First Few Days

I finally made it back to Korea for the first time since last August. The journey to here was full of many fun and interesting stops along the way; to my cousin's house in Arlington, Phoenix, and then San Francisco where my cousin Marie met me and did a wonderful job playing hostess and tour guide to me during my first trip to California. I flew out of San Francisco at around noon, and had a twelve hour flight here to Seoul. The trip on the airplane was pretty uneventful and I slept a good part of it. I don't think I finished a whole movie or tv program that showed. I did make friends with two elderly Korean women who sat next to me though, and they gave me their phone numbers and addresses in case I wanted to meet up and get a city tour from them. It was fun using broken Korean/English to try and communicate. One of the ladies even spoke a bit of Japanese.

When I landed at Incheon, I was met by Soojeong and off we went to her house to drop off my things. It was so nice to be together after waiting a little over five months to do so. Meeting her parents was a lot less scary than I thought it would be. Her mother and father are both very friendly and they welcomed me with open arms into their home. We had fun talking and joking about different things. Her dad said that he wants to take me mountain climbing while I am here. I don't speak much Korean, and he doesn't speak much English, but I think we will make do just fine. The night I landed here, Soojeong and I met our friends Goeun, Chisato, and Haruna for dinner and drinks at a cafe. It had been since I lived in Japan that I had seen Haruna and Chisato, and it was really nice getting to catch up with them after all this time. It seems kind of surreal to meet my friends and hang out with them in Korea.

Yesterday, Soojeong, her sister, her sister's boyfriend Joe (who's house I am staying at), and I went to an area of Seoul called Gangnam to meet her cousin and her cousin's fiancee. It was their day to get their wedding pictures taken, and we all had a lot of fun taking pictures, eating, and just relaxing. Her cousin and her cousin's fiancee where both very friendly and both spoke English very well. The groom to be is finishing up his doctorate of mechanical engineering, and Soojeong's cousin is an elementary school teacher which is a very prestigious job here in Korea. After our day of taking pictures, we were treated to a Greek meal in an area near where I am staying called Itaewon. The gyros were delicious and it was nice to just relax and get to know everyone better.

This morning Soojeong had to work, so I set off to exploring the area around Joe's house on foot. It was a lot of fun to get out and see what the area had to offer. I took many little side streets that were packed with interesting little shops and schools. I don't know how many miles I walked, but I know that my feet are enjoying the rest they are getting while I am typing this up. I walked all the way down to the War Memorial of Korea (where I went last year) and took pictures and read about all of the different guns, tanks, planes, etc., that line the entryway into the main part of the museum. The US army base is right across the street from there, and it is really strange to see razor wire, electric fences, and signs warning about the consequences of trespassing on US government property. It is not easy to forget that South and North Korea are both technically at war.

I don't know exactly what the game plan is until I meet up with Soojeong after she gets off work tonight, but I will most likely set out to explore more of the neighborhood around here. Joe's friend Eric is staying here for a week as well, and I may head out to lunch with him. At any rate, I will continue to post some of my adventures from my time here this summer.

Looks like a fire hazard to me. What do you think?