The Long Update

Hello again, it is midday Tuesday in Korea and I am on a break between classes. This is the first day that it is not overly hot since I arrived and for some reason the air conditioner is actually running in our room so it is quite bearable (normally it is only set to cut in at 28.) I will try to give a detailed synopsis on my trip up to this point without getting too long and boring.

We were supposed to leave Regina on Friday morning at 6 am but after problems with the plane and then after making us wait 2 hours in the customs area at the Regina airport and another hour waiting in line to recheck our baggage, they decided the plane would not leave until 6 PM meaning we would not make our connection in Minneapolis. We re-booked for Saturday and hoped for the best. The only bonus in this was that I got to spend another evening at home with Rebecca although after bringing my truck and dropping it off in Wawota I only ended up with 3 hours of sleep before having to get back to the airport.

On Saturday we learned that only Aimee and I had actually got re-booked on Northwest and Laura and Paula (the 3 others from U of R I was supposed to be traveling with)(there are 10 of us in total from the U of R) did not. They eventually got booked on an Air Canada plane and met up with us in Tokyo.

The day was very long, over 24 hours to get from Regina to Ulsan, with the longest flight I have ever been on being from Minneapolis to Tokyo (12 hours). The most interesting part of the trip was that the in-flight snack on the flight from Tokyo to Busan was sushi. We were met in Ulsan by students from the program and then took the hour long bus ride to Ulsan and were finally in our rooms by 10:30 PM. We had to attend a short orientation at 11:30 and it was almost 1 AM by the time I got to sleep. A mandatory breakfast at 8 AM meant only 6 hours of sleep and since I did not sleep at all while travelling, I have not been able to catch up on sleep yet.

Our first day was very busy as following breakfast we had a short tour of the sports centre and then to the bank to exchange money. We then attended a ceremony where they presented the famous soccer manager Guus Hiddink with an honorary degree. OK so I don't really know who he is but he led the South Korean national team to the final 4 in the world cup in 2002.

We then went for lunch in the school cafeteria and had our first class in the Korean language. Basically it was about how to read the letter (not understand but pronounce.) Afterwards we went to a Korean BBQ restaurant complete with take your shoes off at the door and sit on the floor at a low table with a hole in the middle that had a bucket of coals that you cook your food over. It was a great experience, a very social way to eat, and the food was excellent. We drank several rounds of soju and generally just had alot of fun. Afterwards we walked back to the campus and by the time I got my laptop charged and hooked up to the internet, it was time for bed.

So far I can honestly say this has been a really great experience. I have had the opportunity to meet people from across the world including across the US, Morocco, Germany, Romania, Czech Republic, Japan, China, Thailand, and, of course, South Korea. The South Koreans we have met have been amazingly hospitable and everyone in the program is very friendly. It has rained both days I have been here and up until this afternoon the heat and humidity was really high. I have been really enjoying the food and am looking forward to the weeks ahead. Until then I hope everyone is enjoying their summer.