha....ugh. (Side note: this man speaks NO English and laughs a lot awkwardly...) We ride the elevator to the 8th floor, get off and it's like pitch black....we go down a hall, still no light, wtf?! We find my room and for probably a solid 15 mins he tries to figure out how to get in....great. If he can't how am I supposed to?! Well it's a number pad on the door and FINALLY he gets it!! YAY!!! He opens the door, flips on the light and a bug scurries across the floor- that's comforting!! hahaha....wow, so he drops me off, I scope out the place and it's cute!!! Dirty, but could be worse! I have a sweet queen size bed. It's what I think they call a studio? One room + bathroom. I have TONS of closet space, one wall is all shelves and closets. I will post pictures as soon as I figure out how to. It's comfy for sure. Just like I was expecting the bathroom is a room, with a toilet, sink and shower head...drains in the floor. There's no actual shower stall- it's a bit odd and everything gets wet!!!
Sooooooo.....I sleep for maybe an hour? Get up to check my email (which I'm lucky enough to be stealing the internet from someone right now...) I had emailed my recruiter asking her to HELP me with my luggage situation. So I get up, check my email and it's around 8am this time....there is an email from her stating someone from my school and another teacher would be arriving at my place at 8am.....WHAT?!?!?! I looked like death and all of a sudden the door bell rings (which another side note: IT'S EXTREMELY LOUD AND OBNOXIOUS). AHHH people are here?!?!? I open the door and sure enough, David (from my school) and Damon (other teacher) are waiting there- sweet. We head out and go to the hospital for testing (routine procedures to check us out to make sure we're not druggies or have diseases). So it's my first time now outside of my place in the light and wow!!! It's really cool here!!! I'm in the city of some sort, the odd thing is in English but everything else is just Korean (obvi).
So hospital- my first, of many I'm sure, experiences with the hole in the floor toilet....bahahaha...oh lord. Did I even use it right? I have nooo idea. I have this fear of public washrooms to begin with (I often have nightmares of public toilets- it's very odd) so now squating toilets?! Wow...I'm sure that's just going to add to my bizzare bathroom nightmares. So anyway, we were at the hospital for a few hours. Left, came back to my place and met another teacher at my school, Brian. So nice! The 4 of us went for lunch to a Korean BBQ place downstairs from my apartment- deliciousssss!!! I ate food that I had no idea what it was- but tasted amazing!! This Brian guy filled me in on a bunch of stuff- beer and all that important stuff!! No but really, he was an American but Korean who has been in Korea for I think he said 4 years? He talked up the school A LOT! Said the kids are well disciplined and that it's going to be great! He pointed out some places (stores) I could go to. He wanted to give me a tour but I wanted to get home incase my luggage came! YES THEY HAD FOUND IT!!! WOOOOO!!!
So after lunch, I came home, cleaned, hung out and fell asleep @ 530pm...oops!! Big mistake. I was awake @ 4am. But that was cool cause I skyped and stuff with some people!!
So today was the day I was going to explore and wow was I nervous!! I needed to get food cause the gummies, yogurt and lunchables salsa and chips just wasnt cutting it for food in my place. I cleaned up, went to E-mart (like walmart) and almost cried on the way there. It hit me- I was like an alien. I had no idea how to cross the road (sounds soooo ridiculous) but there were people and cars flying all over. I didnt want to step out and get hit or anything!! hahaha....People looked at me strangely, or perhaps I was just paranoid? Either way I was overwhelmed. EMART...wow...hahaha....now that was overwhelming! I wish I could have taken a video camera in there to capture it because anything I say won't do it justice. SOOOOO much crazy food!! I had no idea what to buy!! I just bought basics, for now. I had to remember that I had to carry it home too, so I couldnt go too crazy....
I got home, unpacked, ate sushi..mmmmm....and then ventured out again. I was determined I was going to find a plug for my lap top which had died earlier that morning. Well I ended up at Lottemart or something...again, same concept as EMart. Again, I sign languaged my way through trying to ask the guys there for a plug for my lap top. They were helpful, but I'm not sure they got me the right thing...it'll work for now until I can get the proper hook up.
On the way home I stopped in at a PC Bong cause I wanted to check it out...WOW!! Hahaha...a little sketchy room that's dark and smokey filled with gaming teenagers. So funny. It was $1 for an hour, so incase my hook up for my lap top didnt work, I thought I'd stay and do some facebooking. Again- something that can't really be explained but rather you just would need to see it!! After that, came home, continued to clean....and now here I am. My place still needs more cleaning but I'm unpacked and it's getting there. I need to start taking pictures! I'll post some as soon as I can!
Oh ya...one funny story from my EMart experience, actually 2....so I guess in Korea they have these escalators that take you floor to floor and you put your cart on them (maybe they have them in other cities too, I just have never seen them before...), so I was on my way down and this Korean teenager looked at me and just said HELLO so loud...hahahaha...ahhh I just laughed to myself like cause I was white, I spoke English and he knew how to say hello so thought he would. Another thing about EMart....everywhere you turn there are people who sample things and feel the need to YELL at you....I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT YOU'RE YELLING TO ME!!! For all I know you could be calling me an idiot?! SO STOP YELLING!!!
That's all for now!!