Greetings from Seosan, Korea. When we last left our adventure, I was in Tokyo with the hopes of arriving in Korea before the month was over. I'm happy to report that we boarded a 9AM flight to Incheon International Airport and arrived here by 11:30AM. I would also like to report that, from now on, I want to sleep in starched sleeping shirts ala Eboneezer Scrooge. It was so comfortable last night in a very formal way.
We arrived at the Tokyo airport via shuttle and I immediately went crazy when I saw a Disney vending machine in the Tokyo aiport.
I'm telling you right now, if I'd had Yen, everyone's souveneirs would have come out of that machine. (I just reread that sentence and am concerned about my lack of the use of the world "y'all"...) Apparently Disney is HUGE in Japan cuz it was on marketing stuff everywhere I looked (even the cover of the phone book) and a lot of people had Disney luggage.
I continued to to go crazy upon spotting a Hermes and a Tiffany INSIDE THE airport. I contemplated using all my souvenier money to buy a scarf and a piece of jewelry.
Before boarding I went McDonald's for breakfast...the menu was in Japanese so I had to point at what I wanted (after asking for a bagel and being looked at like I was crazy). Whatever I had..it was good and the hashbrowns apparently taste the same the world over.
This vending machine made me think of the boys at home and our Mario parties...
Upon arrival in Incheon, we discover it is humongous (I'm sensing a theme here) and it's QUIET. I think it's an American thing to be loud and obnoxious in every possible situation. I don't understand how an international airport that serves millions each year is quieter than Wal-Mart. Speaking of Wal-Mart, did you know that Korea is one of a very few countries in which Wal-Mart did not survive? They started operations here in Korea only to be bested by a company called E-Mart. Apparently, Koreans did not take well to way that Wal-Mart displayed their products (in huge displays) versus E-Marts smaller displays.
It's amazing how some things make you chuckle no matter where you are. I couldn't help but smile and think of Nathan as I spotted a 7-Eleven in Korea's airport...and then I laughed even harder when I saw another one a quarter mile away...just like at home. ;) I also spied a Jamba Juice and a Dunkin' Donuts. Donuts are roughly a dollar in the airport and I made a very hot date with one on my return trip.
We were met by a Rotarian and our translator at the airport and after renting our cell phones and pocket wifi we were whisked off. The drive to from Incheon to Seosan was very comforting to me. Incheon is an island and we had to take a bridge to get to the Peninsula. So, I've gone halfway around the world to go from one Peninsula to another (this is that moment when you realize the author has managed to sneak in the title into the story). I've lived my whole life by a body of water so it's reassuring to be near it.
The driving style here is INTENSE. I'd read that it's best not to pay attention while being driven around and I took that advice to heart. It's like driving on I-76 in Philly...except no one's staying in the lines... So, yeah. And there were some tolls but they had ample paybooths and a system where you paid once you got OFF the expressway and not on.
Our translator tried to keep the conversation flowing. He asked us if we liked music and when we agreed, thinking we were going to hear some K-Pop or something native to Korea...he asked if we liked Taylor Swift!!!! Then he played some Beyonce.
One the drive over one thing was immediately apparent. All of the cars are Hyundai's...or Kia's...I'm not even kidding. That sounds so stereotypical and uninformed but it's true. I'd say 94% of the cars are Hyundai's, 4% are Kia and 1% is everything else. I saw ONE Honda and I saw ONE Mustang on the 2+ hour drive.
Our team member, Jay, noticed that there was a cemetery in the mountainside and we learned that that is typical in Korea. Cemeteries are very important here and their location is a way to respect the dead and ensure good luck for future generations. Most cemeteries are also small and for individual families.
We stopped for a quick lunch of kimbap, kimchi and seaweed before being whisked off to Seosan City Hall.
Upon arrival at Seosan City Hall we met the other GSE team here from Columbus, Ohio. We have the same schedule and will be traveling with them. We all know how I feel about the great city of Columbus and my love affair with it. So this should be exciting. (Upon rereading this sounds UBER sarcastic..and I don't mean it to be...LOL. I love that place)
The team leaders got to meet with the Mayor of Seosan and the rest of us watched a video about Seosan and it's economic growth. Okay, nerd alert, I LOVED the video about economic growth. We learned about their core competencies (fancy business catch phrase), their successful industries and their plans for the future. I was ENTHRALLED but that's because that's what I do for a living...and I'm a nerd.
Everyone is so nice already and we've already received gifts. I'm going to need to buy another piece of luggage but...we already knew this going in and I'm PROUD OF MYSELF for only having one checked piece of luggage getting here.
After the City Hall visit, we all had dinner at a restaurant with our host families. In Korea, it is typical to eat while sitting on the floor.
It was a lively, long affair and I tried soju (rice liquor) for the first time. Boy is it STRONG. Now I understand why they advice to go slow and sip not gulp. We had beef short ribs in broth with rice and it was yummy. I wasn't very hungry because we had just eaten but it was all very delicious. I was proud of myself for using the metal chopsticks with my sticky rice only to have my host look at me and say, "just use your spoon".
And so began my series of faux pas. ALSO, I didn't know how to flush the toilet at the restaurant and hit the bidet button instead and water went everywhere. In Korea, you take your shoes off when you enter any place so I tried to shut the lid to stop the water but it kept streaming out, getting my feet wet and I STILL didn't know how to flush the toilet. So I had to figure out how to flush it and then discreetly dried the floor...
We moved to our individual host families for the night. I was exhausted but I wanted to interact with them for a bit. They are a married couple with a daughter and a son. Their daughter is six years old and SOCUTE...and she wants nothing to do with me. She is painfully shy to the point that she started crying during the evening. The husband speaks English and the wife does not. He currently sells beauty products and once worked for Proctor and Gamble. They are all very, very nice. The husband and I discussed many difference between America and Korea like:
- In Korea, you are automatically one year old when you are born everyone turns a year older on January 1st of the next year. So if you were born on December 31st, 2012 you'd turn two on January 1st, 2013.
- In Korea, husbands and wives have different last names and the children are given the father's last name.
- He does not like how power Hyundai, Kia, Samsung,, Lotte and E-mart are and he thinks Hyundai and Kia cater to exports.
- Oh, oh, oh, in Korea the floors are heated!!! They use water and hot water tanks to keep the floor at a comfortable temperature at all times. It makes perfect sense because they sit and sleep on the floor and it feels divine.
- Academics is very competitive in Korea and is becoming ever-increasingly so. For instance, his son take four hours of English classes a week from 8-10PM on Tuesdays and Thursdays. The competition to get into college is intense.
Oh! One last thing, United offered everyone on the aforementioned flight from hell a choice of gifts to make up for it...I chose a $250 e-certificate for use anywhere in the United States or its territories! It expires a year from now and has no blackout dates. Woo-hoo!
I'm already jealous of your trip! ;D
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