ha-gee-ma

Hello friends and family! I know this is late but for everyone's sake, let's pretend that I posted this blog 3 days ago. :-)

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I arrived safe and sound. After a 12-hour direct flight to Incheon International Airport in Seoul, Korea, I’m exhausted. BUT I really don’t have time to sleep or laze around seeing as I only have 4 days here with my dad's side of the family. I’m not exactly sure what’s in store but needless to say, I’m excited!

My flight here was pretty painless, for the most part. I had a middle seat in the middle section of the plane, which I wasn’t looking forward to at all. However, the night before my departure, I slept in a tent suitable for two but crammed 4 (and almost a dog!), so, understandable, I was looking forward to sleeping on the plane. And that’s exactly what I did. I slept, read, slept, watched a movie, slept, ate and slept. The only downside was this 7-year-old girl to my left who felt comfortable enough to elbow me, lean on me, etc. I would probably be more forgiving if this wasn’t a 12-hour flight and if she didn’t do it so frequently (every 15 minutes or so).

At one point, she kept kicking the chair in front of her. The man would look back, look at me and turn forward again. Hey, she wasn't my kid...I wasn't going to say anything. After 20 minutes of kicking, he stood up, looked at her and said, "Ya...ha-gee-ma!" (Hey you, stop it!) as her mother peacefully slept to her left.

Anywho, the weather here is everything I imagined it to be—HOT, miserable, sweaty, humid, etc. It hasn't rained a lot. My dad informed me that the end of August is really the end of the monsoon season. Plus, I've spent most of my time in Busan (southern coast of Korea) so it is slightly cooler.

After 4 days in Korea, I will be flying to Geneva, Switzerland, arriving on the 22^nd. I have a layover in China and London. From Geneva, I will take a train to Lyon, stay in a very cute b & b (recommended by the frugal traveler from the NY Times himself) for one night and then, going to orientation at 5:30 pm on August 23^rd. Between that time, I need to meet with two landlords for prospective apartments. Ahhh!

SO EXCITED :D

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OK, since I've really neglected the blogging in the last 4 days, I'm going to fit it all into one post. And this one will be more fun...pictures and stuff :-)

Let's see, where to begin...As mentioned before, most of my 4 days have been spent in Busan which is where my father lives. I stayed in Seoul the first night at my grandma's very tiny apartment. We didn't do much that night as I was exhausted from all the traveling. The next morning, we took the train to Busan so my dad could attend a meeting for work. My cousin, who is the same age as me, decided to come as well which ended up being great. My dad got us a hotel for the 2 nights we were there and it was a lot of fun. Sea Cloud Hotel was the name and it was right by the water.

[our beds]

[fully equipped with a computer & flat screen]

[the beach & our view :)]

[the city]

Before we could check in, however, Ji-Hye and I had to kill time while my dad was at work. Two girls wanting to kill time? Hmmmm...I wonder what we decided. If you guessed shopping, you're good ;-) We went to Shinsegae, the world's largest mall. There were a lot of luxury shops, definitely shops that I couldn't afford but it was fun looking around. After 2 hours of walking around in the largest mall of the WORLD, you can imagine that we worked up quite an appetite. Thus, we went to their so-called food court that will put all food courts in America to shame. The cleanliness, efficiency and modernity of it all was so impressive.

[you order all your food at the counter underneath that orange circle]

[then, when your food is ready, they call your number...kind of like the DMV but happier]

[our DELICIOUS food! and my cousin Ji-Hye]

When it was finally check-in time, we decided to relax a bit before we had to get dinner and meet up with my dad. We walked around the beach a bit.

[I promise I'm not usually this self-indulging...I blame it on the jetlag]

[Seriously, I'm not]

[after the beach, we sat in the lobby for some more fun]

It was finally time to meet up with my dad for dinner so we went to Korean bbq with my brother's violin teacher. It was delicious in every sense. You can say I was in hog heaven :-)
[my Dad and me]

[this is a little slice of heaven for me]

After dinner, we got some ice cream and headed back the hotel. As soon as I hit the bed, I crashed! It was a long, successful and fun day.
The next day was just as exciting and fabulous as the last but this post is entirely too long for your poor eyes soooo it will have to wait!

Despite the nonstop whirlwind of activities, I have been thinking of my family & friends a lot. I miss everyone tremendously and even though I will embark on a beautiful & wonderful journey, I have to say that I wouldn't be here without everyone's love and support. Thank you.

Until next time... <3